How to Tame That Gentle Male Lead - Chapter 1.4
That’s why head maid Luna always accompanied new maids when they had to attend to the young lady, to guide them and prevent mistakes. Knowing this pattern well, Resena spoke seriously.
“From now on, I won’t be using physical punishment, so could you please dispose of all the canes and whips I’ve prepared?”
Luna’s eyes widened. For a moment, she thought she had misheard, but the young lady didn’t correct herself. Resena forced a smile as she looked around at the maids lined up behind the bowing Luna.
“I’ve been thinking about it for a long time, and I don’t think people can be changed through physical punishment. Besides, it doesn’t reduce mistakes, so from now on, I’ll try to resolve things through words.”
I see. So she means she’ll vent her anger through verbal abuse rather than inflicting wounds. Luna felt cold sweat running down her back as she bowed even lower.
“Understood. I will dispose of all the tools used for physical punishment.”
But verbal abuse is better than physical punishment. Physical punishment was truly subhuman behavior. Luna, considering this a relief, waited until she was told to raise her head.
“And Luna. I’ve been thinking, from now on, I won’t tell you to raise your head, so after you finish your greeting, raise your head on your own and go about your work.”
“…Are you sure that’s alright, my lady?”
Resena used to scream and throw tantrums whenever Luna raised her head without permission.
Has she eaten something wrong suddenly? They say when people change drastically, it’s time for them to die.
‘Well, even if the young lady dies right now, only the Duchess and the Duke would miss her. For us servants who have been treated so poorly by the young lady…’
“Yes, it’s fine. I’ve been too childish until now. I feel regretful for having been so mean.”
“…..”
At the word ‘regretful’, Luna felt a chill run down her spine. She was terrified of what kind of thorns might be hidden behind words that seemed like irony.
But Resena felt frustrated.
She wished they would understand quickly, but it was annoying to see Luna and the maids still trembling, not realizing that she had changed. However, expecting them to change all at once was unreasonable, so Resena calmly added:
“I’ll show you my changed self from now on. You can believe me then, but for now, Luna. Do as I said.”
“Understood.”
“Oh, and there’s a ball for my birthday in three days, right? About the dresses I’ll wear, I’d like to wear blue rather than red, so please prepare that. For the necklace, ‘The Mermaid’s Tear’ would be nice.”
“I’ll prepare it right away.”
“Okay. Thank you for your hard work. I’ll have my meal in the dining room, so just help me with my bath. From now on, I’ll shower in the mornings too, so please prepare for that. I want to wake up a bit earlier.”
“I’ll keep that in mind. Ena, Roa. Please attend to the young lady.”
“Yes.”
Resena bathed with the assistance of the two maids. After drying off neatly, she changed into an ivory dress. Adorned with pearls between the frills and wearing comfortable mules, her reflection in the mirror was truly beautiful.
“A beauty beyond compare…”
Every time she looked in the mirror, she felt that her appearance alone was so pure that it was hard to believe she was a villainess. When she smiled, her expression looked so innocent that it could make many men’s hearts flutter. After simple makeup, her beauty became even more pronounced, and Resena was truly satisfied with her appearance.
‘I should finish writing after I have my meal. And… I have something to say to the Duke and Duchess during mealtime.’
If she didn’t eliminate one of the events that the previous Resena had set up right away, she would immediately become disliked by the male and female lead. Because of this, Resena organized what she would say to her parents in her mind as she headed to the dining room.
‘This time, I won’t die so pathetically. I must block the events and somehow prevent the world’s destruction!’
She had to prevent the male lead from going berserk at all costs.
Knowing full well how the female lead’s death would affect the male lead, Resena decided to take a more proactive approach in this life.
“Good morning, Resena.”
As she entered the dining room and took her seat, a gentle voice greeted her. Resena felt her lips curling up as she smiled brightly.
“Did you sleep well, Mother?”
“Hoho. My daughter is always so lovely to see.”
“Resena. Are you not going to greet me? This father might die of heartbreak.”
“Ahaha. Father, did you sleep well too?”
“Yes, our daughter. Did you sleep well, Resena?”
Looking at her mother and father sitting across from her, Resena chuckled. It was a conversation that couldn’t help but ease her tension.
And it was also the happy daily life she could enjoy until she was imprisoned.
‘I don’t want to lose such a loving family…’
“I slept well. It seems Renard is late again today.”
At Resena’s words, her mother covered her mouth with her hand, smiling.
“Our youngest is probably late for breakfast because he couldn’t sleep properly, swinging his sword until dawn. He’s probably the only sleepyhead Sword Master who’s always late for breakfast.”
“Haha. He is something else.”
“Hohoho.”
Resena looked at her mother with wistful eyes. Her mother had suddenly passed away due to acute kidney failure after a fracture surgery. The death that came before a priest could be called shocked her father and younger brother. Of course, the death of her kind mother was also a shock to her.
‘This time, I won’t let you pass away so easily.’
It seemed that the surgical site had become infected during the fracture surgery, but if a priest had been present, the infection wouldn’t have been a problem. However, the day of the surgery happened to be the day of the Great Blessing Ceremony, so all the priests were out in the streets and couldn’t perform a blessing.
‘This time, I need to prevent Mother from getting a fracture… And for now, I need to prevent the male and female lead from coming to my birthday ball.’
“By the way, Mother. I have something to say about my birthday ball.”
As everyone seemed tired of waiting for Renard, the Duke instructed for the food to be brought in.
In the meantime, both parents looked at Resena, who had spoken up, with kind eyes.
“What is it, Resena? Is the dress not to your liking?”
“Umm, no. I like the dress, shoes, and accessories. What I don’t like is about the people who received invitations.”
“The people who… received invitations?”
They looked at each other for a moment before turning their attention back to Resena.
“I’d prefer if Crown Prince Eldis didn’t come to my birthday ball. Even if he does come, I hope he just briefly exchanges greetings and leaves. And I don’t want people like Lady Lorona Weiz, who are completely at odds with me, to come to my birthday ball.”
“Resena.”
The Duchess spoke in an unusually stern tone.
“We’ve already invited them. And you shouldn’t discriminate against people like that. Besides, Lady Lorona Weiz is a saint who can handle holy power, so even if you were at odds with her at the academy, now that she’s become a representative of the temple, she won’t treat you that way.”
“That’s…”
Resena was at a loss for words. What should she do? She thought the Duchess, who was always lenient with her, would just let this issue slide…
But fortunately, the Duke sitting next to her intervened.
“Dear. Is there really a need to keep people around that our Resena doesn’t want to see? Crown Prince Eldis is particularly cold towards Resena, so it’s understandable if she now wants to avoid encountering him.”
“But…!”
“Similarly, Lady Weiz has always made Resena angry. It’s natural that even meeting such a person could be unpleasant.”
The Duchess seemed at a loss for words. The Duke smiled gently at her expression.
