CH 78

Ophelia turned her head, it wasn’t Raisa standing there.

“Your… Your Highness?”

“What? I… I see Your Highness the Crown Prince.”

Seeing Richard standing right next to Ophelia under the bright light, Catherine hurriedly bowed.

Richard lightly nodded at Iris and Catherine, and spoke while looking at Ophelia.

“It’s confidential.”

Immediately, Iris took Catherine’s hand and bowed without saying a word.

“We will take our leave.”

Catherine looked anxiously at Ophelia, but at the word ‘confidential’, she had no choice but to leave with Iris.

Eventually, only Ophelia and Richard were left.

“Regression.”

“It’s not.”

Just as Raisa couldn’t know their plan, neither could they have known Raisa’s decision, so the doubts deepened.

After a moment of silence, Ophelia spoke up.

“Could she possibly know that we have memories before and after the regression?”

“Though if you think about it that way, it does add up.”

“Could it be?”

“No. It’s very unlikely.”

He went on speaking in the utmost calmness.

“I have never disclosed it to anyone while going through an infinite regression, not even once.”

Even at night when he couldn’t stand it, even during the crazy day, even when he felt like he was going insane.

Every time, he wiped it out alone.

“I am the crown prince. I must not be shaken, and I must not collapse. So…”

He swallowed, but she could tell without listening to the back story.

—Going back to the past and going back again.

—Going through the same thing over and over again

Who would believe such words?

Even Ophelia, who actually experienced it, couldn’t believe it at first.

If Richard had been an ordinary farmer rather than the next emperor, he might have confided in someone.

Even if he was branded as a lunatic, he would have been able to radiate the unstoppable pain to the outside.

However, he was the crown prince. He was the one and only and undisputed next emperor of the empire.

As soon as he brought such a story out of his mouth, the empire would face a wind of blood.

No, the whole continent would rock.

So he embraced it all alone and slowly withered away.

Ophelia reached her hands out towards him.

When her cold hands met his even colder cheeks, warmth began to spread within them like a flower blooming very gradually.

Richard just stared blankly at Ophelia.

It was a moment that seemed to flow very slowly as they faced each other, staring at each other exclusively.

Richard wanted to hug Ophelia.

He wanted to hold her in his arms, inhale her, and swallow her from head to toe.

But… He just leaned his cheek into the palm of her hand and closed his eyes.

As it was, Richard said,

“I’m glad I didn’t lose you again.”

He slowly opened his eyes, capturing only Ophelia.

“Once is enough to experience not being able to protect you.”

Even though he said they had to return, he didn’t want to lose her again.

What would he have done if she hadn’t appeared so safely?

He himself couldn’t be sure.

A shadow fell on his face as he turned his back to the light, making it impossible to see his expression.

Ophelia opened her mouth at the sound of a penitent voice, but Richard removed her hands and at the same time covered her ears with both of his hands.

“Richard?”

The moment when Ophelia, suddenly isolated from the surrounding sounds, looked up at him with wide eyes. 

—Peuk!

—Puppupung!

The loud sound of large firecrackers rang out in succession.

For an instant, all of Ophelia’s nerves were focused on the sparks shooting up into the sky, and soon after, the huge flower of fire bloomed splendidly and then withered away.

—Peuk…!

Richard confessed at that moment.

“I am in love with you.”

His whisper did not reach her ears. It merely scattered.

When the moment had passed and Ophelia turned to him, he was silent.

The brightest fireworks celebrating the festival were embellishing the night sky, but neither of them could enjoy it properly.

.

The preparation period was as long as ten thousand years, but the festival passed in the blink of an eye and people went back to their daily lives.

Although it had already passed, life in general was still difficult due to the extreme damage caused by the locust swarm.

Still, the citizens of the empire did not sit down and cry or lament their situation, but stood up with arms around each other’s shoulders.

And on one side of the crown prince’s palace…

The three aides to the crown prince were also going through paperwork hell today, relying on each other.

—Skisch, skrisch.

Amidst the sound of her pen moving quickly across the paper, Iris let out a light sigh and put a stack of papers aside.

