Episode 111. Excessive Caregiving
Beatrix completely averted her gaze from her husband and drank her tea again. Then, Usher, who was standing beside her, asked discreetly.
“Is the Princess’s health very poor, Mother?”
Upon hearing that, Beatrix slammed her teacup down and pointed at Usher.
“Right. You have to ask like this, like this!”
Beatrix glared at her husband with a fierce look and raised her voice.
“I mean, I heard your only daughter-in-law couldn't attend the event because she was sick! You should ask how sick she is and if she's okay!”
“Ah, no... That’s why I said I’d go along yesterday when you mentioned visiting the sick...”
“Ah, then shall I go too?”
“...”
“Are you going somewhere for fun?! You just said that one thing! It’s not about where or how much it hurts, or if she's okay!”
Leonard flinched, clamped his mouth shut, and then quietly asked.
"How is Olivia's health?"
“...I plan to send someone later. And I have told Olivia that you're also concerned about her health, so please ask how she is when you meet her next time.”
“Alright! Once things get a bit better, I’ll have to invite her to the royal palace soon. My daughter-in-law was on the front page today, too! Even her liking for candy is front-page material!”
“...”
“...”
As Leonard muttered excitedly, Usher and the Queen looked at him with the same expression and let out a deep sigh.
Just then, the King's secretary entered with a soft knock. At that, Leonard's expression changed drastically.
"Yes!"
The mother and son stopped their meal and looked at the secretary, wondering if something important had happened. Sweating profusely under the intense gaze of the three royals, the secretary reported loudly.
"It is said that Her Highness Princess Lucy gave a total of five presentations during class yesterday, and even received applause from her classmates on one of them. She reportedly finished her meal completely and ate sitting side-by-side with the second daughter of Baron Rupel."
Usher furrowed his brow in disgust as he listened to the secretary's report, and Beatrix closed her eyes tightly and let out a long sigh.
Regardless of whether the two of them were doing that or not, Leonard was serious, as if he were listening to a briefing on a national project.
"Also, this morning, having a persistent cough, she visited a doctor, took medicine, and went to school."
“What?! A persistent cough?! That school uniform was way too thin; she really did catch a cold!!”
When Leonard suddenly lost his temper, the secretary flinched and apologized, saying he was sorry.
“What did you do wrong that you need to apologize? You’ve worked so hard. Go on now.”
Unable to bear it any longer, Beatrix sent him out, and Leonard spoke with a look of desperation.
"I told you her coat looked cold. It looks like she caught a cold being in that crowded place..."
“That happens. Stop it. I heard you offered to walk Lucy to school with you again today, but she refused?”
“...”
"Now is the time to relax a bit and watch the direction the child is walking."
Leonard sighed deeply and rubbed his chin.
It seemed that the people in front of him would never understand his feelings.
“Phew... Anyway, if that Noah guy really came because he was worried about Olivia, just like you said... what is he doing right now? Is he taking care of her?”
"That cynical guy, you know."
"Oh my goodness."
It was the exclamation most frequently uttered inwardly by the servants of the Prince's mansion this morning.
"There's still some left."
Noah, sitting next to Olivia, glanced over her bowl and pointed it out as soon as she showed signs of putting down her spoon.
"It’s not that you have a stomach problem, so eat all of that even if you don’t want to."
Unable to resist his urging, Olivia was eventually able to finish her meal only after eating a few more bites.
While Olivia was wiping her mouth with a napkin, Noah held out a small plate containing pills toward her and asked.
"Can you take a pill?"
This... sounds like a question her grandmother asked her when she was exactly ten years old.
"...Sure?"
"Eat."
As Olivia poured the pill into her mouth, Noah held a glass of water right up to her lips. Before she could even feel flustered, the water gushed into her mouth, and Olivia quickly swallowed the pill. Then, Noah immediately shoved a round candy between her lips.
"The candy you like."
“How do you know?”
"Now, there won't be anyone in Herod who doesn't know that fact."
Absurdly enough, it was front-page news.
As Noah answered by wiping the moisture from the corner of Olivia's mouth with his thumb, Olivia quickly wiped his thumb with a napkin.
Why on earth is this man acting like this?
If the person involved feels this way, imagine how the onlookers must feel.
Only Noah Astrid was at ease.
Does a person's way of speaking change like this?
The servants shuddered at the temperature difference, which was enough to make them feel unnecessarily disappointed, and quickly cleared the dishes and left.
"Aren't you coming to work today?"
"Yes."
"Then why did you come early?" Olivia wanted to ask, but she swallowed the question. After all, if she asked with a specific answer in mind, he might end up hurting her feelings.
Noah replied half-heartedly and moved the sofa toward the sunlight. After fiddling with the sofa and curtains this way and that, he suddenly picked Olivia up and sat her on the sofa.
