Chapter 162. Oliver, That Hateful and Resentful Name
Ansen desperately held back his contorting facial muscles. But he could not stop the fingers holding the newspaper from trembling slightly.
The front page of the extra edition reported that Olivia had fixed the Magic Dome. A paragraph also detailed that she was the one who had fixed the Ship-based Magic Dome in the past.
The cold wind woke Ansen, who had been momentarily dazed by the unbelievable reality.
Ansen took a short, sharp breath, then glared at Usher, his eyes hardening. Then, bracing himself, he protested.
"This is a clear breach of contract!!"
"How dare you!!"
His shout echoed thunderously through the harbor. As the guards standing behind the Crown Prince moved to rush forward with grim expressions, Usher stopped him and spoke.
"How did the Princess consort fix the Magic Dome that you said couldn't be repaired due to a lack of parts?"
"The engine room, under any circumstances..."
"It seems there was a victim of that selfish clause, regrettably."
Like lions who unerringly sense weakness, both Astrid siblings seemed to have a knack for touching their opponent's raw nerves.
"Aren't you heading to Pulder urgently about that very issue right now?"
Usher flicked his eyebrows and took a step back. He then said coldly,
"Herot will surely hold you accountable for threatening the safety of Herot's citizens using the Magic Dome as leverage."
"..."
"At the same time, we will spare no support in reclaiming the Princess consort's rights, which were unjustly taken."
Ansen clenched his fists tightly and ground his teeth.
"What rights are you talking about? What rights?"
As Usher gazed at Ansen with his icy blue eyes, Ansen snarled as if having a seizure.
"It won't be easy. Even the Herot royal family cannot arbitrarily infringe upon my rights. I am an entrepreneur of Pulder, not a beggar of Herot."
Usher nodded. Then, he turned gracefully and whispered softly,
"I hear 'that' Pulder is busy conducting searches and seizures of your business premises."
"..."
"In any case, I wish you luck."
Ansen felt his face, bruised from Noah's blow, suddenly throb. Usher Astrid, the epitome of a gentleman, was indeed the brother of Noah Astrid. The only difference was whether they wore a gentlemanly mask or not; they were the same.
"Director...!"
"Did you get it?"
"They say all ships have canceled their voyages due to the sinking of the Sunrise. Even the detour routes are currently blocked."
"Damn it! You should have found a fishing boat, even if it meant paying extra!!"
"Yes, yes. We were already looking into fishing boats heading out for their catch."
After Usher disappeared, the secretary who appeared late had fortunately managed to secure a late departure, which was the greatest stroke of luck today.
"Fortunately, the Kraken situation has calmed down, so they say it will depart around midnight."
Ansen rubbed his face and shoved the newspaper into the trash can.
It had been a terribly long night.
⚜ ⚜ ⚜
News of the Princess consort's accident spread like wildfire across dry fields. Reporters who saw her from afar carried the news, and those who couldn't sleep passed it from mouth to mouth.
"My goodness... What are we going to do?"
"They say the damage would have been greater if the Princess consort hadn't repaired the Magic Dome back then."
"Of course. That's why she risked her life to cross that dangerous sea. I couldn't even imagine doing something like that."
Public opinion flipped again as easily as turning a palm.
Olivia, who had been a pitiable victim whose abilities were stolen, a temptress who seduced man after man, had become a hero who was injured while trying to save people, all within a few hours.
And that news reached the ears of the Princess in the palace.
Lucy ran down the corridor with a pale face. The girl, who had never run in the corridors even when she was much younger, dashed forward, disregarding all etiquette.
The corridor leading to the King's office was more chaotic than usual.
The attendant guarding the office cautiously blocked Lucy, who was running from afar.
"Princess."
"I just need to ask Father one thing."
"Admiral David is currently meeting with His Majesty."
The attendant cast a reproachful glance at Mrs. Lehman, but she was as pale as Lucy.
Lucy took a step back and said with a stubborn expression.
"Then I'll wait."
That stubbornness must be a family trait.
A moment later, as Admiral David, whose warship had been commandeered by Noah, emerged from the office, Lucy entered as if she had been waiting.
As soon as the girl saw her parents' grave faces, tears burst forth.
"Lucy."
At Beatrix's call, Lucy ran to her and asked.
"Is Her Highness badly hurt?"
"They say she's undergoing surgery now, so she'll be alright."
Leonard also approached and stroked his worried daughter's head. Even the King's usually cynical face was etched with concern.
"Father..."
Leonard looked down at his daughter and forced a smile.
"She'll be alright."
Leonard and Beatrix's eyes met.
About an hour after the royal physician had left, Admiral David arrived with a grim expression.
