Episode 105. Confirmation of Punishment
Just as Noah could not sleep all night, Beatrix also had a restless night.
There were two reasons, one of which was, naturally, the problem with Noah and Olivia.
While she was listening to the full story of the incident from Meson, who had come to visit the doctor, the Countess Timberlin arrived looking pale. Beatrix sent her away.
"Tell her to go back, as I will hear the story from the Princess first."
And according to the doctor who arrived at the Prince's mansion late at night to examine the Princess's condition, she had contracted corset disease.
Beatrix let out a deep, long sigh.
As the thought of Olivia enduring the pain to attend class came to mind, she, too, felt a lump in her throat.
“I made the wrong choice...”
A wave of belated regret washed over her.
“I think I made the wrong choice, Trixie.”
The King heard the Queen muttering while lying in bed and replied curtly.
As Beatrix turned her head, Leonard was constantly checking and rechecking the documents with his hand on his forehead.
He was the biggest factor keeping her awake at night these past few days.
“Stop it, Leonard. Do you know how much Lucy likes you?”
“...”
“You probably don’t know how many times she has worn a school uniform.”
“And that school uniform, too. It’s going to get cold in just a month, but the coat was way too thin!”
To think that a King of a nation with so much to do would even care about the material of his daughter's school uniform.
“She is going to travel by carriage and go straight into the classroom. Inside the classroom, she has to handle everything on her own without anyone to attend to her, so why are you dressing her in bulky fur?”
“I don’t like that either. What if something happens to Lucy while she’s alone in the classroom, Trixie?”
Does he think the place Lucy is going is a battlefield, not a school?
When Noah was about to set out for his first naval battle, her husband said this to her, who could not sleep due to anxiety.
"When weighing all possibilities, Noah will return without a scratch. Don't worry."
Although King Herod viewed everything in the world with the coldness of pieces on a chessboard, his discernment vanished completely when it came to Lucy. Beatrix let out a sigh bordering on lamentation and gently stroked her husband's shoulder.
“Leonard, why would Lucy be the only one in the classroom? There are friends her age and teachers, too.”
“...”
"It was the same when Usher and Noah were in school. They both graduated without any issues, didn't they? Don't worry."
They say no finger doesn't hurt when bitten, but for Leonard, his beloved daughter, born late in life, and his two grown sons, couldn't even be compared.
Leonard was constantly anxious and grumbled, restless, unable to sleep.
It finally calmed down a bit only after Beatrix burst out in anger.
“Stop it! If you’re going to keep tossing and turning, go sleep somewhere else! I need to get some sleep too!”
The next day.
Unfortunately, what awaited Beatrix, who had been tormented by her husband all night, was her son, who looked exactly like his father.
However, the son was surprisingly calm. It was to the point where he seemed cold.
Considering the nature of the event, he was dressed in a naval uniform, and the Duke of Rosemond's insignia on his right chest gleamed in the early morning sunlight.
Beatrix sat opposite Noah and asked.
"How is Olivia doing?"
"She woke up briefly at dawn, but fell back asleep thanks to the medicine. Her fever is still fluctuating, though."
Beatrix let out a short sigh and apologized directly.
"I picked the wrong person. I'm sorry."
However, Noah remained silent, as if he had not wanted to hear her apology. After dismissing even the head maid standing beside her, Beatrix lowered her voice and spoke.
"The punishment will be carried out secretly. If she is punished publicly, Olivia's reputation will also be tarnished."
Noah, who had kept his eyes downcast until then, finally lifted them. He slowly exhaled and spoke.
"It must be difficult to punish the people who were there."
“...Fine. That will be difficult. However, I promise you punishment for the Countess Timberlin. It goes without saying that she will be removed from her position as Olivia’s etiquette teacher.”
Noah, who was expected to be furious, surprisingly nodded obediently.
"All right."
He was very calm and polite. He did not exude an ill-tempered or aggressive aura, nor did he behave rudely.
However, strangely enough, even his mother, who was facing him, felt her heart pounding anxiously.
Noah... no, Duke Rosemond blinked slowly and rose from his seat. His face, with its distinct lines as if sculpted with a sharp chisel, felt unfamiliar, as if it were not his son.
"The Princess will not be attending today's event. Please convey this message to His Majesty on her behalf, Mother."
"Alright. I will go visit the Princess."
"I'll be back."
He greeted her politely with the discipline of a soldier, then disappeared without looking back.
