Chapter 3

“Leave at once! How dare you show your face in front of me?! I want him out!”

The servants flinched at the furious voice thundering down the hallway.

“One, two, three...” Noah counted to himself as he leisurely strolled down the sun-filled corridor. Sure enough, the door swung open and a man came stumbling out, his hair a disheveled mess.

Noah’s uncle, Duke Walter Reitwing, hopped agitatedly in place as the door slammed behind him. “Your Majesty!” he cried in desperation.

“Throw that useless imbecile out of my palace at once!” The king’s angry bellowing could be heard through the heavy door, making the duke squeeze his eyes shut in fright.

Noah slowly approached his uncle—known among their relatives as “the royal family’s colossal disaster”—then stopped, maintaining a fair distance between them. “Uncle,” he said with a nod before continuing on his way.

At the greeting—if one could even call it that—Walter blankly eyed his nephew. “Noah!” he called frantically as the prince reached toward the door.

Noah scarcely changed position, turning only his head to face the man. He disliked his uncle in every way imaginable. If you have any conscience at all, you’d offer the first apology, he thought scornfully.

“Put in a good word with His Majesty for me, won’t you?” the duke pleaded.

Noah clenched his jaw, fighting back a laugh. Of course, the royal family’s disaster didn’t have a conscience. “Yes, Uncle,” he said flatly, turning back to pull the door open.

The king’s office was filled with cigarette smoke, enough to make even Noah frown. The first person he took note of was Arthur, his brother and the crown prince. Arthur silently acknowledged his arrival with a glance, and he curtly nodded back.

Their father, King Leonard the Second, hurled his newspaper at the wall. “Explain to me, why would the idiot madman refuse to pay for his own drinks?! Invoking his title at a bar, of all places...” he snarled.

A few days before, Walter had received a letter from his only daughter informing him that she would be cutting ties. He had proceeded to head straight to a bar and drink any liquor he could get his hands on. Despite his attendants’ attempts to intervene, the inebriated Walter had caused a scene, spouting remarks like, “Why should I have to pay to drink in the very nation I run?” and “The citizens of Faulder are here to serve the royal family!”

A few reporters had unfortunately been there to witness it, meaning Walter’s statements had made it to the front page of the papers and were now sparking outrage among the public. The biggest problem was that this was not his first scandal.

“That moron... I can’t believe I have to waste my time with such worthless nonsense,” Leonard groaned, grasping at his hair.

Noah flung open a window.

“Keep them closed!” the king immediately barked.

Everyone else had been enduring the smoke in silence, but Noah could not. “I believe the room needs some fresh air, Your Majesty,” he said.

Arthur nodded and opened another window. “Please calm down,” he added.

The suggestions from his two sons seemed to abate the king’s temper a little.

Arthur continued. “Staying silent won’t solve anything. We need to release an official statement. You should issue a suitable punishment for Duke Reitwing, then publicly announce that the royal family doesn’t agree with his opinions nor condone his behavior.”

Noah studied his father’s expression. Of course, the king knew what had to be done—he just didn’t want to do it.

Crossing his arms over his chest, the prince leaned against the windowsill. “I attended seven events yesterday evening, but my face wasn’t in a single one of this morning’s papers. It won’t be easy to cover this up. I think we should listen to Crown Prince Arthur.”

The king’s advisors nodded fervently as they waited for Leonard’s response.

The king sank into his sofa like a defeated soldier and stuck another cigarette into his mouth. Only after he had finished smoking the entire thing and rinsed his mouth did he mumble, “Then how are we to rebuild the royal family’s reputation? I meant to raise taxes early next year. But the proposition will never pass if Walter, that blasted idiot, keeps corrupting our image!” He stared pointedly at Noah.

What do you expect me to do? Divert their attention by stripping down to my underwear? He felt a surge of annoyance at his father’s gaze, then suddenly recalled the small photo he had seen earlier. He momentarily lowered his eyes to think, then held his hand out to the secretary who had fetched the king’s flung newspaper. “Give me that.”

He opened the paper to the article featuring Olivia Liberty. He briefly stared at the demure young lady smiling at him before placing the newspaper in front of his father.

The king bemusedly peered at the article as Noah explained, “This girl is a commoner who graduated as Herolington University’s valedictorian. She’s the youngest and first woman to do so. Perhaps it’s time that you invite her to the palace and offer your congratulations.”

The king paused to consider the option, then nodded. “A wonderful idea.”

He hurried to his desk. “Bring me some letter paper and an envelope!” he snapped to his secretaries. “There’s a boat heading to Faulder today, isn’t there? Contact them at once, and make sure my letter gets on board!”

