DYBAR - Chapter 142 < The Privilege of Those Who Have the Emotional Upper Hand >

DYBAR - Chapter 142 < The Privilege of Those Who Have the Emotional Upper Hand >

Do Your Best And Regret




"So... Your Majesty, you just fell for those words and gave up two knights?”

The Empress unconsciously shook her head and extended her hand toward the Prince. Her words came out in a stammer as if her tongue was stiff.

“At best, at best. Prince.”

“...”

“It’s the Prince’s sister’s business, and it’s your uncle’s business.”

"Yes. This is the case of the Princess who ruined her work and went into seclusion, and the case of the Duke of Elkin, who may have gone somewhere to have fun. However....”

She is the Princess who ruined things herself. How can you say that...!

The Prince, who was indifferent to the Empress's shocked expression, paused for a moment and asked again.

“But what are you saying that Duke Elkin went all the way to Vikander to do?”

“Prince, that’s... !”

“The Duke of Elkin came to propose to me that he would adopt me as his adopted daughter and make me his princess. I heard he told His Majesty in advance. There is no way the Duke would be loyal only to His Majesty the Emperor.
 
The Empress's lips twitched at the sound of Olivia's voice that flashed past her. Her doubts, which her foolishness had sown, burned the Empress's nerves like a fuse.

“... Your Majesty, he will know the reason, Prince.”

The Prince frowned.

The Emperor and the Duke of Elkin. There was some kind of conversation going on between the two.

What on earth is this story about that the Duke, who always pretended to be his uncle and pretended to be close to him, didn't even reveal to him?

Then Leopold laughed.

"Aha. Then, let’s assume that the Duke of Elkin was sent directly to Vikander by His Majesty to adjust the mineral tax rate.”

How about anything? 

It was easy for me to make up a purpose he didn't even know about.

“We must convene a meeting of nobles.”

The justifications were also plentiful. Leopold grinned and laughed.

“How dare he imprison a Duke who personally went a long way for the good of the empire? Isn’t this the Grand Duke’s position to be willing to go to war?”

The Empress looked blankly at the Crown Prince. Why is her proud son such a stranger today? 

The Empress spoke with strength as she saw a man who seemed unfamiliar to her as if she was seeing him for the first time.

“Prince...! First of all, the Duke’s well-being...”

“Mother.”

For a moment, the Empress paused.

What a mother. His voice calling out those calm, blind words was as sweet as honey. But the Prince's eyes looking at her now...

“Do nothing more.”

The Empress unconsciously wrapped her arms around and hugged herself. But the chill from her body hardly went away. The Crown Prince laughed and cried.

Then, as if he were a dependable son to his mother, he dragged the Empress by her shoulders and escorted her back to the sofa. The Prince who was nearby spoke in a whisper.

“Don’t try to ruin my future and the dignity of the empire any longer.”

An eerie feeling spread from her ears to the Empress's entire body.

“I can no longer tolerate foolish behavior like that of the Princess.”

“...Le, Leopold.”

In the end, the Empress called her son by the name she had used since he was very young. The Prince smiled and looked at the Empress as if he was satisfied.

"Yes. A proud name was given by my mother. Didn’t you do that every time you called me by that name? My name will be the proudest name to command the continent.”

It was like that. Leopold Franz. The proudest name on the continent...

Every time she called his name, the young Prince was a brilliant angel who curled the corners of his mouth and smiled.

“I will become a Saint who surpasses His Majesty the Emperor, as my mother wishes. Of course, it will be a little difficult to clean up what the Princess did, but it’s okay.”

“...”

Who is the man who is threatening her in front of her right now? 

The Empress was dazed for a moment.

Meanwhile, the handsome man tilted the corner of his mouth.

“The Duke of Madeleine, and...”

The man blinked at her. The man grinned as he felt the lust that was creeping across his pale blue eyes.

“Because the imperial Saint, Olivia, will be with me.”

***

“I found her, Your Highness. The Princess is said to be at the Enentel Coffee House.”
 
The scenery unfolding outside the carriage window was familiar. Leopold clenched his fists to steady his uncontrollable heartbeat.

Why go to Enentel...

There was a time when he hoped all the rumors would reach Olivia.

She heard stories of him going to the theater with Maria Ethel, visiting the coffee house, and giving Maria Ethel bouquets, and he hoped that Olivia would feel ashamed and give up her seat next to him.

But not now. The wave caused by the stone thrown carelessly hit Leopold.

Why didn't she run away with the knights? What exactly is Olivia thinking waiting for him at Enentel? Does she know that he has secret documents from the mine?

