I Decided to Kidnap the Male Lead - Chapter 112: Forever and a Day (IV)

“Isn’t it His Highness the Crown Prince’s order not to hire new servants?”

He had been digging around, but everyone just said that they were told to do that.

No one knew why.

However, it would be different with the aides to His Highness the Crown Prince.

“May I know why he gave such an order?”

Lawrence asked openly, but Cooper also openly avoided answering.

“It’s confidential.”

And following his words, two other aides gave the same answer as if they had made an earlier agreement.

“It’s confidential.”

“I can’t tell you because it’s confidential.”

Even though he had missed the opportunity he had been waiting for due to the firm answers from all three, Lawrence meekly surrendered, bringing both hands before his chest.

“All right. I was just curious.”

An awkward silence flowed.

Among those who were staring at each other, Cooper opened his mouth, breaking the silence.

“I’ll get going.”

“I will see you off.”

“No. It’s raining, you don’t have to.”

“You came to me like this, so please let me do that.”

The tug of war in which each declined the offer of favor ended with Catherine’s victory.

Not only Catherine, but also Ophelia, Iris, and Lawrence followed along to send Cooper off.

Was it said that incidents always happen suddenly?

“Looks like the rain has stopped.”

“Yes.”

Unable to bear the awkward silence, Catherine said something and Cooper responded quickly.

At that, Lawrence carefully examined and tilted his head.

‘I don’t know what happened, but my little sister, that horned colt, is being very careful with Cooper.’

By any chance? He thought that the picture of Catherine and Cooper standing side by side, which had come to mind like a flash, was quite plausible.

Of course, anyone would call it a grandiose delusion, but Lawrence had a good reason.

He brought up the marriage proposal and engagement, but in the end, Ophelia rejected it in a single strike.

“You were rejected?”

“Yes. It was very clear and clean. So…”

“So don’t say things like that and find the next person.”

“Father?”

“You are still here? I need to find a merciful lady who will take my horrible son… you, go and get to work.”

Recalling his father’s relentless words, Lawrence nodded.

He couldn’t die alone.

It was self-serving, but the thought that he had to share this pain with the one who had the same blood was the thought of all siblings, not just him.

With some luck, his father would bother him a little less because he was paying attention to Catherine as well.

Lawrence patted Catherine on the back. Hard.

“Huh?”

“Lady Catherine!”

Losing her balance, Catherine was caught by Cooper, who was right next to her.

It was exactly as Lawrence expected, but…

—Swaaa.

Like a lie, rain suddenly poured down. With her cloak thrown off from the fall, Catherine was soaked in the rain.

“Ah!”

“Oh my god!”

Ophelia and Iris, who were behind her, rushed at once, but Catherine was already wet.

And then Catherine glared at Lawrence with deadly eyes.

At that, Lawrence said with an embarrassed face.

“My hand slipped. Sorry.”

Naturally, he didn’t mean that.

He just thought that if Catherine stumbled, Cooper would catch her. He didn’t expect the receding rain to suddenly become a downpour.

“You…”

The pretty harsh words that she had been holding back due to Cooper rang through the rain, and the moment Lawrence was about to respond…

Catherine suddenly tugged at the end of his coat.

Of course, the goal was to put him in the same state as her.

Siblings of the same blood would always pass the pain on to each other.

But she, like Lawrence, did not anticipate the accident that would follow.

“Oh!”

As Lawrence was falling in front of her, Ophelia reflexively grabbed his clothes, and Iris, seeing Ophelia like that, instinctively grabbed her arm.

Those who fell into the pouring rain just like that froze.

And the next second…

“Catherine Sheffield!”

“Lawrence, you bastard!”

Ophelia, Iris, and Cooper were quickly caught up in a war between the Sheffield siblings.

In the midst of everyone getting soaked in the rain that was hitting the ground so hard that it obscured their vision.

“Kyaaaagh!”

“Ahhh!”

For some reason, the loud voice of Catherine, whose hair was once again grabbed by Cooper, and Cooper, whose bangs were pulled out by her, made everyone stand tall.

