Episode 72. A Person Who Deserves Recognition
Meanwhile, the impatient Leonard appeared on the landing just as Olivia arrived at the main palace.
He was descending the ivory marble stairs so quickly that his secretary, trying to keep up with him, stumbled and fell.
According to etiquette, the Queen had already gone to the cathedral. The unmarried Princess Marguerite was supposed to wait for the King in the main hall and then accompany him, but Leonard boldly sent her to the Queen's side.
“If you’re not going to be a guest, go first with the Queen, Margot.”
“That would be nice. It would be funny if the attendant were my aunt.”
The royal brothers saw a consensus of opinion for the first time in a long time.
Olivia quickly bent down and bowed to Leonard, who was running down the stairs.
Leonard's pace was so fast that Olivia had to bend her knees and turn to keep pace with the King. This caused the maids attending to Olivia to become very busy.
Leonard paused beside Olivia for a moment, then asked in a commanding voice.
“Are you ready, Olivia?”
Olivia answered his question with a lowered gaze.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
And as soon as her answer fell, Leonard took a step forward.
“Then let’s go.”
Olivia followed the stern King Herod and was soon placed in a massive carriage. Two maids climbed into the carriage, adjusting Olivia's dress and veil before stepping out, and the carriage door closed.
Olivia lowered her gaze to the bouquet.
The clatter of hooves and wheels, the distant roar of cheers, shook the air inside the carriage, but Leonard, like Noah, was overwhelmed by it all.
Olivia sat frozen in place, unable to look up, until the carriage carrying the two passed the golden bars.
Leonard, who had just finished reviewing all the materials for the interview for the day, glanced at Olivia, who was sitting across from him, and spoke.
“There’s no need to be so frozen.”
When Olivia looked up in surprise at his sudden voice, Leonard added, roughly pushing the wad of papers aside.
“You are Astrid. Strictly speaking, you will soon become Astrid, but since I acknowledge you, you are already Astrid.”
It was an arrogant statement, but the numerous badges that were tightly sewn onto his chest backed it up.
Olivia remained silent, waiting for Leonard's next words.
Leonard looked straight at Olivia and opened his mouth again.
"Keep your head up high, shoulders straight, and back straight, wherever you are. There won't be more than ten people in the entire world you'll ever bow your head to."
At Leonard's words, Olivia consciously straightened her back.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
"One piece of advice I'd like to add is that you shouldn't be overly humble or overly arrogant in an attempt to gain the approval of the nobles. This means you shouldn't act desperately to gain their approval."
Olivia looked at Leonard with her eyes shining as if she had never been frozen before.
“It will take time.”
“Does this mean it will take time to gain the approval of the nobles?”
When Olivia asked cautiously, Leonard was silent for a moment and then spoke coolly.
“Yes. It could be as short as a few years, or as long as a few decades.”
Leonard threw out the words and watched Olivia's reaction.
He thought she might be very discouraged and upset, but Olivia was listening to him with a very serious look in her eyes.
The corners of Leonard's mouth twitched at that sight.
He whispered with an expression that seemed like a delicate mix of Margot and Noah.
“In the meantime, make good use of your husband.”
"Yes?"
Olivia, who had been listening intently, narrowed her eyes without realizing it and asked again, and Leonard chuckled playfully.
"The approval of the nobles is, in fact, nothing special. Because you didn't need their approval to become my daughter-in-law. Nevertheless, you will experience that recognition through your position in high society, and when you do, there will be no better shield than Noah Astrid."
“...”
“What I mean is, whenever you go to a party or something, you should definitely take Noah with you, or whatever, and use your husband in a useful way.”
“...”
When Olivia remained silent with a subtle expression, Leonard, feeling stung, quickly made an excuse.
“Of course, he won’t like that.”
I don't think he dislikes it, I think he really hates it...
Leonard seemed to have the same thought as well, adding in detail.
"It's not because he's my son, but Noah, no matter how much he hates it, takes responsibility for what he has to do. If you marry him today and become his wife, Noah will do his best as a husband. That's the kind of man he is."
But those words weighed even heavier on Olivia's shoulders.
She's been thinking about that these past few days.
For Noah Astrid, isn't Olivia Liberty an inescapable yoke?
Olivia forced a bright smile, pushing away her gloomy thoughts.
