Chapter 4.3

Why is he being so annoying?

If she stayed with him, she felt she might get indigestion from eating the cake. Ophelia looked at Cedric with displeasure.

“We’ve exchanged greetings, so you can go about your business now.”

“Business? My business today is you.”

“What?”

What’s with him today? What’s he plotting?

Knowing that Cedric wasn’t the type to say such embarrassing things, Ophelia eyed him with suspicion.

“Why haven’t you contacted me? If I knew you were attending these events alone, I would have come too.”

What on earth is he talking about? Who’s the one who didn’t reply to my letters? No, forget it. Forget it.

The conversation would only lead to an argument, so Ophelia shook her head.

“You don’t need to concern yourself. There’s no need for you to be by my side.”

“Then whom should I be with? You’re alone. Should I be alone too?”

Cedric glanced around, and Ophelia followed his gaze. Come to think of it, today was a couples’ gathering, wasn’t it? Since everyone was paired up, if Ophelia didn’t engage with him, Cedric would have to be alone too. He must be bored.

“Do whatever you want.”

“Really? Then I will.”

Cedric answered curtly, and then he stared at Ophelia.

“Why, why are you looking at me like that?”

“Wipe.”

“What?”

When Ophelia looked at him with a puzzled expression, Cedric tapped the side of his right lip with his finger. Instead of taking a handkerchief, Ophelia wiped the left side with the back of her hand and found cream on it.

Oh, how embarrassing.

Unable to face Cedric, she lowered her head, and he chuckled. What’s so funny? Ophelia checked her face again for any cake crumbs. It didn’t seem like there were any. Could it be stuck in her hair?

“Why are you laughing?”

Ophelia retorted in a snappy tone.

“Just because.”

“You’re ridiculous.”

“Because you’re cute.”

“…!”

Ophelia was so taken aback that she almost dropped her dessert.

Oh my goodness. What did he just say? 

It was so clear she couldn’t deny it, even if she wanted to say she heard wrong. 

What’s gotten into him?

Ophelia thought Cedric had gone mad. What did he eat wrong to suddenly change like this?

As she looked at him with a disgruntled expression, a ridiculous thought flashed through Ophelia’s mind.

Could it be because of that medicine?

Seeing Cedric suddenly behaving in a way he never had before, Ophelia could only think of one explanation. 

The love potion. It was said to have side effects, and now this cold-hearted man was suddenly acting like a romantic? 

Shouldn’t he be saying such cheesy lines to Young Lady Somerset instead of me? 

Cedric had clearly gone mad after taking the potion. 

“Did you eat something strange or what?” 

“Me? Of course not.” 

Cedric shrugged as if the idea was absurd, his usual arrogant gaze returning. 

Was he switching back and forth because of the potion?

Ophelia’s eyes narrowed as she studied him. 

What were the side effects of the potion again?

She remembered the effects being written down, but there was no mention of side effects. 

However, judging by Cedric’s behavior, she was certain that his nonsensical words were due to the potion’s side effects. 

Ophelia made a mental note to herself: if she ever created a potion, she would make sure to list such side effects. Only the developer of the potion could document its effects and side effects, after all. 

Feeling that continuing the conversation with Cedric would only make her cringe, Ophelia turned her gaze away from him and looked at the dessert that had fallen to the floor. 

What a waste. Not a single piece of Tom’s desserts should be thrown away. 

As she stared longingly at the dessert, Cedric stood up. Thinking that he was finally done and ready to leave, Ophelia relaxed and reached for the remaining dessert with her fork. That’s when it happened. 

“Here.” 

Cedric returned with another slice of blueberry cake and held it out to Ophelia. 

“What?” 

“You seemed disappointed.” 

“Th-thank you.” 

What’s with him today? Cedric’s excessive kindness felt unfamiliar. Just moments ago, he was saying embarrassing things, and now this… What on earth is going on? 

Cedric’s actions made Ophelia cringe so much she couldn’t bear it anymore. Finally, she couldn’t hold back and spoke up. 

“You know you’re acting really strange today, right? Why are you doing this to me when you already have someone else you’re sneaking around with?” 

“Sneaking around with? Me?” 

Cedric snorted in disbelief, his expression one of utter confusion. His gaze seemed to say.

What on earth are you talking about?

“Haven’t you heard the rumors? Do you know how many people have claimed to see you with Young Lady Somerset late at night?” 

“Oh, that? Those are just baseless rumors. Why would I sneak around when I have you, my fiancée?” 

There wasn’t even a hint of hesitation in his response. If Ophelia hadn’t seen him and Young Lady Somerset together with her own eyes, Cedric’s confident tone might have convinced her. 

But she had seen them together. His blatant lie made her feel disgusted. 

“Don’t play dumb. I saw you with Young Lady Somerset that day.” 

“Oh, that day? It was nothing. We just talked briefly.” 

Despite being the subject of the rumors, Cedric himself seemed unconcerned. How could he be so shameless when he surely knew about the gossip? 

