Chapter 38
38. A Midnight Ghoul
Noah's carriage headed towards Seaside Hill, a neighborhood famous as a wealthy district in Pulder. Most of the famous figures who dominated Pulder resided within Seaside Hill, such as Ansen Wilhelm.
Princess Marguerite's mansion was located on a hill overlooking the Pulder sea.
Unlike the Herot sea, where marine Magical Creatures roamed freely, the Pulder sea did not have abundant Mana, the core of Magical Power, so the frequency of Magical Creature appearances was low. Thanks to this, such wealthy neighborhoods could be built adjacent to the sea.
As the carriage began to slow down, Noah put on his gloves and jacket, tidying up his appearance.
Methone clicked his tongue at the sight.
Was Noah Astrid perfect even in his sleep?
Methone roughly smoothed down his disheveled hair with his hands and quickly got out of the carriage.
Stepping onto the soft grass, he instinctively scanned the princess's mansion. The mansion, built of white marble, was not grand but extremely delicate.
The ends of the six pillars supporting the triangular roof were carved with angelic figures, and pots of deep purple flowers hung from every window and balcony facing the front of the mansion.
Above all, the mansion overlooked the vast sea, giving the illusion that the sea was its garden.
While Methone was looking around the mansion with his mouth open, Noah was already stepping inside, guided by the butler.
"Hey, Your Highness!"
Whether Methone realized it belatedly and rushed over or not, Noah was too busy going his own way.
The round hall and main staircase that appeared as soon as he entered the mansion were reminiscent of the structure of a Herot-style mansion.
The main staircase branched off to the left and right with a landing in between, and a huge family portrait of the Herot royal family hung on the wall of the landing.
As Noah stood in the hall, gazing at the painting indifferently, Princess Marguerite's voice was heard from the side, along with the sound of footsteps.
"Noah!"
Margo quickly descended the stairs.
She had visited Herot earlier this year to pay New Year's greetings to the King, so it had been almost six months since she had seen her nephew.
Noah smiled at her and lightly kissed the hand Margo offered.
"It's been a while, Aunt."
"I was so surprised to hear you were 'here' instead of 'going to be'. Come on in. It's been a while since I've seen you too."
As Margo glanced at Methone and greeted him, Methone bowed politely.
"Greetings to Your Highness, the Princess."
It was evening, so Margo led Noah to the dining room.
As a wonderful smell wafted from the entrance, Methone smacked his lips, filled with anticipation. As the three of them sat down, delicious food was soon set out.
Margo casually opened her mouth after rinsing her mouth with a glass of water, as usual.
"Are both of your Highnesses well?"
"Yes, both are well."
"Walter seems to be quiet lately, but I'm sure he's very worried because of what happened in Polia."
"……."
Noah simply smiled without answering.
Margo took a small spoonful of the soup that was served as an appetizer and suddenly asked.
"What brings you to Pulder, Noah?"
At that question, he was reminded of his aunt, who had shielded Olivia like a fierce beast protecting its cub. What kind of expression would she make?
"Noah?"
Margo looked at her nephew, who was silent, with a puzzled expression.
And after a while, Noah put down the spoon he was holding on the bowl and answered lightly.
"I've come to propose."
At that, Margo's eyes, which always maintained a cynical expression, widened slightly. But she quickly composed herself and nodded slightly.
"You're old enough to do that. But is the person you want to propose to in Pulder? Who……?"
As Margo trailed off, trying to think of someone in her head that the prince of Herot would propose to, Noah answered casually.
"To Miss Olivia Liberty."
"?!"
Margo's poker face finally crumbled.
She widened her eyes and opened her mouth slightly, staring blankly at her nephew's face, which was as cold as a statue.
"What?"
Noah was the one who was relaxed. He took a sip of the soup and shrugged his eyebrows.
"For the same reason as two years ago."
While Margo was stunned, he leisurely ate a few more spoonfuls of soup.
Margo gestured to the household staff who were just pushing in the tray, stopping them and telling them all to leave.
A heavy silence fell on the dining room, with only Margo, Noah, and Methone remaining.
Methone thought that the only way to survive this uncomfortable situation was to focus on eating, and he slowly swallowed the soup.
'Please, do this when I'm not here. Please.'
"Noah."
Noah felt a bit tired of the subtle worry mixed in with the stern tone. Besides, wasn't it too late to listen to her advice?
"I'm already on my way back from proposing."
"……."
Noah, who had shut Margo's mouth with those words, faced her. He didn't know if the concern mixed in with the deep blue eyes was for him or for Olivia.
After a while, Margo took a short breath and gulped down the wine.
"What did Olivia say?"
"I didn't get an answer. She seemed so surprised that I didn't have a chance to hear it."
"Why wouldn't she be? A prince of Herot suddenly appeared."
"……."
"For the same reason as two years ago……."
Margo quickly guessed Leonard's intentions.
She looked at Noah, who was eating indifferently, with a deeply sunken gaze.
