Translator: Nox

Episode 136. The Incinerated Newspaper

Ansen Wilhelm.

Not only had that man stolen Olivia's thoughts, but he was also obstructing everything she did. He had trapped Olivia in a transparent box, moving invisible hands to drive her into a corner. He must have been planning to manipulate her as he pleased after pushing her to the brink of despair.

Olivia's gradually collapsing face weighed heavily on Marguerite's heart.

The sight of that little thing carrying a bag as big as herself, trying so hard to study, was so endearing.

The aristocracy's bullying, the meager circumstances, and even her grandmother. Nevertheless, she had steadfastly done what was given to her and always smiled. That's why she was so admirable.

The gaze mixed with interest had one day turned into love. Without her even knowing.

"Professor! I bought some because I tried it and it was delicious."

"Professor! Oh, no, that's not right."

"Professor!"

Marguerite buried her face in her palms and wept. Even on the day her father passed away, she hadn't cried, but now she wept with a heavy heart.

As she cried for a long time, her inner self whispered.

'What have I done for that child?'

Marguerite stopped crying and looked back at the past. Soon, her forehead crumpled like a piece of paper.

"...Even I thought it would be better for you to resign yourself to what you've lost."

Even though she had told Olivia to keep the evidence safe, she was skeptical about the possibility of getting it back.

'A commoner Olivia can't win against Ansen Wilhelm.'

'I made a vow not to do anything that would be unfavorable to Herot under any circumstances, so I can't help Olivia.'

"I... I never moved to help you even once."

She thought she regarded Olivia as a daughter, but she didn't know about the state of her house, which Noah had immediately noticed, even after seeing it for years.

"It's okay, Professor. There were days when I thought the Magic Dome was my whole life... but that doesn't mean it's all I am."

She didn't even try to guess how she felt when she said those words. She was just relieved to see her not clinging to something impossible and shaking it off.

People's thoughts can break down walls, but sometimes they become walls that are higher and more solid than anything else.

Perhaps she wanted to see in Olivia her own fantasy of a 'woman who overcomes any difficulties on her own.'

Like a foolish mother projecting her unfulfilled fantasies onto her daughter.

She stared at the report, then took out her notebook and scanned the list of famous Pulder figures she had been associated with.

There were the names of the Pulder presidential couple and people related to the Supreme Court.

"If you steal, you should be punished."

Marguerite wrote down what she had to do, wiping away the tears that kept flowing.

Then, as if something came to mind, she stopped. The tip of the pen trembled slightly.

'Olivia, don't you want to get the Magic Dome back?'

If I ask you that, what kind of face will you make? But at the same time, what kind of face will Noah make? How will the royal family of Herot accept this?

Marguerite leaned back on the sofa and stared blankly into the air. In the end, it was her fault that she took Olivia's resignation for granted.

It was her fault that she loved her, but took the unfairness she experienced for granted.

Margo clutched her chest in pain and curled up.

How long had she been like that?

Margo slowly got up and straightened her disheveled hair. She took slow breaths and muttered.

"Still... I can't leave it like this."

I told you not to throw away the documents and wait for the right time, so I have to take responsibility for those empty words.

Marguerite called in the man who was waiting.

"I will meet people in the order written here. Contact them and schedule appointments."

⚜ ⚜ ⚜

Meanwhile, Herald Beum returned home, furious. It was a mistake to think that cornering the Princess consort would be a piece of cake.

"Damn it!"

He slammed the desk and vented his anger.

High rewards come with high risks.

"In the end, the risk came back instead of the high reward."

Herald Beum, angered by his secretary's tactless words, threw something he grabbed at him.

"Is that even something to say?!"

However, the secretary skillfully avoided the flying object and shrugged.

"Lord Beum, calm down. You need to pull yourself together now if you don't want to end up like Count Seymour."

Herald Beum's spine tingled again as he recalled Prince Noah's eyes, which had glared at him as if to tear him to death. At the same time, he recalled the face of the Princess consort, who had elegantly trampled on him.

"Indeed, Astrid. Even if she picks up something that has fallen to the ground, she doesn't pick up just anything."

"Focus on the present, not what has already happened. When you are in a crisis, you must remember your purpose. Like a Captain who keeps his eyes open to the direction he is going when rough waves come."

"...Should I call all the newspaper publishers? Shouldn't I ask them not to put today's events on the front page tomorrow?"

The secretary shook his head as if it were absurd.

"Will they come if you call them? Of course, they will come if they have the same purpose, but if you tell them not to put the Princess consort's news on the front page, will they listen?"

