The Obsessive Male Lead Is Obsessed With Me! - Chapter 4

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 4

“I’m not feeling well, so I should head back. If I stay longer, I might commit a discourtesy.”

“Kai!”

The serious conversation hadn’t even begun yet, and no one had properly finished their meal. However, because of the First Prince, the atmosphere instantly turned into one of dispersal.

‘Good grief, look at him killing the mood!’

It seems he’s lived a life where whenever he felt bad, he could throw a tantrum and still get coddled. Does he think I’ll react the same way?

Unfortunately for him, I’m not afraid of anything except Lionel’s dark transformation.

“Oh my, you do look quite pale. You should hurry back and get examined by a physician.”

When I made a fuss with exaggerated concern, the First Prince momentarily looked dumbfounded, then left his seat silently with an even more displeased expression.

The Empress started to rise from her seat to follow him but stopped. It seemed she still had some sense left.

‘Phew. I should tell my family not to act like this when I become an adult.’

I pretended not to notice the Empress who was dying to dismiss the gathering and savored all kinds of delicacies. I didn’t forget to talk to Lionel either.

“In return for peeling my shrimp, I’ll spread jam on your bread. Is apple jam alright?”

“Yes. That’s fine.”

“So you like apple jam. How about some cream?”

“Cream is fine too.”

Lionel nodded that whatever I spread on his bread was fine.

‘Can he only say “fine”?’

I wanted to hear him say something wasn’t fine, so I asked about everything I could see, but each time only “fine” came from Lionel’s mouth.

In the end, the meal concluded without me succeeding in hearing Lionel say something wasn’t fine.

‘Well, today isn’t the only opportunity.’

After confirming that my family and Lionel had all finished eating, I asked him.

“Ah, I’m so full. Your Highness, I’d like to take a walk to help digest. Could I ask you to escort me?”

Before Lionel could even open his mouth, the Empress quickly spoke as if she’d been waiting.

“Please escort the Duke’s daughter.”

Her face showed she was dying to go to the First Prince.

Lionel, who seemed to notice this fact as well, immediately rose from his seat and approached me.

“Lady of Duke Roheim. Would you please grant me the honor of escorting you?”

“Gladly.”

Taking the hand extended to me and rising from my chair, I smiled brightly at my family who were looking at me with worried expressions.

“I’ll just take a short walk and come back.”

“Alright. Don’t trouble His Highness too much.”

“Of course not. I’m all grown up now, aren’t I?”

Leaving behind my family who looked even more worried at those words, I linked arms with Lionel and went outside.

* * *

The place he took me to was a flower garden in full bloom.

Though the sun had set and the surroundings were dim, the magical lamps glowing softly here and there made it even more atmospheric.

“Wow, it’s so beautiful! Your Highness, do you know what this flower is called?”

“I don’t know.”

“Isn’t that too quick an answer? You could at least think about it before responding.”

“Even if I thought about it, I wouldn’t know. I’ve never learned about flowers.”

“Why not? Because it’s knowledge unrelated to imperial studies?”

“Yes.”

It was a question I threw out to probe a little, but another immediate answer came back as if it were nothing.

By now I was starting to understand. This person absolutely was not someone who lived suppressing his emotions.

‘Could he be a robot? If I knocked on him, he’d probably make a metallic sound.’

“Come to think of it, I’m sorry about earlier, Your Highness. I was too spoiled, wasn’t I?”

“No. It’s fine.”

“Really? Are you really okay with it? Then I’m going to keep acting like this.”

“Yes.”

He remained calm as ever. He didn’t seem to be lying either. That’s why it was surprising.

My family members were so close that taking care of each other first had become routine, but otherwise, asking someone to serve you during a meal was truly rude. That was something a servant should do.

In short, I had essentially treated the prince like a servant. Yet there was no sign of displeasure on his face.

“Hmm, my expectations were wrong. I thought Your Highness would be more strict and inflexible.”

