Episode 152. The Betrayal of Trusted Freedom
Noah appeared with a wild spirit flowing through him, like a lion that had just finished a battle.
Leaning diagonally against the doorway, his gaze slid from Olivia, who was sitting on the bed, to the newspaper in her hand.
"Noah."
As Olivia rose from her seat, Noah moved as well. Mrs. Betty squeezed her eyes shut in fear and bowed her head. Noah walked closer with heavy steps, grating sharply and fiercely.
"I clearly told you not to bring in the newspaper."
“I am sorry, Your Highness.”
He stopped in front of the bowed old woman and looked down at the back of her head with a cold gaze.
"I have been watching you for a long time because you were uninterested in worldly affairs and only did your own thing, but you have crossed the line."
Olivia felt for the first time that he didn't seem human.
"I'm sorry."
"Go out."
As Olivia watched the old woman scurrying away, her eyes turned red and blurred. Noah took the newspaper from her.
Olivia looked at her empty hands, then turned her gaze to the back of Noah, walking toward the fireplace.
He calmly tossed the newspaper into the fireplace. Olivia hesitantly approached him.
“Noah, this article isn't true...”
"I know."
“...”
"Go to Hamuel."
He persistently checked to see if the fire was spreading across the entire newspaper, then turned his head to look at Olivia.
“You don’t need to worry about it. There is no need to go to the palace to explain anything, and there is certainly no need to give interviews to newspaper reporters. Just pretend nothing happened.”
Olivia thought as she looked at him, standing like a barrier.
Isn't this solid protection? Isn't this the sturdy fence he has longed for so desperately?
She meant the kind of protection she always longed for, while being battered all over by harsh storms, fierce winds, and rain.
That is definitely correct.
This handsome man, bathed in red light, is clearly trying to protect her. He indeed intends to protect her completely from the scrutiny of the world and the harshness that may befall her.
But why does the fire that burns slowly inside her heart not die down?
No, rather, it seems to be growing unbearably large, as if trying to burn every single strand of her hair and every single toe.
"Even if I go to Hamuel, I would at least like to speak with them and discuss this matter in person."
“There is no need for that. It’s not worth responding to.”
“Even if it’s not worth responding to, it’s a difficult situation for the Royal Family. So...”
Noah swept his hair back. As Olivia continued speaking, her eyes fell upon the back of his hand, which was bruised a deep blue.
“What’s wrong?!”
Startled, Olivia quickly grabbed his hand.
The smooth, neatly arranged fingers were stained deep blue in places, as if something had been struck with a fist.
“You don't mean...”
When Olivia lifted her trembling eyes to look at Noah, his green eyes, which she had considered calm, were surging like a stormy sea.
Like an ice shelf floating on a black sea, he looked calm yet precarious.
As Olivia was about to turn around to hurriedly grab the medical tools, he suddenly spoke.
"Do you have insomnia?"
“...!”
Olivia turned her head in surprise. Noah was looking at the blazing flames.
"So you have the medicine?"
Olivia gasped for breath and approached him.
“That is... what on earth did you hear from that person?”
His face, as he stared at the flames, gradually contorted. He seemed to be holding back rising anger, and also holding back the urge to cry.
“Liv.”
“...”
“Was Ansen Wilhelm in a corner of your time?”
A tear, seeped with light, fell from Noah's eye.
Olivia felt the abyss grab her by the back of the neck.
It felt as if all the weight that had bound her to this land had vanished. A sensation welled up inside her, as if every reason to keep her feet on this earth were evaporating like a midsummer mirage.
“I have insomnia. I’ve had it since Pulder... So I was prescribed medicine, and then when I came here, uh, it went away... But I don’t know how Ansen knows that...”
Noah turned his head and looked at her.
As tears dripped down her cheeks, she stammered and spoke hurriedly. Noah reached out and wiped the moisture from her cheeks.
“I know. Forget that stupid question from just now.”
“...”
Noah took a handkerchief from his pocket, carefully wiped Olivia's face, and then smiled playfully.
