Episode 81. Cosmos and the Princess
Noah nodded, leaning back in his chair.
But Olivia, who was approaching quietly, was hiding something behind her back.
“Why are you doing that?”
Olivia hesitated for a moment even after arriving at the desk. Then, she carefully held out something she had been hiding behind her back to Noah.
Noah's gaze turned to her hands. Cosmos flowers, carrying the fresh scent of grass, were delicately held in Olivia's hands.
Olivia couldn't bear to look at Noah, so she just stared intently at the cosmos petals she held out to him.
The vast fields were so beautiful. So she carefully picked only the most beautiful and colorful flowers she could find.
When she held it out in front of Noah, for some reason, it felt really shabby.
As if it were deja vu, the autumn night when she handed over the flashlight came to mind, and the weight she held in her hand disappeared, just like that night.
When Olivia looked up, Noah was smiling brightly, holding the bouquet of cosmos flowers she had offered in one hand.
“Cosmos?”
Olivia nodded, feeling the tension ease away.
"Her Majesty the Queen insisted I visit Cosmos Hill. She said it was incredibly beautiful, and it truly was."
“My mother really likes that place.”
Noah stared intently at the flowers Olivia had picked. They were clumsily picked, their heights jagged, and they were tied haphazardly with reed stems.
He was caressing the bouquet with his long, delicate fingers when something occurred to him, and he called his attendant.
“Yes, Your Highness. You have summoned me.”
“Bring me a vase and scissors.”
A vase and scissors? Olivia tilted her head, puzzled.
A moment later, she stared blankly at Noah, arranging flowers. He sat on the sofa, delicately untangling the tangled stems, then skillfully trimmed them.
“What are you staring at so intently?”
“...Do you know how to arrange flowers?”
"Last year, Lucy was about to faint, so I helped her out a bit, and I got better at it. What kind of person would teach flower arrangement to a nine-year-old? I'd send her to school."
Even as he spoke sharply, his touch was so delicate that Olivia's gaze never left his.
After a while, he put the bunch of flowers in a vase, just as they were, and it looked wonderful, as if she had never seen them so shabby.
"Wow..."
Noah stared blankly at Olivia, who had come to see the cosmos as if possessed.
She had the distinctive earthy and windy scent of someone who had wandered the fields. Her ears were exposed, her cheeks were slender, her nose was high, and her hair was soft.
Noah suddenly wrapped his arms around Olivia's waist, who was distracted by the flowers, and pulled her on top of him.
“Noah!”
“Sit down and look. You can see better.”
The voice flowing through her ears sent shivers down her spine.
Noah buried his nose in her waist-length black hair and took a deep breath. Olivia felt the solid body behind her, almost losing her mind.
“Noah, what do you do when people come?”
“Duchess Rosemond. No one is allowed in without your permission or mine.”
Noah smiled slowly and took a deeper breath.
“You must have had a blast running around Cosmos Hill. You smell like cosmos flowers.”
Olivia burst out laughing at Noah's words.
“It’s truly vast and beautiful. Would you like to go together tomorrow?”
"No."
The rejection was very monotonous.
“Go pick some more flowers. I’ll make you another one.”
Whispering, Noah gently grasped Olivia's chin and turned it. At the same time, he raised his body and kissed her lips. Like ripe, red fruit, saturated with the fragrance of cosmos flowers, her lips were incredibly sweet.
He wonders what Cosmos is.
It's here.
And the next day, Olivia came back with another bouquet of flowers. She must have been determined to go, as she had her hair tied up in a messy bun and was wearing a dress that was easy to move in.
At that sight, Noah laughed and muttered.
“I’m excited.”
Noah divided the flowers into two vases and returned them to her. Olivia placed the cosmos on her bedside table, and Noah gazed at them quietly and whispered.
“Aren’t you curious about what it would be like to do it on Cosmos Hill?”
“How can you say something like that when you’ve never been to Cosmos Hill?”
“Oh, then should we go there and do it while we’re at it?”
“Noah!”
When Olivia reacted as if she had heard something she shouldn't have, Noah chuckled and unilaterally pushed forward a favorable condition for him.
Olivia was lying on her back with her eyes closed.
In the fireplace, the sound of fire crackling wood could be heard, the faint scent of cosmos lingered in her nostrils, and his hands stroking her hair felt languid.
Olivia suddenly remembered the sleeping pills in her bag. For a while, she couldn't sleep without them.
