Switch Mode

IDED | Chapter 103

Episode 103

As Lydia stepped into the dressing room, Ophelia let out a deep sigh. She was currently suffering from severe lethargy.

Nothing brought her joy anymore. Though she was skilled at many things, she wasn’t even sure if those were pursuits she truly desired.

Upon reflection, all her hobbies were those the duke had suggested, activities deemed appropriate for an empress.

‘I’m not even sure if I truly wanted to become the empress anymore.’

She once thought she loved the emperor. No, it was more accurate to say she loved the position by his side.

But that place no longer belonged to Ophelia, and the duke, realizing this, stopped forcing her.

The moment the insignificant Vincent family was absorbed, it was as if the duke had already given up on her.

Inside the dressing room, Lydia’s cheerful chatter broke the silence.

“What do you think looks better? If you could choose, my lady, that would be wonderful. After all, we’re friends.”

As Lydia mentioned the word “friend,” Ophelia forced a smile and casually chose something.

“The first one was the best.”

It was ridiculous for Lydia to consider herself a friend when she came here as a maid in the first place, but Ophelia didn’t bother to correct her.

“Really? I thought that one was the prettiest too!”

At that moment, a familiar tail outside the window caught Ophelia’s attention.

‘A cat?’

As soon as she saw the cat’s tail, Ophelia jumped up. Her lifeless eyes sparkled with excitement in an instant.

She quickly opened the window, and a gray cat leapt into the room.

“Meow.”

“It is you.”

Ophelia exclaimed with delight and opened her arms wide toward the cat.

“Come here.”

“Meow.”

Like an obedient cat, it leapt into her arms.

It purred softly, rubbing its face against Ophelia’s hand, exuding undeniable charm. A smile naturally spread across Ophelia’s lips.

“You’ve been out of sight lately.”

This adorable cat was a stray she’d encountered a few days ago. It was shortly after the duke informed her that Lydia would be made her maid. She had been so furious that she wandered aimlessly outside the castle.

Her legs eventually gave out, and as she sat down in exhaustion, this cat approached her, offering comfort.

Under normal circumstances, she would’ve ignored it, but this particular cat caught her eye because of the bell tied around its neck.

‘Were you abandoned too? Just like me.’

“Meow.”

The cat, which came to her on the day her world crumbled, had been a great source of comfort to Ophelia. She had initially thought of adopting it but was disappointed when it suddenly disappeared.

She assumed it had returned to its owner, yet here it was, back inside the castle.

Perhaps it was destiny, Ophelia thought. Hugging the cat close, she sat down on a chair and asked,

“Couldn’t find your owner?”

“Meow.”

“Your owner won’t come. If they intended to find you, they would’ve done so by now.”

At Ophelia’s indifferent words, the cat let out a soft meow as if to protest. Ophelia gave a faint, bitter smile.

As she stroked the cat’s head, she whispered gently,

“Why don’t you just stay here instead?”

“Meow.”

The cat meowed in response and purred affectionately. Thankfully, it didn’t seem like it would run away again.

While Ophelia was engrossed in petting the cat, Lydia emerged from the dressing room, wearing a new dress.

“Doesn’t this make my chest look a bit small—Ahh!”

Lydia shrieked in shock at the sight of the cat, almost stumbling backward. Fortunately, the nearby designers caught her, preventing any damage to the dress.

“Lydia, why are you screaming?”

You’re scaring my baby.

Ophelia frowned as she hugged the cat protectively.

“Oh, n-no, I was just startled. But why is there a cat here?”

Lydia, finally calming down, pointed at the cat. In response, the cat raised its tail and hissed sharply.

It looked ready to pounce on Lydia at any moment, claws poised to scratch. Alarmed, Lydia retreated a step and asked,

“W-Why is the cat acting like that?”

“Because it can sense when someone dislikes it.”

“I don’t dislike it! Not at all!”

Despite her words, Lydia’s stiff expression betrayed her true feelings as she continued to glare at the cat. In reality, Lydia couldn’t stand animals, and even being in the same room as one was enough to irritate her.

“Hush. It’s okay.”

Ophelia prioritized the cat over Lydia, no matter how much Lydia might dislike it. Her worried face, concerned the cat might have been startled to the point of heartache, was entirely different from how she looked at Lydia.

As she stroked the cat’s back to calm it down, the hissing gradually subsided.

‘Yes, there must be a reason you came to find me.’

