I Became the Female Lead Ruined by Others - Chapter 21

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 21

I avoided his gaze and fixed my eyes on the bridge of his nose instead. “While I’m staying here, I’ll need you to look after my personal safety.”

“While I’m staying here, I’ll need you to look after my personal safety.”
“So you’re asking me to play bodyguard to the Young Lady?”

The man asked back as if he’d just heard the most absurd joke in the world.

“Something like that.”
“How would you prefer it? Should I stick to your side all day long like glue?”
“No.”

I grimaced and pointed beyond the window where he’d been hiding.

“If an emergency like yesterday’s crops up, then help me out.”
“Ah, that’s not going to be easy.”

The man drawled mockingly, stretching out his words.

“The Young Lady’s been awfully industrious about making enemies.”

That was precisely why I needed this man. Hiring a new bodyguard carried too much risk. But this man—this man alone was different.
This man alone was different.

“The point is, like you said, I need to stay safe for any promise to be kept, don’t I?”

At those words, the man’s eyes narrowed as if he were weighing profit against loss.

‘It’s working.’

I suppressed the urgency rising in my chest and gestured toward the Balcony once more.

“I’m not asking you to stand by my side at all times. The priority is handling things quietly, without drawing anyone’s attention…”
“I’m completely on board with that. I can’t afford to be noticed by people either.”

His response was characteristically mild, yet the implication beneath it struck me as odd.
It sounded as though he had some reason—some pressing reason—not to appear in front of others.

‘Could he already have attempted to rob a safe and is now on the run?’

If that were the case, wouldn’t hiding him in the Manor make things even worse for me?

“I was relieved when the Young Lady took this so well. Thanks to that, I managed to silence Ted.”
“Is that so?”

Of course, I had no idea who Ted was, but I made an appropriate sound of agreement anyway.
Fortunately, the man paid no mind and continued.

“I just had to suggest what the rumors would be if an unmarried Young Lady kept a… entertainer at the Estate, and the Butler nearly fell over himself. The Young Lady’s reputation must already be in tatters—you’ve got a loyal subordinate there.”

His casual tone, as if recounting everyday gossip, crumbled the suspicion that had been wavering.

‘The entertainer story was just a lie to fool people’s eyes?’

Everything became clear.
This man is desperate enough to do such things.
The layers of circumstantial evidence were now crystallizing into something close to fact.

“I’ll be honest with you. Given the situation, it’s difficult for me to fulfill the promise right away.”

The man nodded, inviting her to continue.

“There are matters I need to handle first. There’s an order to these things, isn’t there? I can’t lay out a new plan until I’ve resolved all of that.”
“So by your account, I don’t get my turn until you’ve tidied up everything around you.”
“That’s right.”
“But the fact that you’re not giving me a specific timeline suggests you can’t guarantee it yourself, can you?”
“You’re free to refuse. We can pretend none of this ever happened.”

It was the same line she’d spoken just hours before, but the circumstances had shifted.
She had grasped the balance of power in this relationship.

“I don’t know whether someone else might be able to help you, but I can.”
“Then… I have no choice but to accept your proposal.”

She drove in the final wedge, and the man laughed quietly, letting his words trail off.
Those transparent yet fathomless blue eyes revealed nothing to her—only tracing slowly across her face, searching its every corner.
The moment his gaze settled on her lips.

“Fine. I accept.”

At those few words, she exhaled the breath she’d been holding in a thin, controlled stream.

‘That settles it for now.’

It was impossible both to fulfill an agreement she didn’t fully understand and to renege on it. If the opponent was unavoidable, it was better to keep him close.
He meant to use her anyway, so she might as well use him first.

“A wise decision.”
“But remember this, Young Lady.”

A beautiful smile—one that seemed to melt away all caution—spread across his unreally handsome face.

“You must keep your promise.”

Now the man no longer hid the sharp light that had been concealed behind that unbroken smile.

