CH 28

“Stand behind me.”

“I’ll do it as ordered!”

Ophelia, released from Richard’s arms shortly thereafter, slipped through his legs very naturally.

—Kak!

There was a small spark where she was and a dagger flashed, but only the irritated cry made through the gritted teeth of the assassin that missed his target could be heard.

Then, Richard’s shoe struck the back of the assassin’s head.

—Puck.

The assassin, who inadvertently had a long kiss with the floor, briefly twitched his neck, but even that seemed very comical.

“It’s over.”

“Now it’s really over!”

Richard playfully pressed the top of the head of Ophelia, who was on the verge of a joyful tap dance, and reached out to her.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes.”

Familiarly and casually holding hands as if nothing had happened, Ophelia and Richard moved toward the open door, side by side.

While Ophelia had completely forgotten that it wasn’t just the two of them here, Richard knew, but didn’t care.

The backs of the crown prince and his aide walking hand in hand was so natural that even those who saw the eye-popping scene did not realize the sense of incongruity.

In addition, neither one of them gave an explanation or said goodbye to those left behind. They simply left the room like that, but no one dared to call them back.

—Tachak.

As soon as the door closed.

—ak. Tak tak, tak tak tak tak tak tak!

The quiet room rang out with applause that started clumsily then grew fervent.

The investigator, the master of the sound, had blank eyes, but admiration spread across his face.

As the applause subsided, the bewildered count and Iris looked down at the fallen assassins.

Meanwhile, Ophelia and Richard were crossing a deserted hallway.

“It’s over, it’s over! It’s over, it’s over, it’s over!”

The sweet success, which came only after a very long time, had Ophelia half-heartedly enjoying the moment.

She knew that nothing was over.

Nevertheless, she did get one thing she wanted.

Even if it was realized by borrowing the power of the terrible monster called infinite regression.

And a faint but clear smile spread across Richard’s lips as he looked at such an Ophelia.

He, too, knew.

This was only a short-lived achievement, and on the contrary, the hope that came from such a small success could be poison.

But he didn’t bother to stop Ophelia and say things like that.

Just looking at her elation, he was a little bit… He felt like he was becoming a little bit happier.

“Okay? Uh?”

The steps, which seemed to be bouncing with joy, gradually became heavier and then sluggish.

Having just stopped, Ophelia raised her head towards Richard, who stopped as well.

With drooping eyebrows, she spoke as if it had just come to mind.

“By the way, Your Highness.”

Ophelia paused, letting out a sigh that was as if the ground was going to die out before continuing her words.

“In the end, the issue of Lady Neir and the festival liquor license didn’t change.”

“It wasn’t a priority.”

“Still, just before this regression, I blocked it well. I didn’t know it was going to be successful this time.”

Ophelia asked, her forehead crumpling greatly.

“Now what?”

Shaking his head indifferently, Richard said,

“It doesn’t matter how much is given. It’s only natural for animals to flock to the meat.”

“Still.”

“If it really bothers you, there is a simple way.”

“There’s a way? How?”

Ophelia rushed towards him with twinkling eyes at once, and Richard whispered from a distance between each other’s breaths.

“It will be over if you tell the Marchioness Neir what the lady is doing.”

“What does that mean… ah.”

Marchioness Neir only wanted to use Lady Neir as a complete puppet.

The fact that a doll that moved and did something with its own will would ruin her plans, thus she would never be happy with it.

“Then, shall we spill a little?”

“If that satisfies you. More than that, she’s behind the assassins.”

Actually, even though Richard made countless regressions and had carefully examined the background of the assassins who were targeting him, there were not many cases where he punished them.

In the first few regressions, he seemed to have attentively looked out for them.

However, as the regression continued indefinitely, the assassination itself became less of a concern.

It was merely like the annoyance of a fly buzzing in front of his eyes.

To put it bluntly, even if the assassins were eliminated, so long as the one behind them was still around, the assassins who were targeting the crown prince would never truly disappear.

But, to look for it during the hunting competition as a way to pass the time? He felt like doing so.

It was a simple whim.

Just like when he made Ophelia stay with him, and he chose to be with her.

A moment’s whim without much contemplation or plan.

Comparable to the whim that gave him ‘Ophelia’ in this hell where he had to live without being able to truly die… 

“…Y-Your Highness? Is she behind the assassination?”

Her hand that was in his hand twitched, tickling his palm.

