CH 21

[Do you think I’m a f*cking joke?]

He must have known that I left. He must have heard it from somewhere. You guys said you weren’t going to tell anyone! Were they not scared of me? I sighed as I recalled the innocent faces of the people on the street. 

“What should I do?” I lifted the letter up to my face, smelling the scent of Callian’s perfume wafting throughout the room. I frowned and stretched out my hand. “Anyways, I’ll reply…” What was I supposed to say? ‘Yes, I left the house’? Of course not! Just then, a brilliant idea struck me, I should just pretend like I never received the letter! I would only have to say a few excuses about it not reaching me.

“Okay, I’ll do that!”

I put down my hand that was holding onto the letter and slowly approached the fireplace. Immediately, I threw the letter into the fire and listened to the crackling of burning paper, the soft snort I let out slowly escalating into a loud laugh. That was enough. Only Irene, who brought the letter, knew of its existence. I would pretend like I didn’t receive anything. Thinking so, I went to bed peacefully.

There was nothing to worry about.

Until I saw my name on the headline the next day.

[Ophelia Ryzen Becomes the Hero Who Saved a Child!]

“Are you kidding me?” I didn’t know why this was happening to me. Why, just why. Then I came to a conclusion: It was because I’m me.

I let out a deep sigh, burying my face in my hands. 

“Wow, Madam! You’re in the newspaper!”

The cheerful Irene’s words didn’t even reach my ears.

*******

At the same time, Sylvester Ryzen was just getting off of the carriage at the capital’s prison centre. This was where Ilbert Ryde, the man who dared to lay his hands on Ophelia and even threatened her, was trapped.

“Identification is required,” A knight said, blocking Sylvester from entering the centre. Sylvester looked down at the Knight with his head tilted gently. He seemed to be a newbie, otherwise, there was no way he wouldn’t be able to recognize Sylvester’s face. “That’s very funny,” he brushed his hair back with a smirk plastered on his face. His blue eyes began to turn purple.

Some sort of bleak energy climbed up the Knight’s body, engulfing him. He couldn’t breathe. The opponent wasn’t even doing anything, but he felt as if he was strangled. “Uhh—” The Knight struggled and gasped. 

Sylvester looked at him with indifference, “Open it.” True to his title as the king of the back alleys, Sylvester didn’t mind his manners and would willingly resort to violence. “If you don’t want to die.”

“Cough— Ugh!” The knight, who was now able to breathe, coughed up and bent over. The overwhelming power that overtook him had his life flash before his eyes. The knight gulped nervously. “B-but, y-you can’t,” The knight said, spreading his arms and blocking the door, “Unauthorized people are not allowed in.”

‘Well would you look at that.’ Sylvester’s eyebrows rose, the sound of metal clanking against its sheath rang through the silence. He considered killing the knight and contemplated the options presented in front of him, but he was soon able to make a decision. This is because the captain of the guards appeared from behind the doors.

“Ah, you’re here Your Excellency!” The captain greeted Sylvester with great enthusiasm and soon the rookie knight’s sword was drawn back into the sheath. Sylvester turned his head to look down at the captain alongside the knight who was standing next to him with shock written all over his face.

“Wasn’t it cold on the way here? Let’s go in. I’ve warmed the place up!”

“Okay,” Sylvester decided to go in for now, leaving behind the stiff knight. Once inside, Sylvester loosened his cape and questioned the captain, “Who’s the knight at the door?” 

The man responded immediately, “He’s Ben—a new recruit.”

“Is that so?” Sylvester smiled bitterly and soon made a gesture of cutting his neck with his fingers. “Cut it off. He looks like an idiot.”

“Pardon?” The captain of the guard opened his eyes in surprise, but soon nodded, accepting Sylvester’s words as if he could not help it. “Y-yes. I understand.”

Leaving behind the glum captain, Sylvester spoke in a low voice towards his personal guard, “Bring that knight over to us,” he added, “it’s a waste to let such a courageous man rot in a place like this.”