She had no choice but to eat it, but when she ate it and lay down on the bed, she felt like she was falling into the abyss.
So she really missed this drowsy feeling, like she was half asleep.
Olivia closed her eyes and pulled her lips up into a smile.
“You make me want to laugh more.”
Olivia opened her closed eyes at the sound of a languid voice. Noah, lying on his back with his arm propped up, was constantly stroking her hair with one hand, looking at her.
No matter how much she looked at it, she couldn't get used to it, and her face flushed against her will.
“Oh, why are you doing this? I really want to do it more.”
When Noah, who had noticed the change in her so amazingly, spoke with a long laugh, Olivia closed her eyes instead.
But the hand stroking her hair was still there.
She remembers feeling this way when she was a child, lying on her mother's lap. Olivia felt the touch of his hand, then very carefully opened her mouth.
“Yes, Noah.”
"Yes."
"I..."
Olivia opened her eyes. Noah's eyes were closed.
“Can we stop by Lorewell on the way back?”
Then Noah slowly opened his eyes and looked at her.
“Lorewell?”
"Yes. They said it's about an hour by carriage from here. I'd like to stop by on the way to Harrington. Is that possible?"
Noah thought about the map for a moment, then remembered Lorewell City.
Was there anything to see there? I think there was a spinning mill. But that's not what you want to see.
Since he was already feeling sleepy, Noah decided not to think about it further. It wouldn't matter if it were just a quick stop on the way to Harrington.
Noah answered, closing his eyes.
“Yes. Then let’s stop by on the way back.”
“Really?”
"Yes."
"Thank you!"
Olivia's voice seemed excited. Noah smiled and gradually fell into slumber.
“Good night, Noah.”
The whispering voice is sweet.
Noah fell into a deep sleep, wondering if his beautiful serenity was actually a dream release.
Meanwhile, while Noah and Olivia were away in Hamuel, Beatrix still had work to do.
Ultimately, the capital's nobles rejected the position as Olivia's etiquette teacher. Despite offering the position to as many as twenty individuals, all declined.
“At times like this, I wish my parents were closer.”
At Beatrix's words, which were like a sigh, the head maid remained silent and poured tea.
The reason she put so much effort into being Olivia's etiquette teacher was that the position wasn't just about teaching etiquette.
Just as single ladies need a chaperone to help them enter society, Olivia also needed help to enter society.
From now on, Olivia's world would become the social circle of Herod's capital, so there was a lot to do, from making friends to establishing a position.
So, in this era, the etiquette teacher was the closest assistant who could help Olivia build her world and lay the foundation for her daily life.
In that sense, the Queen personally offered the position of etiquette tutor to the capital's social elite. Given Olivia's weak standing, she intended to leverage the tutor's position.
And they were all rejected.
No matter how much the Queen asked, they had a stubborn will not to bend the knee to someone of commoner origin.
“I’m starting to get pessimistic about how high the barriers to entry will be.”
Beatrix sighed deeply and looked down at the two pieces of paper.
Fortunately, these two people responded positively to her proposal.
“The Countess of Timberline...”
The head maid cautiously opened her mouth at the name that came out like a sigh after a long time.
"I heard that since her family is the Marquis of Letium, she spends half the year in the capital. Furthermore, her position in the capital's social circles is quite solid."
“...”
"She's a woman with a very sharp reputation. I've heard that the difference in temperature between her superiors and subordinates is quite significant."
Beatrix pictured the face of a middle-aged woman with silver hair tied high in a ponytail. She always smiled warmly at her, so it was difficult to imagine her face when she interacted with her subordinates.
Beatrix pondered for a moment, then turned her gaze to other documents.
“Countess Miriam.”
"As for character, she's beyond compare. Unlike Countess Timberline, she's a member of the capital's nobility, but the problem is that she's of commoner origin."
“So, she was unable to build up any standing in social circles.”
“Yes. But since she is such a good person, she has connections with noble ladies one by one.”
For example, Countess Miriam was close to Lucy's nanny, Madame Lehmann. Beatrix also met her occasionally, and she turned out to be quite a nice person.
Despite her lack of social standing, her name was included in the list of alternatives because of her character.
But when the moment of decision came, Beatrix had no choice.
Because it was a time when recognition was more important than character.
Finally, Beatrix pointed to Countess Timberline's papers and gave an order to the head maid.
“Tell Countess Timberline to come.”
“Yes, I understand.”
Beatrix braced herself and opened her eyes wide. All that remained was to remind Countess Timberline that Olivia was her superior.
