The Obsessive Male Lead Is Obsessed With Me! - Chapter 131
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
Episode 131
-Yes, Leader.
“If rumors have spread, then His Holiness the Pope must also know the current situation. Hand over the custody of the two witnesses to the Central Temple right now.”
After ending the communication, Lionel put the crystal orb into his pocket and organized his thoughts.
A moment later, sensing some presence, the giant wolf’s ears fluttered pleasantly.
At the same time, the blue bird returned, and Cecilia’s eyes sparkled open.
“Wow, amazing! The snowy scenery was so beautiful, you know? I wish Lionel could see it too!”
“Chirp!”
Ruda, who shares emotions with Cecilia, circled above Lionel’s head cheerfully chirping.
With that as background music, Cecilia chattered excitedly about how beautiful the scenery she saw while flying through the sky was.
Lionel nodded and listened to Cecilia’s words, only speaking after she had finished everything.
“Liri, I have something to tell you.”
“What is it?”
“It seems we’ll need to go to the capital soon.”
“What? Why the capital?”
“It would be a long story to explain…”
First, Lionel voiced the conclusion he had reached after much deliberation.
“It seems we’ll have to end our northern life earlier than we thought.”
* * *
Given the situation, we ended today’s outing early and returned home.
Seeing us, Uni looked surprised.
“You’re back early? Didn’t you say you’d return after having dinner out?”
“Something urgent came up. Hey, could you pack some luggage for me?”
“What?”
“It seems I need to visit the capital soon. Please take care of it.”
“Ah…! Yes.”
Quick-witted Uni seemed to guess something and immediately went to pack.
Returning to the bedroom with Lionel, I immediately took out the crystal orb connected to the duchy and activated it.
-Oh my, our daughter! Did you contact me because you missed daddy? Hm?
“Father!”
-Huh? Hmm? …Our daughter, why are you angry? Did you fight with your son-in-law?
Father’s face visible through the crystal orb looked utterly carefree.
Unlike me, whose stomach was turning at that sight, Lionel answered Father’s words with a calm face.
“We didn’t fight.”
-Right, right. Marital fights are like cutting water with a knife. Son-in-law, when Cecil gets angry, whether you did wrong or not, you should unconditionally say you were wrong and grovel…
“Father! They say the Imperial Family is poking around everywhere trying to find fault with our family! Why didn’t you tell me?”
-No…
Father, who had been looking at me with a startled face as if wondering how I knew that, glanced at Lionel once, made an “ah, it’s you!” expression with sharp eyes, then immediately watched my reaction again.
-That much is nothing special. Even if the Imperial Family pokes around here and there, it’s not even itchy. Don’t you trust daddy?
“It’s not about whether I trust you or not, the reason Roheim is being attacked right now is because of me. So why didn’t you tell me…”
-Hey! You shouldn’t say such things in front of your father. Because of you? It’s because the Imperial Family members with wicked greed are being unreasonable. …By the way, I’m not talking about my son-in-law. You know my feelings, right?
“Yes. I understand well.”
-Ha ha ha! Still, I’m relieved that my son-in-law is by Cecil’s side.
Father, who burst into loud laughter without knowing his daughter’s feelings, soon looked at me and Lionel with a kind face.
-Sweetie, we really don’t need to worry. Let them conduct all the thorough investigations they want. This father hasn’t done a single thing that would make me ashamed to face the sky, my wife, or my children.
“What about your son-in-law?”
-Of course I haven’t done anything shameful in front of my son-in-law either.
Hearing that, Lionel nodded with a satisfied expression.
Seeing them exchange such jokes in this situation, it seemed Roheim’s situation wasn’t bad enough for me to worry about.
-If this father didn’t have the ability to protect the family, we would have been devoured long ago when the Former Emperor was alive. The Former Empress? The Emperor? Hmph, they’re absolutely no match for this father.
“You’re not just acting tough because you’re in front of your daughter and son-in-law, are you?”
-Acting tough? Daddy is really tough! Can’t believe it? Can’t you? Or should I lead the knight order up to the capital right now?
“What did you say?”
No, there are things you can say and things you can’t!
“How can you call that…”
“That won’t do.”
Just as I was about to raise my voice in outrage, Lionel intervened from the side.
His face and voice were so serious that I couldn’t even argue with him about why he was interfering.
“Roheim must know nothing and must do nothing.”
-Uh…
“Do you understand what I mean? You must do nothing.”
