CH 6

The problem now was that… they were within the palace walls right now.

And at this point of time, Ian shouldn’t even be aware of Ophelia’s presence.

“…No.”

Something wasn’t right. Ophelia took a couple steps back, as if she wanted to bolt from here. She shouldn’t soothe Ian, even as she saw a twinge of disappointment on his face just now.

She had decided to live a life without him. She couldn’t be shaken here.

Don’t shake my resolve.

“…Ophelia.”

“Find someone else. There are so many other people who would willingly offer themselves to be your excuse.”

Ophelia spoke coldly and turned away.

But she couldn’t hide the urgency in her movements.

After Ophelia left, Ian stayed there for a long time.

“Sire, have you been here all this time?”

Until Maniche finally found him and grabbed him by the collar.

Maniche, who had worked tirelessly to fuel the rumors between Ian and Cadelia, instantly tackled Ian when he saw him.

“No matter how much…! You said you won’t do this in Milescet! You said so!”

“…”

“Ah, I was stupid enough to trust you! Would you rather have a sea squirt as an aide? Huh? Say something!!”

Well, he didn’t actually grab Ian by the collar, but given his rage, it wouldn’t be strange if he went ahead and slammed Ian’s head into a nearby wall.

However Ian, who would have normally smiled and apologized, was acting strange. No matter how disinterested he was, he wouldn’t stand around outside like a fool.

“Hey, does the First Princess have a lover?”

And now he’s asking a question like this.

Have you really gone nuts, sire?

Maniche doubted his own ears, but quickly tried to rationalize it in his own way.

“Cadelia Milescet is the Second Princess, sire. I explained this to you on our way here, but you forgot everything, haven’t you?”

“Ophelia Milescet, first-born princess whose mother was a tenured maid.”

“…Don’t tell me you’re interested in her.”

Maniche desperately wanted Ian to raise one eyebrow and say ‘Of course not’ as if what the aide had said was absurd.

“Today especially. You keep asking me to repeat myself.”

Why must everything be difficult in the world.

Maniche, whose whole body was frozen, gawked openly at Ian as he raised his left hand and looked at it.

“I saw the First Princess leave and I followed her here. She didn’t seem to like me that much, but…”

Behind his indifferent gaze was the lingering image of Ophelia’s left ring finger.

To be more precise, the ring on her finger that kept catching his eyes.

It was because of this ring that he didn’t go after her.

—Being here with me would only trouble you.

Why did she keep looking at him like that?

If Ophelia had readily responded to Ian’s earlier suggestion of letting him stay with her, then the night might have ended more interestingly.

But no matter what Ian was thinking now, he never had a hobby of holding onto a person who was clearly uncomfortable with him.

But then…

—If I told you I didn’t want to be held by the collar… would that be enough reason to hold onto you?

The expression she had when he expressed straightforwardly his interest in her… it was a mixture of resentment and longing. She didn’t seem to realize it herself, as if she couldn’t do anything about it.

She was oblivious to how people perceived her.

“I want to see her again.”

* * *

Ophelia ran away from Ian, her feet leading her to who knows where.

No, rather than running away, it was more like she fled the scene like a fugitive who dared not to tarry in their escape.

As if every shadow under the night sky had been clinging onto her skirt, it was like her feet were being slowed down by the very ground itself.

Then, when she was out of breath, she raised her head, surprised to see a familiar sight.

Her palace was so remote that no one but a lost apprentice would accidentally come by here.

It was a simple building with only a few rooms. It could hardly be called a palace.

Ever since becoming the Grand Duchess of Ronen, she had never experienced stepping foot inside such a shabby place.

But funnily enough, this shabby place was her home.

It had been a long time since she returned to this place. She entered the building, the ungreased door opening with a loud creak.

She went up to her room and buried herself under the covers without changing her clothes.

Her mind was occupied by only one thought.

‘Why the hell?’

Why the hell was Ian doing this to her?

Why now…

Of course, Ophelia knew that the Ian at this time right now was not to blame.

But if that was the only thing that must compel her to forgive him, then all vengeance must have disappeared from the world.

In her first year at the Principality of Ronen, she suffered from aphasia—she had trouble speaking.

That was the darkest period of her life.

