CH 37

“Who is it?”

“Is it the Duke and Duchess Ryzen?”

“What? So did that woman come with him?” 

“Ophelia Ryzen is here?”

Rumbling.

People were agitated. That’s because ‘that’ Ophelia Ryzen is here. People know the relationship between the Grand Duke and Ophelia. 

The Grand Duchess grabbed the back of her neck and gone after Ophelia said, ‘You look like a grain of rice that a mouse won’t eat,’ and everyone knows that the Duke of Ryzen never lays his head down after that. Ophelia did not even apologize, and as a result, the Grand Duchess and Ophelia do not get along.

And that Ophelia came here? 

Did the Grand Duchess send her an invitation?

But that can’t be the case—! Some people ran to the gatekeeper and checked Ophelia’s invitation. And they found out.

“She got the invitation from Countess Cardel!”

“Did she rob her?”

“Did she steal it?” 

“It could be both!”

Of course, it was stolen. By Sylvester. 

But of course, people think Ophelia did. Her notoriety is much more famous than the Duke of Sylvester Ryzen. They also can’t openly swear at Duke Sylvester. For example, if they catch something wrong with Ophelia, it ends up being beaten, but if they catch something wrong with Duke Sylvester, it’s the death penalty.

So people started swearing at Ophelia because it’s easier. 

A vicious woman, a wicked woman, a shameless woman—.

It wasn’t a small whisper, it was only a small talk, so of course, Ophelia listened to all of them.

And she thought.

‘The dog is barking.’

Rubbing. She poked her ear. It didn’t seem to matter how often people cursed. Because Ophelia wasn’t the one who did it! She’s being cursed for what happened before her taking possession, and she can’t be angry and upset every time this happens.

So Ophelia was calm. Despite countless swear words, she just stands there without blinking an eye.

Her straight shoulders were so confident that she could not be found to be anxious, her straight waist seemed never to bend, and her smooth face was nonchalant without a single expression. She was like a swan floating alone by a calm lake.

So people were more enraged. Because Ophelia didn’t seem to have been hit at all. So it started to get louder, and it even got into Sylvester’s ear, which he was ignoring. Sylvester glanced down at Ophelia. 

“Aren’t you going to hit them?”

Ophelia frowns tightly. 

“I think I’ve told you a few times that I don’t hit people anymore.” 

“You said it four times.” 

“Then I’ll tell you one more time and fill it up five times. I won’t hit them.”

Sylvester raised his shoulders with Ophelia’s determined attitude. 

“Do as you please. You’re the one who gets criticized, not me.” 

“Such a jerk—”

“I heard you. You speak louder and louder.” 

Ophelia turned her head with a throbbing sound. And she looked one by one at a time at the people who were still cursing at her. They wouldn’t even be able to open their mouths if it were somewhere else. 

But this is the Grand Duke. 

It is a place where the power of the Grand Duchess is overwhelmingly stronger than that of the Duchess, and moreover, the Grand Duchess and Ophelia are not on good terms. If Ophelia finds herself into trouble here, the Grand Duchess may come out and punish her. That’s why people were swearing even harder at Ophelia.

Because she knows she won’t have a chance unless it’s now.

‘Things that are like drugs.’ 

Ophelia murmured with her eyes on people’s faces. She won’t forget anyone. She’ll give it back a hundred times later. Ophelia thought so and held Sylvester’s arm tighter. 

“You’re going to see the Grand Duke, aren’t you?”

“Yeah.”

“Then let’s go together. I have something to do. And I can’t wait to get out of the hall.” 

“Why, do you think you will hit them if you stay?”

“I said it for the sixth time. I’m not going to hit anyone.”

Ophelia let out a sigh. Then she shrugged her shoulders and raised her voice. 

“It’s just, if I stay, I think I’m going to put a curse on their heart.” 

She spoke in a voice that everyone could hear. 

“You know, how powerful is my curse?” 

Hiiik! 

