I Decided to Kidnap the Male Lead

“Where the hell?!”

“Oh my God, you’re making such a loud noise. Lady Filite has always been lacking in etiquette.”

“Isn’t it Lady Sheffield that is lacking? And it’s not ‘Lady Filite’, but the ‘senior aide’.”

Cooper raised his hand amid the thunder and lightning like a battle between a snake and a mongoose.

“A new aide has come, but what does that have to do with the lady…”

“It doesn’t matter.”

Following Iris, Cooper blatantly pushed Lady Sheffield away, but she wasn’t the type to be dissuaded simply with that.

“Why doesn’t it matter? If I stand next to him, all of his aides will have to know.”

Iris shot back as Lady Sheffield spoke as if it was a truth that was only natural to say.

“What the hell is that groundless confidence?”

“Oh my gosh, what do you mean there’s no basis? Is there anyone other than the Crown Prince who can captivate me and crush me at once with just his momentum and eyes, or at least with his words? If I want to risk my whole life, it needs to be that kind of person.”

“What you’re risking your life for is nonsense… Eup!”

Iris leaned forward and began to swear at Lady Sheffield with harsh words, but Cooper covered her mouth.

Before Iris really exploded and the second Cooper opened his mouth, there was the sound of the door opening and hot air rushed out like a low tide.

—Tachak.

“I’m back. The maids prepared well, so I just brought it with me. Let’s drink and breathe a bit. But what is it that smells so strong…”

Ophelia, who had put down the tray and fanned her hands at the strong scent of perfume that seemed to paralyze her nose, widened her eyes.

“The new aide?”

Lady Sheffield took a step towards Ophelia and blatantly scanned her, up and down.

Ophelia’s eyes shifted towards Iris and Cooper and blinked to ask what’s going on, but Lady Sheffield was an opponent which ‘Tell me with your eyes’ didn’t work.

(TL/N: as in, they can’t explain why she’s here with just their eyes.)

“That red hair and blue eyes. It’s Bolsheik.”

Lady Sheffield frowned painfully.

“What the heck did His Highness see in you to make you an aide?”

Pointing her index finger at Ophelia’s face and body, Lady Sheffield snorted and threw the fan she was holding.

Seeing her fan hitting the nose of Ophelia’s round shoes, Lady Sheffield raised the corner of her lips.

“The fan fell.”

Seeing the way Lady Sheffield’s fingers were moving at the same time she said that, it was clear that she wanted Ophelia to bend down to pick up the fan and bring it.

This was very old school bullying.

It was so cliché that Ophelia was not particularly upset.

‘I’m too tired from many other hardships to get angry over this.’

Even so, she had no intention of picking up the fan and handing it over.

“What are you doing?”

Ophelia spoke without picking up the fan.

“Young-ae, your speech was short earlier.”

“Isn’t it obvious? Don’t tell me you think you’re equal?”

Ophelia was also Richard’s aide, like Iris and Cooper, so Lady Sheffield had to use formal speech towards her.

Strictly speaking, Ophelia, who was part of the imperial court as an aide, had a higher status than the daughter of a marquisate, who had no status besides the family, but things in this world did not follow the norm.

Given the prestige of the Marquisate of Sheffield, they should be respectful to each other, but Lady Sheffield did not seem to have any intention of doing so.

The reason Iris and Cooper received respectful speech from Lady Sheffield was probably because the Fillite and Halsey families were quite influential within the empire.

No matter how venerable the Bolsheiks might be, today, they were nothing more than paper tigers with only the title left.

What was there to mind for the esteemed lady of the Sheffield family, who dared to come to the crown prince’s aides’ office at will and did not receive any special punishment?

“I don’t know how you got here, but if you rolled in, you should know your place.”

Lady Sheffield spoke softly, but she spit out venomous words that scratched people’s hearts without hesitation.

And the venom provoked Iris, not Ophelia, who was the one it was directed to.

Could it be because they digested their busy schedules together for a few days? Eating away the work as though they were inhaling?

Maybe it was because Ophelia was doing everything she was supposed to do with sincerity without a big mouth?

It would never be known if it was camaraderie or not, as Cooper grabbed Iris’ shoulders just as she was about to speak up on Ophelia’s behalf.

“What, let me go. Cooper.”

Cooper, restraining her, put his index finger on her lips and winked.

“Shh, wait a minute.”

Contrary to his lips, which were lifted into a friendly smile, his brown eyes flashed sharply.

Ophelia stared blankly at Lady Sheffield as she continued speaking when she did not receive a response.

“What are you doing, not picking up the fan? Don’t tell me you’re a bad listener…”

Before she could finish her words, Ophelia smiled brightly and lifted her legs.

