I Decided to Kidnap the Male Lead

Shortly after Raisa left, Richard was walking directly to the Marquistate of Neir.

Of course, he did not make a formal visit, but stepped into the darkness like a midday ghost.

Just a few minutes ago…

“I have to deal with Marchioness Neir.”

At the words the emperor had uttered, he decided to move on his own.

Raisa Neir asked for the end of the week, but that was only a request.

“I’ll be away for a few days.”

“Now?”

“Yes. I’ll take care of everything related to Marchioness Neir by tomorrow.”

“Crown Prince.”

Even though he said he was going to solve the most troublesome problem now, there were still a lot of things to do as the crown prince.

The emperor shook his head, but at the words that followed, he took his eyes off the papers and fixed them on Richard.

“My woman is walking a dangerous road alone. She needs to be protected. No, I want to protect her.”

At some point, the golden eyes which had lost their vitality and withered were brighter than ever before.

It had been a long time since he actually said that he wanted to do something.

The emperor stared blankly at Richard, who did not back down even an inch.

‘Good. Bring the crown princess safely.’

Richard’s steps were unstoppable.

Every minute here was a waste.

Even when he closed his eyes, her bright red hair and vivid blue eyes glistened as if they were engraved on his eyelids.

‘I want to see you.’

‘I want to hug you.’

‘Ophelia.’

‘I know where you are, what you are doing, and that you are all right.’

However, Richard wanted to put her in his eyes.

Even if he was looking at it, he wanted to see it, but since he didn’t see it, his heart was beating so hard.

Before long, he stood tall in front of the marchioness’ door.

There was no need to ask where Marchioness Neir was, nor did he need to look.

All he had to do was follow the nasty smell of medicine.

Soon after, he entered a room that smelled of drugs so strong that his nose was paralyzed, and he stood in front of a corpse-like body.

At that moment, whether by coincidence or fate, Marchiness Neir, who had been on drugs all day, woke up.

Seeing someone with a blurry vision, the marchioness opened her mouth.

She had only one thing to say.

“Hey… Medicine… now.”

But there was no answer, let alone medicine.

After being addicted to drugs, patience had long evaporated, so the marchioness screamed and struggled.

“Medicine! Medicine…!”

“Marchioness.”

But her shouts were stopped by a dry voice that thundered in her ears.

“His Majesty the Emperor has commanded.”

With those words, Marchioness Neir realized who the person in front of her was.

Instantly, she tried to wield her bony arms, but she was tied up and forced to rub her face spasmodically against the pillow.

“Crown… Prince… Ugh, ugh, ugh!”

The tearing screeches and cries that came from her open mouth were like those of a beast.

She only made noise, but there was no way Richard couldn’t feel the frustration and despair swirling inside.

She was caught up in an addiction, which was not the plot of the crown prince whom she thought was her opponent or a failure of her own work, and fell without end and was utterly ruined and shattered.

And now, in front of her own nemesis, the crown prince, whom she never wanted to show this to…

“Do you feel ashamed of your humiliated self? Disgrace? Plus misery? Well, the current marchioness would feel defeated.”

With utmost composure, Richard mercilessly dug into Marchioness Neir’s heart.

Indifferent golden eyes peered into Marchioness Neir, but she couldn’t even look at him directly.

Richard whispered a few words in her ear, and her chin shook as her eyes widened.

“Would you like to?”

At the sound of Richard’s voice, falling like an umpire, Marchioness Neir’s neck dropped like a prey caught in a trap.

Then she suddenly raised her head.

Was it terminal lucidity?

(PR/N: a medical phenomenon whereby one’s mind becomes clearer when they’re closer to death.)

Her gray eyes were not the same as those of a corpse that had lost their luster.

Staring straight at Richard with those sparkling eyes, Marchioness Neir opened her mouth.

Her voice was cracked and hoarse, but unlike before, her pronunciation was clear, not airy or slurred.

“Raisa, is not the Marchioness of Neir.”

“Is it a will?”

“Please tell her I’m waiting for her in death.”

Was it a wish or a prophecy?

Eventually, Richard quietly left the marquisate, and the mansion became the tomb of Marchioness Neir, just as Raisa wished.

.

Three days to the week that Raisa Neir professed.

Ophelia was busy gathering information about her by dashing around a place that looked no different from any other village.

She was nervous because she really didn’t have much time left, but she had no choice but to do what she could do step by step.

She sneaked into the gatherings of the villagers, told stories of her unfortunate past, lowered their guards, and pulled out the information she wanted.

“So, since a while ago?”

“Yes. You know the guy next door who’s two years younger than me?”

“Mhm.”

Ophelia didn’t know, but she nodded because it was better for her to know.

