Don’t Trample on Innocent Love

“You need to answer me first.”

Ophelia’s lips trembled. Words failed her again, closing her mouth. What should she say? Her thoughts were consumed by Robern, leaving her unable to think clearly. His breath brushed against her neck. Huh? His soft voice urged her for a response. The teasing touch of his fingers on her hand. It was only natural that her mind blanked out in that moment.

Robern, waiting for her reply, took a deep breath. As he breathed in her scent, he sighed, letting out a sound of longing. Slowly, he withdrew his hands from her, finally granting her freedom.

Ophelia let out the breath she had been holding.

“Wait, just a moment…”

Perhaps bored by the prolonged silence or interpreting it as a dismissal, Robern turned his back. As he walked away without a second thought, Ophelia hurriedly reached for him. Stopping in his tracks, Robern turned around. He glanced from her hand gripping his sleeve to her flustered face and asked, “Why?”

Why?

Why?

“Because if you go out now…”

“If I go out now, what?”

At his cold question, her throat felt dry. Back and forth, Robern’s demeanor left Ophelia feeling dizzy.

“Your fiancé might misunderstand.”

“I don’t care.”

A curt reply. His lack of hesitation revealed that he was a man indifferent to the feelings of others. This reminded her that just until recently, his indifference had been directed at Ophelia.

“You’ve said a marriage proposal is in the works. Is it truly okay for her to misunderstand?”

Why did she feel the urge to contradict him?

“If you’re not careful, the proposal might fall apart. Would that still be fine with you?”

Perhaps it was his arrogant nature that twisted her mood. Ophelia felt as if the woman out there was a version of herself from not so long ago as if she were looking at her former self. The Ophelia who waited for him, who looked upon him, enduring any pain he caused her… a fool.

[Ophelia Denev? That fool still likes Lord Valent?]

The words she had overheard at a past banquet clung to her heart, refusing to let go.

“I told you. I only met her because of you.”

“……”

“Want me to end it? I can do that right now if you want.”

It was all so confusing.

To him, Ophelia must be utterly meaningless. Yet, his current obsession with her left her heart in disarray and her mind– a mess.

A person in love is like a blind man. Had there been no news of her engagement, perhaps his attitude wouldn’t have changed. To him, she was likely someone he didn’t want but also couldn’t bear to give away. No. Perhaps she was nothing more than a toy he felt compelled to possess. Even knowing this, she was tempted to be deceived by those sweet words. If only he had come a little sooner, she might have willingly closed her eyes and let him fool her all he want.

“Do whatever you want, end it or not.”

Ophelia struggled to regain her composure. She wasn’t foolish enough to stake her lineage on a man who didn’t mean it.

“Whether you marry her or not is none of my concern. But leaving now isn’t a good idea, so stay.”

“Are you worried I’ll get slapped by a woman?”

Robern closed the distance between him and Ophelia. His approach was direct, his steps heavy with intent. As she instinctively stepped back to avoid contact, her back hit the wall. Cornered. Robern deliberately trapped her, lifting her chin gently with his fingertips.

“Or is it that you can’t stand seeing me with another woman?”

Ophelia lightly brushed his hand away.

“No. I’m more concerned about Hugo being troubled.”

“……What?”

Robern frowned at the sudden shift in the atmosphere.

“If she sees us together in this tiny dressing room, rumors will definitely spread. It’s only a matter of time before it reaches Hugo’s ears. Of course, we’re just having a harmless conversation, but you know how rumors can grow. Hugo might say it’s fine, but I don’t want to play with a good person’s feelings like that.”

Unlike anyone else.

Ophelia swallowed her last words and clenched her fists invisibly, relieved her voice hadn’t trembled.

“Hah.”

A scoff of disbelief.

“Since when did Ophelia Denev care what others say?”

His gaze felt like that of a stranger.

“There’s no way I wouldn’t care.”

Ever since she fell for Robern, the way others viewed her had changed. A fool who desperately clung to a man who didn’t even glance her way, a crazy woman who would hang herself to death for a man… deaf to their words, she wasn’t truly oblivious.

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