CH 45

It was because of the hope that the esteemed son of Sheffield would come here.

Although he was the next marquis of the Sheffield family, he rarely appeared in public, so it was difficult to get a chance to meet him.

But… just in case… a little bit of hope…

“He says there’s a problem where he is.”

The young ladies, who received confirmation that he was not here, let out a sigh of regret and pity.

Catherine spoke with a spine-chilling smile, which was nothing like before.

“Excuse me for a moment.”

Turning around, Catherine paused and whispered to the rabbit.

“Sorry, I’ll be gone for a while.”

Ophelia patted Catherine’s arm and replied.

“What are you sorry about? It’s urgent news. Hurry up and go.”

Having grown accustomed to Catherine’s touched eyes, Ophelia gave her a light push on the back and nodded.

After Catherine hastily left, the remaining ones…

While no one was able to open their mouths, another servant intervened with rather fast steps.

“Excuse me.”

The servant whispered something to none other than Iris.

The more the servant whispered, the more Iris’ lips revealed under the mask pressed into a thin line, and sure enough.

Awkwardly, Iris whispered to Ophelia.

“Ophelia, can you be alone for a while?”

“Huh? Of course.”

“If someone talks to you, just ignore him, and if there’s a fight…”

“Iris. I’m not a five-year-old. Why are you behaving like you’re looking at a child playing in the water?”

Ophelia said it as a joke, but Iris nodded very seriously.

“It does look like that.”

“Hahaha…”

Laughing, but not really laughing, Ophelia had a dry smile on her face as she shook her hand.

“I’ll do as you say. Go. It’s urgent, right?”

Unless it was extremely urgent, one wouldn’t have thought of leaving a child at the water’s edge.

“Yes. Apparently, something is wrong with Sir Gryu. But I can’t tell you the details.”

“No worries. Go quickly.”

Again, Ophelia pushed her friend’s back. Then she was finally alone.

Wasn’t there a saying that the fox was king in a place where there was no tiger?

The instant Catherine and Iris, both bearing a huge presence, disappeared at the same time…

Among the remaining ones, the lady with the loudest voice, that was to say, the one with some power among the little acorns, took a step forward.

Staring at the motion, Ophelia had a premonition.

‘Muddy water will soon splash.’

Didn’t the world of novels also have a rule that bad forebodings were always true?

The lady openly scanned Ophelia up and down, and tilted her head exaggeratedly.

“I don’t know who you are, but did you take the wrong path or something?”

The lady made a sarcastic remark, openly revealing that she was doing so because Ophelia was ‘specially invited’ by Catherine.

“Even though it’s a masquerade.”

At the gesture of the lady, who seemed to have omitted the words ‘Well, what is this?’, the other ladies simultaneously stared at Ophelia’s entirety and giggled among themselves.

It was insulting, but it was an ambiguous situation to refute because no one had openly affronted Ophelia.

But Ophelia, covered in a rabbit mask, was calm.

As ever since that young lady took a step forward, she was busy thinking about other things.

Last night.

Ophelia rummaged through the family’s study, or rather, the library.

She wasn’t looking for anything in particular, but she found a lot.

Like how there was a guest from Murim. But her astonishment did not end there.

No matter how many times she read the records, she found things that she only saw in the world before she was possessed, such as fish-shaped bread.

Ridiculous stories of fighting the stereotypical, doomed world itself, and being one of the four heads of a crime city as a black trader who once reached all continents.

As she went through the history books of Bolsheik, she was made to feel as if she was reading not heroic legends or fairy tales, but ghost stories.

‘What the hell is this Bolsheik family doing…’

—Tak!

Ophelia was brought back to reality by the clear sound ringing in her ears.

“Oh my God! Why in the world is my fan there?”

Tilting her head, she looked down at the fan that had fallen at her feet.

The feeling of déjà vu was no joke.

Soon after, she took her eyes off the fan and looked up to see the young lady of a count family smiling crookedly at her. As for the surroundings…

Some of those who met Ophelia’s eyes were stunned, some were expressionless, some frowned.

And lastly… eye contact with Catherine and Iris was made.

Ophelia widened her eyes.

Before she knew it, the two of them were standing at the fork in the road at the entrance of the garden, and quickly came closer.

