200 - Chapter 200
Side Story 22.
The Magic Dome was visible beyond the window.
The fact that this amazing person, who had created such an amazing thing, relied solely on himself always brought a heart-wrenching joy.
Noah embraced her, trapping her within his broad shoulders, and rested his chin on the crown of her head. Ansen patted her shoulder with his hand, and Olivia grasped his forearm. When he tilted his head to look at her face, her beautiful eyes were closed.
Noah kissed her temple.
Chu.
He kissed her once, then looked at her face,
Chu chu.
He kissed her again and examined her face, and a laughter-filled breath escaped from her tightly closed lips. Then, her beautifully closed eyelids lifted, revealing radiant eyes. Black eyes, illuminated by the sunlight, turned to him. Noah quietly gazed into her eyes.
From a distance, they appeared to be simply black, but when looked at closely, they held an astonishingly diverse range of colors. Especially when sunlight shone on them, her eyes often took on a deep wood color.
Looking at the grain-like streaks extending from her jet-black pupils, he thought her eyes resembled knots in wood.
Were knots scars on the tree, or were they badges proving that it had lived fiercely?
If he hadn't met Olivia, Noah would have called them scars without hesitation. But knots were not scars. They were the marks of struggling to survive, and thus, honorable badges that only those who had ultimately survived could possess.
Noah kissed his wife's knots.
It was an expression of love, and an expression of respect for someone who had silently walked a difficult path.
He didn't ask if she was okay. He simply protected her from behind.
Olivia closed her eyes and felt the tender comfort Noah conveyed. Even when she relaxed her body and leaned on him, his strong embrace did not waver. Olivia leaned on her husband's reliable warmth and opened her mouth.
"Noah."
"Yeah."
"..."
"Say whatever you want to say. No matter what you say, I'm ready to listen."
Olivia opened her eyes and was silent for a moment. She seemed to be choosing her words, and then she opened her mouth.
"He told me to go back to the beginning."
"The beginning?"
"Ansen Wilhelm seemed to think of it as the bottom... but I still feel like it's not the bottom, but the starting point."
Olivia gazed at the distant horizon of the boundless sea.
"He said he was standing on the edge of a cliff."
"..."
"Do you know what I was thinking when I saw him like that?"
"What were you thinking?"
Olivia blinked.
"At my grandmother's funeral, the bishop at the cathedral said something. At the time... how should I put it? It didn't really resonate with me, but for some reason, I remembered those words today."
"What was it?"
"'If you pray to God for patience, God will give you situations to develop patience. If you pray to God for a strong heart, God will give you situations where you need a strong heart. If you pray for unwavering will, God will give you extreme situations where you have no choice but to die if you don't have unwavering will.'"
"..."
"Was everything that was given to me for my sake, Noah?"
Noah tightened his arms around Olivia.
"Well, I'm not a devout believer, so if you say that giving you harsh situations is for your sake, I'll laugh very cynically."
Olivia burst into laughter at Noah's words, and Noah smiled and leaned closer to her. Olivia turned to him at his gesture, as if to say, 'Look at me.'
"I don't know about God's great will. But one thing is certain."
"What's certain?"
Noah smiled so brightly it was as if he would melt.
"Everything I have is for you."
Don't be afraid of the currents, fly as you wish.
Don't worry about coming back, go where you want to go.
I will always be by your side, and I will always be on your side, no matter what.
Olivia, reading Noah's sincerity, quietly held her breath. Then, when she raised her head slightly, Noah approached cautiously. At a precarious distance where their lips were almost touching, their scents mingled between shallow breaths, and the tips of their noses touched and separated as if greeting each other.
Olivia lightly touched his lips with hers. Then, the moment she gently embraced his lower lip as if biting it, Noah, who had been behind her, moved to face her. His large hands were already cupping her cheeks, and the kiss, which had been like a fluttering flower, turned into a deep intrusion like a midnight affair.
Sweet.
How could it be so sweet even though they kissed like this every day?
Olivia hugged Noah's neck.
It was the day she completely said goodbye to the past, which she had considered tedious and tiresome. Olivia suddenly wanted to go there.
"Noah."
"Yeah?"
"Shall we go to Hamuel? I think the cosmos flowers will be in full bloom."
"When shall we go?"
"Hmm... today?"
Today?!
"Okay."
Noah Astrid, who had been waiting for those words, smiled so wide his mouth could have split open.
That day, the Duke Rosemond and his wife went on a rather long journey.
Their destination was Hamuel, but the two stopped by Lorewell City on the way and visited Lorewell Girls' School. The couple carefully examined every part of the school, including the classrooms, gymnasium, playground, and library.
The mayor of Lorewell, who had rushed over as if his feet were on fire, pleaded with them to come to the city hall, but the two politely declined, saying they had come quietly. Children gathered around the couple as they ate in the school cafeteria.
Among them was that girl.
The girl who had hesitated at the school gate with her shabby-looking mother, unable to cross the threshold.
The girl, who had grown much taller since they last saw her, was holding something and repeatedly peeking out and then stopping. Nevertheless, the girl did not easily approach. But she didn't give up and turn away either.
Just as Olivia and Noah were about to finish their schedule at the school, the girl finally mustered her courage and took a step forward. It seemed that afternoon classes were about to begin, so the children had returned to their classrooms, leaving only her.
Perhaps the girl had been waiting for this moment. She approached as quickly as she had hesitated, and abruptly handed over a neatly folded piece of paper.
Olivia reflexively received the paper and thought. A letter? They had visited so suddenly, when did she prepare it? But her expectations were wrong.
"A report card?"
Noah, who was peeking over from the side, muttered as if surprised. His tone, which rose at the end, contained the question of why she was giving them this. But after seeing the grades on the report card the girl had handed over, he was genuinely impressed.
"Wow. You got first place in every subject?"
When the Prince with the refined aura raised his eyes and asked, the girl was startled and said in a trembling voice.
"I, I don't always, do that..."
"Still, that's amazing, isn't it?"
At Noah's praise, the girl lowered her head, her face flushed.
Olivia stared at the girl for a moment, then looked at the report card again. Why did she give this to me? The answer came easily. The person who knew her feelings better than anyone else was Olivia herself.
This child, having no other way to repay them, had done this.
Since this was all she could do, she had gritted her teeth and done it.
This was the best reward the girl could give Olivia.
Olivia neatly folded the girl's report card and held it tightly, then hugged the girl tightly. She could feel the girl's thin body stiffening. Olivia stroked the girl's skinny back with a gentle touch and whispered.
"I'm happy."
"Ah..."
"You worked hard."
When she felt the girl's skinny back slowly relax, Olivia stepped back and looked directly at the girl. And then, she conveyed the words she would have wanted to say to her past self.
"You're doing well."
The girl's eyes began to redden.
"You are doing well."
"Yes..."
"If you don't know the way sometimes, come find me."
"...Can I?"
"Of course, of course."
Olivia smiled brightly and stroked the girl's hair.
In the meantime, I will pave a wider path so that you can freely spread your wings.
"Let's meet again."
The girl smiled then. She smiled so brightly that wrinkles formed around her eyes, pulling her lips back so that all her missing teeth were visible.
