Chapter 29
Chapter 29: King Leonard's Investigation
Lucy was overjoyed, clutching the pink leather notebook. It seemed like an ordinary notebook, but upon closer inspection, it had a lock.
"I said I wanted to keep a secret diary! Now I can write a secret diary!"
"If you want to keep a secret diary, you should keep wanting to write it a secret too," Noah pointed out. Lucy glared at him and turned her head away.
"That's wonderful, Lucy," Usher said with a kind smile, and Lucy nodded. Then, she took out the letter that came with it. The pale lemon-colored envelope contained a neatly folded piece of paper of the same color.
Lucy, with a smile on her face, unfolded the letter and began to read it slowly, while the Queen Consort skimmed through Margo's letter.
As Lucy read the letter, she occasionally recited its contents with a chuckle.
"She says the green hairband I sent her is so cool and pretty. She wears it every day."
Lucy glanced at Noah and smiled slyly.
Noah raised his eyebrows in response to her thankful look for choosing it. The afterimage of black hair adorned with the green hairband flashed before his eyes.
"She says she's sorry for the late reply this time. Something came up, so she couldn't send it on time."
As Lucy mumbled with her face close to the letter, the Queen Consort, who had finished reading Margo's letter, said, "Something unfortunate must have happened, Lucy."
"Yes?"
Lucy looked up at her mother, who gently stroked Lucy's hair and met her eyes.
"When you write back this time, be sure to express your condolences. Mrs. Lehman, please help with that part. Tell her you heard it through Princess Marguerite."
"Yes, I understand. But what...?"
"Condolences?"
The three siblings' gazes simultaneously turned to her at the Queen Consort's words.
"Unfortunately, Olivia's grandmother has passed away. She was her only family, so I can't even imagine her grief."
The Queen Consort handed the letter back to Mrs. Lehman.
"Princess Marguerite seems to care a great deal for Miss Liberty."
To include the news of Olivia's grandmother's passing in a letter to the Queen Consort.
At Mrs. Lehman's words, the Queen Consort nodded lightly and pointed to the letter with her finger.
"Astrid always loves fiercely when she's fixated on something. Half the letter is about Olivia."
"Half?"
"Of course, I also asked about the young lady because I was curious about her news."
Then Usher, who was listening, cautiously asked, "What else was written?"
Noah reflexively looked at him, but the Queen Consort continued, "Surprisingly, she's challenging herself to become a professor at Herollington University. It's a contract position, but if she does well, she could become a full professor. Isn't that amazing? The first female college student might become a professor."
As a woman, that would also be a first.
Even if Marguerite was working as a professor, it was only an honorary position.
Noah listened to his mother's words and sank deeper into the sofa.
Unlike the gloomy and humid weather of Herot, Polder was a place with mild weather and clear sunshine all year round. The image of a woman in a white blouse and flared skirt striding confidently through the clear air came to mind very naturally.
Olivia Liberty.
She seemed to be living as freely as her name suggested.
It was a pity that she had lost her only family.
And several months later.
News of Olivia's appointment as a professor arrived.
The Herot newspaper published her photo again. The first female college student had become a professor.
And like a déjà vu, around the time her photo was published, the front page of the newspaper was covered with something very troubling for the Royal Palace.
[Polia, the monarchy is abolished and a republic is introduced.]
The Polia Royal Family was finally dissolved, and the King was imprisoned.
Numerous royal families on the Norfolk continent had repeatedly fallen over the past several centuries, but this was the first time a monarchy had been abolished.
Furthermore, the King of Herot was in a difficult position because of it.
The Queen Consort of Polia was a collateral relative of the Herot Royal Family, so she had requested permission for herself and her children to seek asylum.
However, even before the King could grant it, public sentiment was stirred. The increasingly intelligent kingdom citizens predicted that the Queen Consort of Polia would want to return to her family.
[Do not bring the Polia Royal Family into Herot.]
Leonard sighed repeatedly, looking like he had a headache.
"Just like their father, how can his children be so skilled in womanizing and debauchery?"
The Herot kingdom citizens actively opposed their asylum, citing all sorts of misdeeds by the Polia Royal Family.
In the end, Leonard stamped the document denying the asylum application. He couldn't afford to be caught in the crossfire in such a sensitive situation.
However, his worries did not end there.
Leonard dismissed his secretary and gestured for Usher, who had been waiting on one side, to come forward.
"Usher."
"Yes, Father."
"The world is changing. Keep a close eye on the downfall of the Polia Royal Family. Many royal families on the Norfolk continent may follow the same path like falling dominoes."
"..."
"Do not make a single mistake, and do not leave even the slightest blemish."
"I understand."
But unlike his words, Usher looked at the newspaper and thought.
Perhaps this was a natural change.
