Don’t Trample on Innocent Love

Ophelia bit her lip firmly and feverishly sliced the steak. She cut it into small pieces and held it out to Hugo, who looked around in confusion. When Ophelia smiled at him with her eyes brightened, her previously stiff expression softened considerably.

‘She knows how to smile now.’

Hugo briefly appreciated it, glancing at Robern, whose lips were twitching. Ophelia’s unrequited love interest. But the way Robern was constantly glaring at Ophelia and speaking as if testing the waters was rather suspicious.

Robern was keeping such a close eye on Hugo that it made one wonder if Ophelia was the only one with feelings.

“Hugo, ahhh―”

Ophelia spoke in a soft, gentle voice as if talking to a child. When Hugo caught on and played along, Ophelia’s expression brightened considerably. This is why she had insisted on acting more convincingly. Hugo felt rather pleased with himself, there he was on the same table as Robern Valent. 

Even at this early stage of his entry into aristocratic society, the head of the prominent Valent family was wary of a mere businessman like himself. That in itself meant that he was a worthy adversary. For the first time, Hugo had been treated not as an object, but as a person, by an aristocrat, and he was overwhelmed by the sense of victory.

“Miss Denev, ah-“

And so Hugo did something he would never have done otherwise. Ophelia smiled with an expression of approval, then shyly accepted the bite. Due to her small mouth, the roughly cut steak brushed against the corners of her lips as it went in.

“There, you got some on you.”

Hugo took out his handkerchief and gently patted around her mouth. When his hand pulled away, Ophelia instinctively stuck out her tongue and licked her lips. The sensual sight of her red tongue tracing her lips made Hugo’s hand tremble. Unaware of her own actions, Ophelia tilted her head questioningly and gestured to the handkerchief. As Hugo finished wiping off the remaining sauce, Robern’s face was crumpled like a sheet of paper.

Suddenly, a sharp sound rang out.

As Ophelia turned her head, Robern dropped the knife and clenched and unclenched his right hand. When Grace asked what was wrong, Robern let out a deep sigh.

“I injured my arm while hunting, and ever since then, I’ve had trouble mustring the strength in it.”

“The previous hunt? You caught a beautifully colored fox…”

“That’s why I’ve been having difficulties with my meals lately.”

Robern raised his voice as Grace obliviously recounted the news she had heard from other aristocrats. Grace, her words cut short, swallowed an awkward laugh and closed her mouth. That fox-like man, Robern had never been injured while hunting before.

“I even skipped breakfast because it was difficult to eat, how troublesome.”

Ophelia, who had been deliberately trying to distract herself by cutting her steak, was unable to resist her curiosity and finally looked up at Robern.

“What about the servants?”

“The lowly ones didn’t notice I’m injured. If they did, they’d all be eagerly trying to take advantage of it.”

In reality, the servants of the Valent family were rather favorable towards their employers who paid them well. They were sometimes wary of their ill-tempered master, fearing sparks of his mood might get to them, but generally, they were satisfied with their job.

Ophelia’s face darkened at the blatant lie told without even batting an eye.

She wondered how he usually treated his own people, that he was so hell-bent they would be flocking around to help him.

Even without seeing it, she knew.

Ophelia did not want to speak ill of Robern, but putting aside her affection for him, he was a high-handed and arrogant man who treated people around him poorly.

If there were issues with the servants, it was likely Robern’s fault. Reflecting on how he treated Ophelia, it became understandable to some extent that Robern did not trust others.

It was just like Robern to think everyone would accept him the way she did.

Even though Robern was the one at fault, Ophelia felt angry. She angrily sawed at the innocent steak, swallowing the rage she didn’t know who to direct it at.