Episode 29. King Leonard's Investigation
Lucy was delighted, clutching a pink leather notebook. It seemed like an ordinary notebook, but upon closer inspection, she noticed it had a lock.
"I said I wanted to keep a secret diary! Now I can keep one!"
“If you want to keep a secret diary, you have to keep what you want to write a secret.”
At Noah's comment, Lucy glared at him and turned her head away.
“That sounds good, Lucy.”
As Usher smiled warmly, Lucy nodded. Then she took out the letter that had been included. Inside the pale lemon-colored envelope was a neatly folded sheet of paper of the same color.
Lucy opened the letter with a smile on her face and began to read it slowly, and the Queen also scanned Margot's letter with her eyes.
Lucy, who was reading the letter, recited the contents of the letter with a voice mixed with laughter here and there.
"She said the green headband I sent her was so pretty and gorgeous. She said she wears it every day."
Lucy glanced at Noah and smiled.
Noah nodded in thanks at the choice. A wisp of black hair, neatly crowned with a green headband, flashed before his eyes like an afterimage.
"I'm sorry for the late reply. Something came up, and I couldn't send it on time."
As Lucy muttered to herself over the letter, the Queen, having finished reading Margot's letter, spoke.
“Something unfortunate happened, Lucy.”
"Yes?"
When Lucy raised her head to see her mother, the Queen gently stroked Lucy's hair and met her eyes.
"When you write this letter, be sure to express your condolences. Madame Lehmann, please help me with that. Tell her I heard from Princess Margot."
“Yes, I understand. But what...?”
“Condolences?”
At the Queen's words, the three siblings' gazes all turned to her.
"Sadly, I heard Olivia's grandmother passed away. She was her only family, so I can only imagine her grief."
The Queen handed the letter back to Madame Lehmann.
“It seems that Princess Marguerite cherishes Miss Liberty very much.”
To write about Grandma Olivia's death in a letter to the Queen.
At Madame Lehmann's words, the Queen nodded slightly and pointed to the letter with her finger.
"Originally, when Astrid falls for someone, they fall in love fiercely. Half of the letters are about Olivia."
“Half?”
“Of course, I was curious about the news about that girl, so I asked.”
Then Usher, who had been listening, asked quietly.
“What else was written?”
Noah looked at him reflexively, and the Queen continued speaking.
"Surprisingly, I heard she's applying for a professorship at Herrington College. It's a contract position, but if she performs well, she could be promoted to full professor. Isn't that amazing? The first female college student could possibly become a professor."
Isn't that also a first for a woman?
Although Margot holds a professorship, it is an honorary position.
Noah sank deeper into the sofa as he listened to his mother.
Unlike Herod's gloomy and humid climate, Pulder is mild and sunny year-round. The image of a woman in a white blouse and flared skirt striding briskly through the crisp air came to mind quite naturally.
Olivia Liberty.
She seems to be living as freely as her name suggests.
It's a shame that she lost her only family.
And a few months later.
He heard the news that Olivia had been hired as a professor.
Herod's newspaper also published her photo, proclaiming her the first female college student to become a professor.
And, as if in a déjà vu, the front pages of newspapers around the time her picture appeared were filled with very embarrassing events for the royal family.
[Polia, the monarchy is abolished and a republic is introduced.]
The royal family of Polia was eventually disbanded, and the King was imprisoned.
Numerous royal houses on the Norfolk Continent had fallen over the centuries, but this was the first time a monarchy had been abolished.
Moreover, King Herod was put in a difficult position because of this.
Queen Polia, being a collateral member of Herod's royal family, had asked for asylum for herself and her children.
However, even before the King could grant permission, the people were in an uproar. The wiser people of the kingdom foresaw that Queen Polia would wish to return to her homeland.
[Do not bring the royal family of Polia to Herod.]
Leonard kept sighing with a headache on his face.
“How is it that the children, taking after their father, have all become such experts at debauchery?”
The people of Herod's kingdom actively opposed their exile, citing all the evil deeds of the Polian royal family.
Ultimately, Leonard stamped the document denying her asylum application. He couldn't afford to be embroiled in these sensitive times.
But his worries didn't end there.
Leonard sent his secretary away and beckoned to Usher, who was waiting on one side.
“Usher.”
“Yes, Father.”
"The world is changing. Watch the fall of the Polia royal family. Like dominoes falling, many royal families across the Norfolk continent could follow suit."
“...”
“Don’t make a single mistake, don’t leave a single stain.”
"All right."
But contrary to what he said, Usher looked at the newspaper and thought.
Maybe this is a natural change.
