CH 63

The three things floated before Ophelia’s eyes, but! She couldn’t recall it.

Even though she had a feeling of déjà vu, as if she’d had this thought before, she couldn’t quite figure out what it was.

“For now, we will send effective methods to combat locusts to nearby farmhouses and affected areas.”

“That’s a good idea. It would be nice if this matter could be resolved with that, but…”

At the end of his sentence, Lawrence gave the silent Ophelia a glance and was about to continue speaking, but Richard very casually stood in front of her and blocked his gaze.

“It’s not a problem that can be solved so easily.”

Lawrence paused for a moment at Richard’s unexpected movement, then asked again.

“I expected that since Your Highness is moving personally, but is the damage to the place where the locusts passed this time serious?”

“It’s much worse than last year. And Sir Sheffield.”

“Yes.”

“Do you remember the heavy rain?”

“By heavy rain, are you referring to that strange rain?”

“Yes.”

“Of course I remember. It was unusual.”

“This is the second time we have had such an abnormal phenomenon. This locust swarm.”

Lawrence shut his mouth. Apparently, the locust swarm was not the same as in previous years, like he had thought.

“Are we leaving right now?”

“Yes.”

“Locusts won’t rush towards people, so let’s go like this.”

Ophelia looked down at her swaying clothes and shrugged her shoulders.

She was about to take her first step, but Lawrence’s words caught her feet.

“With all due respect.”

Lawrence continued with his gaze fixed on Ophelia.

“Although you’re an aide, I don’t think it’s a good idea to accompany him to a place that could be dangerous. The locusts don’t spare anything. They have enough destructive power to drive you to death even without eating.”

At his words, Ophelia blinked rapidly.

“No, wait, it has that much destructive power to people? They’re not wheat or barley.”

“It does not discriminate between people and animals.”

Ophelia looked up at Richard in spite of Lawrence’s very certain answer.

—Really? 

She asked with her eyes, and he slowly nodded his head, saying,

“Even ants, when formed in a colony, exert a different kind of power than individuals. However, it’s not for Sir Sheffield to discuss the danger.”

No matter how many thousands of locusts swarmed, there was no way Richard would allow even one strand of Ophelia’s hair to be hurt.

He and Ophelia knew that, but Lawrence had no way of knowing.

That’s why Lawrence had no intention of watching Ophelia step into danger on her own out of fear of the crown prince’s orders.

He liked Ophelia quite a bit, but his precious sister Catherine saw her as her person of destiny.

If she got seriously injured or died, not being able to catch her now would become his lifelong regret.

“Isn’t it true that it’s dangerous? I’d rather accompany you.”

“What’s the use of having you accompany me?”

Even if Lawrence used the strange things as a justification, he didn’t have any worthwhile knowledge about it.

And it would go without saying if it was based on the fact that Richard wanted to meet Ophelia, the real reason he had come all the way here…

Indeed, to Richard, Lawrence’s story was not even worth listening to.

But Lawrence, who was truly Catherine’s older brother, did not give up easily.

The Marquisate of Sheffield’s extremely upright teaching, which said that a true servant should be able to speak frankly even if they were afraid of their master, was shining unnecessarily.

“With all due respect, if it’s a swarm of locusts, at least I’ll be more helpful than your aide.”

“No. That can’t be.”

Lawrence was extremely polite while Richard responded sternly and starkly, not allowing a chance to slip in.

Naturally, Ophelia stood in the middle of the two men, sensing the subtle currents flowing between them.

But unlike when she was trapped between Catherine and Iris, she didn’t even think that the tight atmosphere was because of her.

Let alone Lawrence, even when she looked at Richard, things like romance and love that had been erased from her head continued to not have a presence.

She looked back and forth between Lawrence and Richard and then dug her mind furiously.

Did anything bad happen in the past?

But even if it was the past, Lawrence’s past and Richard’s past would be completely different.

And to Richard, that ‘past’ must have already lost any meaning.

‘What? I don’t know about Lawrence, but Richard isn’t answering. Why?’

Of course, the only thing that came out of such deduction was false reasoning.

“…If I don’t go with her, it’s meaningless.”

“Your Highness!”

