The Tragic Male Lead Chose the Wrong Partner

* * *
And so, a few days passed.
Can hatred truly become love?

Lost in this thought, Masera was on his way back to headquarters when he spotted the same black-haired boy from the hospital collapsed on the street.
Unlike last time, the boy didn’t speak. No matter how much they inquired, no one could find his parents.
In the end, Masera decided to take the child in.

“He’s not speaking due to psychological trauma from the bombing.”
The boy suffered severe aftereffects and avoided people entirely.
Dalia, a former subordinate who had retired due to injury, helped care for the boy.

It wasn’t until after the war ended that Eugene finally began to open his heart and speak.
“Do you remember anything? I’ll help you find your parents.”
From the clothes he’d been wearing when found and his table manners, it was clear he was a noble child.

“Mom and Dad… they’re gone now.”
Had they died in the bombing?
“…Then we need to find your relatives. Tell me anything you can remember.”

Even when Masera asked, Eugene’s face filled with fear at the mere mention of his parents.
Besides his name—Eugene—there was nothing more they could learn. The trail ended there.
“Uncle, don’t abandon me. I want to live with Uncle Masera at the residence.”

When Masera saw those pale green eyes filled with fear of abandonment, he felt an inexplicable sense of kinship.
“All right. Let’s do that.”
And just like that, Masera became family with Eugene.
* * *

When the memory ended, Masera leaned back loosely in his chair and closed his eyes.
He’d already had suspicions about Hayden from various reports.
But since Hayden was someone Eugene had unusually warmed up to, he couldn’t make a decision lightly.

‘I can’t let the child suffer another loss again…’
“An adult who teaches hatred and discrimination will end up being hated by everyone.”
Cynthia had been right.

Eugene would keep growing and eventually become an adult. They couldn’t shelter him forever.
As a guardian, it was only right to lead him down the right path—even if it was a harsh one.
Masera, having reached his conclusion, called Diego.

“You—already? You’re finished?”
When Diego arrived, flustered, Masera gave his orders.
“Eugene’s tutor was found in possession of seditious literature. Detain and investigate under violation of the National Security Act and suspicion of aiding the enemy.”

* * *
The next morning, I ran into Major Rodriguez, who had come to the residence to submit a report.
I waited for him to finish and then handed him a gift I had brought from our honeymoon trip.

“It’s a lucky rabbit brooch I bought at a Medeian souvenir shop.”
“Thank you. It’s adorable—just like you, Lady Cynthia.”
Like me? I looked down at the strange brooch shaped like a rabbit with a turtle shell.

“I’ll keep it close and live a long life, as promised.”
He pinned the silver rabbit brooch beside the medals on his uniform.
Seeing how pleased he was made me feel unexpectedly happy.

“I heard you visited Medeia. I attended the military corps of Aeford University there, so seeing something from that place brings back good memories.”
“Aeford University?”
Wasn’t that the prestigious university Masera mentioned Hayden had attended?

“The Brigadier is actually from Aeford’s rival, Lambridge University. He earned his degree through the Queen’s scholarship.”
As I chatted casually with Major Rodriguez, a commotion erupted nearby.
“The princess framed me just to get rid of me!”

Tutor Hayden was being dragged away by investigators, shouting at the top of his lungs.
When he locked eyes with me, he yelled even louder.
“She’s the one who gave me that seditious book! And when I found out, she tried to pin it on me! Ask Eugene! He knows who gave it to him!”

Ugh. If it’s Eugene, he’ll probably side with that man.
I walked up to the struggling Hayden.
“Hey, are you sure you graduated from Aeford University in Medeia?”

Before he could answer, the officer escorting him replied instead.
“Professor Hayden is a well-known figure with publications in political science and diplomacy. This issue doesn’t seem related to his academic record.”
Still, something felt off.

Even when I checked the study materials, what Eugene was learning was completely mismatched to his level. The way things were explained didn’t make sense either.
It wasn’t the kind of lesson someone with formal education would give.
[“Pretending to know everything, and she can’t even understand Medeian.”]

Hayden muttered in Medeian.
I tilted my head like I didn’t understand, and he smirked mockingly.
“I knew it. You’re jealous of someone like me, from a prestigious university! You’re just a woman who never even went to college!”