“No, why do you keep...!”
As Olivia patted his shoulder, Noah slumped down beside her and replied quickly.
"Since you keep asking for the reason, it's just easier for me to carry it."
Then, before Olivia could even reply, he took her temperature.
“Pain when breathing?”
"No."
Noah nodded in satisfaction and lay down with his head on Olivia's thigh.
"You just ate, so don't lie down; sit for a moment. It's a really nice sunny day, so get some sunlight. That's how you stay healthy."
Then, he leisurely opens the book.
As Olivia, who had been staring at the sight in disbelief, smirked, Noah asked while turning the page.
"Why are you laughing?"
"It feels just like I’ve become a five-year-old child."
“You endured the pain until you even got sick, so you’re worse than a five-year-old. They would rather die than do anything they dislike. They don’t endure, nor do they hold out. The only benefit of holding out is treating the illness.”
"Then should I act spoiled like a five-year-old?"
"Go ahead and boss me around. I'll take it."
“...”
Olivia, who was about to reply, clamped her mouth shut and gazed beyond the sunlit window. The trees, stripped of all their remaining leaves and left with only bare branches, trembled slightly. Watching the trembling, Olivia quietly fell into thought.
Isn't enduring and holding on the right way? Was it the wrong thing to do?
"Oh, right, Noah."
"Why?"
"They say Princess Lucy finally went to school!"
"In the end, General Lucy achieved victory."
"I should go buy an entrance gift tomorrow."
At those words, Noah, who was reading a book, frowned deeply and looked up.
“Where do you think you’re going? In this condition?”
“Would tomorrow be too much? Then how about the day after tomorrow? We can’t let the gift be delayed too long.”
Then Noah sat up and looked into Olivia's eyes.
“Don’t you remember the people who flocked there that day?”
“...”
"For now, choose Lucy's gift through the merchants. You need a new dress made anyway, so I've called a dressmaker early next week."
"My dress?"
“I’ve thrown away everything that was there before. You don’t want to wear a corset again, do you? From now on, don’t wear a corset, whether for royal events or whatever. I’ve told the dressmaker that, so she's going to bring a completely new design catalog.”
The words that he had thrown away all of that sounded sincere.
Whether Olivia blinked in embarrassment or not, Noah lay back down with his head on her thigh and added at length.
“And since I anticipated you’d argue back again, I looked it up in advance: corsets aren’t a matter of etiquette, and they certainly aren’t a tradition. They’re just ridiculous gadgets created simply to show off a slim waist. So never wear one again.”
“...”
"Answer me, you understand right away."
Noah glared up at her and urged her to answer, and Olivia could not help but nod.
"All right."
Only after hearing a clear answer did he turn his gaze to the book.
This self-centered man... as she said, must have thought she was worse than a five-year-old child.
Olivia soon fell asleep, perhaps due to the drowsiness from the medicine she had taken after the meal. After watching her fall asleep completely, Noah got up and carefully drew the curtains.
Leaving the dimly lit room behind, he stepped outside and headed straight for his office.
The atmosphere of the Prince, who had been guarding the Princess's side with a kind face the whole time, changed to dark like midnight on a new moon night.
He sat in his office and quickly wrote something down.
Meson, who had crept in, swallowed hard at the sudden change in his expression and stood upright at the desk. It felt as though the surroundings were dark, even though the sun hadn't even set yet.
Noah put down his fountain pen and quietly examined the list he had written.
No one is missing.
Meson immediately realized what was written on the paper in the Prince's hand.
Of all people to provoke, they had to provoke Noah Astrid.
Noah blinked slowly and spoke lightly.
“Notify them that we are dropping the investment in Seymour’s hotel and Letium’s mining business.”
Meson looked reluctant at his words.
“Your Highness... regarding the cancellation of the investment related to Wilhelm Corporation... that might be settled somehow, but if you unilaterally reclaim the money intended for Seymour and Letium, you may lose credibility.”
Then Noah let out a chuckle.
"Meson."
"Yes."
“This company isn’t my goal. It’s just a means. It was that way in the past, and it’s just that way now.”
The royal family intended to end the punishment at the level of Lady Timberlin, but he had no intention of doing so. Retaliation inevitably comes with consequences.
And by Noah’s calculations, if this could serve as a warning, it was not a loss.
"Do as I say."
"...All right."
"If Seymour and the Lord of Letium request a meeting, arrange the location in the company reception room."
Meson nodded, hoping that the two clan heads would beg on their hands and feet.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Noah pressed the paper firmly with the pen and pushed it forward toward Meson.
“And keep an eye on the families listed here, and bring me all invitations sent to Olivia from now on.”
“The invitations coming to Her Highness?”
Noah didn't even reply, as if to say not to ask twice, and said something completely different.
"I will be conducting business at the mansion for the time being, so please keep that in mind."
