Episode 143. Oh, My Cruel Salvation
After the Queen left, Olivia sat gazing at the desolate winter landscape.
“Every single action and word he said made it into the newspapers. Sometimes he was misunderstood and had to clarify things. He didn’t have a single day to rest, attending events big and small every single day. In the end, he came to despise the media itself.”
Recalling the Queen's words, Olivia nodded for no reason and muttered.
“I was promised peace in exchange for marrying you. I got a promise from my father that I would never again stand before that dreadful press.”
Olivia held her breath at Noah's voice, which burst out without warning.
"So do you understand what I deserve in exchange for marrying you, and what you have to pay me? Don't try to do anything. It's not even a difficult thing."
A chill rushed in, as if the blood were draining from my face. She traced her face with fingertips that felt not just cold, but frozen, then rubbed her arm.
Love.
She thought that wouldn't exist, but she ended up loving it.
Olivia sprang up from her seat and circled around. Her gaze, wandering with nowhere to go, suddenly stopped on the long sofa.
He came to mind, the one who occupied that position like the god of war and lust. Looking at her with a face slowly crumbling, he had said this.
“I’m not angry at you. I... I’m just worried about you.”
Olivia closed her eyes and stopped breathing.
"I'm just worried about myself."
She desperately clung to the Queen's words as well.
"Perhaps Noah's actions were... to protect you."
"Yeah, that's how it is."
Nodding and pressing down on her half-open heart, she suddenly recalled Noah, standing against the backdrop of a crumbling house and an old stone path, handing her a proposal. Along with his eyes, filled with contempt.
She does not wish to pursue a career as a Princess. She simply wants to stay here until people's interest fades.
Could it be something akin to tainted emotions pushed into the unconscious? Could this mansion be the final fortress for his dignity?
Her emotions were a chaotic mess, like a storm raging in the sea.
Olivia shook her head vigorously, struggling to drive away the emotions threatening to engulf her.
If she sleeps at a time like this, she will only fall deeper into despair.
What should I do? When she was in Pulder, she used to drive away distracting thoughts by doing housework, but she can't even do that anymore.
Shall I take a stroll in the garden? But when she looked outside, dozens of bodyguards were standing there like statues.
Olivia paced around the room and picked up the newspaper the Queen had given her. Through that newspaper, she was able to find out her husband's whereabouts.
Olivia stopped and started reading the newspaper.
The newspapers were full of stories related to the Magic Dome.
Even Olivia was hearing for the first time that the Magic Dome was broken. The newspaper reported that Noah had temporarily returned to the military to take responsibility for the situation.
Olivia stared at Noah's photo on the front page for a long time.
He was undoubtedly in a difficult situation. Nevertheless, if she were to ask, he would answer like this.
'Don't worry about it.'
Olivia bit her lip, blinked her eyes, and slowly nodded.
Yes, that's enough about this.
What are you doing?
What should I do?
Olivia slowly looked around the spacious and luxurious room.
Meanwhile, the sun slowly began to set. Olivia, who had been sitting there blankly, only came to her senses when the crimson sunlight enveloped her back.
"Uh..."
Olivia, chilled to the bone by the fact that she had even forgotten the passage of time, sprang up from her seat.
“This can’t go on. I have to do something, anything.”
She needs something to immerse herself in.
What should I do, what...
Olivia's gaze inevitably fell on the newspaper.
After staring at Noah's face for a long time, Olivia finally got up from her seat and headed to the study. Then she took out the notebook and books she had brought from Pulder.
Olivia, flipping through a notebook filled with traces of long agony and effort, paused in front of a faded photograph tucked inside.
The grandmother is holding her hand and smiling with her wrinkled eyes.
However, looking at the grandmother's face in the photo again, which she had thought looked gloomy, it didn't feel that way at all. While Olivia in the photo was looking straight ahead, the grandmother was smiling as she looked at her.
As if she were proud and lovely.
