The Male Lead Has Gone Mad Over the Troublesome Villainess - Chapter 4

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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 Wicked Villainess — Episode 4
On the twenty-fifth day of my confinement in the Attic, I was finally released. Once back in my room, I bathed and changed into fresh clothes. No more cycling through the same sweat-soaked garments day after day.
Those twenty-five days had been devoted entirely to training. Running my hands over muscles that were still developing but noticeably firmer now, I found myself thinking I might actually miss this place.
“At least I should be able to manage Running now, shouldn’t I?”
With this body, handling the guns and swords I’d wielded before would be impossible. Besides, this world knew only blades and arrows.
Damn. If I still had my old body, I could probably slaughter every Monster in sight.
What a waste.
I’d need to keep training to build up strength. Still, I should carry at least a Dagger.
“Young Miss, the Duke is asking for you.”
I nodded. The billowing Dress felt impossibly foreign after so long. It was clearly styled to the Duke’s taste—a fact confirmed by the memories of Rosana that had seeped into me. In those inherited recollections, the Duke emerged as an obsessive controller.
He imposed his preferences on his daughters and manipulated them to suit his desires.
Rosana’s stubbornness about wearing that Dress throughout the entire Expedition, her tantrums—they must have stemmed from this oppressive compulsion. I’d burn that thing the moment I left.
“Should I go in now?”
“Yes, Young Miss.”
Let’s see what nonsense he wants to spout this time.
I entered the Duke’s study. The scene hadn’t changed at all from what I’d seen just before being locked in the Attic.
“You seem to have been doing well, Rosana. You’ve put on weight, I see.”
The Duke spoke with pointed sharpness.
Muscle, not fat—but there was no point antagonizing him now.
“I shall pay closer attention to my weight from now on, Father.”
I offered the response he wanted, and the Duke nodded approvingly.
“Good. As you look ahead, it’s only fitting. Tomorrow, you’ll participate in the launching ceremony of the Golden Lily Expedition. Use any means necessary to secure the seat beside the Crown Prince. Who’s to say if he’ll actually succeed and return alive?”
The Duke’s smile turned predatory.
“Keep his attention throughout the entire Expedition. Do whatever it takes to captivate him. A child wouldn’t go amiss, for that matter.”
Disgusting bastard.
How could such a man call himself a father? Poor Rosana.
“Do you understand what I’m saying?”
“Yes, Father. I shall dress beautifully and never stray from the Crown Prince’s side, just as you’ve instructed.”
I answered flatly. The Duke nodded with satisfaction.
“Good, Rosana. I have faith in you.”
Beyond that, the Duke droned on with various lectures, not a single word of which proved useful.
Everything from how to seduce the Crown Prince to what style of dress men supposedly preferred, reminders not to neglect my appearance during the Expedition, warnings to avoid associating with low-born commoners—the whole tedious list.
I endured that torture chamber of time by silently singing hymns in my head.
‘Listen here, old man. You’re the one who’s truly base and vulgar.’
* * *
The Imperial Palace Grand Plaza packed with people was quite a sight. It seemed crowds had poured in from every corner of the Empire to witness the launching ceremony of the Golden Lily Expedition.
And for good reason—the entire fate of the Empire rested on this Expedition.
If the Expedition succeeded and safely recovered the Holy Relic, they’d be able to vanquish the Monsters. But if they failed, the likelihood of becoming prey to the Great Wyvern would spike dramatically. Even now, the Southern Region was suffering from Monster attacks on civilian settlements.
The Emperor presided over an enormous dais, with nobility arrayed below him.
Before them stretched the Expedition members who would depart today—easily a hundred strong. There were knights and mercenaries mixed in, but plenty of nobles too, pushed forward by their families as supposed representatives, much like myself.
The sky hung gray, and a bitter wind whipped across the plaza. Fitting weather for a world heading toward ruin, I suppose.
I stood at the edge of the plaza in a Dress embroidered with both the Ardena Family crest and the Empire’s seal, starkly out of place among all the Armor-clad warriors.
