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

Suddenly, a tremendously loud noise erupted. Marienne had no time to be surprised by the volume of it.

Marienne’s gaze was fixed on Cain’s hand, gripping the necklace.

‘Could it be that he already broke it?’

He knows only how to destroy and eliminate, he doesn’t seem to know any other way. That’s how life is, after all. How can someone like him be the protagonist?

Marienne huffed, knowing that if he had destroyed the locket, she wouldn’t let him get away with it.

“So you were waiting to get here first.”

Cain looked down below as he spoke.

“Marienne Didi.”

Standing on the cloud bridge, Cain stood at his normal height plus the height of the bridge, like a god looking down on the world from a great height.

If someone passing by had seen him, they would surely use such a metaphor.

But Marienne was an exception. If she could, she would immediately slam his arrogant face into a bin of manure right now.

“Are you doing this with the permission of the Princess?”

It’s not that I was genuinely curious. The locket necklace wasn’t something I could ask to borrow. No doubt the Cain bastard would have stolen it.

“That is her mother’s heirloom! You don’t mess with other people’s things, even if they’re crude things made of rags and not silver. What have you learned all these years, you pestilential bastard?”

Marienne went on a tirade. She wondered if she should continue to provoke him, to divert Cain’s attention towards herself.

Because Cain was staring at her intently, without a flinch.

But what if her words crossed the line?

The necklace would crumble without any alternative plan.

What on earth am I supposed to do. Marienne tried to hide her unease by glaring at Cain.

“You always bring up the excuse of the Fourth Princess whenever you open your mouth. But I wonder if your true intentions are the same?”

“What nonsense are you talking about?”

“I’m sure the reason you’re trying to protect this necklace is not solely for the Fourth Princess.”

Damn it, she got caught.

However, Marienne Didi’s specialty is getting caught by others.

So Cain’s sulking couldn’t even scratch her, not even a bit.

Well, whatever.

“What matters in this situation is not my true intentions. I’m actually curious. After you destroy the heirloom, what are you planning to say to your fiancée?”

“She won’t know I did it anyway.”

Cain casually muttered.

“I might as well say it was the work of Byers’s third aide.”

“Bullshit.”

“If I claim that it was your doing to frame me, it might sound quite convincing. You’ve been hovering around me all this time, drawing the attention of everyone in the palace, and you’ve managed to avoid the Fourth Princess’s scrutiny.”

Not you, but Chancellor Byers. Cain added.

“I usually don’t do such things without any reason. So now the Fourth Princess will think like this: If what you’re holding isn’t affection, then it must be hostility.”

The story was gradually taking a dangerous turn. Marienne tried to change the subject.

“We’re talking about the necklace right now. Why do you keep bringing my emotions into this?”

“Hostility. Resentment. False accusations.”

Cain interrupted briefly.

“And even a blind loyalty towards Chancellor Byers.”

“……”

“How about that. By now, my words must sound convincing, not just bullshit.”

Yea. It sounded very convincing, even extremely plausible. Marienne glared at Cain with eyes filled with animosity. At this point, it wouldn’t be strange if her eyeballs popped out of her head.

“You’re strange.”

Cain blurted out suddenly.

“Sometimes I feel like you’re a crazy rabbit who knows what’s coming.”

His voice sank.

“From my hair to hiding the Fourth Princess’s earring…… and even the perpetrator who planted it there. It’s Chancellor Byers’s birthday, and the whole place is in a frenzy of excitement, and yet you’re strangely staring out the window, because you know what’s going to happen today.”

“W-What?”

“Under that assumption, I sent a fake messenger, and you fell right into the trap.”

He used the technique of a whip, not just a carrot and stick.

“You don’t have a good head on your shoulders, Mad Rabbit, which means you’re not good at analyzing people to predict their behavior, and you don’t have good instincts, which means you’ve been told you have a terrible eye.”

“No one ever said that to me.”

“It seems your surroundings are filled with well-mannered individuals.”

Cain muttered to himself as if talking to no one.

“Just like Chancellor Byers.”

Marienne decided it was time to cut him off at this point.

This asshole with a brain and senses like no other was about to reveal Marienne Didi’s secret.

“What I’m curious about is how sloppy you are for someone who knows the future.”

A northerner spewing venom from his mouth. Marienne purposely caught him off guard, apologized for being weak, and then cut to the chase.

“How can I safely return the necklace?”

“Doesn’t your vision of the future tell you how?”

“I can’t see the future. So I don’t know any methods. Just tell me your terms, because I’m going to find out you’ve set a trap for me……!”

In reality, Marienne had a rough idea of what Cain might say.

He would probably demand that she stop obsessing over his hair. That was his most important secret as Cain Blackwood.

After extracting confirmation by holding the locket necklace hostage today, Cain might make additional demands, such as leaving the palace.

He might even suggest heading to the Blackwood Duchy in the North.

‘I won’t let you disclose any secrets. Once we arrive, I’ll confine you to the tower and cut off all communication with the outside.’ That’s probably the most plausible option.

It’s a very traditional method.

Marienne decided to prioritize the safety of the necklace for now. She would do anything only after witnessing the necklace return to its rightful owner. She had to set these conditions.

“Tell me what you want me to do.”

But Cain said something completely unexpected.

