The Tragic Male Lead Chose the Wrong Partner – Chapter 21

Author: amourtentia

The officer clenched his jaw and glared at Cynthia’s back.

He was Captain Gale Declan, a fellow soldier who had shared life and death with Maceira on the battlefield.

‘The brigadier general climbed his way up here with blood, sweat, and grit. This country, nearly wiped out thanks to the royal family’s stupidity, only managed to recover because of us. The nobodies they used to look down on, the ones who bled and fought on the front lines.’

This nation had been the first to collapse under the royal family’s disastrous policies, and that collapse had become the spark for a long and brutal world war. Countless young men and women had been forced to sacrifice their lives for their country.

Back then, Maceira wandered the battlefield as a boy soldier.

His keen eyes and uncanny marksmanship earned him a legend, he once wiped out an entire enemy unit on his own, a tale that left opposing armies trembling in fear.

In this way, Maceira became one of the heroes who brought that war to an end.

Of course, there was gossip. Stories of his brutal tactics, a cruel nature of killing indiscriminately, his refusal to take prisoners’ after the enemy surrender, and how he allegedly sacrificed his men to protect nobles. But those rumors were buried under the public praise for a ‘war hero’.

No one dared criticize him, especially not when he had the looks to match his reputation.

He is young and handsome, he has been bombarded with marriage proposals from every corner of the continent.

‘And then we heard he got engaged to some ghost of the Bariesa royal family? I nearly lost it. There must have been pressure from the Federation powers.’

The injustice of it all was infuriating.

At that moment, someone spoke up beside him.

“I find that white hair horrible. Do you feel the same, Captain?”

It was Hayden, Eugene’s tutor.

When Declan didn’t answer, Hayden gave an awkward laugh and walked away.

Something about it felt off, but Declan decided not to report it. Whether it was a plot or a scheme, he thought it would be nice if that man did it for him.

* * *

Later that evening, the officers gathered for dinner after returning from the operation.

Cynthia found herself a seat in the corner, feeling awkward.

The officers, all stiff-faced, chatted about internal military matters.

The conversation went on for quite a while, filled with technical terms that flew over the head of anyone without a background in military affairs.

Then someone finally asked.

“She’s not even officially married yet. Is it really appropriate for her to be here?”

Although he spoke with a smile, it was clear he saw Cynthia as an outsider.

Captain Declan let out a hearty laugh.

“I doubt she understands a word of what we’re saying. She’s been living in a peaceful countryside her whole life, far from war.”

There was a sharp thorn hidden in the joke.

Cynthia responded with her signature innocent smile.

“You’re right. I don’t really understand it. So feel free to talk as you please.”

She’d long grown used to being disliked. Compared to what the royal family had done in the past, this kind of cold shoulder was nothing.

‘What’s more painful than being hated….’

Cynthia let out a soft sigh.

“What’s luck? You’re such an unlucky woman who takes someone else’s life to survive!”

“She lived while my daughter died!”

Cynthia recalled the accusations that had been hurled at her in her previous life, how everyone had turned on her even though she had miraculously survived alone.

‘The worst part wasn’t their hatred or their blame, it was when they all disappeared, and I was the only one left.’

‘So this time, I’m going to get along with everyone.’

Winning Maceira’s heart was the top priority. To do that, she had to get on good terms with his coworkers too.

‘Right. Time to bribe my way into their favor.’

Cynthia nodded to herself after her resolve. That’s when Captain Declan spoke again.

“Brigadier General Maceira is a world-renowned war hero, and on top of that, he’s strikingly handsome. So he still gets a flood of marriage proposals. I imagine it must be overwhelming to have such a popular fiancé.”

Even now, despite the engagement, suitors continued to send proposals, some didn’t even mind becoming his mistress.

The officers continued to toss out provocations disguised in elegant phrases, but Cynthia didn’t hear a word, they were drowned out by her inner debate on which bribe would work best.

‘We’re not even close enough for jealousy, but how is she so unfazed?’

