Episode 144. Mrs. Betty's Realization
“Exactly. There’s a huge fuss about whether the main unit was taken apart or not, but if you look closely, the point is that it was fixed. Wilhelm Corporation insists to the very end that it never broke down, but if it never broke down, would anyone be crazy enough to take it apart? The ship’s captain said the Prince’s secretary fixed it.”
The manager clapped his hands and said
“In other words, you are saying there is a very high possibility that someone among the Prince’s close aides on board at the time knew what was inside the Magic Dome?”
“That’s right. Besides, to be connected to the Magic Dome, it’s more likely that he resided in Pulder rather than Herod, isn’t it?”
“...”
The two looked at each other in silence. After a moment, the manager narrowed his eyes and muttered as if it were nonsense.
"Surely you aren't saying the Princess is connected to the Magic Dome, are you?"
The captain chuckled at that and shrugged his shoulders.
“The Pulder Shipping Association places great weight on that possibility. Ansen Wilhelm and the Princess attended Harrington College at the same time, and it was around that period that Ansen Wilhelm founded the company.”
“Oh... my God. If that’s true...”
The chief manager could not finish his sentence. This was because his vision tilted sharply to one side.
He looked at the captain with surprised eyes, and the captain reached out his hand to him with a distorted face.
“Catch him!!”
The objects all tilted to one side at once, and the manager also fell over and hit his head against the wall.
Crash!
A scream erupted at the same time as the sound of something breaking.
The captain, having barely managed to maintain his balance, ordered the crew to ring the alarm and then glared to assess the situation.
He desperately prayed that it wouldn't be that, but... Piercing through the silent black sea, a pitch-black monster soared high, shaking the massive ship.
"Ah..."
The captain sighed involuntarily and squeezed his eyes shut.
It was a Megalodon.
The captain, who had been frozen for a moment, soon opened his eyes wide and rang the emergency bell.
“Everyone, stay alert! Disperse to your positions! Protect the passengers and wizards, activate the magic dome immediately!! We are getting out of this area as fast as possible!”
“What?! A Megalodon at this time of year?! Isn't this the time for them to hibernate?!”
As the manager clutched his head and spoke while half-crying, the captain clicked his tongue sharply and pushed him from behind.
“It’s unusually warm compared to the average year, so you don’t seem to know if it’s winter or not! Shut up, and you go see Miss Emma right away!!”
The manager staggered away.
The captain increased the speed to the maximum. The engine roared, and the sound of the Magic Dome's bombardment was heard as well.
"Please..."
For some reason, fear welled up inside him, but there was only one thing he could do: increase his speed and get out of the water.
However, his uneasy premonition eventually became reality.
The deafening sound of the Magic Dome's bombardment suddenly faded away. At the same time, the sound of a coelacanth pounding against the underside of the boat came like hail.
“Damn it, Magic Dome!!!”
The captain roared and ran toward the Magic Dome.
“Damn it, what do you mean by stopping the attack!!!!”
“C-Captain...!”
"Why?!!"
The captain felt that the fleeting moment the wizard turned to look at him was as long as an eternity. A chill ran down the captain's spine as he saw the wizard's hand resting firmly on the terminal.
The wizard shouted while half-crying.
“The attacks aren't working!!! The Magic Dome has stopped!”
Shortly after, a bright red firework launched from the luxury ship carrying President Pulder's only daughter lit up the pitch-black night sky.
It was the worst possible signal, begging to be rescued because it was an emergency situation.
Mrs. Betty looked at the Princess with a worried gaze.
While others did not notice at all that the Princess was acting strangely, Mrs. Betty, who attended to her bedchamber, was the only one who noticed that she was different from usual.
The biggest change was sleep.
Unlike when she usually woke up feeling refreshed, not only did she have a great deal of trouble getting up, but she also suffered from a headache every morning.
"Shall I call a doctor?"
Olivia shook her head at Mrs. Betty's question.
"No, it's fine."
“It has already been four days, and you are struggling with a headache every morning, aren’t you?”
Olivia was silent for a moment.
She always suffered from a headache the morning after taking sleeping pills. Fortunately, the headache would subside after some time.
It’s not a very good medicine, so she tries not to take it as much as possible, but since she can’t fall asleep without it, what can she do?
Olivia kept taking sleeping pills a secret, even from Mrs. Betty. It was because of the atmosphere that psychotropic drugs were viewed as taboo.
