The Male Lead Won’t Let Me Be!

Chapter 2

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To be honest, I couldn’t remember the events of the novel clearly, only the general plot. How could anyone remember the details of a novel they’d read in their past life? However, the details concerning the male lead, Siegfried, I remembered vividly. Come to think of it, I must have read the novel because the physical description of the male lead had caught my eye.

In truth, the novel’s plot hadn’t been my style, focusing too much on war and revenge with a pitiful amount of romance. The keywords had been spot on, but looking back, it must have been incredibly boring—I couldn’t even remember giving it a proper read.

In any case, the general plot went something like this—as a child, Siegfried had run away from the palace and the crown prince who’d threatened his life. The crown prince, Eisa, had been obsessed with killing him.

There were two reasons why Eisa hated Siegfried with such vitriol. First, Siegfried was the only legitimate heir to the throne, since he’d been born to the empress. Eisa was the firstborn son, and so had become the crown prince. However, as far as bloodline went, he was at a disadvantage.

Second, Siegfried possessed certain unique attributes of the imperial bloodline that Eisa lacked. It was said that the very first emperor had been blessed by God with incredible powers. His abilities were diverse, and they had been passed down to his direct descendants.

The current imperial family could maintain the system of absolute monarchy because of those descendants who had transcended the limits of humanity. As time passed, the imperial blood had grown thinner, and, naturally, their powers had all but disappeared.

It was at such a moment that Siegfried had been born. He even had purple eyes unique to descendants of the first emperor. To Eisa, the son of a concubine, his half-brother had been a thorn in his side—Siegfried was in a sound position. Many nobles had believed that a true heir befitting the throne had been born, and it was only right that the current crown prince step down.

The nobles of the empire had been of two minds. Some criticized the others for trying to bring down the crown prince in favor of a child whose abilities had yet to surface. Then some claimed that Siegfried had always been destined for the position of crown prince.

While such a heated debate had waged on, events unfolded that had changed everything. The empress who had given birth to Siegfried had passed away before Siegfried had even reached the age of ten. He turned fifteen this year, so this happened over five years ago.

That day, the empress’s palace had caught fire, though no one knew what had sparked the blaze. The fire had grown out of control and swallowed the empress and her palace whole. At the time, there wasn’t a single soul unaware of how threatened Eisa’s forces were by Siegfried’s existence.

No one had spoken their suspicions aloud, but everyone had believed that Eisa had somehow been behind the fire. Even now, rumors about the empress’s death ran rampant, but no one could speak of them freely. Afterward, Eisa and his mother were able to walk with their chins held high, due to the emperor’s support.

As was often the case with politically arranged marriages, the emperor hadn’t loved the empress. However, he had treasured and adored Eisa’s mother. The emperor had completely ignored the vehement demands for a thorough investigation from the nobles on Siegfried’s side.

To make matters worse, he had even set Eisa’s mother on the empress’s throne without wasting a moment. The discontent of Siegfried’s forces had grown every day. Considering the emperor’s power superseded all else in the empire, no one dared to be the first to stand up and demand the truth.

Even the house of Duke Blanche—the family of the now-former empress—decided that it would be best to lie low for the meantime and see how the situation unfolded. Though there was only one duke in the empire, the whole house could have been obliterated with a single strike of the emperor’s iron fist.

With such an upbringing, it went without saying that Siegfried sought the throne. It also went without saying that the moment he returned to the palace, it would be a bloodbath.

“And I’m destined to be the fiancée of that crown prince someday.”

I couldn’t help but sigh.

I’m doomed to become the wife of the antagonist? How distasteful.

Luckily, I had yet to see Eisa’s face, much less become betrothed to him. I hated the idea of becoming swept up in an elaborate fight for power. What had become of me in the novel? I couldn’t remember.

In any case, I had no intention of becoming engaged to the crown prince, as I had been in the novel. This was my second life. Though the memory of my past life was faint, as if I were peering at it through a veil, I knew I didn’t want any trouble.

Perhaps that was why I couldn’t stop thinking about how aggressively Siegfried had glared at me. I had stuck my neck out to rescue the male lead from his pursuers, and the first thing he had done when we’d arrived home was scowl at me. Wondering if I had set myself up for a horrible fate without realizing it, I started getting nervous.

