Chapter 63
#063. Precious Things Finally in Their Place (3)
When Olivia suddenly woke up, it was still night outside.
She slightly opened the firmly closed window, and the cool night air rushed in.
Looking out the window, where she could hear the chirping of insects, she saw Knights patrolling in the distance.
So, they do night patrols like that at the Grand Duke's Residence. It was a little different from what she had seen at the Madeleine Dukedom, so Olivia felt a sense of novelty before tilting her head.
At the Madeleine Dukedom, she often saw servants on night patrol, or perhaps it was more accurate to say she saw them frequently. There were many nights when she couldn't sleep, or nights when she couldn't fall asleep.
But after going to the Grand Duke's Residence, or at least after coming to the Territory of Vikander, she hadn't woken up in the middle of the night like this.
Olivia sought familiarity amidst the unfamiliarity of the night.
The bed she had just woken up in, the desk where she always wrote in her diary, the table she used when drinking tea, the sofa that was comfortable to lean on, and the dressing room with so many jewels and dresses, like a boutique.
Everything that caught her eye was familiar to her.
Completely her own.
As soon as she realized that fact, Olivia's fingertips trembled slightly. When the happiness she thought she had become accustomed to came to her as a large entity, Olivia's heart thumped loudly.
If this happiness was truly hers, she wanted to see the greatest happiness that had come to her with her own eyes.
As soon as she finished thinking, Olivia hurriedly ran towards the door. She couldn't suddenly remember the location of Edwin's bedroom, but she felt like she could go to Edwin if she just opened the door and went out.
"Olivia?"
As soon as she opened the door, a languid, sleepy voice called out to her from beside the door. Edwin, who had been leaning against the wall, slowly straightened up and looked at Olivia.
"Are you awake already?"
Edwin's voice sounded dreamlike and hazy. For Edwin to be right in front of her room at this hour. Was this moment, as if her wish had come true, perhaps a dream?
Olivia unknowingly reached out and grabbed Edwin's hand. She felt a gentle warmth at her fingertips.
"...It doesn't disappear."
"Should it disappear?"
At Edwin's playful voice, Olivia finally said, "Ah," and stammered.
"I was a little worried about what to do if it was a dream."
Before she could say that she was glad it wasn't, Edwin's eyes narrowed slightly.
"It can't be a dream."
A captivating voice laughed softly over the night air.
"I was afraid that I might be the one who was dreaming, so I've been standing here since last night."
Edwin, looking at their clasped hands as if he regretted it, lightly kissed the back of Olivia's hand.
"So leave your worries to me, and Olivia, go back inside and sleep some more."
Olivia, pushed into the room by Edwin, blinked her eyes.
Everything was not disappearing,
It was reality.
* * *
The architect the young lady had mentioned had arrived on Ruheirn Street.
If the young lady knew, she would surely be happy. Dian, imagining the young lady's smiling face, ran into the castle in a good mood, only to be met with a thunderbolt-like order.
"You want me to receive the jewels to be used for the engagement ring from Baron Stone? Really? Me?"
Bethany didn't even bother answering the repeated questions anymore.
Why? He was clearly a Knight who should not leave the young lady's side.
But before he could ask again, His Grace the Grand Duke and the young lady were approaching the carriage. Seeing them, Dian quickly paid his respects, but he felt a slightly different atmosphere from usual.
He had always known that His Grace the Grand Duke cherished the young lady, but...
"I can walk on my own two feet, you know?"
"I can't allow you to wear yourself out, can I?"
"My shoes?"
"Olivia."
...He hadn't stopped her from walking in front of people to this extent.
Dian unknowingly rubbed his arm.
More than anything, the fact that His Grace the Grand Duke could say such things without changing his expression sent shivers down his spine.
In addition to Dian, who quietly left his post, many servants stared at the two of them.
Swallowing her embarrassment at the gazes, Olivia glared at Edwin as if she were displeased.
"Even if you keep saying that, I'm still going with Lord Sjelin today. You said you were standing there all night. Edwin, you should get some rest."
