The Tragic Male Lead Chose the Wrong Partner

‘Damn it… It wasn’t enough to get blackmailed by a wretched war orphan, and now she’s been giving the embezzled money to some guy from an organization?’

The duke clutched his head.
They always said marrying the wrong person could destroy a noble house—and it was exactly that kind of situation.
No matter how he looked at it, divorce was the only answer.

But what bothered him was the way Dias kept boasting that Helene was a true royal heir.
They had already driven out the residents of Dias who opposed development, and the exploration was in full swing.
‘I can’t divorce her before the gold mine is uncovered.’

Unlike oil, which required deep drilling, it didn’t take long to discover a gold vein.
There was already more than enough cause on Helene’s side, so he could just take it all as divorce compensation.
And the royal bloodline the ducal house needed…

Cynthia’s bright, innocent face flickered through the duke’s mind.
‘She’s practically royal blood.’
Even if it was a fake—so long as no one found out, it didn’t matter.

Finishing his calculations, the duke smirked bitterly.
Just imagining the face Masera would make after Cynthia was taken from him was enough to send a thrill through him.
Whether he waited and took over Dias, or handed her back to the Count’s family and demanded repayment for all the expenses so far—either way, he wouldn’t lose anything.

He immediately sought out Helene and ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ began negotiations.
“I’ll pay off the gambling debts.”
Originally, he’d intended to make Helene responsible for them, but with Masera pointing a gun at his head, he had to resolve things quickly.

Above all, considering how tenacious the organization was, if Helene failed to pay, they would come after the duchy too—just for being blood relatives.
“In return, you’ll have to report to the Intelligence Bureau and undergo investigation. It’ll likely end with just a fine.”
Helene glared at him with sharp eyes.
“Why should I be investigated…?”

“Do you not understand where your power comes from?”
Helene fell silent under the duke’s contemptuous gaze.
“If you refuse, I’ll dig up additional charges, throw you in prison, and file for divorce. You’ve seen the situation—you should know that blackmailing me with some photos is useless now.”

He spoke firmly, taking out a business card from the organization.
“What is this?”
“It was found at the maid’s house. If I want, I can use it as evidence that you murdered her.”

Realizing that excuses would be futile, Helene’s anxiety deepened.
‘I have to find the gold before everything gets exposed and replace the embezzled money.’
* * *
Masera, dressed and ready for work, stood in front of me, staring fixedly.

“I’ll be heading out now.”
“Have a good day at work!”
But he didn’t move, just stood there, his eyes silently asking for something.

What did he want, exactly?
After staring at me for a moment, he finally spoke.
“My father… before setting sail, he and my mother…”

“Ah, I get it!”
So he figured out I was weak to sentimental memories.
Sighing, I wrapped my arms around him—only to end up being hugged instead, thanks to the difference in our sizes.

But just as he held me tightly, he suddenly flinched and quickly stepped back, turning away.
“Let’s not do that anymore.”
“You mean to cancel the morning nostalgia ritual before work?”

“No, I mean the… contact area is too wide…”
“The largest contact area is your chest.”
Still facing away, he sighed and slapped his cheeks a couple of times before hurriedly leaving the room.

What the heck was that? Did something break?
I scratched my head, confused.
“…More importantly, why do I keep doing what this man says?”

Even last night, I ended up ‘sleeping in the same bed’ again. And when I woke up, that guy was using my arm as a pillow.
I used to root for tsundere characters to end up as doormats, but now I was the personal pillow.
It was my fault for being weak to the deadly combination of respectful + straightforward + affectionate male leads. At this rate, I might turn into the obsessive female lead…

After finishing preparations and heading to the study, I clicked my tongue while reading today’s newspaper.
“Comeback of the fallen royal? A bubble about to burst… Duchess Helene Recanosa, who has been spearheading gold mine development, is under investigation by the Intelligence Bureau.”
‘Looks like she took the blame in exchange for someone else paying off her debts.’

Since the article focused only on Helene, it was clearly a scapegoating attempt.
[“The Duke asked to arrange a separate meeting with the Director of the Intelligence Bureau. He wouldn’t say why.”]
I had casually mentioned this during the joint family gathering, thinking Masera would let it pass since he didn’t react.

“Do you hate your sister?”
Now that I think of it, he asked me that before the article came out—so maybe he hesitated because she was family.
“Yawn.”