For some reason, Catherine’s cheeks were so vividly red that it could be seen even under the mask, and Iris alternated a subtle gaze back and forth between the fan and Catherine.

“Oh, this.”

Only then did Ophelia, remembering her history with Catherine, begin to speak, but her voice was drowned out by the loud voice of the lady who threw the fan.

“What are you doing? Can’t you see the fan…!”

And before her words were finished.

—Kwak!

A very sharp sound resounded under the heels of Catherine’s shoes.

Amidst the silence that came in an instant.

—Kwa-aak!

The sound of the fan being smashed echoed over the garden.

The culprit who threw the fan, as well as the young ladies who sympathized with her or just stood by, widened their eyes.

The ruby in Catherine’s snake mask flashed and reflected light, but the reflection was overshadowed by the glare of her eyes behind the mask.

“Where is the fan?”

“W-What? Bu… Ah, that’s…”

While the young lady, who was startled by Catherine’s gaze, spluttered.

Having been expecting this situation, Ophelia laughed while Iris, who came close to her, whispered.

“Haven’t I seen this scene before?”

“Yes.”

“Unfortunately, that fan won’t hold its shape for long.”

That’s right. It would soon be smashed.

Puddeudeuk.

“Where’s the fan?”

The young lady of a county family stammered, completely pushed by Catherine’s overwhelming force, and Iris answered in her stead as if she didn’t want to give her a chance.

“Hm. I don’t know that. All I see is trash.”

Iris did not bother to indicate whether the garbage was the fan or the owner of the fan.

As a result, the young lady’s face turned white, and the complexions of the ones who supported her also changed.

Iris wouldn’t know who that young lady was, but Catherine could make a rough guess.

When the snake and the mongoose simultaneously bared their teeth toward a common enemy, the killing was indescribable.

The rabbit’s eyes widened at the terrifying sight, and she repeated inwardly, ‘Mountains are mountains and waters are waters’.

Shortly thereafter, Catherine met Ophelia’s eyes, and with a brilliant smile, she trampled on the fan to the point its shape was unrecognizable.

‘Is this something to smile at so innocently? No, wait, why are you smiling like that while looking at me?’

When Catherine, on which everyone’s eyes were focused on, gazed at Ophelia, everyone’s eyes redirected onto Ophelia.

Unlike the previous arsenic, curious, or dismissive gazes, all kinds of glances were mixed, but neither was truly pleasing.

Feeling everyone’s gazes on her body, Ophelia sighed inwardly.

‘Why is the embarrassment mine again?’

Ophelia wanted to massage her throbbing forehead, but she couldn’t. Reluctantly lowering her hand at the touch of the hard mask, she swallowed a sigh.

After rendering the fan completely unusable, Catherine raised her chin and spoke to the group who had led this incident.

“Leave now.”

Then Ophelia added urgently.

“Don’t make them leave!”

These were the words she tried to whisper to Catherine, but her voice was louder than she thought, so everyone heard it.

“Ah, yes. Don’t leave the party, go somewhere out of sight.”

Obediently, Catherine nodded and repeated Ophelia’s words, and the group huddled together in a corner of the garden, their shoulders gloomily drooping. 

After all that…

Those who watched the scene of the snake and the mongoose shielding the rabbit and even the snake obediently following the rabbit’s words realized.

‘I don’t know who that rabbit is, but I know that she is not to be trifled with.’

‘If I could build a friendship beyond the superficial, then Sheffield and Fillite…’

‘Wouldn’t it be possible to hang out with not just those two families, but with the outstanding Catherine and Iris?’

The way they viewed the rabbit changed for the third time.

Not only did it exceed the initial disregard or absurdity, but it also took the place where the following confusion and suspicion of doubt disappeared.

Greed.

There were only the glimmering gazes with the desire to get closer.

Ophelia easily passed all those glances.

It wasn’t a big deal to shed those burning eyes since she was a woman who had a knack for ignoring things that weren’t good for her mental health while regressing infinitely.

Catherine and Iris, both about to step forward toward Ophelia, paused.

Ame: *claps* BRAVA! It went one full circle, I LOVE it! 

Dea: i love the dynamic between the girls, this is the friendship i needed in novels!