I, the Female Lead, Ruined the Original Chapter 150

“Pardon?”

 

Rakrensius tilted his head at the duchess’s question.

 

“As you know, Lady Branto didn’t enter the duke’s residence in the usual way… I thought Duke might know more about Lady Branto than I do.”

 

The usual way. Normally, the personal maid for a duke’s daughter would be selected based on the mutual interest of the families involved.

 

Come to think of it, wasn’t it quite something when an eleven-year-old daughter brought in a commoner she supposedly met somewhere as her personal maid, even involving a vassal to take her in… Both the duke and the duchess must have allowed it.

 

The love his angel received and grew up with was so immense that a faint smile appeared on Rakrensius’s face. Yet, the girl, who thirsted for even greater trust, eventually found him and stood by her side, never giving up on the timid and defensive him. Right here in this place. The man’s face, overwhelmed with emotion, softened immediately.

 

“Well… Rather than knowing Lady Branto, I only know what kind of person she is to Lea and how she treats Lea… that’s about it.”

 

Recalling a particular moment, Rakrensius’s brow furrowed slightly as he replied, a smile of deep emotion spreading across his face. This was a sign that he was thinking of his lover through Lady Branto.

 

The duchess’s eyes sparkled with amusement. Really, there’s no one as hopelessly in love as him…

 

What parent wouldn’t be delighted to see their child loved by their partner? The duchess beamed with satisfaction at the sight of the man who had just been officially recognized as her son-in-law.

 

“If you’re asking for my opinion, Madam…”

 

“Ah.”

 

Right, they were in the middle of that conversation. She had been so pleased with the man in front of her as a son-in-law that she had forgotten the topic.

 

“I don’t know… It’s something Lady Branto should decide for herself. I’m not sure if there’s any point in me giving my opinion.”

 

The duchess raised an eyebrow at Rakrensius’s candid response. Should she say he was tight-lipped or just different from the usual Nepelsian men?

 

Most gentlemen would have said the obvious—that the position of the hostess of Elard is too good for her, so she should accept it without question… or they’d gossip about how Lady Branto is too ambitious or too greedy. Whether it was to impress Duchess Elard or to belittle Michi because they couldn’t win her over, it was all the same.

 

Is this why Lea likes him so much…? The duchess’s eyes shone warmly once more.

 

Rakrensius, however, was unaware of the impression his answer had made and simply focused on the dance again. Their conversation resumed as the dance was nearing its end.

 

“Duke.”

 

“…Yes.” Rakrensius barely managed to respond to the duchess’s call. It was his first time dancing with someone other than Selleana, and he was even more nervous as the dance drew to a close.

 

“As you probably know, Elard men can sometimes be quite overbearing, even to the point of being inconsiderate.”

 

“No, not at all…”

 

Since that remark was so out of the blue, Rakrensius immediately knew that this was the main point of the conversation. Memories of the time before and after he started dating Selleana flashed through his mind. Theonis suddenly visits the Magic Tower to tell him to cut ties with Selleana, Peredo excessively tries to keep him in check during the hunting competition, and so on…

 

“This is an investment proposal under the name of Elard Trading Company. Please consider it positively and form a good relationship with us instead of with Benichi…”

 

“How about this magic tool? If you make it, we’ll pay you double the estimate…”

 

And that wasn’t all. As soon as he started dating Selleana, even Duke Elard was eager to inflate his status by any means possible…

 

“Isn’t it a joyous occasion for Elard to welcome Your Highness into our family? So, we hope that Elard can host this wedding ceremony…”

 

“Here are Andrea, Pulina, and Deren, who were in charge of guarding Selleana. Your Highness is already acquainted with Andrea, right? Once you return from your honeymoon, we’ll have them stationed at your townhouse. Their salaries will be covered by Elard as a kind of dowry…”

 

The wedding preparations were no different. Perhaps knowing that Selleana would be displeased with overt interference, they would secretly visit Rakrensius and deliver various proposals disguised as notifications. And to Selleana, they would merely say, ‘The talks with Duke Ansi went well.’

 

It would be a lie to say he wasn’t bewildered, but there was nothing that wasn’t for Selleana’s benefit, so he couldn’t outright reject it. Most importantly, they were all things Selleana would like.

