SOIC - Chapter 42

Episode 42. The guy who seems like he'll cause harm, and the unlucky and inconvenient guy.

Olivia stared at her wise, shining eyes for a long moment, then slowly lowered her gaze.

The air she slowly inhaled was gentle. The chirping of birds and the fresh scent of leaves, something she hadn't noticed in a while, lingered in her nostrils.

She looked up and looked around the garden again. It was filled with beautiful flowers and trees, so beautiful that it felt like paradise.

“It’s spring.”

Then Margot frowned and tilted her head.

“It’ll be summer soon. How can it be spring now?”

At her teasing, Olivia gave a slightly embarrassed smile.

"Yes, ma'am. The garden is truly magnificent, Professor! It's a truly magnificent mansion. Thank you for letting me stay with you last night."

Then Margot scolded her terribly.

"You, you spoke well! You stay in that house knowing that a pervert is hanging around?! What kind of nerve do you have?!"

Even she was ready to run away in disgust, but Olivia put on a cheerful face and played dumb.

“Oh, so that’s why I put up a few locks.”

“What a brat! Is that something to brag about?!”

“Oh, I’m not bragging!”

“If you can’t even speak!! Anyway, don’t even think about staying in that house any longer. Do you understand?!”

When Olivia made a puzzled expression, Margot shook her shoulder.

“Stay here for a while! Don’t talk nonsense like that.”

“Ugh, Professor, my head is shaking!”

“Be quiet and answer properly!”

"...Thank you."

Only after hearing that greeting did Margot finally let Olivia go. Still, as if her anger hadn't subsided, she raised her voice again.

“You should have said it sooner, sooner!!!”

“...I already owe you so much that I can’t even repay you, Professor.”

At those words, Margot retorted sharply with a look of shock on her face.

“It was no big deal to me that you were losing!”

"Does that mean I'm nothing special? You've always been a great help to me, Professor."

Margot, who had been raising her voice for a while, fell silent, lost for words. This little brat was secretly good at dealing with arrogant and selfish people.

Margot suddenly imagined Olivia and Noah standing side by side, then stroked her chin.

‘Well... I guess it won’t be bad.’

Then, after a while, Margot said she was hungry and went into the mansion.

Olivia, left alone in the garden, gazed at the sun-drenched, sparkling sea.

Herod beyond the sea. And,

“Noah Astrid...”

Her heart ached at the name she dared to roll around in her mouth.

The moment she saw him after two years, her heart pounded, almost bursting. Despite his eyes, cold as frost and impassive as iron.

The feeling of not wanting to show him her most miserable and pathetic appearance, the feeling of wanting to run away whenever she stood in front of him, clung to those rational and political words, "Marry me."

When the words needed and peace were added to it, it grew like a snowball, foolishly filling her small chest without a single space.

The morning sunlight filtered into Olivia's face. Even her dark eyes, once as deep and dark as the abyss, shone with a transparent light.

Olivia thought, running her hand down her chest, which seemed to be full.

As Margot said, every path has its own set of difficulties.

If you choose need, peace, and Noah Astrid.

What price will Olivia Liberty pay for having nothing?

***

Ansen stared at the sloppy, unremarkable report for a long time before throwing it into the trash can.

His irritation and anger reached the top of his head.

His haphazard research ultimately failed to upgrade the Magic Dome. Ansen was forced to either seek the investors' understanding or resort to fraud.

“Fire the senior researcher.”

Ansen covered his eyes with his hand and gave an order, and his secretary, Rousseau, who had been waiting, quickly nodded and answered.

"All right."

The chief researcher just kept repeating his incompetent words like a parrot.

"It's impossible to transform the Magic Dome Oliver designed without his help. The only viable option is to reduce the size of the cooler and increase the converter capacity... but even that's not optimal..."

“Like a life-size figure...”

Ansen roughly scanned his face, gulped down another cup of coffee, his number one cup, and stroked his rough chin.

“Was Olivia fired from Herrington College yesterday?”

“Yes, that’s right. I have confirmed that the contract has been terminated.”

“She must have gone to that beautiful tree and cried for a long time.”

She's a woman stingy with tears. She rarely lets others see her cry, as if she knows it provokes the aristocrats' sadism.

As he recalled the tears welling up and falling from her crow-black eyes, his heart sank.