“If it’s related to Chancellor Byers, does your brain just freeze?”

His tone reeked of annoyance.

“You say that like you know what I’m going to do.”

“That’s ridiculous. You can only say that because the necklace is in your hand right now, you little twit.”

“Are you actually going to follow through with anything?”

Now, he seemed to be gritting his teeth and speaking with a new tone.

“If I tell you to quit your job tomorrow and go to the Blackwood Duchy, will you do it?”

Ha, damn bastard.

You said I can’t analyze people, and my instincts are poor, but this time Marienne Didi got the right answer.

Marienne let out a snort.

“Don’t stall, just say it.”

After a brief silence, he presented the following condition:

“Come in front of me and kneel. Then, answer my questions truthfully. Regardless of your answer, the day the alliance with the Fourth Princess ends, you will become my maid and go to the duchy.”

What’s going on?

He could have told Marienne to leave immediately. But he even gave her a grace period until the alliance ends.

Marienne hastily ran towards the bridge of clouds, just in case Cain changed his mind.

‘Kneel? Hey, that’s my specialty!’

As soon as she arrived in front of Cain, Marienne clenched her skirt. To avoid hearing any complaints about her lack of sincerity, she deliberately met his gaze and slowly knelt down.

It wasn’t because she was worried about shattering her kneecaps on the stone floor.

“What do you want to ask me?”

Cain faced Marienne, who had obediently knelt before him.

His expression, how should I put it?

It looked complicated.

At first glance, he seemed to be smiling because his prediction had come true. At the same time, he looked like someone who hoped his prediction would be proven wrong.

“How far are you willing to go for Chancellor Byers?”

Cain rolled the round locket between his fingers.

“Is murder possible?”

“…..It would depend on the target.”

It’s a bluff. How could she, who had never personally cleaned a single fish, suddenly be capable of killing someone? As long as she didn’t drop the knife, she would consider herself lucky.

But she was serious. Especially if the target was Cain Blackwood, whom she’d already killed a hundred times in her head.

“Then what about being charged with murder?”

“I’d rather be in prison than Chancellor Byers. There must be someone out there who is resourceful. If I have patience, Chancellor Byers will clear my name.”

“What about sharing a bed with someone you despise?”

Really, what’s with these questions.

“If Lord Byers’ life is at stake.”

“Does that mean you wouldn’t do it if it was a leg, not a life, on the line?”

“Why are the questions so twisted.”

“Answer.”

Marienne glared at Cain. Somehow, she thought he was offering too good of a deal.

“I would sacrifice a leg, or even lose a finger or two.”

“……”

“Is that all?”

“You pretend to support Vileon Byers’ love, but deep down, you want to take the place by his side. Why don’t you just admit it?”

As Cain approached, he spoke.

“If the Fourth Princess truly joins hands with Byers, you’ll feel bitter to the point of death.”

“That won’t happen.”

“Maybe not at first. But your attitude has been strange for some time now. Don’t tell me you’re not aware of it.”

Marienne frowned. She didn’t want to understand Cain’s words. Denial prevailed.

“Can you assert that you have no personal feelings when looking at Byers?”

“Well…”

Of course, she wanted to say that she had no personal feelings. But in that instant, a memory from the ice cream parlor came to mind.

The daydreaming while looking at Vileon’s lips. And the glimpse of his body stolen through the hole in the partition earlier this morning. Her cheeks that wouldn’t cool down.

‘I just wanted to touch it once.’

But then her words escaped her.

“Ah!”

Cain’s expression suddenly turned sinister. He forcefully threw the necklace. The silver locket pendant flew in an arc.

Marienne didn’t blink until the necklace disappeared beneath the surface.

In the center of the pond, left of the cloud bridge.

Marienne immediately took off her jacket and hung it over the railing. She unbuttoned her blouse and rolled up her sleeves, then took off her shoes and socks.

But she paused before entering the pond.

‘It’s better to wear shoes. Who knows what’s on the bottom of the pond? Stepping on a piece of glass would be disastrous. I might die from an infection before finding the necklace.’

Marienne put on her shoes over her bare feet. Then she confidently walked into the pond.

“Ugh.”

It felt really dirty to move in the water while still wearing clothes. With each step, her skirt got tangled between her legs.

The only saving grace was that this was an imperial pond.

It was an artificial pond with a caretaker who cleaned the surroundings daily and removed floating debris. Thanks to that, the water in the pond, which reached Marienne’s waist, wasn’t as murky as the ponds outside the palace. There was no foul odor either.

But it was just damn big.

“You’re going this far…”

Cain on the cloud bridge glared at Marienne.

“It’s almost sunset, Marienne Didi.”

“The voice of someone who doesn’t keep their promises is too loud!”

Marienne retorted without looking back.

She had promised to kneel and answer promptly to have the necklace returned, but she threw off the necklace in a fit of anger.

When did she say she didn’t want it? On the contrary, she gladly responded to the questions, pleased with the grace period given to her.

“Bastard.”

Marienne cursed Cain once again. She heard him leaving. Meanwhile, the sky, covered with heavy clouds, grew darker and darker.

“Just when I thought it was about time…”

In the end, heavy raindrops began to fall on Marienne’s shoulders, plunking down one by one.