Chapter 62: CH 62

We arrived at the monster forest where the hunting competition was held.

“Don’t go into the forest because it’s dangerous.”

Just before parting with me, Sylvester said.

“I will go hunting in such a dangerous place and come back.”

What kind of reaction does he want?

There was nothing to say, so I just blinked. Then Sylvester smiled and tapped me on the cheek.

“Just waiting. I’ll catch something amazing.”

If it’s something amazing, well, like a dragon?

At that level, it can be quite surprising. But the dragon must be in the dragon’s habitat. So maybe he’ll catch something else.

I answered with a nod.

“Be careful and come back.”

This is all I had to say, but Sylvester’s expression changed strangely.

“I’m touched to hear this from you.”

Sylvester seemed to be touched. Just with something like this—? If I had told him to come back safely because I was waiting, he would have cried a lot.

“I’ll be back safely”.

After stroking my cheek once, Sylvester turned around and walked away. Watching him disappear, I let out a long breath. Because I could feel my beating heart calm down now.

Since I saw Sylvester in the carriage earlier, my heart has been beating fast. An uncontrollably pounding heart.

What’s wrong with me?

I swallowed my dry saliva with my hands on my chest.

‘Is it because Sylvester is so handsome?’

I thought so. When I see a good-looking person, I feel good and my heart races. I roughly made this judgment and stopped thinking more.

This is because there was something I had to do first.

I looked around.

In the distance, I could see two or three ladies gathered together. Everyone must have come to cheer for those who participated in the hunting competition.

Jasmine was also seen. She said she would go first and wait, so it was only natural for her to be there. So I hurriedly moved my foot toward that side.

I thought like that.

‘Hunting competition—’

This episode is pretty important in the original. It was the episode where Callian saved Fleur. Fleur sneaks into the forest to find medicinal herbs that can only be found in the monster forest.

Then, unexpectedly—but too naturally— she encounters a monster. Fleur runs away with all her might, and eventually gets caught by monsters.

But then, our male protagonist, Callian, appears!

And, well, it’s an obvious development.

Callian saves Fleur. Fleur falls in love with Callian once again, and Callian thinks that he can’t lose Fleur and at the same time vows to protect her.

So, he is more assertive to the Emperor and tries to marry Fleur.

‘So, this episode is crucial in solidifying the two’s relationship.’

So, what am I going to do?

‘I’m going to ruin it.’

I have a mission to seduce Callian.

In the meantime, the relationship between Callian and Fleur should not deepen. So my goal today was to monitor Fleur.

Just wait, Fleur.

You can’t disappear from my sight today.

*****

“Welcome, Duchess!”

Jasmine greeted Ophelia.

As soon as that happened, people’s attention was focused on Ophelia. A crowd that has become quiet in an instant. Some people lightly greeted Ophelia, but most people avoided Ophelia.

It can’t be helped. There are still more people who don’t know that Ophelia has changed. And her evil deeds were not things to be forgotten by a few good deeds.

Ophelia looked around such people and soon approached Jasmine.

“When did you get here?”

“It’s not been long. The same goes for other people.”

“Really?”

Ophelia looked through the people.

“What about Countess Fleur?”

And whispered to Jasmine.

“She’s already here. And she was just right next to the Crown Prince.”

Jasmine spoke in a grumpy tone.

Ophelia made a hmm sound and threw her eyes at the side where people participating in the hunting competition gathered.

There was, of course, Callian, and there was also Fleur.

From the fact that Calian had a handkerchief in his hand, it seemed that Fleur gave it to him.

Callian’s face was flushed.

Unlike Sylvester, who wore only a coat, he even wore armor, so he seemed to have prepared firmly. Fleur was looking at Callian like that proudly.

Ophelia twisted her lips.

“I should go.”

“Where are you going?”

“Over there.”

Ophelia answered, pointing to the side where Callian and Fleur are.

“Huh—. Um—. What are you going to do there?”

“What would I do?”

