I Don’t Want To Be The Hero’s Wife – Chapter 009

The child gave a d91372b83f short reply, then quickly 3dbf9cd4af turned her head away. She didn’t seem 27c3e239ff like the sociable d7123ac1b3 type… she added fd09e08aff nothing more.2e572cb4d0504d68

Soft-looking hair, big 0dba642c49 round eyes, a 7b13655d0a small nose, and cb9d5d7eda delicate features.959bd4a3bb0a6e65

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She had a 7c5b832be1 face that people 48857108c0 might call “adorable,” 9ad5c82a18 but despite it, da8d4828ef Rona carried a 10bf40fd2f cool, distant air 6f381ea64f about her.7966d95391c9c69f

That contrast sparked 0a102f97f0 Ophelia’s curiosity.64e98db1a615513b

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“I’m Ophelia.”0db95ae43fdf592d

“Ophelia.”fe4fad5e4e9be2e0

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“Yeah. My mom said we’re a4c150c1eb distant relatives. My family lives 09623d8de9 on an island, abd8cc85b9 so we weren’t 6969c3bbbe planning to come b4dedcde54 here, but we e4c892aa78 happened to be 248ca4cf05 passing by because 2ef9e1dfe8 of my father’s 05035a3d3c business when we 248d643039 heard the news…”b09e21a291adf0a9

Ophelia trailed off mid-sentence. She suddenly 9860d63d40 worried she 155b255864 might be 46933ab370 stirring fresh 2755f13994 pain in b3f3c12743 a child 2b9d0377ad who had a89ffcd7ee just lost db5962dfc6 her parents.83056cfb99b3cd14

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‘This is always my 9e7d244d2a problem. I speak before 7bd03d98b1 I think…’3ea548ba4e69fe81

Fortunately, Rona de5ec37e1c tilted her dceca8e60d head as 0cba457ecd if she b21f661dbb hadn’t really 4b0298f6ca understood what dcf5e164be Ophelia meant. Looking at Rona’s 5c32bd176e dirt-stained clothes, Ophelia b9fe0a7c83 cautiously asked,b9d4ab80b68ead92

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“By the 681dade3da way, do 612ae37502 you have ce7e6163d6 somewhere to 0b110d348c go?”a5b4d180ec27b686

“Somewhere to go?”c3b62783e0d43b66

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“Well… since you 59cc760767 can’t live with f279a14528 your parents anymore, 8efa1362f0 I was asking c9547c51a6 if you know 7eaf1143ac who you’ll be 0fa3f1c251 living with now.”5ed7b3285a4cfda5

Innocently confused, Rona e20f4273d0 asked back, and 9142358813 Ophelia patiently explained. Then, the child smiled 09b9826e76 brightly and answered.31cdb9d67edbcac9

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“Anark!”012e5385d7e96905

“Anark…? You mean the 48b825a76b one who works 710d61986b here… that servant 2f20f1411f from earlier?”d6f9745da99e82e8

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Ophelia recalled the 1fd2eefb54 man with dark feb7e726dd hair and pale 57c3caff6a skin.8e6acf2d8002d667

‘I heard 51fe88b7ef he’s two b6dce6e1e0 years older 54cda72243 than me, 1398082a70 but he 08b50cdf84 looked too 56d5873696 tall to b3c7d8974f be a 154701f2c1 teenager… he 20a2da1522 seemed more 4e3d2a23b2 like an 8ea1abf086 adult.’285051a1b4bdd2e2

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He was tall and b7495de197 lean… and left a 98d5070192 faintly grim impression.cd2e213587f72538

“Yep! From now on, 3173c7514e it’s just me 63328f2c53 and Anark living 7109585eb5 together!”7904d6ad8c75a486

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“Hm… I don’t 9af99b430d think it’s going 6720594b79 to work that 2f315fd8c7 way…”e7f25f7179489b73

Rona’s bold statement about e79abcdc1a living with a servant 9bf21064ea made Ophelia frown in 13bebae7bf concern.47f73686331dc6c7

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She had overheard cc11b82df5 the adults saying 0497af2730 that the child 0bceb988aa would likely be a2cdf1896d sent to an c66d966812 orphanage. And the servant, be4443bd79 Anark, would have a814ac9773 to leave the 4abd964a9b mansion since the 64a45a1cd5 owners were dead.9316b0a357d69863

