I Decided to Kidnap the Male Lead

— Imperial Calendar Year 588. April 13th. 10:02 in the evening.

Before Ophelia’s infinite regression began.

National Foundation Day.

“Keep in mind that you’re a Bolsheik and behave properly.”

Her mother’s nonchalant voice, sharp at first glance, rang in her ears.

“Mother?”

Ophelia took a step, but she reeled from her blurry vision.

“Ah, you… where is your mind?”

The voice was gruff, but her mother’s hand was firm as she held Ophelia, in spite of crumpling her gorgeous dress.

Ophelia slowly closed and opened her eyes.

She was still dizzy and her vision was still blurry, but she took a deep breath and tried to come to her senses.

—Kang, kang-kang!

It felt like someone was constantly hitting her head with a hammer.

No, it felt like her brain was on fire.

The pain was so great that her eyes flashed white, and blood ran up to the tip of her tongue.

“…lia, Ophelia?”

The moment when worry covered her mother’s sharp voice.

Ophelia opened her eyes.

“Uh… haha, hahaha.”

As Ophelia let out the breath she had been holding back, a complex smile spread across her lips— it was unknown if it was joy, pain, excitement, or fear.

Oh, yes.

Ophelia. Ophelia Bolsheik.

The world that was perishing and the light that dazzled the eyes so painfully.

“I will remember you.”

Even his low voice that permeated her whole body.

Her heart was aching, so Ophelia pressed against her chest.

“…You might forget everything.”

Even though the despair in his voice was clear enough to be grasped by hand.

Still, he regressed for her.

Before the world twisted and collapsed because of her.

And before she went into the loop of infinite regression.

As he still remembered her.

“I also… remember.”

‘Will I be able to forget. How can I forget.’

He imprinted an indelible mark on one side of her chest.

“Richard.”

With that one word, the memories that had been swirling and wandering in her head came back to their place and calmed down.

The crushing pain in her head went away and her vision, which had been very narrow, widened and became clear.

A familiar voice flowed into her ears.

“Ophelia? Where are you sick?”

“Mother.”

Ophelia’s voice cracked, but it was clear.

As her mother supported her, she said with a frown.

“If it hurts, you have to say it hurts…”

“Today is the National Foundation Day, right?”

“What?”

“It’s National Foundation Day now, right?”

It was a very stupid question.

“What are you talking about?”

At the blunt answer, Ophelia laughed to the verge of tears.

She gave an even brighter smile.

“Yes, of course. I am Ophelia and you are my mother.”

Ophelia grinned at her mother, who, despite her noble pride, never pushed her away.

“You are my mother.”

“What the hell are you talking about? Something is wrong with your head…”

“Mother.”

Ophelia tapped the back of her mother’s hand, which was holding her arm.

“Thank you.”

It was even more out of the blue than before, and an indescribable expression appeared on her mother’s face.

“What are you doing all of a sudden?”

“I’m grateful that I’m Mother’s daughter. And…”

Ophelia hugged her mother without holding back.

It didn’t matter that this was the entrance to the grand banquet hall of the Imperial Palace where the founding ceremony was held, and there were countless people around.

Ophelia held her mother tightly, just as her mother had hoped one day before the regression.

She felt her mother’s body stiffen, but she was not pushed away.

Despite people’s glances and whispers, her mother let out a light sigh, and just like she did before regressing, she gently stroked her back.

Ophelia felt like she would burst into tears and laughter at the affectionate yet indifferent touch of her mother, which swept her back and comforted her.

“Where are you feeling pain?”

At those words, Ophelia whispered after catching her breath.

“I’m not going to get engaged.”

Her mother didn’t respond, but she could tell without hearing or looking.

A satisfied smile had spread across her mother’s lips.

“I was waiting for that.”

Once again, at her mother’s bluntness, Ophelia laughed to the point of crying.

Before long, Ophelia, unlike before the regression, entered the hall with her mother.

It was the national foundation celebration.

The first. It was the first. The start of the freaking infinite regression.

And met him.

“Richard.”

Ophelia’s heart pounded just by softly whispering his name, and it fell from the sky to the ends of the earth.

What did he say when the light engulfed her?

“His Majesty is here!”

As the servant’s voice resounded in the hall, Ophelia swallowed dry saliva and rubbed her reddened eyes.

‘He will be here soon.’

‘He… will you remember?’

‘Do you remember?’

‘For you…’

Ophelia pursed her dry lips. The second his warmth faded away was so clear…

The next moment.

Ophelia looked at one place with an indescribable expression.

The golden lion.

Richard slowly revealed himself, overwhelming everyone with extreme silence.

