The Tragic Male Lead Chose the Wrong Partner Chapter 13

After wrapping up the matter with the servants, Maceira returned to his room.

 

Dahlia approached him with a remorseful expression and bowed her head deeply.

 

“I’m sorry. There were rumors among the servants that the young lady was ordering punishments, but I dismissed them as nonsense and didn’t report it.”

 

“What was your basis for that judgment?”

 

Maceira loosened his tie and turned to look at her.

 

Dahlia cautiously opened her mouth.

 

“From what I’ve observed up close… she’s not the type to act out of emotion.”

 

Personal evaluations such as ‘She’s a good person’ or ‘She has a kind heart’ could easily come off as sentimental drivel. After all, even people who commit unspeakable crimes often have neighbors who say, ‘He was always so nice and polite.’

 

“She doesn’t force apologies through violence or anger. Instead, she makes people realize their mistakes and apologize on their own. And those who can’t do that… she completely shuts them out.”

 

As Maceira listened, Eugene’s words suddenly came to mind.

 

“I gave Cynthia noona a frog but she didn’t even get mad and just thanked me. That did something to me. I suddenly felt weird and wanted to say sorry.”

 

Judging from the fact that she had managed to win over both Dahlia and Eugene in such a short time made it clear, that girl was no ordinary person.

 

Maceira glanced over at his aide, Diego, who nodded in agreement.

 

“Diego. What’s with the quill pen? This isn’t the Age of Exploration.”

 

“It was a gift.”

 

“From whom?”

 

“Lady Cynthia. She said she found a phoenix feather that brings health and long life, so she made this for me. Not that I actually believe it’s real—but it has a nice vintage feel…”

 

A vague sense of crisis swept over him. At this rate, even his aide might be snatched away.

 

It was supposed to be a brief transactional relationship, but now she was gathering allies and practically taking over the official residence. That was a problem.

 

Maceira felt something close to irritation.

 

‘Isn’t pretending to be nice the specialty of nobles? Of course everyone’s falling for it, they’re all all weak-willed to kindness.’

 

Suddenly, he recalled her shameless face when she lied to her family, claiming she fell in love with him at first sight.

 

He repeated to himself like a mantra, again and again, that there was no way he liked her. Not now, not ever, for the rest of his life.

 

“Your Excellency,” Dahlia’s voice pulled him out of his spiraling thoughts. “The Duke Lecanosa and Miss Helene plan to skip the engagement ceremony and head straight for the wedding.”

 

“So her sister has set the date. That means it’s time to start preparing your own wedding with the Lady in earnest. Before the cold weather comes.”

 

“…Why do you look so excited about this?”

 

Despite the displeased look in her superior’s eyes, Dahlia simply smiled.

 

“Let’s start with the dress. The designer says it’ll take a week to make it.”

 

“Fine. Do whatever you want.”

 

* * *

 

Helene’s decision to set the wedding date also fast-tracked my own wedding preparation.

 

Not that I had much to do. Dahlia and Diego handled everything, my only job was to pick things.

 

The designer visited the residence with a collection of dresses for me to try on.

 

Just as Maceira tried to sneak away, the designer caught him.

 

“General, you have to see the bride in her dresses! And give her some nice words.”

 

“Just pick the most expensive one.”

 

Surprisingly, everyone agreed with my argument that even if the price showed sincerity, the attitude must be sincere to match it.

 

So, with a face full of reluctance, Maceira sat down.

 

I stepped out in the first dress, expecting the classic trifecta; surprise, awe, and heartfelt emotion from the groom, just like in all those shows. Instead, Maceira’s reaction was lukewarm at best.

 

“Looks fine. Let’s go with the last one.”

 

“…This is the first one.”

 

I tried on three more dresses, but all he said was the same thing.

 

“Everything suits you well. Must be hard to choose. Personally, I’d go with the last one.”

 

The designer recommended the final dress too. Must be the priciest one, no wonder it looked so luxurious and pretty.

 

“All those sparkly bits make it look fancy. I like that one too.”

 

Even Diego, who usually went for practical choices, agreed.

 

Since everyone seemed to like it, I said I was fine with it as well. Maceira snorted.

