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

“You know, Lord Byers. From the looks of it, running is the only thing I know how to do.”

“What do you mean?”

“I can’t keep my thoughts to myself. I think of key information late, so I do a lot of rambling beforehand. When I’m angry, my head is a mess and I can’t keep my words straight.”

If only I could get my words right.

Odette, the Northman, Vileon, and Leslie. All of these characters are well-spoken. No matter how angry they are, they seem to be able to think on their feet.

I envy them.

“Even just now, he did that. The priest deliberately tried to scratch at my feelings, and on top of that, he confronted me and gave me a hard time. How can you be so relaxed in that situation?”

Confidentiality, what an exquisite excuse! A hundred times more powerful than Leslie’s personal reasons.

If Leslie asks the same question again in the future, Marienne can simply say that it’s confidential and not to be disclosed.

The excuse is even easy to remember. It’s an impregnable shield against any question.

Even in his moment of improvisation, Vileon had in mind that Marienne would be questioned again.

Marienne’s face colored with pure admiration.

“Is that something you can learn with training?”

“I was…… relaxed?”

Vileon repeated, his tone a bit odd. It was as if he couldn’t believe he looked that way.

“My hands are still shaking.”

“What?”

“……No. Nothing.”

Vileon stammered. He brought the glass of sparkling water with half-melted ice cream to his mouth.

Every time Vileon took a sip through the straw, the green beverage noticeably diminished.

Was he thirsty? Marienne hoped the carbonation wasn’t too strong. Just looking at it made Marienne’s throat tingle.

Eventually, Vileon set down his empty glass, which was now ice cubes. Having finished his portion in one fell swoop, he let out a short sigh.

“I don’t see why Aide Didi isn’t good at anything, there are so many of them.”

“Like that?”

Marienne tilted her head and laughed. Her sweet-talking chancellor is trying to make something out of nothing again.

What is it about people who are good at talking can sublimate as an advantage.

“What am I good at?”

Marienne asked him and answered in her own head at the same time.

Delusional.

Talking to myself.

Hating northerners.

A wry smile crossed his face, but Vileon was serious.

“My aide seems to know me better than I know myself.”

He continued.

“Hasn’t Aide Didi been noticing lately, too? The frequency of people from the Ministry seeking you out has increased.”

“Definitely. These days, it wasn’t just the higher-ups who sought Marienne out, but also outsiders who came to you on their guidance.

Hi, Marienne. Who am I, and I was sent here by Mrs. Random in the kitchen, and I was told to ask the third counselor about this, that, and the other.

“They ask for an opinion and Aide Didi gives them an answer. .And so far, that answer has never been wrong. If it’s the words of Aide Didi, who is meticulous in financial matters, there is no need for reassurance.”

I felt a little embarrassed listening. Marienne dabbed at the jelly with her spoon unnecessarily, then took a bite.

Eating was the best way to deal with embarrassment. You don’t have to talk while you’re eating. Marienne worked her spoon harder.

“You know what’s even weirder? Sometimes I feel like Aide Didi knows not only my past but also my…… future.”

Vileon was not delusional. She actually knows the ending of this story. She also knows the secrets each of them is hiding.

‘People who speak well are indeed different.’

When they started this conversation, Marienne expected him to list at least five things she was good at.

“You’re so good at so many things,” that he would say that.

But he only said one thing.

And that one thing made Marienne Didi feel so good that she had trouble controlling her facial expressions.

Marienne shoves a sweet pickled peach into her mouth to keep from blabbering.

“How do you know so much about me?”

Vileon asked. As she chewed on the tart peach, Marienne realized it was her turn to answer.

Why now? She shoved a cheek into her mouth.

Marienne chewed as fast as she could and then swallowed hard, thankful she didn’t bite her tongue.

“Because I’m always watching Lord Byers.”

“…….”

“That’s my answer…….”

“…….”

“Uh, I can tell when I’m watching you, like, how your smile is different when you’re smiling out of politeness versus when you’re smiling because you’re happy with the results, when you’re sleepiest during the day, what methods work best to chase that sleepiness, blah, blah, blah.”

I suddenly realized I shouldn’t have answered that. In fact, it could be creepy, depending on the listener.

I’m always watching you.

It’s what I do all day, every day, except when I eat and sleep.

Wherever you go, my eyes will follow.

It’s a confession I wouldn’t make if I were labeled a crazy obsessive. Ah, so it’s not a confession, but a confession nonetheless.

Foolish Marienne Didi. Why didn’t you just go out to the square and shout it out?

I am a “Dorunja1can be translated as ‘one who treads the path’ or ‘one who walks the way’;refer to someone who has gained experience or knowledge through their own personal journey or exploration.” who, due to being overly immersed in a romance novel, possessed the desire to fulfill my favorite character’s love. In a more positive way, let me say, everyone, invest in Baileon Beers stocks!

