DYBAR - Chapter 84 < Faith In Father >

DYBAR - Chapter 84 < Faith In Father >

Do Your Best And Regret

"The Vikander Territory currently prohibits the royal family and the Madeleine duchy from entering."

That was it. The reason why all the people sent to the Vikander Territory came back in vain. It is said that even his deputy, Lord Huxley, never met Olivia. 

Duke Madeleine looked towards one side of the banquet hall. Olivia caught the end of his cold gaze. To be exact, Olivia is surrounded by two knights and a Grand Duke. 

When the Duke heard that the child had arrived in the capital, he thought everything would go on track. But... He did not heed the call to visit Madeleine's house. That the girl who loved the Crown Prince so much even refuses to call him by his nickname. What on earth happened in Vikander's territory in those few weeks? 

When he remembered what happened earlier, he felt sick to his stomach. Olivia's expressionless face, who told him not to call her by her nickname as if he had no regrets, and that kid who casually looked away even when his eyes met hers as she entered the banquet hall. Olivia was never a kid who could do that. 

The Duke declared, calming his growing impatience. He had already made up his mind to take Olivia to the mansion. For Hazel and Eshela. He decided to forgive just a little bit of that girl who always brought him misfortune. If he said this, that kid would leave the Grand Duke again and come back to the Duke's residence. 

But now was not the right time to talk. Many eyes were watching him and Olivia. There was nothing more foolish than talking between two people. 

The Duke kept looking at Olivia to seize the opportunity. It was then. Olivia, who was listening to the Archduke's story, widened her eyes for a moment and then burst into bright laughter. For a moment, the Duke of Madeleine forgot even his breathing and looked at Olivia. Before he knew it, his fists were clenched so tightly that they turned pale. 

It was impossible for her. Olivia was not the kind of child who could smile like that. Smiling brightly, as if everything in the world was fun. That kid shouldn't have laughed like that. Not only did she kill Hazel, but he also turned Eshela away from him. She shouldn't have made him so unhappy and then laughed like she was happy alone. 

Anger, shock, and resentment mixed together tore through the Duke's heart. The moment an immeasurable emotion rose above his eyes, which had been coolly observing the situation, his legs, which had not moved, began to move with great strides. 

The eyes of the nobles who had been quietly glancing at the Duke were fixed on him as soon as he moved. It was a time when the atmosphere was tense as if something could happen. Someone intervened as if to block the Duke's path.

The Duke's eyes narrowed as he checked his face.

"Conrad."

An irresistible sense of coercion lay above the soft voice. So much so that a son who has never once disobeyed his father's words in his entire life would immediately get out of the way. But Conrad did not back down. A shadow fell over his handsome face.

"Father. I should have told you in advance."

Conrad's voice trembled a little as if he had made a firm decision. But instead of looking at Conrad, who bowed his head, the Duke looked beyond him. The moment the Archduke's red eyes twinkled as he looked at him, he stood up. Soon the Duke saw him extending his hand towards Olivia. 

The Duke's heart was racing. He needs to catch Olivia quickly. No matter what happens, he has to take that girl, who acts like she's alone in her happiness, back to the imperial palace. However, the barely remaining reason pushed Conrad away and prevented him from going to Olivia. 

The Duke swallowed his rising anger. As the raw emotions, like a hot ball of fire, gradually cooled down, Conrad continued speaking with a pained face.

"Go back to the mansion, I have something to show you."

Conrad should have told his Father earlier. 

Conrad swallowed his words and bit the inside of his mouth. He wished he could feel pain, but the only thing he was more aware of was the weight that settled on his left chest. He had been worried ever since he saw Olivia's diary. Should he show this to his father, or is it something that only he will know about? 

But at this moment today, seeing Olivia smiling in the distance made his decision. It's only right to show it to his father. If Father knew that Olivia had a hard time, he wouldn't be as angry as he is now. That would be the true face of his father, whom I respect and love. 

The moment felt like an eon. Conrad could not bear to raise his head. The soft melody echoing through the banquet hall seemed to be getting further and further away.

"Okay. Let's go back."

Conrad raised his head. And he looked at his father's back, who had turned first. It was his father's back that he always saw. Strong and upright. And a father who is brutally fair. 

Conrad held back his cries and followed his father's back. But there was one thing that Conrad, who followed, did not know. The Duke's brief answer came only after Olivia had left the banquet hall. And the face of the Duke ahead was still full of anger. 

Conrad just believed that his father must have noticed something wrong with the current situation. Just as he had always found it convenient. 

*** 

At that time, I left the banquet hall under Edwin's escort. It was nice to hear the footsteps of Howard and Winster following behind. Fresh night air came in through the open window in the hallway. 

Instead of the artificial coolness that suppressed the heat of the banquet hall, a just-right cool breeze passed by my hot cheeks. My eyes relaxed. Even if the magic stone in my necklace controlled the temperature, there was nothing as pleasant as the night air.

"You look in good spirits, Olivia."

"It was a more enjoyable banquet than I expected, of course."

There was a clue at the end of my muttering. The three men, who had been listening intently to the condition, smiled at the next words.

"It's not as good as the banquets held in Vikander Territory."

I curled the corners of my mouth. No matter how perfect the banquet was, it would be difficult to surpass the two banquets held in Vikander Territory. Oh, I never know if it's a wedding celebration in the future.

"I guess you had a lot of fun, Olivia."

"Sure. I danced five times and was dressed perfectly to match the concept, even."

Olivia trailed off and looked at Edwin, Howard, and Winster. My gratitude flashed across my green eyes.

"Three of my brave knights protected me."

"Ugh. Please look into that again, thank you miss."

"I just did the obvious thing."

