Chapter 9
9. A Breath of Wind, a Handful of Fragrance
Olivia rode in a carriage through the palace to reach her quarters. The guest room assigned to her had a window facing the main fountain of Herot Palace, and she was told that the Queen Consort had personally selected the room for her.
Margo, looking visibly tired, simply said she would see her tomorrow and followed the guide. Olivia followed the maid into the room assigned to her.
And the moment the maid lit the lamp, Olivia regretted calling this room a mere "quarters."
Even in the dim light, everything in the room felt like a masterpiece. Yet, nothing was excessive, and everything blended harmoniously to create a comfortable atmosphere.
The maid briefly explained the necessities to Olivia, who was looking around the room.
"...If you need anything, just pull this bell cord."
"I understand. Thank you."
In the meantime, servants set up a meal on the table, with fried fish as the main dish, and Olivia sat down with a happy heart.
"Then, I will return shortly."
The maid lit the candles on the table and quietly retreated. Her movements were so graceful as she turned and left that Olivia watched her go, captivated.
It seemed there was no one in Herot Palace who wasn't elegant.
It was the appetizing smell that awakened Olivia from her reverie.
"Shall I try it?"
With a hopeful heart, Olivia cut a piece of the fried fish and popped it into her mouth. The crispy skin and the soft, savory fish sent shivers down her spine.
"It's really delicious."
Olivia repeatedly murmured how delicious it was and quickly emptied the plate. Now that she had filled her stomach, the next step was a warm bath.
When she came out of the bathroom, the table had already been neatly cleared.
Olivia climbed onto the cozy bedding, which had a subtle scent of soap, and laid her head on the fluffy pillow.
She slowly regulated her breathing and looked around the cozy and wonderful room once more.
"Wow… I'm really in Herot Palace?"
She let out a breathy laugh. To come to Herot Palace because she missed Herot.
Like carefully folding a well-worn page of a book to revisit it again and again, she would fold this moment and revisit it many times.
Olivia roused her tired body, took out her notebook, fountain pen, and the Magical Power flashlight she had designed herself from her bag, and sat at the table.
Instead of the flickering candlelight, Olivia turned on the flashlight with its constant illumination and hung it on the candlestick. Then, she opened her notebook and began to write in her diary.
Olivia, who had been writing slowly from the moment she arrived and entered the palace in the carriage, paused at a certain point.
The sharp nib of the fountain pen hesitated, trying to write something, then stopped again.
Olivia put down the pen for a moment and wrapped her right hand around her left shoulder.
When the large, firm sensation of someone's touch on her back came to mind, she was startled and lowered her hand, blinking as she recalled the moment.
It was a banquet she had wanted to escape from the whole time, but somehow, she felt like she would remember it for a long time. Even the moments when she was surrounded by nobles and felt awkward.
Olivia picked up the pen again and wrote the word she had been hesitating over, as if she had made up her mind.
"Noah Astrid."
She quietly rolled the elegant name completed by the tip of the fountain pen in her mouth, then filled her notebook with the day's events, her eyes filled with a smile.
⚜ ⚜ ⚜
The next day, Leonard checked the newspaper as soon as he woke up and burst into a hearty laugh that shook the palace.
[Leonard II Invites Herollington's First Female Student, Olivia Liberty, to the Autumn Ball]
He felt like he could fly now that Walter Lightwing's disgusting face had disappeared from the front page. It was bad enough that he resembled Walter, but every time he saw the newspaper, he felt like he was being dragged through the mud.
Leonard pointed to the photo of the royal family and Olivia with his finger.
"Do you see that? Walter's face has finally disappeared from the front page! Hahaha!"
Leonard, whose lifelong wish had become to catch and kill the bastard who invented the damn camera and the newspaper presidents, ironically obsessed over the newspaper more than anyone else.
This was because the era had arrived where they had to be mindful of the commoners as the number of wealthy commoners increased. The existence of the Fulda Republic also fueled this era.
Then, why not just win over the newspaper presidents? Surely, there was a way to do that. But the newspaper presidents were more obsessed with sales figures than with the King.
Leonard jumped up from his seat and ordered the servant.
"Now, let's all go to Herollington Bay today! Take a picture with the Magic Dome in the background! And another one in front of the Golden Lion Statue in the park where commoners also frequent! Contact the reporters immediately!"
The servant quickly handed Leonard a glass of cool water and replied.
"Yes, Your Majesty. I will do so."
Leonard gulped down the water, wiped his mouth with a towel, and added with a gust of air.
"If Margo says she's tired, tell her she doesn't have to come and can rest well. Also, go to Walter and firmly tell him not to even come near Herollington Bay today."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Thus, around 10 a.m., Margo and Olivia boarded a carriage headed for the royal family's private villa located in Herollington Bay.
The villa was located on a rocky mountain that rose alone from the gentle Herollington coast.
The rocky mountain, which looked like a castle from afar, had a sheer cliff face adjacent to the sea, while the part adjacent to the land had a gentle slope, making it easily accessible by carriage.
Olivia pressed close to the window, watching the sparkling sea through the trees.
Soon, the carriage stopped, and Olivia followed Margo out of the carriage.
The cool moisture of the sea was mixed in the breeze.
Olivia, clutching her fluttering skirt, looked at the sea, where scattered fragments of autumn sunlight were widely spread.
And there, three Magic Domes stood tall like white pillars.
She had designed them herself, but this was the first time she had seen the real thing.
"That's the Magic Dome Oliver designed, Olivia."
At Margo's words as she approached, Olivia laughed weakly.
"Yes. Oliver designed it."
Margo muttered, her eyes gleaming coldly.