With indescribable expressions, Cooper and Catherine carefully let go of each other’s heads, took a step back, and, as if they had promised, they kept their mouths shut.

The gardens of the Imperial Palace, where it was still raining cats and dogs.

The five people who were wet all over and looked like drowning mice only looked at each other from afar.

Iris Fillite, Cooper Halsey, Lawrence Sheffield and Catherine Sheffield.

And Ophelia Bolsheik.

Weren’t they so prestigious that everyone in the empire would say ‘Ah, those people’ just by hearing their name?

Reputation… What was that?

Ophelia gazed at her own appearance after falling and rolling on the ground, then at the mess of others, and commented,

“We’re not dogs on a snowy day. For what did we buy raincoats or umbrellas.”

“I know. Rain play?”

“Should I have brought a boat?”

“On the ground?”

“Why not, since there’s water anyway, won’t it be similar to boating?”

Exchanging words that were no more than nonsense no matter who heard them, Catherine rubbed the tip of her itchy nose as water droplets flowed.

And the next moment.

“…Haha.”

A clear laugh broke out between Ophelia’s lips as she called out to Catherine in a trembling voice.

“Huh? What, all of a sudden?”

While Catherine tilted her head in confusion, Lawrence shook his head and pointed to the tip of her nose.

“Did you come to clean the chimney by yourself, my lovely sister?”

“What?”

When Catherine rubbed the tip of her nose again, the soot that none of them knew where it came from only grew.

Unable to continue looking at it, Cooper swiped it off, causing Catherine to burst into laughter, perhaps from shame or some other unidentified emotion.

Laughter was contagious.

As the two of them giggled and laughed, Iris, Ophelia, and Lawrence all joined in.

Under the dark sky full of dark clouds, the time to laugh to the point of tears was passing.

.

By the time the rain that had fallen like fog was coming down like a downpour.

In Raisa’s village, the prophet was immersed in thought while looking up at the sky.

How long has he been like this?

It was difficult to speak up.

“Prophet. Those who will receive the mission are waiting.”

But the prophet was still only looking at the sky.

The person who spoke to him eventually stepped back.

“Everything will be God’s will.”

After carefully closing the door, the messenger slipped out.

Soon after, he went to the side of the young man who was ready to receive the ‘mission’ that was waiting for him. Beside the young man was his mother, who had an agitated face.

The mother, the most ardent admirer of the prophet, stomped her feet impatiently.

“What did he say? Can we go in now?”

The mother’s face contorted as the messenger shook his head.

“Did he say he lacks qualifications?”

In response, the young man lowered his head, hunching his shoulders to hide his fearful eyes.

“He didn’t say that. No, he didn’t say anything.”

Relief bloomed on the face of the young man who lowered his head, but no one saw it.

Soon, those who had gathered to celebrate the recipient of the ‘mission’ began to murmur.

“God must have been angry because the sun disappeared.”

Behind the whispering sounded the shrill warning of the woman who most ardently followed the prophet.

“How dare you doubt the prophet!”

“The one who didn’t read God’s will properly is the prophet…”

“Blasphemy!”

Amidst the divisions among the fanatics.

The man who was made the prophet by Raisa was agonizing as he looked down at the letter with a very simple command.

“How, how could I do this?”

A single instruction was written in the letter that was crumpled in his hand.

“To kill all the people in this village!”

What came to the face of the lamenting prophet was desperation and regret. Not a single pretense could be found.

There was a saying that the position made the person.

It meant that even if you weren’t like that in the first place, when you sit in a certain place, you change accordingly.

For better or for worse.

And this man…

So was the man who was held hostage by Raisa and became the center of the town she founded.

He was the second son of a noble family that was not affluent.

He didn’t stand out very much in both literary and swordsmanship, nor did he have a special talent, and his appearance was so average that it was not talked about.

If he was really ordinary, he was just the second son of an ordinary common noble family.

If he had to say one talent, it would probably be the power to attract people.

Should it be called charisma? Instead, it should be said that he was very good at enticing and deceiving people.

Credits goes to Jassie for raw providing, Ame for translating, and Dea for proofreading.