I Decided to Kidnap the Male Lead

Since Richard and Ophelia were two people who could ‘speak with their eyes’, the latter approached Iris at once.

This was an opportunity.

A chance to unravel her relationship with Iris.

Wasn’t it said that the back of the head of the goddess of opportunity was shiny it’s bald?

Meaning that one must seize the opportunity when it comes, even in their sleep.

It couldn’t be more awkward, and it didn’t seem to be a particularly appropriate situation, but Ophelia didn’t want to procrastinate with this issue.

As it’s already been way too long.

“Iris.”

Ophelia spoke to Iris.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t get permission.”

“No. I was too emotional from the beginning.”

When Iris responded calmly, Ophelia didn’t start a contest to see who apologized more or waved exaggeratedly that it wasn’t her fault, as people do with awkward relationships.

This topic ended just like that, and another topic was brought up.

“And I’m sorry for stepping up when you didn’t ask for help at that time. I shouldn’t have meddled.”

Ophelia didn’t specify when, but the only time she helped Iris was when she relentlessly scolded Hermia.

“I think a dog is barking somewhere, but that’s a shameless and naughty dog pretending to be the victim.”

“Diamonds are also damaged when scratched with the same diamond. Being ‘strong’ and ‘not hurting’ are not the same thing. I can’t believe I have to tell you this.”

‘That’s obviously intrusive of me.’

Since she, knowing nothing about the relationship between Iris and Hermia, came forward and started arguing.

But…

Iris calmly responded to Ophelia, who apologized with only sincerity, without any crumbs of pretension.

“Yes. That was nosy.”

Ophelia opened her mouth to apologize once more, but Iris stopped her.

“Thanks.”

The expressionless face, which had been shrouded in coldness, slowly crumbled.

The words that had to be said back then, the gratitude and sincerity. Neither of them expect it to come out like this until now.

In the wrong place, at a completely wrong time.

However, the stream of water that leaked from the once broken dam did not stop and continued to flow.

“For… For some reason, what you said… it sounded like you were talking to me, not Hermia.”

Iris shut her mouth for a moment, as if swallowing tears. Then she parted her lips again.

“Being strong… doesn’t mean you won’t get hurt. That’s what I thought, that if you get hurt, you lose. After all, losing is weak, so you shouldn’t get hurt.”

The story that started like that didn’t last very long. However, it wasn’t short enough to pass through with one breath.

Ophelia quietly listened to Iris’ innermost thoughts, word for word, even forgetting that Richard was around.

“…So now, um… That’s right. I think it’s cooled down thanks to you.”

Although she did not cry, Iris, with reddened eyes, turned to Ophelia and asked to shake hands.

“Thank you and I’m sorry. I look forward to your continued support.”

Ophelia let out a deep sigh as she looked down at Iris’ outstretched hand.

At that, Iris felt her chest drop and hurriedly took her hand away.

That… That’s right.

Until now, she had unilaterally hated Ophelia and got angry without saying the reason.

Then, suddenly, she was moved and she confessed her feelings, and said that they should reconcile.

In a nutshell, wasn’t it like blowing the flute, playing the guitar, and dancing all by herself instead of with the other person?

“I… I’m sorry, I’m being shameless. I’m not in a position to say something like this in the first place…”

“Not a handshake!”

Ophelia spread her arms and hugged Iris, whose mouth was as wide open as her eyes at the unexpected movement.

Having hardened like a block of ice the moment she was hugged, Iris hesitated a little longer before finally embracing Ophelia clumsily.

It was a really ridiculously awkward hug, which left her confused even as to where to put her hands and feet.

And she couldn’t tell if it was her stomach or chest that was so unbearably itchy, like she had swallowed a dandelion spore.

But for some reason, Iris did not release the strength from her arms that held Ophelia.

The dandelion spores, which had tickled her insides, increased one by one and filled her until her heart swelled greatly.

It’s…

Somehow, it’s warm enough to bring her to tears.

Iris, who had gone through a tragic and painful loss of her old friend, perhaps a friend of mine, buried her forehead into the shoulders of Ophelia, who was smaller than her, and sobbed.

He did not cry as he let go of her neck, nor did he scream as he ripped her neck off.

There were no tears for her, but it was enough for her to shed a few drops.

Ophelia gave Iris a small pat on the back.

