CH 99

Turning her head while holding the doorknob, Ophelia smiled softly, but unlike that smile, she spoke in a determined voice that left no room for a needle to enter.

“If you intend to send me a marriage proposal, I will decline it.”

Lawrence raised his head.

“That… how can I do that.”

Of course, after the earlier talk, the misunderstanding was resolved, but his desire to marry Ophelia did not change.

Shaking his head, Lawrence asked urgently.

“Is there no way to change your mind?”

Ophelia flashed a warm smile and replied.

No, it was clear from her subsequent answer that the smile was never directed at him.

Lawrence repeated Ophelia’s words as he stared blankly at the closed door.

“…She is in love with someone?”

.

Two days after Ophelia and Richard informed someone else of each other’s existence.

In the room located on one side of the crown prince’s palace, there was a constant loud noise and a nasty smell every day.

Because of that, the servants of the palace did not want to go near it, and the administrators were troubled by the complaints they received several times a day.

Eventually it made it all the way to the aide’s office, and Cooper made a move.

—Tok tok.

“Come in.”

“Your Highness, I’m sorry, but the medicine has caused a problem.”

Richard, who was sitting by the window, immediately stood up.

“Medicine?”

“No. Not that way.”

Cooper denied it with an awkward, but at the same time, thrilled gaze.

It was because he realized all over again that when the word ‘medicine’ came out of his mouth, Richard would stop and listen to him no matter what he was doing.

Richard, as he had promised Cooper, would not let the troublesome drug wander the streets.

He even personally went and brought the original producer of the drug.

Cooper bowed deeply.

“I apologize, Your Highness.”

“Don’t worry.”

Richard tapped him on the shoulder and asked.

“If it’s not like that, then what is it?”

“It’s nothing that major…”

After Cooper finished explaining, Richard smiled and nodded.

“I should go.”

Soon after, Richard and Cooper arrived at the location in question.

And they ran into an unexpected visitor.

“Iris? And Ophel…”

“What are you doing here?”

Richard cut Cooper off before he could utter Ophelia’s name.

And the only one who noticed that fact was Ophelia.

She involuntarily loosened up and had to fight hard against her twitching lips.

“I beg your pardon, Your Highness. I was wondering if we could at least find out the current concerns and progress of the medicine.”

Iris lined up quite plausible excuses, and Richard nodded without saying anything.

Seeing Ophelia there, it must have been that she couldn’t contain her curiosity about what that fatigue recovery agent was.

When Richard told her not to go near it because it was not perfect yet, she didn’t reply, ‘Yes’…

‘No wonder she’s turning her eyes away.’

Ah, she was just insanely cute to Richard. It was clear that love was blinding him.

Without bothering to erase the faint smile that had spread across his lips, Richard opened the tightly closed door 

—Tachak.

The door, which should have opened silently and smoothly, opened with a creaking sound from its hinges.

And as soon as it opened, an indescribable, foul smell wafted out.

Ophelia, who reflexively covered her nose, was startled by the stinging smell.

“Is it not a fatigue reliever, but a poison that kills people with the smell?”

“That’s a very plausible hypothesis.”

The normally calm Iris also nodded while holding her nose, so they could feel the hardships of the servants.

Even Cooper was about to open his mouth to say something.

—Keung!

With the sound of something falling down, smoke billowed out from inside the room.

“Keu, keuk, keuk, keuk!”

Suddenly, Cooper stood before Ophelia, who had reflexively pushed Iris behind her, and in a flash, Richard was in front of Cooper.

It was strange that the next emperor was standing where it was closest to danger, but since it was Richard, no one raised any questions.

Someone crawled out on all fours through the smoke with a harsh cough.

Perhaps blinded by the pungent smoke, he waved his hand and shouted.

“Water, give me some water!”

In response, Richard kindly handed him water from a bowl nearby, and he took it and washed his eyes.

After shaking his head a few times, he barely opened his eyes and raised his head to say a ‘thank you’, then froze.

