The Male Lead Is Targeting Me, Not My Younger Sister - 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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The Male Lead Targets Me, Not His Sister — Episode 21
“Ugh…….”
Lydia frowned and tilted her head back to gaze up at the building before her.
The largest and most opulent structure in the entire Empire.
The Imperial Palace.
‘No matter how I think about it, this feels wrong.’
I did call for this meeting, but I can’t shake the feeling that everything’s happening too fast.
A date scheduled just four days after sending a letter? Really?
And with the Emperor, no less?
‘……Well, what choice do I have? When ordered, you obey.’
A powerless commoner must offer loyalty to those who hold power—that’s simply how the world works.
Lydia reminded herself of this conviction.
‘Don’t be difficult.’
“Ah, you must be Lydia Preston. We have been expecting you. Please, follow me this way.”
A servant had appeared to greet her, and Lydia fell into step behind him.
‘Every time I see it, this place is utterly extravagant.’
Gleaming gold ornaments everywhere.
Masterworks of centuries adorning every wall.
Even the chandeliers were magnificent.
The meticulously designed interior created an atmosphere both solemn and timelessly refined.
‘……I might actually want to stage a revolution.’
That said, this palace wasn’t built solely by bleeding the Empire’s people dry.
The man who led the nation through its renaissance was the current Emperor himself.
Emperor Wilhelm was regarded as a rare and virtuous ruler.
In other words, he was the author’s last remaining conscience in this world.
‘The author must have thought that if the Emperor himself were mad on top of how broken the worldview already is, there’d be no salvation.’
A terrifying world where cracks constantly appear and Creatures burst forth.
It was only thanks to Wilhelm that one could live and do what needed doing.
The Emperor had worked tirelessly to stabilize the Empire, constructing a Defense System across the realm and restructuring the previously haphazard Awakener Policy into something efficient.
As a result, the Empire was navigating even these treacherous times smoothly.
‘That’s why the male leads in the original had the luxury of indulging in romantic squabbles.’
Tsk, tsk.
Lydia clicked her tongue in disapproval.
In any case, such useless creatures!
“Please wait here for a moment.”
The servant led Lydia to an antechamber and then vanished somewhere.
‘Oh my.’
The waiting room was already packed with nobles who had come to have an audience with the Emperor.
Lydia quietly positioned herself in an inconspicuous corner.
“Ultimately, this incident is a tragedy born from complacency on our part.”
Someone spoke loudly.
“We have relied far too heavily on Transcendents to handle these matters. We must allocate more resources and personnel to Creature countermeasures and devise defenses more advanced than what we currently have!”
“Are you suggesting that His Majesty’s policies were flawed?”
“You twist my words so! The circumstances have changed; new methods are required!”
A heated discussion ensued among the gathered nobles.
“Military reinforcement is necessary. Surely you all saw—’that thing’ was far beyond a level we could dismiss lightly.”
“And where exactly would we draw the budget from?”
“Is it not possible that the creature was simply a mutant? To overturn all existing policy because of a single anomaly seems like an overreaching argument.”
“I do agree that a comprehensive policy revision is needed. However, a detailed investigation into this incident must be conducted first.”
The sight of everyone offering their separate opinions was intriguing.
‘Of course, they’re all talking about the same thing.’
It was only natural, given that the incident had occurred not long ago.
The people’s arguments divided into two broad camps.
The reformists: “We’ll all die if we don’t act.”
The cautionists: “Don’t overstep.”
Honestly, now that an Ain-type has shown itself so openly and sprung its trap, one wonders what more caution could possibly accomplish……but for those managing the national budget, clearly there was much to weigh.
‘I don’t need to intervene here separately.’
According to the original story, the Emperor would handle it himself.
And more importantly, events would keep unfolding regardless, eventually forcing even the cautionists to yield their stance. After all, their lives mattered to them too.
“Then it might be wise to hear from the parties directly involved in this matter as well.”
A single word had seized Lydia’s attention.
……The involved party?
“What is your view, Dietrich?”
At those words, every eye turned in unison.
‘Ah.’
A striking beauty with long silver hair cascading to her waist.
A Transcendent—Dietrich Ruben.
The man who had been maintaining silence opened his eyes slowly as gazes converged upon him.
“What is it you wish to know?”
His voice fell cold and measured.
Sharp eyes, and an expression colder still.
The air in the room froze in an instant.
‘……Ugh.’
Of all people, he had to be here!
