SOIC - Chapter 56

Episode 56. The Price of Salvation

“Oh... I see.”

“...”

“...?”

No, why on earth are you nitpicking like this? What do you want to hear?

Olivia opened her eyes dimly and looked at Noah, then turned towards him.

“So you were caught by those gentlemen earlier and forced to play a card game?”

When she asked softly and calmly, Noah blinked blankly and then nodded.

"... Yes."

“Has this been happening repeatedly lately?”

“...That’s right.”

"Oh, that must have been tough. If you need my help again, just call. I'll be back."

“...”

Her gentle words instantly soothed Noah's tense nerves. The sharp gaze in his eyes waned, and the bulging, pulsating veins in his body calmed.

Olivia, seeing his hardened eyebrows slowly relax, tilted her head slightly and asked cautiously.

“Shall we go to the guest room?”

At her suggestion, Noah took a deep breath, then silently folded his arms and held them out. Olivia glanced up, studied his expression, and then carefully took his arm.

As the guards blocking the entrance all stepped aside to open the way, Noah escorted Olivia out of the dark card room.

Meson, Mrs. Winfred, and the bodyguards desperately suppressed their laughter and watched the backs of the two men.

Compared to the Prince's sturdy back, Olivia's figure seemed incredibly small.

It was like seeing a large detective and a tiny rabbit.

But... somehow, it feels like a rabbit is sitting on the investigator’s shoulder?

Noah glanced down at her slender shoulders, which were shaking slightly.

His gaze began at her shoulder and continued upward, sweeping the softly shaded collarbone and the pure white nape of her neck.

Her round ears were adorned with diamond earrings he had recently gifted her, and her crescent-moon-shaped face, along with her convex forehead, looked picturesque.

Olivia Liberty was so beautiful that she even captivated the eyes of Noah Astrid, who was accustomed to beautiful things.

Seeing her in that dress brought back memories of that night two years ago.

At that time, she stood with one foot on the border between girl and woman.

Her fluffy ears and clean face still gave her a girlish look. But her eyes, clear as glass yet deep enough to sometimes evoke the depths of the ocean, were different.

The trials he didn't know about must have deepened her gaze, but those deepened eyes seemed to have matured a bud that had once been a bud and finally blossomed.

Noah, who was looking at the delicate eyelashes, suddenly felt an uneasy premonition.

Wasn't this Olivia, whose picture in simple attire alone dominated the pages of Herod's newspaper? Would the public truly accept her beauty, holding the Prince's hand?

His eyes became dark and thick.

Noah had no intention of exposing his wife to the public like a public spectacle. That would prevent him from finding the true peace he so desperately yearned for.

If the Princess is mentioned in the media, it is inevitable that her husband, the Prince, will also be mentioned.

At that moment, Olivia, who had been walking forward, looked up at him as if she felt his gaze.

There was a hint of doubt mixed in her unusually round and large black eyes.

Noah asked, looking away leisurely as if nothing had happened.

“Was the opera worth seeing?”

Olivia glanced at his sharp profile, then turned her head to face the road ahead.

"It was fun. It was my first time watching a show while eating, so it was refreshing, and I learned a lot thanks to Mrs. Winfred."

“Have you finished looking at the ship?”

Olivia answered his light question with a smile.

“Yesterday I went to the first floor, today I went to the second floor, and so on.”

“You even checked out the underground card room, so is it perfect?”

"That's right. Oh, and if I have to learn how to play cards, I'll learn. I'm confident I'll learn quickly."

“As I said, I don’t really like it.”

“I believe you, Your Highness. But what I learn has nothing to do with your likes and dislikes.”

Noah chuckled at her soft words.

Noah dismissed the notion that Olivia had been swayed by Marguerite's self-righteous affection. The image of tiny Olivia bouncing around, clutching the leash of a wiry Herod lioness, came to mind.

“So, after going around to all of them, are there any more things you’re curious about?”

"Yes."

Olivia smiled brightly and answered.

Noah felt a surge of joy as her cheerful voice seemed to revive his decaying soul. So he made a joke as he climbed the stairs.

"Not without exception. You've never been to a bar that sells alcohol at a billiard hall, right?"

“That’s right. I haven’t been there.”

“Want to go?”

When Noah looked down at Olivia and asked, Olivia shook her head with a raised eyebrow.

“Then, is there a place you want to go but haven’t been to?”

"Hmm..."

When Olivia hesitated for a moment, trailing off, Noah tilted his head slightly and added.

“I’ll take you with me in return for saving me today.”

Olivia's voice, so friendly and affectionate, gave her the courage to bring out the thoughts that had been swirling around in her head.

