The Tragic Male Lead Chose the Wrong Partner – Chapter 12

Author: amourtentia

“You do realize mistreating the staff inside the quarters is strictly prohibited.”

Maceira’s cool voice made an involuntary shiver crawl down my spine.

‘Classic regretful male lead moves, jumps to conclusions without listening to the whole story.’

Having stepped right into the trope of being wrongly accused by the male lead, I let out a sigh.

To anyone watching, I probably looked like a textbook villainess, pretending to be kind on the outside while secretly abusing the staff behind his back.

Still, I figured I should at least try telling the truth.

“I didn’t order any violence. I was just hungry and came to the kitchen, and saw what was happening and tried to stop it.”

‘Regretful male lead’s second characteristic: he doesn’t believe me.’

Just as expected, Maceira simply looked down at me with that cold gaze.

Now was the time for his venomous remarks against me to begin.

He’d probably say things like, “You’re truly despicable,” or “I had no expectations, but somehow you still managed to disappoint,” or “Lying and violence? You’ve officially failed as a human being.”

However, I had no choice even if he suspected me now. I’d just have to expose everything later, get rid of Rose, and rub the truth in Maceira’s face.

“Yes, the lady would never do something like that. Please punish me instead.”

Rose wore a wronged expression, as if she was ready to take the fall for the mistress she served.

Maceira looked between the two of us in silence, then gave a small nod.

“All right.”

“…Huh?”

Both Rose and I blinked in sync at his unexpected response.

He added calmly, “I will refer you to a military court.”

It was more than unexpected; that was downright explosive.

Roje gasped and stammered. “W-What? Military court?!”

“Since you’re in the official residence, you’re under military jurisdiction the moment you step into the quarters.”

It seemed Rose had expected a light punishment.. After all, servant discipline was common. Her face turned deathly pale.

“You’re dismissed.”

With a tilt of his head, Maceira sent the junior staff scurrying away, sniffling and bowing.

Someone must’ve spread the word during all the commotion, because by now, a small crowd had gathered outside the kitchen. The way they looked at me was sharp enough to cut.

“I mean, Rose was always a bit of a pain and annoying, but still… taking the fall for her mistress?”

“So the rumor was true? Lady Cynthia was giving those orders behind the scenes?”

Whispers floated in the air.

I turned toward the voices with a bright, gracious smile.

“Guys. I know I don’t have the best reputation, but spreading rumors before anything’s been confirmed? That’s still a form of violence, you know. If you’re curious, feel free to come ask me directly.”

Apparently, no one expected me to openly refute it. Some of the servants hurriedly avoided eye contact.

Maceira stood nearby with his arms crossed, silently watching Rose like a hawk.

With his piercing stare locked on her, even a well-kept secret would likely come tumbling out.

“I-I was only following orders from the lady…”

Rose stammered, sweating despite the frigid night air.

Maceira asked, “Yesterday, didn’t you beat the junior staff for not scrubbing the bathtub properly?”

“T-that was….”

She must’ve realized she was cornered, no way out of punishment now. Her mouth opened to speak.

However, I quickly cut her off before she could make an excuse.

“I was literally on the brink of death around that time. I wasn’t in any shape to give orders.”

“It may be an exaggeration, but… yes, I’m aware of that much.”

Maceira gave a half-hearted agreement.

At that moment, Rose desperately tried to justify herself with a pale face.

“Actually, the Lady woke up in the middle of the night…”

“Funny,” Maceira interjected with a tone that sounded almost like a public execution. “Eugene told me, I visited every day, but Cynthia was still asleep the whole time. She only woke up today, and she hasn’t even bathed yet.”

At the same time, the servants standing near me began to slowly move away.

“I took a thorough bath as soon as I woke up, thank you very much. This is such a false accusation!’

But that wasn’t the issue here.

“I heard from Dahlia, the one who was actually nursing me, that you haven’t stepped foot in my room even once. So how exactly would you know if the tub was dirty or not? How did you even get my orders?”

I approached Rose and asked in a calm tone.

She opened her mouth, but no words came out.

I didn’t give her a chance and just said something that would kill her.

“And you—how many times did you threaten the junior staff under my name to steal the food ingredients from the kitchen? If you got caught later, you were going to blame it on those kids.”

Well, you were probably planning to pin it on me, actually.

I’d been saving that card for later, but lucky me, Maceira didn’t go full cliché, so I got to play it now.

“L-Lady Cynthia! Even if I was just a disposable pawn to be thrown away, that’s just too cruel of a false accusation–!”

I ignored Rose’s dramatic outburst and calmly turned to Maceira.

“Brigadier General, would it be all right if I personally check the kitchen’s ingredient purchase records?”

He gave a small nod and readily cooperated.

‘Why’s he being so cooperative? Not that I’m complaining, but it’s kind of throwing me off.’

* * *

Thanks to my veteran-level kitchen experience, I checked the logs myself. On paper, the records matched, but the actual inventory told a different story.

‘Wow. She really put effort into this.’

“Rose. You might’ve fooled everyone else, but not me. You skimmed off ingredients and sold them, didn’t you?”

Rose clenched her fists and glared at me.

“My lady.”

She still had the gall to act like she was in control. She stepped in close and whispered coldly.

“You’re really doing this… risking your life over this? You’re just a fake.”

“That’s right.”

They’d probably try to kill me soon, under orders from the Count.

I hadn’t quite figured out how to deal with it yet, but thanks to Maceira’s help, things were going smoothly.

I glanced at Maceira, his aide, and the butler who was cross-checking the records, then turned back to Rose with a pleasant smile.

“Go ahead, tell everyone I’m a fake. You’re already a liar and a criminal who embezzled military supplies.”

This wasn’t just some noble estate. This was an official residence, a military institution.

Embezzling supplies here counted as treason, same level as colluding with the enemy.

In other words, it was a serious crime punishable by death.

“You made your move too early, Rose. Getting caught before the wedding was your fatal mistake. The Count and Brigadier General, whose primary goal is marriage, will protect me, and you will be accused of all sorts of crimes and be executed instead.”

Apparently, she hadn’t thought that far.

“E-Executed? H-how do you know that?!”

“You signed a confidentiality agreement and went through training when you entered the quarters, didn’t you? Guess you didn’t pay much attention, huh.”

I gave a casual shrug and lowered my voice.

“Even if you completed your mission, they wouldn’t have rewarded you. They would’ve just gotten rid of you too. That’s how Count Queensguard handles things.”

Rose’s face gradually twisted in panic as she felt a sense of crisis. Then she fell to her knees and started pleading desperately.

“My lady, please! I’m so sorry. Please forgive me, for the sake of the bond we shared. My younger siblings are starving. I had no choice!”

It seemed like she was begging me, but judging from the volume of her voice, she was obviously putting on a show but judging from the volume of her voice to gain Maceira’s sympathy.

The servants who came with me, including Rose, didn’t have families, but I pretended to be somewhat fooled.

“I knew your circumstances. I used to turn a blind eye to things like that at the Count’s house, but here? You’re even selling my name.”

I helped Rose stand up gently, speaking with a generous tone before whispering in her ear.

“Cooperate with me, and I’ll help you get out of this. I need information on the Count’s household.”

“Y-Yes. I’ll keep my mouth shut and help you.”

Hearing that, I returned to playing my part.

“Rose, I don’t think you did this alone. here accomplices among the staff we brought from the Count’s estate?”

She must’ve understood my message: throw someone else under the bus.

“Jessie and Peregrine.”

“Got it.”

A flicker of hope lit her face as the soldiers dragged her away.

I watched her go, then turned to Maceira with an apologetic expression.