Lydia fundamentally found all the male leads irritating, though with most of them it was more a kind of exasperated contempt—*honestly, how ridiculous*—than anything else.
But Dietrich was different.
‘That man and I simply don’t mesh.’
Dietrich’s defining trait was contempt.
He despised everything except those few things he deemed “useful.”
Lydia herself had already been on the receiving end of his utter disregard.
‘Back at the Military Academy.’
She hadn’t wanted anything to do with him, yet suffering it firsthand had left an unpleasant taste.
“Lord Dietrich, didn’t you yourself confront the Creature that day? As the Empire’s foremost Transcendent, I’m curious how you view this crisis.”
When someone mustered the courage to ask, those around him nodded in agreement.
“Quite right. In matters such as these, a Transcendent’s opinion carries great weight. You are the supreme authority, after all.”
“And haven’t you come today specifically regarding this very matter?”
“I do hope to hear your insight, Lord Dietrich. It would be invaluable in determining the direction of future policy.”
Dietrich, who had been listening in silence, finally spoke.
“My opinion is for His Majesty alone.”
The hall went cold.
Wow……
In simpler terms, what he’d just said amounted to this:
‘What business is it of yours without decision-making authority?
Why should I bother?’
‘Stop pestering me and get lost.’
If that translation seemed a touch harsh, well, that’s just how it was.
‘He really does know how to kill a mood.’
Those who read discourtesy and contempt in his tone and expression felt their faces flush with indignation.
“Ahem, um.”
“That’s rather much.”
“Surely we might ask……”
Though they muttered, none dared openly protest—and recognizing that familiar powerlessness in herself, Lydia’s mood soured.
‘Just like how I can never push back against Ludwig.’
As the atmosphere turned awkward, Lydia glanced toward the door.
Come back soon and get me out of here!
Yet the Emperor’s attendant showed no sign of returning.
The conversation’s momentum dissipated as though it had never existed; people occupied themselves with nervous glances, killing time.
Only Dietrich, the architect of this chill, stood aloof and untouched by it all.
‘This is exactly why I can’t stand him……’
A thick wall of ice seemed to have formed around Dietrich’s very presence.
Male leads as a breed tended to shun the world and carry themselves as though they alone mattered (Lydia’s personal assessment), but Dietrich took it to extremes.
‘Though it’s not my concern. We won’t have dealings for some time anyway.’
The Ruben house had long shown unwavering loyalty to the imperial family.
Dietrich especially was a man of such ferocious devotion to the Emperor that his rivals had branded him “the Emperor’s dog.”
Which meant, in practical terms, that he was a piece on the board she could never move.
“Miss Prestine?”
An attendant had approached, drawing Lydia from her reverie.
“Please follow me. His Majesty awaits.”
Hmm?
‘I thought that would take longer.’
I’d expected to wait a while given the crowd.
But rather than risk drawing unwanted attention by questioning the order, Lydia simply nodded.
‘The sooner the better, honestly.’
She followed the attendant obediently.
And the moment no one was looking, Dietrich’s sharp gaze fastened itself to the space between Lydia’s shoulder blades.
* * *
“Please wait here a moment. His Majesty will be with you shortly.”
The attendant showed Lydia into the study and withdrew.
‘Oh……’
Since the Emperor had not yet arrived, protocol forbade her from sitting first; Lydia stood quietly and surveyed her surroundings.
‘I’ve never been this deep into the Palace before.’
She fiddled absently with the documents she’d brought.
The thought of meeting the Emperor one-on-one made her nervous.
‘What kind of person was the Emperor in the original work……’
Unfortunately, there weren’t many clues.
The “Emperor” had been mentioned a few times, but there was almost no information about Wilhelm as an individual.
What little there was……
‘……that he was Ludwig’s older brother, I suppose?’
Lydia found herself recalling the face of the man she’d seen just this morning.
“…….”
The memory left a sour taste.
‘Please let them not look alike.’
If there were two of that sort of man, it would be absolutely insufferable!
Thinking of Ludwig must have rattled her; at precisely that moment, she lost her grip on one of the papers she was holding.
‘Naturally, that man’s been nothing but a nuisance to my life.’
Muttering to herself, Lydia crouched down and reached toward the document that had fallen to the floor.
That was when it happened.
“Oh my.”
A pair of shoes came into view.
The moment her mind instinctively identified their owner, Lydia’s head snapped up.
And.
“Careful, Lady Lydia.”
A man with an oddly familiar bearing smiled softly.
It was Wilhelm, the Emperor.

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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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