Episode 116. The Similar Father and Son
“Ah... I see.”
As Mrs. Letium, feeling embarrassed, tried to straighten her back elegantly, Mrs. Timberlin also quickly straightened her back.
“What brought you to see me?”
Mrs. Letium glanced at the Princess sitting opposite her. Although her jawline was sharp from the weight loss—perhaps because she was indeed ill—her eyes were naturally round, making her look infinitely harmless.
Besides, there is no Prince.
What a wonderful time!
Mrs. Letium opened her mouth with a tearful expression.
“Your Highness... I heard that you were in terrible pain that day, at that very spot. How much suffering you must have endured? I was unaware of it... Why wouldn't I be? Wasn't that the first time I met Your Highness? And it wasn't even a meeting arranged by prior notice.”
As she teared up and her lips trembled, Mrs. Timberlin, who was standing beside her, quickly added.
“I should have been by Your Highness’s side... As Your Highness knows, my old friends were there that day by ‘coincidence,’ quite ‘coincidence.’ Didn’t I even ask for your understanding?”
"That's right."
When Olivia lightly affirmed, Mrs. Timberlin thought she was right and appealed.
"Our conversation went on for so long that I didn't realize Your Highness was ill. Indeed... you should have told me if you were sick."
Jonan, who was listening from behind, twitched his brow slightly. He pricked up his ears and stuffed the words the two were spitting out into his head.
"Listen carefully and remember whether the visitors apologize properly to Olivia."
Noah had entrusted a special mission to Jonan, who had a good memory.
At that moment, Olivia, who had been just listening, nodded her head calmly again.
“I know. I realized through this experience that letting people know in advance when you’re not feeling well saves a lot of trouble for many people.”
Then Mrs. Timberlin nodded as if she had been waiting for this moment.
“Yes. You must do so, Your Highness. That is why I am asking. His Royal Highness the Prince’s misunderstanding is very deep.”
The Marchioness also quickly chimed in.
“I sincerely hope Your Highness will clear up Prince's misunderstanding.”
Olivia glanced at the Marchioness, then looked at Mrs. Timberlin and asked.
“I have a question, Madam.”
"Yes."
"What is a Shine Party?"
"... Yes?"
“I am asking out of curiosity. For me to accurately understand His Highness’s ‘misunderstanding,’ I first need to know what the Shine Party, which is the point of contention, actually is.”
The Princess, who had looked harmless with her round, gentle face, suddenly felt like a dead end. While the Marchioness Letium hesitated, Mrs. Timberin moistened her dry lips with her tongue.
However, Olivia remained silent until the end, urging for an answer, and Mrs. Timberlin had no choice but to speak.
“Uh... so... um... It’s a party that... excludes... one person from the party.”
"So, you mean you ostracize a specific person within the party. How do you do that?"
“...”
When there was no answer, Olivia smiled as if she understood.
"So this is exactly where the misunderstanding originated. It seems that having one person sit alone and excluded from the party while everyone else is chatting at their tables was one of the methods of a shine party. Of course, Mrs. Seymour did come to my table briefly that day, though."
“Your, Your Highness...!”
"Let me ask you. Is a Shine Party an official event, or is it a type of behavior conducted in various ways depending on the occasion?"
Jonan, who had been tensing his whole body behind the Princess's back, suddenly let go of his strength.
Olivia was quietly pressuring them.
“Indeed. Such a party could hardly be official. It is likely a tactic designed to corner someone at an arranged gathering. Am I right, Marchioness Letium?”
Marchioness Letium could not help but nod, even though she felt herself being dissuaded.
“...Yes, that is correct.”
Olivia looked back at Mrs. Timberlin.
“Actions can easily lead to unnecessary misunderstandings. I am reminded of your teaching that, now that I have become a Princess Consort, I must pay attention to even the smallest of my actions.”
“Your Highness...!”
The smile on Olivia's face evaporated without a sound.
“Since you once taught me, let me ask you just one more thing. When in the future I feel that I have become the protagonist of a behavior that might be mistaken for a 'Shine Party' just like back then,”
“...”
“How is it wise to act, Countess Timberlin?”
It was a sharp question.
A chill ran down the spine of the Marchioness Letium, who had looked down on the Princess Consort because of her gentle face and demeanor. Armed with cold reason and logic, the Princess Consort was cornering those who had tried to obtain what they wanted without apologizing.
