IDED | Chapter 130

Episode 130

“…Pardon?”

Leonard doubted his ears, wondering if he had misheard. Otherwise, there was no way Ophelia would openly express interest in him.

Ophelia had always been the type to put on an act. Like any noble lady, she pretended to be shy, smiling sweetly in front of others while wielding a dagger behind their backs.

Leonard hesitated, his lips parting slightly before he cautiously asked again.

“W-What did you just say?”

“I said Sir Leo is my type.”

“…Pardon?”

“Oh. Do you dislike women who take the initiative? In that case, forget I said anything. You can be the one to ask me out first.”

“…Pardon?”

“You do know how to say something other than ‘pardon,’ don’t you?”

Ophelia narrowed her eyes and stared at Leonard intently. His ears were now burning red, practically steaming with heat.

On top of that, her unwavering gaze made it impossible for him to figure out where to look. Just then, Ophelia asked in a slightly subdued voice.

“Do you dislike it?”

“No.”

Leonard answered instinctively, then clenched his teeth. He hadn’t meant to speak so quickly, but he couldn’t bear to see Ophelia look disappointed.

“Phew, that’s a relief.”

Ophelia let out a small sigh of relief and smiled bashfully.

“This is actually the first time I’ve spoken so openly about my feelings. I was afraid of being rejected.”

“For someone saying that, you were quite natural.”

“Was I? Hehe.”

Leonard bit his tongue. The ruthless Ophelia kept appearing more and more innocent in his eyes, and he nearly blurted out an invitation for a date.

To think that Lady Greenwood seemed… cute.

Leonard scolded himself internally.

‘Wake up. Once she finds out who I really am, she won’t treat me this freely anymore.’

This meeting had been arranged with the intent of revealing his true identity. Even if Ophelia distanced herself upon learning the truth, Leonard had no right to complain.

The Carter family, aligned with the Imperial faction, and the Greenwood family, part of the Nobility faction, fundamentally stood on opposite sides.

On top of that, he was the Emperor’s closest aide. It was inevitable that Ophelia would find him uncomfortable.

“Then… may I ask you something honestly as well?”

“Go ahead.”

Leonard, suppressing the sudden softness in his heart, deliberately responded in a firm tone. Ophelia, smiling faintly, then asked,

“What is your real identity?”

“…!!!”

“The status you told me before—it’s fake, isn’t it? You couldn’t have possibly thought I wouldn’t look into it.”

As Ophelia drove the final nail in, Leonard stared at her, his expression hardening.

Gone was the shy, flustered woman from moments ago. Instead, her gaze was sharp and calculating. As expected, no matter how innocent she seemed, she was still a Greenwood.

Feeling guilty for letting his guard down, Leonard stiffened and muttered,

“…So, you’ve investigated me.”

“You practically asked me to.”

Back when Leonard had claimed to be Dorothy’s master, he had mentioned a noble family that Ophelia had never heard of.

A suspicious noble claiming ownership over Dorothy—there was no way Ophelia wouldn’t have investigated.

And when she discovered that the family didn’t exist, she began to suspect that Leonard had approached her on purpose.

The decisive moment came when she received his note—then, she was nearly certain of it.

And yet, she still came to meet him.

—‘You said earlier that if we live as we want, we won’t be unhappy, right? That’s true. At the very least, we won’t be unhappy because of someone else.’

She recalled something Serina had once told her.

Ophelia wanted to learn more about Leonard. Normally, she would have cut ties immediately, but this curiosity stopped her from doing so.

‘Acting first and regretting later doesn’t suit me… but this isn’t so bad.’

With that thought, Ophelia waited for Leonard’s reaction. He looked at her, his gaze full of confusion.

She knew his identity was fake, yet she still came.

For some reason, Leonard felt a flicker of anger at her recklessness. She of all people should know how dangerous high society could be—it was a battlefield where the unwary would be devoured whole.

Yet she had walked into this situation so thoughtlessly. Before he realized it, his voice dropped to a low, heavy tone.

“You knew everything… and still came to meet me?”

“Yes.”

Leonard’s sharp gaze bore into Ophelia as he pressed further.

“What if I were a dangerous man? Do you always throw caution to the wind like this?”

His voice grew louder without him intending to. Ophelia blinked, then smiled.

“Are you angry?”

“Of course I—!”

“Why? Why are you angry?”

“….”