“Would you really not need to call a doctor, Your Highness? Actually, even sleeping in the evening...”
"No, Mrs. Betty."
"But..."
“It’s fine. Rather, by any chance... is there any news?”
Mrs. Betty shook her head with an apologetic look.
"I'm sorry."
It has been four days since Noah left.
There was no contact from him.
As Olivia turned her gaze to look into the distance, Mrs. Betty quietly stepped back.
The Queen thankfully sent her a newspaper every morning. Without even that, Olivia would have been isolated in this magnificent and beautiful castle.
Olivia's gaze landed on the front page of today's newspaper. It featured a photograph of a recently cast warship. The article stated that the warship commanded by Noah had left Hammington and was heading for the capital.
Olivia's heart beat uncontrollably.
"Since you said he left last night... will he come today?"
She got up from her seat, paced around, and then ran to the study. On the study desk lay the blueprints she had spent the past four days and nights working on.
Olivia, who had been standing still and staring at it, ran to the bedroom.
Then, she went into the dressing room, which she hadn't entered for a while, chose the dress that looked the prettiest to her, and took out the diamond set he had given her as her first gift.
“Your Highness, are you putting on a dress? Shall I help you?”
When the maid who followed asked, Olivia answered with a shy smile.
"Can you help me out?"
"Of course! I’ll decorate it nicely for you."
The maid dressed Olivia with great care. She neatly styled her hair, flushed her face, and applied pink lipstick. Dressed in a light pink dress, Olivia looked like a single cosmos flower.
"You are so, so beautiful!"
While the maid was marveling, Olivia also examined her reflection in the mirror from various angles.
I wish I looked pretty in his eyes, too.
"Thank you. You worked hard."
As the maid left, Olivia paced around the room, all dressed up. Her mind was entirely focused on what was beyond the window.
Then, startled, she quickly ran to the balcony overlooking the outside of the mansion. She abruptly opened the door and looked over the railing, but she must have heard wrong. There was no sound of a carriage.
“...”
Olivia chuckled and entered the room.
Olivia lingered in the spot until the pale winter sunlight settled deep into the room and faded away with the faint sunset. As the long shadows of the setting sun swallowed Olivia and vanished, a hazy darkness gathered.
Olivia could not leave the vicinity of the balcony even as the darkness grew deeper and soon became thick.
Olivia, who could not let go of the lingering hope that he might not come, realized it only after the moon hanging overhead had slid westward and disappeared.
He is not coming today.
Olivia, who had stood foolishly all day for fear that her dress and the hairstyle the maid had done would be ruined, eventually slumped down. As she wrapped her arms around her knees and buried her head, she had the illusion of being all alone in this vast universe.
The darkness she had forcibly pushed deep into her heart, unresolved, burst out as if it had been waiting and swallowed her whole.
She was suddenly terrified as a splitting headache struck, and a sensation of her whole body melting cold washed over her.
Olivia hurriedly got up from her seat and took out the medicine bottle she had tucked deep inside the drawer. With trembling hands, she pulled out the pills and shoved them into her mouth without water. She would rather fall asleep before the abyss began to drag her ankles down.
"Disappear, please disappear."
A pitch-black curtain poured down over her head. Olivia accepted the curtain with her whole body without resistance and soon drifted off to sleep.
Mrs. Betty, standing by the door, covered her mouth with her hand. Her wide-open eyes turned red, and eventually, tears began to fall in drops.
“Your Highness... Oh, my God...”
Mrs. Betty swayed and approached the sleeping Olivia. The Princess, asleep just as she had dressed up, was slowly crumbling. No, perhaps she had already broken down somewhere.
Mrs. Betty opened the loosely closed drawer with trembling hands. Inside the small glass jar were a few white pills, and the words 'Pulder General Hospital' were written on the surface.
She looked at the medicine bottle with a trembling heart, pushed it deep inside so it was out of sight, and closed the drawer.
Then, being careful not to wake Olivia, she took off her shoes, loosened the fastening of her dress, and pulled the blanket up to her chest.
She felt sorry for the flowers that withered because they wanted to bloom fully but could not.
"Good heavens, so that... that’s why you’ve been suffering from such headaches."
Mrs. Betty gazed blankly at Olivia's gaunt face before leaving the room. Then she instructed the maids in charge of the bedroom.
"Buy some tea that is good for sleep. And for the time being, I will tidy up the Prince's bedroom, so don't touch it."
