The Fate of the Perennial Sub Male Lead is in My Hands

Marienne tried not to let Vileon’s gaze fall on her. She deliberately faked a cheerful demeanour.

“Lord Byers, the lady and I found it together. It’s in an envelope here, check it out!”

“…Aide Didi, this.”

“I said check the earrings first.”

Marienne thrust the envelope at him. Vileon was speechless, then opened the envelope. A pair of earrings landed in his white-gloved palm, sparkling with brilliance.

“They belong to the Princess.”

“Thank goodness!”

“…Thank you.”

Vileon said nasally. His worried eyes swept over Marienne once more.

“But the Aide’s condition.”

“It’s a mess, isn’t it?”

Marienne quickly cut off Vileon’s words. There was no time for this here. She could wait until she got home to listen to his affectionate concerns.

Now was the time to win Odette’s heart!

“At least I’m not hurt, Lord Byers. And you can take it to the Princess as soon as possible. Lord Byers should say he has found it.”

“What do you mean, you’re in pretty bad shape by the looks of it. No, wait a minute…”

Vileon sounded alarmed.

“The captain of the guard is in the next room, I’ll tell him to deliver the earring.”

Marienne and Chloise screamed at the same time.

“No!”

“Are you crazy?”

Marienne threw herself in front of Vileon, blocking his path.

“Lord Byers will have to give it himself. What if they lose it again by letting it fall into the wrong hands?”

“But… its the the captain of the guard?”

“No. I mean, I’ve come all this way… just to see Lord Byers hand the earrings to Her Highness in person.”

I was so excited I could barely speak.

“I found them, so Lord Byers have found them. Does that bother you? But in the grand scheme of things, I am Lord Byers’ person.”

“…”

“What I found is what Lord Byers found, so, yes, I’d like you to go to her first!”

I’d forgotten about Vileon’s temper. Unlike the northerner, he doesn’t see this as an opportunity.

Now that they’ve found the item, this is the end of the matter for Vileon.

His number one priority is now the aide in front of him. It was clear at a glance that he was trying to take care of Marienne, who was in a bad state.

Her stomach burned.

“Hey, I found this in the basement. I’ve been rolling around in the dirt for over two hours, and for once, I want to help Lord Byers.”

“Marienne…”

“I didn’t go to all that trouble to do you a favour. So please, Lord Byers, just hand it over yourself, okay?”

Marienne pleaded, almost sobbing as she grabbed Vileon’s arm. Vileon was visibly flustered.

“Okay, I’ll go give it myself, so don’t cry.”

“Huhuh.”

“I’m sorry. I was being careless.”

“Now, hik, right now.”

“I’ll go right now.”

Vileon patted Marienne’s shoulder, trying to soothe her, but she flinched, letting go of his arm and falling to the side.

“I’m so dirty, I’m going to get dirt on Lord Byers’ gloves.”

Vileon paused for a moment, arms outstretched in the air. He stiffened like a man suddenly abandoned, then spoke.

“You said you were in the basement for over two hours…”

His green gaze, sunken somewhat, turned to Chloise.

“When you ran into me earlier, you knew the whereabouts of the Aide, didn’t you?”

“I didn’t lie to you, I told you that I was searching with your aide.”

“Don’t deliberately pretend not to understand, Chloise Byers.”

“I helped a little.”

So that’s the look of the eldest son holding his younger sibling accountable.

Marienne rolled her eyes silently at the change in Vileon, who seemed to be trying to comfort her.

At least Chloise is a loyal girl.

To be chastised by her brother for keeping her promise to Marienne is harsh. Marienne snorted to get his attention.

It was a small sound. Vileon quickly tore his gaze away from his sister and left the room.

He ordered the captain of the guard in the next room to stop the search. The captain’s face brightened at the news that the earrings had been found.

The guard informed him that Odette had moved from the box seats to a private break room. Marienne followed Vileon up the red-carpeted stairs.

Chloise followed, keeping a few paces away. She was mumbling to herself. Marienne leaned in to listen.

“He can’t be like that. He’s going through all this trouble to win a girl’s heart, and he can’t even spit it out if you put it in his mouth. He’s doomed to spend his life taking care of other people and then grows old and dies.”

It was a very romanticised interpretation of the character.

It wasn’t wrong, but somehow hearing it from someone else’s mouth made her want to take Vileon’s side.

Marienne made a small retort in her mind.

‘My lady, I’m sure there are some who would be charmed by that aspect of Lord Byers.’

Though it may seem like a long way back, Vileon’s path is the right one. He cares more about the well-being of others than his own feelings.

That’s why he can’t be the hero of a whirlwind romance, but he can be the one who makes them feel safe and happy.

Marienne hopes this will change Odette’s mind.

‘I’d much rather have this than an arrogant man who flings himself around like a madman…!’

After all, revenge begins with Odette and ends with Odette. While the alliance with Cain seems indispensable, this is only Odette Rose’s story.

This was one of the reasons Marienne liked ⟨The Marriage Alliance⟩ so much.

