I Won’t Accept Your Regrets

Ophelia's bedroom.

Ellie and Raymond stood in front of Ophelia's bed. Ellie looked over the wide bed and parted her lips.

“Where is Ophelia and that doll…”

To be exact, there was a large teddy bear lying on the bed.

It wasn't the teddy bear that supposed to be there, but her adorable daughter.

‘But why is Carlisle's teddy bear on the pillow? Where has Ophelia gone?'

Ellie couldn't think for a moment. Raymond's quavering voice was heard as she stiffened foolishly as she looked at the bed occupied by the teddy bear.

“What in the world is this…”

Raymond was also showing his feelings in his voice as if he couldn't believe the situation. Shocked and terrified.

"Ophelia!"

Raymond walked past her and opened the dressing room door. As if he hadn't found Ophelia there, he headed for the terrace. However, Raymond's face was blank as if she wasn't there too.

“No way, kidnapping…”

The daughter, whom he had been taking care of that would fall in the wind or get wet in the rain, disappeared. Raymond wasn't thinking rationally. At the moment when his face turned red with anger, Ellie's lips, which were still observing the situation, opened.

"Calm down, Your Majesty."

Ellie approached him, who had lost his composure. Raymond's gaze was on her and Ellie continued.

“Everything in the room stays the opposite to be called a kidnapping. You don't see any sign of someone breaking in, right?"

Raymond stopped at her sweet voice. Raymond will know better than she does about the killers' tracks. As if to take a look, Raymond turned back to the room and turned his head as well.

"Oh…"

There was no sign of someone breaking in, no sign of a murderer, not even a small trace. There are no signs of rebellion either. No one broke into Ophelia's room.

‘So, where in the world…? Who is placed that teddy bear on the bed? …No way.'

His eyes widened as he narrowed his brow as if in deep thought. Finally, he noticed it too.

“…Then Ophelia…”

"I think so."

Ophelia left the Palace herself. Cute enough, she even tried to trick them with a teddy bear.

Ellie turned her head towards the teddy bear who seemed calm and lonely. The glow of the teddy bear smiling happily on the pillow resembled Ophelia's clear smile.

‘You put a teddy bear on your bed and covered it with a blanket and smiled happily?'

For some reason, Ellie laughed as she was stupefied by Ophelia's appearance in front of her.

“I can't believe Ophelia left the Palace in secret. Why suddenly? …Lia is not a child who does these dangerous things…”

Raymond seemed unable to believe that Ophelia had left the Palace on her own. It seemed all the more shocking because she had never caused such a small problem before.

“Whatever it is, I need to contact the knights immediately. She may not have been able to leave the Imperial Palace yet…”

“Hours have already passed since she ate breakfast. She probably already left the Imperial Palace.”

“Then the knights immediately… Shit!”

Raymond stopped talking and ran a hand through his hair roughly. He wanted to release all the Imperial Palace knights immediately to search the capital, but if a large number of Imperial Palace knights suddenly move, it will soon be known that the Princess disappeared.

The fact that this is the case could bring real disturbing forces on the scene and make Ophelia's situation dangerous. So he had to find Ophelia as discreetly as possible.

But the problem is, he didn't even know where she went. Why did Ophelia suddenly leave the Imperial Palace? …She was satisfied with the birthday party and smiled happily at her gift. No matter how much he looked back, he couldn't think of a reason for Ophelia to leave the Imperial Palace.

Ellie was quietly turning her head when Raymond swallowed a frustrated sigh. Of course, she was worried about both Ophelia and Raymond, but she thought more about Raymond. In other words, Ophelia will be safe.

Ophelia was smart, a girl smarter than her peers. She wouldn’t have left the Imperial Palace recklessly. Ellie was sure she chose a destination and left.

‘Where is that place?'

At that moment, what happened two days ago came to Ellie's mind.

The Help Center for the Poor which she attended on the last day of the festival. When Ellie said that she would leave Carlisle with the work, bright-eyed Ophelia said that she wanted to go. She said that he wanted to serve the poor like her mother.

Of course, Raymond and Carlisle didn't allow it. The two of them overprotected her like she was a flimsy glass that would shatter if they dropped Ophelia. And that day, Ellie was so sick that she couldn't take Ophelia's side.

Ophelia was quite stubborn that day, unlike usual. Usually she was a child who would withdraw immediately when told no, but that day she begged Raymond to let her go. Though she eventually backed down due to Raymond's tough attitude, saying that it was also dangerous to the tender Ophelia.

Ellie clearly saw Ophelia's sad and disappointed face. And today is the day of the Help Center for the Poor. She didn’t know that the wailing would be big enough to secretly leave the Imperial Palace.

