DYBAR - Chapter 105 < The Starting Point Of Regret >

"Seeing as how determined you are, it seems that the Grand Duke never even informed you of the rumors that had spread to the Grand Duke."

Olivia didn't respond. Leopold smiled faintly at the way he didn't even step back when he approached.

Only five steps.

He was overwhelmed by the distance that had narrowed. He felt sorry for a while.

Leopold had never seen Olivia cry. All it was was a trembling voice and a muffled expression. It would be okay for her to cry.

Now it was just him to fill the weakest gap.

"If so, I'll let you know, Olivia."

With a sweet voice, like honey, he began to dispel the lies that Olivia had been believing.

"You've probably heard the story of Grand Duke Vikander, who lost the war with his blind warmonger."

As the voice continued, Olivia's green eyes glazed at Leopold.

"But you didn't know that the Grand Duchess of the Ancestor, the Princess of the Fallen Kingdom, had personally come to this Imperial Palace to pay reparations for the defeat of the war."

A single connected glance sent a chill of joy to the back of his head. A sense of security spread as if he had regained what he took for granted.

Looking at the green eyes that sparkled like jewels, Leopold slowly cleared his mouth.

With the help of the ugly stories of the past that he had heard from the Empress, he could easily turn things around. The story, which was chosen with the most provocative words, was enough to touch Olivia's emotions.

"His Majesty the Emperor only wanted a small reward for the future of the Grand Duke, but it seems that the Grand Duchess had a different idea."

"The Grand Duchess came in person with the documents of reparations. Obvious, isn't it? If she is a Princess of a ruined country, her family member dies and she has only a young son. She must have wished His Majesty, who had a kite in her youth, a favor. Maybe."

"....."

"It could have been an indemnity as a way to curry favor with His Majesty."

Leopold's voice lowered slightly. There was a strange sneer at the end of his mouth.

"Or maybe it was the beauty of the continent. The mysterious sparkle of green snow was so mysterious and beautiful. What do you think, Olivia?"

Leopold chuckled softly. Olivia's stern expression looked like it was about to break.

He was the only one Olivia had to follow in this situation. A strange sense of victory thrilled Leopold.

Strangely, Olivia didn't take any action. The silence continued. Leopold was getting impatient.

Wishing she could break down and cry in his arms now, Olivia stood awfully upright.

With a relaxed face, Leopold slowly tilted his face toward Olivia's face. He began to see himself reflected in her bright green eyes. His throat burned.

"Without knowing that he had such a mother, the Grand Duke thought that the Grand Duchess had been forcibly taken away, and took you away from me in revenge..."

"Wouldn't you rather apologize, Your Highness?"

Leopold blinked for a moment at the sound of her voice chopping through his horse's waist.

Leopold didn't understand the situation. Olivia, who was about to fall into his arms, was staring at him with a cold face.

“... What?"

"If so, I wouldn't have been so disgusted."

Olivia blinked slowly. A moment of contempt overlaid her eyes, which had shone like a clear jewel, and Leopold's heart sank into the mire. His blood seemed to run cold.

"Hold on, Olivia."

His white-faced face reached for Olivia. At the same time, a faint sensation spread over the back of LLeopold's hand.

He could hear a gasp in the distance, but Leopold didn't seem to care about him.

It wound on a noble pride that had never been beaten by anyone.

"What are you doing, Olivia? What you've done now is too much."

"Your Highness should at least not make this the story of a hero who died fighting fiercely for the Empire."

Olivia tightened her grip on the dress. Her fingernails dug into her palms, but she didn't feel any pain. Instead, it felt like a sharp stab in the back of her neck.

At this moment, Edwin missed her desperately. How could a Prince of the Empire show such a bottom?

It also tells the story of a knight who died in a war for the Empire and his family.

"What do you mean, Olivia. Don't you understand me? You're nothing more than a trophy of vengeance against that Grand Duke. Is it going to work?!"

Leopold smirked in frustration.

"It is said that the Grand Duchess is also green-eyed, so why don't you know that the love you receive is nothing more than a substitute for the Grand Duchess of the Predecessor!"

Leopold suppressed his anger and ran a hand through his hair. He didn't see the realization spread across Olivia's expression.

He angrily attacked Olivia.

"It's not enough to live as a substitute for the second Princess, and now you're going to live in the shadow of the Grand Duchess of the Ancestral Princess?"

"Whether it's a substitute or a trophy, that's between His Highness the Grand Duke and me, not His Royal Highness."

In an instant, he was pushed out of the line. Olivia's face was bitterly cold as she pronounced the word substitute.

Leopold studied every inch of Olivia's face without realizing it. He hoped there was some hint of hesitation somewhere, but Olivia stared at Leopold with a dry, dry face.

Agitation rose uncontrollably over his handsome face. He bit his lip in disbelief, then blinked nervously. Leopold laughed nervously.

“... Don't mess with me, Olivia. When I catch you, come back to me."

"...."

"The Grand Duke just wants to take everything I have. If I'm not interested in you, it might be a love that will disappear at any time. You don't remember? The day I was going to ask you to dance for the first time, he asked you to dance too, as if he were competing."

Now Leopold didn't know what he was talking about. In his mind, Edwin was the son of a bastard in the world. The frustration of being deprived of his first dance made Leopold angry again.

"Olivia!"

“... I was wrong."

At the urging of the flame, Olivia slowly parted her lips. At that moment, Leopold's smug face turned red.

Then yes.

"All I can show you is the back of my head."

“...... Olivia?"

For a moment, Leopold doubted his ears. Olivia's voice was surprisingly calm, unwavering throughout.