Why can't countless talented people, oppressed by their status and gender, see the absurdity of monarchy?
At that moment, the wind blew through the open window.
The newspaper blew in the wind, flipping through one or two pages before stopping somewhere. In the photo it contained, a woman was smiling.
Olivia Liberty is smiling with her lips pulled up, wearing a blouse and a skirt.
“Wow. Olivia ended up becoming a professor?”
Leonard must have seen the picture too, as he brought the newspaper closer to his eyes and muttered.
Usher thought.
Could she have achieved such a feat if she had been in Herod?
Never would she have been. If so, what kind of King should he have been?
“I’ll go now.”
"For a moment."
"Yes."
Leonard said, looking over the newspaper at Usher.
"Think about how the royal family can be loved. To survive in this current, the royal family needs to be loved and supported."
"All right."
Usher bowed deeply in greeting, then turned around calmly.
After Usher left, Leonard looked at Olivia's photo for a long time.
Was it because Marguerite was so protective of this child as if she were her own? Olivia would often pop up in Leonard's head.
Wow. Going to events with Olivia was so much fun. How could she pick out the right words and say them so beautifully?
It would be nice to just bring her to the palace and have her take over the media in Noah's place.
“Hmm...”
Leonard stroked the tip of his fountain pen with his fingertips and thought for a moment.
Suddenly, he felt as if he could finally find the end of this tangled thread.
“Not a one-time thing, but long-term... How the royal family earns the love of the people of the kingdom...”
Leonard squinted his eyes and began to carefully flip through the newspaper, starting from the front page.
The chilling story of the dissolution of the Polia royal family ran from the front page to the back. Aside from a few minor scandals involving theatrical actors at the very end, the only non-Polia-related story was Olivia's.
So, in a thick 30-page newspaper, the only positive news is about Olivia.
What does this mean?
Leonard, who had been lost in thought for a while with his arms crossed, suddenly called his secretary.
“Hey, secretary.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
"Send someone to Pulder immediately to investigate Olivia Liberty's personal details. They must be very detailed. Most importantly."
The secretary quickly took out his notebook and wrote down the king's order.
“What’s most important...?”
“Whether or not she's engaged, and even if she's not engaged, whether or not she has a man in mind for marriage – that’s what matters most.”
The secretary, who had been diligently taking notes, frowned and tilted her head.
“Why are you doing that?”
"You don't need to know the reason. Anyway, find out. If there was something scandalous, in all detail."
"All right."
“Oh, and.”
Leonard paused for a moment, habitually fiddling with his fountain pen. The secretary, from experience, sensed that the King was contemplating a decisive move.
Just as he was wondering what the King's final move was, Leonard opened his mouth.
“Find out clearly what Noah’s relationship is with Isabelle Seymour.”
The secretary almost let out a sigh without realizing it, but desperately held it back.
“Watch what you say.”
Leonard stared at him with sharp, gleaming eyes, and a cold sweat ran down his back. The secretary bowed with military precision, paying his respects, and then spoke with sincerity.
“Please believe me.”
Leonard waved his hand as if to tell him to go out and took out a cigarette.
Yeah, it was just a random thought, but it's not bad.
No, it seems very good.
The world is changing, and the royal family must change too.
Noah's Norfolk Investments firm continued to grow, setting new records for returns every day. Its size grew to the point where companies lined up to receive his investments.
Because of that, Noah had to endure a murderous schedule.
Since the investment company was Noah's personal business, he had to attend regular events and interviews in addition to his work.
No, rather, knowingly or unknowingly, the number of events and interviews has increased.
Meson sighed deeply as he adjusted Noah's schedule. Even he was getting tired of the numerous events.
If he were to present something like this to His Highness the Prince as next week's schedule, how cold would he feel?
“Why are you acting like a dog that needs to poop?”
Noah suddenly opened his mouth as he signed the document, as if his eyes were also on the other person.
“Hey, no matter what, it’s still a dog that needs to poop.”
“Yeah, bring it.”
When he held out his hand holding a fountain pen, Meson awkwardly handed him the following week's schedule.
“...”
But Noah, who he expected to be as cold as frost or furious as hell, surprisingly remained calm. He simply looked at his schedule for a while, then halfheartedly placed it on his desk and continued working on the paperwork he was working on.
Meson furtively checked his schedule and watched the Prince's expression.
Noah did what he had to do without saying a word and then got up from his seat.
"Messon. Nothing more urgent today, right?"
“No, there isn’t.”
"Then I'll leave work first. You can go home early, too."
“Where are you going?”
Noah answered, already wearing his jacket and striding out.
“I’m going to play polo for the first time in a while.”