“There is one place.”

"Say it."

“I want to go to the Magic Dome.”

Noah's steps stopped abruptly at the completely unexpected answer. Standing on the landing, he stared intently at Olivia, who seemed to be watching him closely.

“Magic Dome?”

Olivia chided herself for speaking out of turn at his reaction, but it was too late. Biting her lip and blinking, she added with difficulty.

“It’s not a land-based Magic Dome, but a ship-type one... I’m curious.”

“...”

Olivia quickly smiled brightly and shook her head.

"...That won't work, right? This is a military facility, and I apologize for asking such a big favor. Please don't go, I won't have to."

“My future wife wonders about very strange things.”

Her heart sank at the cold voice that fell over her head. She held her breath without realizing it, and suddenly he circled around and began to descend the stairs he'd come up.

Olivia called out to him in a panic as she walked down the stairs with him.

"Your Highness?"

“You were curious.”

"Is it okay?"

“If you were going to ask like that, you shouldn’t have said anything.”

“But... are we going now?”

"I hate procrastination. I hate remembering and keeping things in mind even more. And you can't go inside. There's a clause in the Wilhelm contract. We'll be content with just seeing the outside. Meson, go to your room first."

“Yes, Your Highness!”

As Olivia, who had been walking as Noah led her, looked back in confusion, Mrs. Winfred was winking at her with a girlish smile.

Noah led Olivia to the wheelhouse. The captain, startled by the Prince's sudden visit, rushed out.

"Your Highness!"

Noah gently released Olivia's arm and offered to shake the captain's hand.

“You must have worked hard.”

“No. What’s wrong?”

Noah shook his head slightly at the captain's question, which was filled with worry.

“Thanks to you, I am enjoying a very comfortable trip.”

“That’s great. I’ll make sure you’re comfortable until the end.”

“I came to you out of the blue because I have a favor to ask.”

“Please speak.”

“I’d like to see the Magic Dome once.”

“Ah... the Magic Dome?”

The captain asked, looking puzzled, and instinctively glanced at Olivia in her dress. His eyes seemed perplexed as to why he'd brought his bride-to-be here so late at night and asked to see the Magic Dome.

Olivia's face hardened under the captain's gaze. Regret flooded over her for not having asked. Even if she were the captain, she would have seemed strange.

On the other hand, Noah Astrid, who didn't care about the captain's convincing, didn't bother to elaborate on his reasons. He acted casually, as if it were nothing serious. He simply stared at the captain with his characteristically cynical gaze.

The captain, pressed by the silent pressure, hesitated for a moment and then cautiously opened his mouth.

"The interior is so cramped that it might be uncomfortable. There's a clause in our contract with Wilhelm, after all. Why not just explore the exterior of the Magic Dome?"

Only then did Noah nod with a slight smile on his lips.

“I came here thinking that would be the case.”

Dealing with the arrogant Prince who had no regard for the convincing of others, the captain had soon forgotten his curiosity about the reason.

“I will guide you.”

"No. I can't force the captain to vacate the wheelhouse. Just assign one person to guide us. We'll just take a quick look around the outside and head straight to the cabin. It should only take ten minutes."

“Yes, I understand. Take care.”

“Thank you for your consideration.”

As the captain took off his hat and bowed politely, Noah gave a small thank you and then nodded to Olivia.

Olivia, who had been looking at the two with a stern face, slightly pulled the tip of her chin to greet the captain, then turned around to follow Noah.

Noah glanced at Olivia's stern face, then turned his head to face her. The narrow iron bridge leading from the wheelhouse to the Magic Dome was enveloped in darkness.

The one who received the captain's instructions took the lead and guided the two people.

“Come this way.”

“Thank you.”

As Noah took a step, the iron bridge made a loud noise and shook slightly.

“Take a good look. Aren’t those high heels?”

When Noah turned around and asked, she was already holding on to the railing, one hand clutching the hem of her cumbersome skirt.

Noah chuckled, looked away from her, and crossed the bridge. Following the man across the short bridge, he turned right, and a ship-shaped Magic Dome, seemingly resembling a large chimney, came into view.

While the guide explained the situation to the private mercenary guarding the Magic Dome, Noah leaned back against the railing and traced the vague outline with his eyes.

The moon was obscured by clouds, and it seemed difficult to see even the outside of the Magic Dome clearly with only the dim lights.

He slowly turned his head and saw Olivia, who had just arrived. Her gaze was fixed intently on the magic dome, even though it was blurred by the darkness, and he couldn't see clearly.

Noah's eyes became dim.

Why on earth would you be curious about this?

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