* * *

Two weeks later, Olivia was walking down a quiet hallway. Her feelings were mixed as she read the letter addressed to her.

—We hope for an opportunity to work with you in the future, but for now, we regret to inform you...

Even before she requested a researcher position at Ansen’s company, she’d been on the job hunt. For months now, she had been rejected after every single interview. She had desperately hoped that this time might be different—but once again, her hopes were ruthlessly crushed.

She dejectedly dropped her arms to her sides. She had high expectations this time. She had even submitted a recommendation letter from Professor Margaret.

“Not again,” she mumbled sadly. Her heart seemed to be shriveling up at her repeated failure. Her grandmother would be waiting to hear the news. How could Olivia tell her?

With a heavy heart, she folded up the letter and tucked it in her bag. She had already arrived in front of an imposing black door.

Margaret Astrid was both the younger sister of Leonard the Second—the current king of Herod—and the president and an honorary professor at Herolington University’s Faulder campus. Known to her family as “Margo,” she was a shrewd woman with sharp eyes, the personification of cynicism.

She clicked her tongue as she picked up a copy of Herod’s primary newspaper and read through the front-page article on her brother Walter’s recent ruckus. “How is the dimwit still acting out at his age?” she muttered.

A steady knock sounded at the door. She took off her reading glasses as the door creaked open and she invited her visitor in. “Ah, Olivia. Take a seat.”

“Hello, Professor,” Olivia greeted her.

Margo came around her desk and sat in an armchair. She furrowed her brow as she watched Olivia cautiously take her own seat in a nearby chair. “Did something happen?” she asked sharply.

Olivia hastily forced a smile and shook her head. “Of course not.”

The professor fixed her cold and calculative eyes on the girl’s face for a moment, then crossed her arms almost scornfully. She’s clearly been rejected again. Those foolish companies have no eye for talent whatsoever.

“If a company can’t recognize how brilliant you are, they didn’t deserve you in the first place,” she said savagely. “Don’t concern yourself over them too much.”

Olivia gave her a small smile, fidgeting with her skirt. “I’m sorry. You even went to the trouble to write me a recommendation letter.”

“Don’t apologize. Those companies disgust me. How dare they reject you despite my personal recommendation? You just wait and see.”

Margo released her arms and passed Olivia a thick and luxurious envelope from the side table. This envelope was the reason she had asked the girl to her office today. Olivia accepted it respectfully, then tilted her head upon seeing the fancy wax seal with the Herod royal family’s coat of arms imprinted on it.

“Why are you giving me this?” she asked.

“Because it’s addressed to you. Open it.”

Inside the envelope was a stiff card, at the top of which Olivia saw her name written in elegant script. Her eyes widened as she skimmed through the note.

“The royal family’s in trouble after Duke Reitwing’s scene the other day. It seems that King Leonard hopes you’ll save his image. I’m sure he gave some other pretext for the invitation, but that’s the real reason,” Margo coolly explained.

Olivia was still staring down at the card. She was stunned, but at the same time, she felt her heart stir. The kingdom of Herod was home to dear, hazy memories. Whenever she was faced with hardship, she would always recall the cozy comfort of her life in Herod.

Today was no different. When her grandmother had suggested she take a short trip to clear her head, the first place that came to mind was Herod.

“So, do you want to go?” Margo asked.

Olivia raised her head. Now that she was an adult, she’d been thinking of telling her grandmother that she was eager to visit Herod again. Her grandmother would hate the idea, of course. This invitation from the royal family had come at just the right time.

However... Olivia steeled herself, fighting embarrassment. “I can’t afford a trip to Herod right now, Professor. Even if I could go, my grandmother would be left by herself.”

Margo snorted. “Olivia, that paper in your hand is an invitation from the royal family. And up until last year, your grandmother was your legal guardian. You were the one who needed to be looked after, not her.”

“I know. Still...”

Margo clicked her tongue, stifling her distaste for Susanna Liberty and the heavy burden the old woman was imposing on her miserable young granddaughter. “If you wish to go, I’ll have someone check on Madam Liberty twice a day. I don’t want you to worry.”

Olivia’s heart stirred once more—but as a poor commoner, her worries didn’t end there. “If I accept this invitation and travel to Harod, will it put me in a difficult position? If the royal family themselves summoned me...”

“I suppose you might feel a bit annoyed.”

“It won’t be worse than annoying?”

“Are you scared they might bite?” Margo joked. She suddenly narrowed her eyes and snatched the invitation out of the girl’s hands to read through it more carefully.

“Autumn banquet?” she mumbled under her breath. I thought they just wanted to take a few publicity shots with her! He actually wants her at the autumn banquet, where Herod’s aristocrats make their high society debuts?! Selfish Leonard... he had outdone himself this time.