"Then what should I do!"

"Wouldn't they come if there was a juicy news story?"

"A news story? Did you find something interesting?"

The secretary brought a piece of paper and handed it to him.

Herald Beum snatched the paper handed to him by the secretary and quickly read it. After reading everything, he glanced at the secretary and muttered.

"You're really unlucky, but you're good at your job."

"Thank you for the compliment. I would be even more grateful if you complimented me with money."

Herald Beum made a disgusted expression and looked back at the paper.

"So, it seems that Magic Dome Unit 2 is currently inoperable, is that right?"

"About a month ago, Wilhelm Corporation managers inspected Magic Dome Unit 2, but there has been no movement since then. It must have been a repair-related inspection. So, after contacting insiders at Wilhelm Corporation, it was confirmed that it is currently inoperable. And it seems that there are no plans to repair it for the time being."

"This must be retaliation against Prince Noah?"

"Yes. The Krakens will appear off the coast of Herrington in just two months, so how can the most important Unit 2 be inoperable?"

Herald Beum chuckled and took out a wad of money from the drawer and handed it to him.

"Good work. Leak this information to the newspapers."

"Yes, I understand."

The secretary quickly tucked the money into his arms and smiled.

⚜ ⚜ ⚜

Olivia felt like she was walking on a sharp blade all day.

When the congratulatory speech was over and the tension was relieved, she became limp, like a frog that had been frozen all winter and melted in the spring sun.

As soon as she got into the carriage, she dozed off, and after arriving at the mansion, she fell asleep without even knowing how.

How long had she been submerged below the surface of sleep?

She heard a burning sound in her ears, which had become dull from sleep. It was a different sound from burning firewood. It was the sound of something melting into the fire and fading away.

Olivia wondered what that sound was and slowly rose to the surface. After blinking her hazy eyes for a long time, she realized the presence of someone with their back to the fireplace.

In front of the red-hot fireplace, a large man was sitting on one knee.

'Noah?'

Was he reviving the dying embers?

But what he was holding was not firewood. He threw the bundle of paper in his hand into the fireplace. As the embers flared up, Noah's shadow became even darker in contrast.

When he finally got up, Olivia closed her eyes without realizing it.

The presence grew closer.

His presence stopped right in front of her.

Olivia's heart was pounding hard. She didn't even realize why she was pretending to sleep with her eyes closed. However, it felt like she had to.

Then, the presence that had stopped in front of her moved away.

Olivia finally opened her eyes at the sound of footsteps moving away without hesitation.

The door closed quietly.

Olivia, staring at the door that Noah had disappeared through, jumped up and turned her gaze to the fireplace. When she slipped on her slippers and approached the blazing fireplace, the red flames were devouring something deliciously.

"What is this?"

It was definitely paper, but what was it that he was burning from dawn……?

She could see the blackened corner of the paper that had not been completely burned. Olivia narrowed her eyes and examined it.

When the flames finally consumed even the corner of the paper, Olivia muttered as if she couldn't understand.

"...A newspaper?"

As she stared blankly at the flames and pondered, she heard a noisy sound of shoes. The sound of footsteps, which gave a sense of order, was like the sound of soldiers.

Olivia hurriedly got up and pulled back the balcony curtains that overlooked the mansion. As she opened the door, the cold dawn air rushed in. She felt goosebumps as the wind penetrated through her thin pajamas, but Olivia didn't even feel the cold.

"What on earth……."

She blankly walked past the balcony and reached the railing. Her slightly parted lips did not close.

Dozens of guards in black suits were standing guard at the front gate of the mansion, and guards were also standing between the high walls in the garden.

Even the servants who were cleaning the garden shrank back at the cold expressions of the guards, which were colder than the winter cold.

Was something serious going on?

She felt like her heart was sinking.

At that moment, the guards, who had been standing like statues, bowed politely towards somewhere. Olivia's gaze flowed in the direction the guards were bowing.

Noah, wearing a black coat, appeared from under the lush evergreen trees.

Like the master of a cold winter castle, he crossed the desolate garden. Every time he passed, people gave polite greetings.

The faces of the servants, who were quickly bowing their heads, were filled with undisguised fear. He looked like someone going to war. The sharply honed energy could be felt even in his back.

While Olivia was thinking that, Noah got into the carriage waiting at the end of the garden, and the carriage carrying him soon passed through the magnificent front gate of the mansion.

The ornate front gate, which had been opened by the guards, slowly closed.

The sound of the door closing with a thud was unusually loud today.