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chapter 03
Siena sprang up from the rag she had been sitting on. Or at least, she thought she did.
But she couldn’t put weight on her twisted ankle, and she plopped back down onto the ground.
“Ugh…”
Normally, in a romance fantasy, the male lead would hold the female lead’s waist at a moment like this.
‘I guess I really am not the female lead.’
She had expected it, but having no female-lead buffs still stung.
With one cheek pressed to the dirt, Siena held out the dagger toward him.
The surrounding beggars murmured in fear.
“That woman, is she crazy?”
“Do you think she’s going to hand the dagger back?”
“What a waste… With that, we could fill our bellies with beef for a whole month.”
Meanwhile, Siena was flustered because the Duke in the distance looked so handsome.
‘What is this… this perfect breeze.’
A timely gust of wind cut through the late afternoon sunlight, scattering his silk-like black hair.
Why were his eyes so deep, his nose so neat, and those red lips…
‘Could this man be the male lead?’
With a face like that, he couldn’t not be the male lead.
Which novel was this even from?
But no story came clearly to mind yet.
“The beggar girl seems to have something to say to me.”
He took a step toward Siena.
Watching him approach carefully, Siena gathered herself. She knelt politely and folded her hands.
She regretted calling him out in her moment of irritation.
Was there ever a character who could defy a bad-tempered male lead and end happily? His appearance screamed “no soft-hearted hero ♥.”
‘Even if there was, it would only apply to the female lead.’
Either way, it didn’t concern Siena. Her heart felt like it would leap out of her throat.
‘Why, why are you walking toward me with your hand on the longsword at your waist!’
If he swung that sword with his strong arms, her neck would surely fly off in an instant.
What if she tried to block him with the dagger in her hand?
It would only delay her death by a second.
‘And that mouth of his… why is he acting so sly?’
Just as she bit her lips nervously, the Duke’s intimidating gaze poured down on the crown of her head.
“Why so silent after calling someone here?”
“W-Well…”
“Is it that your pride won’t allow you to accept a dagger?”
He lowered himself. His teasing face was right in front of Siena’s nose.
Intimidated, she mumbled,
“No, I mean… that’s not it…”
“Hmm? Then what is it?”
The Duke, almost single-mindedly stern, scolded her. His smile was as sharp as when he had cut the beggar’s frenulum moments ago.
“Speak.”
Siena could no longer bear the tension.
She lost.
She closed her eyes tightly and thrust both hands holding the dagger forward.
“…Include the sheath too!”
Her shout instantly froze the atmosphere.
“…Three-two, three-two.”
…The added words seemed to crawl down her throat and vanish.
‘Ugh, I was just trying to lighten the mood.’
Even the beggars who had been chattering moments ago were frozen, mouths agape.
Feeling the tense air, Siena peeked through one eye.
‘Gasp.’
An unbelievable sight unfolded before her.
“H-Haha…”
The Bledel Duke… was laughing.
‘It worked?’
Flustered, Siena realized a moment too late that it wasn’t a genuine smile.
The Duke’s beautiful face was twisted in disbelief.
His hand hovered near his waist, ready to draw the sharp longsword at any moment.
‘I’m going to die like this. Well, it might be better than living as a beggar.’
Just then, a knight rushed over, his black cloak fluttering.
“The Crown Prince is arriving!”
At that, the Duke furrowed his brow.
He muttered discontentedly,
“That brat… always gets news fast.”
The Duke, who had been leaning toward Siena, straightened up.
Soon, his large shadow covered Siena’s face. Looking up, he was quite tall.
‘He’s probably going to leave now, right?’
Just as Siena tried to breathe a silent sigh of relief,
“Take this, you foolish clown.”
His long fingers extended the dagger’s sheath.
Siena was taken aback.
“You said to give this.”
Meeting his steady gaze, she moved her trembling fingers. The well-made leather sheath fit into her hands.
At the same time, Siena’s dirty fingertips briefly brushed against the Duke’s long fingers.
The strange tingling made her pull back her hand immediately.
‘It’s not just dirty, right?’
Luckily, the Duke’s expression didn’t change at all.
The Duke and his knights didn’t look back and moved toward the temple. Only their black cloaks were visible—a sinister sight.
I must never, ever get involved with that guy.
Every hair on Siena’s body bristled in agreement.
‘The cursed Bledel Duke… Was there ever a male lead like that?’
No matter how she thought, no story came to mind.
Siena, still clutching the dagger, pondered deeply. People started murmuring again.
‘The Crown Prince is coming.’
The Crown Prince, who was also cursed along with the Bledel Duke.
If he was the Crown Prince, he must at least be a secondary male lead—or at worst, a supporting character.
‘If he has an important role, that means he’s handsome. I want to see his face.’
Even then, her top curiosity was his face.
She realized she was hopelessly shallow.
‘But as Crown Prince, isn’t he basically the most powerful person in this country?’
Siena glanced toward the main temple gate where the black cloaks had disappeared.
‘Can the Duke really talk so freely about the Crown Prince? Is this some kind of “male lead privilege”?’
As she worried about the country she had just possessed, the beggars craned their necks like chickens waiting for food.
“He’s coming, he’s coming!”
A man dismounted from a white horse and walked toward them.
His white uniform shone brilliantly. It was completely different from the all-black Duke just now.
‘Huh…?’
Siena’s eyes widened.
The Crown Prince’s face was so dignified, he stood out among the many knights.
Golden hair and golden eyes, thin lips holding a faint smile. A truly benevolent ruler.
“May the sun’s light always shine upon Your Highness!”
“Glory to the Crown Prince’s path!”
The crowd’s cheers filled the way. It was the complete opposite of the Duke’s arrival.
The Crown Prince whispered something to the guard next to him.
The guard opened a bag and distributed bread and coins.
“Waaaah!”
The crowd’s cheer grew louder and louder.
The Crown Prince passed through and crossed the temple threshold.
‘Wait. Could the Crown Prince… be the male lead?’
Siena, taking a bread in surprise, stood dumbfounded.
The Crown Prince’s face was exactly her type—on par with the Bledel Duke.
Their appearances were so striking that she hadn’t even noticed the guards around them were also unusually handsome.
‘What is this gracious world in the novel?’
She had no idea what novel this was from, but one thing was clear:
The men in this story were handsome.
And in styles that matched Siena’s exact taste!
