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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 47
Chapter Title: Trusting and Waiting
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“Does that mean you’re not going to do anything?”
This time, the noble lady raised her voice in surprise.
Why was I caught between the two of them?
“Yes. I’m not going to do anything.”
“Weren’t you trying to reconcile the two of them?”
The noble lady muttered in bewilderment.
Of course, I cared, but this wasn’t something I should step into.
“I have no intention of getting involved in their affairs.”
My incredulous tone only made the noble lady look more flustered.
In truth, unlike my wish for them to reconcile quickly, I knew full well that the road ahead was long.
Luciano’s walls were impenetrable.
And I was the prime witness to that.
How much effort had it taken me to claim the seat beside him?
‘Acting like the sunshine heroine every day, shamelessly clinging on... it was exhausting.’
Fond memories surfaced, stinging my heart.
In any case, I knew better than anyone the pain of being ignored by Luciano, but I believed jumping in rashly wouldn’t help.
“That’s unexpected. I thought a young lady like you would want to make your two friends make up.”
“It would be nice if they did. The atmosphere’s been so tense lately, it’s killing me.”
“Then why won’t you help?”
The noble lady’s eyes shifted to a color of utter incomprehension.
“I want them to truly accept each other from the heart.”
If I intervened, they might reconcile faster.
No, they definitely would.
Luciano tended to give in with a show of reluctance if I coaxed him gently.
But that wouldn’t be a ‘real’ reconciliation.
They’d just stop showing their anger outwardly, without shedding the built-up resentment.
Was that what Harrison wanted?
In the original story, their bond was unbreakable.
It went beyond a lord-vassal relationship.
Harrison was the only one Luciano entrusted his back to in the greatest crises.
If they reconciled through my help, their relationship would surely twist.
They’d never form the same level of camaraderie as in the original.
Harrison had to overcome this crisis on his own.
That was my conviction.
“If it’s weighing on a young lady like you, they must have fought badly. Fights like that can drag on forever. You still won’t step in?”
Frustration seeped from the noble lady gazing at me.
She couldn’t understand why I’d leave them be.
Her attitude screamed that something had to be done to change the situation.
She even seemed angry for some reason.
But my stance was firm.
“Yes. I can’t force the two of them.”
The noble lady looked momentarily flustered and spoke soothingly.
“Wishing for them to get along isn’t forcing them.”
“ Telling someone who hates it to get along anyway is forcing them.”
Only then did shock spread across the noble lady’s eyes.
“So, you’re just going to wait for them to figure it out on their own? How long do you think they’ll fight? The person in the middle should step up and create an opportunity for reconciliation.”
Her voice, trembling with agitation, grew increasingly excited.
As she spoke, confidence bloomed in her words, and a hint of reproach entered her eyes.
‘It feels like I’m getting scolded.’
Irritation prickled, but then I realized belatedly that the noble lady wasn’t talking about Luciano and Harrison.
She was talking about her own situation.
Her desire to reconcile her grandchildren had unconsciously led her to chide me.
“You said they’re young.”
“What does age have to do with it?”
“Young ones are more emotional than rational. If you tell them to get along when they hate each other’s guts, they’ll rebel even more.”
“That’s...”
The noble lady looked frustrated, as if she had plenty to say but struggled to articulate it.
“And they’re nobles. High-ranking ones, at that.”
The noble lady flinched.
From the way she eyed me, she seemed to be gauging whether I’d caught on or not.
“They won’t bend their pride.”
In other words, no matter who was at fault, they wouldn’t admit it easily or apologize first.
“That’s exactly why someone in the middle needs to reconcile them.”
“I think that only works before age ten. After that, they get stubborn. Really stubborn!”
It works when they’re very young, because adults tell them to reconcile.
They believe adults are always right.
But once they can make shrewd judgments, they dig in their heels.
Even knowing they’re wrong, pride makes them stubborn.
“That method isn’t always right. Isn’t that just sophistry?”
The noble lady’s face said she wasn’t convinced.
She hadn’t come to me for advice in the first place, and I had no intention of persuading her, so I wasn’t offended.
“Yes, I’m not absolutely sure my way is right. Relationships between people aren’t like math formulas with clear answers, right?”
“Then why...”
