Chapter 6

Antoinette’s ferocious roar and sharp fangs left the Diazi knights, waiting a few steps behind, wide-eyed in shock. None of them had ever imagined that the small, black creature was the very same being that Norma had brought home years ago.

‘My god. It wasn’t a cat’

Jack and Penny felt a familiar wave of horror, akin to the time when the McFoy Head had allowed herself to be attacked in broad daylight. Their hands instinctively reached for the hilts of their swords.

“Lady Ophelia!”

The shouts of the Diazi knights.

“Raaawwwrrr!”

Antoinette’s roar.

“Antoinette!”

And Archie’s panicked cry echoed between the two families. Behind Archie, Erika sighed and closed her eyes, unable to endure the escalating chaos.

“Antoinette, what’s wrong?”

Archie, on the verge of tears, clutched the hissing Antoinette tightly to his chest, keeping her from leaping away. The boy’s expression was crestfallen. He had only ever known his panther’s affectionate side, and seeing her act so violently was unsettling. Was it a mistake to bring her so far? Had he inadvertently stressed her out?

Ophelia froze mid-reach, her hand hovering in the air, signaling the knights to stand down. She, too, was caught off guard. From her earliest memories to now, she had only ever been met with adoration from animals. Antoinette’s reaction was entirely new.

The tenuous, fragile warmth that had been building moments before evaporated in an instant. An awkward, tense atmosphere settled over the two families.

Antoinette, still glaring at Ophelia with narrowed eyes, let out a soft whine and began licking Archie’s face as though consoling him.

Unbeknownst to anyone, Antoinette had lived through countless lives, each starting anew whenever her small, violet-eyed master perished. Each time, the lives would vary slightly, but one constant remained: whenever her small master died, her life would reset.

And every time, she had watched the other red-haired boy, so cherished by both her master and herself, collapse in grief alongside her master.

Whenever her small master died, a golden-haired woman with blue eyes would appear before the boy and her master. They would always cry before her.

When Antoinette awoke to see Ophelia standing there, her first thought was that Aisa had died again. Had it not ended? The peaceful life she had finally begun to enjoy now felt fragile.

But as she continued to console Archie, Antoinette gradually realized that he wasn’t crying. The scene before her was nothing like the days of tragedy she had endured. Her panic subsided.

Ophelia, observing this, recalled the events from before she turned back time. Though some wrongs remained irreversible, there were also things that had changed for the better. Archie’s reaction was one of them.

‘Last time, you screamed at me and cried until you couldn’t breathe.’

Ophelia’s expression shifted as she made up her mind.

“Lord McFoy. You must know who I am.”

Archie didn’t answer, but Ophelia continued regardless.

“I don’t dare ask for forgiveness. There’s nothing I could ever do to repay what I owe you. But I will continue to atone for the rest of my life.”

She declared herself a sinner, bowing deeply. Her gesture startled Nicholas and the knights standing beside her.

Archie frowned. He disliked everything about the situation.

“…I am not so rude as to demand a bow from the person who saved my life,” he said, his tone cold. That was the first thing he disliked.

“And after thinking about it hundreds, no, thousands of times… I don’t believe this is entirely your fault.”

His hesitant voice, coupled with the unclear phrasing, barely reached Ophelia. It was clear he hadn’t sorted out his thoughts completely.

His violet eyes glanced at her cautiously, as if asking ‘Is this enough for now?’ It reminded Ophelia of the way Aisa used to act when caught in a difficult spot. Her lips curled into a faint smile.

‘You’ve thought of me hundreds, no, thousands of times.’

Before turning back time, when this kind child had finally lost all his family, it had been easy for her to slip into his life. The terrified, grief-stricken boy had clung to anyone. But now, Archie was different.

‘Even so, you’re willing to open your heart to me. If that’s the case…’

‘I must be more honest than ever to help you make the right judgment.’

Ophelia leaned closer and whispered into his ear.

“In my opinion, I do bear responsibility, young master. Because I knew.”

“…What?”

“I knew I was creating a space for it in McFoy. And it wasn’t something that happened all of a sudden. Watching over it, I knew something was wrong.”

Her voice was calm as she continued.

“I ignored it, thinking it would be fine. But it grew worse. Perhaps I underestimated it, thinking I could handle anything with my strength.”

“…But…”

“So no, I am not without fault. Ten years of my life were spent in that mistake.”

Archie tried to respond but hesitated, his lips trembling before he clamped them shut.

“I’m sorry, young master.”

Whenever Aisa had wanted to drive it out, Ophelia had loudly insisted that she had everything under control. She had feared and ignored the ominous light in its amber eyes, and the result had been catastrophic.