“What’s the name of the famous sandwich shop in front of Aeford University?”
I asked the question like I was casually chatting.
“I don’t like sandwiches.”

“Then name the independent building on campus that hosts debates on various topics?”
Hayden’s face flushed red when he couldn’t answer.
“That didn’t exist in my time—”

“The Aeford Union,”
Major Rodriguez answered in his place, eyes fixed on Hayden.
“It’s been around for over two centuries. No graduate could not know that.”

Then he turned to me and smiled, narrowing his blue eyes.
“His Medeian accent is also strange for someone who supposedly studied there.”
Backed into a corner by a real elite, Hayden suddenly spotted Eugene peeking out from behind the hallway.

“Eugene! The teacher’s been falsely accused! If you tell the truth, you can clear my name!”
Startled, Eugene tried to run—but soon stopped and turned back.
“Eugene, ‘The Snow Queen’—that book came from the princess, right?”

Hayden asked in a gentle voice.
Had they rehearsed this? If Eugene said yes, it would get troublesome.
Eugene bit his nails, showing signs of distress.

“Whatever you answer is okay. No one’s going to be angry or hate you.”
I gave him a warm smile. Whatever he said, the truth wouldn’t change.
“That book…”

“Eugene! You wanted the princess gone, remember? Now’s your chance! Be honest! I’m the only one who understands you!”
Hayden pushed the trembling Eugene.
The boy’s spring-leaf eyes looked at me.

“You’re… a bad princess.”
“That’s right. I’m bad. But I still want to be someone good—for you.”
Tears welled up in Eugene’s eyes.

“No matter how bad the princess is, if I lie to chase her away, I’d become a bad person too.”
He wiped his eyes with his sleeve and added,
“Emil, I don’t want to lie anymore. I’m going to stop copying what you do. The sky would be sad.”

Hayden—no, Emil—went pale, like he’d been given a death sentence.
Eugene looked up at me and began telling the truth.
“Actually… Emil used to be a servant in our house a long time ago. But he said he had to live as Professor Hayden, or else he’d be arrested and killed… So I lied to Uncle and helped him hide.”

“You ungrateful brat! After I kept quiet about your mother all this time, this is how you repay me?! You trying to get me killed?!”
With his secret exposed, the fake Hayden burst into rage.
“…Don’t tell me you’ve been pretending to be a dead man all this time?”

I asked, and Eugene hung his head. Tears dropped steadily to the floor.
“Uncle Masera said… the more important someone is to you, the more you need to stop ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) them when they do wrong.”
Eugene looked at Emil, eyes trembling with emotion.

“I listened to you because you were important to me. I wasn’t afraid of being abandoned—I just didn’t want you to feel that way.”
So the one afraid of abandonment was Emil, not Eugene.
And without realizing Eugene’s sincerity, Emil glared at him.

“So you’re okay if I tell them everything about your parents?”
“It’s okay now. I don’t want to lie anymore.”
I didn’t know what Eugene’s secret was, but there was definitely something between the two of them.

“Damn Esat scum, in the end…”
Emil muttered as he was dragged away, but it no longer mattered.
I held Eugene’s hand tightly.

“It must have been hard. You were so brave.”
“…I still don’t like you, though.”
“Well, I like you.”

Eugene looked up at Major Rodriguez with a tear-streaked face.
“White Uncle. I’m sorry for what I said that time.”
A moment of genuine apology—one not forced by anyone, but realized by the child himself.

Rodriguez looked down at him silently, then smiled softly.
“It’s okay. Thank you for saying that. Let’s be good friends from now on.”
With a face full of satisfaction, Major Rodriguez lifted Eugene into his arms.

“Finally got to hug you. But if the Brigadier’s as meticulous as they say, I’m surprised he didn’t see through the impersonation…”
“There were scientists, education specialists—so many tutor candidates. But the kid liked him. That’s all there was to it.”
Masera, who had appeared unnoticed, walked up with a distinctly irritated expression.

“More importantly, what’s some outsider man doing holding another man’s wife and child?”
His eyes landed on the rabbit brooch, looking out of place between the medals on the Major’s uniform.
Rodriguez tilted his head slightly and smiled beautifully.

“Is that not allowed?”
Ah—why are you provoking this petty man?!