Episode 122. Lucy's Accident
Knock knock!
As it was rare to hear such an urgent knock on the Queen's office, Beatrix rose from her seat without realizing it. Olivia also hurriedly rose from her seat when the Head Lady-in-Waiting entered the office with a serious expression.
Feeling as if her heart had sunk, Beatrix asked urgently.
“What’s going on!?”
“Your Majesty the Queen...”
"Go ahead and speak!"
As Beatrix pressed her sharply, the head maid hurried over and delivered shocking news.
"I hear that Princess Lucy was involved in a carriage accident."
The royal family was turned upside down.
When Olivia hurriedly helped the Queen out of the main gate, King Leonard and Usher were already there.
Usher heard the full report of the incident from the guards on behalf of his terrified parents.
"How is Lucy?"
"They say she has a cut on her forehead and her shoulder hurts a little."
“What happened?”
"It is reported that the cargo wagon slipped on the downhill slope, unable to withstand the weight. The Royal Guards attempted to stop the approaching carriage, but it eventually overturned and collided with the Princess's carriage, causing it to tip over due to the impact. The coachman is currently under investigation."
"Who is the carriage owner?"
"The coachman's profession was a wagon driver, and he was the master."
Olivia held Beatrix firmly, her shoulders constantly swaying. Their hands, touching, were trembling incessantly. Whether a Queen or anyone else, a mother was a mother.
And standing beside her was King Leonard, pale as a man. Although he was pale, an unrefined aura was radiating from him uncontrollably. Overwhelmed by his terrifying intensity, Olivia could not even dare to look him in the face properly and turned her gaze away.
Her heart pounded.
As she recalled her parents' carriage, which had been completely wrecked, Olivia broke out in a cold sweat, and her mouth went dry.
Shortly after Noah arrived, upon hearing the news, Lucy, whom everyone had been waiting for, arrived. Instead of the broken royal carriage, a plain navy carriage carrying Lucy appeared.
Leonard, who always greeted his daughter by calling her name affectionately, ran to the carriage without a word and threw open the door himself.
"Father..."
As Lucy, with a bandage on her head, called out to him in a tearful voice, Leonard slowly gasped for breath and reached out his hand to the child.
"Come here."
Leonard carefully lifted Lucy into his arms. His daughter's body was trembling intermittently, as if the shock of the accident had not yet subsided.
“Lucy!”
"Mother..."
Beatrix rushed over to check on her daughter, but Leonard merely strode on. No one dared to speak to him because of his cold, refined demeanor.
Not only Olivia and Noah, but also Usher simply followed quietly behind the King as he entered the main palace.
The palace sank into a cold silence. No one could even breathe easily.
Leonard remained silent even as the female doctors of the royal palace swarmed in to examine Lucy.
After a sharp, knife-like silence, the doctor who had finished examining Lucy quietly stepped outside and spoke.
"Fortunately, aside from the cut on her forehead, Her Highness has no major injuries. It appears her right shoulder sustained an impact during the collision, but since it is just a minor muscle strain, it should heal over time."
Leonard remained silent despite the doctor's words. Unable to bear it any longer, Beatrix stepped forward and commended the doctor for her efforts.
Eventually, as Mrs. Lehmann cautiously opened the door, the royal family entered Lucy's room.
The girl, startled by the accident, had turned pale, but she did not appear to be seriously injured, as the doctor had said.
"Are you okay?"
When Beatrix asked, Lucy smiled slightly.
"Yes. It's fine, Mother."
Then, she quietly turned her gaze to her father. Since Leonard remained silent, Usher, Noah, and Olivia could not easily speak to Lucy either.
As Leonard looked at his injured daughter with mixed feelings, Lucy cautiously opened her mouth.
"Father."
"...Yes."
“Um... I had a group presentation today...”
Lucy probably wanted to change the mood, which had become serious because of her injury. However, Leonard let out a short sigh and cut Lucy off.
“Lucy, this isn’t the time to be talking about group presentations.”
“...”
"It's a relief that it stopped."
As her father spoke in a troubled tone, Lucy quickly nodded.
“Yes, Father! It doesn’t hurt at all.”
“...”
Nevertheless, seeing her father's grim expression, the girl cautiously asked about his greatest concern.
"So... can I go to school tomorrow?"