“Yes, Your Majesty. I will do my best.”
It didn't seem like something a daughter-in-law getting married today would say to her father-in-law, but Olivia was sincere.
“What do you mean, I’ll do my best...?”
Leonard must have felt the same way, as he frowned slightly and then straightened his brow as he was about to rebuke her, but his voice was suddenly drowned out by the outpouring of cheers.
Olivia cautiously turned her head to look out the window, trying to catch her breath as it began to rumble. Beyond the barricades, a vast crowd of people, waving Herod's flags, stood, incomparably larger than the crowds in Central Park or near Herod's Harbor.
She didn't know, but this size of crowd was hard to see even at the Crown Prince's wedding.
More than 50% of the crowd were from the outskirts of Herrington. They had rushed to the capital to witness the romance of the century firsthand. It was a wedding that garnered such intense national attention.
Moreover, with so many foreign correspondents present, it seemed as if the entire Norfolk continent would be enthralled by the couple's marriage for some time.
As the carriage finally stopped, Leonard picked up his hat and sword, which he had left behind, and Olivia tightened her grip on the bouquet.
After a while, the door opened.
As Leonard stepped out of the carriage, a roar of applause rose, even louder than that directed at Noah and Usher. And the roar grew even louder when Prince Noah's bride, clad in a beautiful gown, appeared.
“OLIVIA!!!!”
As soon as her name was heard from somewhere, the crowd immediately started chanting for her.
“Your Highness, the Princess!!!”
“Congratulations on your wedding!!!”
Sporadic cheers poured in like a tidal wave.
Leonard folded his right arm and extended it to Olivia with a dignified expression, and Olivia took his arm, catching her trembling breath.
Bathed in a torrent of flashes, Olivia kept pace with the King. She worried that her legs would tremble and stumble, but perhaps because she'd replayed the thought dozens of times, or perhaps because King Herod was standing beside her, her legs didn't tremble.
As they slowly climbed the steps of the ornate and elegant Hamelin Cathedral, Leonard suddenly spoke.
“The people you truly deserve recognition from are those behind you right now.”
“...”
“Get recognition not from those above these stairs, but from the people of Herod who cheer you on from below these stairs.”
When Olivia slowly turned her head to look at Leonard, he was looking down at her, too.
“Can you do it, Olivia?”
Olivia answered the question calmly after climbing a few steps.
“Of course, Your Majesty.”
Leonard, seeing the strength hidden within that calmness, burst into hearty laughter as he climbed the stairs. Laughing while escorting someone was clearly against etiquette, but who knows?
Leonard's spirits soared higher than the spires of Hamelin Cathedral.
“I see His Majesty is in a good mood.”
Usher said this and turned to Noah. But Noah didn't seem to hear him.
Noah's gaze was fixed on one spot, without the slightest deviation. As usual, it was moderately cool, moderately debauched, and moderately relaxed, but the feeling was different.
Usher had seen his brother like this before. He turned his head to follow Noah's gaze. As expected, there was Olivia, a white lily.
As he turned my gaze to Noah, that day suddenly came to mind.
“Usher, I’ll do it.”
Noah, who had left those words behind and disappeared, headed to Pulder the very next day like an impatient person and finally brought Olivia with him.
Usher licked his lips, then leaned closer to Noah and whispered in his ear.
“Congratulations on your wedding, Noah.”
Only then did Noah turn to look at Usher. Usher took a few steps back and gave Olivia and his father a quick glance.
As Noah turned his head, smiling, Leonard was staring at him. Noah bowed politely to his father's gaze, and the guards on standby saluted in unison, as if they had been waiting for him.
As Leonard and Olivia finally climbed the stairs and reached the entrance of Hamelin Cathedral, the somewhat noisy interior of the cathedral became quiet, and the cheers of the crowds that filled the street also died down.
As Leonard looked down at Olivia, she released her left hand from its grip on the King and took the bouquet. At the same time, Leonard took a step back, and Noah took a step closer.
Olivia slowly raised her gaze and looked at him.
His shadowed eyes beneath the chairman's hat held no wavering. He looked like royalty incarnate again today, more dazzling than anyone else.
“Are you ready?”
Olivia nodded slightly at Noah's soft question.
“Then grab it, Liv. Let’s go.”
Olivia raised her right hand and grabbed Noah's left arm.
