Chapter 10

“On to Central Park!”

Now that Leonard had his group photo at the royal summer residence with the Magic Domes in the background, he was ready to drag everyone to Central Park. Located in downtown Herolington, the park was a famous green space and public square surrounded by luxury stores.

The royal guard was stationed in advance to secure the family’s route through the capital. Citizens and passersby watched the dignified and imposing guards curiously.

As the king’s carriage rattled onto the restricted street, the people standing behind the guards erupted into cheers.

Leonard and Beatrix greeted their subjects, beaming as they stepped down from the carriage. Meanwhile, reporters furiously scribbled on their notepads to record the scene.

The crowd’s cheers grew even louder when Arthur and Noah disembarked from the second carriage.

“Prince Noah!”

“Your Highness! Crown Prince Arthur!”

Olivia was just about to disembark herself when she was stunned by the thunderous applause. The bright plaza felt so unfamiliar it was almost like an entirely different world. She struggled to keep her breathing even as she cautiously poked her head out of the carriage’s door.

When she finally revealed herself, the crowd abruptly fell silent. People blinked at the mysterious woman in the company of the royal family. They felt like they had seen her somewhere... but where?

At that moment, someone loudly called out her name in recognition.

“Olivia Liberty!”

The voice enlightened the rest of the crowd: This was Olivia, the first-ever female graduate who had recently been all over Herod newspapers!

“It’s really her!”

“Olivia! Over here!”

The crowd pressed themselves close to the guards’ barricade and waved enthusiastically at her.

Having never experienced anything like this before, Olivia was visibly flustered. Margo pulled her along by the arm with a smile. “It’s all right. You can relax,” she said reassuringly.

The young woman realized her breathing had quickened as she dazedly began to wobble forward.

The princes, who’d been walking ahead of her, turned to get a look at her expression.

“She looks nervous,” Arthur whispered.

Noah raised an eyebrow. “So it seems.”

“Are all these pictures really necessary?”

Noah plainly regarded the woman walking by Margo’s side. Her fair face looked even paler than usual, not that it concerned him.

“Father will only return to the palace once he gets a picture he’s happy with,” he responded. “The only way to cut the trip short is to play along.”

The crowd only had eyes for Olivia now.

“Olivia!”

As people called out her name, she smiled awkwardly.

She was breaking into a cold sweat. The royal family seemed used to all this from the way they behaved so unaffectedly and waved lightly back. Even Lucy, who was walking hand in hand with her parents, looked at ease. Princess Margo was the only person not waving back at the observers, but by no means did that indicate nervousness.

“What do I do?” Olivia asked her quietly.

Margo paused to think, suddenly reminded that she was royalty while Olivia was not. There was no way they’d share the same mindset.

“Just smile and nod back at them from time to time. Casually,” she advised. Of course, she couldn’t expect the girl to behave like royalty herself.

“All right,” Olivia said resolutely, steeling herself as she endured all the stares and cheers. Just remember your first day at university. At least no one’s making fun of you this time.

“Olivia! Olivia Liberty!”

The chorus of shouts kept coming. But indeed, there wasn’t a hint of mockery in their voices. If anything, they sounded glad to see her.

That’s right. Compared to my time at school, this is nothing.

Her nerves began to settle down a little, and a smile naturally spread across her face. Now that she was smiling, she felt a bit more relaxed. Finally, she was able to tilt her head to the crowd and nod back.

“She’s adjusting faster than I thought,” Arthur muttered, glancing behind his shoulder as he waved.

“Who?” Noah asked.

“Miss Liberty. She was white as a sheet just a moment ago, but now she looks fine. That’s a relief.”

“Stop worrying about her and focus on the event, Your Highness.” Noah continued to soullessly wave at the crowd before joining his brother in casting his gaze behind them.

Olivia was barely over the threshold of womanhood, not even truly past adolescence. It was like she was treading the blurred line between spring and summer. Her rosy pink cheeks and her sparkling dark eyes made her look intelligent yet at the same time youthful and pure.

I’m sure she has no idea that everyone’s paying more attention to her than the royal family, Noah thought as he leisurely strolled along. More than ever, he was convinced that inviting her to Herod had been an excellent idea.

The royal family’s destination was the plaza in the middle of the park that featured a golden lion statue. With carriage entry temporarily restricted, the courtyard was empty and looked even more vast than usual.

Once inside, they were finally distanced from the crowd and the ear-splitting cheers quieted down. Beatrix gave Lucy’s hand to Madam Remann, her nanny, and then walked over to Margo and Olivia.

Olivia hastily curtsied, to which Beatrix smiled. “You must have been so tired after all the interviews yesterday, Miss Liberty. I’m sorry I wasn’t able to wait for you to finish.”

The young woman immediately shook her head. “Please don’t be, Your Majesty. I’m just grateful that you invited me to such a lovely banquet. I had a wonderful time.”

“And do you like your room?” the queen asked, leading them towards the statue.

