I Decided to Kidnap the Male Lead

Chapter 32: Its a Fairytale Meeting (II)

At Coopers words, Ophelia nonchalantly handed the invitation to him.

After scrutinizing the invitation, he said,

I dont think theres a strange device.

I dont think she will do something to this invitation just because I broke a fan

Iris and Cooper answered firmly at the same time before Ophelia even finished her words.

No.

No.

No?

If its Lady Sheffield, shes not a person who can only say uncomfortable things in front of your face.

Iris nodded, when Cooper added,

Her ability to do things behind the scenes is tremendous. If its that lady, she would be in the same position even if she wasnt part of her family. Nobody wants to touch a beehive.

Uh. Okay, I see.

Ophelia flinched as Cooper shoved the invitation towards her.

Theres no device here.

When Cooper shook the invitation with a kind smile, Ophelia grabbed it slightly with her thumb and index finger and quickly dropped it off onto the desk.

What the hell did I do to get such a huge amount of attention?

Its been so long that its vague, but I dont think Ive done anything except to ruin the fan.

Ah Was the fan breaking itself a problem?

Should I buy a fan?

What?

A fan, the same fan that I smashed

Thats not the problem. I think you really dont remember, so Ill tell you briefly about what happened last time.

At the mention of the past and seeing Iris shaking her head, Ophelia felt awkward.

I was just saying.

She was right.

It was cool.

Both Iris and Cooper placed their hands on Ophelias rounded shoulders and nodded to her.

What on earth was my past self thinking? Daring to poke the giant beehive of the social world?

Cursing her past self, Ophelia looked down at the invitation and raised her head.

Her eyes met Coopers, and he shook his head.

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If youre not planning on accepting the invitation, its better to put it aside.

Iris added onto his words.

If you dont respond, shell keep coming back until you do. Shes an annoying and persistent woman, but the Marquisate of Sheffield can be your greatest ally, so you cant ignore her.

And shes also a clever young lady who keeps the line well until just before its bad.

To Iris words, Cooper supplemented a slur of compliments towards Catherine.

By bad, you mean

Harassing the aides or interfering with their work to such an extent that even the power of the Marquisate of Sheffield couldnt help her.

I think shes already bothering and disturbing us enough.

Its not serious enough to wipe out the Marquisate of Sheffield.

Iris, seemingly wanting to deny it at first glance, only chewed her lips. Ophelia then pondered the relationship between Catherine and Iris, who were like a snake and a mongoose. Contrary to Catherines bold and reckless appearance, it was unmistakable that she was clever and good at measuring lines.

Then I should go.

Ill go with you

You have to work.

Iris words were snipped off by Cooper.

Ophelia also shook her head, like a wooden doll on the verge of breaking.

Cooper is right. Work You have to work. The festival is right around the corner.

Strictly speaking, there was still about a month left, but the paperwork for the festival to be held safely was pouring in to the point where there was literally no room to breathe, like it was in front of their noses.

After exchanging glances, the three comrades returned to their respective seats, sharing a long sigh of camaraderie.

Ophelia fiddled with the invitation, the intention of which was still unknown, and soon stuck her nose into the papers.

.

Two days after that, Ophelia was sitting in what could be the most glamorous drawing room in the world.

To be precise, it was the best drawing room she had ever visited.

She might be working in the Imperial Palace, but she was stuck in the aides office in the palace of the crown prince only smelling the faint scent of ink and dry paper, having absolutely no reason to go to the drawing room of the Imperial Palace.

Ahh

Ophelia let out a weak groan as she stroked her back.

My back hurt a little from the jewels in the sofa, but where would I go to experience something like this?

It was not a bad feeling if you consider it an experience to have your back sore by jewels.

Rather, just getting off the hellish paper mountain range for a while would make everything look beautiful.

Ophelias dry smile spread and crumbled as she stared into the distance with cloudy eyes.

She was about to take a sip of tea, enduring the gentle pain of soreness, when she heard a knock.

Tok tok.

Putting the teacup down, Ophelia gave permission without thinking much.

Come in.

Naturally, she expected a servant to come in, but it was none other than Catherine who appeared behind the silently open door.

Youre here!

An extremely dazzling outfit and a scent that numbed the nose.

If Ophelia had been holding the teacup, she would have reflexively thrown it.

