Chapter 7
Episode 7. Good-for-Nothing Bastards
But it didn't end there.
"Noah, can you talk to your father?"
"If that were possible, I wouldn't have attended so many events, Mother."
"How many interviews is that now?"
Beatrix and Noah looked at Leonard with expressions of utter disgust. Then, the Queen Consort looked at Olivia, who was forcibly seated next to the King, with a look of pity.
"That young lady probably hasn't even had dinner."
As soon as the group photo was taken, Leonard ordered the Royal Family to return to the banquet hall, except for Olivia, who naturally stood next to Margo.
"Miss Olivia Liberty, I'd like you to stay and do a few more interviews with me."
Surprised, Olivia looked at the King with wide eyes, and Princess Marguerite harshly criticized her brother.
"Wasn't one picture enough?"
Leonard didn't even bother to reply.
And so, Leonard sat Olivia next to him and enthusiastically conducted interviews with the invited reporters.
It was a golden opportunity for the reporters to take as many pictures of the famous Olivia as they wanted, so they relentlessly snapped away, each photo worth thousands of kertezza.
"Ugh, I can't stand the glare anymore."
"Let's go, Mother. It looks like it'll take at least another hour."
As the Queen Consort frowned at the flashing camera lights, Noah escorted her to the banquet hall.
After walking a few steps, Noah turned his head to look at Olivia, who was giving an interview.
Her unusually pale face caught his eye. He wasn't sure if it was because she had become pale, or if that was her natural complexion.
Noah, well aware of how exhausting it was to conduct interviews for hours without even having dinner, felt pity for her, but he was more relieved than anything else.
If it weren't for her, Noah himself would have been sitting in that seat.
Olivia's interview was very satisfactory not only to Noah, but also to Leonard II.
In fact, Leonard had initially planned to just have Olivia take pictures, thinking that she would be overwhelmed by the pressure of the huge Royal Palace.
This was because those who were interviewed for the first time were usually flustered and stammered, or said unnecessary things that ruined the interview.
But this small lady blinked her big eyes fearfully at first, then quickly seemed to adapt to the situation.
So, he decided to see what would happen when the reporter asked her a question, and what was this??
"...Herot's prestigious Herollington University is by far the best of the many universities in Fulda. It is no exaggeration to say that Herollington alumni dominate Fulda's political and business circles. I recently met Fulda's First Lady, Mrs. Milaine, and she also praised the reputation of Herollington University."
Well done.
Very well done!
How can she only say what is necessary, and only pick the words that please me so much?
Leonard's mouth slowly widened, almost reaching his ears.
Noah, that guy, even when he does one of these interviews, his expression is so stiff that it makes people's hearts sink more than once or twice.
Olivia was doing such a satisfactory interview without any such signs, so how could he not be pleased?!
Tomorrow's newspaper will be worth seeing!
With the King and the reporters excited, the interview, which should have ended long ago, continued endlessly.
Meanwhile, Margo, who was waiting for Olivia in the banquet hall, despaired at Leonard's relentless behavior and went out to the empty terrace. She didn't forget to order someone to let her know when Olivia Liberty's interview was over.
The autumn banquet was a debut stage for high society, an important event where young masters and ladies dressed like peacocks made eye contact with each other.
"Couldn't you get engaged to someone as soon as possible, or perhaps be sick and absent, especially today, Your Highness?"
"That's a statement that should revive the abolished crime of insulting royalty."
As Noah replied with a laugh, the young masters around him responded with serious expressions.
"We are saying this because the eyes of all the women at the banquet are glued to the two Princes and won't leave."
"Then I'll ask the Crown Prince instead of me."
Noah pointed somewhere with the hand holding his champagne glass.
Debutantes and chaperones flocked around Crown Prince Usher, smiling sweetly and trying to talk to Usher.
In contrast, Noah's side was relatively deserted, probably because of the unique atmosphere emanating from the Prince.
Noah, with a delicate atmosphere that seemed to break easily over his perfect features, exuded a more unapproachable aura than Usher.
