CH 61

Iris was confused when he said it was the third, but Richard didn’t bother explaining.

Earthquakes, heavy rains and locusts.

The first, the earthquake, became something no one had felt, so for Iris and everyone else, this anomaly would be the second.

Richard straightened his body that was slanted against the windowsill and approached Iris.

“Document.”

“Yes.”

He felt it when he heard the report earlier, but like the previous heavy rain, the locust swarm was gradually approaching the Imperial Palace.

Ophelia always said it was a leap, but had she ever been wrong?

“My survival instincts are very strong!”

That was what Ophelia said to him when they had just met, when she was urging him to give up on giving up.

Eyes as blue as the sky, and a lively voice.

‘In the same time, only you have a different experience from me, and only you create a new story.’

A bright smile spread across Richard’s lips.

Before long, he closed the papers and fastened his robe.

“Iris.”

“Yes. Your Highness.”

“I’ll go myself.”

Iris was puzzled, but only lowered her head a little deeper.

Just before leaving, Richard’s gaze grazed a part of the map.

A brewery located close to where locusts were rampant.

Coincidentally, the brewery was run by Lawerence Sheffield, whom Ophelia was visiting.

It was no longer an act of jealousy.

Since there was a justification, it was an inspection for a solution.

Richard said,

“I will look around the areas expected to be damaged and come back.”

.

Around the time Iris’ report of the locusts began.

“It’s amazing that you’ve grown this much in just three years since you started.”

After following Lawrence’s guidance and looking around the brewery, Ophelia briefly admired the open vineyard in front of her.

Then, a couple of steps behind her, an answer returned.

“I don’t know what to do with the excessive praise.”

It was a playful voice, but Ophelia spoke once more with all her heart.

“No. You’re really amazing.”

In just three years after starting the brewery, it produced wines of high quality, enough to be delivered to festivals.

Since his family was Sheffield, he must have been able to find good land, good seedlings, and good people.

But having all that wouldn’t necessarily lead to good results.

‘Isn’t that what business acumen is like?’

Lawrence stared at Ophelia for a moment and then replied.

“It started in earnest three years ago, but I’ve been paying attention to it since before then. There’s no way that anything can be done overnight.”

At that, Ophelia blinked slowly.

Contrary to Catherine’s assessment, Lawrence Sheffield, the next Marquis of Sheffield, was a very polite, competent, and very right-minded person.

“That idiot lives without thinking.”

“I can’t talk to that idiot. No, he doesn’t speak human words at all?”

“That idiot…!”

Ophelia smiled faintly as Catherine’s voice rang in her ears.

She wondered if her opinion was low because he was her real brother.

“Yes.”

Ophelia went into the vineyard before she continued to speak, running her fingers through the tangled vines.

“You must pay a price to achieve what you want.”

Lawrence looked at her small back and soon shortened the distance by one step.

“Oh, but there are exceptions in this world.”

“Yes?”

Ophelia, who was about to turn to Lawrence, couldn’t bear to turn back at his words.

“His Highness the Crown Prince was blank at some point and became an expert the next day. He is someone who doesn’t need time.”

“…Yes…”

Judging from Lawrence’s laughing voice, it should be taken as a joke based on facts, but only a dry chuckle flowed from Ophelia’s lips.

No need for time… 

Could it be?

No matter how unlike a human he seemed, he was still human.

It was just that he had eons of time that no one except her knew about.

However, to those who did not know about this crazy infinite regression, what he accomplished would only seem like ‘one day’.

“……Ah. Lady Bolsheik?”

“Oh, I’m sorry. The scenery was so beautiful that I was taken aback for a while.”

It wasn’t a lie either.

From the fresh greenery of the wide vineyard bathed in the midday sun to the luscious purple clusters swaying in the occasional breeze.

It was a truly stunning sight.

With the sincere praise, Lawrence drew closer to Ophelia.

Now, the distance between him and her was only one step.

The moment Lawrence reached out to grab Ophelia’s slender shoulder, she turned her head.

“Lord Sheffield.”

With her eyes wide open, she took a big step behind, and Lawrence withdrew his hand without hiding a puzzled expression.

“Your shoulders are stained with grape water.”

He tapped his shoulder, and only then did Ophelia look down at her shoulder.

“Ah.”

“I didn’t mean to startle you. I was just trying to sneak away a bunch of grapes that were barely touching your shoulder. But, it’s too late.”

Lawrence’s detailed and polite explanation made Ophelia feel embarrassed.

“I overreacted. I’m sorry.”

Despite saying that, she did not shorten her distance from him.

In addition, before he handed her a handkerchief, she quickly took one out of her bag and pressed it against her stained shoulder.

At that, Lawrence asked awkwardly, holding the handkerchief that had gone nowhere.

“Have we met before but I can’t remember?”

“No. I saw you for the first time today.”

“Then excuse me for being rude when this is our first meeting…”

Lawrence’s question whirled round and round, and Ophelia was also taken aback.

When she first asked him to distance himself, he understood without saying anything.

But as expected, if she blatantly avoided him like this, he wouldn’t be able to help asking.

“No. I don’t think so.”

Ophelia lowered her eyes and added,

“Sorry.”

“No. There’s nothing for the aide to be sorry for. I just want to apologize if I did anything wrong.”

Lawrence’s extremely commonsensical and kind answer made Ophelia even more dumbfounded.

She couldn’t even tell him that she had physically promised not to get close to him.

‘What is such a small promise?’

Richard wasn’t even here anyway, so she could have gotten a step or two closer to Lawrence.

Who could live without breaking a promise in their lifetime?

It was not even completely breaking the promise, it was just shortening the distance a little bit.

“Okay, now I’m going to show you some real wine made from these wonderful things.”

At Lawrence’s words, Ophelia tried to take a step towards him.

No.

That’s not right.

Ophelia couldn’t close the distance to Lawrence.

If it was a promise with someone else, she might have gotten closer, thinking, ‘This is enough!’ 

But this was a promise with Richard, not with someone else.

Whether he was here or not, she didn’t want to break a promise with him, whether or not it was loosely or completely.

Though she herself did not know why she was doing this, she decided to do so.

And at the same time, the branch that grew from the seed deep inside Ophelia tapped her heart.

As the movements involuntarily rubbed against her ever cautious heart, Lawrence smiled at her and pointed at the distance between them.

“Don’t worry too much. I’ll be careful. Shall we go?”

“Thank you.”

Eventually, the two headed inside the brewery.

And just as those who had never met before poured out at once, many greeted them.

No, to be precise, they smiled broadly at Lawrence.

“Hey, Young Master Lawrence!”

“Hello. How are you today?”

Everywhere he passed, people greeted or said a word, and Lawrence did not ignore them, instead, he answered them one by one.

Besides, when Ophelia listened closely, it seemed that Lawrence knew each and every one of those people’s circumstances in detail.

“Oh my gosh, even though there is a guest, they don’t care.”

“No. It’s very nice.”

Ophelia really thought so, so it came out without hesitation.

Lawrence was about to speak to Ophelia again when he heard someone calling him from a distance.

“Young master? Young Master Lawrence came? That’s great! Please come over here!”

“No.”

“Go ahead. It’s a very nice view here too, I’ll look around by myself.”

Thanks to Ophelia’s willing nod, Lawrence left for a moment.

Staring at his back, Ophelia suddenly thought of Richard.

No, she remembered Richard’s warning.

Ame: Poor Lawrence, caught up in a not-yet-lovers spat.

Dea: This is the prequel to what’s coming after Richard gets there haha