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Prologue
Public Enemy of the Male Lead Candidates
“Coco, what are you going to do once you leave here?”
At the sudden question, Coco became fully alert and slowly distanced herself from Jeffrey.
“Why do you want to know?”
“Because I want to do it with you. Whatever it is. So please stop avoiding me like that. It’s not like I’m going to eat you.”
When Jeffrey reached out his hand, Coco jumped to her feet and quickly widened the distance between them even more. Looking at his hand stretched out into empty air, Jeffrey bitterly pulled it back.
This was all the result of him acting only on his wounded pride. There was nothing he could do if Coco reacted this way.
As expected, Coco—who was completely misunderstanding his intentions—watched him closely in case he reached out again and firmly shook her head.
“Do you want to interfere with what I’m doing that badly? I’m never going to tell you.”
“No, that’s not what I meant…!”
Jeffrey couldn’t continue and wiped his face once.
He knew very well that no matter what he said now, Coco wouldn’t believe him.
Whether he cared or not, Coco turned her body, trying to get away from him.
At that moment, Diego suddenly popped out and blocked her path. Coco barely managed to stop at a distance where her nose almost touched his chest.
As Diego gently caught the hand she was pulling back, he asked softly,
“Where are you trying to go? You’re supposed to stay by my side.”
“If someone saw this, they’d think I came here to protect Your Highness. If there’s something you don’t like, just say it outright like you usually do.”
“That’s not what I meant—”
Ignoring Diego’s flustered words, Coco pulled her hand free and stepped backward. Diego ran a hand through his hair and bit his lower lip. A look of frustration spread across his face.
Still backing away, Coco bumped the back of her head into someone’s chest and stopped. When she turned around sharply, Hedwin was smiling gently at her. Slowly brushing down her hair, he whispered with a face that looked almost sacred.
“You’re trembling like a little lamb. If you’re afraid of them, I’ll help you.”
“What are you plotting? Are you pretending to help so you can throw me out as bait?”
“W-What are you talking about…?”
Coco ignored Hedwin, who was wide-eyed in shock and trying to explain, and firmly warned the three men.
“I already know all of your schemes. So don’t try anything pointless.”
At her words, all three men fell silent.
This was entirely their own doing. They had first thought poorly of Coco and picked fights with her.
From Coco’s point of view, people who suddenly flipped their attitudes like turning over their palms wouldn’t look very trustworthy.
The three men knew that very well.
So how could they have anything to say?
They regretted their past behavior. This had happened because they had dragged childish memories into the present instead of letting them go.
What was pride worth, anyway?
While washing their faces repeatedly with dry hands or letting out deep sighs of regret, the men finally opened their mouths.
But before any of them could speak, a raspy, throat-scraping cry unique to the undead came from nearby.
Krrk, krrrk.
Everyone’s gaze turned toward the monster that had a human shape but made the sounds of a beast.
Inside its gaping mouth, rotten blood pooled and dripped down, and its body creaked as if one of its joints were dislocated. Its eyes were ferocious, filled with killing intent like a starving animal.
When five or six undead appeared, instead of tensing up, the three men looked relieved, as if glad to see them. They immediately moved to protect Coco.
But then someone suddenly threw herself into their arms.
It was Saint Rose Russell. Because the undead instinctively avoided holy power, she stepped forward to block them with her own holy energy in order to help.
However, Coco was not among them. When the three men reflexively looked for her, she was already higher than their eye level.
“…Coco?”
Diego stared blankly at her, sounding dazed, as she climbed up a tree faster than a monkey.
“Ha, what are you, a squirrel?”
Jeffrey let out a hollow laugh in disbelief.
“You could have just climbed on me instead.”
Hedwin drooped the corners of his eyes sadly, looking regretful.
But whether they said anything or not, Coco raised her bow and aimed the arrowhead straight at the undead’s forehead. The moment the tightly drawn bowstring was released, the arrow pierced cleanly through its brow. It was flawless skill.
After calmly taking down all the undead, Coco slid down from the tree and escaped while the three men were still in a daze.
“Wait! Stop, Coco!”
“Hey! Where are you running off to again?!”
“If you run like that, you’ll get hurt!”
If I were going to stop just because you told me to, would I even be running?
Coco replied coldly in her mind and ran straight ahead.
To find her younger brother, to avoid getting involved in the original story, and to escape from these male lead candidates! She moved her legs as fast as she could.
But Coco knew.
Before long, she would definitely be caught again by those male lead candidates.
How did I even end up like this?
