After Olivia left, supported by the guards, Noah came over and draped his uniform coat over my shoulders.
My head was pounding, perhaps from the intense emotional exhaustion and stress. I asked him a question, torn between good and evil.
“What were you going to do after killing her?”
“I didn’t mean to kill her. If she did die, it would have been ruled an accidental death.”
Noah spoke vaguely. His hand was stroking the torn collar of my dress. He added, buttoning up the coat he had draped over my shoulders.
“There was something I was trying to figure out.”
“You don’t have to do that to figure it out. You can tell just by talking so smoothly.”
“She had a secret I could only tell right before she died. And I didn't like it.”
Secret? I guess if you coax Olivia well, she'll tell you. Apparently, he had his own plan, but I don't want that. The risk is too great.
I don't want to lose our home, the stable life we've finally established. As I was self-centered, memories of Dr. Rugen, Daniel, Johanna, Barbara, and the other people I met here came flooding back, then fading away.
"I hope we can resolve this normally. We decided to live normally, didn't we?"
“Are you disappointed that it didn’t happen?”
Noah tilted his head and asked with a bashful expression. Feeling extremely depressed, I slumped my shoulders and answered weakly.
“I just wanted to use normal methods that don’t go against social norms or laws.”
“Yes. I’ll be a normal person.”
“And I’m tired. I want to go home.”
“Let’s go back, then. Your alibi is already solid.”
An alibi? I tried to grasp the meaning, but I was too overwhelmed to think right now. However, I could see that my body was bound to Noah's uniform coat, its buttons fastened, and my arms unfastened. It looked like I was in some kind of psychiatric ward restraint.
“Unbutton this. My arms are too tight.”
"No."
Noah began walking, holding me in his arms. His scent and warm breath gently touched my cheek. The sight of me writhing like a caterpillar was so amusing that I stopped resisting.
I was carried to him like a Princess, like a master, and settled into the passenger seat. Noah took his time, studying my expression carefully. He smiled loosely.
“It was actually cool to use the law to threaten.”
"Yes?"
“I don’t usually do that.”
He caressed my cheek and answered. I stared at him, my eyes bewildered, not immediately understanding. I lived in a world where legal battles were replaced by wars, and lawyers with favorable arguments were brought to trial instead of armed soldiers.
The next morning, I heard the news that Olivia Daywood had fallen from a railing and died. She, literally, had fallen to her death. After Molly, who had delivered the news, left the room, I sat at the table in my pajamas, drinking coffee, and looked at Noah with a shocked expression.
“Did you do it?”
“No. I listen to you.”
He acted like a fox, snorting and flirting. I decided to believe him, since he wasn't the type to lie, just not to tell the whole story.
“Then... Erita?”
"No, that lizard-eyed kid lied to you in the first place. She escaped death."
Lizard eyes? Olivia's amber eyes flashed before me. She clearly stated, "The Princess ordered it," but wasn't it Erita who issued the order from above?
“I don’t know what you mean either...”
I can't keep up with that man's thoughts either. Noah rubbed his chin and began to explain kindly.
"Well, since my Princess seems disappointed in me, let me explain. I don't kill without a just cause. It's meaningless, and there's no benefit to it. Actually, I'd kill them all, but such a vulgar act goes against my aesthetic and would make you hate me, so I won't do it."
Perhaps it's not so much goodness or justice as a matter of conviction that he doesn't kill without reason. Perhaps this explains why Noah, despite his Mastiff-like temperament, displays a distinct side. He neatly laid out sugar cubes on the table and tapped them with his fingers.
"Coffee is a luxury item representing the upper class. They know how to appreciate the unique aroma and flavor of bitter coffee. A single sugar cube will add a touch of sweetness, but too much will destroy the original flavor and leave you with nothing but the taste of sugar."
"Are you giving an example to make it easier to understand? Why is it more difficult?"
Noah looked quite disappointed when he saw me not immediately grasping his metaphor. But soon, like a patient teacher, he explained it step by step.
"Erita has little political influence. Her status and position as a Princess are all she can use; that's all."
"Yes."
“A force is using her as sugar cubes.”
