Episode 153. Don't hold me back, just disappear.
And a short while later, the Princess called Mrs. Betty.
"Mrs. Betty."
Mrs. Betty, who was entering the room, paused at a voice that pierced her ears.
This is because the atmosphere of the Princess Consort, whom she had served closely for several months, changed in an instant, like flipping a hand.
The Princess neither cried nor laughed.
She was calm and quiet.
However, Mrs. Betty was overwhelmed by her, like someone gazing at a vast ocean or a huge mountain.
The Princess looked directly at her and spoke.
"Help me leave the mansion and go to the royal palace."
It was clearly a request for help, but Mrs. Betty felt she could not dare disobey her. This was because she sensed an authority from her that was of a different nature from that of the Prince.
At the same time, she felt sorry for her.
What use is the title of Princess Consort, and what use is a splendid and cozy paradise?
It is nothing more than a beautifully groomed bird in a cage.
The Prince will fire Mrs. Betty anyway. After all, he is someone who never lets anyone cross the line.
Mrs. Betty, lost in thought for a moment, nodded as if she had made up her mind.
“Understood, Your Highness. Please wait a moment.”
She, who had excused herself and disappeared, returned to the Princess Consort a short while later. With a determined glint in her eyes, she announced the plan she had devised.
“Upon closer inspection, I noticed that the bodyguards checked the interiors of the incoming carriages, but they didn’t check the interiors of the outgoing ones.”
"So what?"
"I usually go out myself to buy supplies for the mansion around sunset. I think it would be best for you to go out with me during that time."
Olivia, recalling the woman trembling in front of Noah, felt a lump in her throat and expressed her gratitude.
"Thank you so much, Madam."
Mrs. Betty smiled faintly and stepped back.
After she left, Olivia first called Jonan and told him that she was too tired to go to Hamuel today.
Faced with the Princess Consort saying she could not go because she was tired, Jonan had no choice but to turn away.
As he left, Olivia paced around the room, picturing the moment she would meet the King in her mind. She pictured again and again what she would say and how the King would react.
The space-time that enveloped her was rubbed away like a paperweight and vanished.
In a world close to the unconscious, Olivia had countless conversations with King Leonard. The more she practiced by setting up scenarios, the harder Olivia's gaze grew.
Around the time, the hazy winter sunlight turned red and settled deep inside the room.
Olivia stopped her hesitant steps.
She took off the long dress she was wearing and changed into a blouse and skirt. She took out a hooded coat herself, put it on, and carefully placed the blueprints and documents into an old leather bag before closing it.
And before leaving the room, she looked at herself in the huge mirror one last time.
Although her clothes were incomparably more luxurious than they were back then, perhaps because of the worn leather bag in her hand, she felt as though she had gone back in time.
Back to the days when she roamed the campus of Pulder designing the Magic Dome.
Olivia looked down at the old bag handle.
Olivia Liberty
The name her grandmother handed down and engraved is in her grasp.
Olivia gripped the handle engraved with her name tightly and looked at herself in the mirror.
“Don’t back down, set it right.”
As she felt her heart burning, a dark shadow of fear crept up the back of her neck.
Olivia quickly turned around before fear blinded her.
And she shouted loudly in her heart so that he could hear.
Now is the time to summon the courage for true freedom.
"So, stop holding me back and disappear."
Mrs. Betty escorted Olivia to the carriage. She dressed Olivia in a somewhat worn hooded cloak to cover her luxurious coat.
"Please wear it just until you leave."
Olivia quickly boarded the carriage, avoiding the eyes of others. Mrs. Betty calmly closed the door and took a short, deep breath.
"Mr. Verdick, the coachman, is someone she has known for a long time. He is not the type to speak ill of others, so please do not worry."
“...I am indebted to Mr. Verdick as well.”
Mrs. Betty smiled sweetly, narrowing her eyes at the Princess's words.
Meanwhile, the carriage had already crossed the interior of the mansion and reached the front gate. The carriage slowed down and stopped for a moment.
Step, step.
The sound of military boots drew closer to the carriage.
Olivia's heart pounded at the sound. She pulled her hood down a little more and glanced out the window.
The one who approached the carriage was none other than Jonan.
Jonan, who smiled like a boy in front of her, looked like the gatekeeper of hell as he guarded the main gate of the mansion.
Olivia prayed that he would not recognize her.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Betty leisurely opened the window and spoke to Jonan.
"I am going to buy the necessary items."
“...”
"Then, I'll be going."
Just as Mrs. Betty calmly waved goodbye toward the window and was about to close the door, Jonan stared intently at Olivia and asked.
"Don't you usually go around alone?"
Mrs. Betty laughed leisurely at his question and retorted.