She didn’t even say that it was okay, or console her that she would be okay.

She just shared her warmth and hugged her.

After patting Iris for a while, Ophelia’s blue eyes met sunken golden eyes.

Richard smiled and conveyed it only through the shape of his mouth.

—Leave now.

At that, Ophelia’s eyes curved like a butterfly folding its wings, and also conveyed it through mouthing.

—What did you say?

As Richard’s eyebrows twitched at the response, Ophelia quickly said,

“Your Highness, I’ll leave now!”

Ophelia took a step back and without forgetting, she grabbed Iris’s wrist tightly.

“I-I’ll excuse myself.”

With her wrist caught by Ophelia, Iris made a sloppy bow to Richard as she was being dragged away.

Richard could feel the presence of the two people walking away beyond the open door.

Staring blankly at Ophelia’s vacant spot, from which she had disappeared like the wind as she did when she came, Richard soon smiled.

“You said you don’t have to be friends.”

He buried his back deep in the chair and closed his eyes.

Before long, Ophelia would come running and chattering.

—What do you think? Iris and I…

He was able to clearly draw the scene of Ophelia excitedly telling unsolicited stories, even without seeing it.

Richard let out a long breath as he pictured Ophelia, slowly letting go of the terrible fatigue after the horrible infinite regressions.

.

While Iris, despite having an awkward and stiff face, didn’t push Ophelia away and hugged her…

Raisa was examining the festival liquor license.

Putting down the paperwork, she looked across the sky where the scarlet sunset had almost disappeared and said,

“It’s before sunset.”

“Yes. Yes, my lady.”

The messenger answered somehow, gasping for breath like a dog.

“Get out.”

There wasn’t even a word of ‘you’ve done well’ or ‘you’ve had a hard time’, let alone praise for doing well, but the messenger involuntarily swept his neck and bowed deeply.

“Thank you.”

Raisa, who had mentally erased his existence before he could even leave, picked up the papers and went through them again.

After examining the paperwork not once or twice, but several times, enough to wear out, Raisa parted her dry, chapped lips.

“All of you, get out.”

Even after letting everyone out of the vicinity, Raisa was still not relieved, holding her breath for a while, wary of all directions.

Her extremely sharp nerves were tingling, but there was something more tormenting than that.

The face of Raisa as she crumpled up the documents that read ‘Liquor License’, was even more contorted than that.

Because things didn’t go the way she thought.

The question that flowed through her gritted teeth had occupied her mind throughout this regression.

“Why didn’t everything go the way I thought in this regression?”

Now that the regression was over, what remained in her hands was by no means a perfect success.

It wasn’t about her acquiring the colossal right to license the liquor at the festival without anyone, let alone her mother, knowing.

The license was for a period of three years, and the count and the messenger who knew this were alive.

However, it was a satisfactory result in its own way because Raisa did not want perfection from the beginning.

Before experiencing infinite regression, she pursued perfection as her mother said, only to fail.

And after all the regressions, she tried to be perfect, but had to accept the reality that nothing was perfect.

Still, she felt no sense of accomplishment or satisfaction with this one, like the results of her recent previous regressions.

Because the process was strange.

No, it would be more accurate to say it didn’t go as expected rather than strange.

No process was required. If the process was important, she wouldn’t even go back.

But it’s a very important issue that the process didn’t go the way she thought it would.

Regression builds experience.

With that experience, Raisa could predict how someone would react when and where she did something, and what ultimately resulted when it came together.

Wasn’t that the key of regression?

The ability to look back on the causes and results of the past and change it. In other words, being able to change the future as one wishes.

Again, the results were pretty much the same.

But in the process, Raisa fell into confusion.

At first, it was a very minor twist.

So she passed it off very lightly.

However, as the regressions continued, the twists did not disappear. Instead, it increased more and more.

Of course, things that should have occurred a certain way suddenly bounced off in a completely different direction, as well as new things that she hadn’t even thought of.

Raisa went back. She did it again and again.

And when it was no longer possible to regress, the results obtained were tolerable.

So she couldn’t say it’s okay.

What’s an unpredictable tomorrow for Raisa, who had gained the power of regression to change the future at will?

Ame: Iris, Ophelia, and Richard are being so cute o_o Raisa might figure that Richard and Ophelia are able to regress before they find out about her