The Male Lead Won’t Let Me Be!

Chapter 4

I was so preoccupied with clutching my pounding heart that I didn’t realize he had repeated what I said.

“What’s ‘f*ck’?” Siegfried asked, tilting his head.

I couldn’t hide my dismay. Judging by his reaction, he had never heard the word before.

What did I just teach the male lead…?

“F*ck, f*ck, f*ck,” he repeated.

I had no choice but to shut his mouth by force, so I slapped both my hands over his mouth.

“N-no! That’s a bad word. A prince shouldn’t say such a word, Your Highness.”

Siegfried frowned, suspicious. His eyes were saying, That’s nonsense. It came out of your mouth first. I didn’t know eyes could be so loquacious—I’d learned something new today.

“If it’s a bad word, why did you use it?” he asked after lowering my hands.

You have a point.

I didn’t know what to tell him, so I changed the topic entirely.

“Wh-why did you stop me, anyway?”

Siegfried hadn’t just pressed his face close to mine—he had gone so far as to grab my sleeve to pull me toward him. I was staring at him from an awkward position, halfway between standing up and sitting down.

“Your Highness?”

“N-nothing.”

He shook his head. I supposed he must have grabbed me without thinking. By the shiftiness of his purple eyes, I could tell that he was agitated.

“It’s okay, you can tell me,” I reassured him.

“I-it’s nothing. Really, it’s nothing. My hand just shot out by itself.”

Siegfried let go of my sleeve as he said this. Bewildered, he looked down at his hand, clenching his fist repeatedly.

“Oh! You shouldn’t do that. I worked hard on that handkerchief wrap, you know.”

I clicked my tongue and enveloped Siegfried’s hand in mine. When I curled his fingers into a fist, he looked at me.

Wow, he’s even prettier up close.

His purple eyes were as dazzling as amethysts, though they were more beautiful than any gem I had ever laid eyes on.

I simply couldn’t stop myself from saying, “You are beautiful…”

I was staring into his eyes as if under a spell. Suddenly, Siegfried jerked his hand away and stepped back. His mouth opened and closed a few times.

Then he said with great determination, “You’re one to talk.”

“Are you calling me a beauty?”

He gaped.

“Hmm?”

“I-I didn’t say that.”

“You didn’t, but you’ll agree that I am pretty, won’t you?” I asked, cocking my head to the side.

I needed a definitive answer. It had been quite hurtful when he’d said that seeing my face had ruined his mood instantly. I took a step closer to him, closing the distance he had created. That was when I noticed that his ears had begun to flush red—it didn’t seem like the work of the sunset.

What’s this? Maybe he isn’t used to interacting with women. No, he’s a prince. That can’t be true… Could it?

He was freaking out.

“I thought you were going to leave,” he said, trying to change the subject.

“I want your answer first.”

“Go away,” Siegfried said, as if to chase me away.

I had thought that we had grown a little closer, but I supposed not. I had no choice but to stand. This time, he didn’t stop me.

* * *

I returned to my room and brushed my hair at the vanity. My radiant hair, blonde as if painted with honey, tumbled midway down my back. I slowly blinked my peach-colored eyes. I plucked a golden eyelash that had fallen beneath my eye and smiled with satisfaction.

“This is terrible. I’m too pretty.”

It was true. I was a beauty. I liked my milky skin, my delicate, smooth features, and, most of all, the corners of my lips which curled upward into a constant smile. How could Siegfried say that the sight of me had ruined his mood? I had been trying to forget about it but failed.

I spent the rest of the day enjoying the sight of my face. Before I knew it, it was dark outside. When I realized, I shot out of my seat and started rummaging through my wardrobe. I was planning on going out tonight since I’d been cooped up recently.

I pulled out the shabby dress and shoes that I had hidden from the maids, put them on, and tiptoed into the dark hallway. If I got caught sneaking out this late at night, it would be a headache. I slunk out of the manor, climbed the wall outside, and headed to a tavern in town. I enjoyed how loud and lively it was, so I often came at night.

“The usual,” I said to the owner with a wink.

After rummaging through my pockets, I realized I had forgotten my wallet at home. I had come all the way here, but I had forgotten my money because I had been busy admiring my face.

