“As the second prince cannot leave Brinwell due to his situation, he will likely lend money to Prince Masaran. I’m not sure when it can be repaid, but……”

And Idren gently massaged the woman covered in velvet. Though not very noticeable, she seemed tense and uncomfortable.

Still caressing the expressionless woman, Idren tried to think of things that might please her. However, he only knew of her dislikes about Ophelia, so nothing suitable came to mind.

It was then that Ophelia spoke, as she allowed his hands to travel up her neck and shoulders.

“I’ll call Netepel again before he leaves Aglante. I have something to give him.”

This side also roughly knew what that ‘something to give’ was. Nodding to show agreement with Ophelia’s opinion, Idren recalled that she had captured a commoner merchant. That merchant who last met Anika Rohos would now be locked up in the dungeon of the royal palace.

Even for a commoner, dealing with a guild leader would have been tricky, but Ophelia handled it cleanly on her own without asking for his help.

Perhaps she’s quite clever. Kissing the back of the hand of the woman too good to just be by his side, Idren replied.

“Tell him to stay one night. He won’t be able to leave before the city gates close anyway, as he needs to talk with Salode.”

Unlike Ophelia with her neat and righteous personality, he was a petty and persistent person. Idren had no intention of letting the second prince of Egelbamot take the full amount written on the document.

As he fiddled with the woman’s hand, he asked.

“Shall we take a trip to the south once things settle down a bit?”

“What do you mean?”

“Do you remember the castle we stopped at on your way up for the marriage? Since it’s royal property, we can visit comfortably if you’re willing. I thought it might be nice to take a recuperative trip to the south, as the weather is cold.”

And Idren added. Please feel free to refuse if you dislike it. I really want to do as you wish.

Ophelia looked back at the man who seemed to be trying to open up an escape route for her no matter what proposal he made. It was pitiful that he couldn’t comfortably suggest going somewhere together, just like in her past life.

As much as she wanted to, she couldn’t bring herself to agree to do as he wished.

As Idren looked down at her hesitating, he stretched at that moment. Removing his hand that had been playing with her hair, he returned to his place and said gently.

“It’s alright.”

But I haven’t given any answer yet. As she was about to refute his words, Ophelia realized that she couldn’t give the answer he wanted.

Why can’t I muster up courage recklessly like you? Disgusted by her own lukewarm attitude, Ophelia lowered her gaze.

As if reading her mind, the man spoke again.

“It’s okay.”

The next day, Ophelia sought out Netepel again.

As he had to argue at length with the royal financial advisor the day before, he was still staying at the Sigrasal Palace until then.

When he entered the reception room where he had to leave first yesterday, Netepel first realized that the air was somehow different. There was a sticky, fishy, and somewhat nauseating smell.

Once he realized it was the smell of blood, the box placed on the table in the reception room caught his eye. The box was quite large, and the problematic odor was leaking from it.

Ophelia sat facing that box without blinking an eye. She wore slightly more elaborate clothes than yesterday, and even wore the heirloom of the Reden royal family around her neck.

Her neat appearance, as if unaware of the blood smell dominating the room, was somewhat chilling. Though she was clearly the woman he had been so eager for, he felt he shouldn’t approach her. His sharp instincts, honed from living in hostile places for many years, warned him to avoid the situation.

As Netepel hesitated at the warning too clear to ignore, Ophelia spoke to him.

“Why aren’t you sitting down after coming in?”

“……Ophelia.”

“Why, yesterday you wanted me to welcome you, but today you don’t even want to see my face?”

And she twisted her lips. It was an obvious sneer.

“It’s not even funny. I clearly told you to take all the friendship or whatever, but you kept bringing it up as if you hadn’t heard.”

Realizing that she was referring to when she had openly driven him away, Netepel furrowed his brow.

“Ophelia, that’s not…”

“And then, you plotted quite a lot behind my back.”

Completely ignoring his words, Ophelia turned her head. Netepel let out a hollow laugh at her face, dripping with coldness incomparable to yesterday when the Duke of Aglante was beside her. It seemed it wasn’t only the Duke who was pretending to look good to the other.

Staring at him, Ophelia said.

“What are you doing? Not sitting down.”

