The Tragic Male Lead Chose the Wrong Partner Chapter 11

Maceira frowned as he looked down at Cynthia, who had passed out once again.

 

“What an annoying human.”

 

He stood up, threw a blanket over her, and walked out.

 

* * *

 

After the engagement ceremony, I finally came to my senses two full days later.

 

The dream of my past life had been disturbingly vivid. I could still hear the fading echoes of sirens and air raid announcements ringing in my ears.

 

But this is a world where the war is over. Life’s supposed to be on easy mode now!

 

I opened my eyes forcefully.

 

“Hic.”

 

With a startled gasp, Eugene, who had apparently been watching me, bolted like a cat caught knocking over a flowerpot.

 

I looked up at the ceiling and blinked.

 

“You’ve awakened, my lady? I should’ve taken into account how delicate you are and protected you better… As someone who serves the lady, I am deeply ashamed. My sincerest apologies.”

 

It was Dahlia. She must’ve been nursing me this whole time, and now she was apologizing as she gently pressed a cold cloth to my forehead.

 

I smiled faintly.

 

“There’s nothing to apologize for. I’m not that weak. Even if I looked like one of those fainting sheeps that collapse at loud noises.”

 

“…There are sheeps that faint?”

 

“Yeah. They were apparently used as bait for wolves so the other sheeps could escape.”

 

Peeking at us from beyond the slightly open door was Eugene peeking in. He looked completely fascinated by my story, but as soon as our eyes met, he vanished again like a ghost.

 

Dahlia said softly, “News of your awakening must’ve reached the Brigadier General by now. He’ll probably be here soon.”

 

“Oh, come on. No way. You can tell just by looking at him that he’s a typical workaholic who values ​​work more than his family–”

 

Creak.

 

As soon as I saw the tall man coming in with the door creaking open, I immediately muted my words.

 

Maceira, still dressed in his combat uniform, probably had been training.

 

Wait, he came this fast? I was hoping to gossip behind his back a little, but even tigers come when they badmouth him.

 

He walked up to me, looked down with a blank expression, and nodded with an expressionless face.

 

“You’re awake. Good.”

 

“That uniform really suits you. Were you so worried–”

 

“No.”

 

Cutting me off before I could start small talk, he turned on his heel and walked straight out.

 

What a cold-hearted man…

 

“The Brigadier General must have been worried about you. He’s just not very expressive, you see…”

 

Dahlia quickly tried to smooth things over.

 

Yeah, no. That was the most fake concern I’ve ever seen.

 

If I recall correctly, in the original novel, the male lead found out the fake bride’s true identity after she was cornered and exposed. That’s also why he went so far to pretend not to know her lies.

 

But how am I supposed to draw out the passionate devotion of that cold-hearted man? Just thinking about the long road ahead made me feel famished.

 

“Dahlia, I’m starving.”

 

“That’s understandable. I’ll bring you some porridge.”

 

“I want a feast.”

 

“But your stomach might not be ready. It could be hard on you.”

 

“Then a sumptuous feast… with porridge included.”

 

I gave her my best pitiful eyes, but Dahlia remained merciless.

 

In the end, I was stuck eating bland, tasteless rice water.

 

* * *

 

On his way back to the training grounds, Maceira thought about what had happened that day.

 

“The air raid siren hasn’t been lifted.”

 

“Please… don’t leave me all alone…”

 

Cynthia had been hiding out in a rural area far from the frontlines to avoid the Revolutionary Army. The place she’d lived in was barely affected by the war.

 

So of course she’d never heard an air raid siren in real life.

 

‘You only read about war in the newspaper, so why do you act like you’ve experienced it firsthand?’

 

“Brigadier General. I was just about to ask you something. Are most of the people working here from the military?”

 

“Why do you ask that?”

 

“I just want to understand and get along with them. There must be aftereffects of the war after all…”

 

“There’s no need to try so hard.”

 

“Pardon?”

 

“Someone like you, who’s lived a comfortable life without ever knowing war, what could you possibly understand?”

 

She’d tried to act unbothered at that time, but there’d been a faint bitterness in her voice. Like she was hiding a much deeper wound.

 

‘Which version of her is the real one…?’

 

Maceira raked his platinum hair with frustration.