She rose from her seat, slightly frowning at the strong dazzle.

Considering the ladys past behavior, Ophelia thought she would just kick the door open and enter, not knock.

There was one more difference from what was expected.

Catherine welcomed Ophelia so warmly, like she was welcoming the best friend she had met after 10 years.

When the lady had abruptly pushed into the aides office the other day, she didnt hide her liking for Ophelia, but it was a new burden.

Smiling broadly, Catherine waved her hand.

You dont have to get up. Im sorry Im a little late. I was so excited to meet you that I was a little delayed because I didnt like how I looked.

Ah yes.

Dont get me wrong. I didnt wake up in a hurry an hour or two ago. Ive dressed up and been waiting for you to come since dawn. And yet I look like this.

The finely ground pearls shone brilliantly in five colors on Catherines eyelids as she sighed and lowered her eyes.

Ophelia struggled with what to say.

No matter how she heard it, wasnt it something to say to someone you loved beyond liking?

Beyond the burden, it was now a bit scary.

And Ophelia couldnt afford to bear that kind of fear or burden right now.

Plus, she didnt have the energy to fight with someone who didnt seem to have invited her with good intentions.

As a matter of course, Ophelia made no courtesy greetings toward Catherine, nor made any social remarks to ascertain her intentions.

What Ophelia threw was a fastball.

It was also a stone ball that went in a straight, straight, very straight, straight line.

Why did you invite me?

And Catherine was not at all taken aback by Ophelias direct words.

Rather, she gave the answer at once, as though she wanted her to ask.

Lets be friends!

Frie what?

Friendship? You and I?

Ophelia asked about the impossible again.

(TL/N: Ive adjusted to make it smoother/easily understandable. For the curious, the original phrase used is holding onto the fish that was about to fly over the sky basically referring to something impossible or something out of reach.)

Friendship. I want to be very, very close with you.

Lady Sheffield, I appreciate your feelings, but I cant afford to be in a relationship right now.

Oh, its not like that.

As Catherine lifted the teacup gracefully, light emitted from the thick jewels on her fingers.

If she strikes with her fist, shell probably knock out a tooth or two.

Ophelia waited silently for Catherines reply, picking up the teacup, about to take a sip, but had promptly put it down again when she continued speaking.

Could you speak more comfortably than that? Youre an aide. Im just a lady.

Thats true in principle, but no one has ever done that.

Didnt Catherine even say that they werent on the same level last time?

No matter how much Iris hated Catherine, she was not one to make up things that didnt exist.

This way is comfortable.

Catherine did not back down despite Ophelias words that were akin to cutting a sweet pumpkin with a single slash.

If she would step down merely at this extent, she would weep and hide because of the notoriety she had built up.

Then I should try to make it easier for you to speak comfortably.

It was unknown what kind of effort it was, but seeing Catherines eyes shining, it would never be comfortable for Ophelia.

Ill drop the formal speech then.

In life, there were often times when giving up quickly was the answer.

And Ophelia willingly decided to admit that now was such a time.

Whether she spoke formally or not wouldnt have much of an impact on her relationship with Catherine.

Thank you.

Ophelia, looking at her smiling Catherine, remembered Coopers words.

A clever young lady who keeps the line well.

I dont think there are any lines

Who the hell would urge you to speak comfortably after only seeing you two or three times while keeping the line?

Ophelia picked up the teacup and discreetly glanced over Catherine.

Judging from her words and attitude so far, it was unlikely that she had called her here to pursue the fan issue.

It was hard to believe, but the lady in front of her seemed to be genuinely interested in her.

Why? Aside from asking this question, she should know what the purpose of this invitation was.

Perhaps the desire for friendship that she mentioned earlier was not all there was to it.

This time, when Ophelia picked up the teacup and took a sip, the tea that was strangely perfect for her taste wrapped around her dry tongue that was starting to feel like a desert.

I didnt think she was calling to harass me, but I didnt know she would prepare tea so well.

The Marquisate of Sheffield Marquis has dignity! You cant give low-grade tea to guests who visit the mansion! Something like that?

The lady of the Marquisate of Sheffield

Iris and Coopers voices crossed Ophelias ears behind her stupid thoughts.

Credits goes to Jassie for raw providing, Ame for translating, and Dea for proofreading.