Chapter 41
41. Salvation
"Aunt. I need an expulsion document."
Those were the first words Noah uttered, waking her in the middle of the night, dressed in a perfect suit no less.
"An expulsion document? Why do you need that now?"
As she tightened her gown, asking with a bewildered expression, her nephew shrugged with an inscrutable face.
"I don't have time to stay and watch him get punished."
"……?"
"Methone will explain the details. I just need your signature."
Even with a gently curving smile, an unapproachable dignity was felt. Seeing this side of him, he was every bit Leonard's son.
However, Margo was also an Astrid.
With a sharp gaze, she scanned the expulsion document Noah presented, then calmly asked.
"An expulsion document for Adam McDowel? Are you sure it's alright for me to sign without thoroughly reviewing it, Noah Astrid?"
Noah offered her a fountain pen, lightly retorting.
"I swear on my name, you will be convinced. We can't have someone who breaks down doors in the middle of the night at Herollington University, can we?"
Margo stared intently at Noah, then quickly signed the document he offered. Noah politely expressed his gratitude and immediately tucked the expulsion document away.
"But where are you going with that at this late hour?"
The answer to that question was far from what she expected.
"I'm going to pick up Miss Olivia Liberty. I think I should bring her here. Is that alright with you? Methone, explain the details."
As if he couldn't wait any longer, Noah gave a formal greeting and turned to leave.
After he disappeared, the story Methone told her weighed heavily on her heart.
Noah's words that she would be convinced by the expulsion document were true. She was more than convinced; she had to restrain herself from rushing to the police station immediately.
The fact that this might not be the first time sent shivers down her spine.
In the end, Margo ordered a room to be prepared for Olivia and wandered around the garden.
She had often thought that Olivia's house was quite old, but she never thought it was dangerous.
To make excuses, wasn't the scope of human thought limited to experience?
But then, how did Noah notice the danger so quickly?
"That boy."
Margo murmured quietly, tightening her shawl.
A moment later, cutting through the silent air of the night, the sound of approaching hooves could be heard in the distance, and soon a carriage entered her mansion.
As soon as the carriage stopped, the servants opened the door, and Noah appeared. He stepped out of the carriage and immediately extended his hand towards the interior. In fact, Margo found this gesture quite unexpected.
Soon, taking his hand, a pale-faced Olivia descended the steps.
Margo silently watched the two of them, suddenly recalling that day.
The night Olivia disappeared.
It was Noah who had brought her back from the maze without lamps or a Brazier. She had thought it was a strange thing.
Had Noah gone to pick up Olivia? Or had they accidentally encountered each other in the maze?
Frankly, at the time, she thought the latter was more likely. Noah always seemed as if everything in the world was a bother.
But now, two years later, Margo felt certain.
That day, Noah Astrid had gone to find Olivia himself.
Noah dropped Olivia off at Margo's house, saying he would go to the hotel to rest, and disappeared. Olivia didn't even have a chance to properly thank him.
Margo led Olivia to a cozy bedroom. She looked pale, exhausted, and languid, like someone who had fallen into the water and barely made it out.
"Rest, Olivia. You're safe here."
"Thank you, Professor. I've come so suddenly."
"...Why didn't you say a word to me...!"
Margo, who had suddenly become angry, trailed off and shook her head.
"No... no. Rest now. I won't wake you tomorrow morning, so don't try to get up."
She left the room quickly after saying those words.
Olivia slowly blinked and sat on the soft bed. It had been a day full of events, and it felt unreal.
Olivia rubbed her face as if washing it, then leaned back on the bed.
The cream-colored canopy hanging from the ceiling, the clear window through which moonlight streamed, the sound of waves in the distance.
Feeling the coziness she hadn't felt in a long time, Olivia slowly closed her eyes.
Just as you can feel the water flowing down your esophagus when you drink water when you're thirsty, she felt the coziness from the safety spreading throughout her veins.
As the tension in her chest gradually subsided, she was sucked into sleep as if she had fainted.
And she had a dream.
In the dream, she was looking at the Golden Lion Statue. She held a rough ice cream cone and licked the sweet ice cream several times.
That alone made her feel good.
