Chapter 160. Hold On, Olivia
"Noah, the Princess Consort...!"
As Usher, who had witnessed the scene up close, approached Olivia in surprise, Noah pulled Olivia back into his embrace.
He, who had maintained perfection at all times, sank to the floor, desperately holding Olivia and holding his breath. As if to prevent even a god who had come to pronounce death from taking Olivia, he wrapped his entire body around her.
No, no, please... please, no.
Like a child vaguely praying to the sky, Noah prayed blindly.
He wished this were a dream.
Then, the smell of blood filling his lungs with a sharp inhale cruelly awakened him.
Noah's eyes snapped open, and with trembling hands, he checked Olivia's pulse.
"......"
Fortunately, her pulse was faint but definitely beating.
Noah pressed his forehead against hers.
At the sight, the soldiers surrounding them, and even Usher, dared not approach and remained silent.
Olivia's forehead was cold.
Noah whispered to Olivia,
"Just sleep for a bit, okay?"
It was a gentle voice, completely unfitting for the hellish landscape where sleet was scattering.
After whispering kindly to Olivia, Noah lifted his head. Then, he carefully opened the coat wrapped around her body.
The white blouse inside the coat was already soaked in blood, and the wound, which appeared to be one, was still gurgling with black blood.
Noah felt a chilling sensation as if the abyss was pulling at his neck, but he forced his eyes open to regain his composure.
He shouted, pressing a towel hastily handed by the soldiers against Olivia's wound.
"Methone!!"
"Yes, Your Highness!"
"Go to the palace immediately and bring a physician."
There was no time to move Olivia. The chaotic incident would have made the streets impassable, so transporting Olivia by carriage was out of the question. A fast horse was needed.
"Understood!"
As Methone spurred his horse and galloped away, Noah lifted Olivia, still wrapped in the blanket.
"Noah, you must be exhausted, perhaps..."
Usher began to dissuade him, but his words trailed off before the crimson gaze of Noah's eyes.
"I'll do it."
Noah passed Usher and walked quickly towards the nearest building, ordering Jonan, who had approached him.
"Bring fire, clean towels, water, medical supplies, and a military surgeon."
At Noah's final command, Jonan hesitated.
This was an era where a palace law dictated that only female physicians could treat royal women.
However, Jonan could not question his command. Noah, after all, knew the palace law as well.
"Understood."
Noah tightened his grip on Olivia. It was all he could do, holding her that tightly, so he did so desperately.
And he prayed earnestly.
Please, please.
He didn't know who he was praying to, but he prayed with all his might.
⚜ ⚜ ⚜
As soon as Leonard heard the news that the second Magic Dome was functioning normally, he sprang to his feet.
"That's it!!"
Olivia, who had appeared with such bold eyes, had finally done it!
He was so proud and grateful that he felt like giving her a piece of his land.
"Are the Crown Prince, the Prince, and the Princess Consort all unharmed?!"
While Leonard was overcome with joy, Beatrix asked with concern.
"They are all unharmed."
At that moment, Leonard shouted at a servant.
"Contact the newspapers immediately and tell them to issue an extra edition!!"
As the servant who received Leonard's order rushed out of the office, the staff members beside him spoke up.
"What a fortunate turn of events, Your Majesty."
"Indeed. It is also fortunate that the Crown Prince and Duke Rosemond, along with the navy, managed to protect the warehouse."
"And, according to news just received, there are reports that the cruise ship carrying President Pulder's daughter sank in the middle of the ocean, and the Magic Dome did not activate."
"The President has personally ordered Wilhelm Corporation's search. Ansen Wilhelm will likely return to Pulder immediately."
At the Public Relations Secretary's words, Leonard's eyebrows rose slightly.
"Things are turning in our favor, Your Majesty."
"Of course, Her Highness will have a grueling schedule starting tomorrow."
Noah's angry and fierce expression flashed through everyone's minds, bringing a solemn silence.
Still, the fact that he had kept such an important matter a secret because he didn't want the Princess Consort to be hounded by the press... Even a common noble would be criticized for such an act.
Beatrix stepped back from the men and approached the window.
It had been a mild day all day, but now snow was falling. Gazing at her reflection in the darkened windowpane, she felt her heart stir as if she were looking into an abyss.
How strange.
All the children are safe, and the situation has been resolved, so why is her heart in such turmoil?
Beatrix ran her fingertips, now cold, along her chin, continuing to gaze out the window.
How long had she been standing there?
Just as she was about to turn away, thinking it was needless worry.
The sound of galloping horses echoed through the ground, growing closer. Beatrix pressed herself against the window and looked down.
A man of striking appearance leaped from his horse and ran into the building!
Beatrix's heart began to pound loudly.
She turned and looked at the door, praying it would not open.
But, contrary to her wish, the firmly shut door burst open. And behind the servant, a familiar figure entered in an unfamiliar state.
"My heavens, Lord Roctar...!"
Beatrix covered her mouth with her hand.
Methone's military uniform was tattered like rags, but more serious was the deep wound on one side of his face. The scene, which vividly conveyed the devastation of the battle, left even the staff speechless as they looked at him.