Beatrix completely averted her gaze from her husband and drank her tea again. Then, Usher, who was standing beside her, asked discreetly.
“Is the Princess’s health very poor, Mother?”
Upon hearing that, Beatrix slammed her teacup down and pointed at Usher.
“Right. You have to ask like this, like this!”
Beatrix glared at her husband with a fierce look and raised her voice.
“I mean, I heard your only daughter-in-law couldn't attend the event because she was sick! You should ask how sick she is and if she's okay!”
“Ah, no... That’s why I said I’d go along yesterday when you mentioned visiting the sick...”
“Ah, then shall I go too?”
“...”
“Are you going somewhere for fun?! You just said that one thing! It’s not about where or how much it hurts, or if she's okay!”
Leonard flinched, clamped his mouth shut, and then quietly asked.
"How is Olivia's health?"
“...I plan to send someone later. And I have told Olivia that you're also concerned about her health, so please ask how she is when you meet her next time.”
“Alright! Once things get a bit better, I’ll have to invite her to the royal palace soon. My daughter-in-law was on the front page today, too! Even her liking for candy is front-page material!”
“...”
“...”
As Leonard muttered excitedly, Usher and the Queen looked at him with the same expression and let out a deep sigh.
Just then, the King's secretary entered with a soft knock. At that, Leonard's expression changed drastically.
“Did you find out?!”
The mother and son stopped their meal and looked at the secretary, wondering if something important had happened. Sweating profusely under the intense gaze of the three royals, the secretary reported loudly.
"It is said that Her Highness Princess Lucy gave a total of five presentations during class yesterday, and even received applause from her classmates on one of them. She reportedly finished her meal completely and ate sitting side-by-side with the second daughter of Baron Rupel."
Usher furrowed his brow in disgust as he listened to the secretary's report, and Beatrix closed her eyes tightly and let out a long sigh.
Regardless of whether the two of them were doing that or not, Leonard was serious, as if he were listening to a briefing on a national project.
"Also, this morning, having a persistent cough, she visited a doctor, took medicine, and went to school."
“What?! A persistent cough?! That school uniform was way too thin; she really did catch a cold!!”
When Leonard suddenly lost his temper, the secretary flinched and apologized, saying he was sorry.
“What did you do wrong that you need to apologize? You’ve worked so hard. Go on now.”
Unable to bear it any longer, Beatrix sent him out, and Leonard spoke with a look of desperation.
"I told you her coat looked cold. It looks like she caught a cold being in that crowded place..."
“That happens. Stop it. I heard you offered to walk Lucy to school with you again today, but she refused?”
“...”
"Now is the time to relax a bit and watch the direction the child is walking."
Leonard sighed deeply and rubbed his chin.
It seemed that the people in front of him would never understand his feelings.
“Phew... Anyway, if that Noah guy really came because he was worried about Olivia, just like you said... what is he doing right now? Is he taking care of her?”
"That cynical guy, you know."
***
"Oh my goodness."
It was the exclamation most frequently uttered inwardly by the servants of the Prince's mansion this morning.
"There's still some left."
Noah, sitting next to Olivia, glanced over her bowl and pointed it out as soon as she showed signs of putting down her spoon.
"It’s not that you have a stomach problem, so eat all of that even if you don’t want to."
Unable to resist his urging, Olivia was eventually able to finish her meal only after eating a few more bites.
While Olivia was wiping her mouth with a napkin, Noah held out a small plate containing pills toward her and asked.
"Can you take a pill?"
This... sounds like a question her grandmother asked her when she was exactly ten years old.
"...Sure?"
"Eat."
As Olivia poured the pill into her mouth, Noah held a glass of water right up to her lips. Before she could even feel flustered, the water gushed into her mouth, and Olivia quickly swallowed the pill. Then, Noah immediately shoved a round candy between her lips.
"The candy you like."
“How do you know?”
"Now, there won't be anyone in Herod who doesn't know that fact."
Absurdly enough, it was front-page news.
As Noah answered by wiping the moisture from the corner of Olivia's mouth with his thumb, Olivia quickly wiped his thumb with a napkin.
Why on earth is this man acting like this?
If the person involved feels this way, imagine how the onlookers must feel.
Only Noah Astrid was at ease.
“Clean it up now.”
The servants shuddered at the temperature difference, which was enough to make them feel unnecessarily disappointed, and quickly cleared the dishes and left.
"Aren't you coming to work today?"
"Yes."
"Then why did you come early?" Olivia wanted to ask, but she swallowed the question. After all, if she asked with a specific answer in mind, he might end up hurting her feelings.
Noah replied half-heartedly and moved the sofa toward the sunlight. After fiddling with the sofa and curtains this way and that, he suddenly picked Olivia up and sat her on the sofa.
“No, why do you keep...!”