“Sir Sheffield, don’t test my generosity anymore.”

Ophelia, lost in her thoughts for a moment, hurriedly returned to reality at Richard’s calm voice.

Not because it was directed at her, but because the air around them was freezing cold to the point of cracking.

‘Oh, wow. What. What is really going on?’

At Richard’s blatant warning, Lawrence involuntarily took a step back.

“It’s fine. As an aide, that’s what I have to do. I’ll get going for today. Thank you for the invitation.”

However, he advanced forward at Ophelia’s words that came soon after.

“No. It’s dangerous.”

‘She says that she will do her part even though she is afraid of His Highness the Crown Prince.’

‘The more I see her… Isn’t she a good person?’

Of course, Lawrence’s overall thoughts were a huge misunderstanding, but alas, Ophelia, who didn’t even know that he was misunderstanding, couldn’t solve it.

As Lawrence went forward, Richard’s golden eyes sank down into the abyss.

‘I don’t like it.’

Today must have been the first meeting. But to go that far for Ophelia?

Richard was no fool. And he wasn’t blind.

He knew.

That Lawrence Sheffield really simply had a crush Ophelia.

Well, it was fully understandable for him to say that Ophelia, who seemingly couldn’t kill a fly, couldn’t be sent to that dangerous place.

But Richard didn’t like it.

Even the fact that Ophelia was now in Lawerence’s sight was starting to make him sick.

It wasn’t the kind of cute jealousy he felt when Cooper spoke about Ophelia.

It was a terrible thing to feel for himself…

“Richard!”

He lowered his gaze to the familiar, soft hand that pulled his.

Ophelia whispered in a voice that Lawrence couldn’t hear.

“He’s going to pass out standing here.”

She couldn’t detect Richard’s violent killing intent pouring only on Lawrence, but she could sense what was going on just by looking at Lawrence’s pale, dying complexion in real time.

‘Richard and Lawrence. Why are you doing this?’

Fortunately or unfortunately, Ophelia’s bewilderment did not last long.

“Uh… heo-euk!

As soon as the killing intent that had been tightening around his neck disappeared, Lawrence instinctively touched his neck and let out a deep exhale.

And, indeed, as Catherine’s older brother, he did not seem to know the word ‘giving up’.

“I can’t just let you walk into danger…”

Lawrence couldn’t even finish his sentence. As Richard raised a hand, signaling him to stop speaking.

“Someone is coming.”

And not long after, there was the sound of urgent running.

The servant who rushed in almost as if rolling over shouted.

“It’s a swarm of locusts!”

“What?”

When Lawrence asked, the servant waved his arms and frantically shouted.

“A swarm of locusts! A huge number! We… We can’t stop it!”

.

Just one day after Lawrence’s brewery was devastated by a swarm of locusts.

The bizarrely huge swarm of locusts moved nonstop toward the Imperial Palace, leaving extreme damage in their wake.

—Tok tok.

“Come in.”

With Richard’s permission, Ophelia appeared behind the silently opened door.

“Your Highness, it’s a damage report.”

Ophelia, who put down the stack of papers she was carrying in her arms, had something to say, but she kept opening and closing her mouth, as if it didn’t come out well.

‘A swarm of locusts, following an earthquake and flood.’

‘This is already the third anomaly.’

‘Can I just let it flow like this?’

In fact, she was reluctant to say, ‘Let’s go back first!’

Who said that everything was hard the first time and it would be easy after that?

This arbitrary infinite regression was much easier the first time.

‘It’s like I was strangling myself, but when he turned away…’

Ophelia shook her head and brushed away her memories of that time.

Of course, it wasn’t a memory that could be completely shaken off, but anyway, if she mulled over it now, she wouldn’t be able to do anything.

The damage report caught her eye.

The contents contained in it were so gruesome that even the dry sentences seemed to scream.

‘I guess we have to go back. At this rate, the locust swarm will not calm down.’

‘If a major famine comes, things would get out of control.’

“Richard.”

“I won’t.”

Before she could say anything, Richard shook his head.

“But if we leave it like this, then again…!”

“It’s not like an earthquake or a flood.”

“Yes, but…”

Ophelia did not give up and spoke again.