Chapter 154. Time, Regret, Lingering Attachment, and Freedom
The moment they heard the attendant's words, the three of them recalled Noah, who had threatened that he could never summon his wife.
He couldn't possibly have changed his mind...
Coming to his senses, Leonard hurriedly gestured towards the attendant.
"Invite him in."
As the King's permission was granted, the attendant quickly turned. And, as the door opened, the sound of calm footsteps lightly stirred the air of the study.
Leonard opened his eyes slightly as he saw Olivia enter.
Dressed in a neat coat, she carried an old, large leather bag. As his gaze was momentarily drawn to the bag, which didn't match her attire, Olivia bowed her head deeply.
"Your Majesties, Queen Consort, Crown Prince. I apologize for causing you concern."
Beatrix turned her gaze towards Leonard. Under the unspoken pressure to quickly help the bowed child rise, Leonard spoke.
"Lift your head."
Then, Olivia, who had been bent at the waist with her head bowed, slowly straightened her back. When she had fully straightened and lifted her head, the King and Queen Consort and the Crown Prince realized she had changed.
The aura flowing through Olivia's entire body was heavy and cool. Like the slow currents of the deep, deep ocean.
"Olivia."
The Queen Consort, her heart sinking, called her name and stepped forward.
"Are you alright?"
"I am sorry, Mother."
"No, I am asking if you are alright."
"I am fine."
Olivia turned her head and met the King's gaze directly. Despite daring to meet the King's eyes, Olivia's gaze was not intimidated. Instead, it was sharp, like a soldier on the eve of war.
The moment Leonard met her gaze, he realized.
Olivia had broken free from the fence of the paradise her son had built. And one with such eyes never failed to deliver.
"Do you have something to tell me?"
The moment King Leonard's question fell, Olivia took a deep breath in and out, and opened her bag. Then, without hesitation, she brought out the truth she had carefully hidden from view.
What she held in her grasp was her time, her regret, and her lingering attachment. It was the freedom she had hidden somewhere in her heart, trying to forget.
Olivia stood before the King and opened her trembling lips.
"I have something to show you, Your Majesty."
As soon as Olivia finished speaking, Leonard commanded.
"Unfold it."
In an instant, the time that enveloped Olivia stretched out very long.
She placed the bundle of papers on the King's desk, untied the ribbon binding it, and pushed it aside to roll.
The rolled paper unfurled powerfully towards the opposite corner, like waves rushing towards the shore, and finally, the rolled truth was fully revealed to the world.
King Leonard, who had been leaning back crookedly in his chair, froze instantly, and the Crown Prince looked up and moved closer.
In the meantime, Olivia took out another bundle of papers and rolled it over the paper that had captivated the King and Crown Prince, unfolding it.
She was unhesitant. As if she had waited her whole life for a day like this.
Leonard involuntarily rose from his seat and looked at Olivia. Even at that moment, she boldly rolled and unfolded the last bundle of papers.
Usher, lost in thought, creaked his head up towards Olivia.
"Duchess, this is..."
On the white paper, neatly drawn familiar shapes were filled with dense numbers. As Usher trailed off, unable to finish his sentence, Olivia answered quickly in a clear voice.
"These are the detailed blueprints for two malfunctioning Magic Domes. And the two sheets I unfolded earlier are the blueprints for Magic Dome 1 and 3."
Leonard stared intently at the blueprints as if he couldn't believe it, then raised his gaze to look at Olivia. The King's piercing blue eyes were terrifyingly sharp, but Olivia, who had come to this place with the resolve to let go of everything, did not retreat.
No, there was nowhere to retreat.
Instead, she took out a thick, old notebook and documents she had kept for a long time from her bag and placed them before the King.
Leonard took the notebook from her and flipped through it. The worn edges of the notebook were filled with numerous drawings. And as the pages turned, the drawings evolved into shapes closer to the current Magic Dome.
The King's gaze lingered on one spot.
The name should be Magic Dome.
Leonard turned his head and looked down at the documents. Then, without breathing, he quickly scanned the documents.
When Leonard looked up at Olivia again, her eyes were tinged red. Yet, she did not cry.
With a stern face, Leonard raised the documents in his hand and asked.
"What is this?"
When Olivia did not answer, Leonard asked another question.
"Who are you?"
At his question, Olivia squeezed her eyes shut. Tears carved paths down her face.