“My little puppy, are you here? How was your day?”
Olivia quickly looked up, feeling as if tears were welling up.
Olivia, who had been looking at the ceiling, quickly closed the book to cover the photo.
Then, catching her breath, she took out the Magic Dome blueprint she had drawn herself. She felt the helplessness and depression clinging to her back drift away, at least for that moment.
Olivia muttered, glaring at the camera.
"Don't stick to my back."
She pushed away all other thoughts and thought only of the Magic Dome.
Wilhelm's Company's greatest weapons were uniqueness and secrecy. In a world where those who hold information have the advantage, it was certain that the longer this fight dragged on, the more troubled the Herodian royal family would be, and the more difficult Noah would find himself in.
In the case of the Magic Dome, it is divided into a machine that stores and converts energy and a machine that delivers strikes. There are a total of three Magic Domes installed in Harolington Bay, one of which is the main unit, and the second and third are the strikers, but it was difficult to determine which machine had a problem based on the information provided in the newspaper.
“Unless there is a problem with the main unit containing the converter... repairing it shouldn’t be difficult. And it makes no sense that it can’t even operate at all.”
Olivia, who had been muttering to herself, soon hardened her expression and paused.
"I told you that I can't help you be recognized as Oliver, and that you can't live as an engineer by my side."
Recalling Noah's words, she chuckled and muttered.
“I see... You had already told me.”
Her inner self answered her monologue.
'If you needed help, you would have at least asked me.'
Nevertheless, Olivia straightened her back, which looked as if it were about to collapse, and combatively took out the paper and drafting set.
“If you say it’s not necessary, just pretend I didn’t do it. It’s not like I’m planning to leave this mansion.”
Then, she quickly drew the blueprints for each unit and began to write down potential problems and their solutions in tiny detail.
Her work showed no signs of ending, even late into the night.
As she repeated measuring angles, drawing lines with a ruler, and writing in numbers, the flow of time that enveloped her vanished. As the thoughts that had densely filled her head disappeared, only the paper, the numbers, and she remained.
“38, 42... Never mind, this is... 530... Noah?”
Suddenly, she thought she sensed someone's presence. Olivia snapped from her trance and turned around.
There was no one.
All that can be seen is the door permeated with darkness.
Besides, isn't he at the mansion?
Olivia turned her gaze to the desk, feeling dejected. Then, she began to pour her whole heart into the wide paper again.
Once again, she measured the angle, drew a line, and wrote in numbers. And the moment when the entire world was rubbed like a paperweight.
“...?”
Olivia looked back again.
There was nothing but thick, stifling darkness in that place.
Olivia narrowed her eyes and bit her lip tightly. The darkness that had seeped into the surroundings finally burrowed into Olivia.
I would be fine, but then suddenly choke up over nothing; I would be fine, but then anguish would well up during meaningless moments.
Olivia dropped the pen and buried her face in her palm.
Yes, it was such a huge stroke of luck.
Because it was salvation that she thought she could never dare to grasp, she was anxious, not knowing what to give in return.
She staggered and slumped down.
Even though what had to be paid as the price of salvation was the very thing she hated most in the world...
"I miss you..."
Her salvation, Noah Astrid, with his shining blonde hair, pretty eyes like autumn leaves, and only one corner of his mouth turning up when he smiles.
“I miss you, Noah...”
The name mixed with hushed sobs was poignant and sorrowful.
Noah.
Noah.
Oh, my cruel salvation.
Meanwhile, at that time, there was a luxury passenger ship crossing the ocean between the continents of Puldor and Norfolk.
Recently, traveling to the Kingdom of Lobos at the southern tip of the Norfolk continent was a trend among the upper class of Pulder.
The Kingdom of Lobos, composed of large and small islands, was located at a key point for east-west trade and offered many exotic sights. Above all, it was a shopping paradise where one could buy expensive Eastern spices, jewels, and tea at affordable prices.