All those who attended the celebration were mesmerized by him, then they tilted their heads and blinked.

Because his eyes were fixated on only one person.

One by one, the people followed his gaze.

The end of that line of sight.

“Red hair…?”

“And blue eyes, maybe the Bolsheik…?”

Amidst the murmur of people’s doubts and bewilderment, Ophelia’s mother, who was beside her, reached out.

Ophelia took a step as her mother gently pushed her back.

At the same time, Richard took a step closer to her.

One step, and another step.

Everyone between them involuntarily moved aside.

Ophelia and Richard, who approached each other as if they were instinctively drawn, finally stopped with one step remaining.

It was like a blue moon in a golden desert.

He only thought of her.

‘Do you remember? Do you remember?’

No one asked.

But this was enough.

Nothing was said, but nothing was needed.

Slowly, a brilliant smile bloomed on Ophelia’s lips.

“I’m Ophelia Bolsheik.”

Richard also smiled, his eyes curving sweetly as he kissed the back of her hand.

Deep, very deeply.

“I’m Richard Isaac Tunk Million.”

.

Three days after the National Foundation Day.

The whole empire was agitated.

“My God. Finally, someone…”

“If it’s the Bolsheik…”

“No, when?”

“Rather than that, the Bolsheik, my God. Then…”

In the midst of amazement, bewilderment, and astonishment, each family started fighting over how to line up on the side of the Bolsheik.

As a matter of course, dozens or even hundreds of invitations to Ophelia arrived at the Bolsheik mansion every day.

“Sebastian.”

“Yes, Lady Ophelia.”

“What’s that all about?”

“They’re invitations.”

“All?”

“Yes.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

“Oh dear…”

Ophelia’s mother, who was checking again and again, hit Ophelia on the back of her hand, and said,

“Stop it. How many is it? You make a fuss about getting invitations.”

The words ‘Anyone will make a fuss at that amount’ got to the tip of her tongue, but Ophelia shook her head and said something else.

“I’m not going to anything.”

Ophelia shrugged her shoulders as if it was nothing, but it was a great disrespect.

Once the invitations were received, the person must, out of courtesy, show their face to at least some event.

Knowing that, even the families that had never had contact with the Bolsheik family sent invitations, hoping for a chance.

But Ophelia didn’t have the slightest thought about that.

It wasn’t a nuisance to anyone, and she didn’t want to dip her toes into trouble.

‘Besides, isn’t that what I have to do once I become the crown princess anyway?’

‘Do I need to put my head into a troublesome conflict in advance?’

And as if reading Ophelia’s thoughts, her mother said,

“It’s very annoying to meet and make friends with people from different families, and it’s even more annoying to balance them out, but it’s necessary. Especially for you, the future crown princess.”

Along with the stereotypical nagging, her mother’s fingertips lightly tapped the bridge of Ophelia’s nose.

Then Ophelia smiled charmingly and quickly moved to the spot next to her mother.

With arms crossed, the mother-daughter pair laughed heartily.

“I know. But, I want to spend more, a lot of time with my mother. Every minute is precious.”

It really was.

It was all the more so because she knew time would not come back.

That pure sincerity, not mixed with flattery or even a crumb of lies, reached everyone present.

Her mother let out a light sigh, but a smile that she couldn’t hide spread across her lips.

“You’ve been acting like a grown-up all along, but you’ve suddenly been acting like a child since the founding celebration.”

Her mother held Ophelia’s cheek, which was clinging and rubbing against hers, and stretched it out.

“You don’t have to go anywhere if you don’t like it. It’s custom, etiquette… Who dares to say that in front of a Bolsheik.”

It was a family with a history older than this empire.

Raising the empire’s etiquette in front of such a Bolsheik would be nothing more than pleading in front of a slug.

As soon as her mother opened her mouth, Ophelia said the same thing.

“Remember that you are a Bolsheik.”

“Remember that I am a Bolsheik.”

The two overlapping voices were identical, so the mother and daughter exchanged stares and burst into laughter.

Her mother tucked Ophelia’s hair behind her ear and she whispered like she did one fine nonexistent day.

“Whatever you do, remember that I’m behind you. My daughter.”

And Sebastian, who was watching them like that, started brewing chamomile tea with a smile that he couldn’t hide on his well-groomed face.

Ame: oh no, I’m tearing up again ｡･ﾟﾟ*(>д<)*ﾟﾟ･｡ Ophelia, now… go get your friends! Gotta catch them all!

Dea:i love this chapter, it’s a breath of fresh air after the previous one! Now i wonder how she’ll befriend Iris, Catherine and Cooper