People didn’t say anything until then. As she looked at their eyes, there was a hint of fear that they might be cursed by Ophelia. Of course Ophelia can’t use black magic now. But no one knows about it, so she can make this threat. 

“I have to get out of this noisy place before I unwittingly cast a curse. Sometimes I can’t control myself either.” 

Slowly. 

People have moved away from Ophelia. It’s been a long time since the babbling stopped. Ophelia grinned at them. 

This b*stard. You’re scared. 

*****

It is said that the Grand Duke came out of the hall for a short time and returned immediately after only seeing his face. It’s because of his terrible health anxiety.

The Grand Duke went to war in the West as a young man and fell ill with an epidemic that spread in the West at that time. From that time on, from death to life, he suffered from health anxiety. 

Of course, it is quite ridiculous. 

However, thanks to his past reputation and title, there was no one who ignored him. Anyway, the Grand Duke lived with everything that was good for him, and rejected everything that was not good for him. The same goes for avoiding places where many people gather like today. 

It was hard for him to meet people who might have some kind of illness. So, I heard that it is very difficult to reach the Grand Duke. 

Of course, this is not the case for Sylvester. He’s always been invited by the Grand Duke. He is one of the few people the Grand Duke meets with peace of mind. 

“Oh, you’re here.” 

As soon as he entered the drawing room, the Grand Duke warmly welcomed Sylvester. Sylvester said hello and raised his hand lightly. 

“It’s been a while. How have you been?”

“Sure. I’m always the same. No, it’s not. Not long ago, one of the servants caught a cold! So I stayed in my room the whole time just in case I got infected. Come to think of it, you said you had a cold, too, didn’t you? Are you all right now?”

The Grand Duke said, examining Sylvester’s complexion. Sylvester smiled with a clean face. 

“As you can see, I’m fine. You don’t have to worry.”

“I’m glad you did!” 

The Grand Duke smiled widely with a really happy look on his face. Then suddenly, he looked at Ophelia, who was standing behind Sylvester. It was at that moment that the face of the smiling Grand Duke hardened. 

“But—” The Grand Duke said with a frown. “The Duchess is here with us.”

Anyone can tell he hates Ophelia! 

But Ophelia struggled to smile, grabbing her dress and gently bending her knees. 

“Long time no see, Your Grace. How have you been?” 

“Ehem.”

The Grand Duke didn’t even accept greetings. He just turns his head with a little cough.

‘It’s like a strict old man.’ 

Ophelia mumbled, but didn’t say anything. She just smiles and looks at the Grand Duke. 

“I thought the Duke was coming alone.” 

It is a word with a strange twist. Sylvester replied casually. 

“I was going to do that, but the person I knew had something to give to you, Your Grace.” Sylvester looked down at Ophelia and said. “Right?”

“Yes, that’s right!”

Ophelia clapped back. Then there was anger in the voice of the Grand Duke. 

“I won’t stand still if you play the same prank as last time.”

He has a frightening voice. Ophelia swallowed a gulp. Then she took a step closer to the Grand Duke.

“I’m really sorry about that time.”

“—What?”

“I was so immature. Because I liked Your Grace so much, I think I played jokes on you because I wanted to get closer to you. I’m so sorry.”

The Grand Duke was embarrassed. He didn’t expect Ophelia to apologize, either. She was a woman who didn’t say sorry until the end when she was playing with salt. But what about such a sincere apology? 

The Grand Duke was absolutely surprised.

“So, I prepared a gift full of apologies.” Ophelia said, keeping an eye on the Grand Duke. 

Then she handed the box that Irene held and handed it to the Grand Duke. 

“It’s a dragon’s claw.” 

“What?”

The eyes of the Grand Duke widened. The same was true of Sylvester. Water made with dragon’s claws is most famous for being good for the body, but that’s because saving it was like picking stars in the sky. 

“…H-how can these precious things—!”

The Grand Duke was so excited that his blood pressure went up. 

“I wonder.” Ophelia’s lips, which had been watching him carelessly, went up obliquely. 

“How did I get it?”