CH 14

If the sea were to rise and devour the land, would it feel like this? Tears flowed down her cheeks profusely.

She wished she had known nothing.

Ariel’s situation, and the fact that the person Ophelia believed was her friend was actually involved with the mermaid.

To him, who helped Ariel, how did he view Ophelia?

The deceased Ariel was Ian’s real savior… How ridiculous must it all have been in Alei’s eyes to see Ophelia cling to Ian so pathetically.

Ophelia thought Alei was her only friend, but perhaps she had been too hasty in her judgement.

She was still reeling from Ian’s rejection.

Ophelia had been out of it since that day. And because Alei at that time was trying to regain his memories by returning to the tower, they would not have seen each other’s faces for a while.

‘Why was I reminded of that all of a sudden.’

Lost in thought as she rolled the quill pen between her fingers, she recalled the time Alei left for the tower back then.

It had been quite a while, considering the days she lived before time had been wound back. Long after Alei left, Ophelia decided to die.

‘It felt so bitter, that time I saw the letter.’

But truthfully, it would be more accurate to say that she felt complicated.

She learned of things that she never wanted to know. Because of this revelation, she didn’t know what to think of Alei anymore.

But only after Alei left did Ophelia realize.

Even if their friendship was a ruse, when he was gone, he left a void in his place.

She realized that she was only able to survive this far because of his presence.

It came to a point where Ophelia didn’t mind what Alei truly thought of her. She only missed his warmth.

At that time, she was desperate for anyone at all, and it was Alei who gave her a lifeline.

However, just because she realized this didn’t mean that she opened the door to her heart once more.

Even right now, in this new life—Ophelia still would not tell Alei everything she knew.

If it had been before she found the letter, she would have told him everything and confided in him wholly.

Her index finger rhythmically tapped on the book titled 〈 Tales of the Mysterious Mermaid 〉 but after a few staccato beats, the finger stopped. Ophelia’s gaze was cold as she was lost in thought.

She looked at the illustration where her finger paused.

‘That was definitely the look you had at the time.’

The reason Ophelia was suddenly reminded of that memory without any prompting.

The look Alei had before she had run out of the room.

Half confused, half ashamed…

When he saw her crying, Alei looked exactly like that.

She was never curious about other people’s thoughts, but she wondered what Alei was thinking with an expression like that.

There should be some kind of clue there.

‘No. Never mind.’

Ophelia clenched her hand into a fist. It was a useless thought.

She opened the book once more, not at the part Alei saw when he came in earlier. After a couple more pages from that section, there was a hidden memo that Ophelia wrote.

There was no information in this book that could prove to be useful to Ophelia because it was literally just a collection of folktales.

It wasn’t written to convey practical information after all, so this was a natural result. Lilith even gave her the side eye when she saw Ophelia reading this book.

—Mermaids? I didn’t know you were fond of such childish fantasies.

—We’re near the ocean after all.

—How relaxed of you. People might think we’re here for a vacation. Meanwhile, I’m running around here and there to check and double check the materials to rebuild the roads.

Lilith, in one way or another, would always criticize high-ranking aristocrats.

She always complained that she had to do all the grunt work because she was placed under the command of a dainty Imperial Princess.

—If you feel so wronged, why don’t you be a Princess yourself? If I wasn’t one, then just as you said, I could have enjoyed this trip as a vacation.

Of course, when Ophelia said this, she didn’t even bat an eyelid.

Well, even so, a book like this would still have some tidbits of information at least.

While reading it, Ophelia realized that there were a few similarities with the things she knew.

When the mermaid and the siren appeared together in one tale…

‘It’s similar.’

There were still slight differences, of course. When the protagonist of the tale was hypnotized by the enchanting voice of a siren, a mermaid saved him from danger.

It might be because mermaids were more philanthropic, or perhaps it was because mermaids hated sirens—but if this tale was based on true events, it’s actually sirens that hated mermaids.

‘But I don’t know if it’s really based on true events.’

She wrote down some notes so she wouldn’t forget. She’d have to see the head of the sirens when the sun had set.

Ophelia wanted to be ready for anything.

Was there anything else she needed to write down? As she rummaged through a bookshelf, she heard someone knocking on the door.

Who would seek her out at this time?

Ophelia hurriedly arranged her desk and hid her books and notes, then she spoke.

“Come in.”

