The Male Lead Is the Villain, and I'm the Only One Who Knows - Chapter 2

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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’s True Identity Is the Hidden Mastermind, and Only I Know It — Chapter 2
“Oh, I haven’t gotten an answer yet.”
Before my eyes could even blink, she vanished. I’d gathered that she was a mage, but she didn’t seem to be an ordinary one.
‘Anyone who can use Teleportation Magic right in front of me has to be at least an Upper-rank Mage.’
Iovan recalled the woman’s face clearly.
Confusion Magic had been cast over her features, but such a trivial trick couldn’t deceive Iovan’s eyes.
Her transparent ruby-red eyes darted as if searching for an escape route, and beneath them, her pink lips trembled with fear. It was a fascinating face, yet one that didn’t exist in his memory.
As the Crown Prince, Iovan dealt with numerous nobles and had little trouble memorizing the appearances of most Young Ladies he encountered. So why did this woman seem like a complete stranger?
‘That mysterious hair color… I’m sure I’ve seen it somewhere before.’
Peach-colored hair with streaks of deep purple woven through it. Such an unusual shade was naturally rare to behold.
“…There was someone among the Imperial Palace mages with similar hair.”
Lion Astel—the eldest son of House Count Astel, a renowned family of mages—had displayed prodigious talent from childhood, graduated at the top of Mado Academy, and simultaneously held positions as an Upper-rank Mage at the Magic Tower and a court mage. He was an unprecedented mage who had made a name for himself throughout the empire.
“Did that family have a daughter…?”
Witnesses were meant to be eliminated, but if this one was among the empire’s few Upper-rank Mages, the matter became more complicated.
More than anything.
‘How did she even find this place?’
No matter how skilled an Upper-rank Mage might be, it was impossible to locate Iovan while he was at work. Especially now, when even the shadows that normally guarded the Crown Prince from close quarters couldn’t pursue him.
‘I’ll put off killing her for now.’
After a moment’s thought, Iovan’s expression grew serene as he flicked his hand. The night would grow long enough; it was time to return to the Imperial Palace.