When Marchioness Letium met those dark eyes she had considered gentle, she felt as though she had come face to face with an unfathomable abyss. The Princess was not the type of person to naively admit she was at fault and let it slide.
“Without the Prince’s investment, we’ll go bankrupt, got it?!”
“Whether she was a commoner or not, she is Astrid now. She is King Leonard’s daughter-in-law and Prince Noah’s wife!"
In the end, Marchioness Letium had no choice but to accept the fact that the woman before her was Astrid. And once she accepted that, it became clear what she had to do right there and now.
Marchioness Letium took a slow, deep breath, bowed her head respectfully, and clearly apologized.
“I am sorry, Your Highness. Please forgive me.”
Mrs. Timberlin glared in surprise at her proud sister-in-law's behavior, but upon seeing the determined expression beneath her bowed head, she quickly rose from her seat and bowed.
“Forgive me, Your Highness. I am sorry.”
Olivia stared at them for a moment, then slowly began to speak.
"Both of you, please raise your heads."
The two of them raised their heads only after Olivia gave her permission.
There was no longer any contempt or mockery in Mrs. Timberlin's gray eyes. They were filled only with desperation. On the face of the Marchioness Letium, too, was only determination.
Olivia looked back and forth between the two, then pulled up her lips into a smile. However, perhaps because she had realized that she was no pushover, even that smile seemed to overlap with Noah, who used to smile while spitting out venomous words.
As the two of them unconsciously swallowed hard, Olivia spoke.
"I believe your statement that it was not a shine party."
As soon as she finished speaking, Mrs. Timberlin let out a long sigh and squeezed her eyes shut.
“Yes... Your Highness.”
"If we happen to meet at a banquet next time, let's catch up."
Marchioness Letium bowed her head respectfully again.
“Of course, Your Highness. I will attend to you.”
“I am not sure if this will be of any help, but I will tell His Royal Highness that I do not consider that party a Shine Party.”
"Thank you."
Afterwards, Mrs. Timberlin repeatedly apologized for forcing a corset and for the unpleasant incidents that occurred while she was teaching.
After the two of them left, Olivia quietly asked Jonan, who was standing behind her.
“Do you know what on earth His Highness said to them?”
Jonan scratched the bridge of his nose and replied with an awkward expression.
"He probably didn't say much."
“..?”
"Don't His Highness hate long-winded talk? Perhaps he showed it through his actions?"
Olivia remained silent. It seemed she had something to say, but she was undoubtedly keeping quiet because it was not something to say in front of the Prince's bodyguard.
Perhaps it was something like, "Actions shouldn't precede words."
Jonan just shrugged his shoulders and grinned.
It was because the image of a white rabbit sitting on the head of a large male lion and directing the way came to mind again.
Meanwhile, around that time, the palace.
The reason King Leonard summoned Noah early in the morning was none other than a problem related to the Magic Dome.
"Unit 2, which had been having problems recently, eventually stopped working, and Wilhelm Corporation informed us that it would take quite a long time to fix it because they did not have the necessary parts."
However, the lack of parts was just an excuse, and it felt clear that this was retaliation for Noah's canceling the investment.
King Leonard's wrath was as cold as the north wind in midwinter.
“This fearless bastard dares to pick a fight with me. He seems to think Herod will perish without the Magic Dome.”
The secretaries and aides held their ground before the King, who was spitting out every single word fiercely, while Usher and Noah remained silent, each lost in their own thoughts.
Eventually, Usher opened his mouth.
"Wilhelm & Co. will have to take a risk, too. Many countries will be watching this closely. And anxiety will begin to take root—an anxiety that Wilhelm & Co. could use the Magic Dome to intervene internally at any time."
As soon as he finished speaking, Noah took over.
“Since there have been no monster sightings for the time being, I think it would be best to station a warship equipped with a Magic Dome in Haroldington Bay next spring to fill the void left by Magic Dome Unit 2. Furthermore, let us refer this matter to the International Fact-Finding Committee to gather public opinion.”
“Yes. We must use the anxiety of neighboring countries to put pressure on Wilhelm & Co."
Then the secretaries and aides nodded in agreement.
"That is a good idea."
“Please do as His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and the Duke of Rosemond have said.”
After a moment of thought, Leonard proceeded with a meeting to further refine the ideas proposed by Usher and Noah.
The two-hour meeting ended with Leonard signing the documents to be submitted to the International Truth Commission.
As the secretary straightened up his back after neatly organizing the documents, Leonard suddenly asked him.