Noah nodded, leaning back in his chair.
But Olivia, who was approaching quietly, was hiding something behind her back.
“Why are you doing that?”
Olivia hesitated for a moment even after arriving at the desk. Then, she carefully held out something she had been hiding behind her back to Noah.
Noah's gaze turned to her hands. Cosmos flowers, carrying the fresh scent of grass, were delicately held in Olivia's hands.
Olivia couldn't bear to look at Noah, so she just stared intently at the cosmos petals she held out to him.
The vast fields were so beautiful. So she carefully picked only the most beautiful and colorful flowers she could find.
When she held it out in front of Noah, for some reason, it felt really shabby.
As if it were deja vu, the autumn night when she handed over the flashlight came to mind, and the weight she held in her hand disappeared, just like that night.
When Olivia looked up, Noah was smiling brightly, holding the bouquet of cosmos flowers she had offered in one hand.
“Cosmos?”
Olivia nodded, feeling the tension ease away.
"Her Majesty the Queen insisted I visit Cosmos Hill. She said it was incredibly beautiful, and it truly was."
“My mother really likes that place.”
Noah stared intently at the flowers Olivia had picked. They were clumsily picked, their heights jagged, and they were tied haphazardly with reed stems.
He was caressing the bouquet with his long, delicate fingers when something occurred to him, and he called his attendant.
“Yes, Your Highness. You have summoned me.”
“Bring me a vase and scissors.”
A vase and scissors? Olivia tilted her head, puzzled.
A moment later, she stared blankly at Noah, arranging flowers. He sat on the sofa, delicately untangling the tangled stems, then skillfully trimmed them.
“What are you staring at so intently?”
“...Do you know how to arrange flowers?”
"Last year, Lucy was about to faint, so I helped her out a bit, and I got better at it. What kind of person would teach flower arrangement to a nine-year-old? I'd send her to school."
Even as he spoke sharply, his touch was so delicate that Olivia's gaze never left his.
After a while, he put the bunch of flowers in a vase, just as they were, and it looked wonderful, as if she had never seen them so shabby.
"Wow..."
Noah stared blankly at Olivia, who had come to see the cosmos as if possessed.
She had the distinctive earthy and windy scent of someone who had wandered the fields. Her ears were exposed, her cheeks were slender, her nose was high, and her hair was soft.
Noah suddenly wrapped his arms around Olivia's waist, who was distracted by the flowers, and pulled her on top of him.
“Noah!”
“Sit down and look. You can see better.”
The voice flowing through her ears sent shivers down her spine.
Noah buried his nose in her waist-length black hair and took a deep breath. Olivia felt the solid body behind her, almost losing her mind.
“Noah, what do you do when people come?”
“Duchess Rosemond. No one is allowed in without your permission or mine.”
Noah smiled slowly and took a deeper breath.
“You must have had a blast running around Cosmos Hill. You smell like cosmos flowers.”
Olivia burst out laughing at Noah's words.
“It’s truly vast and beautiful. Would you like to go together tomorrow?”
"No."
The rejection was very monotonous.
“Go pick some more flowers. I’ll make you another one.”
Whispering, Noah gently grasped Olivia's chin and turned it. At the same time, he raised his body and kissed her lips. Like ripe, red fruit, saturated with the fragrance of cosmos flowers, her lips were incredibly sweet.
He wonders what Cosmos is.
It's here.
And the next day, Olivia came back with another bouquet of flowers. She must have been determined to go, as she had her hair tied up in a messy bun and was wearing a dress that was easy to move in.
At that sight, Noah laughed and muttered.
“I’m excited.”
Noah divided the flowers into two vases and returned them to her. Olivia placed the cosmos on her bedside table, and Noah gazed at them quietly and whispered.
“Aren’t you curious about what it would be like to do it on Cosmos Hill?”
“How can you say something like that when you’ve never been to Cosmos Hill?”
“Oh, then should we go there and do it while we’re at it?”
“Noah!”
When Olivia reacted as if she had heard something she shouldn't have, Noah chuckled and unilaterally pushed forward a favorable condition for him.
Olivia was lying on her back with her eyes closed.
In the fireplace, the sound of fire crackling wood could be heard, the faint scent of cosmos lingered in her nostrils, and his hands stroking her hair felt languid.
Olivia suddenly remembered the sleeping pills in her bag. For a while, she couldn't sleep without them.
She had no choice but to eat it, but when she ate it and lay down on the bed, she felt like she was falling into the abyss.