“Yes, I understand.”

This was the type of man Sylvester was; he steals whatever he finds attractive no matter who it belongs to. He makes them his and he won’t let go. Ever. He would never allow anything that belongs to him to be taken away. Especially his people.

‘Reminds me of Ophelia.’ Sylvester loosened his necktie and squeezed it. She was a pretty fun and useful woman, so he didn’t really want to lose her, which means he also would never allow anyone to harm her. He looked down at Ilbert Ryde who was placed before him.

“Y-your Excellency!” Ilbert, who was dragged in with his hands tied behind his back, looked up at Sylvester with somewhat hopeful eyes. Despite everything, he was still the second son of the Ryde family, a vassal of the Duke of Ryzen. No matter how much harm he committed towards Ophelia, Sylvester would not care anyways. However he soon felt something hit him.

“Ugh!” Ilbert fell down. His hands were bound, so he couldn’t lift himself up and instead struggled.

Sylvester strode closer to Ilbert and grabbed the back of his hair, “I heard you put your hands on my wife.”

Ilbert’s eyes were stained with fear. “I- I didn’t know!” He shouted in a hurry. “I really didn’t know! If I had known, I would have knelt as soon as I met her!”

Sylvester let out a smirk and let go of the hand that was holding his hair. “This has happened more than once.” He knew of all the things that Ilbert had been doing, such as drinking and making a mess of the streets, bothering the innocent residents. “Did you think I was going to let this type of bullshit go?”

There was only one reason why Sylvester stayed silent—to cut off the entire Ryde family. “Good for you, because I will be holding your entire family accountable.” Sylvester knew how the Ryde family embezzled money from him. Furthermore, they bribed the Crown Prince using those embezzled funds. They knew that Sylvester supported the 2nd prince and yet they still did such a thing, so he couldn’t have a vassal that goes against his will. Due to this, he kept watch of the Ryde family quietly for an opportunity, but to encounter an accident such as this, for Sylvester, it was a matter of delight, so he felt a little bit grateful towards Ophelia.

Sylvester’s lips twisted as he spoke, “From today on, I’m cutting off all support to the Ryde family.”

“Y-Your Excellency!” Ilbert shouted and cried, crawling and kneeling before Sylvester.

However, Sylvester was indifferent, “And this one orders deportation, so you will never be able to enter this empire again.”

“Your Excellency! Please have mercy on me once.”

“Ilbert Ryde,” Sylvester lifted Ilbert’s chin with his fingertips, “You’re going to the army to pay the price, you little bastard,” His eyes glowed coldly, “So why didn’t you live a good life?” Of course not fitting for someone such as him to say. 

Sylvester smiled to himself and gestured lightly at his men, “Bring him away.”

“Argh! Your Excellency! Please give me one more chance!”

Sylvester left the guards behind with a howling Ilbert.

*******

Once he finished his work, Sylvester returned home pleasantly, bit knowing what was waiting for him. 

“Y-Your Excellency,” Neil, the aide, came close.

“What’s the matter?” Neil handed Sylvester the newspaper he was holding instead of answering. Sylvester, taking the newspaper, slowly read the content, wearing glasses.

The reason Neil handed him the newspaper was because of the second page.

[Ophelia Ryzen Becomes the Hero Who Saved a Child!]

“Huh?” Sylvester hurried to read the contents of the article. It detailed exactly what he had heard yesterday: Ophelia threw herself in front of an oncoming carriage to save a child who was in its way. There was nothing wrong with the article itself, however, if the article had been published like this, rumors would have spread to the imperial family, revolving around the question of, “I wonder how the Crown Prince will react.”

Sylvester muttered. Neil replied to him in a hurry, “He’s here.”

“Who?”

“Your Highness, the Crown Prince.”

‘Ah, what a pain.’ 

Sylvester walked across the garden at a quick pace, opening the gate. However, he quickly noticed the atmosphere was somewhat strange.