“Go to Hamuel. I’ll follow soon.”
Olivia grabbed his arm while crying. And she spoke pleadingly.
“Noah, I don’t want to do that.”
“...”
“I want to solve my own problem...”
She looked up at him and trailed off. The grip on his arm loosened.
He does not tolerate anything against his will.
“Even if you step forward and say that you had no connection with Ansen Wilhelm, people won’t believe you. It’s not the answer they want to hear.”
Olivia closed her eyes and answered.
“Still, if I have to do it, I will. If there is anything I can do to resolve this, whatever it may be...”
“How could I have thought there would be more photos?”
At the cruel words, Olivia opened her eyes and looked at him. Noah furrowed his brow and roughly scanned her face.
“...What does that mean?”
Noah spoke, staring blankly into the air with a face heavy with fatigue.
"The problem with one of those photos is that the location is a hotel. Out of all the places, it just had to be a hotel."
Olivia barely managed to answer, feeling as if someone were strangling her.
“That’s a business reception room. There wasn’t a single person doing business in Pulder who didn’t go through there. There’s no way there could be any photos that could be considered a threat...!”
"It’s not that I don’t trust you. It’s that I don’t trust the public, who will interpret the situation however they want to believe."
It was then.
Meson entered with an urgent knock, and Noah turned away indifferently as if he had nothing more to say to her.
“I’ve told Jonan, so go to Hamuel. Just do as I say this time. I’ll be there soon, too.”
And then, he drifts away. Step by step, indifferently.
Olivia quietly watched his retreating figure.
It stung as if she were facing a fierce storm with her bare body.
'Stay still.'
'Just like this. Just as if neither dead nor alive.'
The helplessness of having her mouth and hands bound, preventing her from speaking even when seeing, and from acting even when hearing, was sickening and painful.
“Liv, the world is unfair. Accept it.”
From a corner of her unconscious, the voice of her grandmother that she had heard a very long time ago came to mind.
Olivia slumped down as if collapsing, covered her ears, and buried her head in her knees.
At that moment, a skein of memory rose up, accompanied by her grandmother's voice.
"It is only after you acknowledge the unfairness that you can see your freedom."
Olivia, who had been trembling and crying silently, paused. The wrinkled voice seemed to embrace her.
“I’m not telling you to accept it and give up. You have to accept it to see the next step. And keep this in mind, Liv.”
“...Keep it in mind?”
“Your freedom is something you must earn. If you entrust your freedom to others, it may feel like you have secured it for the moment, but you will realize that this is not the case at the crucial moment. Win your own freedom solely through your own strength.”
So this old woman took her across the sea.
Because she wants her to learn freedom at school. Because she wants her to cultivate the strength to win freedom.
As Olivia closed her eyes, her grandmother's face flashed before her eyes like a slideshow.
The flowing tears stopped before she knew it.
“You’re right, Grandma. I should have won it on my own.”
In those black eyes wide open again, seething rage and a determination that they could no longer live like this were reflected.
Olivia sprang from her seat and stormed out of the bedroom. Crossing the hallway to the study, she took out all the blueprints for the Magic Dome she had worked on, as well as the books and documents she had brought from Pulder.
Whenever she stood before this, her heart would always tremble, and she felt sad. But now, she wasn't sad at all.
Olivia glared at the document bearing Ansen's signature intact, chewing on each letter with rage.
“You will regret it. Regarding the fact that you kept bothering me.”
If you hadn't touched me any further, I probably wouldn't have even thought about breaking it.
The me who became smaller without even realizing it.
He probably gave up forever, consoling himself that he had done everything he could.
"So thank you."
Thank you for making me determined to smash it to pieces.
Olivia turned and looked out the window. She saw Noah on horseback crossing the garden.
The pitch-black eyes did not tremble even as they watched that sight.
As Olivia watched him walk away, she whispered to herself as if making a promise.
"I'm sorry, but I can't do as you say."
No.