“...”
“My forehead isn't badly hurt, either. My shoulder is just a little stiff, that's all. My legs aren't hurt at all. So, tomorrow school...”
"Lucy."
Leonard gently stopped his daughter from speaking. Then, he spoke firmly so that the girl would never open her mouth again.
"Rest."
He soon turned around and, as he left his daughter's room, gave an order to his secretary.
“Thoroughly investigate the person who hit Lucy’s carriage and punish them clearly. And make sure to let Lucy know she won’t be able to go to school for the time being.”
Every single syllable was chillingly sharp.
He heard his daughter's crying behind him, but Leonard's heart remained unchanged.
The girl cried as if the world had collapsed.
It was enough to surprise not only Noah and Usher, who had known her for a long time, but even Beatrix. Lucy opened her mouth wide and sobbed uncontrollably.
“Ughhhhh, hoooooh.”
Mrs. Lehmann, the nanny, rushed over to try to soothe her, but it was no use.
“Princess, Princess. Please stop crying, Princess...”
It was just as useless, even when Beatrix tried to comfort her daughter by hugging her back.
“Lucy, Lucy. If you do this, the wound on your forehead will open up, my baby...”
Lucy cried as if she were about to die. Mrs. Lehmann, the nanny, had never seen a child cry in such a convulsive manner before, so she turned pale and didn't know what to do.
Her grown brothers were of no help whatsoever in the face of her tears. They stood there motionless, repeatedly wondering how to calm the situation.
Then, Lucy cried and shouted.
“I’m never going to go to school again! Father said he wouldn’t let me leave the palace ever again!! Waaahhhhh.”
“No, Lucy. That’s not true.”
Even when Beatrix tried to comfort her, Lucy just kept crying.
Olivia, who was watching Lucy crying by the bedside with a pitying heart, recalled the moment she had run energetically with a radiant face.
The girl who had barely managed to go to school was crying out of fear that she would never be able to return there again. She was crying because she was afraid that the time when she simply existed as Lucy Therese would never come again.
Olivia quickly looked around.
The servant who was following King Leonard earlier was carrying Lucy's crumpled bag...
Sure enough, Lucy's bag was lying in one corner. Olivia quickly picked up the bag and approached Lucy.
Noah, who had been watching Olivia, tilted his head when she came carrying Lucy's bag.
Olivia stood beside Mrs. Lehmann and asked kindly to Lucy, who was crying.
"Did you do well on your group presentation today?"
At the odd question, the people nearby all looked at Olivia.
Lucy, however, seemed unable to hear Olivia's voice because she was crying. Olivia leaned in, carefully took Lucy's hand, and asked again.
"Did you do well on your group presentation today?"
Then, Lucy, who had been crying, blinked and looked at her. Olivia met Lucy's gaze with a detached expression.
"What subject was it?"
“...”
Lucy, who had simply cried regardless of anyone's comforting words until now, surprisingly let her crying subside. Lucy didn't answer, but Olivia sat down on the edge of the bed and continued to ask, completely unconcerned.
“Group presentations are surprisingly difficult. It’s not easy to coordinate opinions, and dividing up roles is hard too. What role did you take? The presentation?”
Lucy sniffled and nodded slightly. Then Olivia grinned and praised her.
“Wow, giving a presentation isn’t easy! You have to know the content, right? That’s amazing! Do you have the presentation materials in your bag?”
As Lucy nodded while gasping for breath mixed with tears, Olivia seized the opportunity, asked Lucy if she could look at the contents, and opened the bag.
As Lucy tried to get up, Mrs. Lehmann stepped back, making room for Olivia.
As Olivia sat down next to Lucy, Lucy began to take out the things she had studied, even while sniffling.
“...Today’s presentation was on the history of Herod. This is what I prepared for the presentation... Sob.”
The notebook was packed with the presentation content. When she thought about how diligently the pen must have moved with hands as light as maple leaves, it was truly commendable.
Olivia read what she had written with a serious expression.
As Olivia read the documents, she felt an inexplicable sense of dignity. Her expression seemed to have changed, and her aura seemed to have shifted as well. Perhaps it was the seasoned experience that only someone who has done such work for a long time can possess.
Even the Queen, Usher, and Noah held their breath, overwhelmed by her aura.