* * *
“P-please, spare me!”
Gasp!
My eyes snapped open after the desperate murmur, slowly taking in the familiar ceiling above me. Right—my room.
“I’m going mad. I’ve been having the same nightmare every single night since then…!”
From the day I barely escaped Iovan, I’ve been tormented by the same nightmare every evening.
A monster with green eyes chased me endlessly in the dream, and I always woke up just as it seized me by the collar.
‘At least I woke up before getting caught this time, so that’s…’
Not fine. Absolutely not fine! My heart is still pounding!
“Besides, there’s no way Iovan would know the name of a minor extra from the provinces.”
And I’d cast Confusion Magic on my face to blur my features, hadn’t I?
Unless Iovan was an exceptionally high-ranking mage, he couldn’t break through my Upper-rank magic and recognize me.
‘In the original work, Iovan wasn’t a mage. The novel is still being serialized, so I can’t be certain, but the odds of him being a higher-ranked mage than me are low.’
Moreover, at the various parties I’d attended where Iovan was present, I’d never actually spoken to him once. I’d only ever watched from afar with fan-like devotion.
‘Since hardly anyone even knows I exist, it’s impossible for Iovan to find me.’
Right after the possession, once I’d understood the situation, I’d chosen to live quietly like a proper extra.
Of course, as the second daughter of House Count Astel, a renowned family of mages, it wasn’t easy to completely hide my presence. Fortunately, I had an older brother with prodigious talent—Lion Astel.
‘My brother’s genius overshadowed me from childhood, so as the younger sibling, my presence was virtually nonexistent.’
Using poor health as an excuse, I barely engaged in public activities, so the world believed House Astel had only Lion. Those few who learned of my existence would express surprise: ‘Did that family have a daughter?’
And I was utterly delighted with my near-zero presence.
‘Because of it, I could do whatever I wanted without having to worry about appearances.’
The best part was that I wasn’t registered with the notoriously strict Mage Association. This was largely thanks to Lion, who held a senior position at the Magic Tower and had arranged it specially.
Though I’d been registered with the Association at birth, given House Astel’s name, my air-like presence allowed Lion to remove me from the registry without anyone noticing.
All mages registered with the Mage Association were obligated to report their magical activities.
But what I was doing was research into the Ancient Dimension-Transfer Magic, forbidden ages ago. If I reported it, I’d be headed straight to prison.
‘I have to conduct this research to return to Korea, so there’s no helping it.’
I was about to get out of bed and head to my lab when the door suddenly swung open without a knock.
“Young Lady!”
“Oh! You startled me…!”
My personal maid Hannah appeared abruptly, her face unusually flushed with excitement.
“A Proposal Letter has arrived for you, Young Lady!”
“What?”
Reflexively, I returned the question in bewilderment, though I quickly regained my composure.
“How strange. Someone must have sent it to the wrong person again. Tsk.”
This had happened before—a Proposal Letter meant for Reine arriving at me instead, since my name is Reine but I sometimes go by Rena.
“It came from the Imperial Palace, though?”
“What…?”
Before I knew it, I’d sprung up and hurried over, taking the sheet of paper from Hannah’s hands.
[Erjet Imperial House]
At the bottom of the gleaming golden letter I’d just received was indeed stamped a deep crimson Imperial Seal. The noble crest of the golden lion representing the Erjet Imperial Family shone with unmistakable clarity, announcing the letter’s origin.
‘This can’t be real. Iovan found me?’
That he didn’t know me wasn’t a guess—it was a certainty. After all, Iovan and I had no prior acquaintance, so it was only natural.
‘I even cast Confusion Magic on my face. How on earth did he—?’
How long had it been since I escaped, and already he’d caught my neck? The thought that it was like some nightmare I’d been suffering through these past few days sent chills racing down my spine.
“Miss, it’s been so strange that you haven’t said a word since you returned from that party…….”
Hannah seized my hand eagerly and continued with an elated expression.
“You promised your love to His Highness that day, didn’t you?”
“I—what?”
“There’s no other way a Proposal Letter would arrive so suddenly! Oh my!”
Hannah bounced on her toes, insisting that the Crown Prince must have fallen for me at first sight.
“Well, I did meet him, but……”
It wasn’t the kind of meeting you’re imagining.
“Miss, you’ll send a reply, won’t you?”
Stars shone in Hannah’s hazel eyes, brimming with anticipation. If I so much as nodded, she looked ready to march out and fetch every last piece of stationery in the manor.
“…What happens if I don’t reply?”
“Well, society typically interprets silence as a refusal.”
“I see. Then.”
Riiiiip—
“I’m turning down the proposal.”
“Oh my, Miss…!”
In an instant, the bright golden letter was torn to shreds and scattered through the air like fluttering strands from some proud golden lion’s mane.
‘I’ve guarded this quiet life so carefully—I can’t let Iovan ruin it.’
If I became engaged to him, my name would spread throughout the empire. Then my insignificant presence would become conspicuous, and—no, don’t even say it. Absolutely not.
Besides, I’d lost my most beloved in the blink of an eye. So why would I stay here?
There was no reason to.
The only thought that grew stronger was that I had to perfect the Ancient Dimension-Transfer Magic as soon as possible.
“But Miss, I think you still ought to send a reply.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s already in the newspaper.”
“…What?”
Hannah thrust something else at me. This time it was a newspaper.
“The article’s already out. A public proposal, no less—His Highness must be quite sincere toward you, Miss.”
The front page bore a headline so enormous I couldn’t even manage a hollow laugh.
[The Crown Prince of Erjet Publicly Proposes to Reine Astel, Second Daughter of the Illustrious House of Count Astel!]
[The two confirmed their mutual affection at a recent gathering hosted by Count Anastasia…….]
[Reine Astel, Once Devoid of Presence, Draws All Eyes—How Did She Secretly Win the Heart of the Empire’s Brightest Star?]
So, this is serious business? It doesn’t look like simply tearing up the Proposal Letter will fix this.
‘My quiet life is already lost…….’
I tore up the newspaper with clouded eyes, and Hannah laughed sheepishly, shrugging her shoulders.
“That won’t help, Miss. The Count already bought a hundred copies.”
“Why, for what?!”
“Well, it’s your very first scandal, Miss! And with the empire’s brightest star, no less!”
Hannah gave a delighted thumbs-up, declaring that this was absolutely something to keep.
“This can’t be…….”
My desperate cry fell on deaf ears—the Proposal Letters kept coming the next day, and the day after, and the day after that, as if to prove me wrong. This is insane.
‘Sending nothing but Proposal Letters with no explanation at all—it’s not rational.’
It was the behavior of someone who knew perfectly well that I couldn’t refuse forever.
‘Already I’m being branded as a woman with no sense of propriety for consistently remaining silent to the Crown Prince’s proposal.’
In that sense, this was never truly a ‘proposal’ at all.
It was merely a declaration that he had found me, and now that my name had spread throughout the empire, I could not escape him—a warning writ plain.
To put it gently, it meant: show yourself.
‘I haven’t even gotten away properly yet. I can’t be caught like this.’
I couldn’t sustain this madness any longer. It was time to make a decision.
“Hannah, I’m leaving the house.”
On the morning of the fourth Proposal Letter’s destruction, I announced my resolve while watching Hannah tenderly gather the shredded scraps of paper in her hands.
“What? Just like that? When?”
“Three……”
“Ah, three months from now?”
If Iovan came looking for me and I wasn’t here, that would be that, wouldn’t it?
“Two, one, now.”

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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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