I don't do that anymore.
Noah appeared with a wild spirit flowing through him, like a lion that had just finished a battle.
Leaning diagonally against the doorway, his gaze slid from Olivia, who was sitting on the bed, to the newspaper in her hand.
"Noah."
As Olivia rose from her seat, Noah moved as well. Mrs. Betty squeezed her eyes shut in fear and bowed her head. Noah walked closer with heavy steps, grating sharply and fiercely.
"I clearly told you not to bring in the newspaper."
“I am sorry, Your Highness.”
He stopped in front of the bowed old woman and looked down at the back of her head with a cold gaze.
"I have been watching you for a long time because you were uninterested in worldly affairs and only did your own thing, but you have crossed the line."
Olivia felt for the first time that he didn't seem human.
"I'm sorry."
"Go out."
As Olivia watched the old woman scurrying away, her eyes turned red and blurred. Noah took the newspaper from her.
Olivia looked at her empty hands, then turned her gaze to the back of Noah, walking toward the fireplace.
He calmly tossed the newspaper into the fireplace. Olivia hesitantly approached him.
“Noah, this article isn't true...”
"I know."
“...”
"Go to Hamuel."
He persistently checked to see if the fire was spreading across the entire newspaper, then turned his head to look at Olivia.
“You don’t need to worry about it. There is no need to go to the palace to explain anything, and there is certainly no need to give interviews to newspaper reporters. Just pretend nothing happened.”
Olivia thought as she looked at him, standing like a barrier.
Isn't this solid protection? Isn't this the sturdy fence he has longed for so desperately?
She meant the kind of protection she always longed for, while being battered all over by harsh storms, fierce winds, and rain.
That is definitely correct.
This handsome man, bathed in red light, is clearly trying to protect her. He indeed intends to protect her completely from the scrutiny of the world and the harshness that may befall her.
But why does the fire that burns slowly inside her heart not die down?
No, rather, it seems to be growing unbearably large, as if trying to burn every single strand of her hair and every single toe.
"Even if I go to Hamuel, I would at least like to speak with them and discuss this matter in person."
“There is no need for that. It’s not worth responding to.”
“Even if it’s not worth responding to, it’s a difficult situation for the Royal Family. So...”
Noah swept his hair back. As Olivia continued speaking, her eyes fell upon the back of his hand, which was bruised a deep blue.
“What’s wrong?!”
Startled, Olivia quickly grabbed his hand.
The smooth, neatly arranged fingers were stained deep blue in places, as if something had been struck with a fist.
“You don't mean...”
When Olivia lifted her trembling eyes to look at Noah, his green eyes, which she had considered calm, were surging like a stormy sea.
Like an ice shelf floating on a black sea, he looked calm yet precarious.
As Olivia was about to turn around to hurriedly grab the medical tools, he suddenly spoke.
"Do you have insomnia?"
“...!”
Olivia turned her head in surprise. Noah was looking at the blazing flames.
"So you have the medicine?"
Olivia gasped for breath and approached him.
“That is... what on earth did you hear from that person?”
His face, as he stared at the flames, gradually contorted. He seemed to be holding back rising anger, and also holding back the urge to cry.
“Liv.”
“...”
“Was Ansen Wilhelm in a corner of your time?”
A tear, seeped with light, fell from Noah's eye.
Olivia felt the abyss grab her by the back of the neck.
It felt as if all the weight that had bound her to this land had vanished. A sensation welled up inside her, as if every reason to keep her feet on this earth were evaporating like a midsummer mirage.
“I have insomnia. I’ve had it since Pulder... So I was prescribed medicine, and then when I came here, uh, it went away... But I don’t know how Ansen knows that...”
Noah turned his head and looked at her.
As tears dripped down her cheeks, she stammered and spoke hurriedly. Noah reached out and wiped the moisture from her cheeks.
“I know. Forget that stupid question from just now.”
“...”
Noah took a handkerchief from his pocket, carefully wiped Olivia's face, and then smiled playfully.