‘Oh, my God. He must have really freaked out.’

Marienne glanced at Vileon, who remained silent. She shouldn’t have swallowed the pickled peach so quickly. She should have taken a moment to think of a good reason.

“Ah.”

Marienne laughed mischievously.

“I’m just saying, I don’t really spend all day spying on Lord Byers.”

“Daisy told me that if you ask my whereabouts to the Aide, you have an answer in three seconds.”

“Oh, that’s…….”

“When she said that, I reflected on it a lot, because for all the attention the Aide pays to me, I feel like I know so little about you.”

Marienne blinked.

“I have a lot of questions, Marienne.”

No excessive immersion allowed. Marriene thought of that from the beginning. The man in front of her had a plausible face and manner of speech, which caused her to keep deluding herself.

‘It sounds like he’s romantically interested in me.’

The first problem is his voice, which sticks in my ears. It’s unusually sweet, soft, and flirty, and it pushes the other person in the room into the pit of delusion.

‘Stop it, stop looking at me. Are you finding amusement in watching my face change?’

Marienne also feels the gaze that remains fixed on herself.

Even Odette doesn’t look at her with such intensity. Our heroine is unexpectedly weak to physical appeal, so that kind of gaze could have an effect.

“The aide says she is supportive of me. She pats me on the back several times a day.”

“Yeah.”

“I don’t mean to brag, but I’m used to compliments. I’ve been getting them since I was a kid. But everything you said to me is new to me, and I wonder if you’re just teasing me.”

“I always mean it.”

“Like the one about how you could walk down the aisle tomorrow with just a whisper from me?”

Look at this guy’s memory.

“Or that I have a voice that seems to make you fall in love.”

“Be serious.”

“I’m really serious.”

Vileon lifted his drink, realized it was empty, and lowered his hand.

“What I want to ask is, in real life, is Aide Didi’s ideal type someone like me… someone with similar conditions?”

“Ideal type?”

“I mean, I was wondering what kind of person you would want to be in a relationship with.”

Vileon clamped his mouth shut after saying this, a complex expression of nervousness, pessimism, and resignation on his face.

But he never took his eyes off Marienne.

“What? A relationship? I’m not getting into a relationship.”

“Why?”

Vileon asked. Maybe it was the mood, but his tone was a little questioning.

“Because……. I don’t have time for romance, I’m supposed to be serving Lord Byers!”

“If it’s because you’re overworked, I’ll get you an assistant right away on Monday.”

“An assistant? No, I have a job to do.”

“You just told me you can’t afford to be in a relationship because of your duties.”

The conversation seems to be going in circles. Marienne blamed herself for her lack of understanding.

“I, Lord Byers. Do I really need to…… be in a relationship? I love working for you, Lord Byers.”

It was then.

A realization flashed through Marienne’s mind.

‘This is practice!’

Then it made sense. The way he’d asked for a taste of the ice cream, the way he’d dropped the spoon, the way he was looking at her now, all of it was practice for his date with the Princess.

What about the conversation regarding dating?

This may also be practice for convincing the iron-walled Odette.

‘It’s Vileon, after all. He’s found a way to show his charms without acting like a northerner.’

Marienne was genuinely impressed. Yes, this would work.

If gazes had a temperature, Vileon’s gaze would be 38.2 degrees right now. It surpasses the threshold of a low-grade fever. Any more and it’s hyperthermia.

‘It’s melting, melting.’

The ice cream melts, and so does Odette’s heart, which is as cold as the ice cream, and so does Marienne Didi, who has been selected to practice.

There’s just one thing that’s missing. Next time, I’d like to see someone tell me that this is a practice run.

That way, she can prepare herself.

I didn’t want to get excited without a plan.

“Oh, that took too long, I ran into my friend inside the store.”

Just then, Chloe slammed two glasses of water with lemon slices down on the table. Marienne suddenly remembered that Vileon wasn’t the only one with her.

“Your ice cream is…….”

“It’s all melted, but it’s okay because I took a share while talking to my friend.”

She must have been chatting with her best friend. Chloe’s cheeks puffed up bitterly.

“Hoo-hoo.”

“Not that laugh again.”

“What were you and my brother talking about?”

Vileon picked up the glass of water his sister had brought him. Marienne watched out of the corner of her eye as he drank the water without taking a breath.

Emptying the glass after the fruit sparkling water.

“Uh…… we were just practicing.”

“Practicing for what?”

“Practicing for a date with Her Highness?”

Vileon coughed, apparently catching the last sip of water as it passed down his throat.

“Ah, so you were, practicing for such an important event.”

Chloe held up her fan in amusement.

“Oh, sure, plenty of practice is important for anything. Come to think of it, brother Vileon has always been a diligent practicer. He was great at piano lessons when he was younger.”

Chloe grinned.

“He might even ask you to practice for marriage one day. You’ll have to be especially careful, since you tend to listen to anything my brother says.”