 

At that moment, a small hand tugged at his sleeve.

 

“Uncle.”

 

It was Eugene.

 

The boy was looking up at him with uneasy eyes.

 

“What is it”

 

“Do nobles beat people when they do something wrong?”

 

“No. Who told you that?”

 

“A maid named Rose said that.”

 

Rose was the maid who followed Cynthia from the Queensguard estate.

 

He hadn’t forgotten her behavior during the engagement ceremony, and it was obvious Count Queensguard’s intentions weren’t pure, but for now, he was observing.

 

“Did something happen? Did you do something wrong?”

 

Eugene fidgeted with his little fingers, hesitant. Then finally confessed in a small voice.

 

“I gave Cynthia noona a frog that was hibernating. I wanted to scare her. But she didn’t even flinch and thanked me. She said she would raise it well. That frog needs to sleep through winter, and we can meet it again in spring.”

 

Maceira suddenly remembered the glass fish tank window, decorated with pinecones and fallen leaves, with a weird little name tag on it that said ‘Mr. Ribbit’s Bedroom.’

 

‘So that’s what that was. A frog house.’

 

“I still don’t see any reason to be punished. Did someone hit you?”

 

Maceira’s eyes turned cold. It was because Eugene had been looking scared since a while ago.

 

“Actually, last night, when it was time to light the lamps after dinner…….”

 

The boy hesitated, struggling to share what he’d witnessed.

 

“The maid who came with Cynthia noona hit Mary and Ginny. She said they didn’t clean the bathtub properly. She told them Cynthia noona told her to beat them.”

 

Mary and Ginny were still young apprentice servants.

 

Maceira’s eyes gradually narrowed as Eugene spoke.

 

* * *

 

Thanks to Dahlia’s cruelly strict dietary restrictions, I was starving. I couldn’t even sleep because I was so hungry.

 

“There were many cases where war orphans would suddenly eat oily food on an empty stomach and get sick. Of course, I’ve experienced it myself”

 

Dahlia said with a sorrowful look as she handed me yet another bowl of watery porridge.

 

I couldn’t argue with that, but surely my ‘empty stomach’ phase was over now.

 

Eventually, I decided to sneak out of my room. Just a tiny midnight snack wouldn’t hurt, right?

 

“Huh? Kitchen staff should’ve left ages ago…”

 

I blinked in surprise when I saw light leaking from the kitchen.

 

As I cautiously approached, I heard someone scolding harshly someone else inside.

 

Oh my, maybe the head cook’s a total grump. He’s still nagging at this hour.

 

“Are you trying to displease Lady Cynthia?!”

 

“But if we do that, it’ll mess with the rations…”

 

Smack!

 

That was definitely the sound of someone getting hit. This wasn’t just a scolding.

 

“Who’s displeased with what, now?”

 

I strode into the kitchen.

 

There stood Rose, holding a whip in her hand, and several young trainee servants on the verge of tears.

 

“L-Lady Cynthia… I’m sorry!”

 

The kids, barely in their early teens, immediately began to beg and cry the moment they saw me.

 

“Rose, what the hell are you doing?”

 

Back when I was a maid, it wasn’t uncommon for servants to be ‘disciplined; under pretext of training.

 

This was usually done by the master. Unless the master ordered it, no servant had the right to strike another.

 

“I never told you to hit anyone.”

 

“No, my lady. Of course you didn’t.”

 

Rose bowed her head with a falsely obedient smile.

 

“You’re a kind and generous lady, and you’re not even the mistress of the house yet. You wouldn’t dare to displease the Brigadier General before the wedding, would you?”

 

She was saying it like I’d secretly ordered this and told her to take the fall.

 

“You planned this, didn’t you?”

 

Trying to paint me as the villain of the estate.

 

That way, if I ever end up murdered, no one will bother investigating.

 

I’d been wondering how to get rid of the spies who knew too much about me.

 

Rosé lowered her whip.

 

“My lady, shall we consider the punishment over now?”

 

“Why do you keep talking like I ordered this?”

 

“Oh… of course. My apologies.”

 

She gave me a sly, mocking smile.

 

A sudden chill crept up my back.

 

When I turned around, Maceira was standing there with a cold expression.