Meanwhile, the impatient Leonard appeared on the landing just as Olivia arrived at the main palace.
He was descending the ivory marble stairs so quickly that his secretary, trying to keep up with him, stumbled and fell.
According to etiquette, the Queen had already gone to the cathedral. The unmarried Princess Marguerite was supposed to wait for the King in the main hall and then accompany him, but Leonard boldly sent her to the Queen's side.
“If you’re not going to be a guest, go first with the Queen, Margot.”
“That would be nice. It would be funny if the attendant were my aunt.”
The royal brothers saw a consensus of opinion for the first time in a long time.
Olivia quickly bent down and bowed to Leonard, who was running down the stairs.
Leonard's pace was so fast that Olivia had to bend her knees and turn to keep pace with the King. This caused the maids attending to Olivia to become very busy.
Leonard paused beside Olivia for a moment, then asked in a commanding voice.
“Are you ready, Olivia?”
Olivia answered his question with a lowered gaze.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
And as soon as her answer fell, Leonard took a step forward.
“Then let’s go.”
Olivia followed the stern King Herod and was soon placed in a massive carriage. Two maids climbed into the carriage, adjusting Olivia's dress and veil before stepping out, and the carriage door closed.
Olivia lowered her gaze to the bouquet.
The clatter of hooves and wheels, the distant roar of cheers, shook the air inside the carriage, but Leonard, like Noah, was overwhelmed by it all.
Olivia sat frozen in place, unable to look up, until the carriage carrying the two passed the golden bars.
Leonard, who had just finished reviewing all the materials for the interview for the day, glanced at Olivia, who was sitting across from him, and spoke.
“There’s no need to be so frozen.”
When Olivia looked up in surprise at his sudden voice, Leonard added, roughly pushing the wad of papers aside.
“You are Astrid. Strictly speaking, you will soon become Astrid, but since I acknowledge you, you are already Astrid.”
It was an arrogant statement, but the numerous badges that were tightly sewn onto his chest backed it up.
Olivia remained silent, waiting for Leonard's next words.
Leonard looked straight at Olivia and opened his mouth again.
"Keep your head up high, shoulders straight, and back straight, wherever you are. There won't be more than ten people in the entire world you'll ever bow your head to."
At Leonard's words, Olivia consciously straightened her back.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
"One piece of advice I'd like to add is that you shouldn't be overly humble or overly arrogant in an attempt to gain the approval of the nobles. This means you shouldn't act desperately to gain their approval."
Olivia looked at Leonard with her eyes shining as if she had never been frozen before.
“It will take time.”
“Does this mean it will take time to gain the approval of the nobles?”
When Olivia asked cautiously, Leonard was silent for a moment and then spoke coolly.
“Yes. It could be as short as a few years, or as long as a few decades.”
Leonard threw out the words and watched Olivia's reaction.
He thought she might be very discouraged and upset, but Olivia was listening to him with a very serious look in her eyes.
The corners of Leonard's mouth twitched at that sight.
He whispered with an expression that seemed like a delicate mix of Margot and Noah.
“In the meantime, make good use of your husband.”
"Yes?"
Olivia, who had been listening intently, narrowed her eyes without realizing it and asked again, and Leonard chuckled playfully.
"The approval of the nobles is, in fact, nothing special. Because you didn't need their approval to become my daughter-in-law. Nevertheless, you will experience that recognition through your position in high society, and when you do, there will be no better shield than Noah Astrid."
“...”
“What I mean is, whenever you go to a party or something, you should definitely take Noah with you, or whatever, and use your husband in a useful way.”
“...”
When Olivia remained silent with a subtle expression, Leonard, feeling stung, quickly made an excuse.
“Of course, he won’t like that.”
I don't think he dislikes it, I think he really hates it...
Leonard seemed to have the same thought as well, adding in detail.
"It's not because he's my son, but Noah, no matter how much he hates it, takes responsibility for what he has to do. If you marry him today and become his wife, Noah will do his best as a husband. That's the kind of man he is."
But those words weighed even heavier on Olivia's shoulders.
She's been thinking about that these past few days.
For Noah Astrid, isn't Olivia Liberty an inescapable yoke?
Olivia forced a bright smile, pushing away her gloomy thoughts.
“Yes, Your Majesty. I will do my best.”
