#052. The Truth About the Beloved Young Lady
I said everything.
Between regret and relief, Dian exhaled a bleak breath. Hot air collided with the palm covering his face.
Red hair and lime-green eyes.
"If it weren't for you!"
Dian's oldest memory always began with those words. His mother's sharp screams and violent outbursts. And his sister's care.
"It's okay, Dian. It's okay."
Whenever he heard his sister's comforting words, just two years older than him, Dian felt reassured but also curious. Why did his mother only hate him, and why were only his eyes lime-green, unlike his mother and sister?
All his questions were answered when he turned six. As he was leaving the house, a chilling voice stabbed Dian like a dagger.
"Tsk tsk, so that child is why Natalie was abandoned by the Viscount."
"Indeed. The Viscount, Natalie, and Daisy all have brown eyes, but that child has such vulgar green eyes."
His sister always said his eyes were pretty, but the world didn't think so. At some point, his mother never returned, and a green-eyed child without any adults to care for him was the perfect target for bullying.
Still, Dian was relatively lucky.
"...Take that child away."
He was being beaten as usual.
When he came to his senses, he was in an unfamiliar place. His sister said this was the Territory of Vikander. She said the Grand Duke had saved him.
To repay the favor, Dian became a knight. He vowed to endure steadfastly even if someone hated him.
But the Territory of Vikander was a strange place. People didn't avoid him for his green eyes. Gradually, Yeniv Street filled with people who had eyes similar to his.
Nevertheless, Dian covered his eyes with lenses. It wasn't easy to erase the wounds of childhood. But he didn't want to cast a permanent spell.
Someday, he hoped he could comfortably remove the lenses. He held onto that tiny lingering attachment.
Well, that attachment disappeared with Olivia Madeleine's tyranny too.
"...My Lord."
A faint voice was heard amidst his thoughts. Dian lowered his hands and looked at Olivia.
"You really think I received Madeleine's protection."
"If not, you wouldn't have been able to walk around so casually with those green eyes."
"Is that so?"
Dian's face contorted at the light voice, as if talking about someone else.
But before he could glare at Olivia, a low voice continued.
"Half-breed, daughter of a lowly dancer, illegitimate child, a wench who became the Crown Prince's fiancée by luck. An arrogant woman who knows no shame and covets what belongs to others."
Dian's eyes widened at the stream of insulting words.
The vile rumors about Olivia that he couldn't bring himself to say.
Olivia smiled faintly as if it was nothing.
"I know the rumors about me quite well, just like you do. I've heard them countless times right to my face."
It's nonsense that she heard such things directly. How could anyone say such things in front of a noble young lady...
Dian reflexively tried to deny it but paused for a moment. Something felt off.
"Have you never once thought it was strange?"
When Olivia spoke calmly, an odd sensation touched Dian.
He couldn't even guess what she was trying to say, but somehow he felt that after hearing this...
"The Crown Prince's fiancée, daughter of the Madeleine Dukedom leading the imperial faction, and as you said, a precious young lady loved enough to proudly walk around with green eyes."
Perhaps everything he had believed would be shaken.
Olivia, who had been quietly listing facts they both knew, raised her head and looked directly at Dian. Under her piercing gaze that seemed to see through him, Dian unconsciously averted his eyes.
"For such a beloved and precious young lady."
The grass swayed in the night breeze.
"To have such lewd rumors following her around. Really, not even once."
The sweet voice continued.
"Have you ever thought it was strange?"
He had never thought about it once.
The beloved young lady he had so despised.
The young lady who proudly walked around with green eyes.
For him, Olivia Madeleine had changed from a hope that could change perceptions about green eyes to just an imperial faction's young lady who acted out believing in the love and protection of the ducal family.
But.
Was Olivia 'Madeleine' truly a beloved and precious young lady?
When he faced the fact he had never doubted, Dian felt his breath catch as if plunged underwater. And through his muffled ears, he heard a gentle voice.
"Let me ask you again, Lord Szelin."
Dian raised his head as if under a spell.
At that moment, Olivia smiled as if telling the funniest joke in the world.
