Chapter 96: No Need for Domestic Support
"Your Highness should also get married as soon as possible."
Usher nodded vaguely and continued with everyday conversation.
"You're attending the Hemmington Battleship construction event next week, right?"
"Yeah."
"Father wanted the Princess Consort to come along too. I think he forgot to mention it because he's been so preoccupied with Lucy."
"Olivia too?"
"It wouldn't be bad as her first official event after the wedding, right? Most people attend the battleship construction event as couples."
Prince Noah nodded slowly.
"Yeah, well. That's fine."
"Heading home?"
"No, I thought I'd visit my mother while I'm here."
"Alright, then. See you later. Give my regards to the Princess Consort."
At the fork in the road, Usher gave Noah a light greeting and walked away, talking to his secretary.
Noah watched his back for a moment before turning and heading towards the Queen Consort's palace.
When he arrived at the Queen Consort's office, which had a clear and pure charm, Lucy, who was giving King Herod a headache, ran up with a bright smile.
"Prince Noah!!!"
"General Lucy, I wish you victory. Be sure to win."
As Noah looked down at his bright-faced younger sister and spoke playfully, Lucy nodded with a determined expression.
"I will definitely go to school! I'm sick of that toy room now."
Then, Lucy glanced around behind Noah and shook her brother's hand.
"Where's Olivia?"
The Queen Consort, who had been wearing a benevolent smile at the sight of the close siblings, spoke in a stern voice.
"Princess Consort or Duchess Rosemond. Lucy, I told you not to call Olivia by her name so casually."
At her mother's rebuke, Lucy quickly corrected herself.
"I'm sorry, Mother. Brother, why didn't the Princess Consort come?"
Noah took Lucy's hand and approached the Queen Consort, replying.
"I just stopped by for a moment. I'll bring her with me next time."
"That's a shame. I wanted to see her. Can I visit the mansion, then?"
"If you get permission."
"……."
Lucy sighed deeply and made a face as if she was fed up. The expression on the face of a mere ten-year-old was so scathing that not only the Queen Consort but also Noah were speechless.
At that moment, Mrs. Lehman approached.
"Princess, it's almost time for your lesson to begin."
"Sewing lessons? What's the point of doing that?"
"……."
"Ah, I'm really asking because I don't understand. Mother, why do I have to take that lesson?"
Noah quietly watched Lucy's rebellion, which was slowly beginning to emerge.
As if she hadn't been trying to get an answer, Lucy gave her silent mother an elegant greeting before turning around. She also gave Noah a light greeting.
"Prince Noah, I'm going. Goodbye."
The back of the girl, who was walking away with a patter, had already grown quite a bit. Noah realized anew that Lucy had grown a lot.
"We must send her to school, Mother."
As Lucy disappeared, Noah turned to look at Beatrix and spoke, and she nodded as if in agreement.
Although she hadn't gone too far astray yet, she had a premonition that if she suppressed the child any further, a rebellion would erupt that would be incomparable to Noah's. So she, too, was determined to break her husband's will this time.
"We must. By the way, what brings you here?"
Beatrix tilted her teacup and pulled up the corners of her lips.
"You still haven't been to Cosmos Hill, have you? Did you swear you wouldn't go there?"
When Noah replied nonchalantly, Beatrix put down her teacup and reproached him.
"Don't say such things. The vast cosmos fields are so beautiful."
"Olivia picked several bunches of cosmos, so I've seen plenty."
"Well, that's a relief. Is Olivia doing well?"
"……."
At his mother's question, Noah looked at her in silence. Facing her son's stubborn expression, Beatrix quickly realized that he was dissatisfied with her.
"Everyone, please step out for a moment."
At the Queen Consort's command, the maids who were guarding her office all stepped out at once, and Noah began to speak directly, as if he had been waiting for this.
"Why did you choose Countess Timberline as Olivia's etiquette teacher?"
"She was the only one available. All the nobles in the capital refused my request."
Although he already knew this, Noah forcibly suppressed the urge to curse again.
"Does Olivia really need an etiquette teacher? Her posture is impeccable, and she'll learn the basics and other things she needs to know just by reading a book. She'll learn quickly and accurately enough that she won't need a teacher."
"Then who will help her enter society? You know that it's not just a position to teach etiquette."
"Why does Olivia have to enter society?"
"...What?"
"I don't need Olivia's domestic support. If there's a social event, I can go with her. I'll be there for any parties that need to be hosted, so there won't be any problems. But why does Olivia have to enter society?"
