The Male Lead Has Gone Mad Over the Troublesome Villainess - Chapter 12

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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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The Male Lead Has Gone Mad Over the Villainess — Episode 12
Willow was the final gateway to Gracestone, so there were quite a few people about. And the market seemed well-stocked with supplies.
I’d read somewhere that if you didn’t resupply here, it would be difficult to find provisions later. And now you’re asking for my help with something so crucial?
Suspicious, to say the least.
Arriving at the marketplace with my doubts firmly planted, I found Kael’s men locked in a tense standoff with the merchants, their faces dark as storm clouds.
Something had clearly gone very wrong.
I exchanged glances with Seraphine, who stood among them. After several days of training together, something like camaraderie had begun to bloom between us.
By now, the relationship between Seraphine and Kael must be deepening gradually as well. The romantic progress between the two was a crucial element that would greatly influence the novel’s trajectory. Go, Seraphine.
Let’s not forget, once more, that this was a mature, tragic romance fantasy.
I silently cheered her on, picturing Seraphine tormented day and night by either monsters or Kael himself. One more time — go, Seraphine!
I’m rooting for you!
“Your Highness, did you call for me?”
I offered a formal bow before Kael. His gaze, surrounded by his men, turned toward me. It was the first time I’d seen him from this close. Up near, he truly was handsome. It was no small feat to be both so tragic and so beautiful.
In the original work, Kael often displayed cruelty, and at times showed his darker side. Because of this, Seraphine had been wounded more than once. It was all supposedly in service of the Expedition, the greater good, and the Empire and the world — but there were certainly moments that would have been painful for Seraphine to endure.
And yet, there was but one reason Kael was ever forgiven.
That face.
It really does come down to looks.
People say you can’t live off a man’s face, but I swear, with Kael, you could. Just looking at him made everything forgivable. How was a person shaped like that?
His nose, sharp as if carved by a chisel; his lips, a harmonious crimson; his eyes, drawn with a brush and impossibly alluring. The longer I looked, the more his mysterious gaze and the small tear-mole beneath his right eye added to his charm.
And silver hair, no less. I’ve always had a weakness for silver-haired beauties.
Before I knew it, I was licking my lips and swallowing hard.
Then those sculpted lips parted.
“…Rosana. The situation here is dire. That is why I must ask for your assistance.”
My assistance? I snapped back to attention quickly.
“What sort of help would be needed?”
“The merchants are demanding absurd prices from the Expedition.”
From that single statement, I could grasp the full picture. I recalled the market conditions I’d observed on my way to meet Kael — the merchants’ expressions, the state of their goods, and even the subtle exchanges of glances between them.
Ah. Price collusion.
They’re trying to line their pockets, then?
But the Expedition couldn’t possibly agree to all their demands.
So negotiation was needed, yet among these straightforward knights, none possessed the skill for it. I remembered encountering a similar situation in the original work.
If I recalled correctly, those negotiations had taken quite some time. That was why the Expedition had to remain in Willow for four days.
If he sought me out to resolve a situation like that…
It was a fitting choice.
But how did he know I could talk my way through things like this?
I deliberately withheld my answer, regarding the crown prince with a cryptic gaze. Should I play dumb? What if my actions altered the novel’s course?
But Kael’s words came faster than I could reach a conclusion.
“…The Rainford Black Market.”
“Gulp.”
I swallowed audibly. I felt my eyes trembling uncontrollably. So this is what that feels like.
“…According to Military Law, desertion carries a sentence of execution.”
“How much of a discount would be acceptable?”
Kael’s brow furrowed. I smiled sweetly at him and pressed my thumb and forefinger together in a small circle.
“Trust me, Your Highness. Haha, I’ll make sure those merchants straighten right up.”
I took a breath as I watched Kael press his lips firmly together.
Only then did the reason for my presence here become clear. Or rather, when had I even shown this side of myself?
Sigh. What’s spoken by day is heard by birds; what’s spoken by night is heard by mice.
There are no secrets. No secrets at all!
* * *
Having received my orders from Kael, I approached the merchants with a bright smile. They had already huddled together tightly. They were betting everything on this moment, just as I was.
Didn’t you hear me mention Military Law just now?
I have to stake my life on this.
I’d served in the military. I knew the terror of Military Law better than anyone. And I understood just how dangerous what I’d done truly was.
I reached over and popped open the nearest Flour Sack with a sharp gesture. Dust that had accumulated on top of the sack scattered in a cloud.
“When was this ground?”
“Ahem. It was milled this year.”
“That can’t be right. It looks at least two years old. There’s obvious discoloration.”
I went through the condition of each item one by one, then stood. The merchants watched me with uneasy faces. The supplies were, in fact, nothing short of a lifeline for survival.
They’d probably brought out everything they had without imagining anyone would scrutinize the freshness so carefully.
The merchants avoided my gaze, coughing awkwardly, their faces flushed.
“I haven’t the faintest idea what conscience allows you to demand such prices. You expect the Expedition to buy this at those rates?”
“Now look here. I don’t know who you are, but my family’s livelihood depends on this.”
“That’s right! Do you think we’re comfortable with this either!”
“Then you ought to be doing comfortable things instead. You do know where we’re headed, don’t you? If we fail, do you really think your families will have much of a future left?”
The merchants stood with their mouths clamped shut, shifting their weight to one leg as they stared at me in bewilderment. They’d never have imagined that someone claiming to represent the Crown Prince would conduct himself like a common thug. But that’s how it goes—an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.
“And another thing—are you really peddling sprouted potatoes with the eyes just trimmed off?”
With however many years of living rough under my belt, I could spot that much. The merchant who’d been about to deny it met my gaze, then jerked his head away. I ran the Short Dagger shallow across the potato’s skin, and beneath the peel a sickly blue-green discoloration came into view.
“Cough!”
“Quite the enterprise you’re running. If the Expedition’s knights come down with food poisoning eating this, who’s liable?”
“W-we’re not responsible for anything! The decision to purchase is yours to make!”
“Ours? The sellers bear no responsibility?”
I exhaled sharply, blowing my bangs out of my face.
Old habits die hard.
“Listen well. If our knights eat these wretched provisions you’re selling and fall ill, they won’t be hunting Monsters—they’ll become Monster food. And then those vengeful spirits might just pursue you and yours for generations to come.”
I smiled coldly, sweeping my gaze across the merchants.
“Think you couldn’t do it? I can. Your family, your grandchildren, and everyone after. I’ll hold a grudge all the way to the end.”
“W-what are you saying! Are you threatening us right now!”
“Seems to me you’re the ones doing the threatening. You put out garbage like this and demand outrageous prices, acting like thugs the whole time. Or was it that you wouldn’t sell unless we paid what you asked?”
I laughed, cold and sharp. Either way—there’s always a rotten apple in any barrel.

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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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