Many people were on board the luxury passenger ship traveling on a straight route, ranging from family travelers to those going for business.
The captain, who was checking the compass and speedometer, glanced at the VIP manager who had just entered the wheelhouse and asked.
"Have you been to see Miss Emma? I wonder how she's feeling with the motion sickness?"
"Please take your medicine and get some sleep now. I heard the First Lady gets really bad motion sickness, so it seems you've inherited it."
"It'll still be a week until it arrives. Anyway, check in often."
“Of course. After all, she is President Pulder’s only daughter. Since it is a coming-of-age trip, the President sent people several times to ask for my advice. He asked me to make sure she returns safely.”
“How unusual, so unusual.”
The captain and the chief manager shrugged their shoulders and gazed out at the distant sea at the same time. The calm sea was nothing but still. The night sea, filled only with the sound of the ship cutting across the surface, was peaceful.
The manager, who had been silent for a moment, scratched the bridge of his nose and suddenly asked.
"Did you have the installed Magic Dome checked before departure?"
"That's right."
“But what on earth happened on the ship Prince Noah was on a few months ago? Honestly, if the Magic Dome had been working properly, there was no reason to go through the trouble of taking apart the main body at a time when they should have been pouring out attacks, right? Was it just bad luck?”
The captain, fiddling with the rudder handle, shrugged his shoulders.
“Meeting a school of coelacanths was bad luck to begin with. But...”
"However?"
"They gave us a free ship-style Magic Dome upgrade about a year ago, remember?"
“Hmph! They kept failing the upgrades, so they did this just for show because it was embarrassing to face the investors, wasn't it?”
“That’s right. But they say the main body of the machine gets unusually hot after doing that.”
"Hmm..."
"And there is one more puzzling point being raised among the shipping alliances."
"What is it?"
The captain looked around for no reason and lowered his voice.
“Think carefully. Prince Noah took the Magic Dome apart and fixed it, didn’t he?”
“Ah...! How did he know to fix that? It’s never been revealed.”
The captain patted his shoulder.
After the Queen left, Olivia sat gazing at the desolate winter landscape.
“Every single action and word he said made it into the newspapers. Sometimes he was misunderstood and had to clarify things. He didn’t have a single day to rest, attending events big and small every single day. In the end, he came to despise the media itself.”
Recalling the Queen's words, Olivia nodded for no reason and muttered.
“I knew he didn’t like the media.”
Olivia held her breath at Noah's voice, which burst out without warning.
"So do you understand what I deserve in exchange for marrying you, and what you have to pay me? Don't try to do anything. It's not even a difficult thing."
A chill rushed in, as if the blood were draining from my face. She traced her face with fingertips that felt not just cold, but frozen, then rubbed her arm.
Love.
She thought that wouldn't exist, but she ended up loving it.
Olivia sprang up from her seat and circled around. Her gaze, wandering with nowhere to go, suddenly stopped on the long sofa.
He came to mind, the one who occupied that position like the god of war and lust. Looking at her with a face slowly crumbling, he had said this.
“I’m not angry at you. I... I’m just worried about you.”
Olivia closed her eyes and stopped breathing.
"I'm just worried about myself."
She desperately clung to the Queen's words as well.
"Perhaps Noah's actions were... to protect you."
"Yeah, that's how it is."
Nodding and pressing down on her half-open heart, she suddenly recalled Noah, standing against the backdrop of a crumbling house and an old stone path, handing her a proposal. Along with his eyes, filled with contempt.
She does not wish to pursue a career as a Princess. She simply wants to stay here until people's interest fades.
Could it be something akin to tainted emotions pushed into the unconscious? Could this mansion be the final fortress for his dignity?
Her emotions were a chaotic mess, like a storm raging in the sea.
Olivia shook her head vigorously, struggling to drive away the emotions threatening to engulf her.
If she sleeps at a time like this, she will only fall deeper into despair.