Maceira glanced at Cynthia, who still wore a perfectly pleasant expression, and fell into thought.

* * *

That night, Cynthia went straight to Maceira’s room.

“I was thinking of going to the shopping district tomorrow morning. It’d be nice if Brigadier General could come with me.”

“No.”

Still in a sweater and shirt, Maceira didn’t even look up from his book and refused.

“You can go with Dahlia or Diego–”

“I knew you were going to say, ‘Then go with Dahlia or Diego.’”

Cynthia shrugged, having long since memorized his list of standard rejections.

“I’ll buy you an amazing parfait. They say it’s loaded with fruit and sweets, it’s supposed to be really good.”

“I’m not a kid.”

He brushed his platinum hair back with an annoyed frown.

Cynthia then made a face that seemed completely incredulous. She seemed to think that this was the best strategy he couldn’t refuse.

Maceira raised an eyebrow at her outfit.

“And why do you keep wearing that ridiculous dress?”

She was dressed in a mismatched patchwork dress made from checkered fabric.

“What’s so ridiculous about it? It’s an eco-friendly, hand-repaired dress.”

“I’ll say it again, I’m not poor. Please, just buy something new.”

Not wanting to waste more time arguing, Maceira waved her hand to tell her to leave.

“Fine, no parfait. Then there’s nothing I can do.”

Maceira watched her give up surprisingly quickly. Then, a conversation he had with Dahlia popped into his mind.

“The other servants say she wears ridiculous clothes. Why is that?”

“It’s not that she’s pretending to be frugal or down-to-earth… I accidentally tore her dress and tried to fix it.”

He had thought she was wearing it to protest his indifference. But he was wrong.

“I told the other servants the truth, and now they think she’s trying to embarrass me. Everyone looks at her negatively no matter what she does, so there’s nothing I can do. But I think she’s wearing it so I won’t feel bad.”

‘Dahlia’s already completely fallen for her, huh?’

With a quiet sigh, Maceira pulled out his checkbook, scribbled a signature, and handed Cynthia a check.

“Don’t worry about money. Spend as much as you want.”

After all, people reveal their true nature when it comes to money. Depending on where they spend this money, their tendencies will be revealed.

He was curious to see how she’d spend it. He was also a little tired of being treated like he was broke.

Cynthia’s red eyes widened as she looked back and forth between the check and Maceira.

“You won’t regret this, right? I’m really gonna buy everything I want. I could spend it all!”

As expected, people always show their true selves when money is involved.

Maceira was about to chuckle to himself when Cynthia, clearly giddy, suddenly turned back.

“Oh, right! Earlier, the officers mentioned something about a drilling operation. That was about Nox, wasn’t it?”

The land he had received from Count Queensguard showed potential oil reserves. They were now in the early stages of gathering investors to fund the drilling.

Some of the officers were investors themselves, which is how the topic had come up.

‘How did you know when the name Nox wasn’t mentioned?’

The information would’ve reached Count Queensguard eventually, but Cynthia was unpredictable. Who knew what kind of trouble she might stir up?

Just like the servants he had dealt with before, there was always something fishy going on.

‘Even if they try to scheme and break off the engagement to reclaim the land, it won’t help. The Count won’t be able to afford the operation cost anyway.’

It was a long-term project, likely to take over a decade. It was impossible to secure investment without solid trust and backing.

Maceira had already accounted for every possible move the Count might make.

“Brigadier General, start near the mountain range shaped like a rabbit in the west. There’s definitely treasure there.”

That wasn’t a variable he’d considered.

He blinked, caught off guard by Cynthia’s unexpected words.

“On what basis?”

“My luck. You’ve seen it yourself, haven’t you?”

With a bright smile, she twirled around and walked out.

Left alone, Maceira unconsciously opened a drawer and pulled out the ‘gemstone ring that brings wealth’ she had made out of a bread bag twist tie.

‘I forgot to throw it away.’

He left the ring where it was and shut the drawer.

* * *