Chapter 11
Episode 11: Princess, I Don't Think That's Right
The woman from Polder seemed unaware of Lucy's presence, her gaze fixed solely on the Golden Lion Statue. Lucy, unable to bring herself to speak, simply hovered behind her.
Mrs. Lehman was about to turn her head, wondering what on earth was going on, when, unbelievably, Lucy reached out and touched Olivia's hair right before her eyes.
Mrs. Lehman gasped, and at the same time, Noah rushed towards Lucy. Just as he reached her, the child was about to grasp Olivia's hair as if possessed.
"Lucy."
"!!"
Noah placed his hand on Lucy's shoulder.
…It was a hasty move.
Startled, the girl instinctively clenched her fist, tightening her grip, and in her hand was a fistful of the guest's dark hair.
"Ah!"
Needless to say, Olivia's head, which had been turned towards the Golden Lion Statue as she reminisced about the past, was abruptly pulled back.
"……!"
Astrid and her sibling, and Mrs. Lehman, all wished this moment was just a dream.
Startled by her own actions, Lucy quickly hid behind her brother, while Olivia, equally surprised, turned around, her eyes widening in even greater shock.
Eyes like autumn-tinged verdure were right behind her. It was unbelievable.
Noah, too, found the moment hard to believe.
As well as the dark eyes, brimming with tears that threatened to spill over at any moment.
Did pulling her hair hurt that much?
"……."
"……."
Lucy, now is not the time to hide. Come out and explain.
He wanted to say that, but the faint grip he felt on his waist was trembling slightly. As indifferent as he might be, he couldn't bring himself to forcibly drag out his trembling little sister.
Noah sighed briefly and wore a very awkward expression.
"...I apologize."
The tears that had welled up in Olivia's eyes, lost in the past, vanished at the Prince's apology.
Did he really pull her hair?
But then, a sky-blue skirt peeked out from behind him, swaying gently. Glancing behind Noah, she saw the young princess hiding behind her brother.
Only then did Olivia roughly grasp the situation, smiling slightly and nodding her head.
"Yes, it's alright."
Then, she cautiously took a step back and turned around as if nothing had happened.
Only then did Lucy peek out from behind Noah, and seeing the stern gaze from above, she glanced up at Noah.
"...I'm sorry, Noah oppa."
Mrs. Lehman, who had rushed over, also apologized to Noah.
"I'm so sorry. I should have stopped the Princess first."
Noah didn't scold Mrs. Lehman or Lucy, but he didn't hide his displeasure either.
"Lucy. You know what you need to do now, right?"
"...Yes."
At Noah's cold glare, Lucy sighed softly and looked at Olivia.
She had to go and apologize properly.
As Lucy hesitated and finally took a step, Noah added coldly to Mrs. Lehman.
"I think Her Majesty should know about this as well, Madam."
"Of course, Your Highness. I apologize once again."
Mrs. Lehman apologized politely and hurried off to the Queen Consort, while Noah watched Lucy closely. Lucy was approaching Olivia, hesitating as if her feet wouldn't move.
This time, Olivia was keenly aware of the small footsteps following her.
Glancing over her shoulder, she saw a chubby face that looked like it was about to cry. Olivia slowed her pace and walked alongside Lucy. The blue eyes that kept glancing at her were so lovely.
"Princess, I'm sorry I didn't notice sooner."
Then, Lucy, who had been hesitating, widened her eyes and shook her head.
"I'm the one who should apologize. I'm really sorry for… pulling your hair."
None of the aristocrats Olivia had met so far had ever offered such a sincere apology.
“…I apologize.”
He must have come to stop his sister. As the green eyes filled with embarrassment came to mind, a smile spread across Olivia's face.
"That Golden Lion Statue is really magnificent, isn't it? It's the symbol of the Astrid royal family."
As Olivia smiled, Lucy, feeling much lighter, spoke like a hostess attending to a guest.
"Yes, it's really magnificent. Even though it's been a long time since I've seen it, it's just as grand as I remember."
"I wish the symbol was a unicorn, but I can't change it."
"A unicorn would be wonderful too!"
"Right?"
Lucy pointed to the spire of Hamel Cathedral, located on the opposite side of the lion statue, with an excited expression.
"That's Hamel Cathedral, where royal weddings are held. There's a tiny angel statue carved at the top of that spire."
"Oh my, I didn't know that."
"Oh, do you have a shortened name? I'm Lucy, so I don't have a shortened name."