"Well, wouldn't it depend on the situation?"
The experience of having guarded the fussy Prince for several years overwhelmed the young bodyguard.
Jonan glanced at the mysterious figure with the hood pulled down, but eventually took a step back.
"Very well. Go ahead."
“Thank you. I’ll be back soon.”
The carriage, which had stopped for a moment, started rolling again.
As the carriage moved quite a distance away from the mansion, Olivia let out a long, slow sigh and spoke to Mrs. Betty.
“Madam. I did not want to cause you any harm... no... actually, I have already caused you harm.”
Mrs. Betty carefully wrapped her wrinkled hand around the back of Olivia's hand. When Olivia, who had been keeping her head down, looked up, Mrs. Betty met her eyes warmly. Beyond the stiff mask, Mrs. Betty's true, bare face was revealed.
“This is my reward for protecting me from the Countess Timberlin, who slapped my cheek.”
“...That was only natural.”
"Then, please consider this to be natural as well."
Mrs. Betty, who had been speaking affectionately, hardened her expression and quickly put her arm around Olivia's shoulder.
“Your Highness, do not look out the window; cover your face.”
No sooner had Mrs. Betty finished speaking than the coachman's rough voice was heard.
“Ah, move aside right now! Move aside! Let the carriage pass!! Don’t you know His Royal Highness the Prince told you not to come like this?!”
“You are the coachman of His Royal Highness the Prince’s mansion, aren’t you?! What kind of life is Her Royal Highness the Princess leading right now?!”
“Please tell me just one thing! What did Her Highness the Princess say was her relationship with Ansen Wilhelm?”
"Don't you still miss him?!"
“What do you think her relationship with His Royal Highness the Prince is like?”
As Olivia tensed up, Mrs. Betty hugged her tightly. Over Mrs. Betty's shoulder, the bustling crowd could be seen.
“Ah, I said, get out of the way!!!”
“Your Highness, do not listen.”
Mrs. Betty whispered in Olivia's ear. She was worried that the Princess would be hurt and distressed.
"Everything they say..."
“Just a moment, Madam.”
“...?”
"I want to hear what they have to say."
The Princess stepped out of Lady Betty's embrace and sat upright. Then, she calmly listened to all the sounds coming from all directions.
She was neither excited nor cried in despair.
However, there were no more words.
Even after passing through the streets bustling with reporters, the royal palace began to come into view in the distance.
It looked different at the same time.
How should she put it? It feels like she's completely shed the thin shell she was barely managing to wear.
Mrs. Betty held her breath in front of her without realizing it.
The King's office was in disarray today, as if it had been hit by a bomb.
Countless people came and went, and from time to time, the King's loud shouts echoed. The faces of the aides entering the office were like cattle being led to the slaughterhouse.
Evening after sunset.
The Crown Prince and the Queen entered the King's office. Both of them had been busy all day. The Queen was busy bringing order to the chaotic palace, while the Crown Prince was busy handling external affairs on behalf of the King.
Leonard gave the two people a perfunctory greeting, then lowered his gaze to the desk.
What was spread out on the desk was a map of the sea off Haroldington.
"It looks like a maritime controller has been here."
When Usher approached and spoke to him, Leonard nodded.
“Right. I warned that the timing of monster appearances could be moved up.”
Leonard ran his rough hand over his face and muttered 'Magic Dome' like a groan.
Magic Dome
That damn thing.
"What about Noah?"
Leonard laughed hollowly at Beatrix's question.
“That guy...”
He was running around frantically to put out the fire caused by his wife, even going so far as to do interviews he hated so much.
With the sole determination not to involve Olivia in this.
“If I could, I wouldn’t even put Olivia down on the ground.”
Because even stepping on the ground would be nerve-wracking.
“But the problem is that Ansen Wilhelm, that bastard, is entangled with the Magic Dome.”
Therefore, no matter how much Noah moves about, it will not be easy to completely erase the name of Ansen Wilhelm from Herod.
If that name is not erased, there is always a possibility that even a fire barely extinguished by stepping on it will reignite.
"There is only one way to remove Ansen Wilhelm from Herod."
As Usher opened his mouth, the King and Queen turned to him at the same time. Under his parents' gaze, he spoke firmly.
"It means breaking the Magic Dome contract and Herod constructing the Magic Dome independently."
"We cannot cancel the Magic Dome contract immediately."
“I know. That is why I am suggesting we start preparing now.”
Leonard remained silent at Usher's words. He lowered his gaze and stared at the map for a long time.
Just as a deafening silence fell between the three of them, a servant broke the silence and entered the office. He announced the arrival of a figure who would surprise all three of them.
"Your Majesty, the Duchess of Rosemond has requested an audience."
