Episode 28. A New Challenge
Olivia bowed briefly in greeting and quickly descended the stairs. But instead of going up to the library, Ansen followed her down, speaking softly to her.
“Olivia, do you still think the same way you did back then?”
“...”
When Olivia suddenly stopped and turned her head, Ansen met her gaze and whispered as if confessing.
“I need you.”
“You need Oliver, not me.”
“What’s different?”
“It’s different.”
She has a weak face as if she could collapse at any moment, but she refuses to bend her pride.
Ansen looked at Olivia with a pale complexion, and suddenly wondered if it was really Oliver he wanted to catch.
Yeah, that's true.
Olivia greeted him again and then quickly walked away. Her shoulders were incredibly delicate, her body seemed ready to be blown away by the winter wind, and her pale face was densely packed with features.
The fifteen-year-old girl he met when he was seventeen has now become an adult.
For the past few days, Ansen has been wondering how he can win Olivia back, if there's any way to make her truly happy other than by harshly pushing her.
Then suddenly he had this thought.
What if Olivia Liberty became Olivia Wilhelm?
But Ansen soon shook his head.
Even if Pulder is a republic, its ruling class is descended from the nobles of the Norfolk Continent. To survive there, it would be difficult for a landlady to be of commoner descent.
Ansen put his hands in his pockets and took in the desolate, cold winter landscape.
Poor Olivia. Just hold out through a little more winter. Then you'll realize that the hand I'm extending to you is spring.
I'm not in a hurry. You're the one in a hurry.
Olivia regained her composure. Fortunately, she still had enough money left to live on her own for a few months.
Still, she needed some time to gather her thoughts, so she planned to rest for a few more days.
But she was the type of person who couldn't stay still for even a moment. Was it because she had been living a busy life?
From the day she received her layoff notice, she began cleaning the house. She unpacked her grandmother's belongings and disposed of old, unnecessary items.
If she remained still, thick darkness would occasionally spring forth and try to swallow her up.
Her grandmother's absence still weighed heavily on her, but she couldn't just cry all day.
It's not something that can be solved by crying.
It was better to keep busy and tire herself out. Thankfully, Mrs. McPhee brought her food every meal and urged herto eat right away, which helped her recover quickly.
So a few days later, Olivia mustered up her strength and walked out into the sunlight again.
Olivia bought Lucy a gift she'd been putting off, wrote a letter on pretty stationery, and sent it internationally. She also prepared gifts for Mrs. McPhee and Margot, who had helped her out, and then went to see Margot first.
"Professor."
Margot, who was working, opened her eyes wide at Olivia's sudden visit.
“Olivia?”
She quickly examined Olivia's face. Though it was pale, it was the same as she'd seen before.
But Margot didn't ask the meaningless question of whether things were okay.
“What brings you here at this hour?”
What time are you working at the library?
Then Olivia answered honestly with an embarrassed expression.
“Oh, I forgot to tell you. I got fired.”
"Fired?"
"Yes. They say it's a personnel reshuffle due to financial issues, but I don't know. Did I make a mistake?"
A subtle crack appeared in Margot's expression.
Central Library in financial trouble? The wealthiest library in Pulda?
And no matter how much she thought about it, she couldn't understand it. Even if gender discrimination were severe, being a Herrington College graduate wasn't a light title, so how could she be so unemployed? It was as if it were a promise.
'As if they had made a promise...?'
“Please sit down.”
As Margot sat at the head table, Olivia sat in her usual seat.
Then, with an embarrassed face, she took out a small gift box from her bag and carefully handed it to Margot.
“Thank you for your help.”
If it weren't for Margot, Olivia would have been too busy figuring out funeral arrangements to even grieve her grandmother's death.
Margot looked at Olivia with a blank expression, then turned her gaze to the gift she had offered.
She removed the wrapping and opened the box lid, revealing a tin case the size of an adult's palm. She twisted the lid open and found a stack of stylish gold clips.
She was wondering what this was for, but Olivia quickly added an explanation.
"This is a book clip that's been around for a while. You can clip it to a book when you pause mid-reading or when you want to mark a specific page."
“Hoo.”
It's a funny world. Things that haven't existed for thousands of years are pouring out like this.
“Thank you. This will be very useful.”
Olivia smiled, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment. The green ribbon headband she wore so neatly suited her.
Lucy sent her a headband; she chose well.
Margot put her gifts aside and asked.
“By the way, if you were fired... do you plan on looking for a job again?”
Olivia answered that question with a calm expression and a brave face.