“Thanks…”

Because the owner of the golden eyes that once lurked in the darkness and snatched him up and choked him, and the next moment gave him much better things than he had never dreamed of, was looking down at him.

The pharmacist rubbed his eyes that were bloodshot with smoke.

However, the reality reflected in his eyes did not change, and the pharmacist jumped to his feet immediately.

“Y-Your Highness the Crown Prince.”

The pharmacist reflexively tried to lie flat on the floor again, but Richard grabbed him by the shoulders, so he awkwardly stooped.

“What a complicated greeting. More than that…”

Richard blinked and Cooper took a step forward.

“I came here because people are suffering from the constant noise and bad smell.”

“Yes? Suffering?”

The pharmacist widened his eyes.

“What do you mean? Suffering?”

He was the one who even tried to deceive others for the crown princess position to create medicine to alleviate people’s sufferings even a little bit.

It was no wonder that he was shocked to hear that he was causing people pain.

“Smell and noise.”

At Cooper’s calm answer, the pharmacist blinked for a moment before turning his gaze to the others.

He was unable to look at Richard properly, so he turned to Iris, who shook her head with a cold face while holding her nose.

Ophelia, whose eyes he met afterwards, also held her nose and frowned, expressing her intention very clearly.

The pharmacist gulped and asked cautiously.

“Does it smell bad? Now?”

“Can’t you smell it?”

If the pharmacist couldn’t smell it, it was a big problem.

Due to the nature of the medicine’s ingredients, it was essential to mobilize not only the sense of sight but also the sense of smell.

“No, no. It’s not like that.”

The pharmacist waved his hands wildly and denied it vigorously, then quietly looked at each one of them and said.

“It only smells good.”

It was unknown why he was flustered, but after the rather shy pharmacist uttered those words, the room became so still that only the occasional bubbling and boiling sound could be heard.

How long had passed? Cooper asked calmly.

“Then the noise… no, the roars?”

“I’m a little clumsy. I’ll pay attention to that part.”

To the bowing pharmacist, Richard asked,

“How’s the progress?”

“Ah! That’s…”

The lengthy, professional, and excited explanation that had begun was cut short by Richard.

“So how much longer?”

And as he shifted his gaze and smiled, he added,

“Because the person I love is eagerly waiting for the medicine to come out.”

The very sudden bomb-like statement came out lightly, as if to say that the sun would rise in the east again tomorrow.

And as if to confirm his words, the pharmacist nodded vigorously and patted his chest.

“Don’t worry. Now, if I fix just two things, it’s safe to mix with anything! No, um… If it’s mixed with anything, it will become water, so it will be safe. It will be useless. Anyway, in order to cure addiction, you have to satisfy that desire and slowly get out of it…”

The pharmacist digressed, falling back into his own thoughts.

However, no one dared to point out that he was rude in front of His Highness the Crown Prince.

Besides…

Iris and Cooper had their eyes popped out and their mouths open, and Ophelia’s lips twitched at the sudden public declaration of a lover.

She stared intently at Richard’s back with a feeling of ‘I really can’t believe it.’

But since he didn’t look back, she had no idea what he was thinking.

Ophelia hurriedly took a step forward but hesitated.

‘Um… can’t I say it?’

‘I don’t have to whisper love in secret, right?’

‘No, is there? A want.’

‘No, more than that, like this? This is how you’re going to announce it?’

‘Everyone gathered together, we became lovers! Even if you didn’t announce it like that, isn’t it like this?’

‘Not just that, if it becomes known like this, wouldn’t I be unable to show my face to many people?’

No one would want to hear rumors that someone close to them met someone they loved and had a good relationship with.

‘Iris and Cooper are being told by the person concerned anyway, but mother and Catherine…’

Ophelia, whose thoughts had gone that far, shook her head desperately.

The image of Catherine and her mother’s disappointed expressions and their teary eyes as they deliver their congratulations.

She felt sick from a conscience that she didn’t have.