Noah's face, which had been both cold and warm, confusing her, flashed like an afterimage. Then, the face of a wrinkled old woman flashed by.
"You must win it with your own strength."
Olivia opened her closed eyes and finally voiced the lump in her chest that she had suppressed.
"I am the developer and co-patent holder of the Magic Dome."
Silence fell in the study.
Beatrix unconsciously covered her mouth with her hand, and Usher, too, was so surprised he was speechless.
Olivia looked at the documents Leonard held and said calmly.
"Those documents are proof that I am the developer 'Oliver'."
Leonard, finally regaining his senses, frowned and asked again.
"Why did you patent it under the name Oliver?"
Had she ever imagined there would come a day when she would answer such a question?
Olivia saw a vision of the world flashing white, and forcibly suppressed the surging, hot emotions.
"It is because Pulder did not recognize patents for women."
The despair of facing a colossal mountain range that seemed impossible to climb.
The foolishness of choosing not to climb at all, rather than climbing and returning with a broken heart.
Olivia confessed her past as if making a confession.
"By the time I realized what hiding behind the name Oliver entailed, it was too late."
With trembling hands, she took out a newspaper and placed it before the King. She felt suffocated by the overwhelming pressure, but it was something she had to explain.
"I met Ansen Wilhelm frequently regarding the Magic Dome's blueprints. The hotel in the photo is the lounge of the Revidian Business Hotel, located on the outskirts of Pulder, where I discussed the blueprints with Ansen Wilhelm. My relationship with Ansen Wilhelm is what this article is implying..."
Her voice cracked harshly, contrary to her intentions. It felt like a gag reflex from deep within her stomach.
But Olivia did not collapse. She could no longer run away.
Taking a breath to steady herself, she continued.
"My relationship with Ansen Wilhelm was that of business partners, nothing more and nothing less. Furthermore, I formally offered him employment about two years ago, but he refused, and I have not met him since. Princess Marguerite can confirm this."
Olivia took a step back, bowed deeply, and apologized again.
"I am truly sorry for causing you concern with this matter. I will do whatever I can to resolve this."
It was a frank and clean apology.
She did not cry and run away, nor did she offer any clumsy, lengthy excuses.
Just as Beatrix, who felt pity for the bowed Olivia, was about to step forward.
"Lift your head, Olivia Rosemond Astrid."
Leonard called Olivia in a majestic voice.
At his command, Olivia slowly lifted her head, and Leonard met her gaze with a stern look. His gaze held no trace of pity, but neither did it hold anger.
He glanced down at the documents and papers Olivia had presented and asked.
"Does Noah know about this?"
At that question, Olivia's eyes darkened. She nodded slightly.
"...Yes."
Leonard cursed his son inwardly. But outwardly, he maintained a solemn expression.
"Tell me how this can be resolved."
Beatrix looked at him with an anxious gaze, but Leonard remained unmoved. Instead, he observed Olivia as if testing her.
"Noah would have told you that he would resolve everything, so you wouldn't have to explain this. The fact that you brought these to me means you have a solution in mind."
Time walks on with its indifferent, steady steps. It continues its path even in harsh and desperate moments.
Thus, time has no pity, no affection.
It simply brought her to this moment, which had seemed like it would never come.
Olivia slowly raised her eyes to meet the King's gaze.
"...!"
The moment their eyes met, Leonard was overwhelmed by her.
He felt the intense will of someone who had realized the time had come, leaving behind years of accumulated despair, resignation, and longing.
Finally, Olivia spoke.
"I wish to be recognized as the owner of the Magic Dome."
An invisible volcano erupted within her. Flooding lava brushed past her feet, and volcanic ash swirled like snowflakes above her head, but Olivia's soul stood firm.
"I want to start by fixing the two malfunctioning Magic Domes. After I fix Magic Dome 2, I will go to Pulder and be recognized as the co-patent holder of the Magic Dome. Thus, I will build an independent Herot Magic Dome, no longer subject to Ansen Wilhelm's advances."
A thrilling shiver ran through her from head to toe.
And the thrill she felt was transmitted entirely to the King and Queen Consort and the Crown Prince.
Leonard pressed his palm against his chest, feeling a jolt, and pressed her with an even sterner voice.
"It won't be an easy path, as you say. Can you accomplish it?!"
An easy path.
Olivia retraced the path she had walked. Was there any moment, even a fleeting one, that she had considered easy?
She couldn't help but laugh.