Well, that’s embarrassing…

“Uh, I seem to have forgotten my money. Could you maybe put that on my tab?”

“Why not? You’re a regular. A maid of the count’s family should be considered vouched for.”

The owner guffawed, gesturing for me to pick a table and wait. I nodded, thinking that I could return later to pay, when someone appeared from behind me without a sound. They put down some coins in front of me with a clank.

“It’s my treat, so order as much as you’d like.”

“Really? Does that mean I can drink a whole bottle?” I turned my head, my face lighting up. A man with silver hair was looking down at me. “Thanks. I’ll savor it.”

“One drink is nothing to get worked up over.”

“As I said, I’ll be drinking by the bottle.”

The man laughed, but I was being serious. I raised an eyebrow. The man shook his head playfully.

“All right. In that case, you’ll have to join me for a chat,” he said with a smile.

That was easy enough.

“Sure. And you are?” I asked the man.

“Killian Eprecion. And you?”

“Ariel… I mean, Elia.”

“So, Ariel then.”

“No, it’s Elia.”

I had intended to use an alias because he was a stranger, after all, but I had misspoken and failed. The man didn’t seem to believe me in the slightest.

“Nice to meet you, Ariel.”

“It’s Elia.”

“All right, then. Arielia.”

“Hmm. That was incredibly lame, you know.”

“I hear that a lot.”

I wasn’t the first person to tell him so. That was fortunate, at least. I cradled the bottle of liquor the owner had handed me in my arms and found a table with Killian.

“You’re not a local, are you?”

“How did you know?”

“Because of your accent?”

“Ah, that makes sense.” Killian shrugged. Then, as if suddenly reminded, he asked, “I heard you’re a maid at the count’s estate.”

He must have overheard what the owner had said. I was actually the young lady of the count’s family, but people usually became more guarded when they found out. Whenever I snuck out of the manor, that was why I deliberately pretended to be a commoner.

“I am. You can’t imagine how uptight the lady of the house is.”

“Is that so? I hear she’s an incredible beauty. Like you, Arielia.”

“Well, I suppose my beauty shines everywhere I go.”

I shrugged shamelessly. Killian’s eyes shined with interest.

“I heard that a very important guest has been staying with the family recently.”

Hmm? Killian is an outsider, so how did he know that?

The hint of a frown creased my forehead. Deciding to feign nonchalance, I said, “You seem to be very curious about the count’s family.”

“Gossip about the upper classes is the greatest topic of interest for commoners like us, isn’t it?”

Killian poured more liquor into my cup as if he meant nothing by the question. I sat fiddling with the cup instead of drinking. He tried again.

“Anyway, Arielia, are you allowed to be out this late?”

“As long as I don’t get caught.”

“Hmm. I heard the security is quite tight at the manor. Do you have some kind of secret passage you use to sneak out?”

Why is this man so interested in the manor?

When I told people I was a maid at the count’s estate, plenty of them showed curiosity, but they never wondered about things like this.

“If I told you, it wouldn’t be a secret anymore.”

I took a sip and looked away, trying to drop the subject. Killian seemed to notice and stopped asking about the manor. The conversation took many twists and turns, and the bottle was slowly drained.

When I couldn’t hide my yawns anymore, Killian suggested, “Would you like to get going? You seem drunk.”

“Not really, but it’s late. I should be going.”

I refused the hand he offered, but I must have been too firm because Killian laughed a little awkwardly.

“It’s quite late. Let me take you home.”

“There’s no need. It’s not a long walk.”

“Still.”

“Clinginess is an unattractive quality in a man.”

“Oh. Well, then.” A look of disappointment flashed across Killian’s face. Then, he said as we emerged from the tavern, “Take care. The streets are dangerous at night.”

I waved at him not to worry. He waved back with another smile and I turned around.

He won’t be persistent enough to follow me, will he?

Suddenly, a thick, rolled-up piece of paper dropped out of Killian’s chest pocket.

“You dropped something,” I said, bending down to pick it up.

He quickly stretched out his hand toward me.

“Will you give it back?”

“Why? What is it?”

Curious, I unrolled the paper that was already half-open. Immediately, I tensed in shock.

Why does he have this?

On the paper was a painting of a boy—a boy with black hair and a mole under his left eye.