It was nothing, it was so trivial that if he let go of her hand, he would forget it.

Richard was somewhat thirsty.

‘I want to be with you a little longer, not just for a while.’

The instant when that thirst suddenly swelled.

Ophelia’s hand slipped out of his grasp.

As the cool air touched his empty hand, Richard unwittingly stretched out his hand toward her again, but soon pulled it back.

‘What was I trying to do?’

‘What did you think you wanted to do?’

He ripped his gaze away from his empty hands and wet his dry lips.

“It’s the lady, the lady from the Marquisate of Neir.”

Ophelia was silent for a second, then tilted her head.

“This assassination?”

“Yes.”

“That’s… she’s a patient person.”

“Is that the only takeaway?”

“Yes?”

Richard, who straightened Ophelia’s head, tilting her head a little more, opened her mouth.

“It’s the second time.”

“That’s right. Even in the hunting contest, it’s Lady Neir who was suspected, not Marchioness Neir. So, she’s patient.”

The daughter of Marchioness Neir, the villain, sent assassins over and over again… Wasn’t it natural?

It was no longer just a novel’s villain and protagonist, but it was clear that the Marquisate of Neir was not an ardent supporter of Richard.

Let alone support, they were so anxious that they couldn’t bring him down, sending assassins only to still meet with failure, and thus they sent more. Well, wasn’t it common sense?

‘Well, regardless of whether sending assassins was normal.’

Ophelia shrugged lightly.

“Aside from Lady Neir, there are other bastards who send assassins again several times after the first failed assassination.”

“Hm. We can find out from now on.”

“From now on… you’ve never looked for it so far.”

Richard smirked at Ophelia as she narrowed her eyes.

“James said something similar.”

“Uh… who?”

“James Gryu.”

“Aaaah. Your left arm. Come to think of it, where did he go? I haven’t seen him.”

It wasn’t that Ophelia didn’t see him at all, but if she included all the times she regressed, it was hard to remember what she had seen.

“I don’t think I’ve seen him since I came in as an aide.”

“He has something to investigate, so he’s away for a while.”

“He went for an investigation? Oh, no. Is it confidential? No, I don’t want to know because it seems like work will increase even if it’s not confidential.”

An unfamiliar door opened at the end of her sight while she was waving her hands quickly. Her head rapidly shook as if struck by lightning, but it soon came to a halt and she turned towards Richard.

“Your Highness.”

“What’s going on?”

“Where are we going right now…”

“Hn. Although the earthquake was mild, didn’t you say something about a central epicenter? We have to check the place.”

“Yes… that’s right. So we’re on the way to the palace…”

“Ophelia?”

Richard approached her, whose voice was now trembling.

Ophelia pointed to the unfamiliar door and lowered her head with a somber expression on her face.

“Please tell me that I’ve mistaken that door over there as the entrance to Your Highness’ aide’s office, where I have to work.”

“How sharp.”

“Hey, you’re so merciless and unrelenting! Don’t laugh!”

The cotton bat-like hands of Ophelia that was hitting his arm soon fell off.

Lightly patting Ophelia on the back, Richard said,

“I’ll check the ones from the previous day myself.”

“Thank you for your help.”

Muttering a soulless answer and removing as slowly as a tortoise, Ophelia suddenly halted and returned to Richard at once.

“Your Highness!”

“What.”

“I’ve realized something very important.”

“Looking at those twinkling eyes, I don’t think it’s serious at all, but let’s hear it.”

Ophelia took a deep breath and then poured it out.

“I kind of forgot what I was doing in that aide’s office, are you okay with it? All the documents over there are very! Very! Very! Very important things? Is it right to entrust those things to me? Is it?”

Richard’s lips tugged into a smirk. With one hand, he covered Ophelia’s eyes that were twinkling with the desire not to work.

“Fortunately, I remember that you said if you became an aide, you would work like a cow. If not, it isn’t too late to make an official declaration that Lady Bolsheik has become the crown princess…”

“…Of course, I’m an aide, so I’ll work hard like a cow!”

As soon as the words ‘crown princess’ came out, Ophelia ran forward as if she was rolling down the path.

This time as well, Ophelia didn’t look back after leaving his side, but Richard looked at her for a long time.

Even after her figure had completely disappeared from view, he remained still, and slowly closed his eyes.

The red hair of Ophelia’s that fluttered vividly like a flame flickered even behind his closed eyelids.