Ansen wiped his face several times with his dry hands.

It seemed so easy to manipulate her, who had nothing, at will. But Olivia, driven to the brink, refused to take his hand.

Oliver and Olivia are both equally insignificant names, but what's the difference?

Ansen glanced at his watch and asked.

“What time is breakfast with Prince Noah today?”

“10:00 a.m., Ritz Hotel.”

“The Prince eats breakfast quite late.”

Prince Noah didn't slouch. He'll definitely mention the upgrade at breakfast today.

Are you trying to scam someone plausibly?

Ansen shook his head.

Fraud is fraud, and you have to be willing to do it.

The Magic Dome is a military facility directly managed by the royal families and governments of each country. If the company were to commit such a preposterous fraud against a coalition of nations rather than individual individuals, its very existence would be in jeopardy.

Moreover, the Magic Dome upgrade is merely a cornerstone of his ultimate goal, not the goal itself. Therefore, staking the company's existence on such a small undertaking is foolish.

It would be better to buy time by covering up the full upgrade plan with a converter capacity increase. As a temporary measure, we've installed and operated a test system on a ship-type Magic Dome, which has produced promising results, so we should push forward with that.

Ansen took a deep, long breath and tried to calm his complicated heart.

Olivia Liberty.

It all started with that woman.

"Tell Olivia I want to meet her. Give her the choice of time and place. Even if she refuses, be persistent in persuading her and make sure she agrees."

"All right."

Ansen got up from his seat, buttoned up his shirt, and tied his tie himself.

Pushing away the woman occupying his mind, he slowly pictured the face of Prince Noah, whom he would soon meet.

The hand tying the tie gradually slowed down.

Is there anyone else who deserves the name of royalty as much as he does?

A laid-back and arrogant young lion of Herod.

It was clear that the perfect manners he used were strictly for his own dignity rather than for the sake of others.

Ansen's eyebrows gradually furrowed.

Even though he was a valuable investor who had invested a considerable amount of money in Wilhelm, he couldn't shake off a feeling of unease.

A strange feeling that something might cause great harm at any moment.

The blushing face gave off that feeling from the moment they first met.

***

It's uncomfortable and unlucky.

This is his first impression of Ansen Wilhelm, and it remains an unchanging impression.

Noah savored his slightly cooled tea and quickly glanced at Ansen, who was sitting across from him.

A sturdy and large physique that rivals even one's own, and a tall and slender appearance with impressive thick lines.

Suddenly, he remembered the documents he had received from his father.

Ansen Wilhelm visited Olivia Liberty periodically, but has not shown any signs of reciprocity recently. Rumors suggest he harbors feelings for her, but this has not been confirmed.

Noah put down his teacup and thought.

As expected, he has no luck.

The eggs he usually eats well were unusually unpleasant and tasted fishy today.

It's incredibly tiresome to exchange greetings with each other without even being curious about them. Enough with the introduction.

“By the way, how’s the Magic Dome upgrade going?”

Ansen put down his fork, thinking that the unexpected question from the Prince had come.

After a brief silence, Noah leaned back in his chair, slowly crossing his legs. His slightly tilted posture and his gaze were also slanted. With just that, he drew the mood toward himself, subtly pressuring Ansen.

Ansen chose his words carefully, trying not to be swept away by Noah's mood.

He must answer properly.

But, just as he was about to open his mouth, the door opened with a polite knock, and the Prince's secretary barged in.

As the sharp energy broke, Ansen let out the breath he had been holding without realizing it.

“Sir Wilhelm, please excuse me for a moment.”

Ansen nodded readily at Noah's words.

“Of course.”

As Noah beckoned, Meson came straight over and whispered.

“You’re here. Should I say I’ll contact you later?”

Although the subject was missing, Noah immediately understood the meaning. He instinctively looked at Ansen.

Breakfast with Ansen, the head of the Wilhelm Institute, is by no means a casual affair, especially considering the institute's recent status.

But it's so uncomfortable that he can't even eat a single egg, and judging by the way it's taking a while to cook, it seems like the upgrade has failed.

He was also very curious to hear what the new visitor had to say.

“No, tell him to wait a moment.”

Meson raised his eyebrows in surprise, but quickly answered.

"All right."

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