How could the numerous talented people oppressed by status and gender not recognize the irrationality of the monarchy?
At that moment, a breeze blew in through the open window.
The newspaper fluttered in the wind, turning one page after another, until it stopped at a certain place. In the photo on that page, a woman was smiling.
Olivia Liberty, smiling with her blouse and skirt, her lips raised.
"Oh, Olivia has finally become a professor?"
Leonard, who had also seen the photo, brought the newspaper closer to his eyes and muttered.
Usher thought.
If she had been in Herot, could she have achieved such a thing?
Absolutely not. Then, what kind of King should he become?
"I will take my leave now."
"Wait."
"Yes."
Leonard met Usher's eyes over the newspaper and said, "Think about how the Royal Palace can be loved. To survive in this trend, the Royal Palace must receive love and support."
"I understand."
Usher bowed deeply and turned around calmly.
After Usher left, Leonard stared at Olivia's photo for a long time.
Was it because 'that' Marguerite cherished her so much, taking care of this child as if she were her own? Olivia often appeared suddenly in a corner of Leonard's mind.
Kuh, it was so much fun going to events with Olivia. How could she pick out exactly the right words to say so beautifully!
He should just bring her to the Royal Palace and have her take charge of public relations instead of that Noah.
"Hmm..."
Leonard tapped the end of his fountain pen with his fingertip and pondered for a moment.
Suddenly, he felt like he could find the end of a tangled thread.
"Not a one-off, but a long-term... how the Royal Palace can be loved by the kingdom citizens..."
Leonard narrowed his eyes and began to slowly turn the pages of the newspaper from the front page.
The sickening story about the dissolution of the Polia Royal Family continued from the front page for quite a while. Except for a few trivial scandals involving stage actors at the very end, the only content not related to Polia was Olivia's story.
So, in the thick newspaper spanning 30 pages, the only positive content was the news related to Olivia.
What did this mean?
Leonard, who had been thinking with his arms crossed for a long time, suddenly called his secretary.
"Hey, Secretary."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Send someone to Polder right away to investigate Olivia Liberty's personal information. It must be very detailed. The most important thing is."
The secretary quickly took out a notebook and wrote down the King's orders.
"The most important thing is...?"
"Whether she is engaged, and even if she is not engaged, whether there is a man she has in mind for marriage, this is the most important thing."
The secretary frowned and tilted his head, puzzled.
"What is the reason for this?"
"You don't need to know the reason. Anyway, find out. Also, whether there has been anything that could be considered a scandal. In great detail."
"I understand."
"Ah, and."
Leonard paused for a moment and habitually fiddled with his fountain pen. The secretary sensed from experience that the King was now contemplating a gamble.
What kind of gamble was the King trying to make? Just as he was thinking, Leonard opened his mouth.
"Find out clearly what kind of relationship Noah has with Isabel Seymour."
The secretary almost let out a sigh without realizing it, but desperately held it back.
"Watch your mouth."
Leonard glared at him with sharp eyes, and cold sweat ran down his back. The secretary bowed with a soldierly movement and said sincerely, "Trust me."
Leonard waved his hand as if to tell him to leave and took out a cigarette.
Yes. It was a thought that came to mind momentarily, but it wasn't bad.
No, it seemed quite good.
The world was changing, and the Royal Palace had to change too.
⚜ ⚜ ⚜
Norfolk Investment Company, run by Noah, was thriving, breaking its highest profit rates every day. The company had grown to such a size that companies were lining up to receive his investment.
Thanks to that, Noah had to endure a murderous schedule.
Since the investment company was Noah's personal business, he had to respond to existing events and interviews in addition to that work.
No, rather, events and interviews had increased somewhat without him realizing it.
Mason, who was coordinating Noah's schedule, sighed deeply. Even he was getting tired of how many events there were.
If he presented this kind of thing to the Prince as next week's schedule, how cold would his aura be?
"What are you doing, acting like a dog about to shit?"
As if he had eyes on the side of his head, Noah suddenly opened his mouth while signing documents.
"Hey, even so, a dog about to shit?"
"Whatever, bring it here."
When he held out his hand with the fountain pen, Mason awkwardly handed over next week's schedule.
"..."
But Noah, who was expected to become frosty or angry, was surprisingly silent. He just looked at the schedule for a long time, then placed it carelessly on the desk and continued his paperwork.
Mason stealthily gathered the schedule and watched the Prince's reaction.
After that, Noah did his work without saying anything, then got up from his seat.
"Mason, there's nothing more urgent today, right?"
"No, there isn't."
"Then I'm leaving work early. You can go early too if you want."
"Where are you going?"
Noah, already putting on his jacket, answered as he strode out, "I'm going to play polo for the first time in a while."
