I Decided to Kidnap the Male Lead

Coincidence or fate? Just in time, a letter from James Gryu, who had infiltrated the village, arrived.

After leaving behind only the letter, Iris greeted Ophelia with a wink and left immediately.

Ophelia’s face, which was sticking close to Richard, hardened as they read the letter.

“I can’t believe the villagers are preparing something.”

It was important what that ‘something’ was, but no matter how many times they looked at the correspondence, they couldn’t find any specifics.

“We have to know what they’re going to do so we can block, stand by, or fan it.”

Choked by frustration, Ophelia stomped her feet like an angry rabbit.

“He was imprisoned and then released, so he can only read the atmosphere. Judging from the fact that it was sent on an urgent basis, it must be dangerous.”

Ophelia looked at the letter as if to burn it with her gaze, then parted her lips.

“I will go.”

“Ophelia.”

“I know it’s dangerous. But I still have to go.”

If the deadline had not been set, she would have approached it carefully.

A week was too short a time for Ophelia to sit still and strain her neck while waiting for a letter from James Gryu.

In the midst of a busy hour, James Gryu might or might not be able to dig up proper information.

“Fortunately, the distance to the village is about a day, so if I go to the back alley right now, camouflage myself and leave… Eup, eup!”

Covering Ophelia’s mouth with his hand, Richard shook his head.

“I will go.”

Ophelia, who stared up at him and patted his hand away, shook her head even more vigorously than he did.

“No. You shouldn’t be away from your post for a long time.”

He opened his mouth again, but this time, Ophelia covered his mouth with her hand.

A flash ran through her blue eyes, staring straight into his golden eyes.

“I know.”

A grinning Ophelia tapped his lips, then pushed her chest out and pounded it once.

“I can easily break the back of the head with one or two assassins, no, three or four. So if I keep my mind right, I can hide from any threat.”

She was right.

In this situation, he, the crown prince, could not be away for a long time.

Shortly after healing the scars left by the locusts, anxiety spread among people thanks to the solar eclipse that shook the entire continent.

It wasn’t to the point that it was hideous.

However, it was not a situation where the crown prince could be relieved from his role even if he was away for even a few days, let alone a week.

“It wouldn’t matter if there was a justification, but there is no justification. From the outside, the village is just ordinary.”

Of course, there were people involved in human trafficking, and there was evidence of that.

However, the human trafficking did not result in financial gain.

“You know. The victim who was sold willingly was targeting a family friendly to the imperial family. It’s difficult to publicize the fact of the damage extensively. And it’s me, me.”

Ophelia pounded her chest confidently again.

It could be understood, without listening to the unspoken words.

Even so, Richard didn’t want to let her go.

‘You don’t know what it’s like, right?’

Although it had already disappeared, the first day of the festival was still vivid to Richard.

Ophelia, kidnapped.

The moment he thought of that time, emotions surged like blood gushing backwards under a layer of skin.

As if reading his thoughts, Ophelia quickly added,

“When I was kidnapped, it’s because I was distracted. There’s an old saying… Um, a neighbor grandfather once said, ‘Even if you get caught in a tiger’s den, you just need to be alert.’ I’ll stay alert this time.”

She said this to somehow reassure Richard, although she didn’t expect that Richard would nod his head and say ‘I see’ after this.

He didn’t have to say it with his mouth. He was talking with his eyes.

—I don’t want to let you go.

That clear sincerity.

Even if Ophelia was as strong as Richard, it would have been the same.

“I have to go to the village.”

“We can send someone.”

“Richard.”

Ophelia let out a light sigh and shook her head.

“How will you explain everything? They wouldn’t even know what to look for. And…”

Ophelia lifted herself on her tiptoes and cupped Richard’s cheeks.

“If Raisa Neir uses her own hands, or even regression… You know I’m the only one who can notice and stop it.”

The two of them faced each other, staring hard.

‘The golden lion.’

‘My lion.’

‘My lover.’

‘My Richard.’