“By the way, how is Lucy’s cough?”
Then, the secretary reported in detail with a serious expression, as if explaining an important business matter.
"Although the persistent cough has worsened slightly, the student said it did not significantly hinder their ability to attend school, so they came to school again today."
“It’s been ages since that persistent cough started, and it’s still like this?! It’s not something like asthma, is it?!”
“Since three doctors are seeing patients at the same time...”
“But why isn’t it getting better?!”
Noah, who was sitting on the sofa looking at his watch, frowned as he looked at the King, then turned to Usher, who was sitting beside him.
“...It’s an obsession.”
Usher whispered with a look of disgust, and Noah nodded slightly.
“If you have something urgent, go ahead. By the way, has the Princess’s health improved?”
"She has gotten better, but she is not completely fine yet."
The brothers were talking for a moment when Leonard suddenly butted in.
“Oh, right, Noah! Did you say you’re canceling the money you agreed to invest in Letium and Seymour?”
Noah looked back at his father, thinking about how fast rumors travel. Then he answered monotonously.
“Yes, that is correct. However, in the case of Letium, it may or may not be canceled depending on how it is handled.”
Of course, he also wanted to cancel it with Letium, considering the matter with Countess Timberlin. However, since the Queen had already retaliated against Countess Timberlin, he could not go a step further.
"Won't your company's reputation suffer? Neither of you is heavily involved in politics, so it doesn't concern me, though."
Noah answered Leonard's question with a smirk.
"That doesn't mean we shouldn't do what needs to be done."
With those words, he stood up neatly from his seat.
“Then I shall take my leave, Your Majesty. Please call upon me again if you need me.”
Perhaps because he wasn't being harassed by the media, he looked much more relaxed than before.
“Very well, do so. Give my regards to Olivia as well. And tell her to stop by the palace.”
"She hasn't fully recovered yet. I'll come with her when she's healthy."
As Noah withdrew after indirectly refusing even the King's courtesy, Leonard twitched his lips with a sour expression and muttered.
"Good grief, did I tell you to come to a dangerous place?"
The rest of the people who had been watching the father and son objectively shook their heads slightly at the same time and thought.
Whether it's the father telling his daughter not to go to school because she has a lingering cough, or the son, father, and son are exactly the same.
“Ah... I see.”
As Mrs. Letium, feeling embarrassed, tried to straighten her back elegantly, Mrs. Timberlin also quickly straightened her back.
“What brought you to see me?”
Mrs. Letium glanced at the Princess sitting opposite her. Although her jawline was sharp from the weight loss—perhaps because she was indeed ill—her eyes were naturally round, making her look infinitely harmless.
Besides, there is no Prince.
What a wonderful time!
Mrs. Letium opened her mouth with a tearful expression.
“Your Highness... I heard that you were in terrible pain that day, at that very spot. How much suffering you must have endured? I was unaware of it... Why wouldn't I be? Wasn't that the first time I met Your Highness? And it wasn't even a meeting arranged by prior notice.”
As she teared up and her lips trembled, Mrs. Timberlin, who was standing beside her, quickly added.
“I should have been by Your Highness’s side... As Your Highness knows, my old friends were there that day by ‘coincidence,’ quite ‘coincidence.’ Didn’t I even ask for your understanding?”
"That's right."
When Olivia lightly affirmed, Mrs. Timberlin thought she was right and appealed.
"Our conversation went on for so long that I didn't realize Your Highness was ill. Indeed... you should have told me if you were sick."
Jonan, who was listening from behind, twitched his brow slightly. He pricked up his ears and stuffed the words the two were spitting out into his head.
"Listen carefully and remember whether the visitors apologize properly to Olivia."
Noah had entrusted a special mission to Jonan, who had a good memory.
At that moment, Olivia, who had been just listening, nodded her head calmly again.
“I know. I realized through this experience that letting people know in advance when you’re not feeling well saves a lot of trouble for many people.”
Then Mrs. Timberlin nodded as if she had been waiting for this moment.
“Yes. You must do so, Your Highness. That is why I am asking. His Royal Highness the Prince’s misunderstanding is very deep.”
The Marchioness also quickly chimed in.
“I sincerely hope Your Highness will clear up Prince's misunderstanding.”
Olivia glanced at the Marchioness, then looked at Mrs. Timberlin and asked.
“I have a question, Madam.”
"Yes."
"What is a Shine Party?"
"... Yes?"