What should I do? When she was in Pulder, she used to drive away distracting thoughts by doing housework, but she can't even do that anymore.
Shall I take a stroll in the garden? But when she looked outside, dozens of bodyguards were standing there like statues.
Olivia paced around the room and picked up the newspaper the Queen had given her. Through that newspaper, she was able to find out her husband's whereabouts.
Olivia stopped and started reading the newspaper.
The newspapers were full of stories related to the Magic Dome.
Even Olivia was hearing for the first time that the Magic Dome was broken. The newspaper reported that Noah had temporarily returned to the military to take responsibility for the situation.
Olivia stared at Noah's photo on the front page for a long time.
He was undoubtedly in a difficult situation. Nevertheless, if she were to ask, he would answer like this.
'Don't worry about it.'
Olivia bit her lip, blinked her eyes, and slowly nodded.
Yes, that's enough about this.
What are you doing?
What should I do?
Olivia slowly looked around the spacious and luxurious room.
Meanwhile, the sun slowly began to set. Olivia, who had been sitting there blankly, only came to her senses when the crimson sunlight enveloped her back.
"Uh..."
Olivia, chilled to the bone by the fact that she had even forgotten the passage of time, sprang up from her seat.
“This can’t go on. I have to do something, anything.”
She needs something to immerse herself in.
What should I do, what...
Olivia's gaze inevitably fell on the newspaper.
After staring at Noah's face for a long time, Olivia finally got up from her seat and headed to the study. Then she took out the notebook and books she had brought from Pulder.
Olivia, flipping through a notebook filled with traces of long agony and effort, paused in front of a faded photograph tucked inside.
The grandmother is holding her hand and smiling with her wrinkled eyes.
However, looking at the grandmother's face in the photo again, which she had thought looked gloomy, it didn't feel that way at all. While Olivia in the photo was looking straight ahead, the grandmother was smiling as she looked at her.
As if she were proud and lovely.
“My little puppy, are you here? How was your day?”
Olivia quickly looked up, feeling as if tears were welling up.
Olivia, who had been looking at the ceiling, quickly closed the book to cover the photo.
Then, catching her breath, she took out the Magic Dome blueprint she had drawn herself. She felt the helplessness and depression clinging to her back drift away, at least for that moment.
Olivia muttered, glaring at the camera.
"Don't stick to my back."
She pushed away all other thoughts and thought only of the Magic Dome.
Wilhelm's Company's greatest weapons were uniqueness and secrecy. In a world where those who hold information have the advantage, it was certain that the longer this fight dragged on, the more troubled the Herodian royal family would be, and the more difficult Noah would find himself in.
In the case of the Magic Dome, it is divided into a machine that stores and converts energy and a machine that delivers strikes. There are a total of three Magic Domes installed in Harolington Bay, one of which is the main unit, and the second and third are the strikers, but it was difficult to determine which machine had a problem based on the information provided in the newspaper.
“Unless there is a problem with the main unit containing the converter... repairing it shouldn’t be difficult. And it makes no sense that it can’t even operate at all.”
Olivia, who had been muttering to herself, soon hardened her expression and paused.
"I told you that I can't help you be recognized as Oliver, and that you can't live as an engineer by my side."
Recalling Noah's words, she chuckled and muttered.
“I see... You had already told me.”
Her inner self answered her monologue.
'If you needed help, you would have at least asked me.'
Nevertheless, Olivia straightened her back, which looked as if it were about to collapse, and combatively took out the paper and drafting set.
“If you say it’s not necessary, just pretend I didn’t do it. It’s not like I’m planning to leave this mansion.”
Then, she quickly drew the blueprints for each unit and began to write down potential problems and their solutions in tiny detail.
Her work showed no signs of ending, even late into the night.
As she repeated measuring angles, drawing lines with a ruler, and writing in numbers, the flow of time that enveloped her vanished. As the thoughts that had densely filled her head disappeared, only the paper, the numbers, and she remained.