Father seemed flustered because he had shouted what he thought was a joke, but Lionel was too serious.
But that was only momentary, as Father nodded with a face as serious as Lionel’s.
-Yes. I understand what you mean. For the time being, Roheim will be busy faithfully cooperating with the Imperial investigation and will know nothing about the capital’s movements.
“Yes. I will contact you later.”
-You really don’t need to worry about Roheim. However…
“You don’t need to worry about Liri’s oracle either.”
Lionel answered solemnly with a voice that anyone would have to trust.
“The moment it’s revealed that Liri is the true owner of the oracle and she becomes Empress, I will be standing beside her as Emperor.”
The voice declaring that he would become Emperor contained a certainty somewhat different from confidence.
Rather than desperate resolve to somehow seize that position, it was as if that position was originally mine, so it’s natural for me to take it.
-Ha ha ha, I trust you, son-in-law!
Father, perhaps sensing that subtle difference, laughed heartily and ended the communication, asking Lionel to take good care of me.
Feeling somehow strange, I looked at Lionel with a pouty face and poked his side with my index finger.
“Do you know what a flag is? People who speak so confidently tend to fall where they least expect it. Are you really confident?”
“Yes.”
The plain answer without flowery words seemed to go beyond confidence to some kind of certainty.
‘Doesn’t he have any… resistance to rebellion?’
I looked at Lionel and wondered whether to bring it up, and perhaps noticing my hesitation, Lionel asked.
“What’s wrong?”
“Well… Since the situation has come to this, it can’t be helped, but Lionel becoming Emperor means you’re really going to start a rebellion.”
Suddenly, memories of the day I first met Lionel, when I recalled my past life memories, came flooding back.
‘I went through all that trouble to prevent this man from turning dark.’
In the end, going around in circles, he ended up starting a rebellion because of me, so I wondered if this was the original story’s compulsive force.
“Will you be okay? Don’t you feel uncomfortable or anything?”
“Why should I feel uncomfortable?”
“Why? Starting a rebellion means Lionel is pointing a blade at your brother and mother.”
Lionel thought for a moment before answering.
“There probably won’t be any actual blade-pointing.”
If that was the answer he came up with after deliberation, he really didn’t seem to have any resistance to being in a situation where he’d be opposing his brother and birth mother.
‘Well, they were too awful a family to feel resistance toward…’
But ultimately, only objective facts would be recorded in history books. How many people would really understand that he had good reasons for it?
“Looking at just the results, it’s a younger brother pulling down his older brother and sitting on the throne. Other people might think of you as a tyrant, but will you really be okay with that?”
“That…”
“Don’t you dare say ‘does that matter’! It’s a very important matter to me!”
When I preemptively struck, Lionel closed his mouth. He really was going to say “does that matter.”
‘He really doesn’t care at all about how others see him.’
Whether he knew I was observing his expression or not, Lionel, who had been lost in thought for a moment, opened his mouth.
“I won’t end up being criticized. Because I have legitimacy.”
That was a statement I hadn’t expected at all.
“Legitimacy? What legitimacy?”
“His Holiness the Pope will support me.”
“Why? Because of the oracle?”
“Because….”
Lionel told me why he had legitimacy, and the reason His Holiness the Pope would support him.
Everything from start to finish in detail, including all the things I had questioned out of curiosity.
“No, if that’s the case…. They’re the ones who actually committed crimes! They’re the ones who should be criticized!”
“Yes. That’s right.”
“I’m in favor, absolutely in favor. If it was unjustly taken away, of course you should take it back!”
I was angry as if it were my own matter. No, come to think of it, it was my matter.
I clenched both fists and shouted “Down with the Emperor! Down with the Former Empress!”
Then I noticed Lionel, who didn’t look particularly wronged or sorrowful, and my reason returned.
‘This person really is consistent no matter when or where.’
I examined Lionel’s face, which showed no particular emotion, and asked him.
“But Lionel, do you want to become Emperor?”
I brought up this question because of the oracle. The fate God had arranged for him was regardless of his own will.
“I have no desire to become Emperor.”
Sure enough, this kind of answer flowed from Lionel’s lips.
I felt a little hesitant. I wondered if I was forcing Lionel into a position he didn’t want because of me….
“However.”
“Yes?”
Lionel looked straight into my eyes and said.
“I have no intention of giving up the seat beside Liri to anyone. If you must become Empress, then I will become Emperor as well.”
Lionel’s words, spoken with emphasis on each syllable, contained strong determination.
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————