“Are they related to Mastiff?”
"Yes. A pro-Frogen faction, based on the premise that the military will seize control of the Frogen regime and Mastiff will become its leader. Their goal is to take control of the Medea government, install Erita as Queen, and turn her into a puppet."
"That...?"
Noah explained it directly, without any metaphors or omissions. But what does that have to do with coffee and sugar cubes? It's too much of a comparison. He continued.
“All responsibility for threatening the Duke, killing the Duke’s servant, planning to kidnap you, and countless other incidents will be borne by Erita, who later ascended to the throne as Queen.”
Certainly, Erita has continued to act in a way that belies her princess-like insanity. It's clear she's not alone in this. Someone must be instilling in her a strange sense of courage and hope.
I recalled Olivia confessing, with a pale face, that it was the Princess who did it. At the same time, I heard Noah's voice.
"Everyone who intentionally approached you and me has been saying from the beginning that Erita ordered them. Realistically, wouldn't it be more appropriate to reveal another name instead of Erita and sacrifice them? Some even confessed the truth when they were on the verge of death. Death is the ultimate threat. Of course, I didn't kill them. I knew they would die if I failed anyway."
"The tables have turned, that's what they're saying. There's no reason they'd use Erita for that... After all, she's not likely to rule well."
"It's about destroying Queen Grace II's loyalist base. Even if Erita does nothing, the loyalists will take care of running the country. All she has to do is sit on the throne and smile kindly."
“It’s more comfortable than I thought, though it’s still just a hollow puppet.”
"In the future, Kings and Emperors will become a kind of propaganda symbolizing the nation's dignity, ideology, and dignity. To that extent, they will also be figures who inspire illusions within the group."
The man kept his words short because he was too lazy to talk, but I think that's what he meant.
If it's revealed that Erita was blinded by a man in the past, plotted out of childish jealousy, and even shamelessly ordered murder, the illusion of authority that conceals her incompetence will be shattered, and serious questions will be raised about her actual capabilities and qualifications. If she's found to be mentally ill, even mad, even her loyal subjects will have no justification for protecting her.
The "royalty of symbolic beings" Noah foresees is similar to the role of some modern royal families. They also employ the method of gradually assimilating and invading other nations by imposing their own culture, politics, and ideology.
The rich coffee favored by the upper class has become mere sugar water. I understood part of Noah's metaphor. A chill ran down my spine, but I forced myself to remain calm.
“Were you going to ask Olivia about the person of interest who was manipulating Erita from behind the scenes?”
“Yeah, I thought she was going to say it.”
Noah smiled leisurely as he dropped a sugar cube into my coffee. I asked, watching the white sugar melt and turn brown.
“How many people did you find? Let me know, so I can run away.”
“I won’t tell you.”
Are you telling me to be wary of everyone? If I do this, even those who approach me with genuine kindness will be viewed with suspicion.
I didn't really question that part because it was obvious that he didn't want me to make many friends.
“Then you can report it to the royal family and conduct an official investigation.”
“I’m not looking to get rid of it right now.”
"Why?"
"It was all my plan from the beginning. They were going to turn Erita into a mad monarch, weakening the royal authority, and then I was going to track them down and execute them. That's how you—"
Noah stroked my cheek and smiled languidly. He continued in a sweet voice.
“You will become my Queen who rules the world under your feet.”
You were going to put a crown of such enormous weight on me? It must have weighed at least several tons. It would surely break my neck.
“No, you don’t have to do that. I’ll decline.”
At my firm stance, Noah made a sullen face like a cat with its ears folded back.
"Yes. That was the original goal. If I immediately dismantle those forces upon your ascension and achieve the accomplishments I've been preparing for for decades, no one will object to our 'marriage.'"
He emphasized the word marriage.
What is the motivation behind such a complexly designed big picture?
I couldn't hide my bewildered expression, my mouth hanging open in a daze. Could this be possible without my direct intervention?
The part of me that handles my thoughts has long since given up on understanding the man, signaling that I can't analyze him. My thoughts seem to be spinning wildly. He sighed deeply and concluded.
