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❦☾𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗.9.𝕬𝖌𝖆𝖎𝖓☽❦

♕♔

Casper understood very well from his perspective that maybe Ophelia was like what his sister said.

He quickly ran into their direction. 

"Ophelia Celine!" he yelled once more.

'She gasped as she caught glimpse of him. "Cas-"

He instantly pushed Leon away from her and pulled her into his clutch aggressively warning the Duke "When will you understand Duke of Crawford?! She is my fiance!"

With a large sigh, Leon smirked in annoyance 'deja vu? This scene feels awfully familiar,'

"Yes, I know that," Leon replied.

"Then learn your place and back off!" he said whilst glaring at him.

The Duke then gave a small chuckle and stated "Well, shouldn't you be telling that to your father instead of me," and with that he dropped his smirk and turned away from him, making his way back to his room.

"My father....," he then turned his attention back to Ophelia who was trying to free herself from his grip, grabbing her by the shoulders and violently shaking her with rage.

"What does he mean Ophelia?! Why are you with him in your nightgown outside your palace in the middle of the night?!"

However, the girl herself was traumatized at the memory of what had just occurred and unconsciously began to tremble at the sight of Casper's angry expression as it reminded her of the Emperor.

"L..l..et me go," her smooth voice sounded croaky from her screams. 

Casper immediately paused tightening his grasp on her shoulders expressing a shocked emotion "Why?" he softly let out blinded by jealousy "You let that snake hold you whilst you wept in his arms!" his quiet tone transformed into a piercing volume.

Ophelia lowered her head and covered her ears with her shivering hands, her eyes blurred with tears of panic she began to shake her head. 

"What is it?! Trying to distract me with your acting," Casper assumed 'If I lie to her that I'll inform father about this...maybe she'll tell me,' "You know what I'll tell the Emperor about this-"

"NO!" she instantly screeched at his mention, breaking out of the Prince's hold and crying from the disturbance. 

He instantly flinched and was baffled at her unusual response, but understood that maybe he was a bit too harsh.

"Ophelia?...are you okay-" he stepped forward toward her.

"G...go aw*hic*ay!" she whimpered, as she stepped back from him, "I'm tired...think what you want of me! Go find your sister!" 

"...Don't overreact, I'm the one who is supposed to be upset," he told her in surprise. 

But she gave him a cold scowl in return at his last words then commenced in returning to her chamber but it was obvious she was struggling as her walk was slow and limpy.

Ophelia fell onto her bed after returning to her room, overwhelmed with many different negative emotions that blurred her thoughts. "Jerks..." she wailed into her pillow as she tightened her fists, "That Moron and his perverted father! How am I meant to let myself love a guy like him,"

Then in a giggle of misery she told herself "I'm seriously pathetic I walked into that trap blindly, and I even showed an unsightly part of myself to the Crown Prince. He probably thinks I'm having an affair with Leon,"

Then covering herself with her duvet she reminded herself "It is his fault, Casper might be good looking but his personality doesn't match his face,"

Nevertheless, the incident involving her and the Emperor was still fresh in her mind and so her cries lasted most of the night.

2 days Later

"Your Highness! Please forgive us!" the maids pleaded as they prostrated on the ground before Ophelia who was standing with her arms crossed.

"Forgive you?" she asked.

"Yes...we are incredibly sorry!"

Ophelia then smiled at them all and they all shot up with hope.

"Nah," she responded as she placed a document in front of them all "You see my new maids are entering so it's too late for you guys, you're all SACKED!"

The new maids came into her room and proceeded to dress her in her outdoor outfit.

"What the..." one of the maids let out as she watched the herd of new servants enter.

"I don't need maids that want to work for the Emperor and Princess instead of me," she coldly stated as her new maids were brushing her hair and adjusting her makeup and jewellery.

'Is she talking about what happened two days ago...she never left her room and so we thought she didn't want to be disturbed, she wouldn't even let Prince Casper visit her,' one of the maids panicked as the rushed to Ophelia's feet.

"B...but we can't disobey the Royal family your Highness!" they reasoned.

Then with a smirk, she answered "Then go work for them,"

"Pardon?" They looked at her with desperate faces.

'How the tables have turned, I've been thinking about getting rid of you lot since the start,' she thought satisfied by their distress.

"Ah yes~ they won't hire you," she laughed "If you're my maids you should work for me, in the end, I'm your employer so you should treat me with loyalty and respect," she then stood up to leave.

But the maid who had outed her for the Emperor grabbed onto her leg and begged.

"Please we are sorry! Don't do this to us!"

Ophelia looked down to her and her lips curled into a cunning grin, bending down to her she corrected "Catherine is it?"

she nodded in reply.

"You did this to yourself," She informed the maid as her grin transformed into a bitter expression.

She then kicked her hands off her ankle, "Disgusting, be sure to be out before noon. I don't wish to see any of you by my return!"

Then exiting her room Ophelia smiled as she was followed by one of her new maids "Now it's time for work! The story is begging,"

The night before the Nobles meeting

The night was cold and dreary, and the crescent moon shone in the bleak night as the rain harshly hitting the earth's surfaces filled the atmosphere and the strikes of thunder could be heard loud and clear.

"You may enter," The Empress who was sat in her large living space said she sat in her darkroom by the fireplace, watching the specks of rain hit her window.

Casper who was surprised at the Empress's sudden call for him went in and kneeled on the ground behind where she was sat.

"What is it that you need, Your Majesty,"

Then slowly placing her cup of tea down, she told him "I am disappointed in you Casper, I agreed to make you the Crown Prince in thought that you'd be better than your father," she told him.

"If you're talking about Stella, your Majesty, Father said he has got it under control,"

"I see,"

The room then fell into silence, only the rustles of the fire and the tapping of the rain could be heard.

"Your brother is returning," She softly told him

Casper instantly fell into alarm and bit his lip in worry. 'Andrea is coming back' "Little brother..."

With a sweet giggle, she corrected him "You're only days apart in age, and he is finished with cleaning up the mess the war left behind already so I told him to return, isn't he just outstanding,"

"..."

"Also," her tone became more serious "I'll be talking to your father about revoking the title of Crown Prince from you,"

"MOTH-!" 

"How do you think your father will react when he discovers Andrea won the war, I wrongly trusted in your weak and irresponsible personality to be an Emperor but it seems I was deeply incorrect,"

Then waving at Sebastian to collect Casper she said, "A man who claims the victory of others as his own will only be victorious in failure,"

Forgot to ask...

What kind of person do you think the Epress is?

🤔

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