Even though Noah's appearance of drinking champagne with his smooth-gloved hand was mysterious and stimulating enough to catch the eye of the same man.
"Noah, it's not that chaperones and debutantes don't come to this side, it's that they can't."
"The result is the same."
"That's true for you, but not for us, you know? Please have mercy, Your Highness."
Noah simply handed his empty champagne glass to a servant and didn't reply.
Who could approach Noah, who indifferently scanned his surroundings with listless eyes?
"But why isn't Liberty here yet?"
As Olivia's name came up, the young masters' eyes flashed and they looked in the direction she had disappeared.
At that, Noah also turned his gaze with them and took out his watch. It seemed like an hour and a half had passed.
This was proof that the King was quite excited, and it was understandable that Olivia Liberty felt disillusioned as soon as she came to Herot.
Noah put his watch back in his pocket and was about to turn around, sending a short condolence to Olivia, when suddenly an exclamation erupted.
"She's here!"
Noah reflexively turned his head.
Olivia, wearing a white blouse, was seen coming through the arched door leading to the garden. For some reason, her shoulders seemed a little drooped, so Noah chuckled.
She must have had a hard time.
Olivia looked around briefly and approached the finger food table on one side.
Noah remembered that she hadn't had dinner.
A quick-witted servant nearby quickly handed her a glass of juice, and Olivia was seen drinking it with a bright expression.
"Let's go."
The young masters who had been surrounding Noah moved all at once, as if they had made a promise.
Noah put his hands in his pockets and turned away from the terrace.
"Pathetic bastards."
Noah frowned as he watched Olivia, who seemed hungry, start eating a sandwich with her hands, and the pathetic noble young masters flocking towards her.
He eventually called a servant nearby and ordered.
"Go to Princess Marguerite and tell her that Miss Olivia Liberty has returned to the banquet hall."
"Yes, I understand."
Meanwhile, Olivia, who was hungry, was not satisfied with just one small sandwich. The banquet hall was noisy, and she was too hungry to be conscious of the attention, so Olivia focused on filling her stomach without thinking.
It was when she was chewing and swallowing her second sandwich.
"Miss Liberty?"
At the sudden call, Olivia turned her head and saw several young noble men gathered around, looking at her.
Olivia had spent most of her teens among young men with strong physiques, but it was rare for them to gather around her all at once like this.
Hiding her embarrassment, Olivia faced them, recalling Margo's words to do as she had done in Fulda.
But the problem was that these men were nobles of Herot, and here she was not a college student Olivia, but a commoner Olivia.
The nobles, who were curious about Olivia Liberty, heard that she had returned to the banquet hall and that Margo was not by her side, so they gathered around Olivia one by one.
"Miss Liberty, it's nice to meet you. My name is Iel Poem. I heard you're nineteen this year, is that right?"
"...I heard you major in engineering, have you ever drawn blueprints?"
"...You'd look better in a dress, would you like me to send you one?"
The rakes knew that this was a tremendous rudeness, but they cornered Olivia with the herd mentality that they were not the only ones doing it and the sense of superiority of their status.
Noah was watching the scene from afar. However, Margo did not appear until Olivia had completely disappeared from his sight.
Noah wondered why he had to stand here and watch this scene while waiting for his aunt.
What does it matter? It's not a big deal if she's surrounded for a while in such a public place, and Princess Marguerite will appear in a few minutes. So there's no need for me to get involved.
He turned away heartlessly.
But Noah couldn't take a few steps before stopping. When he turned his head, the number of nobles surrounding Olivia had increased even more.
"Those good-for-nothing bastards, really."
As he thought of Olivia, who was clearly nervous just because she had come to the Royal Palace, Noah finally cursed and turned around.
One way or another, she had saved him from hell.
Noah, who knew how exhausting the hunger that came after the interview was, moved his feet first.
They say you shouldn't bother a dog when it's eating, but do you really want to surround someone who's eating because they're hungry? That's why they can't avoid being called rakes.
The Prince, walking quickly with a face full of annoyance, was watched by people with curious eyes.
