I Decided to Kidnap the Male Lead

Chapter 25: A Good Friend (X)

Hermia, too, was just an ordinary lady, so she could not have possibly led a normal life after seeing the man she once loved die in front of her eyes.

One day in the past, when she saw her fianc, she fell in love at first sight, but it wasnt as eternal as a fairy tale.

Her love for him easily cooled down in the face of his indulgence towards gambling, which caused him to ignore and not care about her.

And her disappointment towards her fianc and her thirst for love were washed away by another love.

What What have I done!

She She said all we have to do is keep quiet

I didnt mean to do this!

That day, her fianc died without even closing his eyes, and those cold eyes were still chasing her to this very moment.

Hermia shook her head again.

No. Its not my fault. I mean, I didnt mean to.

Raisas low voice echoed in Hermias ear.

Lady, if you dont want your affair to be discovered and for your engagement to be broken and to be imprisoned in a monastery, youll have to do what I say.

She rubbed her ear and stuttered out another piece.

Just be quiet to be quiet, Ive, Ive been threatened to stay silent!

It was a sharp confession that scratched the ears, akin to rubbing a glass plate with an iron file.

Ophelia, who had reflexively furrowed her brows, opened her eyes wide at the contents of Hermias scream that followed.

The lady, the lady of Neir, told me to deal with him! Otherwise, s-she will expose everything!

To be precise, all Raisa wanted was to raise the debt.

However, Hermia, bearing such a weakness, inflated and twisted the words in such a way that she had to deal with her fiance.

Ophelias eyelashes fluttered quickly.

Not the Marchioness of Neir, but the lady? This was an unexpected development.

I thought it wasnt normal, but

Neir?

The count, who had been keeping silent so far, spoke for the first time.

Did you just say Neir?

I Im so-sorry, Im sorry. Im sorry. I didnt think he was going to die. That It was an accident! P-Please

The count approached Hermia in stride.

He grabbed her by the shoulder roughly and asked, one word at a time, like he was chewing and spitting it out.

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You said that the lady of the Marquisate of Neir ordered it?

Yes, yes. Its not my fault. I-I just did what I was told

Hermia was answering the count, but her eyes were looking somewhere far away.

Perhaps she was looking into the eyes of her fiance who had become a cold corpse before her eyes.

And Iris she stared at such a Hermia. She opened her mouth, but she couldnt say anything.

Affair, murder, and even threats.

Hermia my dear friend.

You who were crying for help you did such a terrible thing.

If she had confessed everything truthfully from the beginning, it wouldnt have gotten to this point.

All the doubts, surprises, betrayal and disappointment came all at once, and her throat was choked.

Retreating from Hermia, the count appeared half insane, covering his miserable face with both hands.

The next moment, the eyes of Hermia and Iris, whose focus was shaking, met.

Why?

It was a word that came out without realization

Why did you do that? No, why did you lie

Before Iris could finish speaking, Hermia raised her eyes.

Then what should I say!

She approached Iris at once, at a speed that was as if she was charging.

Iris Fillite! What should I say to you, you who is righteous and superior? Im having an affair, and Im caught and threatened, so I have to deal with my fianc. Please help me? Should I have said that?

Her Mia.

Iris reached out a hand towards Hermia, but she could not even touch her, and it fell helplessly.

Hermia, lowering her fiercely raised eyes, uttered in a weak and pathetic voice that Iris had always heard.

You you dont know. Because you are strong.

Iris was suffocating at the words of her close friend who trembled and cried exaggeratedly, but she did not express it.

She couldnt express herself.

As her friend said, Iris had to be strong.

She had lived that way, and she would live that way.

It didnt come from anyone elses coercion or for the gaze of others.

It was something of her own choosing, her decision to dedicate her life to serve Richard as her lord.

You dont get hurt. How do you know when you dont even know pain!

This time, Hermia reached out towards Iris.

Her claw-like hand grabbed her Iris arm.

I asked you for help. Please close the case quickly. If you had just said something, I wouldnt have become like this

Ophelias eyes widened as she watched Hermia clinging to Iris and whining.

Its between friends, so dont interfere. Its not a matter for you to step in.

There were already three deep valleys in Ophelias forehead as she clutched onto that thought.

Then, a cry of pain erupted from Hermia.

You cant look at me like that! You didnt even actively tell me to break up with him!

Again, was it someone elses fault?