"What happened?!"
Leonard approached him and asked urgently, but Methone assumed a formal stance and quickly reported.
"We need to take a physician, Your Majesty."
"Who is injured?!"
Beatrix instinctively thought of Noah.
A cold, chilling sensation, as if all the blood had drained from her body, spread across her skin.
But Methone's answer was different from her expectation.
"Her Highness is injured."
"Olivia, how did this happen?! No, how badly is she injured?!"
"While heading to land from the Magic Dome... I am sorry, Your Majesty, but there is no time to explain. There were too many people, so we couldn't transport Her Highness by carriage. Please send a physician. I will take them."
As Methone spoke urgently, a servant beside him interjected with a grave expression.
"All the female physicians are currently away from the palace attending to the Grand Madam."
Methone recalled Noah's demeanor when Olivia was ill before and muttered ominously.
"If you do not bring a physician now, regardless of gender, Duke Rosemond will likely come charging in a manner you have never seen before."
This indicated how serious Olivia's condition appeared.
Just as Methone was about to try and persuade the King again.
"Chamberlain, send all the remaining court physicians to the Princess Consort immediately. Provide all necessary support and move quickly!"
Beatrix raised her voice and commanded. The Chamberlain involuntarily glanced at the King. Beatrix also looked at Leonard, her eyes flashing fiercely.
"I have never liked that strange palace law. When someone is dying, what does gender matter?! Don't you agree?!"
With a sharp, frosty retort, Leonard flinched and reflexively nodded. He looked at the Chamberlain and said firmly.
"Do as the Queen Consort says. Immediately!"
"Understood!!"
The Chamberlain fled the office like a beast with its tail on fire, and Methone bowed respectfully and disappeared after him.
The space they left behind was as chaotic as if a storm had swept through.
Beatrix pressed her chest.
Her tears, falling like drops from eyes stained red like the setting sun, seemed to pool somewhere in her chest.
'Please, be safe.'
She clasped her hands together and bowed her head.
⚜ ⚜ ⚜
As Noah moved Olivia to the infirmary inside the residence, an unexpected person appeared.
It was none other than Mrs. Betty. Since Jonan had been immediately deployed to battle, Mrs. Betty, who had been hiding inside the residence, saw the Princess Consort in Noah's arms and rushed over, her face pale.
The madam, who had been clinging to the bag entrusted to her as if it were her life, saw the soldiers accompanying the Prince hesitating to touch the Princess Consort's body and quickly rolled up her sleeves to step forward.
"Move aside."
Mrs. Betty skillfully removed Olivia's coat. Then, a flashlight that had been in the coat's inner pocket fell to the floor.
While she removed the coat, Noah was busy trying to staunch Olivia's bleeding.
Just then, the military surgeon he had summoned arrived with a surprised expression. However, the surgeon also hesitated, unable to touch the pale-faced Princess Consort lying there.
Seeing the pathetic sight, Noah spat out.
"Stop standing there like an idiot and come look at the wound."
Each syllable was so sharp and fierce that it felt as if Noah would personally grab him by the collar and shove his face into Olivia's wound if he delayed any longer.
"...Yes, yes!!"
Meanwhile, Mrs. Betty unbuttoned Olivia's blouse, exposing her abdomen.
"Oh dear..."
Mrs. Betty let out a groan at the exposed wound. The military surgeon also frowned the moment he saw it.
Something had clearly pierced her abdomen and lodged there.
"Lantern!"
The surgeon ordered the person who had accompanied him, and Noah picked up Olivia's flashlight that had fallen to the floor.
"I'll do it, so focus on the wound."
The moment he spoke, a light far brighter than any lantern poured out.
When the military surgeon glanced at Noah in surprise, his expression was exceedingly stern and cold. He didn't look like a husband whose wife was bleeding to death, but the surgeon's instincts told him otherwise.
'If I can't save her, I might die.'
The surgeon's entire body tensed with tension. He quickly disinfected his hands and examined the Princess Consort's wound with instruments.
Mrs. Betty closed her eyes at the sight of the black hole in her smooth abdomen.
A moment later, the military surgeon, after examining Olivia's wound, looked up at Noah and spoke quickly.
"Metal fragments are lodged between her organs. To remove them, we need to perform an immediate laparotomy. It's impossible here. We need to go to a place with surgical facilities, Your Highness."
"......"
Noah's eyes were shadowed, like the other side of light.
How far was the nearest facility?
Every second counted.
He remained in heavy silence, like an officer making a life-or-death decision for his army, then commanded.
"The Princess Consort's surgery will be conducted on the warship. Jonan, prepare the ship. When Methone brings the physician, send them directly to the warship."
It was an unprecedented command.
But what did that matter?
The waiting soldiers quickly moved to carry out Noah's orders.
Currently, Noah's top priority was saving Olivia.
Customs, laws, or people's opinions were irrelevant. He was prepared to break even the laws of God if they stood in the way of saving Olivia.
Running alongside Olivia on the stretcher, Noah tightly gripped her hand.
So please, hold on, Olivia.
Because I will definitely save you.