“You were sneaking around! Are you seriously going to keep denying it?” 

“Why would I? If I were really sneaking around, would I have called out your name that day?” 

Cedric’s expression turned serious, as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Looking at his face, it didn’t seem like he was lying. Was he telling the truth, or was he just that good of an actor? 

Ophelia was certain it was the latter. Cedric was capable of anything, so it was obvious he’d be a skilled liar too. 

“Didn’t Young Lady Somerset give you a drink that day?” 

“Oh, yeah. I think she did.” 

Cedric nodded as if he had just remembered. 

“And you drank it right there on the spot?”

“Yes. She gave me a vitamin drink, so I drank it. I think I saw you while drinking it, but you disappeared before I could call out to you.”

Was that the day he had been drugged?

Was that the day he drank the potion? The day he called out to me suddenly?

“Wait. You were drinking the vitamin when you saw me? Wasn’t that the day you gave me the strawberry pie?”

“Yes, that’s right.” 

“Then the first person you saw after drinking it must have been Young Lady Somerset.”

“Hmm. She was standing nearby, but I think I saw you while drinking it.”

What? He saw me while drinking it? 

Ophelia’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“Are you sure she hadn’t given you a drink before that day?” 

“That was the first time.” 

“…”  

Ophelia realized something was wrong. That day, Young Lady Somerset must have added the love potion to the vitamin drink. 

The fact that Cedric claimed to have seen Ophelia while drinking it meant that the first person he laid eyes on after consuming the potion might not have been Young Lady Somerset but Ophelia instead. 

No, no way. That can’t be true! 

The idea that Cedric fell for Ophelia instead of Young Lady Somerset because of the potion was too far-fetched. Ophelia convinced herself that her assumption was wrong.

“Did Young Lady Somerset say anything to you?” 

“She didn’t say much. She just asked me about my graduation thesis, so I answered her. After that, I went to deliver the dessert to you.” 

“Is that really all? Don’t you have special feelings for Young Lady Somerset?” 

“Me?” 

“That’s what the rumors say.” 

“Well, the Royal Academy is always full of all kinds of rumors. Did you actually believe that? Is that why you’ve been so cold to me all this time? Is that why you said even a pig is better than me?” 

Cedric chuckled as if he’d just heard something absurd. 

“T-that’s not why.” 

“Then what is it?” 

“We’re on awkward terms.” 

“I know. I’ve reflected a lot since the last time you spoke to me.” 

“What did I say?” 

“You told me to think about my actions. I admit I’ve been indifferent to you. So, I’ve decided to change.” 

“All of a sudden? You don’t have to.” 

“No, I do. I need to reflect.” 

“…” 

Was he being sincere?

Ophelia stared at Cedric with eyes full of suspicion. 

Was he trying to change because he had seen her first after drinking the potion? If that were true, there was no way Young Lady Somerset would sit idly by. She would undoubtedly do everything she could to nullify the potion’s effects. 

Now that she thought about it, Young Lady Somerset had been giving Ophelia unpleasant looks lately. Could her behavior have something to do with Cedric and this conversation? 

No, that couldn’t be. There was no way such an absurd coincidence could occur. 

Ophelia believed Cedric was lying. If he wanted to break off their engagement and get engaged to Young Lady Somerset instead, he would need to avoid public criticism. For now, he was just pretending to be a good fiancé. 

He was probably trying to restore his reputation by improving his relationship with Ophelia so that his standing wouldn’t decline. There was no other explanation for the sudden change in the man who had neglected his fiancée all this time. 

“The Young Duke of Bristol apparently didn’t know he had been neglecting his fiancée. It seems Young Lady Granville attended alone without informing him.” 

“Why would she do that?” 

“Perhaps she wanted to ruin the reputation of a fiancé who didn’t love her.” 

The next day, Ophelia realized her suspicions were correct. 

The way people looked at her had shifted from pitying her as a neglected fiancée to mocking her as a foolish one who had failed to take revenge on her fiancé. 

Hearing the whispers around her made her so angry that her chest trembled with fury.

That wretched man! He had used me to avoid criticism! 

Cedric’s plan had worked. As a result, Ophelia was once again the one being criticized. 

‘Why didn’t you contact me? If I had known you were attending alone every time, I would have come too.’ 

With just those words, Cedric had turned the tables, making it seem like Ophelia was the indifferent one in their engagement. On top of that, by denying his relationship with Young Lady Somerset, Cedric had cleared himself of being an unfaithful fiancé. 

She had thought he was just cold-hearted, but now she realized Cedric was cunning as well. 

Ugh! How infuriating! 

Engaging with him had been a mistake. But what could she do when she couldn’t afford to ignore him? 

Ophelia felt that dealing with Cedric would only lead her to live a life of torment until she withered away. 

From now on, even if it meant enduring criticism, she would never speak to him again! With that resolve, Ophelia swallowed her anger.