SCMBRN Chapter 1

A cold liquid was poured over my head, soaking my hair from the crown.

 

Again? I wasn’t even surprised as I looked up at the second floor of the banquet hall.

 

“Oh dear, my apologies. I had no idea Lady Lindsay was standing there.”

 

A woman leaning against the railing swirled an empty champagne glass in her hand, a mocking smile on her lips.

 

“Oh my, what a shame.”

 

“She looks like a rat caught in the rain. How pitiful.”

 

The ladies standing beside her each added a comment.

 

The provocation is so blatant that it doesn’t even make me angry.

 

If I were to react with rage and make a scene, I would be playing right into their hands.

 

Instead, I simply offered a faint smile.

 

“It’s fine. My hair now has a fresh fruity scent, which is rather nice.”

 

The ladies frowned at my unexpected reaction.

 

“Hmph, how ridiculous.”

 

“Now she’s pretending to be virtuous.”

 

Fortunately, they did not persist and backed off without further incident.

 

“Phew.”

 

If I thought about it, their hostility toward me or rather, toward the original owner of this body, Charlotte Lindsay was understandable.

 

After all, the real Charlotte had done them quite a bit of harm.

 

Charlotte Lindsay, the eldest daughter of the prestigious Marquisate of Lindsay and the villainess in the romance fantasy novel Looking for a Husband.

 

Charlotte was obsessed with the male lead, Grand Duke Hiclid, and would lash out at any young woman who showed even the slightest interest in him.

 

If only it had ended there, it might have been tolerable…

 

The problem was that she even targeted the female lead, Ayla.

 

Unlike with the other women she tormented, the Grand Duke reacted with fury when she harmed Ayla. He went so far as to issue a stern warning to the Lindsay family, if Charlotte harassed Ayla one more time, he would consider the entire Lindsay household his enemy.

 

Charlotte, who had already been treated as an unwanted child, was nearly disowned. Or rather, if events had followed the original plot, she should have been disowned.

 

Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, I took over her body at that very moment and begged for forgiveness, narrowly avoiding complete expulsion.

 

Even though I had done nothing wrong, pleading for mercy had been humiliating. However, I was in no position to be picky. If things had gone differently, I would have found myself alone in an unfamiliar world with no means to survive.

 

At least things worked out.

 

For the past six months, I had kept as quiet as a mouse. It seemed that the Marquis had finally accepted that I was genuinely repentant because just a few days ago, he said this to me:

 

“If you remain well-behaved for one more month, I will send you to the family’s villa abroad. You will be given ample funds for independent living.”

 

It was called independence, but in reality, it was exile. Still, I wasn’t about to complain. Once I was sent away, I would no longer have to live under my family’s watchful eyes.

 

Until now, the Marquis had kept me close, fearing that if left to my own devices, I would use the Lindishy name to stir up more trouble. But now, he was beginning to let his guard down.

 

All of this was thanks to my efforts to remain confined to my room. Though, to be fair, avoiding social interactions had never been difficult for me in the first place.

 

Alright, I just have to endure for one more month!

 

For now, I needed to clean my hair, which was sticky with champagne. As I searched for a lounge, I overheard murmuring voices.

 

“Look over there, it’s Charlotte Lindsay.”

 

“She hasn’t been seen in a while. What’s she doing here?”

 

“Did the Marquis lift her house arrest?”

 

“If she causes trouble at an event this important, she won’t get away with it this time.”

 

I can hear you, you know. Also, I’m the one most confused about why I’m here.

 

It was the Emperor’s birthday celebration, one of the most significant festivities in the Lehrenberg Empire.

 

Naturally, the person I least wanted to encounter, Grand Duke Hiclid, and his fiancée, Ayla, were both present. I had no desire to attend, yet…

 

Why did an invitation arrive in my name?

 

There was no way I could ignore an imperial invitation with Charlotte Lindsay written on it. Even the Marquis had sternly warned me not to cause trouble before reluctantly sending me off.

 

Heirs of noble houses were typically invited, but the successor of the Lindsay family was not me, it was my younger half-brother, Jayden.

 

Since Charlotte was the daughter of the Marquis’s second wife from a previous marriage, she was never meant to inherit the title.

 

Then, I heard more whispers from the side.

 

“Look over there. The genius mage Kyrie has arrived.”

 

“And Yugen Mont, the leader of the Heth Mercenary Corps, is attending as well. They say he’s called the King of Mercenaries.”

 

For the record, those two were among the novel’s supporting male leads.

 

On any other occasion, I might have gone to take a look, but my sticky hair took priority.

 

The banquet has only just begun, so the lounge should be empty.

 

With that thought, I headed toward the lounge.

 

“Ah!”

 

Suddenly, someone flung the door open, and I collided with them.

 

“Charlotte Lindsay, you again.”

 

A chilling voice sounded from above.

 

Cedric Hiclid. The male lead of the novel and the last person I wanted to encounter. Ayla stood beside him.

 

“How did you know we were in the third lounge and try to approach us?”

 

Huh? I just came here because it was the closest one.

 

“Was the warning I gave you last time not enough?”

 

“There seems to be some misunderstanding, Your Grace…”

 

“A misunderstanding? You think I don’t know what you’re up to? You are utterly insufferable, Charlotte Lindsay.”

 

No, really, this is just a coincidence!

 

But Cedric’s sharp gaze remained fixed on me.

 

“Let it go, Cedric. Nothing has even happened yet.”