He couldn't even make out what Olivia was looking like now. Strangely, his breathing became short, as if someone was grabbing his heart. This was an ominous feeling he had never felt before.

"Like it or not, I know Your Highness better than anyone. Your Highness knows it too."

Olivia knew him better than anyone. Favorite scents, accessories, diets, clothing preferences, and even the types of flowers.

Like the Tiase Palace, which is perfectly matched to his taste.

"Did you want to keep your pride and keep me by your side?"

"Olivia!"

"By maliciously making up stories of my loyal ancestors and mocking me?"

"That's not the case, you know."

A suppressed voice spilled over Olivia's words. Looking at Leopold's face as he hurriedly chose his words as if to excuse himself, Olivia stared at him for a long time, as if she were new to him.

And the face of the blank gaze began to crumble one by one. When desperation crossed Leopold's face, Olivia had a hunch.

Ah, now I really have nothing to do with the Prince. I didn't feel any emotion as I watched him crumble.

The Prince, who endlessly toyed with me and tried to get me under his grasp, ironically woke me up with his ill-conceived packaging.

"But Your Highness, who doesn't know me, has already made a mistake."

Looking at the Prince's whitened face, I smiled nonchalantly. I almost laughed at myself for backing away as if I was being chased.

"How can the one who tells me to come back say such a ridiculous thing to His Highness the Grand Duke, who has given all his allegiance to the Empire? Your Highness has no loyalty, no affection, no love."

"No, Olivia. No, I don't."

Leopold exhaled sharply. The Prince, who was always relaxed and arrogant, couldn't hide his embarrassment when his true intentions were revealed for the first time.

He felt like he was naked, but Olivia, who had seen through him, just stared over his shoulder with a cold gaze that seemed to get out of hand.

No matter what he did, he couldn't get Olivia's gaze. She didn't look at him, and she was as strong as if she would never give him a smile.

At the same time, Leopold staggered a little. Things that should have been realized a long time ago came rushing back at once. His strong jaw trembled.

“... Princess Olivia. Liv..."

His voice was as sweet as honey, and he grew more and more desperate. He called out to Olivia as if he were hoping for salvation.

The handsome man looked at Olivia with a frightened face, just like a lost five-year-old. For the first time, his sea-colored eyes showed his fragile side.

"How, what should I do, no, what should I do?"

"....."

"Guess what you want, shall I?"

Olivia didn't laugh. A hidden sense of dread swept over him. Falter and flinch. Leopold smiled wryly as he walked. It was bizarre and funny to see the corners of his mouth turn white.

"I'm going to send Maria abroad. Don't worry, if you ever come back to me, I'll promise you that I'll look to you with all my heart."

"......."

"Why don't you change the name of the Tiase Palace? I'll change it to your name. I can raise the palace's budget as much as I want."

Clumsy pleas poured in. I didn't know that I could want feelings from someone. It will be very difficult for someone who knows how to take their heart skillfully to gain sincerity.

Olivia lifted the corners of her mouth in disbelief. Leopold's heart swelled uncontrollably, waiting for her words.

But that was the end of the answer.

The laughter was enough to cause the expectant Leopold to fall into the abyss. It was a good thing he didn't know that even that smile was her last goodbye to the palace, not to him.

Olivia stared at Leopold and slowly turned. As she stepped away from the front door, Leopold came to his senses as if he had been struck by lightning.

"Olivia!"

If he misses her now, he might never see Olivia anymore. 

With a suffocating sense of loss, Leopold gasped and ran to the front door. When Olivia walked through the front door that was open on her way out.

 "Liv...!"

Hope was shattered. In the distance, a wagon was leaving. For some reason, it felt like Olivia had ridden in it, and Leopold leaned against the wall, breathing heavily.

Oddly enough, in front of him stood the Duke of Madeleine.

"To Olivia, Duke... Did you tell me about you?"

Oddly enough, the Duke did not answer.

But he didn't even have the spirit to push the Duke.

Olivia is gone. Out of sight, maybe even in his world.

Leopold leaned against the wall slowly, as if collapsing. In the blink of an eye, he felt confused, as if the world had been turned upside down.

"How, Olivia...."

His faint voice was damp and damp.

It was the first confession of a man who was not a supreme Prince. What he felt was incomparably dizzying and terrifying.

Still, Olivia left him behind, and the past came like a tidal wave, and things didn't go his way.

Leopold looked back at the palace in the face of this unbelievable situation. The palace of the Silver Princess is located here, but the owner has gone far away.

Should he have been honest? Or should he have begged?

It reminded him of the night a few days ago when he felt helpless. Looking at Olivia, who was damn pretty, he should have changed even then.

Leopold held his breath, knowing that her rock-hard heart wouldn't turn against him. Darkness swept over him as if it were extinguishing beneath his feet.

***

I looked back as s? I walked. 

Leopold's voice seemed to be calling my name in the wind. It was a good thing that the distant carriage had distracted me from his walking.

I smiled bitterly and hurried away.

I could feel the obvious way of looking at me. I'm sure it's the Duke.

“...Take this wagon."

It was strange. The tea party must be in full swing, but the Duke is in front of the Tiase Palace. 

The Duke, who looked dazed, as if he had just hatched from an egg, pointed to the carriage he had ridden.

There was no need to take the carriage that the Duke recommended. 

Understandably.

"Come now."

I muttered, my lips slowly closed. Nothing will change, so I don't know why you keep making people feel despicable and bad.

I held my breath for a moment. And I emptied the Duke and Conrad and Jade in my exhalation. Even without them, there was a lot to think about.

The most important thing.

"Why didn't I tell you... In Vikander, green eyes are considered beautiful. Just like the other eyes."

Edwin's words came to mind. My heart was pounding.

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