"Even though the social status is collapsing, they don't recognize patent rights because you're a woman. A very interesting reason."
At that moment, the royal guards on horseback appeared, escorting the King's carriage. Margo turned towards the carriage and continued.
"Don't throw away the evidence that you're Oliver. Keep it with you."
"Yes, I have it safely."
"Don't conform, Olivia. The moment to take it out will surely come."
Margo glanced at Olivia, who was small and slender, but not at all weak.
"And you'll be the first. You've always been the first."
"...I'm not that great, Professor."
At Olivia's reply, Margo burst into a cynical laugh.
"Is that so? Then the reputation of the prestigious Herollington University must be utter crap."
"Oh, really, Professor."
When Olivia finally chided her with a smile, Margo laughed along and shrugged.
At that moment, the King and Queen Consort got out of a majestic black carriage drawn by six horses.
Olivia lowered her posture to greet him when she spotted him. The Queen Consort acknowledged her with a look.
Leonard's bushy eyebrows twitched when he saw Margo, whom he had insisted didn't have to come, but he wisely didn't show it.
And from another carriage that followed behind, the Crown Prince and Prince Noah got out.
The Crown Prince and the Prince looked handsome even under the bright autumn sunlight.
The dress code for the men of the Herot royal family was mainly black suits, so Noah was also dressed in a black suit.
Thanks to the sleek, glossy suit, his long legs looked even more prominent.
Just when the group thought this was the end, one more person got out of the carriage the princes had exited. She was an elderly middle-aged woman.
"Oh, Lucy has come?"
At the same time as Margo spoke in a soft voice, Usher reached out towards the inside of the carriage. Soon, a small girl holding the Crown Prince's hand came down the carriage steps with a rather elegant movement.
Her white and rosy face was as lovely and charming as a pink flower pinned to her light blonde hair, which was tied up in a half-ponytail.
Olivia couldn't help but smile at how well the light sky-blue dress suited her.
The girl, who couldn't have been even ten years old yet, let go of the Crown Prince's hand and stood with a dignified and elegant posture.
'So cute!'
Olivia exclaimed inwardly. At that moment, Margo called the girl's name.
"Lucy Therese!"
Margo smiled warmly, a smile she didn't show to any other member of the royal family, and opened her arms towards the girl.
According to Olivia's common sense, this was the moment when she should naturally run over, but Princess Lucy straightened her shoulders and walked gracefully towards Margo. Yet, her eyes were sparkling as she looked at her aunt, making her so adorable.
Margo must have felt the same way, as she ran towards the girl with her arms open and hugged her tightly.
"Have you been well, Aunt?"
Lucy hugged her aunt's back and kissed her on the cheek.
"Of course, I have. Has our Lucy been well too?"
Noah, who was watching Margo's affectionate attitude from the side, recalled the contrasting expression she had shown him yesterday.
Ah, I feel unfairly treated.
Olivia caught Noah's eye as he turned his head with a sulky heart.
"……."
She was wearing a white blouse and a full flared skirt today as well.
The high-saturation blue skirt and white blouse were as harmonious as the combination of the clear autumn sky and the sea.
Unlike yesterday, her black hair, tied up in a half-ponytail, fluttered in the wind along with her full skirt. A natural smile was etched on her face, which was fixed on Lucy.
Noah's gaze lingered on the scene, which was like a painting.
At that moment, Margo, who had exchanged affectionate greetings with Lucy, straightened up and stepped aside.
When Margo gave Olivia a slight wink, Olivia cautiously approached Lucy.
And the moment Lucy saw Olivia appear from behind her aunt, she was stunned.
She had never seen anyone like this before in her life.
The black hair fluttering in the breeze, the face sparkling with sunlight, and the exotic clothes.
Everything seemed unreal to the eyes of an eight-year-old girl who only lived in the palace.
Is she an angel?
The little mouth of the princess, who had been gracefully adjusting her posture, slowly opened, and her eyes widened like lanterns.
At that moment, that person greeted her.
"Hello, Princess. My name is Olivia Liberty. It's an honor to meet you."
Wow…….
Usher looked at Lucy, who wasn't responding quickly, with a stern gaze, but when he saw her dazed face, he smiled slightly.
"Lucy."
Lucy, who came to her senses at the soft voice, blushed and quickly greeted her.
"Nice to meet you. My name is Lucy Therese Astrid."
Leonard, judging that it was enough, drew attention.
"Now, come this way. Quickly stand in front of the Magic Dome."
Then, he called his precious daughter affectionately.
"Lucy, come here!"
Leonard took his lovely daughter's hand and stood next to the Queen Consort.
The royal family had rules for everything, even the order in which they walked, but the only person who occasionally deviated from the rules was Lucy Therese.
Olivia, being perceptive, approached Noah's side as she had done yesterday, and the servant who was about to show her to her place smiled and nodded.
Noah briefly bowed to her and glanced at Olivia, who was carefully narrowing the distance and standing as far away as possible.
"Okay, I'm going to take the picture!"
When the photographer, covered in a black cloth, shouted loudly, all the royals, including Noah and Olivia, looked at the camera.
At that moment, the wind blew.
Olivia's long hair fluttered and tickled Noah's cheek. Still, Noah didn't turn his gaze. He chose to remain still because moving this hair would mean taking another picture.
The sea breeze was fragrant.
With a flash, the light burst, and the photographer nodded with a satisfied expression. Soon, the fragrant hair disappeared.
Noah watched Olivia's back as she hurried towards Margo and brushed his tickled cheek with his hand.
Then, with a smile that felt somehow cynical, he averted his gaze from her.
