Chapter 204
Chapter 204: A Noblewoman’s Word
Chapter 204. A Noblewoman’s Words
— Are Princess Olivia and the Second Prince coming?
Valdrova, sitting in her lair, asked upon hearing Ruri’s report.
— That is correct.
— Olivia… that… such beautiful person?
— That is correct.
— The one who also came to the festival?
— She is the one who almost danced with Ferda-nim, and the one who clung to Ferda-nim constantly.
— B-but that didn’t seem to be the case…
Bright blonde hair with blue eyes.
A woman whose face, even when smiling, was too perfect.
Even without trying to remember her, her presence was like an awl in a pocket.
It pokes out no matter what.
The light she emitted made Valdrova herself feel so insignificant that she felt intimidated.
— Shall I tell the Princess not to enter?
At Ruri’s question, Valdrova was startled.
— Why?
— Well, it seems you are worried that Ferda-nim might notice her, so shouldn’t we prevent them from meeting?
Valdrova shrank back.
— Ferda-san is not that kind of person.
— He is not that kind of person, that is true.
— Then why do you speak like that?
— Because it is my duty to prevent situations that could upset Master-nim’s mood before they occur.
Valdrova shrank back.
— They say where there’s smoke there’s fire, and that leaves don’t sprout from a rootless tree. If Princess Olivia stays close, Ferda-nim might one day be bewitched by her charms.
— But I have spent more time clinging to him, haven’t I?
— Men are like that.
— Like that…?
— Yes.
Valdrova could not understand why Ruri was so certain.
She probably did not know men either, having never dated anyone.
Even so, just hearing Olivia’s name, as Ruri said, anxiety began to rise.
An image formed of Olivia clinging to Ferda’s side.
And she thought that image suited them remarkably well.
Valdrova did not want to doubt Ferda.
So not seeing her, as Ruri said, was the most ideal.
If she fretted pointlessly like this, Ferda would detect it like a ghost.
— “Then he might think I am a troublesome woman.”
The thought that he might grow tired and leave one day made her anxious.
How could she resolve these feelings?
Valdrova thought and reached a conclusion.
Valdrova Castle.
Olivia moved, guided by Ruri.
It was a different direction from the usual path, which gave her a fresh feeling.
— “Valdrova…”
The dragon who guarded the Far East.
She even accepted the title of Grand Duke that humans arbitrarily granted her, and became the dragon guarding that place.
Yet who actually treated a Guardian Dragon as such?
She remained an Evil Dragon, nothing more than a house watchdog.
Olivia had once thought that her achievements were overrated, that she might actually be an unremarkable dragon.
But that was an arrogant thought.
As Olivia, who had participated in the monster subjugation war, could clearly feel it.
At the departure, everyone yearned for hope, but for Olivia it was not enough.
She could move the masses, but she could not sustain them.
A single gesture changed morale.
The Red Dragon, standing alone atop the Lonely Mountain, overturned everything.
No matter how many speeches Olivia gave, nor how much she raised her voice, it was something she could not achieve.
It was, undoubtedly, the choice of a King.
— “For Valdrova to have called me…”
What could she like about a simple human like me?
No, she could roughly guess what it was about.
As a woman, it would undoubtedly be ‘that’ reason.
— “Don’t flirt with another’s fiancé… such an obvious story, right?”
In fact, she had heard it a lot.
Since puberty, from her peers to older men, engaged men and married men alike had shown interest in her.
— A young girl already wagging her tail for another’s man.
— How will she get married being so shameless, tsk tsk…
For Olivia, who had never viewed a man as the opposite sex, it was terribly unfair.
She always set boundaries appropriately, just as she had learned in social etiquette classes, and behaved properly to avoid misunderstandings.
However, those who crossed the line were always the men.
Even when neither had crossed the line between the two, there were women who threw resentment first out of jealousy.
Men looked with eyes full of lust, women glared with eyes full of jealousy.
Olivia was always tired.