Lucy was delighted, clutching a pink leather notebook. It seemed like an ordinary notebook, but upon closer inspection, she noticed it had a lock.
"I said I wanted to keep a secret diary! Now I can keep one!"
“If you want to keep a secret diary, you have to keep what you want to write a secret.”
At Noah's comment, Lucy glared at him and turned her head away.
“That sounds good, Lucy.”
As Usher smiled warmly, Lucy nodded. Then she took out the letter that had been included. Inside the pale lemon-colored envelope was a neatly folded sheet of paper of the same color.
Lucy opened the letter with a smile on her face and began to read it slowly, and the Queen also scanned Margot's letter with her eyes.
Lucy, who was reading the letter, recited the contents of the letter with a voice mixed with laughter here and there.
"She said the green headband I sent her was so pretty and gorgeous. She said she wears it every day."
Lucy glanced at Noah and smiled.
Noah nodded in thanks at the choice. A wisp of black hair, neatly crowned with a green headband, flashed before his eyes like an afterimage.
"I'm sorry for the late reply. Something came up, and I couldn't send it on time."
As Lucy muttered to herself over the letter, the Queen, having finished reading Margot's letter, spoke.
“Something unfortunate happened, Lucy.”
"Yes?"
When Lucy raised her head to see her mother, the Queen gently stroked Lucy's hair and met her eyes.
"When you write this letter, be sure to express your condolences. Madame Lehmann, please help me with that. Tell her I heard from Princess Margot."
“Yes, I understand. But what...?”
“Condolences?”
At the Queen's words, the three siblings' gazes all turned to her.
"Sadly, I heard Olivia's grandmother passed away. She was her only family, so I can only imagine her grief."
The Queen handed the letter back to Madame Lehmann.
“It seems that Princess Marguerite cherishes Miss Liberty very much.”
To write about Grandma Olivia's death in a letter to the Queen.
At Madame Lehmann's words, the Queen nodded slightly and pointed to the letter with her finger.
"Originally, when Astrid falls for someone, they fall in love fiercely. Half of the letters are about Olivia."
“Half?”
“Of course, I was curious about the news about that girl, so I asked.”
Then Usher, who had been listening, asked quietly.
“What else was written?”
Noah looked at him reflexively, and the Queen continued speaking.
"Surprisingly, I heard she's applying for a professorship at Herrington College. It's a contract position, but if she performs well, she could be promoted to full professor. Isn't that amazing? The first female college student could possibly become a professor."
Isn't that also a first for a woman?
Although Margot holds a professorship, it is an honorary position.
Noah sank deeper into the sofa as he listened to his mother.
Unlike Herod's gloomy and humid climate, Pulder is mild and sunny year-round. The image of a woman in a white blouse and flared skirt striding briskly through the crisp air came to mind quite naturally.
Olivia Liberty.
She seems to be living as freely as her name suggests.
It's a shame that she lost her only family.
And a few months later.
He heard the news that Olivia had been hired as a professor.
Herod's newspaper also published her photo, proclaiming her the first female college student to become a professor.
And, as if in a déjà vu, the front pages of newspapers around the time her picture appeared were filled with very embarrassing events for the royal family.
[Polia, the monarchy is abolished and a republic is introduced.]
The royal family of Polia was eventually disbanded, and the King was imprisoned.
Numerous royal houses on the Norfolk Continent had fallen over the centuries, but this was the first time a monarchy had been abolished.
Moreover, King Herod was put in a difficult position because of this.
Queen Polia, being a collateral member of Herod's royal family, had asked for asylum for herself and her children.
However, even before the King could grant permission, the people were in an uproar. The wiser people of the kingdom foresaw that Queen Polia would wish to return to her homeland.
[Do not bring the royal family of Polia to Herod.]
Leonard kept sighing with a headache on his face.
“How is it that the children, taking after their father, have all become such experts at debauchery?”
The people of Herod's kingdom actively opposed their exile, citing all the evil deeds of the Polian royal family.
Ultimately, Leonard stamped the document denying her asylum application. He couldn't afford to be embroiled in these sensitive times.
But his worries didn't end there.
Leonard sent his secretary away and beckoned to Usher, who was waiting on one side.
“Usher.”
“Yes, Father.”
"The world is changing. Watch the fall of the Polia royal family. Like dominoes falling, many royal families across the Norfolk continent could follow suit."
“...”
“Don’t make a single mistake, don’t leave a single stain.”
"All right."
But contrary to what he said, Usher looked at the newspaper and thought.
Maybe this is a natural change.
Why can't countless talented people, oppressed by their status and gender, see the absurdity of monarchy?
