If You Conquer Me - Chapter 21
“Take Lady Clavan with you.”
“But…”
“She will act as the contact for the future.”
“Still…”
“If you reject this, we’ll stop you from leaving, even if it means using force.”
Christian’s voice was sharp as he made his point.
“We can’t let the princess stay alone by the Grand Duke’s side.”
“Hmm…”
Ophelia hesitated for a moment, carefully observing Limona’s expression.
“Is Lady Clavan okay with this?”
“Yes, Princess.”
Limona answered with a neutral face. After a moment of observing Limona with a complicated look, Ophelia nodded emphatically.
“Then, I’ll leave it to you.”
At the same time, Christian looked down at Ophelia with a concerned gaze.
“Please, be careful.”
“I will.”
Ophelia patted Christian’s shoulder with a seemingly cheerful smile.
“You take care too. Understood?”
“Who’s worrying about whom…”
Christian chuckled softly, then reached out to Ophelia, carefully pulling her into a hug.
At the same time, her shoulders stiffened. This was because Christian’s body, pressed against hers, was trembling uneasily.
After a brief hesitation, Ophelia gently ran her hand down his back.
“See you again.”
It was a promise for their reunion. Only then did Christian smile faintly.
“Yes.”
* * *
That evening.
Ophelia went to find Hugo. He was lounging on the sofa, casually flipping through some documents without much interest.
“Was your outing fun today?”
He greeted her as soon as he noticed Ophelia. His red eyes turned toward her.
“Your Grace.”
Ophelia called out to him in the calmest voice she could muster, trying to keep her composure. Hugo glanced back at her with a curious expression.
“‘Your Grace’? That’s rather embarrassing.”
“Then how should I address you to make you happy?”
“I suppose you like the idea of a mistress crawling?”
Enough of this. Ophelia clicked her tongue inwardly and got straight to the point.
“I have one request.”
“What is it?”
“When we leave for the Empire, I’d like to be allowed to choose a personal maid to accompany me.”
“Why?”
Hugo raised an eyebrow slightly, as if questioning her reasoning. Ophelia shared the reason she had already prepared.
“Yerhalt is a very far distance. I’ll have no one to rely on, so I’d like someone from my homeland, even if it’s just a maid.”
“Well, you don’t really have anyone to rely on now either, do you?”
Hugo retorted sharply. His words pierced through Ophelia like a sharp blade, and she involuntarily stiffened.
“Or perhaps…”
His red eyes glinted with something unexpected.
“Are you hiding someone I don’t know?”
Ophelia was caught off guard. For a moment, she almost revealed a look of panic.
She had made a mistake. Without realizing it, she had mentioned Christian. Feeling a momentary wave of dizziness, Ophelia quickly made up her mind.
No, I can’t fall for this.
While Hugo had guaranteed her safety as part of her agreement to become his mistress, that guarantee was only for Ophelia herself. If he got any inkling of her connection with Christian or her comrades, they might not be safe.
Still… it’s probably just him testing me. If that’s the case…
Ophelia forced an angry expression and responded with a sharp tone.
“Well, I don’t think that’s something for the Grand Duke to say.”
It was a clear line. Despite their agreement, she made it clear that he shouldn’t cross this line. Hugo didn’t answer right away. Instead, he observed her expression carefully, as if analyzing it.
“You’ve already had all the people I could rely on locked up and hung at the top of the castle walls, haven’t you?”
“That’s right.”
Hugo nodded casually. Ophelia shivered, but not from fear. There was something unsettling about how easily he confirmed her statement.