If the Red Dragon, Valdrova, was a woman, this meeting was undoubtedly born of jealousy.
— “Then it’s simple.”
She only had to say that she would not associate with that man.
She only had to swear in God’s name that she would ignore him like a stone, without even exchanging a simple conversation.
Then everything would turn out fine.
Olivia could reduce useless words and reduce the useless jealousy received.
— “…But I don’t want to do that.”
Her relationship with Ferda was not a simple relationship of a man and a woman.
He was a companion she could trust, and simultaneously the God she harbored.
She could not easily utter words about severing ties.
Then what should she do?
— “Perhaps I won’t return today.”
Imagining that, Olivia could not help but let out a muffled laugh.
— Master-nim, Princess Arken is entering.
The place Ruri guided Olivia to was the castle garden.
It was maintained with precision incomparable to that of dozens of gardeners in the Imperial Palace garden.
In the center of the garden stood a pavilion covered by a roof and a tea table.
Sitting there was a woman in red.
— “That person… is Valdrova.”
She had already seen Valdrova’s human form twice.
The curves of a voluptuous body and fair skin.
And the contrasting two pairs of fierce horns.
The tips of those horns gleamed with particular sharpness, making Olivia tremble.
— “This is bearable.”
She must not lose her composure no matter what situation arose.
Even inside the jaws of a dragon, she had to endure until the end.
Olivia offered a polite greeting.
— I pay my respects to the Great Fire Phase, Valdrova-nim.
— …..
Valdrova did not answer, only nodding her head slightly.
Olivia inferred from that action alone.
— “She seems displeased.”
It certainly was not with good intentions that she was called here.
The pressure seemed to oppress her chest uncontrollably.
Ruri pulled out a chair from behind, and Olivia sat across from Valdrova.
— It is an honor to see the countenance of Her Royal Highness the Grand Duke. I have heard that Her Royal Highness the Grand Duke is a woman, but to have the opportunity to meet you in person before my elder brothers… you would not know how joyful that is.
…..
— Excuse me. I spoke out of turn without knowing my place.
— Ah, no…
The first words she uttered were terribly halting.
Making one wonder if she had misheard, a welcoming voice escaped:
— It’s not that.
She spoke again with force in her throat.
Olivia felt like a child pointlessly playing king, but she forcefully ignored it.
Olivia replied so as not to offend.
— Then that is a relief. That you wish to speak with me, with this Olivia Arken, is nothing short of an honor.
— Is… that so?
— If it is not rude, I would like to taste Her Royal Highness the Grand Duke’s tea, what do you think?
— Let’s do… that…
At Valdrova’s hesitant reply, an awkward silence quickly settled again.
Olivia could break this kind of situation at any time.
As the hostess of the Imperial Palace, she had mastered the ways of skillfully leading conversations.
However, she could neither match nor initiate a conversation easily.
“I can’t figure her out…”
Facing Valdrova now, Olivia felt that information was repeatedly tangling.
The hostess Valdrova who presented herself prominently before everyone at the Spring Festival.
The dragon Valdrova standing atop the Lonely Mountain.
The human Valdrova of now, like a young lady who has just entered society.
These three must undoubtedly be one single person, but they simply did not fit together.
She only needed to know what kind of existence she was, but even that was not easy, so she remained cautious with her words.
Olivia kept one thing in mind.
What was Valdrova’s purpose in calling her here?
She did not jump to easy assumptions.
Right now, Olivia had to be pure.
A pure Olivia knows nothing.
So she pretended not to know and casually launched a probe.
— It would be better for Your Highness to speak with the Second Prince instead of with me…
— …Why do you think that?
— I am a Princess. A Princess is no different from the hostess of the Palace. If you speak with someone like me, you will only exchange trivial and unimportant stories. Your Highness prioritizes state affairs and national interest as a wise ruler, so it would be more appropriate to speak with my brother than with me…
— Uh, um… that is…
Valdrova stammered foolishly.