At that moment, the wind blew through the open window.
The newspaper blew in the wind, flipping through one or two pages before stopping somewhere. In the photo it contained, a woman was smiling.
Olivia Liberty is smiling with her lips pulled up, wearing a blouse and a skirt.
“Wow. Olivia ended up becoming a professor?”
Leonard must have seen the picture too, as he brought the newspaper closer to his eyes and muttered.
Usher thought.
Could she have achieved such a feat if she had been in Herod?
Never would she have been. If so, what kind of King should he have been?
“I’ll go now.”
"For a moment."
"Yes."
Leonard said, looking over the newspaper at Usher.
"Think about how the royal family can be loved. To survive in this current, the royal family needs to be loved and supported."
"All right."
Usher bowed deeply in greeting, then turned around calmly.
After Usher left, Leonard looked at Olivia's photo for a long time.
Was it because Marguerite was so protective of this child as if she were her own? Olivia would often pop up in Leonard's head.
Wow. Going to events with Olivia was so much fun. How could she pick out the right words and say them so beautifully?
It would be nice to just bring her to the palace and have her take over the media in Noah's place.
“Hmm...”
Leonard stroked the tip of his fountain pen with his fingertips and thought for a moment.
Suddenly, he felt as if he could finally find the end of this tangled thread.
“Not a one-time thing, but long-term... How the royal family earns the love of the people of the kingdom...”
Leonard squinted his eyes and began to carefully flip through the newspaper, starting from the front page.
The chilling story of the dissolution of the Polia royal family ran from the front page to the back. Aside from a few minor scandals involving theatrical actors at the very end, the only non-Polia-related story was Olivia's.
So, in a thick 30-page newspaper, the only positive news is about Olivia.
What does this mean?
Leonard, who had been lost in thought for a while with his arms crossed, suddenly called his secretary.
“Hey, secretary.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
"Send someone to Pulder immediately to investigate Olivia Liberty's personal details. They must be very detailed. Most importantly."
The secretary quickly took out his notebook and wrote down the king's order.
“What’s most important...?”
“Whether or not she's engaged, and even if she's not engaged, whether or not she has a man in mind for marriage – that’s what matters most.”
The secretary, who had been diligently taking notes, frowned and tilted her head.
“Why are you doing that?”
"You don't need to know the reason. Anyway, find out. If there was something scandalous, in all detail."
"All right."
“Oh, and.”
Leonard paused for a moment, habitually fiddling with his fountain pen. The secretary, from experience, sensed that the King was contemplating a decisive move.
Just as he was wondering what the King's final move was, Leonard opened his mouth.
“Find out clearly what Noah’s relationship is with Isabelle Seymour.”
The secretary almost let out a sigh without realizing it, but desperately held it back.
“Watch what you say.”
Leonard stared at him with sharp, gleaming eyes, and a cold sweat ran down his back. The secretary bowed with military precision, paying his respects, and then spoke with sincerity.
“Please believe me.”
Leonard waved his hand as if to tell him to go out and took out a cigarette.
Yeah, it was just a random thought, but it's not bad.
No, it seems very good.
The world is changing, and the royal family must change too.
***
Noah's Norfolk Investments firm continued to grow, setting new records for returns every day. Its size grew to the point where companies lined up to receive his investments.
Because of that, Noah had to endure a murderous schedule.
Since the investment company was Noah's personal business, he had to attend regular events and interviews in addition to his work.
No, rather, knowingly or unknowingly, the number of events and interviews has increased.
Meson sighed deeply as he adjusted Noah's schedule. Even he was getting tired of the numerous events.
If he were to present something like this to His Highness the Prince as next week's schedule, how cold would he feel?
“Why are you acting like a dog that needs to poop?”
Noah suddenly opened his mouth as he signed the document, as if his eyes were also on the other person.
“Hey, no matter what, it’s still a dog that needs to poop.”
“Yeah, bring it.”
When he held out his hand holding a fountain pen, Meson awkwardly handed him the following week's schedule.
“...”
But Noah, who he expected to be as cold as frost or furious as hell, surprisingly remained calm. He simply looked at his schedule for a while, then halfheartedly placed it on his desk and continued working on the paperwork he was working on.
Meson furtively checked his schedule and watched the Prince's expression.
Noah did what he had to do without saying a word and then got up from his seat.
"Messon. Nothing more urgent today, right?"
“No, there isn’t.”
"Then I'll leave work first. You can go home early, too."
“Where are you going?”
Noah answered, already wearing his jacket and striding out.
“I’m going to play polo for the first time in a while.”
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