“Exactly. There’s a huge fuss about whether the main unit was taken apart or not, but if you look closely, the point is that it was fixed. Wilhelm Corporation insists to the very end that it never broke down, but if it never broke down, would anyone be crazy enough to take it apart? The ship’s captain said the Prince’s secretary fixed it.”
The manager clapped his hands and said
“In other words, you are saying there is a very high possibility that someone among the Prince’s close aides on board at the time knew what was inside the Magic Dome?”
“That’s right. Besides, to be connected to the Magic Dome, it’s more likely that he resided in Pulder rather than Herod, isn’t it?”
“...”
The two looked at each other in silence. After a moment, the manager narrowed his eyes and muttered as if it were nonsense.
"Surely you aren't saying the Princess is connected to the Magic Dome, are you?"
The captain chuckled at that and shrugged his shoulders.
“The Pulder Shipping Association places great weight on that possibility. Ansen Wilhelm and the Princess attended Harrington College at the same time, and it was around that period that Ansen Wilhelm founded the company.”
“Oh... my God. If that’s true...”
The chief manager could not finish his sentence. This was because his vision tilted sharply to one side.
He looked at the captain with surprised eyes, and the captain reached out his hand to him with a distorted face.
“Catch him!!”
The objects all tilted to one side at once, and the manager also fell over and hit his head against the wall.
Crash!
A scream erupted at the same time as the sound of something breaking.
The captain, having barely managed to maintain his balance, ordered the crew to ring the alarm and then glared to assess the situation.
He desperately prayed that it wouldn't be that, but... Piercing through the silent black sea, a pitch-black monster soared high, shaking the massive ship.
"Ah..."
The captain sighed involuntarily and squeezed his eyes shut.
It was a Megalodon.
The captain, who had been frozen for a moment, soon opened his eyes wide and rang the emergency bell.
“Everyone, stay alert! Disperse to your positions! Protect the passengers and wizards, activate the magic dome immediately!! We are getting out of this area as fast as possible!”
“What?! A Megalodon at this time of year?! Isn't this the time for them to hibernate?!”
As the manager clutched his head and spoke while half-crying, the captain clicked his tongue sharply and pushed him from behind.
“It’s unusually warm compared to the average year, so you don’t seem to know if it’s winter or not! Shut up, and you go see Miss Emma right away!!”
The manager staggered away.
The captain increased the speed to the maximum. The engine roared, and the sound of the Magic Dome's bombardment was heard as well.
I could see swarms of coelacanths leaping out of the water like flying fish.
For some reason, fear welled up inside him, but there was only one thing he could do: increase his speed and get out of the water.
However, his uneasy premonition eventually became reality.
The deafening sound of the Magic Dome's bombardment suddenly faded away. At the same time, the sound of a coelacanth pounding against the underside of the boat came like hail.
“Damn it, Magic Dome!!!”
The captain roared and ran toward the Magic Dome.
“Damn it, what do you mean by stopping the attack!!!!”
“C-Captain...!”
"Why?!!"
The captain felt that the fleeting moment the wizard turned to look at him was as long as an eternity. A chill ran down the captain's spine as he saw the wizard's hand resting firmly on the terminal.
The wizard shouted while half-crying.
“The attacks aren't working!!! The Magic Dome has stopped!”
Shortly after, a bright red firework launched from the luxury ship carrying President Pulder's only daughter lit up the pitch-black night sky.
It was the worst possible signal, begging to be rescued because it was an emergency situation.
***
Mrs. Betty looked at the Princess with a worried gaze.
While others did not notice at all that the Princess was acting strangely, Mrs. Betty, who attended to her bedchamber, was the only one who noticed that she was different from usual.
The biggest change was sleep.
Unlike when she usually woke up feeling refreshed, not only did she have a great deal of trouble getting up, but she also suffered from a headache every morning.
"Shall I call a doctor?"
Olivia shook her head at Mrs. Betty's question.
"No, it's fine."
“It has already been four days, and you are struggling with a headache every morning, aren’t you?”
Olivia was silent for a moment.
She always suffered from a headache the morning after taking sleeping pills. Fortunately, the headache would subside after some time.
It’s not a very good medicine, so she tries not to take it as much as possible, but since she can’t fall asleep without it, what can she do?
Olivia kept taking sleeping pills a secret, even from Mrs. Betty. It was because of the atmosphere that psychotropic drugs were viewed as taboo.