Though she didn’t believe in fate, something about this cat made her feel otherwise. Meeting the cat during her most difficult and exhausting moments made it easy for her to open her heart.

Having decided to raise the cat, Ophelia parted her lips.

“Dorothy.”

Meow?

“Let’s make your name Dorothy from now on.”

Smiling gently, Ophelia removed the bell hanging from Dorothy’s neck. Then, naturally, she took a luxurious ribbon from her jewelry box and tied it around Dorothy’s neck.

She kept the removed bell separately in a drawer, just in case. The owner might come looking for it someday.

“Until we find your owner, I’ll be your owner.”

Meow~

The cat, now named Dorothy, let out a joyful cry and licked Ophelia. Her lips curled into a warm smile in an instant.

And there was someone observing this scene with cold, unfeeling eyes.

‘What’s so great about that cat? If it’s a stray, it’s probably dirty.’

Lydia felt disgusted watching Ophelia embrace Dorothy so readily. Hugging it like that, without any concern for germs, seemed reckless.

She had always thought Ophelia was a graceful and elegant lady, but now it seemed she was clumsy. Her unrefined behavior made her seem less noble than even Lydia herself.

‘That’s why the Duke adores me like a daughter.’

It was already well-known in social circles that the Duke treated Lydia as if she were his adopted daughter. Naturally, Lydia couldn’t help but feel proud.

‘Normally, I should be marrying someone even greater than Marquis Yung.’

Lydia was regretful that she couldn’t break off her engagement, but since the Duke had a good relationship with the marquis, it seemed like a favorable marriage in the long term.

‘Speaking of which, where on earth is that brother of mine, and what’s he doing?’

Lydia clicked her tongue, thinking of Tyler, who had been wandering around a lot lately.

It seemed he was sulking because his younger sister was doing so well, but she figured he’d show up like a leech at the wedding anyway, so it wasn’t a big concern.

Putting aside her worries about her brother, Lydia hummed a cheerful tune.

‘Heh, I wonder what kind of face Serena will make.’

Her mother had already sent out the wedding invitations, and Serena had promptly accepted, which made Lydia think Serena must be feeling nervous.

Honestly, Lydia hadn’t wanted to invite her, but the Duke insisted, so she had no choice.

‘If she dares look down on me again this time, I’ll make her regret it. The Duke is on my side, after all.’

Clenching her fists tightly, Lydia burned with determination.

***

Azaid leaned back against his chair, exhausted by the pile of documents.

Since Sebastian’s death, it had been officially announced that he was dismissed, wrapping up the situation neatly. However, the power struggle with Duke Greenwood had only intensified.

It was as if Duke Greenwood knew about Sebastian’s death, stopping all his actions and creating a standoff. Additionally, with every lab Nocturne mentioned being shut down, Azaid was growing increasingly frustrated.

“Have we heard from Lily?”

“She said it will take some time to move to the mainland.”

“What about the portal?”

“It was damaged during the last monster wave, and repairs aren’t finished yet.”

“It seems even the heavens are siding with the Duke.”

Azaid let out a frustrated sigh. Although he was gathering information using Jack’s guild in Lily’s absence, progress was slow.

He had reassured Serena that Nocturne would be fine, but Azaid couldn’t shake his unease.

“What’s the situation at the Duke’s castle?”

“There’s no significant movement. The only peculiar thing is that James Greenwood hasn’t been seen lately.”

“James? The one who recently became the young duke?”

“Yes. His whereabouts have been unclear since the explosion incident.”

“He might be up to something suspicious. Conduct a search in advance.”

At Azaid’s command, Leonard nodded lightly.

“Also, the Temple of Pherianus has inquired about when you plan to visit.”

“Ah.”

Azaid let out a soft exclamation, realizing he had forgotten about it. He had promised to visit but had been too busy lately to make time for it.

Calculating the dates, Azaid replied, “It’s difficult for now. Tell them I’ll visit after the Founding Festival.”

“I’ll relay the message.”

Just then, a knock sounded, and Serena entered the study. Azaid’s face lit up, erasing any sign of fatigue.

“Rena.”

He naturally extended his hand, and Serena took it.

“I’ll be going now.”

“You’re still here?”

“…I’m leaving now.”

Leonard sighed softly at Azaid’s response and quietly withdrew. Once they were alone, Azaid pulled Serena into his arms.

• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •By Esraa• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •

If you want to support the translation and the translator, you can buy a coffee~

Blue Ko-fi Button

Comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Options

not work with dark mode
Reset