"I'm thinking of taking a few days off and then trying that out. Actually, I've applied to a number of companies and been rejected. I'm thinking about looking into jobs at schools or as a tutor."
Of course, she's likely to travel somewhere before then. For example... Herod.
At her words, Margot was silent for a moment, then stood up and brought a copy of the document.
“We are hiring temporary contract professors this time.”
Olivia's eyes widened at Margot's words. Then she quickly looked over the documents Margot had handed her.
"Competition will be fierce. However, the written exam carries far more weight than the interview, so I think it's worth a shot. However, since it's a contract position, if the course is canceled due to insufficient enrollment, the contract can be terminated even midway."
“I’ll try.”
As soon as Margot finished speaking, Olivia raised her head, and her eyes lit up.
"I want to try, Professor. I want to try."
At that, Margot snickered.
"Yeah. I knew it. I think that idiot fired you, Director of the Central Library, for telling you to do this."
“They say the finances are bad.”
At Olivia's smiling words, Margot turned her head and muttered.
"Finances aren't that bad. This is ridiculous. Enough. You don't come near that place again. Now get this ready. Go back to school."
At her words, the corners of Olivia's mouth twitched upwards. It felt like a long time since she'd seen that innocent smile, revealing her white teeth, and Margot felt strangely pleased.
"Thank you."
“Even if I were the president, I wouldn’t be able to just pass the exam.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
"It's okay."
It was a cold answer, but Margot's lips also slightly turned upwards.
After a while, when Olivia returned, Margot called her secretary and secretly gave her orders.
"Bring me a list of companies that have rejected Olivia Liberty's job offers. Also, find out if the Central Librarian has recently met with anyone secretly."
"All right."
When companies refused to hire her, she simply thought it was discrimination, but when she was fired from the library where she had been working perfectly, her thoughts changed.
Olivia wasn't so incompetent or so negligent that she deserved to be fired. Quite the opposite.
So, clearly, there must be something.
A month later, Herod's Palace.
Although the weather was still cold, spring was still coming, and tender things were showing their faces at the tips of the branches.
Queen Beatrix was having tea time with her children for the first time in a long time.
The Queen, who had been chatting with Usher, who had just returned from his overseas trip, glanced at Noah and Lucy sitting next to him.
It was a really funny scene.
The maids and servants were also watching the precious scene with their eyes wide open.
“Ugh, the warrior fainted.”
“Poor thing. Isn’t he a warrior?”
“...and so the rabbit appeared.”
“What are you talking about? Why is there a rabbit here, Lucy?”
“...”
"...why."
“Noah, don’t say anything.”
Lucy had placed a few dolls on his lap to play with, but Noah was taking her pranks without any sign of bother... It didn't seem like he was playing with her.
If you talk about affection, Usher is much more affectionate, and he buys her a lot more presents, but Lucy has been begging Noah to play with her since she was little.
Even to her mother, it seemed odd, but looking back, Noah wasn't always that heartless and listless. Of course... he wasn't always a sweet and affectionate child, either.
She, who had left her sons' education to the care of nannies and teachers due to her illness, reflected on the past every time.
“Noah.”
“Yes, Mother.”
But she wonders if it will get better if he gets married.
“If there’s a girl you like, I don’t mind marrying anyone, so you can marry whoever you want.”
At those words, Noah nodded slightly with a somewhat cynical look on his face.
“Yes, I will.”
The Queen's eyes sharply examined her son's expression.
Could the rumors about Isabelle Seymour also be false?
No matter how she looked at it, it definitely didn't look like he was in love.
As the Queen's worries deepened, Madame Lehmann returned. Lucy, who had been playing with her dolls beside Noah, jumped for joy at her return.
“Nanny! Did you get a letter?!”
Lucy, who was looking for a letter, suddenly found the package in Madame Lehmann's hand and raised both arms in joy.
"Come!!"
“What on earth is this...?”
When Usher muttered in confusion at Lucy's reaction, Noah answered.
“It must be from Pulder.”
“If you were to tell me... Aunt?”
At those words, Noah glanced at Usher with a pitiful look and muttered.
“Do you think Lucy would react like that to her aunt’s gift?”
Madame Lehmann calmed the agitated Lucy, tore open the wrapping herself, and handed her the box. She then handed the Queen a letter.
“Oh, do you have my letter too?”
“Princess Marguerite sent it.”
Meanwhile, Lucy opened the gift box and took out Olivia's gift with a flushed face.
“Wow, look at this! It’s a gift from Liv!”
Usher nodded as if he finally understood.