Knock knock!
As it was rare to hear such an urgent knock on the Queen's office, Beatrix rose from her seat without realizing it. Olivia also hurriedly rose from her seat when the Head Lady-in-Waiting entered the office with a serious expression.
Feeling as if her heart had sunk, Beatrix asked urgently.
“What’s going on!?”
“Your Majesty the Queen...”
"Go ahead and speak!"
As Beatrix pressed her sharply, the head maid hurried over and delivered shocking news.
"I hear that Princess Lucy was involved in a carriage accident."
The royal family was turned upside down.
When Olivia hurriedly helped the Queen out of the main gate, King Leonard and Usher were already there.
Usher heard the full report of the incident from the guards on behalf of his terrified parents.
"How is Lucy?"
"They say she has a cut on her forehead and her shoulder hurts a little."
“What happened?”
"It is reported that the cargo wagon slipped on the downhill slope, unable to withstand the weight. The Royal Guards attempted to stop the approaching carriage, but it eventually overturned and collided with the Princess's carriage, causing it to tip over due to the impact. The coachman is currently under investigation."
"Who is the carriage owner?"
"The coachman's profession was a wagon driver, and he was the master."
Olivia held Beatrix firmly, her shoulders constantly swaying. Their hands, touching, were trembling incessantly. Whether a Queen or anyone else, a mother was a mother.
And standing beside her was King Leonard, pale as a man. Although he was pale, an unrefined aura was radiating from him uncontrollably. Overwhelmed by his terrifying intensity, Olivia could not even dare to look him in the face properly and turned her gaze away.
Her heart pounded.
As she recalled her parents' carriage, which had been completely wrecked, Olivia broke out in a cold sweat, and her mouth went dry.
Shortly after Noah arrived, upon hearing the news, Lucy, whom everyone had been waiting for, arrived. Instead of the broken royal carriage, a plain navy carriage carrying Lucy appeared.
Leonard, who always greeted his daughter by calling her name affectionately, ran to the carriage without a word and threw open the door himself.
"Father..."
As Lucy, with a bandage on her head, called out to him in a tearful voice, Leonard slowly gasped for breath and reached out his hand to the child.
"Come here."
Leonard carefully lifted Lucy into his arms. His daughter's body was trembling intermittently, as if the shock of the accident had not yet subsided.
“Lucy!”
"Mother..."
Beatrix rushed over to check on her daughter, but Leonard merely strode on. No one dared to speak to him because of his cold, refined demeanor.
Not only Olivia and Noah, but also Usher simply followed quietly behind the King as he entered the main palace.
The palace sank into a cold silence. No one could even breathe easily.
Leonard remained silent even as the female doctors of the royal palace swarmed in to examine Lucy.
After a sharp, knife-like silence, the doctor who had finished examining Lucy quietly stepped outside and spoke.
"Fortunately, aside from the cut on her forehead, Her Highness has no major injuries. It appears her right shoulder sustained an impact during the collision, but since it is just a minor muscle strain, it should heal over time."
Leonard remained silent despite the doctor's words. Unable to bear it any longer, Beatrix stepped forward and commended the doctor for her efforts.
Eventually, as Mrs. Lehmann cautiously opened the door, the royal family entered Lucy's room.
The girl, startled by the accident, had turned pale, but she did not appear to be seriously injured, as the doctor had said.
"Are you okay?"
When Beatrix asked, Lucy smiled slightly.
"Yes. It's fine, Mother."
Then, she quietly turned her gaze to her father. Since Leonard remained silent, Usher, Noah, and Olivia could not easily speak to Lucy either.
As Leonard looked at his injured daughter with mixed feelings, Lucy cautiously opened her mouth.
"Father."
"...Yes."
“Um... I had a group presentation today...”
Lucy probably wanted to change the mood, which had become serious because of her injury. However, Leonard let out a short sigh and cut Lucy off.
“Lucy, this isn’t the time to be talking about group presentations.”
“...”
"It's a relief that it stopped."
As her father spoke in a troubled tone, Lucy quickly nodded.
“Yes, Father! It doesn’t hurt at all.”
“...”
Nevertheless, seeing her father's grim expression, the girl cautiously asked about his greatest concern.
"So... can I go to school tomorrow?"