At Olivia's firm words, Edwin made a sound of dismay.
He had planned to send Dian to Baron Stone and spend time with Olivia himself.
To think that he would be forced to rest because he said, 'I've been standing in front of Olivia's room since last night.'
He tried to act sulky and be cute, but Olivia didn't allow him to come along.
Eventually, when Edwin raised his palm, Howard, who was behind him, stepped forward.
"Dian has other business today, so I will accompany you. Dian said that 'the architect that the young lady mentioned' has arrived on Yeniv Street."
Hearing those words, Olivia's face lit up brightly. Jealous of that face, Edwin pouted and coaxed Olivia.
"Are you really going to leave me behind?"
Olivia, looking at Edwin for a moment, leaned towards Edwin and whispered.
"If you want to get the ring, you won't have time to follow me, will you? I'm only going to accept a really precious ring, and you said you'd bring it within three days last night, so there are only two days left now, right?"
At those words, Edwin looked taken aback. Olivia, who had been confidently smiling in front of the carriage, waved her hand with an elegant smile.
"I'll be back."
* * *
While carrying out the Yeniv Street project, there was only one thing Olivia wanted.
For the green-eyed people to live proudly in this Yeniv, to transform it into a street that would provide a sense of sanctuary and would not disappear.
"...As I always feel, you give me very difficult tasks."
And this middle-aged man who spoke as if complaining was someone who could fully accomplish that.
"I'm entrusting it to you because I think you can do it well, Mr. Shuren Karein."
At Olivia's sincere words, Shuren chuckled. And as if to erase his grumbling, he joked.
"You don't need to pay the payment in two installments this time? Even ten percent..."
"Why would I do that when I can pay the payment in one go?"
Olivia said nonchalantly and looked at Yeniv Street. In order not to forget the scenery that she would never see again once it was changed, she captured this moment in her eyes.
"I heard about the situation from Lord Sjelin, so would it be alright if I took a look around the street for a while?"
"Of course, Lord Interfield. Would it be alright to ask you?"
At Shuren's request, Howard nodded. And he went ahead to guide him through this Yeniv Street.
.
.
.
"Wow, it's really rare to see so many green-eyed people gathered in one place."
Shuren Karein. A special note is that he was the architect in charge of the waterway construction in the Tristan Granary District, the Princess's territory. In this rezoning, he will be in charge of the road and house layout plan.
"As the Princess said, it would be good to leave this site as it is. The roads are straight and wide."
Looking at Shuren, who was seriously looking at Yeniv Street, Howard corrected his words in a calm voice.
"Young Lady."
"Ah, that's right."
Shuren, scratching his tousled hair, turned around as if he had just remembered. And he muttered to himself.
"Well, she had the guts to pay the payment in that way, so it's only natural that she's doing well."
At those words, Howard felt puzzled.
"Isn't it normal to pay the payment in installments?"
It was most common to pay in three installments: a down payment, a mid-payment, and a final payment after the construction was completed. But Shuren widened his eyes as if he didn't know, and began to talk.
"Of course, it's common to pay the payment in installments, but the Princess, no, the young lady, paid the payment in a slightly different way."
The events of two years ago vividly came to Shuren's mind as if they were unfolding before his eyes. It was autumn, when the yellow wheat fields made his heart feel full.
It was also the day when the waterway construction began in the Princess's bountiful territory, the Tristan Granary District.
The architects and workers who participated in the project, hearing that it was a project led by a Saintess-like Princess, were disappointed to see the silver-haired, green-eyed Princess.
But when the Princess's words, which neatly directed the work, gradually opened people's hearts, it was then.
"Before paying the payment, I would like to propose two payment methods to you. The first is to pay the down payment, mid-payment, and final payment after the construction is completed as is."
People who were listening carefully, since there were two payment methods, scoffed at the first plan, which was no different from usual. At the same time, the Princess continued calmly.
"The second is to pay the down payment first, and then pay the mid-payment and final payment at once after the construction is completed. Of course, as it is paid later, we will pay an additional fifteen percent of the amount including the mid-payment and final payment."