Ophelia smiled and said.

“I have to give him a handkerchief.”

She lifted the first embroidered handkerchief and waved it. Jasmine pursed her lips and looked into Ophelia’s eyes.

“But—”

Jasmine whispered in a small voice.

“As long as he’s with the Countess, I don’t think His Highness will accept it. Why don’t you just give it to him secretly later?”

It’s a reasonable suggestion.

It means don’t embarrass yourself for no reason. However, Ophelia had no intention of accepting it.

“Would I have made this without thinking about that?”

Ophelia smiled and looked back at Jasmine.

“I have everything in mind.”

Then she began to walk toward Callian. Jasmine also followed Ophelia in a hurry. Callian and Fleur were talking nicely.

Of course, they don’t hold hands openly because there are other people’s eyes. However, honey fell from each other’s eyes.

She thought they would like it very much when the bees came. They’re already close to the middle of the original story, so they can’t help but get along like that.

Ophelia decided to let go of their love before it deepened, so she relentlessly intervened between them.

“Your Highness, you were here.”

Ophelia spoke in a beautiful voice like a nightingale.

However, Callian looked back at Ophelia with a disgusting expression as if her voice were a witch’s roar.

“What’s the matter? If you’re going to say something useless, go back right away.”

He spoke with a face full of disgust. Then he opened his mouth to Fleur.

“How about going back? Staying here can get you caught up in strange things.”

He said to avoid Ophelia because he thought she would bother Fleur. Fleur smiled and nodded.

“Okay, Your Highness.”

If it were the original Ophelia, she would have been greatly hurt and cursed Fleur. However, today’s Ophelia was different.

She casually accepted the strange superiority spreading across Fleur’s face and the terrible disgust contained in Callian’s face.

“I’m not here to say useless things. I’m not a person who has that much time. Isn’t it?”

Callian was a little surprised by Ophelia’s calm attitude.

Indeed, Ophelia has changed.

So Callian felt strangely bad. He didn’t know why. It was strangely unpleasant that Ophelia was not hurt by his harsh remarks.

“I don’t care about your time. So what’s the matter?”

Therefore, Callian treated Ophelia with a harsher attitude.

“I came to give you a handkerchief.”

“Ha?”

Callian laughed in vain.

“You don’t think I’ll accept it, do you?”

Giving the handkerchief meant that she had him in her heart, and accepting the handkerchief meant that he would accept that feeling.

So there was no way Callian could accept Ophelia’s handkerchief.

Ophelia would know this better than anyone else. So why?

Jasmine, who followed, looked at Ophelia and Callian alternately with an anxious and confused face.

“You don’t have to take it. You can throw it away.”

Ophelia said, holding out her handkerchief.

“However, if you want to get information from me in the future, you’d better accept it.”

“What?”

Callian made an even more dumbfounded expression.

“Are you threatening me now?”

“What do you mean threatening? Such scary words.” Ophelia smiled.b”I just heard a good story from the mercenary guild, and I’m just thinking about whether to deliver it to Your Highness.”

“Ophelia Ryzen!”

“Yes, Your Highness. Go ahead.”

Callian rubbed his forehead. As he was talking with Ophelia, he felt himself being cut off.

“It’s really annoying.”

However, it was not possible to stubbornly reject Ophelia’s handkerchief here.

As she said, ‘information’ is at stake. If he had a little more power, he would have ignored the information brought by Ophelia.

Callian blamed himself for his weakness and at the same time accepted the reality that he had no choice but to do so.

So he snatched Ophelia’s handkerchief.

“I’m not going to give you prey.”

“I don’t want that.”

Ophelia said, looking at the handkerchief held in Callian’s hand.

“Because I’ve achieved my goal.”

At the same time, Ophelia looked far away at Fleur, who was watching them. Fleur’s face turned white.

She saw Callian receiving Ophelia’s handkerchief.

‘Ah, this is fun.’

Ophelia smiled and waved at Fleur.

Fleur’s body trembled.