"But you said you didn't want to do it, so I won't. Given your personality, I think you might be able to do it, so I've already thought of a second option, so don't worry."
“Did you also cooperate with Mastiff? To devour Medea?”
“No, I just gave him a hint so he could act accordingly.”
“It’s a bit strange that the country we live in is being ruled.”
"This place will never be taken over. Plans have changed."
I may not understand everything, but it seems like everyone is currently playing into his hands. Noah is at the center, but they seem to be orbiting around him, believing they're the center of the plan.
Without even knowing that those blue eyes were staring at me with such clarity.
"Ah..."
I felt a slight thrill, a sense of distance, and discomfort as I looked at the man sitting in front of me.
“What are your plans now?”
"Going to the New World after the war. Originally, I wanted to give you the world. That's something Medea can do now. But you're such a nuisance."
Noah keeps saying things in a tone filled with regret, but I don't need that. As he says, I'm naturally averse to such hassles. Compared to my current, mediocre plan, the original plan was simply too grand.
It may sound like a tall tale, out of the ordinary, but it's scary because he might actually make it happen.
If my thinking is correct, it seems Noah is instigating a war between Frogen and Medea. If Medea, having absorbed Frogen's colonies and established themself at the center of the world, creates a binding international treaty and alliance under the pretext of peace, no one will be able to start a war without Medea's permission.
Is that the end-of-war scenario Noah envisions, and is it peace?
He spoke very plainly on the subject of scheming for something enormous.
“You said you wanted to live an ordinary life. I’ll make that happen.”
“Aren’t options 3 and 4 still going to be the same?”
"Yes. I'm human, so plans sometimes go awry, and even the choices we think are best don't always lead to good results."
“...What if the results are bad?”
“Assuming the worst happens when your identity is discovered.”
Noah rested his chin on his hand and tilted his head leisurely. His fingers slowly circled the wooden table, then pointed over my shoulder.
His straight index finger pointed at the window behind me. Early morning sunlight poured through the half-drawn curtains, illuminating half of his face. One of his eyes, catching a bit of the light, narrowed sharply.
After a while, he smiles beautifully.
“I’m going to get rid of this place, too.”
My head was pounding, perhaps from the intense emotional exhaustion and stress. I asked him a question, torn between good and evil.
“What were you going to do after killing her?”
“I didn’t mean to kill her. If she did die, it would have been ruled an accidental death.”
Noah spoke vaguely. His hand was stroking the torn collar of my dress. He added, buttoning up the coat he had draped over my shoulders.
“There was something I was trying to figure out.”
“You don’t have to do that to figure it out. You can tell just by talking so smoothly.”
“She had a secret I could only tell right before she died. And I didn't like it.”
Secret? I guess if you coax Olivia well, she'll tell you. Apparently, he had his own plan, but I don't want that. The risk is too great.
I don't want to lose our home, the stable life we've finally established. As I was self-centered, memories of Dr. Rugen, Daniel, Johanna, Barbara, and the other people I met here came flooding back, then fading away.
"I hope we can resolve this normally. We decided to live normally, didn't we?"
“Are you disappointed that it didn’t happen?”
Noah tilted his head and asked with a bashful expression. Feeling extremely depressed, I slumped my shoulders and answered weakly.
“I just wanted to use normal methods that don’t go against social norms or laws.”
“Yes. I’ll be a normal person.”
“And I’m tired. I want to go home.”
“Let’s go back, then. Your alibi is already solid.”
An alibi? I tried to grasp the meaning, but I was too overwhelmed to think right now. However, I could see that my body was bound to Noah's uniform coat, its buttons fastened, and my arms unfastened. It looked like I was in some kind of psychiatric ward restraint.
“Unbutton this. My arms are too tight.”
"No."
Noah began walking, holding me in his arms. His scent and warm breath gently touched my cheek. The sight of me writhing like a caterpillar was so amusing that I stopped resisting.
I was carried to him like a Princess, like a master, and settled into the passenger seat. Noah took his time, studying my expression carefully. He smiled loosely.
“It was actually cool to use the law to threaten.”
"Yes?"
“I don’t usually do that.”
