Chapter 145: The Girl in the Old Family Portrait
The warship led by Noah anchored near Herollington Bay around sunset. The waters where the Magic Dome was installed were too shallow for the warship to enter, so it dropped anchor further out at sea.
The prince, in his pristine white naval uniform, appeared before the press with an impeccable demeanor.
"The safety of Herollington Bay will be guaranteed under any circumstances. I have temporarily returned to the military and will command the warship until the Magic Dome repairs are completed."
He didn't even blink at the barrage of flashing cameras.
The merchant representatives, who had rushed over feeling anxious, felt a great sense of relief at the sight of him leading the massive warship with such a dignified presence.
Yes, if he's protecting us, there won't be any problems.
Noah's imposing presence, combined with his naval uniform, left a strong impression on people's minds.
"Thank you, Your Highness!"
As someone shouted that, people began chanting Noah's name, welcoming his return to the navy.
Noah finished his interview with the invited reporters and immediately moved to the naval headquarters.
As he entered the naval headquarters, the sailors who had served with him saluted in unison.
Pierre, the chief of the Magic Dome and the only one who remained in the military when all his colleagues followed Noah into retirement, greeted him with a grin.
"It's been a while, Your Highness."
Noah glanced at him but didn't stop walking.
"I never thought I'd be back here."
"I've been hoping for this day."
"If you're going to say things like that, shut your mouth, Pierre."
The office he had used during his naval service remained the same as it had been back then. In fact, all military offices were pretty much the same.
As Noah naturally sat down at the desk, Pierre reported as if he had been waiting for this moment.
"Since two of the main strike units, the Magic Dome units, are out of order, the warship is essentially just for show."
The range of the Magic Dome mounted on the warship wasn't very long.
Instead of answering, Noah put a cigarette in his mouth.
Pierre frowned and then cautiously asked.
"Your Highness, couldn't you just take apart the two Magic Dome main units?"
When Noah looked up, Pierre shrugged and continued.
"You managed to fix the Ship-based Magic Dome somehow, didn't you? Maybe you could take these apart and fix them too..."
'What nonsense is this?!'
He expected harsh words like that to come flying at him, but surprisingly, Noah remained silent. Only the cigarette in his hand burned red.
"We've already angered Wilhelm Corporation anyway, so what's there to lose? If you take them apart, I'll help you. You know I fix all the small machines in the navy, right?"
Noah, who had been casting a dark gaze downwards, put out his cigarette.
"It's not something I can decide alone. There are several alternatives in the worst-case scenario, and that's just one of them."
"But you need to decide quickly. The weather is warmer than usual for this time of year. Some of the Captains who went out fishing have reported seeing Magical Creatures in the open sea."
At that moment, there was a knock, and Methone entered cautiously.
At Methone's appearance, Pierre saluted Noah and turned around. Then, he nodded lightly to Methone, whom he hadn't seen in a long time, and left the room.
As he left, Methone took out a rather thick file from his dark cloak and placed it directly on Noah's desk, and Noah accepted the file as if he had been waiting for it.
While Noah went to Herrington to bring the warship, Methone had followed his orders and visited Lorwell.
"Her Royal Highness's grandfather's name is Hemil Max. He was the founder of Herot's first spinning factory. He is also the person who turned Lorwell into a spinning city, and the wealth he accumulated was comparable to that of a noble family."
Noah's gaze lingered on a faded family portrait inserted between the documents.
On the right side of the picture, a handsome gentleman with a mustache was smiling confidently. And to his left, a cheerful middle-aged woman stood with her husband.
"Her Royal Highness's grandmother's name is Susanna Max. She later immigrated to Pulder and changed her last name to Liberty. She was a formidable woman who actually ran the spinning factory."
Noah paused for a moment and then slowly turned his eyes to the side.
"Her Royal Highness's parents' names are James Max and Sylvia Max."
A young couple who looked to be in love were standing close to each other affectionately. At the feet of the young woman, who resembled Olivia so much that one could believe it was her, a girl who looked to be about six years old was smiling brightly while holding a rabbit doll.
Her smile was radiant and clear.
"About 13 years ago, there was a carriage accident. Her Royal Highness's grandfather and parents died instantly in the accident, and according to Herot's inheritance law, all the Max family's assets were inherited by distant relatives."
In this affectionate family portrait, three people were erased, leaving only the grandmother and granddaughter.
"The person who received the wealth comparable to that of a noble, ignored the remaining two?"
At Noah's question, Methone nodded with a bitter expression.
"It's been so long that it's not accurate, but it seems they didn't even want to pay for Her Royal Highness's tuition. So, Her Royal Highness's grandmother seems to have headed to Pulder with the young Her Royal Highness."