I saved his life, for God’s sake! I guess I did put him in a headlock afterward, but still…

However, Siegfried seemed to be completely ignorant of my worries and anxiety, as he holed up in his room for the following week without taking a single step outside. Occasionally, I skulked around in the hallway and would see a doctor leaving his room.

According to the maids’ gossip, Siegfried skipped meals and slept all day. I was becoming increasingly puzzled as to why he had come to our manor. If he was just going to sleep, he could’ve remained at his palace in the capital.

The appearance of the male lead made me nervous, but it seemed to be anti-climactic. I clicked my tongue lightly. It had been like walking on eggshells all week, but Siegfried knew nothing about what I was going through—he had spent the entire time asleep.

I had planned on lounging around in bed, trying to remember how the novel had gone, but a maid arrived and practically kicked me out.

“My lady! Oh my, look at the state of this room. Get some fresh air and let me tidy up.”

If she had to clean today, I supposed I had no choice. As I left, the maid warned me that I shouldn’t even think about returning before evening, but now that I was out of the room, I realized I had nowhere to go.

Wandering the manor seemed like a waste of energy, so I stuck a book under my arm and decided to visit the grounds behind the manor. Others infrequently visited the open space, so it was perfect for lying on my belly and enjoying a book. I began to part the bushes, but then I paused.

Huh?

People rarely came here, but of all places, this was where I saw Siegfried for the first time in a week. I heard a soft thud.

“Ah, damn it. Eisa, that bastard…”

Siegfried’s black hair fluttered in the gentle wind. He sat down with his back against a tree, cradling his wrist.

Is he hurt or something?

His face twisted. Curious, I made to approach him.

Wait a minute. Did he just say the crown prince’s name?

Judging by Siegfried’s intimidating air, it seemed to be a bad time.

I should just turn around, right?

Unfortunately, my dress got caught on a low branch and made a sound. Siegfried felt my presence and looked up. It had only been a week since I had seen his face, but it was still so new, so shockingly pretty.

As soon as our eyes met, he frowned. I considered that enough proof that he didn’t like me.

“Hello, Your Highness.”

He didn’t say anything in return. At this point, I was annoyed.

I didn’t even do anything yet.

I had already been spotted, so I couldn’t just leave immediately. So, I drew closer to him and offered him a handkerchief, but Siegfried ignored that too. I couldn’t give up now. I crouched down beside him.

“You seem wounded.”

“It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.”

Oh, really? You looked pretty pained just a moment ago.

“Your wrist…”

“I said, don’t worry about it.”

Close up, I could see that Siegfried’s wrist was swollen and red. His shirt sleeves were partially rolled up, and the revealed skin was flushed in sharp contrast to his spotless face. Now I realized why he had been wearing a cloak that covered his entire body when we had first met. I supposed that if his skin was in such a state, he must have been hesitant to expose it.

Is that the reason the doctor has been visiting his room?

Come to think of it, when we dealt with those men, it had seemed difficult for him to move. That was why I had handled the thugs by myself.

I peered down and took a closer look at Siegfried’s hand. Just as I had thought before, unlike his pretty face, his large hands were surprisingly coarse and rough. I remembered that his character was supposed to be a master sword fighter—at some point in the novel, he’d emerged as a war hero.

My thoughts were wandering as Siegfried suddenly staggered to his feet. He picked up the wooden sword that had fallen beside him and strode some distance away.

That must be what I heard fall earlier, but what does he think he’s doing? His wrist is all messed up.

I sat quietly, watching. Siegfried sharply swung the wooden sword as if to cut the air. Once, twice, and on the third swing, I rested my chin on my hand.

Something is strange here. Have my eyes failed me?

It hadn’t been just once, but it had happened three times in a row.

I thought he was a sword-fighting genius. He’s supposed to be unrivaled. For all that talk, the current Siegfried is…

“He’s terrible.”

The thought had spilled out of my mouth before I’d realized it. It was only because I could tell at a glance that his form was off.

“What did you say?” Siegfried demanded.