He caressed my cheek and answered. I stared at him, my eyes bewildered, not immediately understanding. I lived in a world where legal battles were replaced by wars, and lawyers with favorable arguments were brought to trial instead of armed soldiers.
***
The next morning, I heard the news that Olivia Daywood had fallen from a railing and died. She, literally, had fallen to her death. After Molly, who had delivered the news, left the room, I sat at the table in my pajamas, drinking coffee, and looked at Noah with a shocked expression.
“Did you do it?”
“No. I listen to you.”
He acted like a fox, snorting and flirting. I decided to believe him, since he wasn't the type to lie, just not to tell the whole story.
“Then... Erita?”
"No, that lizard-eyed kid lied to you in the first place. She escaped death."
Lizard eyes? Olivia's amber eyes flashed before me. She clearly stated, "The Princess ordered it," but wasn't it Erita who issued the order from above?
“I don’t know what you mean either...”
I can't keep up with that man's thoughts either. Noah rubbed his chin and began to explain kindly.
"Well, since my Princess seems disappointed in me, let me explain. I don't kill without a just cause. It's meaningless, and there's no benefit to it. Actually, I'd kill them all, but such a vulgar act goes against my aesthetic and would make you hate me, so I won't do it."
Perhaps it's not so much goodness or justice as a matter of conviction that he doesn't kill without reason. Perhaps this explains why Noah, despite his Mastiff-like temperament, displays a distinct side. He neatly laid out sugar cubes on the table and tapped them with his fingers.
"Coffee is a luxury item representing the upper class. They know how to appreciate the unique aroma and flavor of bitter coffee. A single sugar cube will add a touch of sweetness, but too much will destroy the original flavor and leave you with nothing but the taste of sugar."
"Are you giving an example to make it easier to understand? Why is it more difficult?"
Noah looked quite disappointed when he saw me not immediately grasping his metaphor. But soon, like a patient teacher, he explained it step by step.
"Erita has little political influence. Her status and position as a Princess are all she can use; that's all."
"Yes."
“A force is using her as sugar cubes.”
“Are they related to Mastiff?”
"Yes. A pro-Frogen faction, based on the premise that the military will seize control of the Frogen regime and Mastiff will become its leader. Their goal is to take control of the Medea government, install Erita as Queen, and turn her into a puppet."
"That...?"
Noah explained it directly, without any metaphors or omissions. But what does that have to do with coffee and sugar cubes? It's too much of a comparison. He continued.
“All responsibility for threatening the Duke, killing the Duke’s servant, planning to kidnap you, and countless other incidents will be borne by Erita, who later ascended to the throne as Queen.”
Certainly, Erita has continued to act in a way that belies her princess-like insanity. It's clear she's not alone in this. Someone must be instilling in her a strange sense of courage and hope.
I recalled Olivia confessing, with a pale face, that it was the Princess who did it. At the same time, I heard Noah's voice.
"Everyone who intentionally approached you and me has been saying from the beginning that Erita ordered them. Realistically, wouldn't it be more appropriate to reveal another name instead of Erita and sacrifice them? Some even confessed the truth when they were on the verge of death. Death is the ultimate threat. Of course, I didn't kill them. I knew they would die if I failed anyway."
"The tables have turned, that's what they're saying. There's no reason they'd use Erita for that... After all, she's not likely to rule well."
"It's about destroying Queen Grace II's loyalist base. Even if Erita does nothing, the loyalists will take care of running the country. All she has to do is sit on the throne and smile kindly."
“It’s more comfortable than I thought, though it’s still just a hollow puppet.”
"In the future, Kings and Emperors will become a kind of propaganda symbolizing the nation's dignity, ideology, and dignity. To that extent, they will also be figures who inspire illusions within the group."
The man kept his words short because he was too lazy to talk, but I think that's what he meant.
If it's revealed that Erita was blinded by a man in the past, plotted out of childish jealousy, and even shamelessly ordered murder, the illusion of authority that conceals her incompetence will be shattered, and serious questions will be raised about her actual capabilities and qualifications. If she's found to be mentally ill, even mad, even her loyal subjects will have no justification for protecting her.