— Those stories are… so… someone like Ferda-san, no, wait, what did I call him?… anyway, I think it’s right that someone like Ferda does it…!
— I, I see.
What was she trying to say?
Now Olivia was lost.
The masked Valdrova’s gestures seemed terribly nervous.
— …I wanted to talk with you because you are intelligent and beautiful.
Her heart skipped a beat.
When a woman told her she was intelligent and beautiful while they were alone, it had never been a good thing.
Olivia forced a smile, pretending not to know.
— For an Immortal to evaluate a simple Mortal so highly, I feel overwhelmed. But humans are, ultimately, beings modeled in the image of God. We cannot overcome the beauty of a Dragon close to God.
…..
Valdrova did not answer.
The gaze beyond the mask turned toward Olivia’s eyes.
What was she thinking?
Pressure was felt.
— You really are intelligent. Enough to make me think you suit Ferda.
Hearing those words, Olivia could no longer smile.
That she suited her fiancé remarkably well.
From the moment those words were spoken, practically everything was over.
Olivia desperately calmed her pounding heart, careful not to show cold sweat, and opened her mouth.
— Olivia Arken, I apologize to Her Royal Highness the Grand Duke in this place.
— Uh, um…?
— It is a fact that a young man and a woman should not be alone as a pair, and above all, it is a fact that one should not be alone with someone who belongs to another… I was truly foolish.
— Huh?!?
— However, my meeting with Regent-nim strictly ends at a political level. Because Regent-nim always sets boundaries well, even if there are misunderstandings such as scandals, they are quickly cleared up.
— I-is… that so?
— Yes. Surely it is because Your Highness loves him very much.
— Love…
She murmured that word like a little girl.
— You also often speak of Your Highness.
Valdrova leaned forward.
— W-what kind of stories?
The tension in her throat relaxed and a welcoming voice welled up.
Olivia was startled, but continued.
— You often say that she is beautiful to a degree excessive for you. You say that you feel novelty every day, that she is like your Muse.
Of course, those stories are lies.
Ferda always ended up speaking only of practical matters, and spared stories about Valdrova.
However, she told such stories to appease her mood.
After telling it all, she regretted it again.
“Did I make too much of a fuss?”
If it is too much, the lie is quickly exposed.
With the eye of wisdom of a Dragon, she would have realized immediately that Olivia’s words were lies.
— I-is that true?
It was not.
Valdrova’s shoulders twitched, then she buried her face.
The information that action gave her shocked Olivia.
“Is she embarrassed right now?”
A dragon who has lived a long era, just because her fiancé spoke a lot about her?
That is nonsense.
Not like young girls who squeal over a Prince on a White Horse, how could she be like that?
She smoothly brushed past the internally dreadful scene with a pleased smile.
— Even so, there is a saying that one should not tie one’s shoelaces even in an apple orchard.
— ?
As she put on a face as if she did not understand, Olivia added an explanation.
— It means that one should not do things that invite confusion. I made a metaphor that only humans would understand.
— Ah, no. I knew that…
— Anyway, if Your Highness is worried about me meeting with Regent-nim…
Strangely, the words tried to slide back into her mouth.
She did not know that saying it herself would be so difficult, but Olivia finally said it.
— I will stop meeting with Regent-nim.
She said it herself, but it hurt as if she had been given a breakup notice.
— Huh?!? Th-there is no need for that!
— Pardon?
Olivia raised her head.
— It means that you and Ferda can meet. Didn’t you say meeting is necessary?
— However… Isn’t it that my meeting with Regent-nim worries you? Then, isn’t it right that I stop meeting with Regent-nim?
Valdrova said this:
That Olivia is very intelligent and beautiful.
— That is not why I called you.
— Then…?
— Like I said, I just thought you were intelligent and beautiful.
— And you said we look remarkably well together.
— That’s right.
Those were words containing a threat not to covet another’s fiancé.
— So I called you because I want to be beautiful and intelligent like you.
Yet what Valdrova showed was pure admiration.
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