"Hmm… my family used to call me Liv."
"Olivia- Liv? That's cool! Can I call you Liv too?"
Usually, nicknames are only used by people who are really close, so if Mrs. Lehman had heard this suggestion, she would have quickly pointed it out.
But for an eight-year-old girl, such conventions were meaningless, and Olivia didn't attach much significance to it either, so she readily agreed.
"Of course."
With Olivia's approval, Lucy began to call her name without hesitation.
"Liv, do you see that big tree over there?"
Lucy explained this and that to Olivia with sparkling eyes, and Olivia listened to her voice and nodded repeatedly. It was a very heartwarming scene.
Leonard, who had been conducting an interview in front of the royal symbol for a long time, also captured the scene. And at that moment, the King ordered the reporter.
"Hurry up and take a picture of that!"
The veteran reporter thought the moment he saw the scene.
Even if the King took a hundred photos in front of the lion statue, it wouldn't be as good as that!
Thus, the reporter and the King pointed their cameras at the satisfying subject.
The Queen Consort, who had just heard about Lucy's actions and was about to move to apologize to Olivia herself, discovered the scene.
"How pathetic."
The Queen Consort, who rarely criticized her husband, involuntarily blurted out her honest thoughts, and Margo nodded in agreement.
"I wonder how he would have lived without a camera."
"Exactly what I was thinking."
Usher, who had finished the interview, also widened his eyes at the sight of Olivia and Lucy. Approaching Noah, he lowered his voice and asked.
"What happened?"
Noah, who was watching the two of them, replied without turning his gaze.
"It's a long story."
"So you're not going to explain."
At that moment, Olivia's gaze, who had been listening intently to Lucy's explanation, landed on the Golden Lion Statue. Noah also followed her gaze and looked at the dazzling lion statue.
Transparent tears filled her large eyes.
What's there?
What was it about that that made her tear up?
No matter how you looked at it, it wasn't an emotionally moving statue.
Meanwhile, Lucy carefully took Olivia's hand as she looked at the lion statue. Realizing her mistake, Olivia quickly lowered her gaze, and Lucy looked up at Olivia and smiled brightly.
"Welcome to Herot, Liv."
"……."
The smile slowly disappeared from Olivia's face. Instead, a gentle ripple ran through her dark eyes as she looked at the girl.
She had enjoyed picnics here at the same age as this girl, and it was her last picnic with her parents. The princess's welcome speech, heard in a place filled with fond memories, was more touching than any other words.
Olivia slowly bent her knees to meet Lucy's eyes.
"Thank you for welcoming me, Princess."
And seeing that scene, Leonard was busy urging the reporter.
"Take the picture quickly, hurry!"
The eight-year-old girl, who had grown up among her older brothers, had fallen completely in love with Olivia. She liked the way she tilted her head when she spoke, she liked her smile, she liked everything about her.
Until the King, who had finally obtained a satisfactory photo, ordered the return to the palace, the Princess refused to leave Olivia's side.
As Mrs. Lehman paced anxiously around the Princess, Margo couldn't help but say a word.
"Leave her alone. She's acting like that because she likes someone she's never seen before."
Then, she added to Leonard.
"Send Lucy to school too. How boring must it be for her to always be in the palace at an age when she should be with friends?"
The Queen Consort quickly nodded.
"That's right. She'll be back at the palace after class anyway. They accept students in the middle of the semester too……."
"Not yet."
"……."
The King refused as if it wasn't worth listening to anymore, and then warned Margo.
"Don't give her false hope, Marguerite. It's still dangerous outside the palace."
"False hope? Besides, the guards will go with her, so what's dangerous……."
As Margo was about to say something more, Leonard quickly turned around and got into the carriage. Beatrix wore a bitter expression, and Margo clicked her tongue softly, displeased.
After confirming that the King had boarded the carriage, Mrs. Lehman quickly approached Princess Lucy.
"Princess, now say goodbye to Miss Liberty and get on the carriage."
At that, Olivia greeted Lucy first.
"Thank you so much for showing me around the square, Princess."
"Ah, that……."
'No. If I say goodbye here, I won't be able to see her again!'
"You must say goodbye now, Princess."
Mrs. Lehman urged, making her even more anxious. Usher and Noah were already waiting for her in front of the carriage.
Lucy, who had been blinking her big eyes repeatedly, finally did something she had never done before.
"Liv, ride in the carriage with me!"
