CH 38

“Ah, I have given up on the crown princess seat.”

“You have no right to talk… what?”

Iris paused from the motions of shaking her head and clicking her tongue.

She doubted her ears, but Catherine repeated her words with briskness.

“I’m not interested in the crown prince anymore.”

Catherine even whipped her hand roughly as if it was really nothing.

However, she soon involuntarily opened her eyes wide at Iris’ unexpected and violent reaction.

“No, it makes no sense that you’re not interested in our prince!”

Ophelia’s shoulder instantly bounced up at the unexpectedly loud shout.

Fortunately, Iris and Catherine held her hands tightly, which saved her from falling off her seat.

“What is it, all of a sudden?”

The gaze of Catherine, whose expression was as if she was looking at a strange thing, and Ophelia’s rabbit-like eyes, were fixed on Iris.

Iris gently put Ophelia’s hand down and jumped to her feet.

“What do you mean you’re not interested in the crown prince! How amazing is he…”

After that, for a long time, ‘how great, how wonderful, how…’ In any case, praises for him continued.

Within the first few seconds, Ophelia’s bewildered expression slowly rotted away.

In fact, if she examined Iris’ words one by one, they were all correct.

Not just in the empire, but even a three-year-old child living on any hill in the continent would know how great he was.

But really… What should she say when she sees Iris talking so passionately?

Looking at her fellow aide’s eyes, which glowed with pure loyalty, made her stomach swell for some reason.

‘Well, this is what it is.’

‘Excessive praise towards a target causes a backlash and brings the target hate.’

The cold gaze of Ophelia was unable to stop Iris’ words, so she simply stared, but Catherine did not hold back.

“So what if I say I want to become the crown princess again?”

“Don’t talk nonsense.”

“What do you want me to do? If I say I’m not interested, you make a fuss, and if I am, there’s also a fuss.”

It was like that. Ophelia shook her head and as her eyes met Iris’, she pretended to scratch the back of her neck.

Eventually, Iris sat down again and asked with a stiff face.

“If you didn’t get a head injury within the last days, there must be a reason. Why did you give up?”

With a smile like the sun, Catherine answered, as if waiting for the question.

“I found someone else. Not the crown prince, but someone else.”

When she couldn’t find any pretense, let alone lies, in the marquisate lady’s voice and expression, Iris timidly uttered,

“I see.”

“So why would I covet the position of ‘crown princess’?”

“It’s a slope for the young lady. So, when is the wedding date?”

Catherine shook her head at Iris, who offered congratulations that contained less sincerity than the weight of the wings of a dragonfly.

“It’s not about marriage. We’re going to be together for the rest of our lives.”

Abruptly, she pulled Ophelia close and smiled widely.

“We’re friends for life.”

Despite suddenly and awkwardly having her face pressed against Catherine’s, Ophelia did not push her away. 

As it would be right to say that Iris did it in her stead.

After separating Catherine from Ophelia like a spinal reflex, Iris looked at Ophelia with a shocked expression.

“Fri… Friends? Really?”

“Yes.”

Ophelia, now with her cheek pressed to Iris’s shoulder, nodded her head cleaning, contrary to being in a similarly awkward posture as before.

At that, Catherine raised her chin proudly.

“I told you. Friends for life.”

Her proud face and her voice made Ophelia hot in her ears.

‘Why is the shame on me?’

Silence fell between the three of them.

By the time Ophelia’s ears, which had been burning red, faded to pink.

Iris parted her lips with an extremely sharp eye.

“You really don’t want it anymore. I mean, being the crown princess.”

“No. Whether Lady Fillite, no, whether the aide’s heart believes it or not. Anyway, I have Ophelia now.”

“I don’t think you need to emphasize it so many times.”

The soft whispers of Ophelia floated between the two, but her voice was so light that it couldn’t reach anyone and just faded.

The two headstrong women stared at each other, then simultaneously turned their gaze to her.

The rabbit, caught in the gaze of the snake and the mongoose, only blinked without knowing why, and the snake and the mongoose, who saw it, soon glanced at each other.

“Lady Sheffield.”

“Yes.”

“I apologize for the rudeness thus far.”

“Same here.”

It was a sudden reconciliation, but it was very natural for the two parties involved.

In the past, Catherine couldn’t let go of her greed to become the crown princess, and now she had completely turned off his interest in the crown prince. 

The very issue the two of them growled over had evaporated.