“38, 42... Never mind, this is... 530... Noah?”
Suddenly, she thought she sensed someone's presence. Olivia snapped from her trance and turned around.
There was no one.
All that can be seen is the door permeated with darkness.
Besides, isn't he at the mansion?
Olivia turned her gaze to the desk, feeling dejected. Then, she began to pour her whole heart into the wide paper again.
Once again, she measured the angle, drew a line, and wrote in numbers. And the moment when the entire world was rubbed like a paperweight.
“...?”
Olivia looked back again.
There was nothing but thick, stifling darkness in that place.
Olivia narrowed her eyes and bit her lip tightly. The darkness that had seeped into the surroundings finally burrowed into Olivia.
I would be fine, but then suddenly choke up over nothing; I would be fine, but then anguish would well up during meaningless moments.
Olivia dropped the pen and buried her face in her palm.
Yes, it was such a huge stroke of luck.
Because it was salvation that she thought she could never dare to grasp, she was anxious, not knowing what to give in return.
She staggered and slumped down.
Even though what had to be paid as the price of salvation was the very thing she hated most in the world...
"I miss you..."
Her salvation, Noah Astrid, with his shining blonde hair, pretty eyes like autumn leaves, and only one corner of his mouth turning up when he smiles.
“I miss you, Noah...”
The name mixed with hushed sobs was poignant and sorrowful.
Noah.
Noah.
Oh, my cruel salvation.
***
Meanwhile, at that time, there was a luxury passenger ship crossing the ocean between the continents of Puldor and Norfolk.
Recently, traveling to the Kingdom of Lobos at the southern tip of the Norfolk continent was a trend among the upper class of Pulder.
The Kingdom of Lobos, composed of large and small islands, was located at a key point for east-west trade and offered many exotic sights. Above all, it was a shopping paradise where one could buy expensive Eastern spices, jewels, and tea at affordable prices.
Many people were on board the luxury passenger ship traveling on a straight route, ranging from family travelers to those going for business.
The captain, who was checking the compass and speedometer, glanced at the VIP manager who had just entered the wheelhouse and asked.
"Have you been to see Miss Emma? I wonder how she's feeling with the motion sickness?"
"Please take your medicine and get some sleep now. I heard the First Lady gets really bad motion sickness, so it seems you've inherited it."
"It'll still be a week until it arrives. Anyway, check in often."
“Of course. After all, she is President Pulder’s only daughter. Since it is a coming-of-age trip, the President sent people several times to ask for my advice. He asked me to make sure she returns safely.”
“How unusual, so unusual.”
The captain and the chief manager shrugged their shoulders and gazed out at the distant sea at the same time. The calm sea was nothing but still. The night sea, filled only with the sound of the ship cutting across the surface, was peaceful.
The manager, who had been silent for a moment, scratched the bridge of his nose and suddenly asked.
"Did you have the installed Magic Dome checked before departure?"
"That's right."
“But what on earth happened on the ship Prince Noah was on a few months ago? Honestly, if the Magic Dome had been working properly, there was no reason to go through the trouble of taking apart the main body at a time when they should have been pouring out attacks, right? Was it just bad luck?”
The captain, fiddling with the rudder handle, shrugged his shoulders.
“Meeting a school of coelacanths was bad luck to begin with. But...”
"However?"
"They gave us a free ship-style Magic Dome upgrade about a year ago, remember?"
“Hmph! They kept failing the upgrades, so they did this just for show because it was embarrassing to face the investors, wasn't it?”
“That’s right. But they say the main body of the machine gets unusually hot after doing that.”
"Hmm..."
"And there is one more puzzling point being raised among the shipping alliances."
"What is it?"
The captain looked around for no reason and lowered his voice.
“Think carefully. Prince Noah took the Magic Dome apart and fixed it, didn’t he?”
“Ah...! How did he know to fix that? It’s never been revealed.”
The captain patted his shoulder.
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