Chapter 22
Chapter 22: Flashlight and Dreams
As Noah paused, Olivia approached him and glanced up at him. Noah briefly looked at her before resuming his walk, at a much slower pace than before.
Olivia was relieved that the prince had suddenly slowed down, but she also felt awkward and embarrassed, and kept biting her lip.
The rustling sound of dry grass being crushed underfoot, the distant calls of nocturnal birds of prey, and her own shallow breathing, which sounded like a wheezing bellows, filled the dark space, but the large man dominated it all.
When she turned the corner and met his gaze, there was no contempt, but he was definitely looking at her with pity.
'What on earth are you doing here?'
His whole being seemed to be saying that.
So, as soon as Olivia saw him, she lowered her head and apologized involuntarily.
"I'm sorry..."
A long sigh was heard above her head, followed by a short remark.
"Let's go."
He was definitely uncomfortable.
When would this maze end? Just as everything felt distant, he suddenly spoke.
"By the way, what was that?"
"Pardon?"
Noah frowned slightly at her wide-eyed, rabbit-like question.
Seriously, what did I do to make her so surprised by everything I say?
"I'm sorry... What, what is it?"
Olivia bit her tongue after asking such a foolish question.
How stupid must I look?
Her face flushed red. At that moment, Noah pointed to the small object in her right hand.
"It looked like it was emitting light. The thing you're holding."
Olivia reflexively raised her right hand.
"Oh, this?"
The sleek, slender silver object, slightly smaller than Olivia's palm, was something the prince of Herot had never seen before.
Noah watched Olivia intently. She tucked her clutch under her left arm and twisted the end of the flashlight twice with her left hand. Then, that light poured out brightly.
"...?!"
Noah stared at it with wide eyes. Olivia felt strangely pleased by his surprised expression.
"Is it a portable light bulb?"
Light bulbs had already been invented. However, the electrical facilities required to power them were incredibly expensive, and a constant supply of electricity was not guaranteed. As a result, candles were still used instead of light bulbs on the Norfolk continent.
Light bulbs had been installed in Herot Palace a few years ago, but the King, angered by their constant flickering, had ordered them all to be removed.
Noah recalled the light bulbs that had been installed and then removed from his room as he watched the flickering light.
"The problem is that the light bulb keeps flickering."
Olivia quickly shook her head at his murmur.
"This is a Magical Power flashlight that I designed. It's doing this because the Magical Power it was charged with is almost depleted, but once it's charged, it maintains a constant brightness."
"Magical Power flashlight? You designed it?"
She had been constantly watching him, but as if she had forgotten all about that, she looked at Noah and began to chatter.
"I've been researching how to convert a wizard's Magical Power energy into other forms of energy. This has a converter built in that changes Magical Power energy into electrical energy. That's why it can solve the energy supply problems that existing light bulbs have. The problem is..."
Olivia tilted her head regretfully, trailing off and making a bitter expression.
"The maintenance costs are too high, so it doesn't seem like it will be commercially viable anytime soon."
"Because you have to periodically ask a wizard to charge it?"
Olivia nodded at Noah's serious question.
"That's right. It's not only inaccessible, but it's also expensive."
The image of the Polder University student walking through the campus finally overlapped with the woman who had been cowering in fear.
Noah stopped completely and held out his hand to her.
"Give it to me."
At his request, Olivia turned off the flashlight and handed it to him with both hands. Noah took the flashlight and examined it from all angles.
"How do you charge it?"
"If you look at the bottom, there's a silver plate. You inject Magical Power into it. Once it's fully charged, it depends on how you use it, but in my case, it lasted about two weeks."
"Is it similar to the Magic Dome?"
Olivia's face lit up at Noah's murmur, and she nodded.
"Yes, yes, that's right! The only difference is the type and amount of energy being converted, but the principle is the same!"
Noah narrowed his eyes and glanced at Olivia, feeling as if she knew the Magic Dome well. Her expression had brightened considerably, as if she was excited.
"..."
It's much better than her being intimidated.
Noah took off his right glove and held the flashlight, centering his grip on the charging terminal.
Olivia blankly asked, as if he was about to charge it.
"...Are you a wizard?"
Noah chuckled. He didn't feel it was worth answering, so he turned on the flashlight and gently poured Magical Power into the silver plate.
Instantly, a light brighter than anything before burst from the bulb.
"Wow! That's amazing!"
Olivia exclaimed involuntarily, looking back and forth between the flashlight and Noah.