Seeing the paperwork as poison rather than candy, Iris lowered her pen and stood up.

“Cooper.”

“Huh?”

“Shall we rest for a while?”

“Oh, let me just finish this. In a few minutes.”

Iris was accustomed to Cooper answering without taking his eyes off the paperwork, so she headed straight for Ophelia.

“Ophelia, how about taking a break?”

But there was no answer like yes or no.

‘Is she too preoccupied with paperwork?’

Cooper often did so, so Iris searched for an empty space on the desk to knock on to get attention. Well, she was about to.

Ophelia’s pen, which should have been flying over the papers, had stopped.

She had her head down, so Iris couldn’t see her expression, but it was clear that she was so dazed that she didn’t know someone had called her.

Iris then grabbed Ophelia’s shoulder and shook her lightly.

“…lia, Ophelia.”

At the touch of a hand shaking her shoulder, Ophelia blinked quickly as if she had finally come to her senses.

“Iris?”

“Let’s go rest for a while.”

“Oh, that’s good.”

Before long, the three aides huddled together in a corner of the aide’s office, the only spot not occupied by the mountain range of documents.

Holding the smooth cup with hot steam rising, Ophelia was lost in her thoughts again.

After the festival, she could hardly concentrate on anything.

She even had nightmares, but rather than being afraid and scared, she was constantly preoccupied with one thought.

It wasn’t the infinite regression that filled her head.

Of course, the damned infinite regression always claimed a corner of her mind, but that was not it.

“Richard.”

What exited her lips so quietly that even she herself couldn’t hear it was the name of the person occupying her head.

She couldn’t figure out why he did that.

Withdrawing when she approached.

It was common for him to retreat two steps when she took one step closer, and when she took three steps, he would move away. 

“Huh? I didn’t catch any contagious disease!”

“I know.”

“Then why did you do that?”

“Because I’m in danger.”

“What? Are you sick? Your Highness? Then you can’t stay like this.”

“It’s not a contagious disease.”

“Anyway, you’re saying you’re sick. I’ll hurry up and call the imperial doctor…”

“No, you don’t have to. It’s not a curable disease.”

It was not a curable disease. Then it would be an incurable disease.

But… Richard? Richard?

Of course Ophelia was worried, but it was also true that she had doubts.

‘And what’s even more strange, or should I say, a little annoying…’

‘What I don’t like is…’

“Richard. What kind of disease is it that when I approach, you withdraw, but you don’t care when others approach you?”

When she remembered how he ultimately did not answer, for some reason, her chest throbbed.

Unconsciously pressing her heart, Ophelia murmured.

“What is it?”

It was a question directed at him, and also directed at herself.

“Huh? What?”

“Iris, I don’t think she’s talking about us.”

“Oh, is that so?”

Looking at Ophelia, who still had a dazed expression, Iris tilted her head and let out a light sigh at Cooper’s words.

Because her hands felt empty, Ophelia noticed that Cooper had taken the cup as the tea was getting lukewarm.

“I haven’t drunk it yet.”

“It’s all cold.”

Cooper refilled the cup with hot tea and brought up the topic first.

“You’re often absent-minded these days.”

“Yes. Even if I call, you can’t hear.”

“Sorry, did I make a mistake at work?”

“It’s not like that. It’s not like you’re trying to get that kind of work done.”

“I’m worried.”

Ophelia scratched her cheek shyly when Cooper and Iris spoke one after another.

“I have something to think about.”

“Are you serious?”

“There is a saying that sharing will make it lighter.”

The sincerity of the two worried people was fully conveyed, but Ophelia was unable to say anything.

She couldn’t tell them that Richard had become strange.

Even if she did say something, what on earth would she say?

That he was avoiding her?

The aide who said that it was strange that the prince avoided his aide would look even more strange.

The moment Ophelia shut her mouth and looked embarrassed, Iris tried to speak up.

—Pak!

Cooper clapped his hands, clearing the sunken air.

“Okay, break time ends here.”

Ophelia swallowed her sigh towards Cooper, who casually uttered ruthless words with a friendly smile.