 

“I knew you’d go for the most expensive one. What a waste of time.”

 

“What he means is, you’d look beautiful in anything, so spending too much time choosing is pointless.”

 

Dahlia smoothly cleaned up her superior’s controversial statement like the loyal aide she was.

 

Let’s be real, when it comes to dresses, ‘beauty = price’. That man just wanted maximum efficiency.

 

When I thought about it that way, I didn’t really feel offended.

 

“A fine choice, indeed. This dress is made with hand-picked Mediterranean pearls and diamonds, stitched one by one. A once-in-a-lifetime piece…”

 

The designer, clearly a seasoned professional, quickly gave a pitch tailored to Maceira’s impatient nature.

 

“General, thank you for choosing such a beautiful dress for me! Now, where should we go for our honeymoon? I’ve always wanted to go to–”

 

I fluttered my eyes and asked sweetly after the dress fitting.

 

“I’m not going.”

 

Judging from his firm tone, he really meant it.

 

“Why not? It’s a once-in-a-lifetime trip! It’s romantic! It’s basically vacation!”

 

“We’re not in a relationship where we have to give a real meaning to a trip. I don’t see the point.”

 

“Honeymoons were originally meant to deepen emotional bonds by traveling to strange and unfamiliar places and learning to rely on one another—”

 

“If you want to build a bond with me, you can enlist.”

 

“That’s camaraderie.”

 

This man was like a dried squid, completely devoid of romance. This is just too much.

 

I pouted and glared at him.

 

“I’ve never even been overseas, you know. I want to see the ocean. I need to meet some cute dolphins.”

 

“You’re just like Eugene when you whine.”

 

“I’ll show you what it means to be a full-grown adult. I can whine even better than a child.”

 

Maceira walked away without another word, picking up his pace.

 

I trailed after him like a broken record, chirping about honeymoons, but he clearly tuned me out.

 

“I’ll go to your sister’s wedding with you.”

 

He said it like he was doing me a favor, then vanished from sight.

 

Left all alone, I huffed and made a vow of revenge.

 

One day, I’m going on a big trip with everyone in the residence, leaving out that guy. While we’re all partying on a tour bus, he can stay behind, cook for himself, clean up alone, and sulk in solitude.

 

* * *

 

The day of Helene’s wedding finally arrived.

 

Seeing the Queensguard family again wasn’t exactly pleasant, but at least I’d get to eat some amazing food.

 

The wedding took place in the duchy’s garden.

 

‘A garden wedding in this freezing weather? Were they out of their minds?’

 

I shivered and wondered what they were thinking.

 

“You picked a good day. The weather’s as warm as spring.”

 

Count Queensguard, dressed lightly for the occasion, offered a casual greeting.

 

Judging by his good mood, he probably hadn’t heard about the servant incident yet.

 

Maceira and I sat side by side at a table under a white parasol.

 

“General, this is the maple syrup that’s popular these days. It’s sweet and goes well with pancakes.”

 

I poured syrup on the pancakes and offered them to him.

 

“Say ah~ Let’s look like a happy couple.”

 

When I poked the fork toward his mouth, he leaned away with a look of pure disgust.

 

“How long do I have to keep this up?”

 

“Human relationships are something you have to work on for your whole life. Whether you like it or not.”

 

Seeing that I wouldn’t back down, he finally took a bite.

 

He chewed slowly, savored the taste and then commented, “Don’t see the appeal. I don’t really like new things.”

 

“Do you have grandpa taste? Want some syrup instead?”

 

“What’s that? Pancakes need strawberry syrup.”

 

“So you have a kid’s palate, got it.”

 

It might’ve been a syrup argument to us, but to the guests, we must’ve looked quite affectionate.

 

I started to feel eyes on us, not just polite glances, but curious stares. Like we were becoming the talk of the party.

 

No, somehow, the way they looked at me felt different than before. It was more like they were looking at a person in the news.

 

Then the applause and cheers of the guests rang out as the bride, Helene, made her entrance.

 

I turned to look, and my eyes widened in shock.

 

“Huh?”

 

She was smiling brightly, wearing the wedding dress I had custom ordered.