No matter how she looked at him, he didn't seem like a young man who had crossed the sea to propose. How could she feel such deep weariness from a guy who wasn't even thirty?
She pictured Olivia standing next to Noah in her head.
What kind of expression would Olivia make?
Would that child accept this proposal?
Even two years ago, Margo would have been confident in saying no. But…….
"I'm not strong. I... I didn't want to be strong. I want to live without any worries, without having to struggle to survive."
As she recalled Olivia, who had revealed her inner thoughts while crying with a collapsing expression, Margo's heart sank endlessly. Noah, who seemed so indifferent even while discussing his marriage, weighed heavily on her heart as well.
At that moment, the setting sun fell through the window facing the sea.
Margo silently watched the sunset, which felt particularly poignant today, for a long time.
How could the youths, who should be lush with fresh greenery and sparkling in the sunlight, feel like that sunset?
Her heart ached.
Olivia sat alone in her room, rereading the contents she had read several times.
No matter how many times she reread it, it was a proposal.
At first, she thought it was unreal and wondered if it was a dream. But as time passed, the proposal did not disappear from her sight, and Olivia had no choice but to admit that everything that had happened today was real.
Olivia, who hadn't even thought about changing her clothes, began to think deeply about the intentions of the proposal that had come like a bolt from the blue.
"Why would the prince of Herot propose to me?"
Love?
She thought of a story that would only appear in fairy tales first, but Olivia felt that the very fact that she had considered it was absurd.
There wasn't even a hint of romantic feelings in his cool, businesslike eyes and attitude.
They had only met briefly at Herot Palace two years ago, and even then, they had only faced each other for a few hours at most.
"Or……."
Olivia inevitably thought about the reason why she had been invited to Herot Palace two years ago.
"You called me to change the atmosphere."
In an instant, a flash of realization swept through her mind.
Olivia was lost in thought, unable to breathe. The hottest potato in the Norfolk Continent right now was definitely the dissolution of the Polia royal family.
The Pulder media also covered the event with weight and reported on it every day. Articles about how many royal families in Norfolk were watching and holding back were published in the newspaper several times.
"Ah……."
Her black eyes sank deeply.
The trembling and confused appearance had disappeared, and only calmness remained.
Olivia looked at Noah's proposal again.
Then, the fact that this proposal was due to extremely political reasons felt so clear.
It was difficult to specifically guess what the royal family truly wanted from her, but why would he have proposed to her if not for political reasons?
She had been excited about the invitation from the Herot royal family two years ago and had stayed up all night, but the past two years had made her so worn out.
Olivia slowly raised her head and looked around the house engulfed in darkness.
The dim room, where not a single ray of light could enter because the shutters were tightly closed, was indistinguishable from day or night.
She took out dozens of crumpled lecture materials from her bag. The reason why she couldn't throw them away in the end was because the discarded paper felt just like herself.
It was so easy for Olivia Liberty's efforts to come to naught.
Olivia got up from her seat and approached the wall with the family portrait hanging in a row. She was smiling in every picture hanging in a row, but Olivia could see it. The difference between a real smile and a forced smile.
"Grandma. What should I do?"
The world had changed.
Even half a century ago, a prince would not have proposed to a commoner like her, but she would not have been able to reject that proposal.
But now, with Pulder citizenship, she could reject this proposal. She didn't know what kind of pressure would come, but she could still reject it for now.
Olivia gazed at the faded picture she had taken with her parents and murmured.
"Herot."
A place like the last holy war.
It was a prosperous and comfortable past, a paradise without any worries, and a cradle with the scent of her mother. It was a masterpiece in the name of love and comfort.
His proposal today was exquisite in many ways.
Even though it was a cool and cold proposal, just like his eyes, the reason why it felt like a helping hand was... probably because she was standing on the edge of a cliff today.
Olivia checked all the locks in the house with a tired face and then collapsed on the bed. As she turned off the burning lamp, perfect silence and darkness rushed over her.
She habitually listened outside the window, but she couldn't hear anyone. Olivia fell asleep for the first time in a long time without sleeping pills.
"Olivia."
In her hazy consciousness, someone called her.
"Olivia Liberty."
A sinister laugh was mixed in with the lowered voice.
In an instant, Olivia opened her eyes wide in the darkness. The hazy energy disappeared completely, and at the same time, a sense of crisis flowed down her spine.
A nightmare?
As she tried to calm her rough breathing and listened,
"Olivia. Olivia. Olivia. Olivia. Olivia. Olivia. Olivia. Olivia."
Someone was stuck to the window behind the head of the bed, constantly whispering her name.
Goosebumps that started at the top of her head ran all over her body.
Olivia, who jumped up from the bed like a spring, tightly blocked her mouth, which felt like a scream would burst out.
Knock knock knock.
"Olivia, are you asleep? Wake up."
Knock knock knock knock knock knock knock knock knock knock knock.
"Wake up."