"Do you really think I received Madeleine's protection?"
Confusion was clearly visible in Dian's eyes. Watching his lips tremble as if struggling to answer, Olivia spoke softly.
"As you said, I walked around proudly with green eyes. I wasn't beaten like the children of Yeniv."
"..."
"But unfortunately, it seems I wasn't a beloved and precious young lady enough to change perceptions about green eyes."
"Ah..."
Dian said nothing.
Over that, Olivia recalled the people who had always been hostile towards her. And her own self, always pushed away as they pushed.
She had never asked them. If they could have a better relationship. No, she didn't even have the courage to ask.
But not anymore.
Olivia faced Dian head-on. And spoke sincerely.
"...So if you hated me for such reasons. Perhaps our relationship could change now."
"..."
"But it's okay if it doesn't."
For a moment, Dian's eyes trembled.
Olivia wasn't sure what Dian was worried about, but she could wait long enough for him to change his mind.
After all, she had once waited fourteen years for people she had never looked back on.
But Olivia intentionally swallowed the words about waiting and changed the subject.
"Instead, please don't interfere with my cleaning up of Yeniv."
"..."
"People are like that, you know. When they have nowhere to go, they end up returning to where they first settled. If even that place disappears, they'll feel like they truly have nowhere to go."
Olivia recalled memories that made her feel weak. The desolation of feeling alone in that filthy alley. Edwin, who had appeared like a miracle then.
And herself, who had found a place to return to.
"So, I want the people of Yeniv to feel like they can always return to this Vikander and live here."
Dian still said nothing. Some change was felt in his eyes, but that was all. A mixture of bitterness and relief spread. Olivia raised the corners of her mouth.
"...I'll go in first."
Dian's eyes grew desperate, but Olivia stepped back politely with a smile.
"Have a good night."
As she turned and walked back to the ducal palace, her back tingled.
But instead of looking back, Olivia smiled brightly at the man standing at the far entrance of the garden.
"Were you waiting for me?"
"Of course. No matter who comes, escorting the young lady is my job."
Edwin boasted as if escorting was some tremendous honor. Olivia placed her hand on top of his large, firm hand. Along with the affectionate warmth, Olivia let out a light sigh.
"...Did the conversation end well?"
"Hmm, the conversation ended well, but."
The corners of Olivia's eyes drooped dejectedly. Edwin felt his heart sink as he examined her face.
"...Edwin is a liar."
"Pardon?"
Edwin's eyes widened at the sudden accusation directed at him. Seeing those eyes, Olivia whined.
"You said I'm good at opening people's hearts. But it doesn't work on everyone."
"...You scared me, Olivia."
Edwin sighed deeply as if relieved, pretending to glare. Seeing that made her feel a bit better.
As Olivia smiled softly, Edwin muttered while briefly looking beyond the garden.
"...I don't think I'm a complete liar though."
"Hm?"
Edwin shook his head as if it was nothing.
.
.
.
She knew well that people's hearts don't change so easily.
When she went to bed, Olivia told herself this fact over and over. Even if his attitude towards her didn't change right away. She resolved not to worry too much about Dian Szelin for the time being.
But.
"...Did you sleep well?"
The voice she heard the moment she opened the door early in the morning made Olivia happier than she had expected. Dian, neatly dressed in his uniform, was politely paying his respects.
The dark circles under Dian's eyes suggested he hadn't slept all night. Seeing the clear signs of his deliberation, Olivia suppressed her elation and replied.
"...Good morning, Lord Szelin."
"...Yes. Good morning, my lady."
Looking at his reddened face that seemed embarrassed, Olivia smiled brightly.
"...It'll be hard to take off the lenses right away, but I'm going to try to make an effort."
"Someday, someone might decide to reveal their eyes after seeing me."
"...I'm over."
A low voice cut into the pleasant reverie. Ah, lost in thought, she had forgotten it was her turn in the card game.
Edwin reshuffled the well-laid cards while raising the corner of his lips mischievously. Knowing this, Olivia still pretended not to notice and complained.
"What is it, Edwin? I was winning."