Did he say that he wanted to see her even if he was already looking?

It was the same with her.

“I don’t want to go. Because I don’t want to leave you.”

Really.

Now, like a rapidly burning candle, the world was twisting and running towards destruction.

Anyone would want to be with the person they gave their heart to even for a few seconds more.

“Then…”

Richard’s mouth was immediately blocked by Ophelia’s.

With their lips touching, the two just shared warmth.

Eventually, Ophelia stepped away from him and smiled, her eyes sweetly curving.

“I will go anyway.”

—Because I have to go.

Richard could tell without listening to the rest of her words.

Pulling Ophelia away, Richard buried his forehead in her slender shoulder.

“You will go even if I stop you.”

“Yes.”

“It was like that when we first met.”

“Yes.”

How many people grabbed Richard by the collar and dragged him away as they pleased?

No, was there anyone else like Ophelia besides Ophelia?

Swallowing a sigh, Richard pulled Ophelia by the waist and embraced her completely.

Closing his eyes, he inhaled deeply, deeply… his Ophelia… suppressing his desire to hug her till she was crushed.

‘The flaming Bolsheik.’

‘My uninvited guest.’

‘My lover.’

‘My Ophelia.’

‘Hopefully, you.’

‘I hope I can protect you.’

.

Around the time Ophelia headed to the back alley to enter Raisa’s village…

The streamside of the last village located on the road leading to that remote village.

Like any ordinary village that could be found anywhere on the continent, people were gathering in groups of threes and fives, doing laundry and chatting.

“Oh, the son of the house.”

“Oh my gosh, you are handsome.”

“Rather than that, did you see the announcement from the lord’s castle? It says they’re offering tax cuts and free crops.”

“Ah, otherwise we’ll die. The locusts and…”

“Uh-huh, why are you bringing up something sinister again?”

With all sorts of stories mixed up in random order.

The woman with a loud voice, who was constantly laying out what one could and should do, exclaimed in indignation.

“If you put it like that, I’m the right person! How could it be not me… huh?”

The woman who was pounding the laundry in frustration widened her eyes.

Several people complained when she suddenly did something else while talking.

“What? Suddenly…”

“Anyway, it’s like this all the time, when you’re trying to say something important, you do something else…”

“I know! So I can’t recommend this…”

“How noisy, can you see that?”

The woman cut off the grumbling and pointed to the far side of the stream.

“What?”

“What is it?”

The other people stuck out their necks and looked where she pointed, but nobody saw anything special.

“Oh, what is it? Anyway…”

“No! Can’t you see that over there? It’s red!”

“Red…?”

“What about red?”

The people squinted and carefully observed where the woman was pointing.

And one by one, they tilted their heads and gave a lukewarm response.

“I don’t think so.”

“Red, I don’t think so?”

The woman, who was chided by the people around her, opened her eyes wider than before.

“That, that!”

“Ah, what the heck is this fuss!”

“No, hold on. What’s there?”

At the screeching voice of the woman, not only the people around her, but also those who were further down the stream turned their attention to her, and their gazes followed her finger.

“Can’t you see that!”

“Oh… yes.”

“Um, I can see that.”

As soon as the crowd murmured, terrified, a red dot began to float at the spot the woman pointed to.

Their necks were elongated, and their eyes were narrowed and frowning.

“That’s definitely a boar.”

“No, wait.”

Among them, the one with good eyes insisted.

“Ah, what are you saying? It’s certainly a fish!”

Indeed, as he had said, the fish was floating; it died with its belly upside down.

“The head was hit.”

“Many times?”

“Sometimes it’s like that. Ah, don’t take it. It’s unlucky.”

Those who tried to get free fish flinched at someone’s words and withdrew their hands.

Soon, the people around grumbled at the person who first said that she saw something red.

“Did you know this would happen? Making a fuss, but in the end, it was not critical.”

When the people shook their heads, the woman was frustrated and slapped her thighs.

Ame: I bet it’s not just a fish

Dea: This is the sequel to the locusts…