Affair, murder, and even cover-up.

All of that was ultimately Hermias own choice.

She said she had been threatened, but such intimidation would not have mattered if she had taken responsibility for the wrong choices she had made, whether it was breaking up or going to a monastery.

There was nothing to say about breaking up the marriage.

Thats not far-fetched

Yes, this isnt a friendship issue, its just the nonsense of a human with a lack of character.

Ophelias reason was there.

You always say the right thing, but why didnt you say anything until I got to this point

Did you hear something?

Hermias criticism of Iris was cut off by Ophelias cheerful voice.

Strange, I think my ears are wrong.

Ophelia blinked and patted her ear.

I think a dog is barking somewhere, but thats a shameless and naughty dog pretending to be the victim.

With a bright smile that somehow chilled the backs of the viewers, she took one step closer to Hermia.

The radiant smile on Ophelias lips as she ripped Hermias fingers one by one by hand, which was holding Iriss arm, grew wider and deeper.

Ive heard so much barking that its hard to point out all of them as bullshit, so Im only asking one thing.

Ophelia naturally pulled Iris towards her and placed her behind her back.

Tell me. If youre strong, will you never be hurt?

What what?

You said that to Iris. That shes strong, so she doesnt know, and she doesnt feel pain.

Towards Hermia, whose mouth was twitching, Ophelia poured out what she had been dying to say without hesitation.

Diamonds are also damaged when scratched with the same diamond. Being strong and not hurting are not the same thing. I cant believe I have to tell you this.

Ophelia licked her lips blatantly as if she had seen something terrible.

Giving up on her pathetic act, Hermia set her nails up and ran towards Ophelia, contorting her face like a demon.

No!

The moment Iris, who was behind Ophelia, was startled and tried to grab her by the shoulder.

Ophelia lightly tilted her head to the left, and kicked Hermia in the pit of the stomach.

Iris eyes were widened to the point that it could not be widened further, but the reality of Hermia falling to the floor while holding her stomach like a skinny scarecrow did not change.

Ophelia could break the back of the heads of highly trained assassins secretly hiding in the Imperial Palace.

Although it was supported by evil, the chance of being beaten by an ordinary lady, Hermia, was infinitely close to zero.

Iris did not know this, but Richard, as well as Ophelia herself, knew.

But from the moment Hermia ran towards Ophelia, Richards face became terribly hardened.

As the blood slowly rose from his feet, he grabbed the fallen Hermias collar. She groaned, but no one stepped forward.

They couldnt.

How dare you.

It was because the cold air that seemed to freeze to the bone was pressing down on the entire room.

How much time has passed whereby a second felt like a minute?

Richard ordered with a face as dry as a desert.

Take her away.

After a while, the count, gazing with indescribable eyes at the open door where Hermia, unable to speak, was dragged out, wiped his pale face with one hand.

And at the story that came out of his mouth, Richard and Ophelia blinked at each other.

I was also threatened by Marchioness Neir, or rather, the lady.

She said she would write off the debts, but only on the terms she offered.

So from the beginning, there was no choice.

The count went on in a hoarse voice.

My son told me he was in debt before he died. And that debt put the family in jeopardy.

The count seemed to be completely exhausted, so he slumped down on the sofa helplessly.

Just before coming here, as she suggested, I handed over all of the festivals liquor licenses and was relieved of the debt.

Ophelia swallowed her breath, stunned.

Ah, this is how it connects? Come to think of it, from among the pieces Hermia had laid out, there was a threat to handle the debt of her fiance, the Counts son.

In the end, all of this was done to loot the privilege of the festival.

If the people involved in the case had not been gathered together like this, and if it had not been for Crown Prince Richard.

All these shady conspiracies, intertwined with someones private secrets and one familys faults, would not have all been exploded all at once in this way.

Its not about plotting, its about bringing it out

If it rots, its still the same.

Indeed, Richard was Richard. It bothered Ophelia like she was chasing an annoying fly buzzing in front of her eyes.

At the same time as Ophelia turned to Richard and spoke, and right when Iris called for her.

Your Highness, I also

Ophel

At this exact moment, the entire palace shook violently.

To be precise, the ground supporting the Imperial Palace shook violently like waves crashing.

Ame: We didnt get an OBJECTION! but we sure got a lot of screaming and crying! Smh, Hermia was basically trying to gaslight Iris.

And they cant catch a break were going from ace attorney to survival