As Olivia patted his shoulder, Noah slumped down beside her and replied quickly.
"Since you keep asking for the reason, it's just easier for me to carry it."
Then, before Olivia could even reply, he took her temperature.
“Pain when breathing?”
"No."
Noah nodded in satisfaction and lay down with his head on Olivia's thigh.
"You just ate, so don't lie down; sit for a moment. It's a really nice sunny day, so get some sunlight. That's how you stay healthy."
Then, he leisurely opens the book.
As Olivia, who had been staring at the sight in disbelief, smirked, Noah asked while turning the page.
"Why are you laughing?"
"It feels just like I’ve become a five-year-old child."
“You endured the pain until you even got sick, so you’re worse than a five-year-old. They would rather die than do anything they dislike. They don’t endure, nor do they hold out. The only benefit of holding out is treating the illness.”
"Then should I act spoiled like a five-year-old?"
"Go ahead and boss me around. I'll take it."
“...”
Olivia, who was about to reply, clamped her mouth shut and gazed beyond the sunlit window. The trees, stripped of all their remaining leaves and left with only bare branches, trembled slightly. Watching the trembling, Olivia quietly fell into thought.
Isn't enduring and holding on the right way? Was it the wrong thing to do?
"Oh, right, Noah."
"Why?"
"They say Princess Lucy finally went to school!"
"In the end, General Lucy achieved victory."
"I should go buy an entrance gift tomorrow."
At those words, Noah, who was reading a book, frowned deeply and looked up.
“Where do you think you’re going? In this condition?”
“Would tomorrow be too much? Then how about the day after tomorrow? We can’t let the gift be delayed too long.”
Then Noah sat up and looked into Olivia's eyes.
“Don’t you remember the people who flocked there that day?”
“...”
"For now, choose Lucy's gift through the merchants. You need a new dress made anyway, so I've called a dressmaker early next week."
"My dress?"
“I’ve thrown away everything that was there before. You don’t want to wear a corset again, do you? From now on, don’t wear a corset, whether for royal events or whatever. I’ve told the dressmaker that, so she's going to bring a completely new design catalog.”
The words that he had thrown away all of that sounded sincere.
Whether Olivia blinked in embarrassment or not, Noah lay back down with his head on her thigh and added at length.
“And since I anticipated you’d argue back again, I looked it up in advance: corsets aren’t a matter of etiquette, and they certainly aren’t a tradition. They’re just ridiculous gadgets created simply to show off a slim waist. So never wear one again.”
“...”
"Answer me, you understand right away."
Noah glared up at her and urged her to answer, and Olivia could not help but nod.
"All right."
Only after hearing a clear answer did he turn his gaze to the book.
This self-centered man... as she said, must have thought she was worse than a five-year-old child.
Olivia soon fell asleep, perhaps due to the drowsiness from the medicine she had taken after the meal. After watching her fall asleep completely, Noah got up and carefully drew the curtains.
Leaving the dimly lit room behind, he stepped outside and headed straight for his office.
The atmosphere of the Prince, who had been guarding the Princess's side with a kind face the whole time, changed to dark like midnight on a new moon night.
He sat in his office and quickly wrote something down.
Meson, who had crept in, swallowed hard at the sudden change in his expression and stood upright at the desk. It felt as though the surroundings were dark, even though the sun hadn't even set yet.
Noah put down his fountain pen and quietly examined the list he had written.
No one is missing.
Meson immediately realized what was written on the paper in the Prince's hand.
Of all people to provoke, they had to provoke Noah Astrid.
Noah blinked slowly and spoke lightly.
“Notify them that we are dropping the investment in Seymour’s hotel and Letium’s mining business.”
Meson looked reluctant at his words.
“Your Highness... regarding the cancellation of the investment related to Wilhelm Corporation... that might be settled somehow, but if you unilaterally reclaim the money intended for Seymour and Letium, you may lose credibility.”
Then Noah let out a chuckle.
"Meson."
"Yes."
“This company isn’t my goal. It’s just a means. It was that way in the past, and it’s just that way now.”
The royal family intended to end the punishment at the level of Lady Timberlin, but he had no intention of doing so. Retaliation inevitably comes with consequences.
And by Noah’s calculations, if this could serve as a warning, it was not a loss.
"Do as I say."
"...All right."
"If Seymour and the Lord of Letium request a meeting, arrange the location in the company reception room."
Meson nodded, hoping that the two clan heads would beg on their hands and feet.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Noah pressed the paper firmly with the pen and pushed it forward toward Meson.
“And keep an eye on the families listed here, and bring me all invitations sent to Olivia from now on.”
“The invitations coming to Her Highness?”
Noah didn't even reply, as if to say not to ask twice, and said something completely different.
"I will be conducting business at the mansion for the time being, so please keep that in mind."
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