The "royalty of symbolic beings" Noah foresees is similar to the role of some modern royal families. They also employ the method of gradually assimilating and invading other nations by imposing their own culture, politics, and ideology.
The rich coffee favored by the upper class has become mere sugar water. I understood part of Noah's metaphor. A chill ran down my spine, but I forced myself to remain calm.
“Were you going to ask Olivia about the person of interest who was manipulating Erita from behind the scenes?”
“Yeah, I thought she was going to say it.”
Noah smiled leisurely as he dropped a sugar cube into my coffee. I asked, watching the white sugar melt and turn brown.
“How many people did you find? Let me know, so I can run away.”
“I won’t tell you.”
Are you telling me to be wary of everyone? If I do this, even those who approach me with genuine kindness will be viewed with suspicion.
I didn't really question that part because it was obvious that he didn't want me to make many friends.
“Then you can report it to the royal family and conduct an official investigation.”
“I’m not looking to get rid of it right now.”
"Why?"
"It was all my plan from the beginning. They were going to turn Erita into a mad monarch, weakening the royal authority, and then I was going to track them down and execute them. That's how you—"
Noah stroked my cheek and smiled languidly. He continued in a sweet voice.
“You will become my Queen who rules the world under your feet.”
You were going to put a crown of such enormous weight on me? It must have weighed at least several tons. It would surely break my neck.
“No, you don’t have to do that. I’ll decline.”
At my firm stance, Noah made a sullen face like a cat with its ears folded back.
"Yes. That was the original goal. If I immediately dismantle those forces upon your ascension and achieve the accomplishments I've been preparing for for decades, no one will object to our 'marriage.'"
He emphasized the word marriage.
What is the motivation behind such a complexly designed big picture?
I couldn't hide my bewildered expression, my mouth hanging open in a daze. Could this be possible without my direct intervention?
The part of me that handles my thoughts has long since given up on understanding the man, signaling that I can't analyze him. My thoughts seem to be spinning wildly. He sighed deeply and concluded.
"But you said you didn't want to do it, so I won't. Given your personality, I think you might be able to do it, so I've already thought of a second option, so don't worry."
“Did you also cooperate with Mastiff? To devour Medea?”
“No, I just gave him a hint so he could act accordingly.”
“It’s a bit strange that the country we live in is being ruled.”
"This place will never be taken over. Plans have changed."
I may not understand everything, but it seems like everyone is currently playing into his hands. Noah is at the center, but they seem to be orbiting around him, believing they're the center of the plan.
Without even knowing that those blue eyes were staring at me with such clarity.
"Ah..."
I felt a slight thrill, a sense of distance, and discomfort as I looked at the man sitting in front of me.
“What are your plans now?”
"Going to the New World after the war. Originally, I wanted to give you the world. That's something Medea can do now. But you're such a nuisance."
Noah keeps saying things in a tone filled with regret, but I don't need that. As he says, I'm naturally averse to such hassles. Compared to my current, mediocre plan, the original plan was simply too grand.
It may sound like a tall tale, out of the ordinary, but it's scary because he might actually make it happen.
If my thinking is correct, it seems Noah is instigating a war between Frogen and Medea. If Medea, having absorbed Frogen's colonies and established themself at the center of the world, creates a binding international treaty and alliance under the pretext of peace, no one will be able to start a war without Medea's permission.
Is that the end-of-war scenario Noah envisions, and is it peace?
He spoke very plainly on the subject of scheming for something enormous.
“You said you wanted to live an ordinary life. I’ll make that happen.”
“Aren’t options 3 and 4 still going to be the same?”
"Yes. I'm human, so plans sometimes go awry, and even the choices we think are best don't always lead to good results."
“...What if the results are bad?”
“Assuming the worst happens when your identity is discovered.”
Noah rested his chin on his hand and tilted his head leisurely. His fingers slowly circled the wooden table, then pointed over my shoulder.
His straight index finger pointed at the window behind me. Early morning sunlight poured through the half-drawn curtains, illuminating half of his face. One of his eyes, catching a bit of the light, narrowed sharply.
After a while, he smiles beautifully.
“I’m going to get rid of this place, too.”
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