Besides, since they were both Ophelia’s friends, did that mean they would keep seeing each other?

Iris held out her hand, and Catherine firmly gripped it.

‘What a dramatic conclusion.’

Secretly rolling her eyes, Ophelia brought her hands together and  lightly clapped.

—Pak, pak, pak, pak, pak.

“Then, the two of you are now friends…”

“No.”

“Absolutely not.”

This was the third time. Iris and Catherine answered as if they had an agreement.

‘They seriously declared that they are not friends, but I think they’ll get along amazingly if they get closer.’

Almost simultaneously, both ladies turned away from each other, and Catherine raised her teacup.

“Seeing that you brought up the story of the Marquisate of Neir, it seems that they did something else.”

“The liquor license, one of the festival rights, was robbed.”

“What?”

Ophelia nodded in confirmation as Catherine nearly dropped the teacup at the news she hadn’t heard before.

“My God, I heard that the heir of that county, a gambling addict, died.”

“It was an under-the-table deal, so it must not have been known. And on the surface, the count will continue to step out.”

“She’s still doing dirty things. I’m sure she learned a weakness of his and threatened him.”

Without even hearing what had happened, Catherine at once thought about what was said thus far and inferred it.

“Therefore…”

“All right.”

“What?”

“You’re wondering if there are any other families that have rights to the festival that have been deprived of them in the same way, right?”

“How do you know?”

Once again, Ophelia’s eyes became like a rabbit’s. Catherine shook her head.

“I don’t know yet. For your information, Sheffield didn’t get threatened because my stupid brother handled things pretty well. I would rather throw that idiot away than to pass on the rights to the festival.”

“As expected, Lady Sheffield. You understood fast.”

“Let’s put aside the early compliments.”

“Aren’t you guys really close?”

“No.”

“No.”

Ophelia raised her hands before her chest and nodded.

“Okay, okay. You’re not close. Catherine, can you ask other families about this?”

Since it was a question that touched the internal circumstances of each family, it would be difficult to hear the answer as clearly as earlier.

“If that’s the case, there’s a simple solution.”

Catherine lifted her chin slightly and smirked.

“I’m going to throw a masquerade ball. I’ll invite the families who hold the festival rights.”

“Masquerade?”

“Yes.”

Iris raised an eyebrow at Catherine’s words.

“Because people tend to talk lightly when their faces aren’t revealed.”

.

A few hours after Catherine and Iris shook hands with determined faces and concluded a dramatic agreement.

Ophelia was facing Richard.

“A masquerade?”

“Yes. If we do well there, we will be able to find out at once whether Lady Neir touched other things besides the liquor license, or tried to touch it.”

“Lady Neir? I told you to look into the marchioness.”

“Ah, of course we’re going to dig into Marchioness Neir too. If we dig anyway, we’ll dig at the same time. But as I said before…”

“Through your gut feeling?”

“Yes. For some reason, Lady Neir was caught. The first time could be a coincidence, but if it happens the second time, even if there is a possibility of it being a coincidence, it might be intentional.”

“Did you say that if coincidences overlap three times, then it’s inevitable?”

“To think there is such a terrible inevitability as the necessity of making an assassination.”

Frowning, Ophelia shook her hand.

“Anyway, the things regarding the festival have made some progress. So, when are we leaving?”

While Ophelia was suffering in the Sheffield’s residence, a heavy rain had passed.

There’s only one chance left now.

“Leaving?”

“Heavy rain, heavy rain… I’m guessing it’s probably here.”

Pointing to a place not far from the Imperial Palace, Ophelia decided to forget Iris and Cooper, who were still suffering without a sound from being hit by a paper typhoon in the aide’s room.

It was because if she thought of the tired faces of the two and the ruthless amount of paperwork, her conscience was pricked.

“It’s afternoon now. It will soon be evening, and then night will come. When shall we leave?”

“Right now.”

The answer was so light and quick that at first thought, one would mistake it for going out to the garden right in front for a drink.

And Ophelia, far from being embarrassed, welcomed it with both hands open.

“Let’s go! Go!”

Wasn’t the quicker the better?

Richard reached out his hand toward such an Ophelia.

Reflexively, she put her hand on top of his, then asked,

“Why are your hands… ugh!”

Ame: Oho, are they gonna catch on that Raisa is a regressor too? Side note, the author is amazing at making plot move during chitchats.

Dea: I think yes, this ball is going to reveal a few things and i’m here for it