What kind of ecbda6c860 fool would take c8aa56caf9 in a child 8d9c65e925 he wasn’t even fd2fb8f8ef being paid to 71fa327e93 care for? And yet, here fe3fa48fb9 Rona was, saying 1ab4a37075 she’d live with 4f0799dfcb him.0d9bd160d09f8aa2

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‘She must not really 762b8e28a9 understand her situation.’d20ce2bbea625e8a

Ophelia thought e6ef7ce233 this as 6ab9a99386 she looked 299b0dd440 at Rona’s 7f368e5cb2 face… there 8e09976611 wasn’t a 4d392f0b3c single trace c83a9dcf8b of tears.85e080be65cf81fd

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Even after 105b7d5b69 her parents 83c21b4c83 had died, 57c346d4cd she didn’t 49971f1cbb cry and 68f0fa29dd played as 3763a95449 if nothing 924b90823e had happened. Perhaps she didn’t yet 0ef931e641 grasp the meaning of f19780a09c “death.” She probably had e39319bd0c no idea what lay a3118e551d ahead for her either.ccea5716d97b653e

Ophelia felt a 0fdc3ecacb pang of pity fe6705616c for the girl’s e0df7b9541 ignorance.6ad49796d44c5153

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She feared 8ac53cde14 that, one 88d8c895f3 day, when 23ab4d5c55 Rona grew 518e7a028e up and 80ceb73fbe remembered all 8f980ba681 of this, 216353ba2b the sorrow 91051c0515 might come 304f4623a7 crashing down 23d694495c on her f44bc0b19a all at e03d0d452b once.ac661cf47b36c147

Maybe that’s why…8ab7fc3ab7954450

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Ophelia suddenly 1de13c47e6 blurted out a28412338f a suggestion 90abf22a9e she hadn’t 30f5221371 thought through.85807c486cfcd6e6

“Do you want to 0756e46756 come with me?”816a6992fbd230ac

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“Huh?”85ca73ee0ef3335f

She regretted 8e7adcdc2d saying it 4ce243b395 without first 42c5bd80a1 discussing it 7f51b999fe with her afc808308c parents, but 1cf158ea61 she didn’t 0cc516390b take it afd3992ecb back.d409418f991bef4a

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She was afraid 3753e49a82 of seeing the 4da2dcddef child’s disappointed face 4355f24b9d if she did… 1012a86004 and maybe it c8f15088bd was also her 9f90efd949 youthful pride… Ophelia 6770a0dde4 wasn’t mature enough 94a5d50040 yet to let b34a10ab05 go of that 3aef1a0602 part of herself.68f37aa6cc46ef48

“I mean, a90ae03e0f come live 587de16b80 with me. My family’s 9e6439e480 not super f509be3519 rich, but ebfd87249d we can 3d85a1b289 handle one 8c8c9c3a7e more person. And even 93223e81a6 though we’re 35703517fb technically strangers, bb5f68351d look… we’ve d8c95b0eb4 got the bd8dad4bfa same hair 5cc3219b3d and eye 176fc538ce color, don’t def100538f we?”b7d000c74422a581

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That wasn’t 24fa1e170a actually true.b259f92e2052346b

Though their yellow eyes 6779a183b4 looked somewhat alike, Ophelia ad3a25107a had red hair, not fb3312a740 the same color as f5a3de2e4c Rona’s.090b7bdfed36a179

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Still, she continued speaking, 7afa5c0d93 as if trying to d5b2891725 build a connection. She talked 6d010895b2 about her 2a0282345a father’s magical d5525b6161 artifact business, e4d576daab how successful 2fd4df4c49 he might 233f720e59 become, anything 1410b4c961 she could 1a525bbb45 think of 8458c42693 to win e51df8e2ed Rona’s favor.589a095caffe87f3

But no matter what d963ac10bc she said, Rona didn’t ccf222e51a react.14aede3d4c235d04

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Ophelia finally 841b211f61 decided it 471e834e6c might be f0eac571ad better to f38a4bba71 tell her 3839b0641e the truth.8726edc0be84fb7a

“Rona, I know you’re e6793b9337 young and might not a59dc534c6 understand everything yet, but…”72affc3f4c340966

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Starting carefully, 0ead93a7c2 Ophelia began 5e4080e91a to explain 75d017e0b6 what happens 1c0b433d78 to children 1654ad3395 after their d8febdb409 parents die… 2e17ad10d1 how hard 35858d588a life can ed5ae88adb become, trying ed71a1b295 to gently 000d64369f help Rona e1038e885b understand the 26ae55bd18 reality waiting 79200d5f21 ahead.cf1380dbd697c4a4