“He had a long sword that only knights could use? Gosh, a guy who can’t even wield a sickle properly…”

Only the prophet and close associates knew exactly what they were actually doing, but the gathering of information was quite successful, even if only by combining the stories of the villagers.

“It’s really that.”

After confirmation after confirmation, Ophelia was finally convinced that the story of the old man she met right before coming to this village was completely true.

She faced James.

“Food and blades? Are you talking about weapons?”

“They didn’t say it specifically, but if they had wanted farming tools, they wouldn’t have been disappointed when they brought them.”

“That’s why I came to ask if there were questions about how to handle weapons or strategies even though they hated them so much.”

After the last words, James was silent, and Ophelia also kept quiet.

Then Ophelia held out her hand toward him, her palm to be exact, and said,

“Write down what you expect. I will write too.”

“In the palm?”

“Yes. There is no evidence left, and no sound will leak out.”

“That’s a very good method, but it’s okay to use it in future secret meetings…”

Ophelia cut James off.

“Right now.”

In the silence of the cool air, the two of them simultaneously wrote their thoughts on each other’s palms.

Soon after, the two looked at each other and nodded at the same time.

“As expected.”

“Right? And…”

Ophelia told James the deadline of one week.

Of course, James wondered if there was really a time limit, but he couldn’t express it.

“You have to trust me completely.”

And James believed Ophelia’s words. Because Richard ordered it to be so.

“There is not enough time to convince the villagers to run away.”

“Yes.”

“We can’t even send a messenger until we’re sure. More than anything else, who the hell is going to wipe out this town.”

“Raisa Neir.”

“What? No, it could be.”

Ophelia asked James, who expressed surprise for a moment but soon agreed.

“Did you know?”

“Have you seen the prophet of this village? No, I don’t even have to ask. Anyway, I tracked down what the man said a long time ago and the funds of the Marquisate of Neir.”

Come to think of it, the reason why James Gryu infiltrated this village was because of the suspicious flow of funds.

After briefly reviewing the past, Ophelia shook her head.

“It has nothing to do with Marchioness Neir. It was done by Raisa Neir alone.”

“What? Raisa Neir? How could…”

“It doesn’t matter now, what matters is how Raisa Neir will get rid of this village. That too, within the next three days.”

To Ophelia’s question, James immediately brought out an answer.

“She will have to mobilize the army to kill all the villagers.”

“Can she?”

“Naturally, this is not the case in principle. It’s considered treason as soon as the guards of the marquisate or those who personally carry weapons other than escorts are mobilized.”

Something didn’t immediately make sense, but Ophelia nodded at James’s words.

“But isn’t it Neir? They should have escorts who are more than enough.”

James clicked his tongue.

“Even if they stock up on food or weapons, the villagers won’t be able to stop the armed men who are trained to kill people.”

Ophelia, who was about to say something, suddenly shut her mouth.

Fortunately for her, James was engrossed in his own thoughts, so he hadn’t seen her like that and didn’t ask why she suddenly stopped.

Even if he asked, she would not have been able to answer.

Because she was confused.

She discovered that what the villagers were trying to do was, in the end, only self-defense.

She also knew that the cause was Raisa Neir’s ruthless decision.

But…

“Should… Should I…?”

Ophelia was startled by her words that came out instinctively like a moan, and she covered her mouth.

Her blue eyes became blurry, and her body trembled like a small boat in a storm.

There must be only one reason why Raisa Neir decided to destroy this village, which was an essence created by regressing repeatedly to occupy the throne.

To prevent the end of the world.

That was what Ophelia and Richard also longed for.

She thought she could do anything to prevent the end of the world.

But… But really?

To sacrifice a cow for the sake of many.

She heard of such a thing, but she never dreamed that she would have to make such a decision.

She couldn’t figure out what to do.

If the village was not destroyed, the world would perish.

Of course, it was only a possibility, but if there was even a 1% chance of the world ending, shouldn’t the village disappear?

One village, and the world.

Even if she didn’t weigh it on a scale, she could tell where it was leaning towards.

Ophelia recalled the people she had spent a small amount of time with, laughing and chatting with her until they brought her to this place and turned around. Then…

“I don’t particularly hate silly things.”

Her mother who said that laughed.

“Look at this! Doesn’t it suit you?”

“Rather than that, this.”

Catherine and Iris competed to put several ribbons in her hair and eventually made it full of ribbons and laughed among themselves.

“Please do me this favor. How about this instead?”

Cooper smiled kindly as he took something more difficult while requesting for a favor.

“Lady Ophelia, try this.”

“This too.”

The servants who took snacks out of their pockets and held them out towards her, and even Sebastian, who paid close attention so that her favorite chamomile would continuously bloom.

And…

“Richard.”

Ame: T^T IT’S ALL RAISA’S FAULT!

Dea: Everybody grab your tissues…we’re going to need them T^T