I Became the Female Lead Ruined by Others - Chapter 24

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

Chapter 24

“Hah…….”

The first sound to cut through the awkward silence was Ted drawing in a sharp breath.
Masa, who had been turning toward the doorway, froze mid-step, and the two maids lowered their heads in haste.

‘Is he insane?’

I stared at the man through eyes clouded with shock.

“Shall I pour you some water?”

The man rose halfway from his seat and reached out to refill my glass.
His movements were swifter than any butler’s — smooth as flowing water, utterly natural.

“If it pleases you, then that’s all that matters… but seeing your face worn down like this troubles my heart, truly it does.”

And he had the nerve to say such a thing — this man who had been making my life difficult from the moment we first met.

‘So it shows, even to others.’

The first day brought the discovery of the Ledger and an assassination attempt; the second, the Duke’s impending visit; and yesterday, a revelation about the Possessed One’s Anomaly that I’d only just learned of.
For days now, I hadn’t slept properly.

“Once you finish your meal, wouldn’t an afternoon nap do you good?”

The man, who had left his mark in every shadow of this catastrophe, spoke as if it were nothing.
I had to fight with all my strength to keep my brow from furrowing.
But from my days as a companion, I was well-practiced in wearing a face that betrayed nothing of what I felt.

“How kind and helpful of you.”
“You honor me with such praise. I could remain by your side until you fall asleep…….”
“No.”
“But, Miss… you didn’t even hear me finish what I was saying.”

Just from watching Ted’s reaction, I could tell that this man’s disguise — this “attendant’s act” — had already proven quite convincing.
So why keep up such shameless pretense? There was no need for it!

“I thought I was clear enough last time. While you’re staying here, you don’t have to push yourself.”

I set down my knife with a forced smile.
The man’s gaze, which had been fixed on my hand gripping the knife, slowly rose to meet my eyes.
He withdrew his hand from where it had been propping up his chin, then brought it to his mouth instead.

“Push myself? Please, don’t say such things. Serving you is something like my destiny.”

The curve of his eyes was proof enough that he was genuinely enjoying this situation.
I could already picture the angle of his hidden smile.

“That hand…….”
“Ahem! Miss.”

I’d been on the verge of falling into his performance again, my mouth opening without thought.
Ted, who had been clearing his throat insistently at my side, stepped forward and cut in — barely managing to restrain his obvious displeasure.

“Do you have any plans for today?”

His question stirred up the doubts I’d been turning over all through the night.

‘If no one can read my handwriting, what about the letter I wrote to the Duke?’

Given the raw details recorded in the servant registry and the fact that I’d failed to teach Ted, that Possessed One must have known.

‘That all Imperial script appears converted to Hangul before their eyes, and that no one else can read what a Possessed One writes.’

From the circumstances, this seemed to be the Possessed One’s Anomaly.
The only common ground between that person and me was the single fact of being Possessed.

‘But there’s no way someone who knows that would have written the letter in Hangul.’

Which meant someone else had written that vicious letter in their stead.
Comparing the servant registry with the letter, the handwriting was plainly different. Strangely, that was one difference visible to the naked eye.
By the time the sun was rising, I’d narrowed it down to a single culprit.

‘I have to confront this person today.’

If they’d trusted someone with ghostwriting, there was a risk they’d be discovered, but it couldn’t be helped.
I had to find out what they knew, and control the information.

“Come to the Reception Room later—”

In the middle of speaking softly enough for only the butler to hear, my eyes met those of the man across from me.
Or rather, I caught his gaze fixed intently on my lips.

‘Is he reading my lips?’

My mouth fell shut at the sight of his head tilted slightly to one side, his expression warm and affectionate.

“Let’s have breakfast first.”
“Very good. But is there anything troubling you?”

I deflected rather than speak carelessly in front of the man.
My head had felt a bit foggy since morning anyway, so I hadn’t been paying it much attention.
Just then, Ted’s cautious question seemed to scatter and drift away from my ear—even though he was standing right beside me.

“Nothing in particular.”

