I, the Female Lead, Ruined the Original

Selleana suddenly looked at Rakrensius. He had a resolute expression even though he hadn’t added more. It was a look she had never seen on him before.

It was something Rakrensius had never dared to consider in the ten years he spent as the fifth prince. He had always resolved to live a lonely life, ensuring he did not displease the imperial family.

There could only be one reason for Rakrensius to change his life course so abruptly. Her heart swelled with emotion at the thought. Selleana reached out and pulled his head towards her.

The man, no longer hesitating, eagerly captured her soft lips. Their kiss, as if confirming each other’s existence, continued as their teeth and tongues gently touched.

“I can never go back to a time when I didn’t know this….”

His low vow slipped out like a sigh from their connected lips, making Selleana chuckle.

“It was too delicious, right?”

“Lady, where on earth did you learn to say such things…?”

“From the experience of two lifetimes?”

At the mention of two lifetimes, his brow furrowed slightly, but Selleana pressed it smoothly.

“Why did Master of Tower pretend not to know at first, even though you weren’t that drunk that night?”

“…At that time, I was in a different appearance, wasn’t I?”

“So what? You didn’t look that different. Besides, I enjoyed our conversation. Master of Tower was so kind from the beginning.”

“

…?”

“If not, I wouldn’t have suggested we go for a walk.”

“Really…?”

Rakrensius looked bewildered as if hearing something he had never imagined.

“Well, Lady kept saying black hair is the best, and how is the color of my eyes cool red? And that it was sexy, so…”

Naturally, he thought she must have liked him for that appearance. He covered his mouth and turned away.

“

, sorry. We agreed not to talk about that night when we’re sober.”

“

, t-that’s just…”

So…

Her friends’ words about knowing her better than she did flashed through her mind. Really, she had said all sorts of things…

“Maybe I said that because I thought you wouldn’t believe me… My brothers didn’t believe me when I said I enjoyed our conversations…”

Embarrassed, Selleana mumbled, swallowing her words. Seeing her lips pout and her face flush, Rakrensius felt his heart squeeze.

To see Selleana, usually so confident and in control, looking so flustered….

There were many expressions of Selleana he was seeing for the first time today. Unable to contain his joy, Rakrensius hugged her tightly and laughed softly. “Moreover, didn’t you leave right away…? So I thought I was the only one who enjoyed it and that it was a terrible memory for you.”

 “N-No…” Feeling guilty, Selleana pressed her face against his bare chest until her cheeks were squished. “I-I told you I couldn’t remember. And back then, what could I have done…”

Her muffled words made his throat tickle again. Rakrensius laughed, kissing her round crown.

“So, to be more confident with Lady from now on.”

“Yes.”

“Lady said you wanted to visit a pub. Let’s go there too. Anywhere you want to go, I want to hold your hand so you do not have to worry about others seeing us.”

“…But I like doing this where no one can see.”

“Really…” Rakrensius playfully tapped Selleana’s forehead with his nose. “Someone like Lady, who attracts everyone’s attention wherever you go, can’t be hiding from others’ eyes every day just because of me.”

“…”

“To do that, I think I need to negotiate with the saintess.” His eyes glinted coldly as he buried Selleana deeper in his embrace.

He had followed every word of what the saintess had said.

The only one who knew beforehand, Momo Penders, had lost his memory, so he had to keep everything himself. Moreover, Rakrensius still had no interest in grand causes or disrupting the path set by the imperial family. But if that path meant forcing Selleana to become the crown princess, it would be a different story…

“Fate has designated the first prince as the next emperor. For my sake, that fate must be realized.”

Among the many threats at the time, Rakrensius understood that he should live quietly, and thus, he played the fool as desired. Other than the incident with Momo Penders, he had not been punished for anything, indicating he had interpreted things correctly. Therefore, what the saintess ultimately wanted was…

“If you think about it indirectly, aren’t our goals and the priestess’s goals aligned?”

“Align?”

“I mean ensuring the crown prince ascends to the throne safely.”

… So that’s why she’s keeping Master of Tower in check? If you aimed for the throne, you’d succeed with your sword’s power, just like King Asmion?”

“That’s how I understood it.”

“Great. Then let’s say I’m infiltrating the imperial palace instead of being captured. I’ll create an opportunity for you to officially meet the empress.”

Rakrensius slowly detached her from his embrace, his face darkening as he looked at her. After all, using Selleana as bait wasn’t something he could be pleased about.

“If Master of Tower requests an audience now, it will definitely backfire.”

“…”

Rakrensius understood this well. Suddenly appearing at the imperial palace to negotiate Selleana’s situation would imply a suspicious alliance between them.

“And most importantly, if I let myself be captured, we might gain some information.”

“…Normally, Di would investigate, but it seems the saintess knows Di can access all records and has taken measures against it.”

“I found it odd that she issued a verbal order for my entry to the imperial palace through my father. After hearing about Di’s abilities, I understand why.”

So the two discussed how they would communicate, what they would tell Elard, and how Selleana would approach the empress… By the time they finished, the sunrise had passed, and the sky was fully lit with morning light.

* * *

A little while later, the sun rose high in the sky in front of the main gate of the Elard Duchy. When an unmarked carriage appeared, the eyes of the imperial knights surrounding the mansion turned towards it. The carriage door opened, revealing a familiar figure.

“Oh my… What is this?”

It was Lady Elard, flaunting her stylish dress as usual. No one knew she had altered her dress slightly and used magic to change its color to hide the fact she stayed out overnight. Around her neck was a matte black metal choker.

“Has something happened to my house?”

“Lady Elard.”

As she shielded her eyes from the autumn sunlight with her hand, a knight who seemed to be in charge approached.

“Duke Elard family is currently under house arrest. Since Lady was found outside the mansion, you’re considered to have violated this order. You will need to come with us to the imperial palace.”

“P-Pardon? What are you talking about?”

Several knights approached, surrounding her, and at the commander’s signal, a carriage for transportation rushed over.

“W-What is this…! How dare you do this to Elard! Don’t you know my second brother is the deputy commander of the imperial guard?!”

“Sir Peredo is also currently confined within the mansion.”

“No, listen to me! Let me explain!”

Lady Elard’s shrill scream reached no one, and she was promptly loaded into the escort carriage.

, the carriage door closed harshly. Inside, only the sunlight streaming through the cracks served as light.

Soon after, there were bustling noises from outside. It seemed they were reallocating the escort and surveillance personnel.

Confirming the external situation, Selleana smiled.

“How was my acting?”

[…Much better than Rakrensius.]

The gem at the back of the metal choker around her neck glowed, signaling Di’s presence. Di was, in fact, had become a shrunken and coiled sword. The handle and the tip of the sword met at the back of her neck, hidden by Selleana’s hair, making it unrecognizable as a sword.

“Isn’t tower master just adorable when he fumbles and can’t act?”

[…You really are, as they say in your world, ‘over the top.’]

“

, come on. It’ll be boring when someone comes in to watch over us later. Why don’t you tell me how cute tower master was when he was young while we waited?”

[Am I a storyteller now?]

Di, who had no throat, swallowed its complaints internally.