CH 6

“No, wait a minute!” I shook my hand at the approaching guards and glared at the nonchalant Callian standing before me. “Why are you kicking me out when I didn’t even do anything?”

Hearing my words, Callian spat out a condescending laugh. “Well, what are you going to do?” He spoke full of conviction.

At that, I froze. Just how has Ophelia been living? Did she do something strange again? Was ambushing women, stealing invitations, and wielding a pocket knife not enough—?

I didn’t understand.

“Seeing your face right now, it seems that you don’t even know what you did wrong.” Callian frowned and sighed. “Not long ago, an unknown package for the Countess arrived.”

The female lead.

As soon as I heard ‘the Countess’, I started to feel uneasy.

“The package was full of curse words directed at the Countess. Had the attendant not been there, surely the Countess would have actually been cursed.”

‘Oh, that’s very…’

“In the package was a message that said, ‘Vixen’. “

‘Oh my.’

“Who could’ve sent it?”

‘Who do you think?’

I wrapped my hands around my forehead and shut my eyes. ‘Ophelia, why would you do that you’re the worst.’

But I couldn’t refute his accusations. I was Ophelia.

“I’m not sure… I wonder who sent it, must’ve been a horrible person.” 

Callian frowned at my words, his face looking angrier and angrier by the second. “Approach the Countess one more time and I won’t let you get away with it.”

He was frightening, but it wouldn’t be Ophelia if it just ended there. I stayed silent, recalling memories of Ophelia’s confrontations with Callian.

“But what do you mean by approach? I think I should be allowed to do anything I want as long as I’m following proper etiquette.”

As if he wasn’t angry enough, Callian’s face gradually became even more frightening.

“No ‘hello’s, no nothing! Don’t you ever dare come near us ever again! Again!”

I would’ve already understood, you didn’t have to go that far; the amount of emphasis he put made me a bit sad. Quite a few people were watching us, laughing at me who was being publicly humiliated by Callian.

‘No, because I’m really upset.’

‘I haven’t even done anything yet.’

“But wouldn’t it be too harsh for us to not greet each other—”

“Ophelia Ryzen.” Callian gritted his teeth and said, “Get out.”

‘Oh please. Again?’

I felt the stress rising up the back of my neck whenever I heard the words ‘Get out’. Having no idea how I was feeling, he pointed at the door and raised his voice. “If you refuse to go, I’ll just kick you out. Guards! get this vile, ugly woman out of the way!”

“Vile, ugly woman.”

After these words were uttered from Callian’s lips, Sylvester immediately stepped in. “I believe you’re being too much to my wife,” Sylvester said, holding my shoulders softly.

“Whether or not the package was sent with the intention to curse the Countess, are you sure about the identity of the sender?”

‘That’s right.’

No matter Ophelia’s colourful history regarding her attitude, Callian shouldn’t have accused me like that without concrete evidence.

“My wife is also the Duchess of Ryzen. Your Highness shouldn’t be so rude.”

Callian’s face turned purple, but he regained his composure and nodded. “I heard this precious wife of yours asked the Duke for a divorce?”

Sylvester’s eyebrows twitched slightly seeing how Callian somehow knew personal matters that outsiders wouldn’t have known, realising that he must have planted a spy in the house. 

‘It’s going to be chaos the moment we get back.’ I sighed while touching my forehead.

“Why doesn’t the Duke want to divorce his wife?” Callian stared at both of us arrogantly. “After all, her heart belongs to someone else.”

Wasn’t this the moment I’ve been waiting for? I straightened my back and lifted my shoulders as if I was looking forward to his answer. It was unfortunate, however, that Callian thinks I’m in love with him. I was very much offended by that, but I couldn’t do anything—I couldn’t erase what Ophelia did in the past.

‘But I should take care of my image more from now on.’

I pulled Sylvester’s hand around my shoulder. “Honey, you should go back to your seat now—”

“Because I love her,” he said.

I started hearing a buzz.

Callian and I looked at him at the same time. Sylvester grinned and wrapped his hand around my shoulder tighter. “I don’t want a divorce because I’m very much in love with my wife.”

The buzzing around us grew louder.

What a romantic confession!

What part of that wicked woman does he like? 

The Duke’s eyes are wide open, too!

How romantic!

I heard all kinds of comments, but one thing was for sure—everyone seems to have thought Sylvester meant it. But I, who stood right next to him, saw everything. He put on a facade that deceived everyone in the room. Every single one of his words was a lie.

Just then, our eyes met and he winked at me.

‘Oh, you jerk—’