As she leisurely savored the ice cream and gazed up at the majestic Golden Lion Statue, someone called her from behind.
"Olivia."
A voice reminiscent of a rugged, cool valley.
When Olivia looked back, eyes like autumn leaves that had begun to turn red held her gaze.
"Olivia."
The moment he called her again.
Olivia opened her eyes wide.
Dim and faint light palely illuminated the cream-colored canopy. Confused, she scanned her surroundings, and everything was unfamiliar. Only after a while did she realize that this was Marguerite's mansion.
She jumped up from her seat and realized that she hadn't covered herself with a blanket or changed her clothes.
As the hazy feeling disappeared, the events of yesterday washed over her like a wave. Then, recalling the dream, Olivia rubbed her forehead and muttered.
"I must be crazy."
Why would I have a dream like that?
No one had seen or heard it, but her cheeks flushed for no reason, so she rubbed her face. But it was difficult to push him, who occupied her consciousness and unconsciousness, out of her mind.
"Marry me."
"...I'm going crazy."
Olivia covered her ears and bowed her head at the sudden voice. The fine hairs on her ears stood on end, and she felt a tingling in her chest.
The tingling sensation that started in her chest passed through her solar plexus and finally swept through her lower abdomen, startling her and making her jump up.
"Let's wash up."
She needed to wash her face to shake off this strange feeling and make a rational decision.
But Olivia paused at her reflection in the bathroom mirror.
Aside from her pale face, her disheveled hair and wrinkled shirt were all a mess. Looking down at the skirt that wasn't visible in the mirror, it was the same.
"……."
Her condition last night probably wasn't much different. She had been in the same state as when she woke up.
She looked up at the mirror again. The woman she faced was truly pathetic.
Olivia couldn't bear to face her own image any longer and lowered her gaze.
For some reason, her throat tightened.
What must he have felt as he crossed the sea with a cold, loveless marriage proposal? And what must he have felt when he faced the woman he was proposing to?
He had made her feel small in the past, but even more so now. She felt so pathetic that her heart shrank like a palm.
"No one but you can discuss your worth, you know?"
Olivia slowly shook her head.
"I know, but……."
"I need you, Olivia."
Words like the whispers of the devil clung to her ear like honey. How much had she craved those words?
Olivia, who had been bowing her head, took a deep breath and raised her head. She stared at her pale face for a long time and muttered.
"What should I do?"
"I'll protect you so you don't have to go through that again."
Olivia bit her lip.
Need and peace, and Herot.
He appeared before her on her most miserable day and offered her the things she desperately craved. And he whispered with a beautiful and alluring face.
Just take it.
So it was perhaps natural that he felt like salvation.
As she came outside to get some fresh air, Margo was standing looking out at the sea. As Olivia approached her, Margo, sensing her presence, turned her head back.
"Why did you wake up so early when you could have slept more?"
"I woke up."
Margo quietly looked at Olivia, who had come next to her, then turned her head to gaze at the distant sea.
The two were silent for a while.
Then Margo spoke first.
"I heard Noah proposed. I heard about it."
"Yes."
"Look into your heart. Don't worry about anything else."
Olivia slowly turned her head to look at Margo's profile. Even though she felt Olivia's gaze, she stubbornly looked only at the distant sea.
Margo's words were unexpected. Wasn't the person who proposed to her none other than her nephew? Furthermore, she was someone who had crossed over to Pulder because she was tired of the Herot royal family.
"If I were to accept the proposal... wouldn't you scold me?"
"...Why would I think of scolding you?"
"...Because it's not fitting, and it looks like I'm running away."
Only then did Margo turn her head to face Olivia. Bright sunlight pierced between the two.
Margo, who had been quietly looking at Olivia, suddenly raised her lips and gave a kind smile.
"My dear, just as you cannot fathom me, how can I fathom you?"
"Professor."
"Every path has its own hardships. If you reject the proposal and stay in this land, you will have to endure the familiar hardships, and if you accept the proposal and go to Herot, completely different hardships will await you."
"……."
"Of course, there will be happiness in every path. It's your path. So who dares to criticize your choice? And you must never belittle yourself. Anytime, anywhere, in front of anyone. Even if you are alone."