“Of course.”

And she met his gaze directly, refusing to be intimidated by his intensity.
Whether this man was a thief or not, whatever new danger might befall her, she had to survive first.
At least until she could formulate her ‘real’ plan.

* * *

The negotiation with the man concluded successfully. She had managed it by recognizing his desperation.
What was even more fortunate was discovering he wasn’t merely an idle gentleman—he had his own business to attend to. After their conversation, he’d asked if he might step out, and she’d told him to do as he pleased.
The man had advised her to position two knights disguised as servants at her side during the day, since most assassination attempts were likely to occur in the dead of night.
In less than a day, he had already familiarized himself with the servants she herself didn’t know.

―I hope you won’t do anything as reckless as visiting the Brilliant Marquis Residence again.
―I’m just stepping out for personal business today, but I haven’t really done anything particularly dangerous until now. May I ask why you’d say such a thing?
―Because it’s dangerous.
―Ah… You’re worried about me?
―… No?

I’d rather not dwell on the conversation that followed.
This time I let the man disappear through the door like any ordinary visitor, then summoned the Butler and had him bring that bitter tea again.
Whether yesterday or today, it tasted like nothing but gall to me.
And once more, clutching my head, the information I needed to extract was this:

“Good grief, and here my head’s pounding while my lifeblood—my money—keeps nagging at me. How much liquid capital do I have available right now?”

That was it.
Given the opulence of this Estate and the fact that there wasn’t just one or two nobles being bled dry through extortion, I hadn’t worried much about finances.
Wait—surely I’m richer than a duke?

“…Is this right?”
“Yes, madam. I’ve updated and recorded it each time you gave me separate instructions. The funds you entrusted to me are being kept entirely in cash at a location only I know.”

It was nowhere near perfect.
Even accounting for my deflated expectations, the figure was oddly modest—just enough to live comfortably for about half a year.

“This can’t be all my assets.”
“Oh, of course not, madam! This is merely the basic maintenance allowance for the Estate that you’ve been giving me every three months.”

Right, it had to be. I couldn’t possibly hold only this pittance.
But as I was exhaling in relief, I held my breath at what came next.

“To explain, madam, the structure is simple. When funds or valuables are delivered to me, I calculate their worth and report it to you—all of which you’ve been managing separately. You won’t recall it now due to the poison’s effects, but it will come back to you soon.”

‘Damn…’

I swallowed another bitter taste.
Here I was, not even expecting to be spoon-fed, yet lifting a single spoonful of rice felt impossibly difficult.

‘This is a possession novel, and here I am in a world without a single System Window.’

There are possession novels where people inherit vast wealth and quests from the start, adapting as they go.
Why was I never chosen for such a place? What did I do wrong?

“Enough about that for now. How many servants work in my Estate?”
“Including myself, we have nine staff members in total.”

Four days into this possession, and I hadn’t yet encountered the other servants.
But when you’re possessed by someone new, learning about those around you is crucial—and if the man had already gathered information on the servants, I couldn’t afford to be the only one left ignorant.

“Bring me their letters of reference.”
“I’m afraid we don’t have such documents, madam.”
“No letters of reference?”

I was certain I’d impressed upon that possessed man the importance of proper vetting.
I’d told him repeatedly not to hire people carelessly.

“Yes—you hired all of them personally.”

The revelation that the body’s previous inhabitant had hired servants arbitrarily left me momentarily dizzy.

“Shall I bring you the staff roster that you prepared, madam?”

The capable Butler, reading my rigid expression, made the suggestion.
When I responded with an impressed expression and clapped my hands, he quickly returned with a Leather Document Case in hand.
On its brown leather cover, “Staff Roster” was written in neat lettering.

“I’ve added separate notations for organizational purposes.”

The leather document case I received from him was surprisingly heavy, and I couldn’t help but feel the tension.
And the moment I opened the cover.

“What is this.”
“I beg your pardon?”

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