DYBAR - Chapter 129 < Edwin Cant's Stop Olivia >

 DYBAR - Chapter 129 < Edwin Cant's Stop Olivia >

Do Your Best And Regret

Five escort knights, including Dean, and five baskets of desserts promised to Jerun.

The preparation was perfect.

Except that Bethany herself couldn't come along.

"It would be good if you could take at least one of the maid's children. No, if there were nothing unusual about the mine, I would go with you."

Bethany said, unable to suppress her distress. The Young Lady's schedule today was to stop at Senua's Valley.

"Mines are also important. Let's go together next time."

"That would be nice, but... You can go to the valley again after today, right? I was really surprised to hear that you were going there again."

"That's right."

Oh my, I'm surprised. 

Before they knew it, Dean, who was quietly standing next to the two, lowered his voice and chimed in.

"Don't you remember when you returned yesterday? Even if Senua's valley was mentioned, the atmosphere became cold."

"It's not just that time. When you were in the living room after dinner, I really thought you two were arguing?"

"Then you're not coming out now, hehe."

Dean, who had been speaking inadvertently, covered his mouth and caught my attention. It was a moment when I became sullen for a moment as I felt a prick in my heart.

"It was a simple coordination of opinions, Bethanny."

I, who was smiling brightly at Edwin's usual voice, paused for a moment. Edwin, who came with Brock, was not in street clothes.

"Come back safely, Live."

It was a confirmed kill. I said I thought about going together, but in the end, I decided not to go together.

Edwin seemed to have felt my clouded mind and added with a grin.

"While Liv is away, I will also be doing my job. Very, very well, and hard."

If the people around him heard it, it was nothing more than an ordinary greeting. But he was different with me.

The regret of not going together disappeared. Edwin added with a hint of pride.

"Well, if you think you'll miss me all the way there, just tell me now."

Instead of answering his words, I took out an envelope from my arms and showed it to him. It was a letter from Ethella that I received at breakfast this morning. Edwin smiled at me as if he had lost.

I smiled brightly and got into the carriage, confident that everything would be fine.

Soon the carriage departed. Edwin watched the carriage carefully until it moved away like a dot. Brock, who was seeing me off together, said he was worried.

"Are you sure Young Lady will be okay? She fell suddenly yesterday too, ah, why did you do that?"

Bethany hurriedly hit Brock. Bethany's heart tightened as she looked at his indifferent face, as if he had no idea what was going on. She already has an unappealing face. It was time for her to wait for the Grand Duke's reaction, wondering if he would ever catch the departed carriage again.

"Still. How can I stop her?"

The softly muttered words were the exact opposite of Bethany's thoughts.

What really happened yesterday? 

Edwin smiled slowly, not paying attention to Bethany's wide-eyed reaction.

She even heard that, so how can he stop Olivia?

***

After my declaration that Olivia would definitely go to Senua's Valley.

Olivia ran a parallel disagreement with Edwin over whether or not to visit Senua's Valley again.

"Did you say Jerun? I'll bring him to the Great Siege. Then Olivia won't have to go to the valley."

In a conversation that seemed to never end, it was Edwin who first proposed a compromise.

The person holding the hint was the healer, so if Jerun came, Olivia would have no reason to go to the valley again.

Edwin just wanted to avoid Olivia going to the valley again.

The fear he felt the moment Olivia fell before his eyes. A terrible memory that made his blood freeze, it was the worst experience he ever wanted to experience again.

There was no consideration for Jerun's heart or the people in the valley in that decision.

He didn't even have time to do that.

Edwin hoped Olivia would notice. He hoped that in this reasonable compromise, she would break her stubbornness and be safe.

"Edwin, I like it when you worry about me. Anxiety is proportional to affection."

But when Olivia persistently made eye contact with Edwin and smiled, Edwin realized a fact he had forgotten.

"But what Edwin can give me is not only affection and concern. You gave me the courage to do whatever I wanted to do."

He had already hoped for Olivia's victory at the Crown Princess' palace. And Olivia made his beliefs come true every time.

"So, the more I give you courage, the more you trust me."

"..."

"I will never fall into the same danger twice. I can promise you that."

So, it was Olivia who would win this time too.

Upon realizing this, Edwin let out a soft breath. The Young Lady, who is exceptionally gifted, took his hand as if she instinctively sensed victory.

"Just as Edwin protected Vikander as the Grand Duke of Vikander, I also want to complete what I started."

Olivia's warmth was suddenly transferred to Edwin's cold hands.

That was enough, Olivia blinked and then nailed it, as if she had something more to say.

"If you ask me how I'm going to complete it, It's very, very well, and hard."

He lost. Absolutely perfect.

Edwin eventually burst out laughing at her sincere pledge to 'work very, very well and hard'.

***

The carriage completely disappeared into the garden. The dignity of a Grand Duke stood on his face, which was covered with a friendly smile.

As he told Olivia, it was time for him to get back to work.

As he walked away, Brock began reporting as if he had been waiting.

The results of the mineral tax negotiations have not yet been announced, the mining volume received from Baron Stone last week, and even the stories floating around the system.

"The Princess is in seclusion, and the daughter of the Marquis of Ethel has gone to the Kingdom of Oslan and completed her marriage. Rumors have spread that the Duke of Elkin is in hiding, and the Empress is secretly looking for the Duke of Elkin, but she has not yet sent anyone to Vikander Territory."

"..."

"And it is said that ever since she brought the wheat out of Tristan, she has been holding great banquets every day in the imperial palace. The Crown Prince is leading the group in place of the Princess who has been secluded, and the cause is...."