 

“Ayla, you’re too kind. You don’t understand what this woman is capable of.”

 

Even as Ayla tried to calm him down, it was no use.

 

“Look at that! Lady Lindsay is pestering the Grand Duke and his fiancée again.”

 

“My goodness! Does she have no fear? The Lion of the North is not someone to trifle with.”

 

To make matters worse, the crowd had already assumed that I was clinging to Cedric.

 

“……”

 

Rather than protesting, I simply shut my mouth.

 

I knew from experience that nothing I said would matter. After all, they were the protagonists of this world. Meanwhile, I was just the villainess, someone no one would believe.

 

“Hey, do you have anything to…”

 

Cedric was about to press further when someone interrupted.

 

“Move.”

 

A man in a black helmet had approached us unnoticed.

 

“That’s Mont, the Margrave!”

 

“The infamous King of Mercenaries who brings death in his wake?!”

 

The fearful whispers around us revealed his identity.

 

“Are they talking about me?”

 

Margrave Mont did not falter even under Cedric’s glare. He simply gestured toward the third lounge.

 

“You’re blocking my way.”

 

Cedric’s face turned red with anger, and Ayla, sensing a potential confrontation, urged him to leave.

 

As others warily dispersed, I seized my chance.

 

With attention diverted away from me, I swiftly made my way to the exit.

 

“Wait a moment….”

 

Mont said something behind me, but it couldn’t possibly be directed at me.

 

After all, Charlotte has no connection to any of the supporting male leads yet.

 

Once outside the banquet hall, I hurried toward the building’s exit only to stumble.

 

Someone had spilled water on the floor.

 

“Oh no.”

 

Before I could fall, a firm arm wrapped around my waist.

 

As I turned, the first thing I saw was golden hair shining under the chandelier’s light.

 

A noble visage, an air of authority, and piercing blue eyes.

 

I had read descriptions of such features countless times in the novel.

 

If my guess was correct, this man was…

 

“Your Highness! Crown Prince, where are you going? The banquet is about to begin!”

 

Another one of the supporting male leads,the Crown Prince.

 

He ignored his advisor’s calls and asked me,

 

“Are you leaving already?”

 

His deep voice sent shivers down my spine.

 

I glanced around, but there was no one else.

 

“I asked if you were leaving.”

 

Is he talking to me?

 

I quickly pulled away from his arm and opened my mouth.

 

“Yes, I was just about to return home, Your Highness.”

 

The crown prince gazed at me intently. His stare alone made my body instinctively stiffen.

 

He was intimidating. In the novel, the supporting male leads liked Ayla, so they naturally despised Charlotte, who tormented her.

 

I had no idea what he was about to say, and the uncertainty made me nervous. Finally, he spoke, slowly.

 

“Don’t fall for me.”

 

“…Pardon?”

 

“Don’t fall for me just because I’m too dazzling.”

 

I blinked in confusion, unable to make sense of his words. Then, a thought struck me.

 

‘Come to think of it, all the supporting male leads had some sort of personality flaw.’

 

There was a reason none of them became the main lead.

 

Among them, Crown Prince Reynard was particularly notorious for his arrogance and narcissistic tendencies.

 

“If you fall for me, you’ll only end up hurting yourself.”

 

…But I hadn’t expected it to be this extreme.

 

I suppose he had at least tried to restrain himself in front of Ayla.

 

“Ah, yes. I will take Your Highness’s words to heart. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”

 

“Wait, Lady Lindsay.”

 

His gaze suddenly turned serious.

 

“Are you free tonight?”

 

“W-why do you ask…?”

 

“It’s not something I can explain here. Just tell me, are you free or not?”

 

My heart suddenly pounded.

 

Could it be? Was he… interested in me?

 

As if bewitched, I found myself replying.

 

“I-I am free. My father forbids me from going out, so I’m always at home.”

 

“Even tonight?”

 

“Yes, tonight as well.”

 

“Good. Stay home.”

 

“…Excuse me?”

 

“Then, I’ll be off.”

 

And just like that, Reynard turned his broad back to me and disappeared from view.

 

“…What is with him?”

 

The words of disbelief slipped from my lips belatedly.

 

 

⚜︎ ⚜︎ ⚜︎

 

 

“Seriously, what was that about?”

 

In my bedroom at the Lindsay Marquis, I sat on my bed, ready to sleep, murmuring to myself.

 

“Well, whatever. I should just get some rest.”

 

Maybe I’d be able to think more clearly after some sleep.

 

I turned off the lights and laid down. As soon as my head hit the pillow, drowsiness washed over me like a tide.

 

Just as I was drifting into unconsciousness…

 

Click.

 

Half-asleep, I heard the faint sound of something opening. A window, perhaps?

 

“Mm…?”

 

I opened my eyes, trying to assess the situation, and nearly fainted in shock.

 

A large hand suddenly covered my mouth before I could scream.

 

“Shh.”

 

The same eyes from earlier. Those arrogant, piercing blue eyes.

 

The crown prince was looking down at me.

 

“It would be troublesome if you made a noise. I have a favor to ask.”

 

Somehow, at some point, he had ended up on top of me.

 

A favor?

 

Utterly bewildered and terrified, I nodded furiously, signaling for him to continue.

 

Satisfied with my compliance, Reynard’s lips curled into a faint smile as he finally revealed his request.

 

“I’d like you to let me sleep in your bed tonight.”

 

“….”

 

…What did he just say?