Noah, brushing his tousled blonde hair back, sat down in front of the steaming food and instinctively picked up the newspaper.

The front page of the newspaper had been monopolized by Walter’s image for a while, but now it was somewhat worth looking at.

The large black-and-white photo featured that woman, Olivia, and Princess Lucy, both smiling brightly at each other. He cynically thought that a photo of a schoolgirl from Pulder and a young princess on a picnic hardly seemed front-page material, but seeing Olivia’s radiant smile, he vaguely understood.

After all, the primary goal of a newspaper was to sell copies.

Noah stared intently at Olivia’s face with an impassive gaze. Black hair darker than the ink, thick eyebrows, large round eyes. Her small face, with its neatly placed nose and attractive lips, indeed had the beauty to stir Herot.

“The real thing is better than a photograph.”

He made this indifferent assessment before carelessly flipping to the back of the newspaper and setting it aside, offering his deepest condolences to Olivia.

The King’s joyful laughter seemed to echo like an auditory hallucination.

For the remainder of his time, his father would likely involve Olivia in as many events as possible, ensuring she was prominently featured.

⚜ ⚜ ⚜

Noah’s prediction was spot on.

Leonard had laughed heartily at the affectionate photo on the front page.

The Queen’s role in the royal family was crucial, attending various events to uphold the royal authority. However, twenty-three years ago, after giving birth to Asher in January and Noah in December of the same year, the Queen suffered postpartum fever after having endured back-to-back pregnancies.

She became so frail that even the flash of a camera became too much for her. Lucy’s birth was nearly miraculous.

So, who would take on the Queen’s role?

Crown Prince Asher was mostly excluded from events under Leonard’s principle that mystery created authority. Leonard’s siblings were Marguerite and Walter, one a rebel, the other a calamity, so the King often pushed Noah to the forefront of the media.

Still, that wasn’t easy either.

Noah attended these events out of obligation, but his gaze and expressions often spat out various curses, causing reporters to sweat.

And what about Olivia?

Olivia Liberty was like a guaranteed box-office hit. Within just two days of meeting her, Leonard seriously contemplated offering her the role of Herot Palace’s spokesperson.

Of course, it remained just a thought due to practical difficulties.

“Add another event for today, and bring forward the charity event at the Royal Library scheduled for next week. Make it possible for Olivia Liberty to attend.”

The secretary promptly noted the King’s orders and nodded.

“Understood. Or perhaps, Your Majesty, consider postponing Miss Liberty’s departure date a bit?”

Leonard shook his head regretfully.

“I already hinted at it, but Margot has warned me. She said not to delay the scheduled departure date, as they’ll be returning together.”

At the mention of ‘Margot,’ the secretary added no further comment.

Marguerite Astrid. If the royal family’s pride declared so, who had coldly rejected the late king’s will, it was irreversible.

“Then, I’ll make arrangements for Miss Olivia Liberty.”

Choosing the more manageable option seemed the only way.

⚜ ⚜ ⚜

Excessive. And dogmatic.

That was Olivia’s impression of Leonard.

Clever, perceptive, and modest.

That was Leonard’s impression of Olivia.

The King, as if he had been waiting for this day, led Olivia from one event to another. In Margot’s words, Leonard was like ‘a ghost haunted by the events it couldn’t attend.’ Initially, the thought of spending an entire day with the King of Herod was daunting for her, but Olivia quickly adapted.

The nervousness faded after an hour or two, and after several hours together, adaptation was inevitable. Moreover, King Leonard was impulsive, never hesitating to speak his mind, which made interactions with him easy. Crucially, he was very pleased with her interview.

It started with, “Miss Liberty, that was a very satisfying interview.”

Then, it evolved to, “Yes, exactly! That’s how interviews should be done!”

And concluded with, “Hahaha! Olivia, how do you speak so well?! Excellent! Tomorrow’s paper will be worth reading!”

“Thank you for the compliment, Your Majesty.”

Olivia politely replied, and the King laughed heartily, praising her effort once more.

The pair, who had left the palace early in the morning, didn’t return until dusk. Margot, who had been lingering near the fountain waiting for her return, hurried over upon seeing them. Leonard quickly changed direction and disappeared as if fleeing, while Olivia approached Margot with a smile.

“Professor!”

“Ha, really!”

Margot alternated between glancing at the King’s retreating figure and Olivia’s tired face, then pulled her arm.

“You’ve worked hard. This is just too much. How many events did you attend today?”

“Um… six?”

“Definitely crazy.”

“It wasn’t so bad. Everyone was quite kind.”

“Let’s go back right after the maze garden party. It’s your cherished hometown, we can’t let it be tarnished by turning into an event hell.”

At her words, Olivia burst into laughter, and Margot chuckled, too.

That evening, after a warm bath, Olivia turned on a flashlight and opened her notebook. She desperately wanted to sleep, but knowing her time at Herod Palace was limited, she couldn’t afford to skip even a day.

As she slowly reviewed her day, Olivia found herself thinking of him unintentionally.

Noah Astrid.

A prince who was more difficult than the king himself. A man who, in the masterpiece titled ‘Comfort and Love,’ emerged alone and vanished without a glance back.

A person whose life story intrigued her.

While she felt tense in his presence and rather preferred him not being there, she found herself glancing back all day, though she never caught sight of him. Recalling his green eyes with a hint of red and the smooth, straight fingers, he revealed upon removing his gloves made her heart flutter inexplicably.

“…What am I even thinking about?”

Olivia laughed at the absurdity of her thoughts and shook her head, then quickly started to jot down her day’s events. Her diary, more of a logbook of moving from one event to another, extended quite a bit.

Regrettably, the following days in her notebook were filled with similar entries.

And on none of those days did Noah Astrid appear.

⚜ ⚜ ⚜

As time passed and the day before the maze garden party arrived, five days had elapsed since the guest’s arrival at Herod Palace.

Asher, who was traveling with Noah in a carriage to the naval residence, opened a newspaper.

Olivia’s face filled the front, second, and third pages. Recently, Herolington was abuzz with stories about her. Still, turning the newspaper into a photo album seemed excessive.

Amused by the absurdity, Asher spoke up.

“Aunt is furious. His Majesty won’t leave Miss Liberty alone, dragging her from place to place. And did you know? Father has started calling her ‘Olivia’.”

Noah glanced at a photo of Olivia on a newsstand outside and smirked.

“Why wouldn’t he? He probably wishes he could delay her departure even by a day. People hardly mention Uncle’s name anymore.”

“It’s impossible with Aunt around.”

After Asher’s words, the brothers were lost in their thoughts for a while. As the carriage sped toward the distant Magic Dome, Asher broke the silence.

“Reading the interview, I can understand Father’s perspective. Plus, she seems surprisingly less nervous. It is no easy feat.”

“….”

“I mean Miss Liberty. Even if Pulder is a republic, it’s still rife with class and gender discrimination. Yet she managed to graduate from Herolington University before twenty. I think that’s quite remarkable.”

__