Olivia bowed briefly in greeting and quickly descended the stairs. But instead of going up to the library, Ansen followed her down, speaking softly to her.
“Olivia, do you still think the same way you did back then?”
“...”
When Olivia suddenly stopped and turned her head, Ansen met her gaze and whispered as if confessing.
“I need you.”
“You need Oliver, not me.”
“What’s different?”
“It’s different.”
She has a weak face as if she could collapse at any moment, but she refuses to bend her pride.
Ansen looked at Olivia with a pale complexion, and suddenly wondered if it was really Oliver he wanted to catch.
Yeah, that's true.
Olivia greeted him again and then quickly walked away. Her shoulders were incredibly delicate, her body seemed ready to be blown away by the winter wind, and her pale face was densely packed with features.
The fifteen-year-old girl he met when he was seventeen has now become an adult.
For the past few days, Ansen has been wondering how he can win Olivia back, if there's any way to make her truly happy other than by harshly pushing her.
Then suddenly he had this thought.
What if Olivia Liberty became Olivia Wilhelm?
But Ansen soon shook his head.
Even if Pulder is a republic, its ruling class is descended from the nobles of the Norfolk Continent. To survive there, it would be difficult for a landlady to be of commoner descent.
Ansen put his hands in his pockets and took in the desolate, cold winter landscape.
Poor Olivia. Just hold out through a little more winter. Then you'll realize that the hand I'm extending to you is spring.
I'm not in a hurry. You're the one in a hurry.
***
Olivia regained her composure. Fortunately, she still had enough money left to live on her own for a few months.
Still, she needed some time to gather her thoughts, so she planned to rest for a few more days.
But she was the type of person who couldn't stay still for even a moment. Was it because she had been living a busy life?
From the day she received her layoff notice, she began cleaning the house. She unpacked her grandmother's belongings and disposed of old, unnecessary items.
If she remained still, thick darkness would occasionally spring forth and try to swallow her up.
Her grandmother's absence still weighed heavily on her, but she couldn't just cry all day.
It's not something that can be solved by crying.
It was better to keep busy and tire herself out. Thankfully, Mrs. McPhee brought her food every meal and urged herto eat right away, which helped her recover quickly.
So a few days later, Olivia mustered up her strength and walked out into the sunlight again.
Olivia bought Lucy a gift she'd been putting off, wrote a letter on pretty stationery, and sent it internationally. She also prepared gifts for Mrs. McPhee and Margot, who had helped her out, and then went to see Margot first.
"Professor."
Margot, who was working, opened her eyes wide at Olivia's sudden visit.
“Olivia?”
She quickly examined Olivia's face. Though it was pale, it was the same as she'd seen before.
But Margot didn't ask the meaningless question of whether things were okay.
“What brings you here at this hour?”
What time are you working at the library?
Then Olivia answered honestly with an embarrassed expression.
“Oh, I forgot to tell you. I got fired.”
"Fired?"
"Yes. They say it's a personnel reshuffle due to financial issues, but I don't know. Did I make a mistake?"
A subtle crack appeared in Margot's expression.
Central Library in financial trouble? The wealthiest library in Pulda?
And no matter how much she thought about it, she couldn't understand it. Even if gender discrimination were severe, being a Herrington College graduate wasn't a light title, so how could she be so unemployed? It was as if it were a promise.
'As if they had made a promise...?'
“Please sit down.”
As Margot sat at the head table, Olivia sat in her usual seat.
Then, with an embarrassed face, she took out a small gift box from her bag and carefully handed it to Margot.
“Thank you for your help.”
If it weren't for Margot, Olivia would have been too busy figuring out funeral arrangements to even grieve her grandmother's death.
Margot looked at Olivia with a blank expression, then turned her gaze to the gift she had offered.
She removed the wrapping and opened the box lid, revealing a tin case the size of an adult's palm. She twisted the lid open and found a stack of stylish gold clips.
She was wondering what this was for, but Olivia quickly added an explanation.
"This is a book clip that's been around for a while. You can clip it to a book when you pause mid-reading or when you want to mark a specific page."
“Hoo.”
It's a funny world. Things that haven't existed for thousands of years are pouring out like this.
“Thank you. This will be very useful.”
Olivia smiled, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment. The green ribbon headband she wore so neatly suited her.
Lucy sent her a headband; she chose well.
Margot put her gifts aside and asked.
“By the way, if you were fired... do you plan on looking for a job again?”
Olivia answered that question with a calm expression and a brave face.