Rising slowly, Ophelia met Archie’s bewildered gaze. His violet eyes reflected his turmoil.

“…But I…”

Her deep blue eyes seemed to ask, ‘Can you still say that to me, knowing this?’

After a long pause, Archie muttered under his breath, “…I’ll think about it and let you know.”

Distracted by Antoinette’s chaos and Ophelia’s self-condemnation, Archie completely forgot about the note his aunt had entrusted him to deliver.

* * *

“Do you want me to hate you, or do you want me to like you?”

Archie scowled as he found yet another serving of sweet goat milk proudly displayed on his breakfast table. Erika shrugged, as if to say, ‘How should I know?’

The McFoy heir had a peculiar fondness for chilled goat milk with a spoonful of honey in the morning. At first, Archie assumed Erika had prepared it for him and thanked her accordingly.

“You’re remarkably attentive. Truly competent.”

“What are you talking about, young master?”

Erika quickly denied responsibility, explaining that the Diazi household had arranged it. Blinking in surprise, Archie remarked on their thoughtfulness in accommodating a guest’s preferences so thoroughly.

But Diazi’s meticulousness extended beyond food. Dozens of books, perfectly aligned with his taste, had been sent to ensure he wouldn’t be bored. Even his bath times and water temperature were adjusted to his liking without needing to ask, to the point it was becoming eerie.

 

“Young master, these are all courtesy of our future Lady. If anything doesn’t suit you, please don’t hesitate to let us know,” the maids said, as if proud of Ophelia’s attentiveness.

It wasn’t difficult for Archie to figure out who was behind all this.

‘How does she know me so well? Did she hire an informant to spy on me?’

The future Lady of Diazi knew him unsettlingly well. One moment, she acted as though she were determined to earn his hatred with her bluntness; the next, she treated him as though he were royalty.

“Foolish…”

Archie muttered under his breath, staring intently at the milk.

‘I said I’d think it over, but we haven’t met again since. What do I do about the letter? I need to deliver it before the wedding.’

After their rather chaotic first meeting, Archie hadn’t seen Ophelia again. With only two days left until the wedding and the letter from Aisa still undelivered, the young heir was beginning to feel anxious.

Determined, he tipped the glass back and drank the milk in one go. ‘Two days. I’ll deliver it within two days.’ His violet eyes gleamed with resolve.

 

At nearly the same time, Ophelia was holed up in her room. Nicholas had insisted on taking over the duties of welcoming guests, allowing her to rest. Normally, Ophelia wouldn’t have stayed idle, but this time, she remained unusually quiet—eerily so.

Because of this, Penny had been standing at attention for hours, staring straight ahead, bored out of her mind. Finally, after five long days of patience, she broke the silence.

“Aren’t you getting up?” she asked with a sigh.

There was no response.

“Honestly, why did you say that? You should’ve just thanked him and hugged him.”

Unlike Jack, Penny freely blurred the lines between knight and friend.

At her cool remark, the lump under the blankets stirred slightly. Penny raised an eyebrow at the faint reaction.

Finally, Ophelia emerged, her face peeking out from under the blankets. Her eyes were swollen, as though she’d been crying.

‘Great. If Lord Nicholas sees this, it’s going to be chaos,’ Penny thought, shaking her head.

Ophelia had been like this ever since welcoming Archie. The composed, dignified woman who’d said she would accept whatever conclusion he reached was nowhere to be found.

Perhaps it was because, deep down, she no longer wanted to be hated by the McFoys.

“But Penny! His earnest violet eyes were looking at me, and after so much thought with that small head of his, he reached out to me! How could I take advantage of such a pure, kind heart?” Ophelia cried, her voice cracking slightly.

“Of course, I’m a knight, too, but I’ve never understood that bizarre sense of justice of yours. You bring trouble upon yourself! You’d rather die than not be honest. Isn’t that right, Jack?”

Penny glanced at Jack, as if asking him to confirm her point.

Jack, however, stood stiffly at attention, his eyes fixed straight ahead like a statue. Ever the model of professionalism, he opened his mouth just enough to mutter in a low voice.

“…Sir Solace, maintain decorum during guard duty.”

Penny ignored him and turned back to Ophelia.

“Why don’t you just go see the young master yourself? How long are you planning to wait for him?”

“He’s still thinking it over. I promised to wait until he decides,” Ophelia replied firmly.

“You’re so ridiculously honest and fair. Do as you please. But isn’t it a bit much to lock yourself in your room for days? You’re getting married in two days, remember? You don’t have time to be distracted by the young master!”

Penny’s exasperation mixed knightly duty and friendly concern.

Two days left until the wedding. Penny was as frustrated waiting for Archie’s response as Ophelia was, much like during the long history of misunderstandings between her master and Ophelia.