"Fifteen percent?"
At Howard's surprised voice, Shuren came out of his thoughts and chuckled. It seemed that even a noble was surprised. Well, they had also widened their eyes.
"The budget must have been fixed."
"So many people just chose Plan 1. Of course, I chose Plan 2 and actually received an additional fifteen percent."
"How..."
Shuren said boastfully to the Knight's face, who was sincerely curious.
"According to what we heard, when the new wheat was harvested at that time, the young lady purchased all of the unsold old wheat cheaply with the mid-payment that she should have paid to the workers."
Old wheat. As soon as he heard that word, an article about the Princess solving the spring famine in the Retail Territory reflexively came to Howard's mind.
"And she sold it to other territories during the next spring famine and paid all of our payments with the profits from there."
Shuren's words proved that Howard's prediction was correct.
He felt like his mouth was drying up, but Howard didn't do anything foolish that would make him lose sight of what he had to do because he was caught up in the atmosphere.
"...Mr. Shuren Karein."
"Yes?"
"Can that be confirmed?"
Shuren suddenly sighed at the somewhat heavy tone. It was when Howard was swallowing his tension at that sight.
"I was wondering what it was. Why are you saying it so seriously? Of course. Not only me, but also the designers and workers who worked with me all know that."
At Shuren's cheerful answer, Howard quietly looked at the Grand Duke's Residence.
He had always only had a suspicion that the young lady had done the Princess's good deeds instead, but to think that he could secure such clear evidence. It was fortunate, but at the same time, he was worried.
He was like this, but he couldn't even imagine how His Grace the Grand Duke would feel when he heard this fact, and what the person involved, the young lady, had gone through.
* * *
Expensive materials and plenty of workers. And even the financial ability to pay the payment at any time.
"You don't need to pay the payment in two installments this time?"
When she heard Shuren's words, Olivia felt like she had gone back to a very long time ago for a moment. To that time when she had to come up with a trick somehow because she didn't have enough money to pay for the construction.
Olivia smiled faintly.
The money that the Princess gave was always average. She didn't consider the possibility of 'unexpected events' and always had a shortage of budget.
Fortunately, the Princess's territory was generally prosperous. And Olivia learned various ways to manage funds cleverly while looking at the Madeleine Dukedom's ledger.
To be precise, it was the method she learned from Conrad.
"If you want to use it within the allocated budget, you have to know how to circulate money. Are you going to wait foolishly until they tell you that?"
Olivia shook her head at the name she was recalling after a very long time. While her thoughts were flowing, Olivia stared blankly at the ring.
"Are you really going to leave me behind?"
Edwin, who was acting pitiful until the end while seeing her off. Olivia's mood became much more pleasant when she thought of that sight. It was when she was thinking that she hoped he would bring the ring soon.
"Young Lady!"
A group of children ran towards Olivia. Now the children no longer wore dirty clothes, and they didn't hide their faces with Robes.
Sparkling eyes looked at Olivia with envious gazes. In this street, Olivia was a hero and an angel herself. Everyone called her Young Lady and respected her.
Little Jane, who was about to talk to such a person, pressed down on her pounding heart and continued.
"I, I want to give you something, Young Lady."
"What is it?"
Olivia bent down and said kindly to the child. The child, who was twisting her body, looked at her innocently, just like the brown-haired child on Ruheirn Street who had given her flowers.
Whatever the child gives her, she must be happy, Olivia vowed in her heart. But when the child reached out her hand, Olivia couldn't keep that vow.
"It's an anklet. My mom told me to give it to you, Young Lady! She said that she made it after a very long time, so she hopes you'll think it's pretty even if it's not perfect. She said it grants wishes!"
The child's voice, full of excitement, faded away. Olivia stared at the child's hand for a moment, forgetting to breathe.
On top of the small palm that was just starting to gain weight, there was a Thread anklet made by twisting colored threads.
The method of twisting and weaving the threads using a unique knot was very similar to her mother's Thread anklet, which she hadn't seen since it was taken away by her nanny a long time ago.