"His Highness the Prince has set sail with a warship. When the physician refused to operate on Her Highness, he asked if she would operate once they were beyond Herot's waters..."
Even for a Prince, setting sail with a warship without the King's permission was strictly illegal. It was proof that the situation was dire enough for him to make such a choice.
That was why Leonard also issued an unexpected order.
"Send a speedboat to the Bahma Joint Zone Administration Office. Clarify in advance why the warship led by Noah is passing through the waters."
The Bahma Joint Zone Administration Office.
It was a gateway jointly established by the nations surrounding the ocean. All warships passing through this zone without military purpose must obtain permission from the Administration Office.
If the surgery were completed at sea and they returned to Herot, there would be no reason to seek permission, but for some reason, Noah seemed unlikely to bring Olivia back to Herot.
Leonard gazed at Olivia's blueprints spread out on his desk. The detailed design, as if she had examined the Magic Dome in the palm of her hand, encapsulated Olivia's past.
Leonard embraced his daughter and spoke as if making a heartfelt wish.
'Please come back alive, Olivia.'
⚜ ⚜ ⚜
Due to the sinking of the Sunrise, all passenger ships sailing the ocean were suspended. As this unprecedented situation, where even detour routes were completely blocked, occurred, Marguerite was also unable to depart for Herot.
She slowly inhaled and exhaled, gazing at the distant sea beyond the window.
It felt as if the heart-wrenching cries from Pulder's harbor were carried on the wind. The bereaved families of the countless people who had been drowned in the deep sea, their bodies unfound, gathered at the harbor every day and wept towards the sea.
Some of them went to Pulder Castle, where the President's office was located, demanding an investigation day after day, while others rushed to the Wilhelm Corporation headquarters, protesting day and night.
Margo looked down at the newspaper she was holding.
[Where is Ansen Wilhelm?]
The bereaved families demanded daily explanations from Ansen Wilhelm himself regarding the defect issue of the Magic Dome, which was identified as the cause of the incident, but Ansen Wilhelm was not in Pulder.
The middle of the article contained testimonies from captains who said the Magic Dome made strange noises when operated after the upgrade of the Ship-based Magic Dome.
And at the end was the testimony of a former Wilhelm Corporation engineer, stating that the Ship-based Magic Dome upgrade was simply an unreasonable increase in the number of cannons.
["...They forcibly attached a quantity of cannons that the coolant or engine couldn't handle, and called that an upgrade. There was a lot of internal discussion. They said this would cause problems."]
Margo smirked cynically and muttered.
"In the end, people will wonder how Ansen Wilhelm failed the Magic Dome upgrade."
Just then, with a small knock, the butler entered.
"Your lawyer has arrived."
Although she couldn't go to Herot, the sea route would eventually open. It was better to do what needed to be done while killing time.
Margo nodded lightly and moved to the main seat, and in the meantime, the lawyer she had summoned entered the room.
Dressed like a Herot gentleman, he bowed respectfully to Margo as soon as he entered the room.
"Greetings, Princess. My name is Rick Winford."
"Lift your head, Sir Winford. Please take a seat."
"Sir? That is not fitting."
"I understand, as it is more convenient for me to call you that."
As Rick Winford cautiously took his seat, Margo, true to her Astrid nature, opened the conversation directly.
"I summoned you because I have a question. What must be done to reclaim a woman's patent rights that the Pulder court did not recognize?"
Of course, she had no intention of mentioning Olivia's name without her permission. She simply wanted to know in advance if there was a solution.
Rick Winford, who had never received such a question before, spoke after a long pause.
"I apologize, Princess. As there is no precedent... May I examine the legal provisions closely and return with an answer?"
"By all means. However, I would prefer it to be as soon as possible. Is it possible within this week?"
"Yes, I will do so."
Shortly after Rick Winford left in a hurry, other visitors entered Margo's study.
Reporters with notebooks and pens coughed softly and bowed their heads before the Princess, who was like a finely honed blade.
"You summoned us, Princess."
Margo leaned back deeply into the chair and lazily threw out her words.
"Do you know that Ansen Wilhelm is not the sole patent holder of the Magic Dome, but a joint patent holder?"
For a moment, Margo saw the reporters as wolves before their prey. As they suddenly lifted their heads and their eyes gleamed, she felt a chilling obsession.
"A joint patent holder... does that mean there is another patent holder?"
Margo shrugged and picked up her teacup.
"Well. I heard it too, but it seems quite credible, so look into it. The name of the joint patent holder is... Oliver, I believe."
Before her words had even fallen, the reporters were scribbling furiously in their notebooks.
She didn't need to see to know what they were writing.
'Oliver.'
Wouldn't they be writing that hateful and resentful name?
Margo's pupils gleamed coldly as she looked at the reporters' notebooks.