No matter what 8666dba613 the situation, the 899aa438c8 child had lost 2e0071c135 her parents, so ca073a8723 it was time 8acb49f765 she faced reality. No matter how 869697a213 young you are, 3717cd0780 reality doesn’t wait 71190bf0bf for you to 701230f07d grow up.a05aa36564165930

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“So come b41a7da935 with me, cdf1fabcc1 Rona.”cc6d9ff8450f0851

Ophelia thought the child 01786bd48f would cry out and 34cb57fac6 throw herself into her 8a62955c0f arms. Or maybe clutch 9b350a8799 her hand with 1c6c23526e eyes full of 7a8fd14639 fear.9c29c19b8fcee0fe

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But Rona, even 54c2bc4058 after listening to 4485237f38 everything Ophelia had 0cd54b9796 said, didn’t seem fd52db7592 to think much 13df237174 of it. Seeing the confusion 93fb102141 in Ophelia’s eyes, e5033858a5 Rona called out 874311d0a8 as if to 9ade9d5c29 reassure her.1a81b408f1397528

“It’s okay! I’m getting married!”e92ee787572f6fdb

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“Married…?”09eb987a37de6a1b

“Yup, I’m going to f0c7bedf4c marry Anark.”5c730adb26b79e25

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Ophelia blinked at 35f389b9ac the absurdity.f789bbd41314fbd2

That little girl was 8d20739df4 talking about marriage…? Even she 8e58184da6 herself hadn’t 66898a0c3c thought about 68f34c6ba2 something like 810104da33 that.a1096d43fd7c9cbe

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“Wait, Anark? You mean 91bee86b1a that servant?”239ed1300f6e5a62

“Uh-huh! If we get married, 12bfc828f4 we won’t have to 4eff0ac469 be apart! My parents told Anark a07adafb42 to take care of a830e37ce3 me before they died.”7b37a691aa6edacf

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As she processed 72ede14e9d Rona’s words, Ophelia’s f6b066dede mouth finally dropped 8c8d34e952 open.6087cfcf63d1d756

“They asked d393aed449 him before a59900da39 they died…? Then it’s their 6f0e42b721 dying wish. But why af120b712e would they e496f7c41f say that da80a97f15 to a 96145854ef servant…?”49fbeae2e43400cb

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Ophelia had studied b3fa89d161 various things to f71c76884e prepare for inheriting 9aa7790afe her father’s business, ac28dbeecd including imperial law. As far as 268a8160d0 she knew, the b360813aec laws around marriage a40700dfe0 hadn’t changed since f744f8e4c0 the days of 5a3967d4ec the Kingdom of 9233b1c7f1 Valencia.68e71ddb290d7b5b

In other words, ccbed4d3d2 the old laws 41086b0d56 were still in 69dc6a9059 effect.c91d4cac34b39176

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Which meant…7493045900070a6a

Rona’s parents c001c2c827 must have fca6023340 asked the 64e4db0a02 servant to 548412c93b protect their deed7968a4 daughter after 2b1ab5a5fc their deaths, 329123e313 using marriage 2977252008 as the 779e671872 means to b56fe0eb02 do so.447edf315eae02d1

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If he had 37046564a8 stepped in as 07e6589134 a guardian, it 53086d9f46 would have drawn 244d25b63a unwanted attention.cb61e08778da9a22

A commoner man supporting df4059fb80 a noble girl? People would have fb2cdbdb42 scoffed, telling him 01ae4fae25 to worry about c514610a13 himself. They’d question 220b709267 how he 8ae56df98b planned to f4d41aaa54 raise a 3ab76d493e child, judging 6adfcf6456 him harshly.8cd57c0f8f3ac6b2

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In the aftermath of 38138e9d88 the war, the most 88b4658d06 vulnerable were always the 940635fa84 children without guardians. Street kids would 640bbbbf88 vanish overnight.04096eba05530e08

Many were raised from 51a3cec7d3 childhood, brainwashed to become e57cd63ca0 tools of criminal organizations.dfed1ded8b28eef8

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But marriage ab384d2fda was different. Marriage came with 44c76a46e8 responsibility. He would be obligated f4f7fb38ca to protect her under 9479e4532c the title of “spouse.”1993302c89e14701