It was clearly a provocation, but he couldn’t refuse once he had stepped into the room. Netepel sat down across from her as instructed. A revolting stench wafted over. It was a chilling smell that would have made him vomit if not for his well-trained stomach.

But Ophelia, who must have been next to the box for much longer, didn’t change her expression at all.

He couldn’t show his composure breaking in such a situation. Carefully concealing his discomfort, Netepel said.

“Ophelia, you seem to have misunderstood something. It’s true that I’m your friend, but we’re strangers. I have to act for my own benefit too, right?”

“Your premise is wrong. How long has it been since I said I’d stop this friend act, yet you still talk like that.”

“……Right. If that’s what you’re saying, it would be easier to understand. Since we’re not even friends, whatever choice I made…”

“I didn’t call you to hear such useless talk.”

Though he had tried to be patient with whatever attitude she showed, he didn’t want to let such blatant disrespect slide. Netepel pulled up one corner of his mouth and sneered.

“You’ve become quite rude while we haven’t seen each other. Interrupting people. Is the Duke of Aglante treating you well?”

“He is. You should know well too, since you saw yesterday.”

Is the woman sitting in front of him now really the Ophelia he knew? Her various twisted remarks were bewildering.

It felt like discovering that a sheet of paper he thought was clean was already crumpled. Netepel blinked. It was then that her words continued.

“He’s a decent person. At least he doesn’t suggest adultery to another man’s wife, or push when told no.”

And Ophelia frowned sharply.

“As for you, was your claim of liking me sincere in the first place?”

Netepel frowned at the words that dismissed in an instant the feelings he had cultivated for years.

“After all I’ve done for you, how can you say such things?”

He had even sold his body to a god for Ophelia. Not only that, hadn’t he gotten blood on his hands, not just animals but even human blood, because of the words that wishes wouldn’t be granted without sacrificing offerings?

If Ophelia had a conscience, she shouldn’t disparage that devotion like that.

But Ophelia didn’t even blink.

“All you’ve done for me is suggest adultery. And that in Aglante and Reden, where adulterers are treated like beasts. I’m not sure if that can be called doing something for me.”

“Ophelia, I didn’t come here to hear such words from you……”

“I don’t want to have this unnecessary argument with you either.”

And Ophelia gestured with her chin towards the box placed in front of them.

“Open it. I prepared it because I didn’t want to send you back empty-handed after coming all this way.”

Only then remembering the presence of the box placed in front of them, Netepel reached out his hand. He could tell just from the smell that what was inside wasn’t good, but he didn’t want to back down here.

Ophelia watched without missing a moment as the person in front of her opened the box. As soon as the wooden lid was lifted, the smell of insects and rotten blood wafted out.

“……This is,”

“I prepared it since I heard he was a merchant close to you. You seemed to like friends a lot.”

Ophelia watched as the expression twisted on the face of the man who always smiled and painted her as a sensitive and selfish person.

All this time, she had been trying to find evidence that Netepel had instigated Anika’s death before coming to Aglante.

But Netepel had left no traces. Though she had tortured the merchant to hear testimony, the words of a commoner had no legal effect.

Of course, it wouldn’t make sense not to take action just because there was no evidence, so Ophelia cut off the merchant’s head. She intended to give it as a gift to her disgusting old friend.

“……I’m not that interested in friends who aren’t alive.”

Though he pretended to be calm, his voice was trembling. Ophelia closed the box and said to the man who was trying hard to smile with a pale face.

“I thought they would be more valuable to you dead. He told some interesting stories while alive.”

“What stories did you hear to cut off his head?”

“A story about an exiled royal laying hands on a lord under my command.”

“……”

“I told him to keep talking because it was interesting, but he didn’t know anything more. So I cut it off.”

“Cutting off people’s heads because the story isn’t interesting, you’ve changed a lot.”

Netepel’s words were right. Ophelia knew that she had changed incomparably from the past.

If there was anything the other was missing, it was that she had changed long before he knew.

To the point where she could no longer remember what the past was like.

Having finished her thoughts, Ophelia lifted the corners of her mouth.

“Yes, I’ve changed a lot.”

“……”

“I think you might have a story to tell me too, what do you think?”