“...”
“My forehead isn't badly hurt, either. My shoulder is just a little stiff, that's all. My legs aren't hurt at all. So, tomorrow school...”
"Lucy."
Leonard gently stopped his daughter from speaking. Then, he spoke firmly so that the girl would never open her mouth again.
"Rest."
He soon turned around and, as he left his daughter's room, gave an order to his secretary.
“Thoroughly investigate the person who hit Lucy’s carriage and punish them clearly. And make sure to let Lucy know she won’t be able to go to school for the time being.”
Every single syllable was chillingly sharp.
He heard his daughter's crying behind him, but Leonard's heart remained unchanged.
The girl cried as if the world had collapsed.
It was enough to surprise not only Noah and Usher, who had known her for a long time, but even Beatrix. Lucy opened her mouth wide and sobbed uncontrollably.
“Ughhhhh, hoooooh.”
Mrs. Lehmann, the nanny, rushed over to try to soothe her, but it was no use.
“Princess, Princess. Please stop crying, Princess...”
It was just as useless, even when Beatrix tried to comfort her daughter by hugging her back.
“Lucy, Lucy. If you do this, the wound on your forehead will open up, my baby...”
Lucy cried as if she were about to die. Mrs. Lehmann, the nanny, had never seen a child cry in such a convulsive manner before, so she turned pale and didn't know what to do.
Her grown brothers were of no help whatsoever in the face of her tears. They stood there motionless, repeatedly wondering how to calm the situation.
Then, Lucy cried and shouted.
“I’m never going to go to school again! Father said he wouldn’t let me leave the palace ever again!! Waaahhhhh.”
“No, Lucy. That’s not true.”
Even when Beatrix tried to comfort her, Lucy just kept crying.
Olivia, who was watching Lucy crying by the bedside with a pitying heart, recalled the moment she had run energetically with a radiant face.
The girl who had barely managed to go to school was crying out of fear that she would never be able to return there again. She was crying because she was afraid that the time when she simply existed as Lucy Therese would never come again.
Olivia quickly looked around.
The servant who was following King Leonard earlier was carrying Lucy's crumpled bag...
Sure enough, Lucy's bag was lying in one corner. Olivia quickly picked up the bag and approached Lucy.
Noah, who had been watching Olivia, tilted his head when she came carrying Lucy's bag.
Olivia stood beside Mrs. Lehmann and asked kindly to Lucy, who was crying.
"Did you do well on your group presentation today?"
At the odd question, the people nearby all looked at Olivia.
Lucy, however, seemed unable to hear Olivia's voice because she was crying. Olivia leaned in, carefully took Lucy's hand, and asked again.
"Did you do well on your group presentation today?"
Then, Lucy, who had been crying, blinked and looked at her. Olivia met Lucy's gaze with a detached expression.
"What subject was it?"
“...”
Lucy, who had simply cried regardless of anyone's comforting words until now, surprisingly let her crying subside. Lucy didn't answer, but Olivia sat down on the edge of the bed and continued to ask, completely unconcerned.
“Group presentations are surprisingly difficult. It’s not easy to coordinate opinions, and dividing up roles is hard too. What role did you take? The presentation?”
Lucy sniffled and nodded slightly. Then Olivia grinned and praised her.
“Wow, giving a presentation isn’t easy! You have to know the content, right? That’s amazing! Do you have the presentation materials in your bag?”
As Lucy nodded while gasping for breath mixed with tears, Olivia seized the opportunity, asked Lucy if she could look at the contents, and opened the bag.
As Lucy tried to get up, Mrs. Lehmann stepped back, making room for Olivia.
As Olivia sat down next to Lucy, Lucy began to take out the things she had studied, even while sniffling.
“...Today’s presentation was on the history of Herod. This is what I prepared for the presentation... Sob.”
The notebook was packed with the presentation content. When she thought about how diligently the pen must have moved with hands as light as maple leaves, it was truly commendable.
Olivia read what she had written with a serious expression.
As Olivia read the documents, she felt an inexplicable sense of dignity. Her expression seemed to have changed, and her aura seemed to have shifted as well. Perhaps it was the seasoned experience that only someone who has done such work for a long time can possess.
Even the Queen, Usher, and Noah held their breath, overwhelmed by her aura.
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