Adopting the Male Protagonist Changed the Genre - Chapter 138

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 138

“Did, did I misspeak again? But you’re wearing an engagement ring, so I thought you had someone…”

I stammered my response while wiping the corner of my mouth with the handkerchief Ophelia offered.

“This isn’t an engagement ring, it’s a token of a promise. And marriage, well, I…”

I got that far in my thoughts when I suddenly realized something tremendous.

‘Wait, if Lord Cheri is the Duke of Baluashten, that means I almost entered into a contract marriage with him.’

I had wanted to keep Lord Cheri by my side, but that was purely out of greed for him as my guard knight and Leo’s teacher.

Though it was already in the past, thinking that we might have become family in a different sense than now made me feel strangely…

“Oh, oh! That expression just now was very suspicious! You do have someone, don’t you?”

“He’s just like family.”

“Of course, of course. Family-like people are the most reliable. When you rely on them emotionally, you end up relying on them physically, and when you rely on them physically, your lips end up touching and such.”

“That’s not it.”

“Oh come on, it’s true… Ahem, co, could I have some more lemon?”

When I raised an eyebrow, Ophelia cleared her throat and rolled her eyes around before grabbing a serving maid and asking for lemon.

She floated a fresh slice of lemon the maid had cut into her tea, then fished it out while naturally changing the subject.

“Anyway, now that this kingdom has become my home, I’m planning to travel around various parts of the kingdom for about a month starting next week.”

Having opened the conversation that way, Ophelia even pulled out and spread a map of the kingdom, beginning to explain her travel plans in detail.

Watching her chatter away casually as if talking to a close friend, I finally had to admit it.

Contrary to the sense of unease I felt on the first day, Ophelia was an honest and good person.

So let’s stop testing her here.

“Ophelia.”

“Yes?”

I studied her expression reflected in the teacup and unconsciously continued speaking.

“Have you ever heard of ‘Hirome’?”

* * *

Through the opaque glass walls of the greenhouse, I could see the hired carriage carrying Ophelia disappearing into the distance.

I turned to look at the maid who had been serving us and asked.

“Jerry, what do you think?”

Then the expression suddenly disappeared from the face of the maid who had been serving us skillfully with a constantly smiling face, and a low male voice answered my question.

“Judging by the Imperial accent that seeps into her speech, her habit of naturally floating lemon in her tea, and how she wears the bustle dress currently popular in the kingdom but insists on Imperial-style ribbon knots and lace, it’s certain she lived in the Empire for a long time.”

Since this was Jerry speaking, someone skilled at observing and mimicking people, it would be accurate.

He continued speaking while roughly wiping off the makeup that had been defining his facial features.

“There was no lie in her reason for coming to the kingdom either. After the Vermang family lost their title, they tried to sell their daughter as a second wife to a wealthy noble to pay off their massive debts. Unable to bear this, Miss Ophelia caused a suicide commotion, and after nearly dying and barely surviving, she fled the Empire. This was quite a famous scandal in that country’s social circles.”

Ophelia, who came to the royal capital wanting to live her life as she wished.

Who would have thought such a heavy story was hidden behind that cheerful explanation.

With a somber expression, I recalled Ophelia’s reaction when I asked about ‘Hirome’.

“‘Hirome’? Hmm, I feel like I’ve heard it somewhere… Is there perhaps a hint? I really want to get it right!”

For a moment, her face reflected in the teacup showed no disturbance and remained calm.

She seemed to truly know nothing about ‘Hirome’.

‘Well, just because she was a player character doesn’t guarantee she possessed someone like I did.’

The strange sense of unease I felt when I first met her might have simply been my imagination.

“If something concerns you, shall I assign someone to Miss Ophelia’s travels?”

I almost reflexively asked him to do so, but stopped.

“I’m so glad that the first person I befriended after coming here was you, Marquess.”

Because I remembered Ophelia’s face from our first tea time, when she said that and smiled shyly.

I sighed while running my fingers through my hair.

‘Damn that Schubel bastard.’

Because of that son of a bitch, trusting people has become incredibly difficult.

I find myself suspecting first whether this person might have ulterior motives.

Even though on the first day, I even wore lie detector glasses to confirm whether Ophelia’s goodwill and apology toward me were lies.

In the end, I hesitated and shook my head.

“No, there’s no need to go that far.”

Ophelia has no dark intentions whatsoever.

I was concluding this and standing up when I saw Vivian running toward us from far away, her hair flying.

She was so frantic that she almost crashed right into the closed glass door of the greenhouse, not realizing it was shut, but was saved when Jerry threw himself forward to open the door.

“Lady Belinda! On my way back from the workshop, I saw Leo… Oh, thank you for opening the door.”

Vivian stopped mid-sentence and bowed her head to Jerry… Huh?

‘When did he change clothes?’

I looked back at Jerry, who had somehow returned to being the atelier’s assistant with vague features.

At this speed, he’s not just skilled at disguise—it’s almost at the level of a magical girl’s transformation.

“Oh, oh, no. I’m just glad you weren’t hurt, ahem, that’s a relief.”

Well, look at this?

Someone who could mimic anyone’s speech if he put his mind to it is stuttering?

Moreover, I saw him wiping off makeup earlier, so why are his cheeks flushed as if makeup residue remains?

‘Could this be?’

Though it’s one-sided, this ticklish pink atmosphere!

“Lady Belinda, you need to hurry back to the main building! Leo came back looking like a chestnut burr!”

“A chestnut burr?”

“I mean… he came back looking like he got into a hair-pulling fight with someone at the academy.”

“What?!”

I hurriedly ran to the main building.

In the distance, I could see Leo standing in front of the manor gate, tidying his appearance.

“Leo!”

Leo’s shoulders flinched at my call, and he glanced back at me before hurriedly fixing his hair, but I had already seen everything.

Hair disheveled like a spiky chestnut burr, just as Vivian had said.

His tie twisted around to the back.

His uniform wrinkled all over as if someone had grabbed and shaken it.

His appearance looked as if he had been beaten up somewhere, making my heart sink to the floor.

I hurriedly examined Leo’s body from head to toe. Fortunately, there didn’t seem to be any scratches.

“Leo, what happened at the academy?”

I didn’t want to frighten Leo, but thinking of the bold bastard who dared to touch my Leo made my teeth grind.

Leo glanced up at me briefly, then hastily avoided my gaze as if he had seen something he shouldn’t have, and after a long hesitation, opened his mouth.

“No, nothing happened.”

“What?”

“Re, really.”

Leo’s eyes were trembling as if an earthquake had struck as he said this.

Even without lie detector glasses, I could tell.

That Leo had lied to me.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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