And a short while later, the Princess called Mrs. Betty.
"Mrs. Betty."
Mrs. Betty, who was entering the room, paused at a voice that pierced her ears.
This is because the atmosphere of the Princess Consort, whom she had served closely for several months, changed in an instant, like flipping a hand.
The Princess neither cried nor laughed.
She was calm and quiet.
However, Mrs. Betty was overwhelmed by her, like someone gazing at a vast ocean or a huge mountain.
The Princess looked directly at her and spoke.
"Help me leave the mansion and go to the royal palace."
It was clearly a request for help, but Mrs. Betty felt she could not dare disobey her. This was because she sensed an authority from her that was of a different nature from that of the Prince.
At the same time, she felt sorry for her.
What use is the title of Princess Consort, and what use is a splendid and cozy paradise?
It is nothing more than a beautifully groomed bird in a cage.
The Prince will fire Mrs. Betty anyway. After all, he is someone who never lets anyone cross the line.
Mrs. Betty, lost in thought for a moment, nodded as if she had made up her mind.
“Understood, Your Highness. Please wait a moment.”
She, who had excused herself and disappeared, returned to the Princess Consort a short while later. With a determined glint in her eyes, she announced the plan she had devised.
“Upon closer inspection, I noticed that the bodyguards checked the interiors of the incoming carriages, but they didn’t check the interiors of the outgoing ones.”
"So what?"
"I usually go out myself to buy supplies for the mansion around sunset. I think it would be best for you to go out with me during that time."
Olivia, recalling the woman trembling in front of Noah, felt a lump in her throat and expressed her gratitude.
"Thank you so much, Madam."
Mrs. Betty smiled faintly and stepped back.
After she left, Olivia first called Jonan and told him that she was too tired to go to Hamuel today.
Faced with the Princess Consort saying she could not go because she was tired, Jonan had no choice but to turn away.
As he left, Olivia paced around the room, picturing the moment she would meet the King in her mind. She pictured again and again what she would say and how the King would react.
The space-time that enveloped her was rubbed away like a paperweight and vanished.
In a world close to the unconscious, Olivia had countless conversations with King Leonard. The more she practiced by setting up scenarios, the harder Olivia's gaze grew.
Around the time, the hazy winter sunlight turned red and settled deep inside the room.
Olivia stopped her hesitant steps.
She took off the long dress she was wearing and changed into a blouse and skirt. She took out a hooded coat herself, put it on, and carefully placed the blueprints and documents into an old leather bag before closing it.
And before leaving the room, she looked at herself in the huge mirror one last time.
Although her clothes were incomparably more luxurious than they were back then, perhaps because of the worn leather bag in her hand, she felt as though she had gone back in time.
Back to the days when she roamed the campus of Pulder designing the Magic Dome.
Olivia looked down at the old bag handle.
Olivia Liberty
The name her grandmother handed down and engraved is in her grasp.
Olivia gripped the handle engraved with her name tightly and looked at herself in the mirror.
“Don’t back down, set it right.”
As she felt her heart burning, a dark shadow of fear crept up the back of her neck.
Olivia quickly turned around before fear blinded her.
And she shouted loudly in her heart so that he could hear.
Now is the time to summon the courage for true freedom.
"So, stop holding me back and disappear."
Mrs. Betty escorted Olivia to the carriage. She dressed Olivia in a somewhat worn hooded cloak to cover her luxurious coat.
"Please wear it just until you leave."
Olivia quickly boarded the carriage, avoiding the eyes of others. Mrs. Betty calmly closed the door and took a short, deep breath.
"Mr. Verdick, the coachman, is someone she has known for a long time. He is not the type to speak ill of others, so please do not worry."
“...I am indebted to Mr. Verdick as well.”
Mrs. Betty smiled sweetly, narrowing her eyes at the Princess's words.
Meanwhile, the carriage had already crossed the interior of the mansion and reached the front gate. The carriage slowed down and stopped for a moment.
Step, step.
The sound of military boots drew closer to the carriage.
Olivia's heart pounded at the sound. She pulled her hood down a little more and glanced out the window.
The one who approached the carriage was none other than Jonan.
Jonan, who smiled like a boy in front of her, looked like the gatekeeper of hell as he guarded the main gate of the mansion.
Olivia prayed that he would not recognize her.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Betty leisurely opened the window and spoke to Jonan.
"I am going to buy the necessary items."
“...”
"Then, I'll be going."
Just as Mrs. Betty calmly waved goodbye toward the window and was about to close the door, Jonan stared intently at Olivia and asked.
"Don't you usually go around alone?"
Mrs. Betty laughed leisurely at his question and retorted.
