I, the Female Lead, Ruined the Original Chapter 29

Was it an auditory hallucination? Turning towards the source of the voice, indeed, there stood a woman in a splendid dress. Despite being a dark silhouette against the light of the banquet hall, Rakrensius could not mistake who it was.

 

“Lady Elard…?”

 

Truly, the protagonist of his thoughts was there.

 

“No, how, how did you get here?”

 

He was utterly taken aback by this unexpected encounter. Not that he hadn’t anticipated it at all. In fact, he had secretly hoped for it.

 

He had thought of the girl who sometimes shouted about her hardships in his garden as he watched Selleana leaving the banquet hall. Perhaps, troubled by the banquet, she might seek out this place? But to actually encounter her…!

 

He managed to hide his overwhelming joy behind a flustered face. “That… what if people see you knowing me? I heard you made quite the bombshell announcement. What if it leads to misunderstandings?”

 

“How did you know about that if you arrived late?” Selleana responded with an exaggerated tone. “Don’t worry, there’s much more interesting stuff over there; who would come all the way here?”

 

“And what about you, Lady? What about your friends?”

 

“Well, I thought being with the Tower Master would be more interesting? How did you know I was with my friends.” Selleana smiled.

 

Despite knowing her words held no deep meaning, Rakrensius couldn’t control his racing heart. Only then did he realize he hadn’t put his hood back on. He quickly pulled it over his head to hide his flushed face.

 

“Why do you always cover up your face as if it’s so precious?”

 

 “…”

 

“Will it wear out if I look at it, or what?”

 

“That, Lady.” Anticipating a longer rebuke from Selleana, Rakrensius quickly changed the subject. “There are three warriors nearby, excluding the guards. Do you know them?”

 

“Three warriors…?”

 

Despite the suddenness of the question, Rakrensius’s seriousness made Selleana think hard with a grave expression. “Could it be Andy, Pulina, Deren…?”

 

“Yes?”

 

“Those are the people my father and brothers assign to me. I thought they took them away because they were mad at me.”

 

Selleana scratched her cheek awkwardly. After all, she had run away and caused trouble today.

 

“I don’t know their names, but…” Rakrensius sighed deeply and hid in the shade of a tree. A complex murmur followed, and then a glow gathered in his palm.

 

“Oh, magic.”

 

The glow extended from his hand, forming a dome around them.

 

“It’s amazing. I’ve never seen a wizard cast magic before.”

 

“There’s much to be amazed at.”

 

“Is it for hiding?”

 

“Something like that.”

 

“If the knights see I’ve suddenly disappeared, won’t they be more surprised? Especially if I vanished while with Master of Tower?”

 

“If they’re from Elard, Lady will have to explain later. If they’re from elsewhere, we have no choice but to prepare.” Rakrensius waved his hand in annoyance, his long fingers gracefully roaming the air before coming to a halt. “Ah, Lady’s friends will be surprised…”

 

“It’s fine. They’re not here anyway. They went back to the banquet hall to get more wine.”

 

“Wine? Ah… Lady Branto.” As if understanding something, Rakrensius nodded, satisfied.

 

Thanks to the magic, they were now completely disregarded by others. Selleana, already bold from four glasses of wine, became even more uninhibited.

 

“Good thing I was out here. If you had arrived just a bit later, you might have missed me.”

 

“I didn’t come to see Lady. As the master of the magic tower—”

 

“Since you’re here, it’s nice to see a familiar face, right?”

 

“If I acknowledge Lady, the young master of Elard might throw a gauntlet at me.”

 

“Young master of Elard…? Ah, you mean Brother Peri?”

 

When did you see my whole family? Selleana laughed, sitting down on a nearby bench.

 

“Anyway.” Selleana tugged at the hem of Rakrensius’s robe. He glanced at her, and she smiled broadly. “… It’s been a while, Master of Tower.”

 

The smile was more genuine than any she had shown when visiting the magic tower, reminding him of that night. Rakrensius turned his head away from her dangerously charming smile, stepping back slightly.