‘That deranged Duke. Insisting I wear whatever Dress the Crown Prince might fancy, and look at me now.’
At least the full skirts hid the Leather Pouches I’d prepared. They bulged with Jewels I’d quietly smuggled from the estate. I regretted not bringing more.
I’d cleaned out both my dressing room and the Duke’s, but hadn’t managed to get into my siblings’ wardrobes. That was a shame.
Getting caught didn’t frighten me. I was leaving anyway.
“This is unbearably heavy. How am I supposed to fight in this thing? A Monster could tear right through me.”
I muttered while tugging at the Dress. With all the lace and frills, it resembled a wedding cake.
I couldn’t believe anyone wore this routinely. I’d love to make the Duke wear it. A young noblewoman beside me stared at me with a pale face.
“M-m-Monster teeth?”
She trembled visibly. But she wasn’t alone. Many of these people wore Armor and carried swords, yet none had likely held a blade in earnest a day in their lives. Some of the young ladies looked barely old enough to be here at all.
Most of the nobles sent by their families were disposable—spare heirs, treated as expendable lives by their houses.
The trembling noblewoman beside me was almost certainly one such sacrificial lamb. The fortunate ones were those sent by families wealthy or shrewd enough to field actual swordsmen or seasoned mercenaries.
“Don’t worry. We won’t die. Our Expedition will succeed.”
I meant it sincerely. According to the novel, success was guaranteed. I clenched my fist as I spoke.
“So be brave—you’ve got this!”
“H-h-how can y-you b-b-be so s-sure? Lady Rosana, d-d-did you h-hear something?”
I didn’t hear it—I read it directly. But I couldn’t exactly explain that. I shook my head quietly.
“It’s not that, exactly, but…… we have to believe we’ll succeed. We’re not going to die. Besides, I should look into Iron Ore prices when we pass through the Northern Region.”
Our first destination was the Northern Region.
If my memory serves, the Northern Region was rich in Iron Ore. Even acquiring just a few mines would bring in substantial wealth. The problem was that my funds fell woefully short of what I’d need to purchase everything I wanted. Still, fortunately for me, this was the season when mines and land typically went on the market at bargain prices.
Truth be told, acquiring Gem Mines would have been even better than Iron Ore. The further south one traveled, the more abundant the Gem Mines became.
“Excellent.”
I nodded with satisfaction at my flawless plan, but Rosana tilted her head, her expression utterly blank.
“……I’m sorry? What did you just say?”
Boooooo—
At that very moment, the trumpet sounded, ringing out across the plaza.
The Emperor had arrived. The Crown Prince himself, Kael, who would lead the Expedition, ascended the podium in black Armor. The metal gleamed brilliant in the sunlight breaking through the clouds.
Wow, he really does have the visual presence of a male lead.
The plaza fell silent in an instant. Everyone held their breath, their eyes fixed upon him.
Kael surveyed the plaza from the podium, and I felt his gaze settle on me.
What? Why are you looking at me? Well, I suppose if I were you, I’d look too. With the way I’m dressed right now. I had the distinct feeling that Kael was viewing me with contempt.
“People of the Empire!”
The Emperor’s resonant voice boomed across the plaza. The man certainly has a fine voice. But then again, this Emperor is a corrupt one as well.
“Today we depart, bearing the fate of the Empire upon our shoulders! To defend this land from the threat of Monsters! To preserve human dignity! To protect our families!”
Cries erupted from within the crowd. Those were surely families bidding farewell to loved ones departing for the battlefield. Watching them, my heart began to pound with a heavier rhythm.
‘Survive no matter what. Come back alive.’
My chest swelled with emotion. I’d been deployed to countless operations before, but this tension was unlike anything I’d ever felt. In the past, I’d faced humans and catastrophes, but this time it would be Monsters.
One misstep, and I could be dismembered in an instant. Sweat pooled in my palms.
Whether my preparations would suffice, what else I should do, what might lie ahead—even thinking about such things felt like my head would burst.
No. Just do your part well. The male lead and the female lead will handle the rest anyway. I pictured myself in the end, alive and thriving, speaking with swagger about my triumph.

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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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