"You're the one who set the time limit first, Olivia. That's why I told you not to think about other things."
Edwin carefully took the cards from Olivia's hand and neatly stacked them.
He seemed upset that she wasn't focusing on the game. Olivia chuckled.
"In exchange, I'll take back what I said about you being a liar."
"It's too late for that, Olivia. If you were going to say that, you should have said it yesterday when Dian changed his attitude."
"But I was busy yesterday. Lord Szelin was starting to tell me about Yeniv in earnest."
It sounded like an excuse, but it was true. Dian, who had changed his attitude, was more capable than expected and seriously offered opinions on cleaning up Yeniv Street.
"If you're going to cultivate this street with a unique character, not only people from Vikander but also people from other regions might come. People from other regions probably still have prejudices about green eyes, so I'm curious if you've thought about ways to prevent children from getting hurt."
"Or how about talking directly with the people of Yeniv?"
Thanks to Dian's persuasion, people who wouldn't even show their faces to her came out to the street.
When she faced a green-eyed woman around her age who shyly averted her gaze, a strange feeling filled Olivia's chest.
If she met them for a few more days, it felt like they would tell her what they wanted. As Olivia was thrilling with overflowing anticipation, she noticed Edwin's increasingly sulky expression and realized her mistake.
She looked around needlessly. The perfect topic to change the subject popped into her mind.
"By the way, when is Lord Calter returning?"
Winster, who was supposed to return from the islands, hadn't come for days. He should have arrived by now. As Olivia blinked, Edwin smiled ambiguously and looked out the large glass window.
"...I wonder. If nothing had happened, he should have been here already. It seems an uninvited guest is lurking around Vikander."
Olivia tilted her head at the incomprehensible words. Edwin's eyes sparkled as he shuffled the cards with skilled hands.
"Shall we play one more round? Focusing this time?"
At the same time, inside a noisy tavern.
Despite the clamor of clinking glasses, Jade swallowed his food without even taking off his navy blue robe.
It was the first meal he'd eaten besides jerky since leaving the mansion two days ago.
"...His Highness the Crown Prince is curious about Olivia."
He had only trained relentlessly, as if abusing himself. Unable to watch him shorten his life as a knight any longer, the captain forced him to take a vacation. So on the evening he returned to the mansion, those words were spoken.
His father, whom he hadn't seen in a long time, frowned and said:
"I'll answer appropriately, so you should know too."
"I'll go to that child myself."
Jade replied before his father finished speaking. In fact, he didn't need permission. The fact that the Crown Prince was interested in Olivia seemed reason enough to see her.
"Are you feeling guilty now?"
"If you see your sister, make sure to tell her you're sorry. Of course, only if you truly feel sorry."
The words his brother and Esella had said when he was leaving in a hurry came to mind. Jade shook his head roughly. Their contradictory words mixed together.
If he faced her... Though he had come this far, even Jade didn't know what to say. Just imagining Olivia's face made his lips clamp shut.
As Jade was swallowing a bleak breath and getting up from his seat:
"It's been a while, Lord Madeleine."
A somewhat familiar voice was heard. Jade swiftly turned around. At a table some distance away sat a brown-haired man with an ordinary handsome face.
"...Lord Calter."
Winster Calter. The Grand Duke's right-hand man was looking at him. Jade started to frown with displeasure, wondering if he had been followed.
"What brings you here?"
Winster smiled sociably.
Jade didn't trust men who smiled like that. Especially Winster Calter, whose reputation was as bad as the Grand Duke known as the Demon of Slaughter.
Without answering, Jade moved to leave.
"Why don't you eat a bit more before returning to the islands? You won't even be able to pass the main gate of Vikander anyway, so don't waste your energy."
Jade reflexively looked at Winster at his words that seemed to be coaxing him.
Ick. Seeing the smiling face that seemed to be taunting him even as he pulled away, Jade spoke in a low, threatening voice.
"...What do you mean?"
"Ah, you didn't know? Vikander is prohibiting entry to all members of the imperial family and the Madeleine Dukedom."
Winster added, as if doing him a favor:
"Starting just now."