"The person who received the wealth."
At Noah's cold question, Methone quickly replied.
"They squandered all the vast wealth on gambling in just five years and committed suicide the following year. The whereabouts of their family are also unknown."
No emotion was revealed on Noah's face. Not even a trace of pity for his wife, who had lost her family and left her homeland.
Methone was taken aback and lowered his gaze. In moments like these, Noah didn't seem like a person. He just seemed like King Leonard's son.
After looking through the documents for a while, Noah put them away and changed the subject.
"Les Duing?"
"I've found a connection point with general news agencies. It seems there was some kind of behind-the-scenes deal, but please wait just one more case. I've almost caught them. And I've confirmed that Ansen Wilhelm has entered Polia."
"Polia?"
"I've assigned someone to keep an eye on him, so I'll report on his movements periodically."
Noah paused for a moment and then spoke.
"Good work. Send someone to report Ansen Wilhelm's movements to His Majesty as well, and you catch Les Duing. They published this kind of article again today."
Noah pointed to a newspaper with Olivia's picture on it, and Methone bowed respectfully. In the newspaper, Olivia was shining brightly during her time at Herollington University.
"Understood."
Methone glanced at the prince's face, which seemed sharp enough to cut, and turned around. And just before he left the room, Noah asked quietly.
"Olivia."
When Methone glanced back at him, Noah was taking out a cigarette again.
"It seems she has been staying inside the mansion since Your Highness left. There were no other special reports."
"..."
"...Wouldn't she be waiting? How about stopping by for a moment..."
Noah didn't answer with a cold expression, and Methone quietly retreated at that point.
Noah's gaze, which had been on the old family portrait, silently slid over to the girl in the newspaper. A sigh of anguish mixed with the sounds of the wide and magnificent office, then shattered and disappeared.
⚜ ⚜ ⚜
The next morning.
As was usually the case after taking medicine and sleeping, Olivia woke up suffering from a dull headache.
"Are you awake, Your Royal Highness?"
Betty approached as if she had been waiting.
"...What kind of scent is this?"
The refreshing scent of the forest was unfamiliar. But thanks to it, the dull headache seemed to subside a little.
As Olivia focused on the scent lingering at the tip of her nose, Betty carefully offered her lukewarm tea.
"If you don't like the scent, I'll remove it."
"No, it's not that. It's nice."
"This is herbal tea that is good for headaches. Drink it like water."
Only then did Olivia realize that the scent filling the room was also Betty's consideration for her.
"Thank you."
Olivia, who had quenched her thirst with lukewarm tea, looked for the newspaper that the Queen Consort had sent.
But there was no newspaper today. Instead, different news awaited her.
Betty whispered to Olivia, who was holding a card with a white ribbon.
"Get up. You have to start getting ready now, or you'll be late."
And a little later.
Olivia was in the Queen Consort's carriage, heading somewhere.
In front of the Queen Consort, who had appeared with a dignified presence, Noah's guards, who were protecting Olivia, didn't even dare to ask where the two were going. Only Jonan was diligently following the Queen Consort's carriage.
Beatrix glanced at Jonan through the carriage window and looked at Olivia, who was sitting across from her. Olivia, wearing a bright pink dress, was very beautiful, but she looked thin.
"You've lost a lot of weight."
Olivia glanced down at her body for no reason and just smiled, and the Queen Consort swallowed a sigh inwardly. But she didn't show it on the outside and changed the subject.
"Today is a light charity party for noble ladies. It's not an official event, so there are no reporters. It's depressing to stay inside the mansion all the time, so think of it as a picnic."
The noble ladies' charity party was held at the Queen Consort's private villa located on the outskirts of the capital. Olivia, who got out of the carriage, widened her eyes as she looked at the vast vineyard that could be seen at a glance from the villa.
"It's desolate now because all the leaves have fallen and only the trees remain, but it's spectacular around summer."
Beatrix, who had approached her side, explained.
"When Noah was young, he used to run around this vineyard so much and eat grapes that his fingernails would turn bluish-black from the grape juice whenever he came here. And he would fall asleep with a full stomach without even eating dinner."
As Olivia thought of Noah, who would have broken off bunches of grapes with one hand and ran around everywhere, she couldn't help but chuckle. Beatrix didn't miss that smile.
"If the child born in the future is particularly troublesome, make Noah take responsibility."
Eventually, Olivia burst out laughing. Even though she covered her mouth with her hand, a clear laugh escaped. Beatrix chuckled and whispered softly.
"If you don't have the confidence to say that, I'll do it for you."
That was the moment.