“Yes. It’s beautiful, but so cozy. I was also impressed by the fountain outside the window.”

The girl was obviously nervous, yet she still managed to answer composedly. No wonder Leonard dragged on the interviews for so long, Beatrix thought.

“Is His Majesty satisfied with the newspapers today?” Margo asked with a smirk.

The queen narrowed her eyes and shot a look at her husband. “Oh, he’s satisfied all right. He’s been going on and on about how much he loathes that he and Duke Reitwing look so alike.”

“Walter would be livid if he heard that.”

“I’ve missed talking to you like this. Can’t you come back to Herod?”

“That would make the king even more livid,” the princess whispered.

Beatrix burst into laughter, then kindly turned to Olivia so she wouldn’t be left out of the conversation. “And our first female university student! How marvelous. I’m sure it couldn’t have been easy. I know it’s belated, but congratulations.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.” Slowly matching her footsteps to the queen’s, she glanced at the plaza.

Just then, the reporter accompanying them cautiously requested an interview with the queen and Margo. The queen apologetically assured that they’d only be a moment, but Olivia was happy to be left alone to reminisce.

The majestic lion statue was a little more impressive than the one in her memories, but the glossy black square stones of the pavement as well as the pointed tower of the famous Hamel Church across the way were exactly as she remembered. Even the weather had been similar during her visit as a little girl.

After staring at the church’s pointed tower for a while, Olivia turned her gaze once again to the lion statue. She could vividly remember the rough surface of her ice cream cone and how the soft, sweet ice cream—a treat she’d never tasted before—had made her squeal with delight. Her grandfather had teased her for making such a big fuss over nothing, then held out his own ice cream for her to try.

“Stop it, you’ll make her sick,” her mother had protested.

“Is it that good, Liv?” her father had asked kindly.

And her grandmother had watched all of this with a hearty laugh, a completely different person from whom she was now...

“Oh.”

So I’ve been missing those times. That’s why I wanted to come to Herod. I wanted to see fragments of their memories that live on here.

While the king and queen were distracted by interviews, Lucy was entrusted to Madam Remann. On any other day, the little princess would have been busy scampering around, excited at the chance to get out of the palace. But today, her eyes were fixed on one spot.

The nanny followed the little girl’s gaze and saw that she was staring at the royal family’s guest. “Go up to her and say something if you’re curious, Your Highness,” she said encouragingly.

The king was overprotective of his daughter. He was so determined to always keep her in the palm of his hand that people had secretly nicknamed her the “Palm Princess.” Madam Remann pitied the little girl, who was at an age when she should be making new friends and building social skills, but was instead confined in the palace.

“Can I?” Lucy asked eagerly.

“Of course.”

At the nanny’s suggestion, Lucy began walking dazedly, almost like she was in a trance. Soon enough, her little feet quickened. But she had never initiated a conversation with a stranger before. She halted right behind Olivia, unable to get the words out of her mouth.

When she looked up, she could see every thread in Olivia’s white blouse and how her wavy black hair slightly swayed to and fro. From the close distance, she also noticed that only half of her hair was tied up with a dark blue ribbon.

Madam Remann stood at a distance, having decided to observe the little princess for now.

As it turned out, she wasn’t the only one watching.

“Um... Your Highness?” a reporter timidly ventured.

“No,” Noah snapped.

The reporter flinched. The prince’s picturesque face was positively glowing under the bright autumn sunlight. If I could just get a photo of this moment and secure an interview, I’d have the perfect feature... he wistfully.

But alas, Prince Noah was not an easy target. All of his interviews up until now had been on his father’s orders, never out of his own will.

Stuffing a hand into his pocket, the prince languidly looked away. “You have plenty of other people to interview today, don’t you? Let’s not drain our energy unnecessarily.”

“You’d never drain my energy, Your Highness,” said the reporter.

“No, I mean you drain my energy.”

“Oh... right,” the man said meekly.

I was hoping I could ask about his recent business ventures... Prince Noah was only twenty-three but had such shrewd business acumen that entrepreneurs were lining up to meet him, eager for his investment. Unfortunately, the reporter had no choice but to back down.

Noah was truly sick and tired of these events. It wasn’t even like they only happened every once in a while. Besides, he found all the attention burdensome. He never looked forward to being under such scrutiny—he knew all the public wanted him for was his fancy, pretty shell. Whenever people cheered for him, he’d snidely ask in his head, Do you even know what kind of person I am?

Ignoring the rest of the reporters and their tentative looks, he leaned against a large tree and crossed his arms over his chest. The sun shone in through the dense foliage, scattering fragments of light across his face.

While everyone else marveled at the gorgeous autumn plaza, Noah alone felt indifferent. He only ever showed interest in polo games and work-related matters. Even work was only important to him because it brought him that much closer to being free from the royal family—so in actuality, polo was the one thing he truly enjoyed. It was a surprisingly dull life for that of a twenty-three-year-old man.

As he stared wearily out at the world, his eye was suddenly drawn to the little princess as she approached Olivia.