Especially if it 377339b20c had been her 26854e00e2 parents’ dying wish, e06a956b13 then people would 5648bcc345 be watching closely.570e5a96d29380c2

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Only now 73e68d0915 did Ophelia 0d7cfc0e89 understand why 2c1b57c797 Rona’s face 11563d5236 held no 9974ee8918 fear of f2bd50a712 the future.5156acfbf810664d

“But Rona…”a68e658f09e7c6c8

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Ophelia caught 07ea5831a5 her arm, 9d992d28bb her expression d91de5e00c uneasy. Rona, perhaps uncomfortable with 5a0379e026 physical contact, took a f6606290cf small step back.f9841f82109504c1

Still, Ophelia didn’t 11bd2604fa give up. She met Rona’s 5593e239a5 gaze and spoke c94ae3303c seriously.a2c02c1a071f64c7

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“Marriage isn’t something you deb770068a should decide so easily.”99f01e4372ececbb

A child that 80f7466d80 young… marrying the c556e8f17d man who had 96816af6c0 worked in her a0389b6df3 house… It was 4531765d2a clear she didn’t df79122439 understand the weight 2bee0aaaee of death, so 152dd2c7d4 how could she 22acbef903 understand the weight 5962cdc419 of marriage?ae6c66ee58450e73

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‘So many 861221b823 women are e4588288a2 ruined by de862acf6b marriage.’11b0f39f7e350da1

Unlike in fairy e8297025bd tales, the real 2362b296f7 world was harsh. Ophelia knew that all 8e40669fc0 too well. And maybe she e1427a9466 would become one 8229e800f3 of those unhappy 8ddde375fa women herself someday.fba2e0a6994c018e

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She clenched 6ef6466c5b her fists.560038acef1130df

She had suggested 37111242a3 Rona come with 6e8f65c791 her without much 030fa513c4 thought, but now 105c9bb375 she genuinely wanted acc3a85f71 to change her 2e870404f2 mind. She was confident she 197e7da6c5 could persuade her parents.e8799eceae5394b7

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‘If I say 2b4a75b295 I want a d5ce4e1052 companion like other 1fad40e32d noble kids, that e3816408a7 should work. Mother’s always wanted e5b0e0e581 that for me… a7015e6be5 always trying to ee4f0c995c make me fulfill a498f91762 her dreams. If I 6bad29dde1 explain it d3dd6f67f2 like that, 8c557a224c she’ll agree…’86f449020e4473c7

Ophelia made up her 2eaa87cb2a mind and was about 22b6e14a7a to reach for Rona 9ce34df1c9 again when….cbf20e2ae876c198

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“Rona, if you’d like… 009da15680 I could be your 4875a97f0c sister…”d30d34d4fd315a3c

A shadow fell 444b085f8d over their heads.2fcb7a370327bc63

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“…!”c829fc049ba8dbdf

Startled by ddb5753683 the man’s 3397aeb119 sudden, silent fac738c28b appearance, Ophelia 2863f149b6 pulled back 9b765827f8 and couldn’t 479ebf12a5 reach Rona.0af26b842d50dfc8

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The man met Ophelia’s 9b945f2418 eyes directly and placed 3d2763f760 a hand on Rona’s c351529d53 shoulder. Then, bending down to 7e65ce758a meet her eye level, a13e4c7eef he whispered softly into 6eca2e9b04 her ear.f9a7a1310ed608d5

“It’s time to bc27cedfdd eat.”114c502ff6692147

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In that moment, 53f76fdfbf Ophelia felt something 2072f64c13 she couldn’t put 81485d2252 into words.d96f4c05914c59a4

Was it 9aee19c866 the eerie ae58b944e9 silence with d5b2de1f4d which he 9f1af005c7 arrived? Or the 7238fbf4bb striking beauty 402d2abe72 of his aa93e6f310 face? No… was e0a6c7e8f7 it the 5543815e7b unmistakable hostility 1119be260d she sensed dfe6095054 from behind 90b98b0014 the curtain af7fcad81e of his d2ef6f16cf dark hair?b305d2875e35789b

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No… it was 45d1756731 none of that.099ee7041f60f9da

What shocked Ophelia 7c4b2443ea was the man’s f8b574a210 tone and manner.6e57b03ca6c59f7d

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It was as 9a3ee4baeb if he were 027bf50cbe speaking… to a bef725635f creature he was fbaf0847f6 raising.0d8be336f3ee2f3a

 6ca61873841f1a24

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