The Male Lead Is Targeting Me, Not My Younger Sister - Chapter 51

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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 Is After Me, Not My Sister — Episode 51
“Big sister, big sister—aren’t you visiting Ludwig these days?”
At her sister’s cheerful call, Lydia looked up from the documents she’d been working on.
“Sylvia…….”
“Yes?”
“Did you do the homework I gave you?”
“Oh……!”
Sylvia clapped a hand over her mouth.
“Didn’t you promise me yesterday that you’d get it done? We made a deal, remember? Joachim does his homework without fail.”
“I, well…….”
“Don’t tell me my sister took the candy and forgot all about her promise. That wouldn’t be very nice, would it?”
In the end, Sylvia fled in tears.
“Wahhhhh! I hate you, big sister!”
Soon the room fell quiet again.
‘Phew. That was close.’
Once Lydia confirmed that Sylvia had truly gone, she let out a long sigh.
‘Good. She won’t bring up Ludwig again for a while.’
Three weeks had passed since the incident with Joachim’s awakening.
In that time, Lydia had used mounting household duties—mostly matters related to restoring her noble title—as an excuse to hole up at home, avoiding the outside world entirely.
There was genuinely much to do, but the real reason was…….
‘That man cannot be trusted. Not until I’m certain whether he’s an ally or an enemy, I need to keep my distance.’
It all came down to Ludwig.
Ever since their reunion, Lydia had harbored suspicions about him.
Take, for instance, the incident at the Imperial Palace banquet.
‘Something felt off about that, too.’
Obtaining the Lynnestone had been grueling. Sylvia had been badly hurt, and Lydia herself had sustained considerable injuries.
Yet at the time, Lydia had found the entire sequence of events far too convenient.
‘How could the timing have aligned so perfectly?’
Right after Lydia had picked up the Lynnestone and secured it, Ludwig immediately slit Einzong’s throat.
As if he’d simply decided to do something he could have done at any moment—and chose to do it now.
At the time, caught up in the chaos and dismissing it as baseless suspicion, she hadn’t pursued the matter further. The flow of events itself had seemed largely unremarkable.
But now that she harbored doubts about Ludwig.
Doubts that had sunk beneath the surface began to rise, one by one.
‘Let me think. What was Willeta’s behavior like back then?’
Willeta had tried to hand Joachim over to Lydia.
At the same time, she had tried to hide him from the other two men—Ludwig and Dietrich.
Looking at the facts alone, it didn’t seem particularly strange, but…….
‘……if Ludwig and Joachim are blood relatives, then everything changes.’
The current Emperor Wilhelm had killed every one of his siblings except for a much younger brother, then claimed the throne for himself.
Which meant…….
‘Joachim is descended from either Ludwig or the Emperor.’
There were clearly many secrets hidden in this Original Work that she didn’t know about.
Given the circumstances, there was no turning back—she could only move forward.
‘But in all this, my head’s spinning, and Sylvia just keeps going on about Ludwig. Why?’
Every time they met, he seemed to entertain her so well. It seemed Sylvia had grown quite attached to Ludwig.
For now, she seemed to think of him less as the Male Lead and more as an uncle who gives generous pocket money at holidays…….
‘Still, I need to keep an eye on things.’
For one reason or another, seeing Ludwig had become terribly awkward.
So she’d seized the opportunity to cut off contact with the outside world entirely, under the guise of doing work.
And then there was that day…….
Lydia’s thoughts drifted unbidden to the memory of their interlaced hands, and she shook her head firmly.
‘Don’t think about it.’
Emotion was of no use whatsoever.
Only reason could save humanity!
“Right. Time to get moving.”
Lydia quickly jotted down a few thoughts on paper, then burned it in the fire before standing up.
Three weeks was rest enough.
Joachim had passed through the critical phase, and the paperwork was largely finished. It was time to resume her activities.
“Big sister, where are you going?”
Lydia addressed the sister who had once again scurried up beside her with confidence.
“Time to make money!”
* * *
“Ah, welcome, welcome, customer. Please, come in.”
A burly bald man greeted Lydia, rubbing his hands together eagerly.