“Because I trust my friends.”
“...Trust them?”
Luciano put up iron walls on the outside, but he didn’t dislike people.
He even had a soft side.
He was excited now, but he was capable of rational judgment.
I believed this incident would help Luciano grow inwardly even more.
Harrison, too, would shed his guilt and resentment through clashing with Luciano.
“Yes. They’re not acting recklessly without thought. I think trusting and waiting is necessary too.”
I believed they wouldn’t stay stuck forever.
I’d only voiced that conviction.
“Trust and wait...”
Suddenly, a wistful voice echoed.
Huh?
The noble lady stared into space, as if moved by my words.
As if I’d imparted some profound enlightenment.
I awkwardly just watched her.
After a moment, the noble lady gave a bittersweet yet refreshed smile.
“You’re right. Sometimes you need to wait.”
Uh?
“I learned something from you, young lady.”
I was just talking about my own situation.
To think such a conversation could move someone.
‘This must be the protagonist’s life...’
Feeling embarrassed, I scratched my cheek.
“Lady Ophelia! Lady Ophelia! Where are you?”
Just then, an urgent call rang out nearby.
“Oh dear, it seems they’ve come for me. Has so much time already passed...”
The noble lady sighed regretfully.
“We got caught up talking, so I’ve kept you too long. You said you wanted to rest alone.”
“No, it was a pleasant conversation. What’s your name, young lady?”
Only then did I realize my mistake.
I hadn’t even introduced myself.
I shot to my feet and bowed hastily.
“I apologize for the late introduction. I’m Espin Samuel. Count Samuel is my father.”
If Mother heard about this, she’d scold me for my lack of manners.
As I fretted, the noble lady smiled gently.
“I didn’t ask. Count Samuel and his wife must be so happy to have such a clever daughter.”
She didn’t seem like she’d tell Mother, so I relaxed.
Then, a group of people appeared.
Quite a number of them—I caught my breath.
A foreboding suspicion lingered.
They spotted us and approached quickly.
A chill ran down my spine, as if I’d caused trouble.
“Lady Ophelia, there you are. We were worried when you didn’t come back for so long.”
A middle-aged woman who looked of high status addressed the noble lady.
Her attitude was exceedingly polite.
The people behind her observed proper etiquette too.
Cold sweat began to break out now.
I’d guessed the noble lady was of high standing.
Her aura was unmistakable.
But during our talk, I’d felt at ease.
She’d seemed girlish at times, like a neighborhood auntie at others.
I’d thought she might be more down-to-earth than expected.
Yet the people who came for her numbered more than just one or two.
Even Imperial Consort Isabel didn’t have this many attendants.
The more attendants, the higher the power.
‘H-How high up is she, exactly?’
“I lost track of time chatting with this young lady. Am I very late for my appointment?”
The noble lady’s tone changed completely.
No longer the friendly grandmother, she became a formidable presence.
“It’s tight, but not late yet. You should head back now.”
At the maid’s reply, the noble lady nodded slowly.
With quick assistance from a knight offering his hand, she rose.
Then she turned to me.
“Young la— no, Espin.”
“Yes.”
My tone became far more deferential instinctively.
Noticing, the noble lady let out a low chuckle.
“Thank you. Thanks to you, I had a good time and enjoyed the snacks.”
“I was happy to share them with you.”
I replied promptly to her greeting.
She looked down at me with a pleased gaze.
“I’d like to chat again sometime. Come visit me one day.”
Her words made me straighten up ramrod straight.
“Yes. I’d be delighted.”
I accepted her invitation eagerly.
Connections with high-status people were always beneficial.
Even if I didn’t know her family and couldn’t actually visit as suggested.
Leaving the door open, even if just polite words, was good.
“Oh, right. You don’t know my name either.”
Oh!
Did she really mean come visit, not just politeness?
My eyes sparkled at her demeanor, as if she’d reveal her identity.
“I am Ophelia Bennett.”
Her name was as elegant as befitted a noble lady.
“Lady Ophelia Bennett, it was a pleasure to mee—”
Mid-greeting, my mouth froze.
Bennett?
That Bennett?
I looked up at her in shock.
She smiled deeply, as if she’d expected my reaction.
I Thought I Was the Protagonist