"I'm thinking of taking a few days off and then trying that out. Actually, I've applied to a number of companies and been rejected. I'm thinking about looking into jobs at schools or as a tutor."
Of course, she's likely to travel somewhere before then. For example... Herod.
At her words, Margot was silent for a moment, then stood up and brought a copy of the document.
“We are hiring temporary contract professors this time.”
Olivia's eyes widened at Margot's words. Then she quickly looked over the documents Margot had handed her.
"Competition will be fierce. However, the written exam carries far more weight than the interview, so I think it's worth a shot. However, since it's a contract position, if the course is canceled due to insufficient enrollment, the contract can be terminated even midway."
“I’ll try.”
As soon as Margot finished speaking, Olivia raised her head, and her eyes lit up.
"I want to try, Professor. I want to try."
At that, Margot snickered.
"Yeah. I knew it. I think that idiot fired you, Director of the Central Library, for telling you to do this."
“They say the finances are bad.”
At Olivia's smiling words, Margot turned her head and muttered.
"Finances aren't that bad. This is ridiculous. Enough. You don't come near that place again. Now get this ready. Go back to school."
At her words, the corners of Olivia's mouth twitched upwards. It felt like a long time since she'd seen that innocent smile, revealing her white teeth, and Margot felt strangely pleased.
"Thank you."
“Even if I were the president, I wouldn’t be able to just pass the exam.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
"It's okay."
It was a cold answer, but Margot's lips also slightly turned upwards.
After a while, when Olivia returned, Margot called her secretary and secretly gave her orders.
"Bring me a list of companies that have rejected Olivia Liberty's job offers. Also, find out if the Central Librarian has recently met with anyone secretly."
"All right."
When companies refused to hire her, she simply thought it was discrimination, but when she was fired from the library where she had been working perfectly, her thoughts changed.
Olivia wasn't so incompetent or so negligent that she deserved to be fired. Quite the opposite.
So, clearly, there must be something.
***
A month later, Herod's Palace.
Although the weather was still cold, spring was still coming, and tender things were showing their faces at the tips of the branches.
Queen Beatrix was having tea time with her children for the first time in a long time.
The Queen, who had been chatting with Usher, who had just returned from his overseas trip, glanced at Noah and Lucy sitting next to him.
It was a really funny scene.
The maids and servants were also watching the precious scene with their eyes wide open.
“Ugh, the warrior fainted.”
“Poor thing. Isn’t he a warrior?”
“...and so the rabbit appeared.”
“What are you talking about? Why is there a rabbit here, Lucy?”
“...”
"...why."
“Noah, don’t say anything.”
Lucy had placed a few dolls on his lap to play with, but Noah was taking her pranks without any sign of bother... It didn't seem like he was playing with her.
If you talk about affection, Usher is much more affectionate, and he buys her a lot more presents, but Lucy has been begging Noah to play with her since she was little.
Even to her mother, it seemed odd, but looking back, Noah wasn't always that heartless and listless. Of course... he wasn't always a sweet and affectionate child, either.
She, who had left her sons' education to the care of nannies and teachers due to her illness, reflected on the past every time.
“Noah.”
“Yes, Mother.”
But she wonders if it will get better if he gets married.
“If there’s a girl you like, I don’t mind marrying anyone, so you can marry whoever you want.”
At those words, Noah nodded slightly with a somewhat cynical look on his face.
“Yes, I will.”
The Queen's eyes sharply examined her son's expression.
Could the rumors about Isabelle Seymour also be false?
No matter how she looked at it, it definitely didn't look like he was in love.
As the Queen's worries deepened, Madame Lehmann returned. Lucy, who had been playing with her dolls beside Noah, jumped for joy at her return.
“Nanny! Did you get a letter?!”
Lucy, who was looking for a letter, suddenly found the package in Madame Lehmann's hand and raised both arms in joy.
"Come!!"
“What on earth is this...?”
When Usher muttered in confusion at Lucy's reaction, Noah answered.
“It must be from Pulder.”
“If you were to tell me... Aunt?”
At those words, Noah glanced at Usher with a pitiful look and muttered.
“Do you think Lucy would react like that to her aunt’s gift?”
Madame Lehmann calmed the agitated Lucy, tore open the wrapping herself, and handed her the box. She then handed the Queen a letter.
“Oh, do you have my letter too?”
“Princess Marguerite sent it.”
Meanwhile, Lucy opened the gift box and took out Olivia's gift with a flushed face.
“Wow, look at this! It’s a gift from Liv!”
Usher nodded as if he finally understood.
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