It didn't seem like something a daughter-in-law getting married today would say to her father-in-law, but Olivia was sincere.
“What do you mean, I’ll do my best...?”
Leonard must have felt the same way, as he frowned slightly and then straightened his brow as he was about to rebuke her, but his voice was suddenly drowned out by the outpouring of cheers.
Olivia cautiously turned her head to look out the window, trying to catch her breath as it began to rumble. Beyond the barricades, a vast crowd of people, waving Herod's flags, stood, incomparably larger than the crowds in Central Park or near Herod's Harbor.
She didn't know, but this size of crowd was hard to see even at the Crown Prince's wedding.
More than 50% of the crowd were from the outskirts of Herrington. They had rushed to the capital to witness the romance of the century firsthand. It was a wedding that garnered such intense national attention.
Moreover, with so many foreign correspondents present, it seemed as if the entire Norfolk continent would be enthralled by the couple's marriage for some time.
As the carriage finally stopped, Leonard picked up his hat and sword, which he had left behind, and Olivia tightened her grip on the bouquet.
After a while, the door opened.
As Leonard stepped out of the carriage, a roar of applause rose, even louder than that directed at Noah and Usher. And the roar grew even louder when Prince Noah's bride, clad in a beautiful gown, appeared.
“OLIVIA!!!!”
As soon as her name was heard from somewhere, the crowd immediately started chanting for her.
“Your Highness, the Princess!!!”
“Congratulations on your wedding!!!”
Sporadic cheers poured in like a tidal wave.
Leonard folded his right arm and extended it to Olivia with a dignified expression, and Olivia took his arm, catching her trembling breath.
Bathed in a torrent of flashes, Olivia kept pace with the King. She worried that her legs would tremble and stumble, but perhaps because she'd replayed the thought dozens of times, or perhaps because King Herod was standing beside her, her legs didn't tremble.
As they slowly climbed the steps of the ornate and elegant Hamelin Cathedral, Leonard suddenly spoke.
“The people you truly deserve recognition from are those behind you right now.”
“...”
“Get recognition not from those above these stairs, but from the people of Herod who cheer you on from below these stairs.”
When Olivia slowly turned her head to look at Leonard, he was looking down at her, too.
“Can you do it, Olivia?”
Olivia answered the question calmly after climbing a few steps.
“Of course, Your Majesty.”
Leonard, seeing the strength hidden within that calmness, burst into hearty laughter as he climbed the stairs. Laughing while escorting someone was clearly against etiquette, but who knows?
Leonard's spirits soared higher than the spires of Hamelin Cathedral.
“I see His Majesty is in a good mood.”
Usher said this and turned to Noah. But Noah didn't seem to hear him.
Noah's gaze was fixed on one spot, without the slightest deviation. As usual, it was moderately cool, moderately debauched, and moderately relaxed, but the feeling was different.
Usher had seen his brother like this before. He turned his head to follow Noah's gaze. As expected, there was Olivia, a white lily.
As he turned my gaze to Noah, that day suddenly came to mind.
“Usher, I’ll do it.”
Noah, who had left those words behind and disappeared, headed to Pulder the very next day like an impatient person and finally brought Olivia with him.
Usher licked his lips, then leaned closer to Noah and whispered in his ear.
“Congratulations on your wedding, Noah.”
Only then did Noah turn to look at Usher. Usher took a few steps back and gave Olivia and his father a quick glance.
As Noah turned his head, smiling, Leonard was staring at him. Noah bowed politely to his father's gaze, and the guards on standby saluted in unison, as if they had been waiting for him.
As Leonard and Olivia finally climbed the stairs and reached the entrance of Hamelin Cathedral, the somewhat noisy interior of the cathedral became quiet, and the cheers of the crowds that filled the street also died down.
As Leonard looked down at Olivia, she released her left hand from its grip on the King and took the bouquet. At the same time, Leonard took a step back, and Noah took a step closer.
Olivia slowly raised her gaze and looked at him.
His shadowed eyes beneath the chairman's hat held no wavering. He looked like royalty incarnate again today, more dazzling than anyone else.
“Are you ready?”
Olivia nodded slightly at Noah's soft question.
“Then grab it, Liv. Let’s go.”
Olivia raised her right hand and grabbed Noah's left arm.
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