I’m Looking for the Male Lead for the Ending - Chapter 38

Chapter 20.1

I hurriedly raised my hand to shield my eyes as the light was strong enough to obscure my vision. Through my tightly closed eyelids, I could feel the light gradually fading away.

‘What on earth happened…?’

As I opened my eyes carefully and observed my surroundings, I could see a hand reaching for a chocolate cookie on a plate placed on my desk as my vision became clearer.

“Is that your hand, Marie?”

Instinctively, I called out Marie’s name, who was nearby, though the voice that responded was entirely unexpected.

“They said that the Marquis’s wealth was more than enough to fill the Elboni River (a massive river that runs through the capital, crossing over to Erhel,) but it seems that that statement was a lie. What’s with the taste of these cookies?”

The voice was slightly higher and faster than Heron or Estieren’s, and it was only now that I noticed the seven rings scattered on the fingers. With a sense of disbelief, I slowly followed the hand, reaching for the cookie with my gaze.

Contrary to my hopes that it wasn’t him, a familiar face was smiling at me, his lips curling up in a grin.

“It’s been a while, Young Lady.”

…Diel Marsotis.

His grey eyes flickered with a strange light through his bright red hair.

I was naturally nervous, not expecting him to barge into my room to meet with me. I didn’t even know why he had appeared here in the first place.

As I waited for him to speak with a stiff expression, Diel soon spoke nonchalantly.

“I told the Young Lady that we would meet again next time, but I’ve heard quite an interesting story.”

“….”

“So I wasn’t able to wait.”

The sight of him smiling mischievously gave me a headache. I had no intention of him barging into my room, but if this fact became known, it could create unnecessary rumors. First, I glanced towards where Marie had been standing to prevent any potential servants from entering.

“Marie…?”

However, her large eyes fluttered precariously as if in panic. It was strange. Despite her busy rolling eyes, her body remained completely still.

The situation seemed familiar as if I had seen it somewhere before.

‘No way…’

I quickly turned my head to look at Diel, who was calmly putting another cookie into his mouth as if nothing was happening, while Marie’s eyes were filled with fear, and her body remained motionless.

“Ah, I thought she would get in the way of our conversation. I can’t stand women who make a fuss over trivial matters.”

“…This child is my maid, Lord Diel.”

“Why does that matter? It’s unlikely that she’s the only maid who will attend Young Lady Aidelis in the Marquis’s estate.”

“….”

“Rather than that, how about we discuss the rumors circulating in the capital instead? Is it true that you met Grand Duke Kaisian at the tournament and exchanged greetings?”

I frowned at that question.

Of course, while we did exchange brooches and hair ornaments after the tournament, that wasn’t like exchanging formal greetings…

‘Could he have seen that…’

It occurred to me belatedly that to those unaware of the circumstances, it might have looked like we were exchanging tokens of appreciation*.
[ T/N: The author used the word ‘정표,’ which means ‘The act of giving something as a gesture of affection, or such an item.’ ]

‘I was certain that no one was around at the time.’

Even though I realized that I had been too complacent, it wasn’t like I could turn back time now.

Of course, it would also seem strange to tell the whole story in hopes of quelling rumors.

I quickly shifted my gaze from Diel, who was smiling as if urging me to speak, to Marie. Her eyes, surprised by her immobile body, were shaking violently in fear.

‘Young Lady, please save me.’

Despite the fact that she couldn’t even open her mouth, it felt like I was hearing her cries for help in my ears. The image of myself from my past life, frozen like a statue with tears streaming down my cheeks, overlapped with Marie’s figure.

…Even after living multiple lives, the moment of death was as clear as ever.

Shaking off the feeling that I was sinking deeper into a swamp, I clenched my fists.

‘It’s okay, it’s all in the past. This life is different. That’s why you’re enduring.’

Thump, thump.

As my heart pounded loudly, thudding in my chest, I took a deep breath before meeting Diel’s swirling gaze. He smiled, the corners of his lips twitching upward.

“It seems something must’ve happened since you can’t answer right away.”

“Before I give you an answer to that, please release the binding spell on Marie first.”

At my words, Diel crossed his arms in front of his chest and tilted his head slightly askew as if he didn’t like it. Still, I continued with a firm voice.

“Marie is a smart child. She won’t make Lord Diel uncomfortable by fussing enough to interrupt our conversation.”

“….”

“I’ve also heard that organs exposed to petrification magic for a long time may not function properly. Of course, even if Marie were to die due to the effects, I know that it wouldn’t mean much to you.”

“….”

“But I don’t think you need to go through the trouble.”

Diel’s eyes narrowed slightly at my words, and I met his gaze with a facade of calmness. A dry swallow passed through the room’s settled silence.

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