“Would you really not need to call a doctor, Your Highness? Actually, even sleeping in the evening...”
"No, Mrs. Betty."
"But..."
“It’s fine. Rather, by any chance... is there any news?”
Mrs. Betty shook her head with an apologetic look.
"I'm sorry."
It has been four days since Noah left.
There was no contact from him.
As Olivia turned her gaze to look into the distance, Mrs. Betty quietly stepped back.
The Queen thankfully sent her a newspaper every morning. Without even that, Olivia would have been isolated in this magnificent and beautiful castle.
Olivia's gaze landed on the front page of today's newspaper. It featured a photograph of a recently cast warship. The article stated that the warship commanded by Noah had left Hammington and was heading for the capital.
Olivia's heart beat uncontrollably.
"Since you said he left last night... will he come today?"
She got up from her seat, paced around, and then ran to the study. On the study desk lay the blueprints she had spent the past four days and nights working on.
Olivia, who had been standing still and staring at it, ran to the bedroom.
Then, she went into the dressing room, which she hadn't entered for a while, chose the dress that looked the prettiest to her, and took out the diamond set he had given her as her first gift.
“Your Highness, are you putting on a dress? Shall I help you?”
When the maid who followed asked, Olivia answered with a shy smile.
"Can you help me out?"
"Of course! I’ll decorate it nicely for you."
The maid dressed Olivia with great care. She neatly styled her hair, flushed her face, and applied pink lipstick. Dressed in a light pink dress, Olivia looked like a single cosmos flower.
"You are so, so beautiful!"
While the maid was marveling, Olivia also examined her reflection in the mirror from various angles.
I wish I looked pretty in his eyes, too.
"Thank you. You worked hard."
As the maid left, Olivia paced around the room, all dressed up. Her mind was entirely focused on what was beyond the window.
Then, startled, she quickly ran to the balcony overlooking the outside of the mansion. She abruptly opened the door and looked over the railing, but she must have heard wrong. There was no sound of a carriage.
“...”
Olivia chuckled and entered the room.
Olivia lingered in the spot until the pale winter sunlight settled deep into the room and faded away with the faint sunset. As the long shadows of the setting sun swallowed Olivia and vanished, a hazy darkness gathered.
Olivia could not leave the vicinity of the balcony even as the darkness grew deeper and soon became thick.
Olivia, who could not let go of the lingering hope that he might not come, realized it only after the moon hanging overhead had slid westward and disappeared.
He is not coming today.
Olivia, who had stood foolishly all day for fear that her dress and the hairstyle the maid had done would be ruined, eventually slumped down. As she wrapped her arms around her knees and buried her head, she had the illusion of being all alone in this vast universe.
The darkness she had forcibly pushed deep into her heart, unresolved, burst out as if it had been waiting and swallowed her whole.
She was suddenly terrified as a splitting headache struck, and a sensation of her whole body melting cold washed over her.
Olivia hurriedly got up from her seat and took out the medicine bottle she had tucked deep inside the drawer. With trembling hands, she pulled out the pills and shoved them into her mouth without water. She would rather fall asleep before the abyss began to drag her ankles down.
"Disappear, please disappear."
A pitch-black curtain poured down over her head. Olivia accepted the curtain with her whole body without resistance and soon drifted off to sleep.
Mrs. Betty, standing by the door, covered her mouth with her hand. Her wide-open eyes turned red, and eventually, tears began to fall in drops.
“Your Highness... Oh, my God...”
Mrs. Betty swayed and approached the sleeping Olivia. The Princess, asleep just as she had dressed up, was slowly crumbling. No, perhaps she had already broken down somewhere.
Mrs. Betty opened the loosely closed drawer with trembling hands. Inside the small glass jar were a few white pills, and the words 'Pulder General Hospital' were written on the surface.
She looked at the medicine bottle with a trembling heart, pushed it deep inside so it was out of sight, and closed the drawer.
Then, being careful not to wake Olivia, she took off her shoes, loosened the fastening of her dress, and pulled the blanket up to her chest.
She felt sorry for the flowers that withered because they wanted to bloom fully but could not.
"Good heavens, so that... that’s why you’ve been suffering from such headaches."
Mrs. Betty gazed blankly at Olivia's gaunt face before leaving the room. Then she instructed the maids in charge of the bedroom.
"Buy some tea that is good for sleep. And for the time being, I will tidy up the Prince's bedroom, so don't touch it."
Previous Next
Comments
Post a Comment