“Go to Hamuel. I’ll follow soon.”
Olivia grabbed his arm while crying. And she spoke pleadingly.
“Noah, I don’t want to do that.”
“...”
“I want to solve my own problem...”
She looked up at him and trailed off. The grip on his arm loosened.
He does not tolerate anything against his will.
“Even if you step forward and say that you had no connection with Ansen Wilhelm, people won’t believe you. It’s not the answer they want to hear.”
Olivia closed her eyes and answered.
“Still, if I have to do it, I will. If there is anything I can do to resolve this, whatever it may be...”
“How could I have thought there would be more photos?”
At the cruel words, Olivia opened her eyes and looked at him. Noah furrowed his brow and roughly scanned her face.
“...What does that mean?”
Noah spoke, staring blankly into the air with a face heavy with fatigue.
"The problem with one of those photos is that the location is a hotel. Out of all the places, it just had to be a hotel."
Olivia barely managed to answer, feeling as if someone were strangling her.
“That’s a business reception room. There wasn’t a single person doing business in Pulder who didn’t go through there. There’s no way there could be any photos that could be considered a threat...!”
"It’s not that I don’t trust you. It’s that I don’t trust the public, who will interpret the situation however they want to believe."
It was then.
Meson entered with an urgent knock, and Noah turned away indifferently as if he had nothing more to say to her.
“I’ve told Jonan, so go to Hamuel. Just do as I say this time. I’ll be there soon, too.”
And then, he drifts away. Step by step, indifferently.
Olivia quietly watched his retreating figure.
It stung as if she were facing a fierce storm with her bare body.
'Stay still.'
'Just like this. Just as if neither dead nor alive.'
The helplessness of having her mouth and hands bound, preventing her from speaking even when seeing, and from acting even when hearing, was sickening and painful.
“Liv, the world is unfair. Accept it.”
From a corner of her unconscious, the voice of her grandmother that she had heard a very long time ago came to mind.
Olivia slumped down as if collapsing, covered her ears, and buried her head in her knees.
At that moment, a skein of memory rose up, accompanied by her grandmother's voice.
"It is only after you acknowledge the unfairness that you can see your freedom."
Olivia, who had been trembling and crying silently, paused. The wrinkled voice seemed to embrace her.
“I’m not telling you to accept it and give up. You have to accept it to see the next step. And keep this in mind, Liv.”
“...Keep it in mind?”
“Your freedom is something you must earn. If you entrust your freedom to others, it may feel like you have secured it for the moment, but you will realize that this is not the case at the crucial moment. Win your own freedom solely through your own strength.”
So this old woman took her across the sea.
Because she wants her to learn freedom at school. Because she wants her to cultivate the strength to win freedom.
As Olivia closed her eyes, her grandmother's face flashed before her eyes like a slideshow.
The flowing tears stopped before she knew it.
“You’re right, Grandma. I should have won it on my own.”
In those black eyes wide open again, seething rage and a determination that they could no longer live like this were reflected.
Olivia sprang from her seat and stormed out of the bedroom. Crossing the hallway to the study, she took out all the blueprints for the Magic Dome she had worked on, as well as the books and documents she had brought from Pulder.
Whenever she stood before this, her heart would always tremble, and she felt sad. But now, she wasn't sad at all.
Olivia glared at the document bearing Ansen's signature intact, chewing on each letter with rage.
“You will regret it. Regarding the fact that you kept bothering me.”
If you hadn't touched me any further, I probably wouldn't have even thought about breaking it.
The me who became smaller without even realizing it.
He probably gave up forever, consoling himself that he had done everything he could.
"So thank you."
Thank you for making me determined to smash it to pieces.
Olivia turned and looked out the window. She saw Noah on horseback crossing the garden.
The pitch-black eyes did not tremble even as they watched that sight.
As Olivia watched him walk away, she whispered to herself as if making a promise.
"I'm sorry, but I can't do as you say."
No.
I don't do that anymore.
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