At those words, as if realizing something, Lionel, who had been strolling along the garden path, stopped and turned to look at me.

“Were you testing me?”

I nodded honestly.

“Partly. I wanted to see Your Highness’s reaction. Are you angry?”

Contrary to my expectation that he might really get angry now, no, contrary to my hope that he would please get angry, Lionel calmly shook his head this time too.

“No. I’m used to it. Passing tests and such.”

“Oh my, I haven’t said you passed yet.”

Then I felt Lionel’s body flinch through our linked arms.

It was really a minor reaction, but I was even moved to think that this man could feel flustered too.

“If you tell me what I did wrong, I’ll correct it.”

“I didn’t say you failed either. You’re jumping to conclusions too quickly.”

“…”

Did he just realize he was being teased? Wrinkles formed on Lionel’s fine brow.

Thanks to that, he finally looked like the sixteen-year-old he was, same age as me.

‘Just looking at him like this, he doesn’t seem like someone who would start a rebellion, personally kill his family, and imprison people.’

Most surprising of all was that I didn’t find the real him unpleasant or frightening at all.

Even if it was a story from a novel, knowing that this man would kidnap and imprison the future me, it would be normal to feel reluctant or afraid.

‘Is it because it’s still far in the future?’

Anyway, it didn’t seem like I needed to convince my whole family to leave the empire right away…

Still, you never know what might happen with people.

“I want to observe a little longer before deciding whether you pass or fail. Is that okay?”

“Of course. Please let me know anytime.”

“Good. In return, if Your Highness has any requests for me, please tell me. I’ll try to fix anything that can be fixed.”

At those words, Lionel tilted his head slightly.

“What would you do if it’s something that can’t be fixed?”

“Then I can’t fix it.”

At my confident answer, he looked slightly stunned.

‘He really is handsome. Even making that expression, he’s good-looking.’

My admiration was brief. I emphasized once more to him.

“I can’t fix being immature. That might naturally resolve itself as I age, so let’s leave it to the passage of time.”

“I don’t particularly want that… Somehow, that aspect seems natural on you, Lady.”

“Thank you for the compliment.”

He’s saying I clearly show signs of being raised with love, right?

I smiled contentedly, then asked Lionel. It was time for the really important conversation.

“Actually, I’ve been curious about something since I heard our engagement was decided. May I ask?”

“Yes.”

“This engagement, who proposed it first?”

“His Majesty the Emperor proposed it.”

“Then Your Highness didn’t want this engagement?”

“No.”

“We’ve never met when we were young, have we?”

“There were no official occasions where our schedules overlapped.”

“What? Then you mean there were private occasions?”

“No. Though I’m not sure if we might have coincidentally been in the same place.”

“Ah, is that what you meant?”

I was startled for nothing.

“So this is really the first time we’re meeting today, right?”

“Yes. That’s correct.”

“I see…”

‘Wait, hold on!’

Suddenly I realized I had missed a truly precious opportunity.

‘Then it would have been fine to break off the engagement when Mother offered to do it for me!’

I should have just broken it off back then!

But now it was truly too late.

There was no way I could say something like “Now that I’ve met the Second Prince, I don’t like him, so I want to cancel this engagement.”

This was nothing less than a union between the Imperial Family and a Ducal Family.

This engagement, which had begun as a political arrangement from the start, could fall through if the conditions didn’t align during negotiations, but it couldn’t be overturned simply because someone said “I don’t like my fiancé.”

So whether it turned out well or poorly, this engagement had to proceed. At least unless there was some fault on their side.

So now there was only one path left.

Preventing this budding obsessive male lead from turning dark!

‘They say people can’t be fixed, but… at least with this man, as long as he doesn’t turn dark, his face and career don’t need any fixing, right?’

If I’m going to marry someone and live with them anyway, it’s best to do it with a handsome, sincere, and wealthy man. Obviously.

‘That’s right! I’m supposed to be the female protagonist, aren’t I? Let’s give this a shot!’

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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