Even as he got off the carriage and entered the coffee house, Leopold's mind was filled with numerous thoughts. This actually wasn't the reunion he had thought it would be.

However, the moment Leopold entered the opened door following the knights' guidance, his mind went blank.

“Salute to the little sun of the empire.”

Olivia is polite as she sits on the chair. But what caught his eye first was...

It was the dazzlingly beautiful Olivia herself. Even though she was wearing a simple dress, her hair tied up in a moderate bun, and no jewelry, just a handkerchief wrapped around her wrist, she looked sparkly.

When Leopold looked at the green eyes looking at him, he painfully realized what he had been missing so much. He wanted to hug that woman so tightly that she couldn't even breathe.
 
She is something that he desperately longs for. She is a woman whom he must bring into his arms, a woman who will be considered more precious than anyone else.

The woman he had only dreamed of was breathing right before his eyes. His heart was pounding so hard that it felt like it was going to burst.

But her next words made Leopold fall from the clouds.

“Olivia Lowell Vikander. I see you, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.”

“... If you're trying to provoke me, you've succeeded. Olivia.”

Leopold gritted his teeth. Damn Vikander after Olivia's name. 

Olivia added with a slow smile.

“You may call me Reserve Grand Duchess, Your Highness. The moment I received the letter, I wanted you to call me that.”

Unlike her sweet voice, the ending of her words cut into Leopold's heart coldly. Leopold held his breath and glared at the table. Only then did he see the broken plate and the mess of crushed refreshments.

In the past, Olivia prepared thoughtful refreshments. With a bitterness that made his heart tingle. Leopold turned away from the crushed refreshment and said,

“… … Count, prepare another room. Refreshments also included.”

“Refreshments were served.”

Olivia briefly dismissed the question and looked at the Prince searchingly. Every time his expression moved, Leopold's mouth trembled slightly. 

Their gazes towards me, their fingertips, their tilted bodies, even their earnest voices.

Olivia grinned.

“I wonder first whether you have achieved the purpose of calling me into the system.”

“... It's full and overflowing. I can see you again like this.”

The suppressed voice was filled with silence. How far can we go? 

Olivia quirked her eyebrows as if she was bored.

“You don’t look like Your Highness I know. “The last time I saw you, you didn’t try to lure me in with sweet words.”

“As a man, I realized late what love is. Now they will come out one after another, Olivia.”

The awkward confession felt unfamiliar. Leopold clenched his fists tightly.

He had a lot to say and his feelings were deep.

The words that he sincerely hoped would not be the last time he saw her face that day at the Crown Princess' Palace, the words that he did everything he could to want to see her again, and even the promises that he could humble himself to the point of begging if she would just come back.

It was at that moment that the corners of Olivia's expressionless mouth slowly rose.

“... I told you. If you’re going to say it’s love, you have to humble yourself.”

“As much as you wish.”

Leopold extended his hand towards Olivia. It was pathetic that his hand couldn't touch her.

His trembling voice went straight out to Olivia, who had an arrogant look on her face even after daring to look at the royal hand.

“Come with me to the imperial palace.”

“...”

“... Olivia. Please ask me to come with you.”

Not knowing the extent of Olivia's begging, Leopold caught up with her.

It seemed like the luck to reverse his regrets had come to him. He didn't care if Olivia was trying to test him or not.

It was more important for him to hold that beautiful hand in his own than to feel indelible helplessness.

But Olivia didn't smile. Leopold, whose eyes were blinded by her, gave an order to Count Hodges and his attendants who had followed him.

“Everyone stay out.”

“Don’t go out, Count."

At that moment, the knights who were about to leave, including the Count, blinked. The following voice made them doubt their ears.

“What can I believe that allows me to talk face to face with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince alone?”

"What...?”

Feeling as if he had been stabbed in the back of the head, Leopold furrowed his eyebrows as a habit. Then, when Olivia's eyes met his.

Leopold felt a shiver run down his spine.

Indifferent green eyes, a face filled with mockery rather than a smile. A sense of déjà vu sharply passed through Leopold’s heart.

“Surely you forgot again?”

"What."

“Putting me down with force.”

At that moment, Leopold waved his hand as if trying to grab something. But he didn't catch anything out of thin air.

It was as if Olivia had disappeared in front of him without a trace during the summer banquet.

“Handling my wrist randomly.”

Olivia untied her handkerchief from around her wrist. Yellow and blue bruises stood out on her white and slender wrists. 

Watching Leopold's eyes widen and squirt, Olivia slowly lifted her lips. Her blade-like tongue was not exclusive to the royal family.

“Even His Highness, who brought me in with threats that would be worthy of a charlatan... .”