Even children knew that Prince Noah was a wizard. The sea must be vast indeed. Still, he didn't dislike the praise, so one corner of his mouth turned upward.
Noah cleared his throat softly and started walking again.
"It's much better with the light. Let's go."
Olivia quickly followed him.
After that, the two did not speak.
However, he walked slowly so that she wouldn't have to run, and her tension was much more relaxed than before.
The wind carrying the scent of roses was cold but fragrant, and the dry grass was soft.
Noah didn't say any of the things that one would normally say in such a situation.
He didn't ask how she had developed the flashlight that even the prince of Herot didn't know about, or what her university life was like. He didn't even ask why she was here or what had happened.
It was because he didn't feel the need to ask any of those things.
What was the point of knowing the personal details of a woman who would leave Herot tomorrow and be forgotten in a few months? And even if he knew the details of the incident that had troubled her, he wouldn't step in to solve it, so there was no need to ask.
'This is enough to show proper respect to a guest of the royal family.'
Noah thought to himself.
Soon, the lights and noise of the main garden could be heard in the distance, and closer by, the busy movements of people who seemed to be looking for Olivia could be felt.
Noah hesitated for a moment, then held out the flashlight to Olivia and pointed in one direction.
"See that knight over there? Go on ahead."
As Olivia took the flashlight, he turned away ruthlessly without a moment's hesitation.
As if to say that this was the end of the courtesy.
Olivia blankly watched his retreating figure, then quickly followed him without a moment's thought.
"...?"
Olivia quickly approached him, and he looked at her questioningly. She abruptly held out the flashlight.
"Thank you. If it's not too much trouble, I'd like to give you this as a token of my gratitude. Um... since you're a wizard, you shouldn't have any trouble using it, and..."
She added words incoherently, but her voice trailed off.
Did I do something unnecessary?
As reason returned, Olivia wanted to hide in a mouse hole, and the hand she had extended gradually lowered.
But then, suddenly, the weight in her hand disappeared.
She slowly raised her head and saw that he was holding the flashlight in one hand. The prince glanced at her and gave a short greeting.
"Alright. Go on now."
As cool and dry as the cool autumn breeze that brushed her cheek.
Olivia bowed her head slightly, then quickly turned around and ran into the gap in the maze where the light was coming from.
The sound of her rough heartbeat echoed in her ears.
"Oh, Miss Liberty?? Here, we found her!!!"
The knight's joyful voice and the urgent footsteps of the people gathering around her seemed distant, as if coming from far away.
Her dark eyes trembled slightly.
Was it a dream?
Olivia turned her head to look at the maze shrouded in darkness and hurriedly opened her clutch.
It was gone.
Olivia blinked slowly.
A dream that wasn't a dream.
It was like that fleeting moment of time, when you wake up sweetly and feel drowsy.
The Queen Consort and Margo, who had heard that Olivia had been found, hurried over.
"Olivia!"
Olivia, who was sitting in front of the Brazier wrapped in a blanket, jumped up at the appearance of the two.
Margo looked around her face with a stiff expression. She didn't look too bad, but she didn't look normal either.
The Queen Consort came to Margo's side and looked at Olivia with a pitiful gaze.
"You've been through a lot. You must have been so cold and scared all alone."
"Your Majesty, I... I'm sorry."
Olivia hesitated for a moment, then bowed her head slightly to the Queen Consort. Judging from the commotion, there must have been a big fuss about looking for her.
She thought there was no other choice but to run away, but there was no excuse for her reckless behavior. If she thought about it rationally, there were many better ways to handle the situation.
"Margo, please step aside for a moment."
As Margo stepped aside, the Queen Consort sat on the sofa where Olivia had been sitting and offered her a seat.
The Queen Consort sat next to Olivia and stared into her eyes. Olivia reflexively lowered her gaze and bit her lip, her face pale and white.
"Olivia."
"Yes."
Just as there may be no reason to dislike someone, there may be no special reason to feel affection for someone, and for the Queen Consort, Olivia was the latter.
She also liked the fact that she looked so fragile but had managed to earn her degree, and she also liked her neat and pretty face.
Of course, as the Queen Consort, she had a duty to treat her guests, so whether she liked Olivia or not, it was time to offer words of comfort.
But for some reason, she was particularly concerned about the young lady, so she spoke to her soothingly.
"I know to some extent what happened."
"..."
"I'm sorry."
Olivia was surprised and looked up sharply.
Her soft blue eyes sparkled with sincerity.