 

“I’m not sure if it’s been a while…”

 

Was he getting back at her for teasing him last time? Selleana giggled. “It has been. I should have gone on a strike, but I was too busy with the birthday banquet preparations.”

 

“I thought Lady had given up, to my relief…”

 

“It’s the gamble of my life. You must’ve been relieved too soon, thinking I had given up.”

 

“The gamble of your life…” Rakrensius mulled over Selleana’s words, his face darkening. “Do you even know who that person is, making such a fuss? You said you’ve only seen him for a day.”

 

“Well, a handsome person?”

 

Rakrensius nearly choked on his non-existent drink at the reflexive retort.

 

“Plus, we share the same hobby.”

 

“Hobby?”

 

“Do you know the novelist named Wilshe? You like to read, so you might know.”

 

“…Yes, well, to some extent…” Rakrensius mumbled awkwardly, trying to hide his discomfort.

 

“I’m a huge, huge fan of that author. And Collin, that person, is also a fan of Wilshe.”

 

“A fan, you say…” Rakrensius grimaced, sneaking a glance at Selleana before adding, “But that author is about to retire. Wouldn’t that hobby soon become meaningless?”

 

“The point is that we communicate well, perhaps because we have similar tastes, just like… me and Master of Tower?”

 

“Me, you say?” Taken aback by the sudden mention, Rakrensius almost looked at Selleana impulsively.

 

“Yes. I find it really fun and nice to be with the Tower Master.”

 

“I don’t see it like that.”

 

“Ah, that’s disappointing.” Selleana crossed her legs and leaned back. “I always think my teenage years would have been more fun if you were the first prince.”

 

Rakrensius couldn’t immediately respond to her sigh-like words, startled by the content and the depth of fatigue in her voice.

 

“…Besides that.”

 

“What else?”

 

“You’re from Elard, after all. It’s not about the person themselves but the external conditions…”

 

“Aah.”

 

What are you talking about? Selleana laughed.

 

“Status, well, it doesn’t matter. If he were a commoner, even better.”

 

“Yes?”

 

“It’s better not to match awkwardly. If necessary, I can create parents for him. He seemed well-educated, with an air of nobility in his appearance and speech…”

 

“Creating parents…?”

 

“Michi too, ah, my maid Lady Branto. She was originally a commoner, but I made parents for her.”

 

“My goodness… Lady, you are…”

 

“I am, after all, from Elard.”

 

Rakrensius seemed stunned by Selleana’s response, but she just smiled brightly. Though he tried not to look at her, he felt like he knew exactly the confident smile she was wearing. A silence lingered between them for a moment.

 

“But, Master of Tower.” Selleana reached out again, fluttering the hem of his robe. “Would you mind sitting down? My neck hurts.”

 

Perhaps it was the slight coquettishness in her tone, but Rakrensius’s shoulders tensed slightly.

 

“Yes, Master of Tower?”

 

“Ah, that…” Merely by holding onto his collar, the man seemed unable to respond properly, as if malfunctioning, perhaps due to a lack of immunity to others from living in seclusion.

 

Feeling it as his weakness, Selleana shook his robe hem again. “Yes?”

 

“That… Yes, well.”

 

Finally breaking the ice, the man awkwardly stepped back and cautiously seated himself. But only on the edge.

 

Selleana’s gaze sharpened. “What’s the matter? Do I carry a contagious disease?”

 

“It’s just… in case someone sees…”

 

“Didn’t you use magic to make sure they can’t see us?”

 

“Right, yes…” His excuse sounded feeble even to himself. Rakrensius clenched the front of his hood in frustration. He couldn’t help it. He feared exposing a face different only in eye color or hair shape from that day and revealing his uncontrollable trembling heart. But…

 

“Really, between us.” Selleana, emboldened by four glasses of wine, proceeded to break the personal space barrier. She moved close behind him and, with a bold move, pulled down his hood.