 

“They’re all doing it because they care about Lea so much, so it’s really fine,” Rakrensius gave a faint smile, his gaze slightly askew.

 

The man, who was tense all the time, only wore a natural smile when thinking of Selleana. The duchess couldn’t help but feel a wave of warmth seeing that.

 

After a moment, the different notes played by the musicians came together in harmony, bringing the dance to an end. As they left the ballroom with Rakrensius escorting her, the duchess continued speaking.

 

“Thank you so much for interpreting it that way. Now that Lea is independent, she should hold back a bit, but she can only express her interest and affection in that manner… I hope you can understand, Son-in-law. I’ll try to stop her as much as I can…”

 

“It’s fine. I also think that if I had a lovely daughter like Lea, I might do the same…”

 

“What are you two talking about?”

 

“Oh, Lea.”

 

Having come out first, Selleana, who was with Duke Elard, suddenly appeared in front of them.

 

“I asked him to take care of our little troublemaker. Please take care of her, Son-in-law, okay?”

 

“Of course, please take care of me as well.”

 

Originally, the request was meant for the troublesome men of Elard, not Selleana, but the duchess quickly changed the subject, thinking of her husband standing behind Selleana.

 

“Husband.” Selleana, who was watching the two exchange formal greetings with a big smile, suddenly grabbed Rakrensius’s arm. “Is there anyone left you need to dance with?”

 

“How could there be…”

 

“Then let’s go on our honeymoon now.”

 

“What? Leaving already?”

 

“If we had held the wedding ceremony at the imperial palace, we would have gone to the bridal chamber long ago, right?”

 

At Duchess Elard’s surprised question, Selleana pouted playfully. She had no qualms about expressing her eagerness to spend the wedding night with her husband, leaving Rakrensius blushing bright red.

 

* * *

A little while later. After greeting a few important guests and wrapping things up, the two of them arrived at a secluded spot in the Arnem Hotel, a VIP-only garden. It was the very place they had visited together three years ago. The cool and silent night air welcomed them, a stark contrast to that day.

 

“Ah, finally, it’s just the two of us.” Selleana exclaimed, relishing the freshness as she raised her arms and spun around before collapsing onto the grass.

 

“Lea…!”

 

“Come here, lie down with me.”

 

“But it’s dirty…”

 

“Who cares? We’re about to get even dirtier anyway.”

 

“…”

 

“Hurry up, Darling.” Selleana lay on her side, propping her chin up and gazing at him with a seductive look. Her hand traced a playful curve from her waist to her hips.

 

Rakrensius hesitated for a moment before letting out a deep sigh, taking off his jacket, and laying it behind Selleana. “No matter how well the hotel maintains it, you never know what kind of bugs might bite.”

 

“Then you can just kiss it better, Darling.”

 

Selleana giggled and lay back down on the jacket Rakrensius had spread out. When he still showed no sign of lying down next to her, she stretched her arms out wide, patting the grass beside her, inviting him to rest his head on her arm.

 

“Come on, Honey.”

 

“…”

 

‘Honey’… At that magical word, Rakrensius couldn’t resist any longer, his ears turning bright red as he lay down beside Selleana. There was no way to resist the allure of the woman lying on May’s green grass with her black, white, and red hues. Instead of using her arm as a pillow, he supported the back of her neck with his own arm.

 

Giggling, Selleana leaned her head closer to his chest with a bright smile. The nearly full moon was clearly visible in the sky above the two lying side by side.

 

“Was the night this bright when we first met?”

 

“I don’t know…”

 

Rakrensius bent the arm, cradling Selleana, and slowly wrapped it around her shoulder. Her skin, exposed to the night air, was cold, so he gently rubbed her slender shoulder with his warmth as if to melt it.

 

“That day, an angel was shining so beautifully on her own that I didn’t even realize it was night.”

 

“You’re getting quite good with words now, Darling.”

 

Selleana chuckled softly at his playful response.

 

“You know, being married… it doesn’t feel real.”

 

“I feel the same way.”

 

“I know a way to make it feel real.”

 

Rakrensius tilted his head as if to say, ‘What is it? Tell me.’

 

“What every newlywed couple does on their wedding night.” Selleana turned her head towards him, blinking her eyes suggestively.