Winster and Howard's answers were completely opposite, but their proud faces were the same. 

I chuckled. Really, it was a better banquet than I expected. Although I chatted with the Crown Prince for a while, I  said what I wanted to say and did not encounter the Princess or the Duke of Madeleine at all. I had a glimpse of the Duke trying to come towards me, but even that was blocked by Conrad. 

Conrad. 

My eyes went blank for a moment at those three letters. Before stopping to block the Duke of Madeleine, the sight of him looking back at me for a moment flashed through my mind. Funny enough, would I be mistaken if Conrad's gaze, which had been consistent throughout his life, looked different today? 

I shook my head. Since Winster and Howard were there, the Duke of Madeleine would not have been able to approach me even if Conrad had not stopped him. So, there was nothing to feel grateful about. 

While I was finishing tidying up my mind, Edwin suddenly seemed to remember and turned behind his to face Winster and Howard. Grumpy eyes formed over his red eyes.

"Right. Sir, you didn't forget the bet you made with me, right?" 

"What bet do you mean?"

Winster asked in confusion. It was my first time hearing it too.

"When Olivia mentioned this concept, I said it would fit right away, but you said it might not be true?"

The faces of the two knights became aggrieved at Edwin's powerful words. And, contrary to the knight's appearance, he quickly waved his hand towards me. 

"No, when did I? I just said that I wasn't sure if that would really be the case since there would be so many concepts... Sir Walter did."

"Howard? What do you say now?"

Howard quickly turned his arrow at Winster. Winster, who had suddenly become suspicious of the Young Lady, could not speak properly. It was the result of Edwin's grumpiness and Howard's quick wit. Suddenly, Winster felt aggrieved, but I  was willing to get on the side of putting Winster in trouble.

"Hmm, did you make that bet?"

"No, it's not like that! I just couldn't guess what the concept was..!"

Winster threw up his hands in embarrassment. Howard and Edwin seemed to be at a loss as to their playful exchange. It was completely different from his usual good manners. 

I burst out laughing at the sight of this place being transformed from an imperial palace into a royal residence in an instant. It was then,

"Are you already leaving the palace? The real banquet hasn't even started yet."

It was Maria Ethel. Maria seemed to have followed along in a hurry and was out of breath, glaring at me with her venomous eyes. She continued to leave the room following Leopard, and it seemed like she didn't even know that the atmosphere of the banquet was already ripe. 

I smiled softly and shook my head at Edwin, who tried to stop her. And step by step I moved towards Maria Ethel. Instead of answering, I slowly looked at the woman. Only then did Maria Ethel's face turn pale, as if she had realized the meaning of the gaze staring at her clothes.

It was a fun sight. Even though there wasn't even a concept written in the invitation, the reason why I dressed up as a 'fairy' was by myself. Of these, only me and Maria knew that that outfit had been one of the Princess's costume candidates at the previous banquet.

"This, this..."

"I enjoyed the banquet. The dress is really pretty too."

The words fell out calmly. At the same time, a red shame appeared on Maria's face.

"You knew from the beginning."

Maria seemed suffocated. She felt as if Olivia's face was laughing at her when she didn't respond. But, she had been in charge of the Princess's banquet so far, so she must have known that this would come to her. Even though she knows that, she pretends not to know and leaves everything to her! 

Come to think of it... Maria glared at Olivia with her blue eyes, which suited today's banquet perfectly. She didn't even announce the concept. Could it be that one of the maids in Tiase's palace conveyed her concept to Olivia? 

At that moment, Maria's heart dropped. Her lips trembled. Do the maids at Tiese Palace still follow Olivia instead of her?

"How did you come up with the concept..."

I smiled brightly as I looked at her face, which had turned pale, turned red, and was now turning white. Then she leaned over and whispered to Maria Ethel.

"You used what I had stored in Tiase Palace very wisely."

Inferring the concept that was not written on the invitation was easier than expected. The Princess will never host the summer banquet. In that case, she would be hosted by Maria Ethel, and even though she had Baroness Sopron, it was obvious that she had decided everything hastily until the last minute, to the extent that she did not even write down the concept on the invitation. 

And among the banquet items left at Tiese Palace, the almost complete concept item was 'Fairy Night'. But there was no obligation to kindly tell her this. What was I thinking made Maria Ethel tremble so much that it was pitiful. 

A deep sense of humiliation rose over her blue eyes as if she thought she had been betrayed. It was strange. The person who always had malicious intentions toward me was Maria Etel herself, and whenever I dealt with her, she always branded me as a bad person. Now I didn't even have to face it anymore. 

I turned around without hesitation and walked to Edwin's side. Edwin, who was watching the whole situation, smiled. I shrugged my shoulders once as s he smiled as if asking if I was okay. I had no reason not to be okay. Because I had a perfect banquet today.

"... I don't know about other days, but I will definitely attend tomorrow!"

I thought it was all over. An angry shout was heard from behind. I didn't even look back. But her screaming voice continued to follow me.

""I'm going to show you something very interesting! Be sure to attend!"

No one paid any attention to Maria. Maria, who cried out desperately alone, glared at Olivia Madeleine's back with her eyes filled with bitter resentment. And when that look of hers disappeared completely. 

Jade Madeleine, who was one step late, came running out of breath. 

However, the carriage with Vikander's emblem on it had already departed. 

*** 

And late at night, Olivia's room at the Duke of Madeleine's residence. The sound of turning the pages of her diary was chilling. Conrad swallowed dryly and looked at the rabbit doll on the bed, making the same sound as the paper being turned. It was at that time that he felt that his hands were shaking.

"So, what do you want to say?"

Conrad blinked in confusion at the indifferent voice of his father.

Previous            Next