Why is she lying?
Ophelia clenched her hands into tight fists and thought it over. Every time Stella admonished her for getting close to Claudio, Ophelia’s arms and legs would shake.
It was the same as the first time they met at the ball. Her shaking hadn’t been caused by fear of Claudio glaring at her or by nerves from being in front of such an incredible but intimidating lady like Stella. Now that she thought about it… The shaking hadn’t started when she laid eyes on Stella, but when she first heard her speak.
What was it that she said? I can’t recall…
“Answer me!”
Stella lunged forward and used her fan, which she’d pulled out at some point while Ophelia wasn’t paying attention, to smack Ophelia on the shoulder.
“Lady Meucci! What are you doing?!”
Gian reacted instantly, grabbing Stella by the arm. She lost her balance upon being yanked back a step, but she somehow caught herself with one hand on the table. Immediately, Stella’s head snapped back up, and she fixed a fierce glare on Ophelia.
“Let me go!”
“Stop! Ophie, run!”
For the moment, Gian was holding Stella in place, but ultimately, they were two women with similar builds. Before long, Stella shook Gian off, and she raised her fan again. Ophelia squeezed her eyes closed and braced herself as best she could despite the shaking of her arms and legs.
However, the anticipated blow never came. When Ophelia fearfully opened her eyes just a slit, a familiar black jacket blocked her entire field of view.
“Tch, he really came.” Gian clicked his tongue irritably.
Claudio was looking down at a still-trembling Ophelia, Stella’s raised arm caught in his tight grasp. For just a moment, Stella looked almost… relieved?
“Director, you don’t understand!” Ophelia blurted out.
“Why are you covering for her?”
“It made a loud noise but didn’t hurt at all. So I’m fine, really.”
“It doesn’t matter whether it hurt or not. What kind of idiot just silently waits to be hit?”
“Claudio, you’re scolding the wrong person. Ophie’s the victim here.” Gian matched Claudio’s glare with one of his own.
I see… When Gian said, “He should be here any minute,” he was referring to Claudio… He must’ve followed his fiancée here. His fiancée and the “cat burglar”… Ophelia felt a stab of pain in her chest as she looked at Claudio’s large hand wrapped around Stella’s wrist.
“In any case, stop making a scene in such a public place,” Claudio said. “Oi, Gian, go have them prepare us a private room.”
“Why me?”
“You’re the only one who can walk away at the moment; that’s why.”
Gian looked at Stella, Ophelia, and Claudio’s faces each in turn, then sighed and ran into the restaurant. Claudio finally released Stella’s wrist and looked down at Ophelia, frowning.
In no time at all, they were shown into a private room that Gian had no doubt pulled multiple strings using his status as a duke to procure. Ophelia’s legs were shaking so badly that she could hardly walk, but she didn’t dare hold onto Claudio’s jacket in front of Stella. She was doing her best to hobble along, holding onto the wall for support, when suddenly there was a tug on her arm.
“You’re wasting time. Just hold on to me already.”
As he said this, Claudio wrapped Ophelia’s much smaller hand around his arm, forcing her grasp onto him. When Ophelia’s shaking instantly stopped, Gian puffed his cheeks out irritably, and Stella’s eyebrows drew together suspiciously.
“You see how familiarly she behaves with my fiancé. This is why I was forced to correct her,” Stella, who’d taken a seat, said with a self-satisfied smile, pointing at Ophelia. In response, a shudder ran through Ophelia’s body, causing both Gian and Claudio to narrow their eyes.
“You’re getting quite full of yourself for someone from a bottom-of-the-barrel earl’s family where everyone has to work for a living. Know your place!”
“Y-Yes, ma’am!”
Stella’s mouth twisted with what seemed to be a sick rush of exhilaration at Ophelia’s immediate and subservient response. It was as if the fact that neither Claudio nor Gian made any move to stop her had fueled her descent into an almost crazed state.
“Oi, Ophelia. You don’t behave like that at all when you’re talking to me; why’s that?” Claudio asked.
“W-Well… Lady Stella appears angry, but she’s not really. Whereas when you appear angry, Director, it’s because you really are…”
“You have that right, at least. I really am angry.”
“Wah, I’m sorry!”
“Do you even know what I’m angry about?! An insincere apology is completely meaningless.”
“Eek… I’m s… Oh! Um… Uh… Wh-What are you angry about?”
“…W-Well…”
Ophelia tilted her head to the side, puzzled by Claudio uncharacteristically fumbling for a reply.
What had she done wrong? On days when no interrogations were scheduled, there wasn’t much work for Ophelia to do, so she’d taken a half-day of paid leave. But maybe it was inappropriate for her to take time off for no purpose other than to spend time lollygagging at a café, eating cakes on a workday? She recalled a saying that went something like, “If you look for work to do, you’ll always find it.” Perhaps that’s what she should’ve done instead of taking leave?
“Um, I’m sorry for missing work, if that’s…”
“That’s not it. I approved your request for leave myself.” Claudio cut her off to refute her guess.
If that’s not it, then what…? Did Claudio also want to eat cakes? No, that certainly isn’t it. If I even mention that theory, he’ll get angry for sure. Ophelia wracked her brain trying to figure out why he was upset, when suddenly it came to her, and she snapped her fingers.
“Oh! You also wanted to have tea with Lord Gian, isn’t that right, Director?”
That’s got to be it! They act like they hate each other, but they’re actually quite close. They’ve known each other since they were both kids, after all. He must be frustrated at a newcomer like me sweeping in and monopolizing all of Gian’s time.
“Huuuh?!”
Claudio’s response was a sound totally unbecoming of a highly ranked nobleman. He glared daggers at Ophelia, who suddenly became alarmingly pale and nervously looked away.
“Um, I’m sorry… I don’t know the reason. Why are you angry…?”
Ophelia’s shoulders were slumped as far as they could go while she dejectedly asked that, which caused Claudio to freeze in place. After a long moment during which he didn’t move a single muscle, Claudio finally clicked his tongue.
“…I’m angry about how pathetic I am for being pushed to the side.”
Gian glanced over at a dumbfounded Ophelia to confirm that she wasn’t shaking, then flopped face-first down on the table with a sigh. Stella, not quite understanding what was going on, furrowed her beautiful brows and looked back and forth between the three of them.
“Aw, come on, man… Why do I have to end up as the third wheel…?” Gian moaned.
It seemed that Stella somehow made out his muffled words, because she bit her lip prettily. “So the two of you really are in that sort of relationship! Lord Claudio, it’s too much to play around like this when you have a fiancée such as myself! What could you possibly see in an unremarkable girl like her, anyway?” Stella’s low, menacing voice caused Ophelia’s entire body to tremble.