I stretched and put down the newspaper.
Right on time, my excellent aide Dalia entered and began her report.
“First, His Highness Prince Carlos’s engagement is scheduled for tomorrow…”

“Next.”
I couldn’t care less.
“A large number of residents from Dias have applied to relocate.”

I’d heard they’d been struggling to handle the issue of relocating the residents from Dias. What kind of offer did the ducal family make for them all to leave?
“How much compensation did they get? I want to match the resettlement support accordingly.”
“Well… It’s strangely low. Barely equivalent to two months of a common laborer’s wages.”

“What? They agreed to move for that kind of measly sum? All of them?”
That’s basically getting kicked out with pennies.
Dalia, too, looked baffled.

“I asked, but they all just evaded the question.”
“This is seriously weird.”
They’d not only lost their land but also their day-to-day income.

It would take some time to prepare permanent housing, but first, I needed to give them jobs and relocate families together. Thankfully, we’d already built a temporary village for the workers.
By the time Dalia and I finished planning the relocation efforts, it was already lunchtime.
Since we decided to eat a quick lunch together in the study, a maid came in with a mountain of sandwiches.

My mukbang partner, Dalia, watched me with concern as I slowly worked through the food.
“Your pace has slowed. Normally you’d finish three in two minutes.”
“Ah, I’ve just been a little tired lately.”

Between having a handsome man sleeping beside me and all my current worries, I hadn’t been sleeping well.
“It must be because you’re newlyweds. The brigadier has strong stamina, but for the princess’s health…”
She was gently warning me that I’d be worn down to the bone.

Looks like there’s been a serious misunderstanding.
I mean, it’s true I’ve been reluctantly sharing a bed with Masera, but it’s not like that!
But then again, all we’ve done is the occasional staged kiss, and even denying that we’re “like that” feels awkward now.

“Yeah, he keeps tormenting me all night.”
I tapped my sore arm, the one he’d used as a pillow, and answered slyly.
Dalia chuckled warmly and left with the empty plate.

“Agh, I’m so tired.”
I slumped over the desk, eyes drifting shut as a sharp winter wind rattled the windows.
* * *

Whoooosh—
In a dark, snowy forest, the harsh sound of a woman’s breathing brushed past my forehead.
“Hahh… Haah…”

Frozen strands of golden hair fluttered in the wind. She trudged through knee-deep snow.
There was urgency in her movement, like someone fleeing a hunter.
“Remember… Everything is here.”

My vision was blurry—I couldn’t make out what it was. A red light flickered faintly.
After blinking several times, I realized—it was the red diamond necklace Count Queensguard had once handed me.
‘Everything?’

Soon, a small cabin came into view.
The woman’s frostbitten hand pounded on the wooden door.
Beyond the opened door, a boy and a woman—likely his mother—came into sight.

“I will repay this kindness. If you keep this as a token, one day, my child will come and fulfill the ‘promise’.”
Through the hand offering the necklace, I met eyes with the boy—his platinum-blond hair and mysterious gaze stood out.
His expression was stoic, but his eyes held a trace of sorrow.

The scene sped up like a rewinding film, and we were back in the brutal forest.
“She gave the necklace to someone who doesn’t know its meaning? Foolish. They’ll find it anyway. All she did was get an innocent person killed.”
A cold voice rang out, and a man wearing a black mask appeared.

Through the fluttering hood in the fierce wind, I saw blonde hair and golden eyes.
“I have a child too. I can’t bring myself to kill a child. I’ll give you time to say goodbye to your daughter, who will live her whole life in tragedy.”
His golden eyes narrowed into crescent shapes inside the mask.

As he raised the gun, the head of a snake tattoo was visible on the back of his hand.
Where had I seen that before?
Suddenly, a sharp gunshot echoed through the air.

Bang!
A gasp of pain spread through my body like it was my own.
There was a moment of silence. Though shaking and slowing down, the woman kept pressing forward.

Finally, in front of a mansion, she collapsed.
“Mom’s okay… because I saved you…”
Her voice, like a flickering candle flame, made tears well up.

“Take back the … Never give it to those masked ones.”
Her voice was fading—I could barely make out the last words.
“Cynthia.”

Startled by Masera’s voice calling my name, I jolted awake.
He stood over me in uniform.
“Did you have a nightmare?”

Was it a dream?
I rubbed my eyes and looked up at Masera.
His expression was indifferent, but the faint emotion in his eyes resembled the boy in the dream.

Without thinking, I clutched the necklace.
The word ‘promise’ kept echoing in my mind.