The door opened, and a man with an overtly pleasant expression came in. Ophelia inwardly groaned as she saw who it was.

“Hydar.”

“I grew concerned when I didn’t see you, but I found you right away.”

Hydar, the fief lord of Ladeen, strode into the room as he said this. In his hand was a flower, which any gardener would have wept at once they saw it, and an envelope.

Only then did she remember what she had forgotten because she had been preoccupied with her work with Alei.

‘So it’s today.’

The day Hydar himself invited Ophelia to a banquet to welcome her.

She might have conveniently erased it from her mind because the memory left a sour taste.

In an instant, Ophelia’s cold gaze reached Hydar.

Not knowing what she was thinking, the fief lord thrust out the wilted flower and the envelope right in front of her face.

“I’m hosting a banquet at my villa today. Since Your Highness arrived at Ladeen just in time, I thought it would be nice to have a welcoming ceremony as well, so I brought an invitation for you. Will you come?”

A banquet and a welcoming ceremony at the same time. Ophelia knew why Hydar wanted her to attend.

—I told you, didn’t I? That Princess is nothing. It’s just worth knowing that the Imperial family sent a woman like that as an inspector because they’re afraid of intervening directly with Ladeen’s affairs—that’s why they sent that woman!

Judging from Hydar’s drunken rambling, he seemed to have made a bet with his friends.

No matter how far away Ladeen was from the Imperial family’s reach, any countryside territory would be uplifted if they came into affiliation with those sitting on the throne.

It seemed that Hydar invited Ophelia to the party to prove that he could easily handle the princess.

In fact, it was a bet inevitably in Hydar’s favor.

If she had avoided the banquet, it would be a sure sign that the Imperial family was afraid of him.

‘He’s a fox who pretends he’s a tiger.’

In the past, without knowing about this, Ophelia didn’t attend the banquet.

She thought there might have been a hidden intention there, but she still had her hopes up.

Hydar was kind to her, so he could have invited her because he truly wanted her to feel welcomed.

Ophelia thought she had firmly closed the door to her heart, but now that she looked back, she realized that she lived her life having more expectations than she originally thought.

Ophelia chuckled unconsciously because it was so funny.

Hydar, who saw this, raised an eyebrow.

“Is something the matter?”

“Ah, no it’s just… amusing.”

“…Pardon?”

Ophelia turned her gaze towards Hydar just as her laughter faded. A cold voice soon followed.

“I have a lot of experience from inspecting other fiefs, but this is the first time that an esteemed fief lord would do a welcoming ceremony for me so… conveniently with your other plans. Is this the highest courtesy that Ladeen can offer to the Imperial family?”

“Ha, haha, Your Imperial Highness might be too accustomed to the luxury of the capital.”

“Luxury?”

At Ophelia’s rebuttal, Hydar’s shoulders stiffened. He could feel a dark sense of foreboding running down his spine.

Even with her small physique, her blue eyes pierced him like a blade. As she took one step closer, she opened her lips languidly.

“I know who is in charge of the capital’s fiscal and cultural affairs. If you have any disagreement regarding that, I shall forward this concern. Hydar Ladeen, tell me one more time. What did you say about the capital’s luxury?”

“N-No, I—”

He made a mistake. Realizing this fact, Hydar’s mind was flushed full of curse words.

He heard that the First Imperial Princess was a quiet and demure woman who seemed to have no presence, but was it a false rumor?

Hydar gritted his teeth.

‘I can’t believe I’m being intimidated by a woman like this.’

This was a disgrace that he had never before experienced as the fief lord of Ladeen.

But even if he felt dishonored here, the biggest problem would come if his plan would fail.

‘I need to take this woman to the banquet today and strike her down at once.’

When rumors spread that the First Imperial Princess would come to Ladeen, the nobles of the territory were swept up into a ruckus at once. Because they rarely went to the capital, catching sight of any Imperial family member would be like tasting strawberries during winter.

If not for the fact that she was a lowly maid’s daughter and that she was completely ignored by the Imperial family, Ophelia might have attracted a more favorable kind of attention.

That’s why Hydar, who wanted to flaunt his status as Ladeen’s supreme ruler, needed to publicly humiliate Ophelia.

‘Look how flustered he is. It’s natural that he’s never had this experience.’

And Ophelia knew this, too. Even so, she wouldn’t let him do as he pleased.