Chapter 13: The Huge Door

The banquet was a new experience for Ophelia. Due to the fact that she was from a poor family in her previous life, she didn't have the privilege to go out socializing with people of higher social status or even set foot at such extravagant events.

And for her first experience of attending an extravagant event where people of high social status are only invited, she was the center, and the event was for her, making it a very memorable occasion for her.

She met many interesting individuals and acquaintances of the original Ophelia. Meeting someone who knew the original Ophelia made her think about how her life seemed perfect, but she chose to live with the hero.

She wondered why the original Ophelia decided to do that.

The banquet ended well that night, and the very next day, Ophelia decided to go to her office and check the reports about the household.

"Everything seemed to be in order," she muttered as she finished reading the report in her grasp.

The situation in the household is perfectly fine. Every task has been completed, and there are no issues to address. Even the multiple businesses owned by the household were stable and doing well, or more like flourishing, through the year even though the head of the household was not present.

"So, you're the one who takes care of the household in my absence," Ophelia said towards the person standing in front of her.

"Yes, your grace. I have been ensuring that everything runs smoothly and that the family's needs are met," the man said politely.

This man in front of her is obviously intelligent and has been keeping the household thriving for years. It's impossible that nothing bad ever happened in all those years that Ophelia was gone.

For a household with many businesses and money, it's normal for it to have a lot of problems. And this man solved it all.

"Dante, do you have anything you want? I can give it to you for a reward for your excellent service," Ophelia offers.

How does a normal head butler have access to the businesses of the family and the power to make decisions on their behalf?

He's not a normal head butler at all.

Ophelia was afraid of the teriffying man in front of her. She wanted to have a good relationship with him as an master-servant.

She feels unease at the the matter. All she could do is give him something as a reward to maintain their current relationship.

The middle-aged man smiled at her. "I'm your servant, your grace. It's a given thing for me to give my outmost loyalty and dedication to the family."

Ophelia felt her hair stand up from the way the middle-aged man was looking straight into her eyes, as if he saw right through her.

"I see. The Lockhart household is lucky to have you as our servant," Ophelia replied with a forced smile.

"Thank you for your kind words and your grace. However, complimenting about such a thing is too shallow. A servant is meant to be loyal and dedicate their lives to their masters, especially in our case since my clan has been serving the Lockhart household for many generations, and I take great pride in upholding that tradition," the middle-aged man said proudly, with a sense of duty and honor in his voice.

Ophelia looked at the man in front of her, still not completely convinced. She can't help but be wary because she cannot believe such a kind of person still exists in the world.

She couldn't help but wonder if his words were genuine or just a façade. In the past years that Ophelia was not present, he basically had all the power and authority to himself. How come he can't be tempted to take it for himself?

As if they are bonded to something.

"I'm still glad," Ophelia smiled, setting aside her feelings.

"Dante, I have something for you to do," Ophelia started.

"What could it be, your grace?"

"Prepare the requirements for me to have this document as soon as possible," she commanded, then gave him a paper.

Dante read the paper in his grasp without showing any emotion at all.

"As you command, your grace, I will complete the task as efficiently as possible," Dante said before excusing himself.

Ophelia sighed out of relief once the head butler was out of sight. She felt pressured whenever that man was around, and she couldn't show her true emotions at all.

Is he some kind of super-trained servant for the family?

She wondered, intrigued by his impeccable manners and ability to anticipate their every need. The head butler did mention that his clan had served the Lockhart household for many generations.

Now that she was at the Lockhart estate, she had the highest ranking among the estate members rather than just being a mere wife. She has all the power to command anyone below her without being questioned.

Seeing that she didn't anything to do at her office she decided to roam around the estate, trying to familiarize herself with the structure of the estate. Her tour was easy for her since she had Ophelia's memory to lean on.

This estate is truly huge and full of expensive decorations.

She wondered how many servants there were for them to maintain the image of an estate as big as this everyday.

Ophelia stopped walking when she saw a huge double door, intricate with small gems.

That door was a restricted area in the estate, and only the bloodline of the Lockhart household could enter that door. There's a force, which maintained that rule for many generation.

That information was from Ophelia's memory. She felt amused by that information because it was so fantasy-like. However, she can't really feel that shock since she was in a world where magic existed.

Ophelia opened the huge door easily, despite being huge and looking heavy, and entered the area.

A huge room came into view as she set foot inside.

Ophelia looked up and saw how tall the room was.

This room has expensive decoration too that can't be compared to the decorations from outside the room. The room was the same as what she saw in Ophelia's memory. But she still feels baffled to see the real thing.

The original Ophelia entered this room when she was around ten years old with her older brother. Their father told them how important this room was since all the traces and history of the Lockhart household were kept inside it.

The room was like a chamber. It has a trace of walk-in closet and bathroom connected to the room. As if it was once originally someone's chamber.

And even jewelry and other items used by family members are stored here for safekeeping. And most importantly, the portraits of the family members are displayed on the walls, adding a personal touch to the space.

Every family member in every generation is separated, with the biggest portrait as the head of the house in that generation. The portraits serve as a reminder of the lineage and hierarchy within the family.

Every family has a family picture.

They are placed strategically throughout the room.

Ophelia roamed her eyes around the portraits until her eyes caught a family portrait of four.

Among the people in the portrait was the young Ophelia.

This portrait was made when she was young.

She was sitting on a chair with an adult woman while holding a doll in her hands. There's also a young man standing behind them, along with an adult man.

This was Ophelia's family.

Ophelia stood out in the portrait as she was the only one with light hair while the others had raven black hair. However, she has the same crimson eyes just like her father and brother while her mother has luminescent green eyes.

She noticed that all the descendance of every generation have the same crimson eyes. That must have been the result of a genetic trait passed down through the family.

Even though Ophelia was different from her family members in that she had light hair, she was not cast as an outcast since her light hair was inherited from a distant relative on her mother's side. The same goes to the bloodline of the Lockhart's, who also have blonde-haired members.

Ophelia stared at the portrait with eyes filled with longing and curiosity, wondering what would be like if such a tragedy didn't happen in this family.

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