Ellie smiled a little, thinking of Ophelia, who would have worked so hard to get out of the Imperial Palace today. She always said that it is scarier if a quiet child causes an incident. Se actually caused an incident that took her dad's soul away.

Ellie, who had an idea where Ophelia would have gone, calmly said to Raymond, who was watching nervously.

"Ray, I think I know where Lia went."

Raymond shook his head at her.

"Really?"

“Help Center for the Poor. I'm sure she’s going there."

* * *

"Ugh… I'm full."

The time when the Imperial Palace was turned upside down.

Ophelia breathed heavily, stroking her stomach. She ate a lot of delicious street foods, as well as chicken skewers, and her stomach was about to explode.

As she sat on a bench in front of the fountain in the square and digested, a loud bell rang out in the square. The place where the bell rang was none other than the Clock Tower. At the sound of the bell announcing noon, Ophelia jumped from her seat.

"Oh, it's already so late!"

Forgetting her original purpose because she was blinded by street food. The ultimate reason why Ophelia left the Imperial Palace was to help the poor. Visiting the capital was one of the purposes, but the work of the Help Center the Poor was more important.

Since it's a Help Center for her birthday, Ophelia wanted to help them herself. Of course, her older brother will be there, but she heard that today, there are many commoners and imperialist doctors in the Help Center. They said anyone who wanted to volunteer could come and join him, so Ophelia thought to sneak in there.

Of course, Ophelia had no idea. The fact that young children are not accepted as volunteers. Therefore, Ophelia hurried to the stop to get on the public carriage to the Help Center for the Poor.

"I'll ride it too!"

Ophelia, who barely got into the carriage just before it left, smiled and settled into the corner. Oddly enough, she tilted her head for a moment towards the side of the carriage where there were no people, but she couldn't think of anything else because she was looking at the scenery passing by the carriage that began to rattle.

It was said that she was precocious, but he was only seven years old. It was after the carriage came to a stop that Ophelia realized something was wrong.

"Where I am…?"

After getting off the carriage, Ophelia looked embarrassed as she looked around the empty area. But before he could ask the driver anything, the carriage left.

‘A deserted street.'

Ophelia walked a little further into the street. Then she saw a row of cabins that were hard to call home. At the same time, Ophelia frowned at the scent before her nose.

The eyes of the few people in front of the cabin turned to Ophelia. Skinny people with tired eyes.

“There is no way this place is…”

Ophelia finally realized where she was.

The slums of the capital. She only saw the word poor and got on the carriage. Of course, she thought it was a carriage going to the Help Center for the Poor. However, the place the carriage was headed for was not the Help Center, but a real slum.

Ophelia was momentarily rendered speechless by the more disastrous appearance of the slums than is described in the book. The current scene was even more shocking because she had lived in the Imperial Palace with gold spoon.

Then a boy approached Ophelia. A skinny boy dressed in ragged clothes.

"Who are you? You're not a person from here, are you? Did you take the wrong way?”

"Oh yes…"

“I see… I'll show you the way out of here. Can I get 1 copper instead? I am so hungry."

The boy rubbed his dry stomach and made an unflattering face. At that moment, Ophelia's young heart sank. As if she was the only one who could rescue this boy now.

Still young, Ophelia was completely obsessed with the idea of helping the poor boy in front of her.

“This, I will give you everything,” Ophelia handed her bag to the child without knowing that it was dangerous.

"All this?"

The boy's eyes changed momentarily when he saw the heavy bag of money, but Ophelia didn't see it. The boy looked up and saw Ophelia's face inside the cloak. The boy's eyes widened when he saw Ophelia's face.

A beautiful girl like a painting. The boy, who was subconsciously mesmerized by Ophelia's appearance, came to his senses when his hand touched the bag of money.

"Yes. So, don't starve. And if you go to the Help Center today, you can receive more food and clothing. Do you want to go to the Help Center with me?”

And the boy changed his mind. He was going to get some more money, but he couldn't believe she was so pretty.

‘I'll take her to the boss.'

He had heard that young and beautiful girls are sold for a high price. Obviously, if you dedicate this girl to the boss, the boss will praise you a lot.

Looking at the bag of money and her outfit, she looked like a noble, but it doesn't matter. Because there was no escort knight or maid around the girl.

People silently disappearing into the slums were so common that no one would know if the girl was here. She was even wearing a cloak as if she was hiding. Besides that, it will be easy to take her to the boss when he reaches with his hand for the bag.

The young man's dangerous tricks quickly went awry. The boy looked into Ophelia's innocent eyes and gave his full attention to the bag of money… If only a sudden hand hadn't grabbed the boy's arm.