“I am asking out of curiosity. For me to accurately understand His Highness’s ‘misunderstanding,’ I first need to know what the Shine Party, which is the point of contention, actually is.”
The Princess, who had looked harmless with her round, gentle face, suddenly felt like a dead end. While the Marchioness Letium hesitated, Mrs. Timberin moistened her dry lips with her tongue.
However, Olivia remained silent until the end, urging for an answer, and Mrs. Timberlin had no choice but to speak.
“Uh... so... um... It’s a party that... excludes... one person from the party.”
"So, you mean you ostracize a specific person within the party. How do you do that?"
“...”
When there was no answer, Olivia smiled as if she understood.
"So this is exactly where the misunderstanding originated. It seems that having one person sit alone and excluded from the party while everyone else is chatting at their tables was one of the methods of a shine party. Of course, Mrs. Seymour did come to my table briefly that day, though."
“Your, Your Highness...!”
"Let me ask you. Is a Shine Party an official event, or is it a type of behavior conducted in various ways depending on the occasion?"
Jonan, who had been tensing his whole body behind the Princess's back, suddenly let go of his strength.
Olivia was quietly pressuring them.
“Indeed. Such a party could hardly be official. It is likely a tactic designed to corner someone at an arranged gathering. Am I right, Marchioness Letium?”
Marchioness Letium could not help but nod, even though she felt herself being dissuaded.
“...Yes, that is correct.”
Olivia looked back at Mrs. Timberlin.
“Actions can easily lead to unnecessary misunderstandings. I am reminded of your teaching that, now that I have become a Princess Consort, I must pay attention to even the smallest of my actions.”
“Your Highness...!”
The smile on Olivia's face evaporated without a sound.
“Since you once taught me, let me ask you just one more thing. When in the future I feel that I have become the protagonist of a behavior that might be mistaken for a 'Shine Party' just like back then,”
“...”
“How is it wise to act, Countess Timberlin?”
It was a sharp question.
A chill ran down the spine of the Marchioness Letium, who had looked down on the Princess Consort because of her gentle face and demeanor. Armed with cold reason and logic, the Princess Consort was cornering those who had tried to obtain what they wanted without apologizing.
When Marchioness Letium met those dark eyes she had considered gentle, she felt as though she had come face to face with an unfathomable abyss. The Princess was not the type of person to naively admit she was at fault and let it slide.
“Without the Prince’s investment, we’ll go bankrupt, got it?!”
“Whether she was a commoner or not, she is Astrid now. She is King Leonard’s daughter-in-law and Prince Noah’s wife!"
In the end, Marchioness Letium had no choice but to accept the fact that the woman before her was Astrid. And once she accepted that, it became clear what she had to do right there and now.
Marchioness Letium took a slow, deep breath, bowed her head respectfully, and clearly apologized.
“I am sorry, Your Highness. Please forgive me.”
Mrs. Timberlin glared in surprise at her proud sister-in-law's behavior, but upon seeing the determined expression beneath her bowed head, she quickly rose from her seat and bowed.
“Forgive me, Your Highness. I am sorry.”
Olivia stared at them for a moment, then slowly began to speak.
"Both of you, please raise your heads."
The two of them raised their heads only after Olivia gave her permission.
There was no longer any contempt or mockery in Mrs. Timberlin's gray eyes. They were filled only with desperation. On the face of the Marchioness Letium, too, was only determination.
Olivia looked back and forth between the two, then pulled up her lips into a smile. However, perhaps because she had realized that she was no pushover, even that smile seemed to overlap with Noah, who used to smile while spitting out venomous words.
As the two of them unconsciously swallowed hard, Olivia spoke.
"I believe your statement that it was not a shine party."
As soon as she finished speaking, Mrs. Timberlin let out a long sigh and squeezed her eyes shut.
“Yes... Your Highness.”
"If we happen to meet at a banquet next time, let's catch up."
Marchioness Letium bowed her head respectfully again.
“Of course, Your Highness. I will attend to you.”
“I am not sure if this will be of any help, but I will tell His Royal Highness that I do not consider that party a Shine Party.”
"Thank you."
Afterwards, Mrs. Timberlin repeatedly apologized for forcing a corset and for the unpleasant incidents that occurred while she was teaching.
After the two of them left, Olivia quietly asked Jonan, who was standing behind her.
“Do you know what on earth His Highness said to them?”
Jonan scratched the bridge of his nose and replied with an awkward expression.
"He probably didn't say much."
“..?”