"Well, wouldn't it depend on the situation?"
The experience of having guarded the fussy Prince for several years overwhelmed the young bodyguard.
Jonan glanced at the mysterious figure with the hood pulled down, but eventually took a step back.
"Very well. Go ahead."
“Thank you. I’ll be back soon.”
The carriage, which had stopped for a moment, started rolling again.
As the carriage moved quite a distance away from the mansion, Olivia let out a long, slow sigh and spoke to Mrs. Betty.
“Madam. I did not want to cause you any harm... no... actually, I have already caused you harm.”
Mrs. Betty carefully wrapped her wrinkled hand around the back of Olivia's hand. When Olivia, who had been keeping her head down, looked up, Mrs. Betty met her eyes warmly. Beyond the stiff mask, Mrs. Betty's true, bare face was revealed.
“This is my reward for protecting me from the Countess Timberlin, who slapped my cheek.”
“...That was only natural.”
"Then, please consider this to be natural as well."
Mrs. Betty, who had been speaking affectionately, hardened her expression and quickly put her arm around Olivia's shoulder.
“Your Highness, do not look out the window; cover your face.”
No sooner had Mrs. Betty finished speaking than the coachman's rough voice was heard.
“Ah, move aside right now! Move aside! Let the carriage pass!! Don’t you know His Royal Highness the Prince told you not to come like this?!”
“You are the coachman of His Royal Highness the Prince’s mansion, aren’t you?! What kind of life is Her Royal Highness the Princess leading right now?!”
“Please tell me just one thing! What did Her Highness the Princess say was her relationship with Ansen Wilhelm?”
"Don't you still miss him?!"
“What do you think her relationship with His Royal Highness the Prince is like?”
As Olivia tensed up, Mrs. Betty hugged her tightly. Over Mrs. Betty's shoulder, the bustling crowd could be seen.
“Ah, I said, get out of the way!!!”
“Your Highness, do not listen.”
Mrs. Betty whispered in Olivia's ear. She was worried that the Princess would be hurt and distressed.
"Everything they say..."
“Just a moment, Madam.”
“...?”
"I want to hear what they have to say."
The Princess stepped out of Lady Betty's embrace and sat upright. Then, she calmly listened to all the sounds coming from all directions.
She was neither excited nor cried in despair.
However, there were no more words.
Even after passing through the streets bustling with reporters, the royal palace began to come into view in the distance.
It looked different at the same time.
How should she put it? It feels like she's completely shed the thin shell she was barely managing to wear.
Mrs. Betty held her breath in front of her without realizing it.
***
The King's office was in disarray today, as if it had been hit by a bomb.
Countless people came and went, and from time to time, the King's loud shouts echoed. The faces of the aides entering the office were like cattle being led to the slaughterhouse.
Evening after sunset.
The Crown Prince and the Queen entered the King's office. Both of them had been busy all day. The Queen was busy bringing order to the chaotic palace, while the Crown Prince was busy handling external affairs on behalf of the King.
Leonard gave the two people a perfunctory greeting, then lowered his gaze to the desk.
What was spread out on the desk was a map of the sea off Haroldington.
"It looks like a maritime controller has been here."
When Usher approached and spoke to him, Leonard nodded.
“Right. I warned that the timing of monster appearances could be moved up.”
Leonard ran his rough hand over his face and muttered 'Magic Dome' like a groan.
Magic Dome
That damn thing.
"What about Noah?"
Leonard laughed hollowly at Beatrix's question.
“That guy...”
He was running around frantically to put out the fire caused by his wife, even going so far as to do interviews he hated so much.
With the sole determination not to involve Olivia in this.
“If I could, I wouldn’t even put Olivia down on the ground.”
Because even stepping on the ground would be nerve-wracking.
“But the problem is that Ansen Wilhelm, that bastard, is entangled with the Magic Dome.”
Therefore, no matter how much Noah moves about, it will not be easy to completely erase the name of Ansen Wilhelm from Herod.
If that name is not erased, there is always a possibility that even a fire barely extinguished by stepping on it will reignite.
"There is only one way to remove Ansen Wilhelm from Herod."
As Usher opened his mouth, the King and Queen turned to him at the same time. Under his parents' gaze, he spoke firmly.
"It means breaking the Magic Dome contract and Herod constructing the Magic Dome independently."
"We cannot cancel the Magic Dome contract immediately."
“I know. That is why I am suggesting we start preparing now.”
Leonard remained silent at Usher's words. He lowered his gaze and stared at the map for a long time.
Just as a deafening silence fell between the three of them, a servant broke the silence and entered the office. He announced the arrival of a figure who would surprise all three of them.
"Your Majesty, the Duchess of Rosemond has requested an audience."
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