Don’t Trample on Innocent Love

Eric wasn’t exactly thrilled about the fact that Ophelia was the only one he had a crush on Lord Valent. Still, he was satisfied with Ophelia’s chosen partner. Would mere satisfaction be enough? If he would take his daughter as a wife, Eric would willingly kneel before him.

It’s like killing two birds with one stone if he could have the Valent Duchy backing and a marriage for Ophelia. Revealing the internal situation of the Denev family to the Duke would be embarrassing, but for Ophelia’s happiness, Eric was willing to endure that humiliation. No, to be more honest, Eric did not want to subject Ophelia to the dishonor of marrying a mere wealthy man.

“Father, Lord Valent hates me. If he finds out about this, it will only make him despise me even more.”

Despise.

That day, Ophelia was tormented by a nightmare. It was a dream where she followed Eric’s advice, confessed her situation to Lord Robern, and begged him to marry her. She pleaded for him to pay off her debts and love her. In response to Ophelia’s desperate plea, he summoned a knight and dragged her away.

He furrowed his brow and tossed a check above her head as if mocking her.

“Now that you’re penniless, you’re even more pitiful. Ophelia, if you want me that badly, why don’t you lick my shoes? Or crawl on all fours in front of me.”

Ophelia’s body was drenched in sweat when she woke from the dream. The mixture of mockery and disdain in Lord Robern’s gaze felt so vivid that she momentarily thought it was real.

This isn’t right…

However, exposing her vulnerabilities to someone who mocked her feelings was akin to an act of self-destruction. During the regular tea-time gatherings, she became even more aware of reality.

“Have you all seen the necklace from this season? The colors are so dazzling I thought I’d be enchanted. I wish I could attend the auction, but I can’t even estimate the price. Oh well, I’ll have to pass. Lady Denev will probably get it again, right?”

“Of course. Lady Denev has already taken all the jewelry so far; it wouldn’t be surprising if she takes this one, too. We’ll have to ask you to show it to us later.”

Among the laughing young ladies, Ophelia forced a bitter smile. A life that everyone envied and admired. That was Ophelia’s life.

Ophelia had two options: Would she let herself be stamped as a worthless woman in the eyes of those who envied her, or would she maintain her dignity as she was now?

Ophelia made her decision between those two choices.

“I will get married.”

Without a doubt, she chose the latter.

* * *

After entering the coffee shop filled with the aroma of freshly brewed coffee, Ophelia had been waiting for 30 minutes, and her nerves were starting to fray. After deciding to get married, the other party promised to come and meet her right away. Ophelia was already in a disadvantaged position, having sacrificed a lot. Still, she had to preserve her last shred of dignity. That’s why she intentionally arrived late for the appointment, but he still had yet to show up.

‘A businessman…’

Ophelia had known from the beginning that she would most likely marry someone other than Lord Robern. She had never expected her one-sided love to be reciprocated in the first place. However, she had never dreamed that a mere businessman, not even a noble, would become her partner.

In a way, she felt like she was being sold for money.

Ophelia had always despised the nobles who entered into mismatched marriages for the sake of wealth, using their family’s reputation. While she understood that marriage wasn’t always a noble affair and that most nobles pursued marriages for mutual benefit, those who blatantly displayed their greed looked disgusting. 

She had taken pride in thinking that she was different, that her family didn’t need such trivial wealth.

But look at herself now.

“Sigh…”

Ophelia grabbed her bag and stood up. Her patience had reached its limit. No matter how disappointing the situation was on her side,  Ophelia would have walked out of the coffee shop immediately if it hadn’t been for the man who approached her at that moment.

“Are you Miss Denev, by any chance?”

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