"Don't His Highness hate long-winded talk? Perhaps he showed it through his actions?"
Olivia remained silent. It seemed she had something to say, but she was undoubtedly keeping quiet because it was not something to say in front of the Prince's bodyguard.
Perhaps it was something like, "Actions shouldn't precede words."
Jonan just shrugged his shoulders and grinned.
It was because the image of a white rabbit sitting on the head of a large male lion and directing the way came to mind again.
***
Meanwhile, around that time, the palace.
The reason King Leonard summoned Noah early in the morning was none other than a problem related to the Magic Dome.
"Unit 2, which had been having problems recently, eventually stopped working, and Wilhelm Corporation informed us that it would take quite a long time to fix it because they did not have the necessary parts."
However, the lack of parts was just an excuse, and it felt clear that this was retaliation for Noah's canceling the investment.
King Leonard's wrath was as cold as the north wind in midwinter.
“This fearless bastard dares to pick a fight with me. He seems to think Herod will perish without the Magic Dome.”
The secretaries and aides held their ground before the King, who was spitting out every single word fiercely, while Usher and Noah remained silent, each lost in their own thoughts.
Eventually, Usher opened his mouth.
"Wilhelm & Co. will have to take a risk, too. Many countries will be watching this closely. And anxiety will begin to take root—an anxiety that Wilhelm & Co. could use the Magic Dome to intervene internally at any time."
As soon as he finished speaking, Noah took over.
“Since there have been no monster sightings for the time being, I think it would be best to station a warship equipped with a Magic Dome in Haroldington Bay next spring to fill the void left by Magic Dome Unit 2. Furthermore, let us refer this matter to the International Fact-Finding Committee to gather public opinion.”
“Yes. We must use the anxiety of neighboring countries to put pressure on Wilhelm & Co."
Then the secretaries and aides nodded in agreement.
"That is a good idea."
“Please do as His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and the Duke of Rosemond have said.”
After a moment of thought, Leonard proceeded with a meeting to further refine the ideas proposed by Usher and Noah.
The two-hour meeting ended with Leonard signing the documents to be submitted to the International Truth Commission.
As the secretary straightened up his back after neatly organizing the documents, Leonard suddenly asked him.
“By the way, how is Lucy’s cough?”
Then, the secretary reported in detail with a serious expression, as if explaining an important business matter.
"Although the persistent cough has worsened slightly, the student said it did not significantly hinder their ability to attend school, so they came to school again today."
“It’s been ages since that persistent cough started, and it’s still like this?! It’s not something like asthma, is it?!”
“Since three doctors are seeing patients at the same time...”
“But why isn’t it getting better?!”
Noah, who was sitting on the sofa looking at his watch, frowned as he looked at the King, then turned to Usher, who was sitting beside him.
“...It’s an obsession.”
Usher whispered with a look of disgust, and Noah nodded slightly.
“If you have something urgent, go ahead. By the way, has the Princess’s health improved?”
"She has gotten better, but she is not completely fine yet."
The brothers were talking for a moment when Leonard suddenly butted in.
“Oh, right, Noah! Did you say you’re canceling the money you agreed to invest in Letium and Seymour?”
Noah looked back at his father, thinking about how fast rumors travel. Then he answered monotonously.
“Yes, that is correct. However, in the case of Letium, it may or may not be canceled depending on how it is handled.”
Of course, he also wanted to cancel it with Letium, considering the matter with Countess Timberlin. However, since the Queen had already retaliated against Countess Timberlin, he could not go a step further.
"Won't your company's reputation suffer? Neither of you is heavily involved in politics, so it doesn't concern me, though."
Noah answered Leonard's question with a smirk.
"That doesn't mean we shouldn't do what needs to be done."
With those words, he stood up neatly from his seat.
“Then I shall take my leave, Your Majesty. Please call upon me again if you need me.”
Perhaps because he wasn't being harassed by the media, he looked much more relaxed than before.
“Very well, do so. Give my regards to Olivia as well. And tell her to stop by the palace.”
"She hasn't fully recovered yet. I'll come with her when she's healthy."
As Noah withdrew after indirectly refusing even the King's courtesy, Leonard twitched his lips with a sour expression and muttered.
"Good grief, did I tell you to come to a dangerous place?"
The rest of the people who had been watching the father and son objectively shook their heads slightly at the same time and thought.
Whether it's the father telling his daughter not to go to school because she has a lingering cough, or the son, father, and son are exactly the same.
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