It belonged to someone who was emotionally dominant.

“How can I believe in such light-hearted love from Your Highness?”

And Leopold desperately wanted her now. Olivia admired Leopold's pale face as she swung it all over his face.

“...If you don’t believe in love, you should believe in the power of documents.”

At the end of the bitterness that seemed to be raw, Leopold pulled back the corner of his mouth and smiled leisurely.

If he wanted to, he could give up the upper hand. But that was the story after Olivia became his wife.

Her confidence, despite the nervousness on her face, had a basis.

“... My stupid sister did one thing right.”

It was just one document. What Leopold held up to Olivia was a secret document of the royal family that she had never seen before.

Is there really a secret to the White Crystal Mine in there? 

But it was the last chapter that Leopold unfolded.

“Do you remember that the Princess called the treasurer when she gave you the white crystal mine?”

The lonely hurt was revealed in his voice as he ground his teeth.

Olivia checked the documents with an indifferent expression on her face. A document that she said was notarized by the financial manager. The same thing was in his mine documents.

“You took the mine’s documents, and the treasurer stamped the Princess’s emblem with a magic seal, certifying the notarization.”

Leopold pointed to the signature.

“How about it? Is this signature clearly visible to you?”

Princess Reina Franz and Olivia Madeleine...

Leopold, looking at the flawless document, grinned.

“Are you Olivia now, or are you, Princess Olivia Madeleine?”

"...Are you saying you want to play with me now?”

“Didn’t you insist on day and night during the summer banquet? You are only Lady Olivia, not Olivia Madeleine. However, according to this document, the Princess gave the mine to Princess Madeleine.”

Ha. 

Now the shallow water was clearly visible.

“If I were Olivia...”

“Is there anything else? Assets going out of the imperial palace must be transparent. If you are Olivia, I will make it clear that you are no longer the owner of the mine.”

The Leopold's tongue was smooth.

“As long as you are Princess Madeleine, you will follow the will of the Duke of Madeleine and solidify the bond between the royal family and Madeleine.”

Such a petty and cowardly threat. However, it was not only a mean-spirited statement, but a completely nonsensical one.

Unless she claimed the surname of Madeleine, she had no say as Olivia. Olivia pretended to hide her embarrassed expression as she looked down at her wrist.

The bruises her magic had created were still there. When Winster comes out of the imperial palace safely, her yellow bruises will turn blue...

Olivia trailed off as if she was concerned. Leopold smiled as if he was satisfied.

“...I didn’t know that His Highness would force her to end their relationship.”

“What does it matter if I force it or not, as long as I can put everything back in place? I can make even greater threats.”

“If you look at it that way, the original owner of the mine is the Grand Duke. Didn’t you forcefully take away the mine despite the merits of his predecessor, the Grand Duke, who sacrificed himself for the empire?”

“What, are you saying we should go back to when the previous Grand Duke died?”

Leopold chuckled. He found Olivia acting cute. No matter what Olivia tried, she couldn't beat this deterrence.

He smiled, his relaxed face twisting to its fullest.

“If you really want to think about it. It was received as compensation for the death of the previous Grand Duke, who died without taking responsibility for the defeat, so it is not unreasonable as long as he does not return alive.”

“You’re saying he just needs to be alive.”

Olivia's eyes sparkled brightly. Leopold, who was looking into her beautiful eyes as if he was fascinated by her, smiled indifferently.

“Are you hoping for a miracle where a dead person comes back to life?”

Miracle. Olivia laughed bitterly. Before she knew it, she was holding her hands together. She looked out the window and she muttered.

“If you wish for it, it will come true.”

“You can’t do that.”

Leopold looked at Olivia with his lustful eyes.

“Everything will end soon.”

“....”

“Whether you are Olivia or Princess Madeleine. Tell me about that tomorrow.”

Olivia stared at Leopold. Leopold smiled brightly and added as if even that gaze was precious.

“Thanks to Vikander imprisoning the Duke of Elkin, we urgently held a noble meeting. With all the nobles present, let's try again to determine the owner of the mine. On the spot.”

“..."

“I really hope we get engaged again. So, let’s go to the imperial palace today. I have prepared the royal chambers for you."

Olivia looked at her bruises again and wrapped her handkerchief around her wrist. It seemed like Leopold was looking sick...

“...I’m not feeling well, so I’ll leave a little later.”

If the bruise did not change even after waiting a little longer, she had to go directly to the imperial palace.

Unlike Leopold, who was impatiently waiting for her, to see her smile, Olivia's face was as cold as the classical silver moonlight.


Previous                    Next



        Buy Me A Coffee

Comments

Post a Comment