Beatrix, who had been staring blankly at the spot where he had disappeared, rubbed her chin at the uneasy feeling that was creeping over her.
“Noah went out of his way to come find me this morning...”
Beatrix, who had been muttering in a daze, realized the purpose of his visit only belatedly.
"No way..."
He had not come to inform them that the Princess would not be attending. Nor had he come to insist that the Countess of Timberlin not be hired as a teacher of etiquette.
Those two things were simply perfectly natural.
Rather than that,
"He came to see how he would punish those involved."
Beatrix's flustered voice seeped into the empty sunlight and faded away.
Noah had no intention of forgiving not only the Countess Timberlin but also all the noble ladies who had mocked Olivia on the spot.
***
Countess Timberlin, having spent a sleepless night, headed to the Queen's Palace early in the morning. Last night, she had clung to her brother, Marquis Letium, weeping and wailing, but the Marquis had coldly pushed her away.
“I was uneasy from the moment you said you were going to be the Princess’s etiquette tutor. You have no common sense; what on earth have you been doing?! Make it clear that Letium has absolutely no connection to this matter, understand?!”
She considered visiting the Princess, but the image of Prince Noah's sharp face came to mind, and she could not bring herself to do it.
So, imagine how she must have felt when she met him at the Queen's palace, where she had come to escape the Prince.
“...”
Mrs. Timberlin's gray eyes wavered rapidly. She instinctively looked behind her as she watched Noah descend the stairs one step at a time.
The etiquette teacher, who pointed out even the slightest movement of Olivia's fingers, acted completely contrary to etiquette in front of the bared beast.
She couldn't even offer a greeting, nor could she assume the elegant posture she had emphasized so much.
Noah approached her with leisurely steps, like a lion playing with its prey.
The sight of her not even daring to make eye contact was incredibly pathetic. He was unbearably angry at the fact that someone of such low standing had tried to toy with Olivia.
It seems the label of being of commoner origin felt heavier than the name 'Rosemond Astrid'.
"Did you sleep well, Countess Timberlin?"
Noah stopped a step ahead of her and whispered softly. His voice, low enough to be heard from his heart, was filled with unhidden hostility.
Mrs. Timberlin's lips trembled slightly, then she cautiously lifted her eyes.
The Prince's eyes, which she had thought were green, looked unusually red today. With a surprisingly affectionate expression, he muttered words that were far from affectionate.
“I clearly warned you. I don’t know if my warning was funny to you, or if you just couldn’t get it.”
He must have felt no need to beat around the bush.
As the gaze feigning affection froze in an instant, Countess Timberlin shuddered, feeling as if she had been bitten on the nape of the neck by a lion's jaws.
She just wanted to disappear and hide anywhere. But she couldn't move a single step.
“Your Highness, please listen to me...”
Countess Timberlin managed to speak with all her might, but soon realized that she could not make an excuse with any words.
What will you say to the Prince who recognized at a glance that yesterday's gathering was a Shine Party?
Noah, staring blankly at her, muttered with a mocking smile.
"I'm sick of it."
“...”
“Ah, and please do not, under any circumstances, visit the Princess. I just came back after instructing that not even your shadow be allowed to cross the wall of my house.”
Then, leaving the despairing Mrs. Timberlin behind, he walked away leisurely. He heard the sound of her collapsing to the ground, but Noah did not even look back.
Shortly after, Beatrix greeted Mrs. Timberlin with a cold expression. Yesterday, she had sent her away, saying she would hear from the Princess first, but upon hearing that she had met Noah in the hall, she allowed the meeting.
Mrs. Timberlin looked extremely disoriented, her face half-dazed. The lady, who valued elegance above all else, blinked frantically and repeatedly moistened her dry lips.
However, she didn't feel a shred of sympathy for her.
"I'm sorry about what happened yesterday."
“Wow, Your Majesty the Queen...”
"Do you have something to say?"
“I... it is an undeniable fact that I was at a different table while leaving Her Highness the Princess behind, and it is certainly something I should apologize for. However, to think that it was the Shine Party... Absolutely, absolutely not. It is a misunderstanding.”
At Mrs. Timberlin's earnest words, Beatrix lowered her eyes and nodded slightly.
At the sight of her, Mrs. Timberlin, who had been plunged into the darkness of despair, felt as though she had found a ray of light. Thinking there might be a way out, she straightened her back, but the Queen spoke monotonously.
"The Princess was unconscious all night."
Comments
Post a Comment