‘Odette. You can be confident in your abilities, so be confident, and take the hand of an affectionate helper!’

Vileon knocked on the door of Odette’s private room. Permission to enter was granted.

Marienne stepped to the side and watched as Vileon entered the common room. Chloise hadn’t closed the door, so she was able to peek inside.

Odette was sitting with her back to the doorway, and Marienne herself had never seen her from the front.

“Your Highness, I found the earring.”

“You found them?”

“Yes, here they are.”

Vileon handed the earring to Odette. Odette breathed a sigh of relief as she examined the item with her own eyes.

“Thank goodness. Where did you find them?”

“In the basement. Whoever picked up the earring in the first place must have hidden it there for a while.”

The freezing Cain bastard was also in the common room. Even as Vileon spoke, Cain was nonchalantly glancing at his pocket watch.

“Basement… Never thought of that. No wonder it took so long.”

Odette handed the earrings to an attendant. The gloved attendant cleaned and disinfected the earrings before handing them back to the princess.

Odette put them on without a second thought, then turned to Vileon and asked.

“Will your lordship help me?”

Marienne slowly raised her hands to cover her mouth. She watched as Vileon carefully placed the earring in Odette’s earlobe.

She felt her eyes heat up. The sight of Vileon’s eager side was almost overwhelmingly beautiful.

His soft brown hair was a little more dishevelled than when he’d left the mansion, and his thick lashes, the same colour as his eyes, cast shadows around his leaf-like pupils.

“Not good?”

Odette asked, taking longer than she thought.

“I was afraid I might make a mistake and pierce the wrong place.”

“You wouldn’t do that.”

Odette laughed a little, as if to say she didn’t care.

“Even if you make a mistake, I’ll cut you some slack tonight. Thanks to you, I can breathe a sigh of relief.”

Thanks to you!

Thanks to you!

I’ll cut you some slack tonight!

Marienne let out a muffled cheer. To hear such words from the mouth of the original heroine, who was stingy with praise. Tears welled up in her eyes from the overwhelming emotion.

‘I finally did it!’

Vileon still didn’t blink, his entire attention focused on the hole in Odette’s smooth, velvety earlobe.

‘Lord Byers, you’ve just heard what the Princess has to say. What do you think, is your heart pounding, like mine?’

That close together, they could smell each other’s scents.

She remembered the faint scent of minty soap on Vileon, and suddenly a tear rolled down Marienne’s cheek.

You two are just getting started, and I’m acting like she’s already married you.

Marienne turned away and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. The thumping in her chest didn’t ease after that.

◇ ◆ ◇

Vileon searched for Marienne as soon as he left the common room, but a familiar voice called out from the room across the hall.

“It’s not a suspicious person!”

He didn’t bother to knock, just threw open the door. Three burly guards surrounded Marienne.

“How many times do I have to tell you? I’m an aide to Lord Byers, and I’m here to help with the search for the earrings…”

“Then why were you hanging around the door?”

“So I could look like this and see Her Highness?”

“Perhaps she was eavesdropping, lest she should be found out that she had hidden the earrings.”

A high-pitched guard took a step toward Marienne.

“Halt, all.”

Sensing Vileon’s presence, the guards hastily saluted. Marienne’s face brightened instantly.

“Lord Byers!”

As Marienne sprinted towards Vileon, she was grabbed by the back of the head by one of the guards. The recoil jerked Marienne’s tiny body around, almost a maiming blow.

Vileon’s brow furrowed. The Duke of Blackwood, too, had touched Marienne’s body too roughly.

“Will you release my aide? I guarantee her identity.”

“…?”

“The person you suspected and dragged away is Marienne Didi, Third Aide to the Chancellor, currently a guest of the Earl of Byers.”

“What.”

“Hands. Let go.”

The guard quickly pulled away from Marienne. The three men apologised profusely to Vileon and Marienne, then left the room in a huff.

“Wow, I don’t know how someone can discriminate against others based on their appearance like this. When I asked them to wait just until Lord Byers arrives, they scoffed at me.”

Marian flicked off the dust from her worn-out vest and then smiled at Vileon.

“Once again, Lord Byers saved us today, as expected.”

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

“I’m perfectly fine.”

Marienne glanced out the open door and down the corridor.

“And Her Highness?”

“She went to the box seats with the Duke to say hello to those who have been stranded so far.”

“The damn duke… ugh.”

Marienne headed for the door in disgust. Vileon watched her carefully, noting her condition.

Marienne says she’s unharmed. However, Vileon could clearly see the raw marks all over her body.

In addition, Marienne’s left leg limped slightly with each step. He wonders if she doesn’t realise she’s limping.

“Where were you in the basement? The guards searched the basement, so why didn’t they see the aide?”

“I was on the second floor.”

Marienne replied cheerfully.

“Ugh, don’t tell me. It’s only one floor, and it’s so different. It’s dark everywhere, you have to grope with your hands, and… kyaaa!”

Marienne’s left foot caught on a slight lift in the red carpet.