“My, how I’ve missed you. I waited so long for your return.”
His overly familiar manner and ingratiating smile seemed at odds with his rough appearance.
If something felt familiar, it was no trick of the mind.
That’s right.
This was the Antique Shop she’d visited on the day she first encountered Ludwig again!
“I wonder what treasures you’ve brought us today? Heh heh. We’re always prepared to handle your precious items with the utmost care.”
His eyes gleamed with barely contained anticipation.
Normally she would have produced something like a Majeongseok here, but…….
‘Not today.’
Lydia withdrew what she had prepared.
Clink.
“This is…….”
The man’s puzzled gaze snapped into sharp focus the moment he saw the object.
Not without reason.
Lydia smiled knowingly.
“You recognize it, don’t you?”
At first glance, it was an ordinary coin.
Save for the distinctive marking etched into its surface.
The man’s eyes narrowed with caution.
“……Where did you get this?”
“Does that matter?”
The place’s true name was the Black Raven.
An information guild masquerading on the surface as an antique dealer.
Lydia flicked the coin with her finger and spoke.
“Since I have a client, I suppose you should get to work.”
A moment later.
“The item has been verified as authentic. Please wait here for a moment.”
A red-haired woman bowed respectfully.
‘Excellent. It worked.’
Lydia had successfully gained entry to the information guild.
‘So they keep a hidden chamber like this inside.’
She hadn’t expected such meticulous work in a shabby building tucked away in an alley.
‘Then again, perhaps it makes sense.’
This was the very heart of an information guild led by none other than Karl Ruston—the original work’s male lead candidate.
Lydia took a seat at the table placed in the center of the room.
After recovering her memories from before her transmigration, the very first thing she had sought out was information about this place.
In the K-Lopan world, penetrating an information guild like this was basic survival knowledge for anyone who’d undergone transmigration.
‘I’ve never actually used it until now, though…….’
Well, finding it proved prescient—here she was using it exactly when it mattered most!
“Thank you for your patience.”
At that moment, a man entered with a gentle smile.
A masked man followed in his wake.
“This is our Master.”
The smiling man gestured toward the masked one as he introduced him.
“And I am his secretary. You may call me K.”
“A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Lydia.”
The masked man—no, the Master—smiled widely.
“Or should I say Baroness Prestin?”
As expected.
‘He’s already gathered everything about me.’
The conversation flowed smoothly without need for introductions. All the better.
“The pleasure is mine.”
Lydia grasped the hand the Master extended and shook it firmly.
“Please, have a seat.”
The two settled into chairs facing each other across the table.
“What about him?”
Suddenly, Lydia noticed the secretary standing behind the Master.
A handsome man with dark brown hair, the kind who drew favorable attention.
Perhaps sensing her gaze, the Master smiled faintly and offered an explanation.
“Ah, no need to concern yourself. K is a capable secretary, so he always attends these important meetings.”
How interesting.
“That sounds like you’re saying I’m important?”
“Why wouldn’t you be?”
The Master chuckled warmly.
“The talk of the capital, Baron Prestin, has come all this way and brought us our guild’s ‘key’ besides. We must treat you as a VIP!”
Hmm.
‘So they call it a key.’
She wondered how a coin had become the symbol of an information guild, but decided not to press the matter. It wasn’t that important, after all.
“So then, what brings you to our humble establishment?”
The Master asked with a sly smile.
Though half his face was concealed behind a mask, his refined features were unmistakable even so.
‘What should I do now…….’
Lydia tapped her fingers against the table, lost in thought.
Across from her, the Master and his secretary behind him watched with warm smiles playing at their lips.
‘They’re curious to see what I’ll say.’
Well then, she’d give them what they were waiting for.
At last, Lydia spoke.
“Let’s drop the charade, shall we?”
“Pardon?”
“Get up.”
Lydia offered the bewildered man a knowing smile.
“The real business should be discussed with the actual Master, shouldn’t it?”
The man’s expression hardened at once, understanding her meaning.
Ignoring him, Lydia turned to K, who continued to smile behind him.
“Isn’t that right, Master?”
At her words, K’s mouth curved upward at one corner.
“Impressive.”

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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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