Even Ophelia, who was used to people ignoring her, had suffered greatly at the Ronen castle.

If her quilts were spattered with soot, or if she was served food with spices that made her meals inedible, then she would have been fine. She could endure that much.

But what she couldn’t bear were the malicious words following her every move.

“Oh, the Grand Duchess is from the Empire, so it must be hard for you to adapt to such a barbaric culture.”

“These are the clothes usually worn in Ronen. Are these too much for the Imperial Princess to wear?”

“There’s no one here to listen to your whining. Stop muttering.”

“Wasn’t your mother a maid? Why aren’t you good at chores?”

If she felt awkward with anything unfamiliar, it’s because she was from the Empire.

If she said it was hard to adjust, it’s because she grew up as a sheltered Imperial Princess.

If she made a mistake, it’s because she was a buffoon who wasn’t good enough.

But if she did well on something, the words that returned to her were never kind.

They’d only say it would be strange if she couldn’t do that at least. After all, she was born as an Imperial Princess who should have had a decent education.

Even if she was a half-blood, she should be able to amount to that much.

At first, it was only one or two whispers under their breaths, but the malicious words were quick to spread throughout the castle, then it leaked out to the public.

Ophelia didn’t know if anyone had tried to stop it, but the chief butler and the head maid had let it be.

It was because Ian, the master of the household himself, had given Ophelia the cold shoulder first before anyone else.

Nobody had tried to prevent it, so the fire did not abate.

The people who had vested interests in the Grand Duchess’ seat thought that she was nothing but a nuisance, and everyone else openly expressed their unease with the Grand Duchess who was a foreigner.

When Ophelia had reached the final straw, when she truly felt as if she was being strangled, she held onto Ian’s sleeve again.

Ophelia still had faith in Ian at that time.

She still believed that, even as everyone else thought she had no value, he would look at her with those affectionate eyes.

Ian was the one who opened the latch that Ophelia had locked so securely to close herself off from the world.

He had approached her with such passion that it was impossible to think he’d throw her away so easily. Ian was definitely a good man.

However, she should have realized that a good man was not synonymous to a good partner.

There was one day when she had stood in front of Ian’s room all day, even as he had been avoiding her so openly.

“Ophelia, stop waiting in front of my room. Aren’t you embarrassed in front of the servants?”

Ophelia suddenly couldn’t hold it in.

“Then I will be fine if you don’t avoid me. I’ve been standing in front of your room all day. Are you really not concerned about me? Do you really not know why I’m doing this?”

“Ophelia.”

“You said you loved me. You said you’ll hold my hand when I have nowhere else to go. Did you forget everything you said when you proposed to me?”

What flowed out from her throat was lamentation. As if she swallowed all the words that she couldn’t say, like a walnut lodged in her esophagus, her throat was burning.

Ian, while you were away, your relatives swarmed around me.

Do you know how difficult it is to step into society as a foreigner when there wasn’t a husband beside me?

Everyone seems to be wishing for me to make a mistake. If I break a plate, those sparrows would gather and torment me.

I know I didn’t save you, but is that important?

Can’t you see that I’m right here? You said you loved me, Ian.

Please answer me.

Please!

“…Stop. Stop talking.”

Ah.

“…Ian.”

“Don’t waste your breath. I’m not in the mood to talk to you.”

Do I even have the right to stand here?

Even when she felt that she was about to collapse, Ophelia managed to speak once more.

“…I understand. Then please, grant me just one thing.”

“I’ll listen first before I decide.”

“I’d like to change the attendants and maids.”

“You already have the authority to do that, so why are you asking me to do it?”

“They said I couldn’t decide on anything without… your permission…”

They lied.

Her tongue was stiff. She felt like a fish out of water.

How pathetic must she have looked as she said this.

How pathetic did Ian think Ophelia had become.

Ian sighed briefly as Ophelia continued to be standing stiffly.

“…You don’t know anyone in Ronen. Even if you fired them, you’ll have to come to me again because there would be no one to hire.”

There’s no way.

“I’m not going to interfere in whatever you wish to do, so we’re done here. I can’t believe you waited for a long period of time just to say this.”

“I, I, with you, this talk is…!”

“Ha. Ophelia, at the end of the day, aren’t I just a means for you? Isn’t this just a marriage of convenience?”