Now that I thought about it, my eye sockets felt sore, as if my eyes might roll out.
I raised my empty right hand to brush away the rough grit on my face.
Or rather, I tried to.

‘What?’

No strength would enter my hand.
To be precise, the power flowing through my hand was pathetically weak. I couldn’t even make a fist.
Shrill—
And as if that weren’t enough, a sharp tinnitus suddenly bored into my ear.

“…Ah.”

But still, I hadn’t the strength to raise a single hand to cover my ears.

“My lady?”

It was then my gaze, which had been fixed on the plate smeared carelessly with cold steak and sauce, began to drift left, then right, then left, then right—beyond all control.

‘I’m dizzy.’

A vertigo pressed down upon her, one she’d been ignoring until now alongside the headache.
The room tilted in lazy circles.
She tried to steady herself by gripping the table with her left hand, but her body was already tilting away.

“Miss!”

In the moment her body slipped helplessly to the right without resistance,
she found herself staring directly into his eyes—her head lolling back, devoid of strength to hold itself steady.
The eyes that had lingered upon her with such ease all this while now widened in evident shock, and his smoothly curved lips had gone rigid.

‘I’ve never seen that expression on his face before…….’

As all the noise around her faded into distance, the last thing she saw was him surging from his seat.
Then her vision went black.

* * *

“Miss!”
“Good heavens, what in the world!”

It happened in an instant.
Rozelina’s collapse was entirely unexpected.
Not even Ted, who had sensed something amiss, nor Masa, who had leaned forward with concern, nor anyone else present had anticipated it.
Masa shoved the panicking Ted aside and swiftly administered first aid—something only possible because she had worked as a nurse in her younger years.

“Miss, can you hear me?!”
“You there, come help the housekeeper at once!”

The maids who had been standing near the door rushed over to assist Masa.
And the man who had sprung from his seat the moment Rozelina fell stood motionless, simply watching.
Behind his narrowed eyes, the deep blue of his gaze remained fixed upon her chest, rising and falling with steady rhythm.

“Fortunately, her pulse and breathing appear normal. It seems she simply lost consciousness for a moment, sir.”
“Did any of you notice something amiss with the mistress this morning?”
“A… a little, perhaps? Though the mistress has seemed rather out of sorts in general…….”
“Then how do we explain this bewildering turn of events! Surely the meal wasn’t the culprit?!”
“We had three people taste everything before it was brought to the mistress, as always.”

It was then.
At Rose’s words, the man settled back into his seat with a heavy sigh and opened his mouth.

“The meal should be ruled out. I ate the same thing, after all.”

At those words, Masa’s fingers—still pressed to Rozelina’s pulse—froze, Ted’s mouth—still calculating possibilities—stilled, and the two maids tending to her limbs went rigid.
Only the man, speaking in his melodious drawl, continued to move with an eerie calm.

“Ah, but if no one thought to check my portion separately, then the story becomes quite different, doesn’t it?”

Not a trace of alarm or concern crossed his features regarding this horrific situation.
Rather, as he spoke with deliberate slowness, he appeared far more at ease than before.

“Now listen here!”
“Sir!”

Ted’s voice rose at last—until Masa grabbed his arm to stop him.

“This is not the moment! We must get the mistress to her bedroom at once. And please prepare the medicine we kept in stock last time.”
“Yes, yes! Can you two manage to care for your mistress?”

The two maids nodded with grave determination, then lifted Rozelina with practiced ease.
The man watched them go and clicked his tongue.

“Move as if your lives depend on it! She may grow dizzy, so mind each step carefully—but quickly now!”

As the four of them moved as one, the man simply rolled his eyes, as though watching someone else’s house burn.
He wasn’t thinking anything at all.
Only after the limp white hand vanished from view did the thought come to him.

‘She was pushing too hard.’

That was all.

‘Well, it doesn’t matter.’

As long as the life he meant to use for his purpose remained intact, that was enough.
What became of that woman was no concern of his.

“As long as she lives.”

His face, stretched in a languid yawn, betrayed not the slightest tremor of emotion.

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