So she really missed this drowsy feeling, like she was half asleep.
Olivia closed her eyes and pulled her lips up into a smile.
“You make me want to laugh more.”
Olivia opened her closed eyes at the sound of a languid voice. Noah, lying on his back with his arm propped up, was constantly stroking her hair with one hand, looking at her.
No matter how much she looked at it, she couldn't get used to it, and her face flushed against her will.
“Oh, why are you doing this? I really want to do it more.”
When Noah, who had noticed the change in her so amazingly, spoke with a long laugh, Olivia closed her eyes instead.
But the hand stroking her hair was still there.
She remembers feeling this way when she was a child, lying on her mother's lap. Olivia felt the touch of his hand, then very carefully opened her mouth.
“Yes, Noah.”
"Yes."
"I..."
"If you're going to bring up luck, just say it. Don't beat around the bush."
“Can we stop by Lorewell on the way back?”
Then Noah slowly opened his eyes and looked at her.
“Lorewell?”
"Yes. They said it's about an hour by carriage from here. I'd like to stop by on the way to Harrington. Is that possible?"
Noah thought about the map for a moment, then remembered Lorewell City.
Was there anything to see there? I think there was a spinning mill. But that's not what you want to see.
Since he was already feeling sleepy, Noah decided not to think about it further. It wouldn't matter if it were just a quick stop on the way to Harrington.
Noah answered, closing his eyes.
“Yes. Then let’s stop by on the way back.”
“Really?”
"Yes."
"Thank you!"
Olivia's voice seemed excited. Noah smiled and gradually fell into slumber.
“Good night, Noah.”
The whispering voice is sweet.
Noah fell into a deep sleep, wondering if his beautiful serenity was actually a dream release.
***
Meanwhile, while Noah and Olivia were away in Hamuel, Beatrix still had work to do.
Ultimately, the capital's nobles rejected the position as Olivia's etiquette teacher. Despite offering the position to as many as twenty individuals, all declined.
“At times like this, I wish my parents were closer.”
At Beatrix's words, which were like a sigh, the head maid remained silent and poured tea.
The reason she put so much effort into being Olivia's etiquette teacher was that the position wasn't just about teaching etiquette.
Just as single ladies need a chaperone to help them enter society, Olivia also needed help to enter society.
From now on, Olivia's world would become the social circle of Herod's capital, so there was a lot to do, from making friends to establishing a position.
So, in this era, the etiquette teacher was the closest assistant who could help Olivia build her world and lay the foundation for her daily life.
In that sense, the Queen personally offered the position of etiquette tutor to the capital's social elite. Given Olivia's weak standing, she intended to leverage the tutor's position.
And they were all rejected.
No matter how much the Queen asked, they had a stubborn will not to bend the knee to someone of commoner origin.
“I’m starting to get pessimistic about how high the barriers to entry will be.”
Beatrix sighed deeply and looked down at the two pieces of paper.
Fortunately, these two people responded positively to her proposal.
“The Countess of Timberline...”
The head maid cautiously opened her mouth at the name that came out like a sigh after a long time.
"I heard that since her family is the Marquis of Letium, she spends half the year in the capital. Furthermore, her position in the capital's social circles is quite solid."
“...”
"She's a woman with a very sharp reputation. I've heard that the difference in temperature between her superiors and subordinates is quite significant."
Beatrix pictured the face of a middle-aged woman with silver hair tied high in a ponytail. She always smiled warmly at her, so it was difficult to imagine her face when she interacted with her subordinates.
Beatrix pondered for a moment, then turned her gaze to other documents.
“Countess Miriam.”
"As for character, she's beyond compare. Unlike Countess Timberline, she's a member of the capital's nobility, but the problem is that she's of commoner origin."
“So, she was unable to build up any standing in social circles.”
“Yes. But since she is such a good person, she has connections with noble ladies one by one.”
For example, Countess Miriam was close to Lucy's nanny, Madame Lehmann. Beatrix also met her occasionally, and she turned out to be quite a nice person.
Despite her lack of social standing, her name was included in the list of alternatives because of her character.
But when the moment of decision came, Beatrix had no choice.
Because it was a time when recognition was more important than character.
Finally, Beatrix pointed to Countess Timberline's papers and gave an order to the head maid.
“Tell Countess Timberline to come.”
“Yes, I understand.”
Beatrix braced herself and opened her eyes wide. All that remained was to remind Countess Timberline that Olivia was her superior.
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