“Could it be… you’re worried about me? If so, I might be a little happy.”

At Ophelia’s teasing voice, Leonard clamped his mouth shut.

Truthfully, he had no reason to be angry. She wasn’t his sister, nor his lover, and they weren’t even particularly close.

As he hesitated, Ophelia continued.

“Don’t overthink it. I was just curious about you.”

“….”

“And seeing you get this worked up makes me glad I came.”

“Are you always this impulsive?”

At Leonard’s reproachful tone, Ophelia shrugged.

“Who knows? Apparently, this is the trend these days.”

It was a reference to the growing trend among young noble ladies to act more freely, much like Serena Vincent.

But of course, the old-fashioned Leonard had no idea about such things.

“Pardon?”

Once again, Leonard could only respond with “Pardon?” like a fool. Ophelia smirked and murmured to herself.

“Now that I’ve tried it, it’s not so bad. No wonder it’s spreading like a trend.”

“Pardon?”

“Ah, so you really don’t know how to say anything but ‘Pardon.’ Enough talking—let’s go. I’m not a woman with time to waste.”

Extending her hand, Ophelia signaled for an escort. Leonard, looking thoroughly caught off guard, had no choice but to take her hand.

After leading her out of the ballroom and into the carriage, he handed her a blindfold. It was a precaution in case negotiations failed—he couldn’t risk exposing the location of their hideout.

“Quite thorough, aren’t you?”

Ophelia chuckled, accepting the blindfold. Moments later, the carriage began moving, and as expected, no one was tailing her.

Realizing just how reckless she had been, Leonard ran a hand over his mouth, his thoughts growing increasingly tangled. His throat suddenly felt dry.

After receiving Leonard’s message, Serena and Lily quietly left the party.

Attending a high-society gathering for the first time had been far more exhausting than she had anticipated. She couldn’t even imagine how she would have managed without Lily.

“This really isn’t easy.”

“That’s why I don’t visit the capital often.”

Lily, watching the weary Serena, chuckled as if reminiscing about her own experiences.

Soon, they arrived at the Gordon Trading Company. But the moment they stepped inside, any trace of amusement vanished from their faces, replaced with tension.

By now, Azaid and Ophelia should have made contact and begun negotiations.

Ideally, Ophelia would cooperate without issue. If she did, it would make both rescuing Nocturne and finding the original kill list much easier.

Just as Serena reached for the doorknob, the door suddenly burst open before she could touch it.

Ophelia stepped out hastily—then froze upon spotting Serina.

Her eyes were red. She had been crying.

“Lady Serena Vincent?”

“Uh… Hello, Lady Greenwood.”

Serena awkwardly smiled as she watched Leonard hurriedly follow Ophelia.

The sight of Ophelia running out in tears while Leonard tried to stop her was quite an odd combination.

At that moment, Azaid’s cold voice struck her ears.

“If you leave now, you won’t get a second chance.”

“…….”

“So stop acting like a child and come sit down. That’s an imperial order.”

Serena internally flinched at Azaid’s frigid command.

‘Wait! How can you speak so coldly to someone you’re trying to win over?!’

Ophelia bit down on her lower lip so hard it turned white at Azaid’s words. Tears clung to her lashes, ready to fall with the slightest touch.

‘She must be really shocked.’

Well, it was only natural—she had just learned of her father’s corruption. Just as Serena was about to step forward to comfort her, Leonard grabbed Ophelia’s arm. Or rather, it was almost as if he was embracing her.

“Your Majesty, please give Lady Greenwood a moment to compose herself. She has just heard an overwhelming truth all at once and is undoubtedly shaken.”

“That’s true.”

“I will escort her. My lady.”

“……You truly manage to surprise me in many ways.”

Though Ophelia glared at Leonard, she did not push his hand away and silently followed him.

Serena and Lily exchanged glances as they watched their expressions head-on.

This was the first time they had ever seen Leonard look at a woman with such warmth and concern.

Even for Serena, who hadn’t known Leonard for long, this was an unfamiliar sight.

“Did you see that, Count?”

“Yes. Quite clearly.”

“My goodness.”

“There truly is a first time for everything.”

As Serena and Lily murmured back and forth in astonishment, Jack approached and asked,

“What? What did you see?”

Good question. What exactly had she just witnessed?

Serena rolled her eyes as she sensed the unmistakable pink aura between the two.

‘This might go better than I expected.’