Olivia’s Resolve
Duke Klaus had initially intended to refuse his physician’s recommendation to rest, but his frail, aged body could no longer hold out. It was only after Olivia held his hand and promised him repeatedly that she would remain by his side until he woke that he finally closed his eyes.
He must have been utterly exhausted; the moment his eyes shut, he drifted into a deep, rhythmic slumber. As Olivia sat quietly, stroking the back of his wrinkled hand, the physician expressed his gratitude, his voice hushed.
"He was never a man like this. But as he has aged, he has grown quite frail."
"He is ill, after all. And I have no desire to leave my grandfather’s side, so there is no need for you to worry so much."
The elderly physician’s eyes welled with tears at her words. Having served the Klaus Duchy for a lifetime, he did not need to be told who Olivia was. He had looked after not only the late Duchess but also the Empress Dowager Adelheid when they were children.
"You should go and rest as well, sir. You must have stayed up all through the night."
"Thank you, my lady."
Once the physician had bowed and retreated, only Olivia and Ferdinand remained in the Duke’s bedchamber.
Olivia was the first to speak, her voice low and steady.
"Will you not go and rest, Count? Or perhaps, are you still harboring doubts about me?"
"How could I? The Duke is convinced, and once I heard the circumstances, I was easily persuaded myself. I am baffled as to why I failed to recognize you sooner."
"……."
"Why did you not reveal your identity from the very beginning?"
Olivia did not turn to look at him, speaking with measured deliberation.
"Because I did not know how much I could trust."
"……."
"I know little of the Klaus Duchy. The issue was not merely whether you were loyal, Count; I could not rule out the possibility of spies in your inner circle. I had no intention of revealing myself to anyone until I could face the Duke in person."
Ferdinand agreed that she had made the right choice. Words, once spoken, have a way of drifting where they will, and the intelligence network of the Schwab faction was not something to be taken lightly.
What mattered now was her next move. Yet, he found himself asking about a less pressing matter first.
"Then, do you consider me trustworthy now?"
It was a meaningless question. He asked it simply because he was curious about what she thought of him.
He felt a pang of embarrassment as soon as the words left his lips, but Olivia did not look at him with any strange expression. She merely answered with composure.
"Because my grandfather trusts you."
It was a natural response from her perspective, but even knowing that, Ferdinand felt a strange sense of disappointment.
"Does the Andex Count family know of your status, Your Highness?"
"Watch your tongue. I do not assume there are ears within the Duke’s residence, but there are certain words that become dangerous the moment they are spoken."
"Then, how would you have me address you?"
She seemed to hesitate for a moment. But she did not ponder long before answering.
"Olivia. That is my name."
"Lady Olivia."
Ferdinand thought the name suited her face perfectly, now that the makeup had been wiped away.
Olivia continued calmly.
"And the Andex Count family knows who I am. Aunt Margarita is the sister of my mother… my foster mother. It was no lie that I am a relative of the Andex family."
"I see."
The recent, uncharacteristic activity of Count Andex flashed through Ferdinand’s mind. As if to cut off his train of thought, Olivia spoke again.
"You must have a lot on your mind regarding what is to come, so you should go and rest, Count. For now… let my grandfather rest."
"Yes."
Ferdinand answered respectfully and slipped out of the bedroom with cautious, silent footsteps.
Olivia gazed at Duke Klaus’s face for a long time, then stroked the back of his hand once more.
She had covered her face and slipped out as soon as morning broke because she could not wait any longer, but she had to assume that the fact she was not 'Laila' had already begun to spread.
Still, it was fine. She had gained the most reliable ally in the world.
"Grandfather."
She whispered the word softly. Her life had been filled with pain, but she realized once again that she had also been loved deeply.
She would not lose it again. She would protect it, no matter what.
That was her resolve.
It was another day before Duke Klaus regained his strength.
He had woken up a few times in the interim. Each time, Olivia was there by his side, whispering softly until he drifted back to sleep.
She told him how much love her foster mother had poured into raising her, and that she had never once thought of her as anything other than her true mother. She spoke of how the late Count Lutgarth had cherished her like his own daughter, and she shared stories of a childhood that had been happy and lacking in nothing.
Perhaps that was not the whole truth. Olivia had known since she was old enough to understand that the relatives of the Lutgarth family despised her and her foster mother. But she did not feel the need to share such things with the Duke. It was not that she wanted to spare him the sorrow, but the truth was that she had received love beyond measure, and had it not been for that love, she would never have survived the past three lives.
Duke Klaus sighed, grieved, felt relief, and rejoiced.
It was not that he felt no resentment toward Gisela and the late Count Lutgarth. If they could have fled with the young Imperial Princess, they should have come to him, of course. He would have risked his life to protect his granddaughter.
But he understood why Gisela had made that choice. She must have judged that she could not safely protect a nursing infant within an Imperial Palace where even the Empress had been assassinated.
No, perhaps it had not been Gisela’s choice, but her daughter’s. That was why the nanny had been found carrying a fake wrapped in the Princess’s swaddling clothes. The fact that the infant’s state of decay was worse than the nanny’s must have been intentional as well.
"There is one more person I must remember."
Sitting in his armchair, Duke Klaus muttered, staring blankly into the air. Who was that baby? Who had given up their own child? Or where had they found the body?
While others had been loyal of their own volition, that child had been nothing more than a sacrificial lamb whose life was stolen.
"But there is one less person to remember."
Olivia said this, gently taking his hand. She was right. The child who had been the second heaviest burden in his memory had returned alive, making that memory just a little bit lighter.
"Via."
He called his granddaughter by a name that sounded like a whisper. Olivia replied with a smile.
"My foster mother and the late Count Lutgarth both called me that."
"It was your childhood name. You had such beautiful golden hair…. That is why your mother said she would name you Flavia once you turned five."
Gently stroking Olivia’s hair, Duke Klaus spoke again, his voice thick with emotion.
"It seems Gisela tried to preserve at least half of that name."
"I see."
"Is your hair dyed?"
"Yes. It would be dangerous if my identity were discovered in Schwab."
Duke Klaus continued to stroke her hair in silence, as if trying to reclaim all the time he had been unable to touch her for twenty years. Olivia laughed and rubbed her head against his thigh like a cat.
However, they could not remain buried in such tender moments forever. When she considered the reality, there was no time to waste.
By now, there were likely others besides the Krut family who had realized that the reason Duke Klaus had broken his seclusion was to meet Lady Laila. There were servants who knew that she had not returned and had waited for the Duke to wake.
Duke Klaus, with a look of regret, wound a lock of Olivia’s black hair around his finger and said,
"You must reclaim your status now."
"I have no intention of rushing, Grandfather."
Olivia said, lifting her head. Duke Klaus’s eyes gleamed sharply within his wrinkled sockets as he spoke.
"You need not be afraid. Although I have been away from politics for a long time, the power of the Klaus Duchy is not yet dead. And you are the First Imperial Princess."
The Duke said in a firm voice.
"You are the first in line to the throne. Roella? She is nothing more than a bastard who dared to steal your place while you were gone."