How to Tame That Gentle Male Lead - Chapter 1.5
“Resena. This father is more at ease when you speak honestly like this. Actually, when you were chasing after Crown Prince Eldis, I was very worried and concerned. Seeing you being treated poorly truly saddened this father. It’s time for you to find happiness with someone who truly loves you.”
“Father…”
“I also understand well that seeing Lady Weiz getting along with Crown Prince Eldis must be unpleasant for you. It’s bound to be uncomfortable given your past feelings for Prince Eldis. We can’t prevent them from coming to the ball, but just greet them briefly and don’t try to be too familiar. They’ll understand well enough that they’re not welcome.”
“That…”
Resena started to speak but then closed her mouth. How could she tell these kind parents that the Resena of the past had plotted to poison those two, asking them not to let them come?
She hesitated for a moment, thinking she’d rather die than say it.
‘No. If this continues, the world’s destruction might happen again.’
But the emotions inside her were urging her to take the easy way out.
‘Wouldn’t it be okay to fail just once?’
After being lost in thought for a moment, Resena shook her head vigorously. Seeing her parents looking at her curiously, Resena swallowed hard.
“Actually, I played a little trick with the wine glasses I was going to give to those two people.”
“…Resena.”
The Duchess’s eyes widened in surprise.
“But the more I thought about it, the more I realized it was an immature thing to do. I wanted to cancel it somehow, but I forgot the name of the guild I commissioned and the name of the person who was supposed to carry it out. So I thought it was impossible and made up an excuse.”
Then the Duke closed his mouth for a moment before speaking kindly.
“I see. I’m glad you’ve told us about this. We’ll assign special attendants to those two to prevent whatever prank you planned from reaching them.”
“Father…”
Touched, Resena clasped her hands and gazed at him. The Duke looked at Resena once before taking the Duchess’s hand. Kissing the back of her hand, he smiled gently.
“My beloved wife. Seeing how honestly Resena has confessed, can we overlook her prank? Resena clearly made a mistake, but hasn’t she reflected on it herself?”
“That’s… true.”
The Duke then smiled brightly and met her gaze.
“So let’s not scold Resena too much. Dear, how could we scold such a lovely child? Please treat her kindly as usual.”
“…Sigh…”
The Duchess seemed to ponder for a moment before looking back at Resena. Resena anxiously waited for her mother’s verdict. Although the father was the head of the household, it was the mother whom the father respected, so if she said no, the father would have no choice but to accept her judgment.
“You’re right. Since Resena has reflected on her actions and confessed, allowing us to prevent it, it’s our role as parents to ensure the birthday ball doesn’t turn into a disaster.”
“Dear…”
“Hoho. However, Resena should be punished. Since she confessed honestly, it will be light. She’ll be confined to her room until the birthday ball.”
The Duke turned his gaze to Resena.
“Will you accept this, Resena?”
Resena slowly nodded. In fact, even while confessing, she had been anxious, but this was quite a light punishment.
‘Moreover, they said they’d prevent the female lead from being pushed to the brink of death.’
On the other hand, the drug for Eldis wouldn’t affect his health.
But she had instructed to put an ‘aphrodisiac’ that could greatly embarrass him in public, so it was best to ensure that neither of them drank the wine.
“Ah… I’m sorry I’m late. I overslept…”
“You’re finally here, our sleepyhead.”
The atmosphere became cheerful again with the arrival of the newcomer.
As her younger brother Renard sat next to Resena with a sleepy face, the Duchess spoke kindly.
“You didn’t forget to wash your face, did you? It’s against dining etiquette to look like you just woke up, Renard.”
“Umm… Please give me a break. I’m not as diligent as my sister, I can only do one thing at a time. Ugh.”
At this, Resena felt somewhat relieved. It was truly the epitome of a peaceful daily life. The thought that this peace would be shattered by the female lead’s death made her shudder.
‘I won’t let this happiness be taken away. I’ll definitely cancel all the events where I appear!’
Then the male lead wouldn’t become close to the female lead. Even if the female lead dies or goes to the sub-male lead, he won’t go berserk and destroy the world.
Celebrating this first step, Resena attacked her meal with vigor. Seeing this, the Duchess and Duke smiled faintly, and Renard also began to nibble at his food.
***
“…Ugh… This wasn’t my intention! Why am I here again?!”
“Stop your yammering in front of the prison! Get in!”
Clang.
Resena, tumbling into the prison, landed hard on her bottom. As she rubbed her sore behind, she awkwardly smiled at her younger brother who was shedding tears of worry.
“Don’t cry, Renard. Father and Mother will get me out soon.”
‘As long as the male lead doesn’t go berserk, it’ll be fine. In this life, I’ve canceled most of the events where I appear. So this time, the male and female leads’ affection levels shouldn’t be maxed out, so I can relax!’
“Sister. Will you be okay in this cold prison? I’ll bring blankets and other things, so don’t stay too cold, and tell me if you need anything.”
“It’s okay. I can endure for a few days. Renard, don’t worry too much about me, and depart for the Kingdom of Shane.”
“How can I participate in a far-off expedition when you’re imprisoned? I absolutely can’t do that. I’ll leave after seeing you released from prison.”
“Renard…”
Her heart resonated, and Resena smiled gently. Although the ending wasn’t great, being imprisoned for allegedly instigating the murder of the male lead Eldis and female lead Lorona Weiz, this time there were no other charges, so there was a high possibility it would end with exile if handled well.
‘The previous Resena who delivered six months’ worth of plans to the Guild Master in advance was truly a crazy woman…’
She was incredibly persistent and malicious. How could she plan for six whole months and make it impossible to foil all of it?
Resena shuddered.
Still, she had managed to undo most of it and left only one, so she felt somewhat successful as she stroked Renard’s head through the bars.
“Don’t worry about me too much. Father and Mother will treat me well. And if you can’t depart because you’re worried about me, I won’t be able to rest easy in prison knowing you’re concerned.”
“Sister…”
“After you bring the blanket and other things, quickly join the expedition. It’s your first expedition since becoming a Sword Master. I hope it goes well without any gossip.”
Renard, who had been crying, closed his eyes and quietly leaned into her touch. Feeling sorry for him, Resena gently stroked her younger brother.