Upon seeing a fairly large movement that even rolled up the hem of the skirt, Lady Sheffield’s jaw dropped open and her eyes widened.

Arsenic appeared on Iris’ lips, and Cooper reached out to stop Ophelia.

But contrary to their expectation that Ophelia would kick Lady Sheffield, her legs slid straight down towards the floor.

—Kwak.

And with the sound of something breaking, Ophelia parted her lips, saying,

“A fan? I haven’t seen anything like that.”

Lady Sheffield’s eyes widened even more and she looked alternately between her completely smashed fan and Ophelia, but the latter stepped on the fan meticulously as if to make sure she really ‘killed’ it.

“Don’t tell me this garbage under my feet is a fan.”

The tails of Ophelia’s eyebrows lowered as she shook her head, then she widened her eyes exaggeratedly.

“Oh my God, if that’s the case, I’m really sorry! I was unaware that you’re using garbage as a fan.”

Nudging the smashed fan toward Lady Sheffield, Ophelia blinked innocently.

“It’s garbage, so I don’t want to touch it, but since you want it so much, I’ve pushed it. Then bye. I have to go back to work.”

Twirling away from Lady Sheffield, Ophelia paused, then turned her head and added,

“Oh, and this is the aide’s office. It’s the lady who rolled in.”

Although Lady Sheffield couldn’t take her eyes off Ophelia, she simply poured tea into her cup, treating her like no one.

Cooper looked at the two of them in turn and whispered while lowering his head toward Iris.

“Indeed, she’s not an ordinary lady…”

His words were interrupted by the effervescent murmurs of Lady Sheffield girl that flowed out of her lips.

“Oh my God, there is. Such a person.”

Iris and Cooper couldn’t help but blink when they saw Lady Sheffield maiden staring intently at Ophelia with her eyes twinkling.

.

After the day where the fan turned into trash and Lady Sheffield unexpectedly found Ophelia as someone she could risk her life for rather than Richard, the days went well without infinite regression.

And finally, the day of the hunting competition came with the documents wet with Ophelia’s blood, sweat and tears.

Ophelia was closing her eyes and taking a deep breath before setting off for the palace…

…When her mother approached her.

She had a load of questions she wanted to ask, but she missed the chance to do so because her daughter went to the Imperial Palace extremely early every morning.

Today, she had to ask how she became the crown prince’s assistant, and she had to preach what being in that place could make possible.

“Hey, Ophil… Ugh!”

Ophelia’s mother tapped her shoulder, but immediately grabbed her chest and stepped back.

It was because Ophelia suddenly opened her closed eyes.

Without looking back to her mother, who placed her hand on her chest in astonishment, Ophelia left for the Imperial Palace.

Her mother couldn’t even catch Ophelia because of the vigor that flowed from her straight back, which was akin to a general’s ferocious force when leaving for the fierce battlefield.

When the figure of Ophelia completely disappeared, her mother let out a sigh to herself.

“That child, when did she get those eyes…”

Without even realizing that her mother was there, Ophelia proceeded towards her destination like a horse with both sides of its eyes covered.

She exhaled briefly, licking her dry, cracked lips.

“Today, please, I hope the regression ends within three or five times.”

She muttered out of desperation, but it was only her wish.

Ophelia hadn’t slept since the night before, tossing and turning the whole time.

What is a hunting competition?

A game of catch, where one catches prey prepared in advance in a limited space.

However, if it only had such a meaning, there was no way that many people would prepare themselves for the hunting competition every year.

“Damn the winner!”

The winner of the hunting contest would get a chance to face the emperor or crown prince alone.

The emperor’s authority truly penetrated the sky, and even a monkey would know what blind loyalty to the prince meant in the current sea-like empire.

Of course, the rough forest, people with all kinds of strange weapons, and even wild beasts that were difficult to predict where they would go would gather together and become entangled.

In short, it was the perfect opportunity and place to secretly assassinate and bury someone.

Thus, Ophelia knew without having to experience it.

Today was the day of infinite regression.

“Uh…”

Ophelia rubbed her throbbing stomach.

Not only her stomach, but also her temples were hurting, and her eyes were so tight that she wanted to take them out and wash them.

“Stress is the root of all diseases.”

Her body was definitely tired by the time she finished work yesterday, but she went home with a light gait as if she was flying away.

She laid down to sleep, then suddenly recalled what a hunting competition was, and she jumped up from the blanket and got up.

“If it’s a hunting competition, it’s dangerous!”

Ame: Here’s hoping Iris and Lady Sheffield will become Ophelia’s friends!