Beatrix felt a throbbing pain in the back of her head. She paused for a moment to catch her breath and then asked back.
"Then if you're not there?"
"……."
"If you're not there, Olivia won't be able to do anything, and you don't care?"
At her question, Noah glared sharply and retorted.
"Will the nobles accept Olivia as she is?"
"……."
"You said that they all refused even the position of etiquette teacher, didn't you? What do you think about the fact that the etiquette teacher you barely found has been making Olivia stand for the entire lesson for the past three days?"
The unresolved anger surged up again. Noah's eyes flickered coldly.
The Queen Consort was inwardly startled by the anger on her son's face. Noah was furious.
"She's finding fault with every little thing, even with her already perfect etiquette."
The Queen Consort recalled Mrs. Timberlin's face and let out a deep sigh. Even though she had emphasized that Olivia was her superior, she seemed to want to shake Olivia to the core.
However, it had only been three days.
"Is Olivia saying she can't stand it? How did you know she was standing for three days straight? Did you put someone on her?"
"If she had said she couldn't stand it, I wouldn't be talking about this so long."
Beatrix was speechless at her son's cold face, which showed no trace of humanity.
"I found out about her standing all the time through the servants."
"...So, Olivia is saying she'll try to endure it? From the looks of it, she probably doesn't even know you came to see me like this."
Noah frowned and looked at his mother. The Queen Consort calmly met her son's impatient gaze and said firmly.
"If Olivia says she'll try to endure it, let her endure it."
"Mother!"
"It's only been three days. Why are you making such a fuss when the person involved is staying still?!"
"……."
"When I was the Crown Princess, I had to endure subtle bullying because I was a local noble."
At his mother's words, Noah smiled in disbelief.
"You don't mean to say that my mother and Olivia are in the same situation, do you?"
"Don't speak rudely and listen. Yes, how could my situation be the same as Olivia's? But I, too, had to put in at least a year of effort. I was subtly bullied, ignored, and tormented. But I overcame that, and that's why I'm now recognized as the Queen Consort."
Noah wanted to point out that that was the Queen Consort's situation, and it had nothing to do with Olivia, the Princess Consort. He wanted to make it clear that his wife had no reason to struggle to gain the recognition of the nobles.
"I know that Olivia will have to endure it for much longer than I did. She may want to quit because it's hard, and she may really quit. But you can't decide that for her."
Beatrix stared at Noah and made an authoritative expression.
"Noah, let's be clear. Did Olivia ask you to kick out Mrs. Timberlin?"
Noah couldn't hide his displeasure, but he had no choice but to answer properly in the end.
"...No."
"Then go back. Don't dare to interfere because it's not your business. I will only listen to the Princess Consort's opinion on this matter."
Nevertheless, anger and dissatisfaction that could not be erased were tangled on her son's face. Beatrix realized that he looked frighteningly like Leonard.
In addition, she felt that Noah's feelings for his wife were not just a sense of responsibility. If it was all responsibility, Noah wouldn't have cared whether his wife took etiquette lessons or not.
Beatrix felt a strange sense of relief and anxiety at the same time and opened her mouth as if to soothe him.
"Watch over Olivia as she builds her own world. Even parents can't shake their children's lives, can they? Trust Olivia. I've said it a few times, but it hasn't even been a week yet. Don't be impatient."
Noah recalled Olivia's voice whispering as she hugged him last night.
"Please trust me and wait. I can do it."
"Haa……."
In the end, he pressed his eyes with his hands and let out a long sigh.
What a week. He felt a fatigue that seemed to have lasted for months.
⚜ ⚜ ⚜
That late afternoon, the royal family's official statement on Wilhelm Corporation was released and soon became a major headline.
Branch Manager Herot of Wilhelm Corporation calmly read the extra edition containing the royal family's statement.
The gist of the royal family's statement was firm and simple.
If you want to question Prince Noah's actions, prove that there were no defects in the Magic Dome at the time. Was the Prince's action of tearing down the Magic Dome to save countless lives in a desperate moment really worthy of criticism?!
In addition, the royal family demanded that the shipping company withdraw its contract termination.
"Public opinion is already leaning towards the royal family. The royal family has framed it as a fight between a righteous prince and a merchant who only cares about money."
At his aide's words, the Branch Manager pressed down on his throbbing head and took out a letter that had arrived from Pulder this morning.
The aide quickly read the letter handed over by the Branch Manager. His eyes narrowed and then widened.
"Isn't this... dangerous?"
