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STELLA shoved Ophelia, causing her to fall down the stairs.
Claudio had been with Samael and the others in the small meeting room next to the interrogation room, going over the results of that day’s interrogations, when a secretary from another division had knocked frantically on the meeting room door. The woman, who claimed she’d just so happened to be at the scene at the time, was so distraught that it had been impossible to get much more information out of her.
Claudio left Samael in charge and flew out of the room.
When they’d run into Stella at the National Art Museum that day, she’d complained fiercely. What was his relationship with Ophelia? Why were they walking together so closely? He’d explained that Ophelia was his employee and they’d come to the art museum on business, but Stella had become nearly hysterical, laying into Claudio relentlessly. The sound of her voice irritated him, so at his wits’ end, Claudio told Stella he had to get back to work and sent her on her way. He’d closed the curtains as soon as they’d gotten into the carriage to head back to the Royal Palace, but he was sure Stella had been watching from somewhere.
He’d had a bad feeling Stella might do something. But he also didn’t think she’d do something this stupid. Somehow, Ophelia had become his concern, but that didn’t mean he could be watching her twenty-four hours a day.
Why did troublesome people always seem to gravitate toward her? When he sent her to the library to retrieve some materials, she’d again run into Gian, an infamous recluse who rarely ever went anywhere. Every time Claudio recalled the sight of Gian reaching out to touch Ophelia’s hair while she was collapsed on the floor, it ignited a fiery rage in his stomach.
…No… It shouldn’t matter if he does something as inconsequential as touching her hair. It has nothing to do with me. Clicking his tongue irritably, Claudio raced down the stairs, causing the people he came across to scatter to make way for him.
When Claudio slammed the infirmary’s door open, Ophelia looked over from where she sat on the bed. Although he was relieved to see she looked healthy enough, he wasn’t nearly as pleased to see Gian sitting in a chair right beside her.
“You again?!”
“That’s what I was just about to say!” Gian didn’t even bother trying to be discreet about inching his chair closer to Ophelia. “Claudio. You always seem to show up to interfere with us, don’t you?”
“What?! Oi, Ophelia, don’t get close to that guy, you hear me?”
“Heyyy, now. Don’t you be calling Ophie by her name so familiarly like that.”
“Why are you calling her by her nickname?!”
A thought occurred to Ophelia as she found herself sandwiched between Claudio and Gian, looking back and forth between them busily. These two might actually be pretty close…
I mean, yeah, they’re shouting at each other right now, but they seem to know one another pretty well, so I get the impression they’re close… Or at least having fun?
“Nooo! I don’t want to go home! I came all the way to the dreary and boring Ministry of Justice today to get to know Ophie better,” Gian said.
“Why did the receptionist let a suspicious person like you in, anyway?!” Claudio roared.
“Ophie, sorry, but I took it upon myself to investigate you a bit,” Gian said, turning to her. “You’re the sheltered daughter of an earl, who, like all his predecessors, is a serious and hard-working person serving at the Architectural Institute. Your nickname is Ophie. Due to poor health, you rarely go out, and since reaching the age of maturity, you’ve started working in the same department as your family, where they can protect you. At least until, for some reason, you were suddenly transferred to the Ministry of Justice on Claudio’s orders…”
“Maybe you haven’t heard, but these days they have a word for people like you,” Claudio interjected. “They call you ‘stalkers.’”
“Call me what you like. I’ve decided to stop lying about who I am in front of her. After all, the day I first met Ophie was the anniversary of Gian’s passing. I’m sure that it was Gian who saw how lonely I am and arranged for our paths to cross.”
“Oi, you…!” Claudio shouted, attempting to cut off Gian midway through this incomprehensible declaration, but it seemed he couldn’t come up with anything more to say, so he just closed his mouth and ran a hand roughly through his hair, pushing back his bangs.
“…The anniversary of Gian’s passing?”
Gian blinked as if surprised by Ophelia’s whispered question. Finally realizing that she didn’t know anything, Gian smiled and nodded emphatically. “That’s right. Gian Vigatto is already dead.”
Ophelia leapt up and scooted to the far side of the bed, pulling her knees up to her chest protectively. “Eek! Y-You really are a ghost after all?!”
“No ghost could possibly be this annoying.” Claudio tugged on Ophelia’s arm, moving her back to her original seat. Then he sat down heavily on the bed beside her.
“Hey, what do you think you’re doing, sitting next to her so casually?!” Gian cried.
“It’s to prevent you from brazenly touching her!” Claudio snapped, smacking away the hand Gian had been reaching out in Ophelia’s direction. “She’s just a plain shut-in from an earl’s family. Don’t drag her into your situation.”
“Urk… A low-ranking homebody… It kind of stings when you say it so frankly like that…” Ophelia muttered.
“You poor thing, Ophie. Leave this foul-mouthed cretin and come away with me.”
Once again, Claudio smacked Gian’s hand away. Stuck between the two men, practically growling at one another, Ophelia was left raising and lowering her hands nervously. Claudio reached out to agilely grab her left hand and pull Ophelia toward him.
“She’s currently on loan to our department with the intention of returning her to the Architectural Institute in the near future. So don’t get her caught up in anything troublesome.”
Claudio’s words delivered a sharp stab of pain to Ophelia’s chest.
So I really am going to be sent back soon?
This time, Gian tugged on Ophelia’s right arm while she was zoning out due to the shock she’d just received.
“Right, which is all the more reason why you have no say in this,” Gian said. “Get lost already!”
Claudio gritted his teeth, having no comeback, and pulled harder on Ophelia’s hand. Seeing that, Gian, too, pulled harder on the arm he was clutching.
Wasn’t there some kind of fable like this?! Let’s see, how did it go again?
Ophelia began to dissociate.
“I just want to get to know Ophie better. Don’t interfere! Besides, Ophie’s the one who gets to decide for herself, right?”
Frowning, Claudio suddenly released Ophelia’s arm, causing her to crash into Gian. From her prone position, she glanced up at Claudio and found him making an uncharacteristically uncertain face.
“Director, I… Um, well, if it’s just being friends, I don’t mind.”