How to Tame That Gentle Male Lead - Chapter 1.6
“Now, Renard. Go quickly. Go and prepare. The expedition leaves in three days, so don’t be late.”
“…”
Tears rolled down from the purple eyes hidden beneath black eyelashes. It was only after about 20 minutes of silent crying that Renard raised his head.
“Even if you’re exiled, I’ll somehow bring you back to the Imperial City. Sister, if there’s anything uncomfortable in prison, make sure to tell Father. I absolutely don’t want you to suffer in silence, okay?”
“I understand, Renard. You’re going through so much because of me who committed a crime. Thank you for always thinking of me.”
Renard’s lips quivered for a moment.
“This much isn’t considered a hardship. Sister, I’ll be going now. I’ll be back with blankets and other things, so until then, don’t dwell on it too much and rest. Okay?”
“I understand, I understand. Renard. My good brother.”
He wiped his tears with his fist and resolutely turned his back. As she watched the guards open the door, Resena couldn’t help but let out a sigh.
Slowly, she huddled her knees against the cold wall. It was a bit chilly, but Renard said he’d be back with a blanket, so she just had to endure for a little while.
‘This time, I hope the rotten Emperor doesn’t covet our family’s wealth…’
Considering Eldis’s gentle nature and tendency to show mercy to the weak, there was a high probability that the charge of instigating murder alone would end lightly.
So, as long as Father doesn’t try too hard to prove her innocence, there would be no need to hand over the entire sapphire mine and trading company like before.
‘…Besides, Renard wasn’t exiled either. …I did pretty well, myself!’
Self-praise is very important for self-esteem, after all.
Resena congratulated herself, gently patting her own shoulder.
After spending a few days in prison like this, Resena noticed that the guards would leave their posts during meal times.
It seemed they all gathered to play poker for money.
‘They’re not even guarding properly, how corrupt.’
Well, it’s convenient not having to mind the guards since they’re not doing their job properly.
She wrapped herself in the blanket Renard had brought and wore a dress made of warm wool.
Since the original story was almost at its end anyway, she spent her remaining time reading books.
Although she couldn’t prevent the misdeeds of other villains, the original plot must have been greatly twisted just by her absence. It’s been almost two weeks since she was imprisoned, and there are no signs of the world’s destruction, which is proof enough.
But.
‘Huh?’
“Evacuate immediately! Leave the political prisoners and quickly bring out those who committed minor thefts!”
Hearing the same lines as in her previous life, her mouth fell open. Resena clung to the bars and shouted.
“Let me out quickly! I’m not a political prisoner, I’m charged with instigating murder!”
The guard clicked his tongue and opened the barred door.
“You’re bragging about it. Anyway, come out quickly! Orders have come to release all prisoners except political ones!”
“What’s happening?”
“Well… Ah, forget it. You’ll see when you get out. We’re just releasing you, not protecting you, so take care of yourself.”
A large man behind Resena shrugged his shoulders.
“What? Has the Imperial City turned into chaos?”
“You’ll see when you get out. Now, everyone out!”
The place quickly emptied as people rushed out. Resena found herself swept along with the crowd. Clutching the book Renard had brought to her chest and wrapped in a blanket, she gaped as soon as she stepped outside.
The beautiful city that had boasted a thousand years of history was half-destroyed, just like in her previous life.
Moreover, screams could be heard from one side, causing the prisoners who had come out with her to scatter and flee.
The guards started chasing after them, but her untrained body was significantly slower than theirs.
“Huff. Huff… Huff…”
The large man running in front of her quickly disappeared from view. As she started to stagger, gasping for breath, some prisoners running behind her bumped her shoulder and ran past.
‘It’s absolutely impossible to run in this dress…’
But she couldn’t rashly move with the other prisoners either.
If there happened to be some strange pervert or murderer among them, she’d immediately be caught up in trouble.
“Out of the way!”
“Ah…!”
A prisoner bumped into her back as they passed, causing her to drop the book Renard had brought. As she bent to pick it up from the ground, she heard a growling sound from somewhere.
“Argh!”
“Help me!”
“Kyaaaaaaah!”
‘Monsters!’
Resena felt cold sweat running down her back.
Finding strength from somewhere, she quickly grabbed the book and hid her body between the cracks of a collapsed wall.
‘This crazy male lead opened the gate in an insane state…!’
It seemed unbelievable, but…
‘Did I fail in this life too? No, I did everything I could. I canceled everything except for the one instance of instigating murder! Father and Mother helped too…!’
As Resena was silently screaming, she covered her mouth when she heard an unpleasant huffing sound.
Crouching down and holding her breath, she heard heavy footsteps approaching, and a one-eyed giant poked its head out.
Huff. Sniff sniff sniff.
The giant, smelling the scent mixed in the wind, fondled the club in its hand and headed towards the direction where many prisoners had fled. It was a stroke of luck that it didn’t notice Resena, who was right in front of it, perhaps due to having only one eye and poor eyesight.
‘Fortunately, the wind… was blowing in the opposite direction from me…’
Her heart, gripped by fear, felt like it was being squeezed. Even after the giant had gone, Resena remained crouched in place for a while, unable to stand up.
“Why of all times… Why can’t this crazy male lead protect the female lead and avoid causing the world’s destruction…!”
Muttering to herself, Resena’s eyes welled up with tears. Her legs were numb from crouching for so long, but she had to leave before the giant returned.
As she began to walk unsteadily, she saw corpses strewn messily on the side where the giant had come from. Feeling like she might vomit at any moment, she turned her head away.
“…”
She started walking slowly along the relatively cleanly collapsed road.
Since she always traveled by carriage in the Imperial City, she couldn’t properly recognize the streets. When she saw a familiar scenery, she could only think, ‘Ah, that’s the dress shop I visited before.’
“I wonder if the Arnasus mansion has collapsed too at this point?”
Upon spotting a bakery that was only a 4-5 minute carriage ride from the mansion, Resena seriously considered returning home. Although anywhere in the monster-infested Imperial City would be dangerous, if Renard, a Sword Master, returned quickly from his expedition, it could potentially be the safest place.
“Yes. That place would be better. It might not have collapsed, and there should be food stored in the underground cellar where I can hide until Renard returns.”
Biting her lip, Resena carefully took a step forward.
She walked while keeping potential hiding spots in view, in case she encountered monsters along the way.
After walking for about 30 minutes,
She could see the Arnasus mansion with its walls completely collapsed.
“…!”
However,
‘Thank goodness…! The mansion itself is safe!’
Her face immediately brightened. Resena hurried her steps and reached the front entrance of the mansion. The fact that there were no collapsed areas seemed to prove how solidly it was built, bringing tears to her eyes.
“Huh? But why is the door…”
If they had abandoned the mansion and fled, they should have at least left the door unlocked. It seemed they had locked the door before fleeing, in preparation for looters. Resena sighed in relief and took the key hanging around her neck to insert it into the front door’s keyhole.
‘I brought it just in case… It would have been a disaster if I didn’t have it.’
Her hands moved quickly, fearing a monster might appear.