Brock, who was reciting the report without hesitation, took a moment to look at the Grand Duke's thoughts.

"It is said to be a celebration of 'Father's Day."

As Father's Day approached, it was a known fact that His Highness the Grand Duke seemed to sink strangely. In the past, he didn't have to celebrate Father's Day because he was traveling to the battlefield, but not now.

But contrary to Brock's expectations, Edwin smiled loosely.

"That's fun. It's been 21 years since the Emperor became a father."

Under a superficial justification, he was full of ambition to show off the health of the imperial palace.

There will be no taxes until negotiations on mineral tax rates are completed. It seemed like what Vikander conveyed seemed quite a threat.

Whatever it was, it wasn't bad for Vikander. Edwin slowly nodded his head and entered his office.

"Finally..."

Brock's eyes hardened as he closed the door to his office

"We are fully equipped with troops for border verification operations, and we are prepared to deploy in any situation as soon as mineral mining ends this fall."

Edwin laughed bitterly at the voice emanating fierce hostility.

Ready.

What the Emperor has to worry about isn't just the mineral tax rate. Foolishly, they were only looking ahead.

Independence as a principality was not far away. Regardless of whether the Prince negotiates tax rates or not.

***

At that time, I was also reading a letter with similar content to the report I received from Edwin.

< Sister, are you doing well? Golden autumn is coming before we know it. I heard it's cold in Vikander, so I'm worried about how my sister is doing and I'm praying for you to be okay. >

Olivia laughed a little. Unlike the formal introduction, the next paragraph was full of prickly feelings.

< I am attending almost every tea party these days. Everyone is anxious to hear the story of my sister, the Saint. But I really didn't even know that my sister was a Saint. >

< Apart from the fact that I don't know my sister's story, I think I should tell my sister about the situation in her system. It's really not fair for information to be biased in one direction. >

Ethella put the great cause of fairness first.

The aristocratic way of speaking of my younger sister, who seemed so young to me, was unfamiliar and pleasing.

The information I had pressed down was better organized than I expected. I, who had been reading a story about love, jewelry, and dresses that seemed like something out of a tea party, stopped at the next passage.

< After the news about my sister appeared in the newspaper, Her Royal Highness has been living in seclusion. And Maria Ethel left the island and got married. I heard that the other person is a middle noble from the Kingdom of Auslan. No one went to the wedding, so I can't confirm. >

The Princess's seclusion was expected to some extent.

But it is said Maria Ethel was getting married.

I felt strange.

I thought that one day Maria Ethel might marry Leopold.

When I really thought she could change Leopold through her own efforts, in my imagination, Maria Ethel went to a faraway place and got married. So that I never have to meet her again.

But that actually happened.

Now that Maria Ethel no longer matters.

It was funny. It seemed like it was a happy thing.

I smiled without feeling guilty at this relief. Then I read the next part of the letter.

< I look forward to meeting my sister again soon. Well then, I'll stop here. >

What was written at the end of the letter, where the mark of the pen nib was clearly left as if she had been contemplating whether to write it or not.

By any chance, have you met him?

"I'll be honest with you now that Duke Elkin has entered the Vikander territory. The Duke of Madeleine, Prince Minor, and Lord Jade Madeleine are now coming to Vikander's territory. I wanted to send it back without Liv knowing since I had put in a ban anyway."

Edwin's words came to mind, and I looked at the letter blankly.

"Lady, we have arrived."

I suddenly raised my head at the sound of Dean's voice along with the knock.

When I arrived, outside the stopped carriage was already the beginning of Yeniv Street.

I expected it to be quiet except for construction workers, but the outside was full of young children.

"I run here every day to see it. How much has been built!"

"Me too! I hope our house is built soon! It's not a shack, it's a real house."

The children surrounded me and told me how much they were looking forward to it. The flow of conversation changed quickly before I could catch up

"The house I lived in a long time ago was a real house. It also had a roof."

"Me too! I lived at home too, and it was really nice there."

"You idiot. Wherever you live, it's home!"

"No! The name itself was home! Grandpa said it was home!"

At that moment, I looked towards where the new shout came from.

The boy, who must have been five or six years old, was frowning as if he was being unfairly treated.

"Honey, do you know about 'home'?"

Since I heard that some children left 'home and went to other places, I expected that someone would have gone through 'home' and settled in Jeniv.

While I was trying to suppress my expectations, the child smiled brightly and nodded, as if he was pleased with my attention.

"Yes! I just came home with my mom! The grandfather said Vikander is a good place to live!"

What a grandfather. Did Jerun talk about Vikander? 

While I was just smiling, the child, Ben, dangled his legs and asked Innocently.

"If you go to see your grandfather, can I go with you? I miss Grandpa!"

***

"Are you my father?"

Madelaine Territory.

Duke Giovanni Madeleine, who was about to get into the carriage, looked down to where the voice came from.

He guessed the child just turned five years old. The little girl chirped, looking up at Giovanni with her curious eyes.

"Yours and my hair are the same color."

It's been one day since she arrived in front of Vikander territory. It was the first time she spoke to him without hostility. At the same time, it was also a trigger that brought one of his old memories to the surface.

"Are you my father?"

Little Olivia, dressed in shabby black clothes, the moment she first looked up at him.

Giovanni bit his lip. Just thinking about those eyes filled with anticipation changing into emotionless eyes made his heart feel strangely sad.

At some point, the emotions that had been accumulating one by one were pushing out the solid dam.

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