Good, I should call a seamstress and have some clothes suitable for exercise made together. —It was the moment my stream of consciousness flowed to that point. I felt a long shadow cast over my head. When I quickly opened my eyes, I saw a huge silhouette standing with the sun behind it.

“I apologize for disturbing your rest, mademoiselle.”

A low bass voice struck my ears. When my eyes adjusted to the blinding sunlight, what entered my vision was a tall figure about a head taller than other men, a solid physique forged in actual combat, and uncommonly handsome features. And blue-black hair that shone blue in the sunlight.

He was a man who felt cold and sharp yet dangerous, yet also captivating. Would the legendary sword that heroes pulled from stone be like this? Somehow I couldn’t take my eyes off him. A face I’d never seen in court. A sense of unease passed through.

The man placed one hand on his chest and bowed. It was impeccable knight’s etiquette. I slowly blinked at the ominous feeling somehow washing over me.

“It’s my first time meeting you. I am Lysander Anastasius Theobald Nicerion of the North.”

Ah, Nicerion. It took a moment to interpret those words.

No, wait, Nicerion of the North? Why is the male lead appearing here!

What are the qualifications for a male protagonist in a romance fantasy novel?

First, he must be wealthy, handsome, good at fighting, and definitely have enough power so his woman won’t be looked down upon anywhere. It’s the cherry on top if he has past wounds that only the female lead can heal. Going further, a half-essential virtue would be being cold but warm only to his woman—not a city man, but a Northern Grand Duke.

Lysander, the male lead of ⟨Mélisande’s Grand Duke⟩, was a male lead who perfectly met those conditions.

Grand Duke Nicerion, ruler of the northern region. Handsome appearance incomparable to ordinary men, and since he’s the owner of the Tourbe mountain range, the largest source of gold ore, he’s tremendously wealthy too. If we consider purely personal assets that can be operated immediately, he might even rival the emperor. Moreover, he’s destined to achieve great merit in the upcoming war and become a hero.

Three years later, when entering the main story of the original work in earnest, he’ll return to the capital as the protagonist who led victory. There he’ll meet Mélisande and have a contract marriage.

Because Lysander, who neither believes in love nor abhors the advances sent by ladies, can feel most comfortable only with Mélisande, with whom he built memories in the countryside where he stayed when briefly exiled by his stepmother in childhood.

But why is such a man standing here on the Empress’s Path in Rauli Palace court, speaking to me, who is no different from a specimen of the noble ladies he so despises? It’s more unexpected than pulling ginseng while digging sweet potatoes in a field. Moreover, it’s not even time for the male lead to appear in Fadesa yet!

“I came to this imperial palace to have an audience with His Majesty the emperor. Because the dispute over mining rights with the Vizern Kingdom, which borders the end of my grand duchy, is intensifying. I just received the imperial charter for formal declaration of war.”

Ah, so that’s how it happened.

Of course, it’s not strange to come get the emperor’s permission before war. Then please continue on your way. Why are you telling me that story in such detail? The instinctive siren announcing doom wailed in my head while cold sweat seemed to flow down my spine. However, the uniformed man in front of me continued speaking regardless.

“If it burdens you for me to say such things at our first meeting, please forgive me. However, your beauty has captured me as I return toward the battlefield.”

Wait. What did you say? No, you’re the male lead! What about the female lead!

It felt like being hit in the back of the head with a tray. My brain activity stopped from shock. Whether my mental thread scattered like dust or not, Lysander steadily continued speaking.

“I never knew I would come to regret not being a troubadour so much in my life. I fear my limited vocabulary won’t be able to convey all the impression I received. But if I may dare say, the moment I first saw you, I thought God’s angel had descended to this earth.”

My brain cells, which had gone on strike, refused to understand the tsunami-like shocking confession rushing over me. I was momentarily thinking blankly about what the troubadour thing was about.

Only after slowly chewing over those words did I startle. Before I could even recover from the shock, he suddenly knelt on one knee. The disciplined movement befitting a soldier and knight was fast and clean without any excess. He raised his head and looked at me with fervent eyes.

“Unknown lady, I have fallen for you at first sight. Could you tell me your name?”

Are you insane, human?

I barely caught my mental state flying to another galaxy. Squeezing my stiff head, I barely managed to answer.

“……I’m too insignificant and fear I might dirty Your Grace the Grand Duke’s ears, so I hesitate to speak.”

It was clearly a polite refusal by anyone’s view. At this, Lysander hurriedly added.

“I’m not asking you to accept my heart right now! How could I force my heart on someone I’ve just met when I must return to the battlefield anyway? However, so that I may dedicate glory to you in all the victories I will face ahead, please tell me just your name, just your name.”

I beg you like this. A melancholy handsome man looked up at me earnestly. Long eyelashes fluttering beneath a forehead white and perfect as if carved from ivory. Beyond them, mysterious violet eyes like amethyst showed. Bewitched by those eyes, I unconsciously opened my mouth.

“……It’s Alix.”

Ah damn, why did I tell him? I regretted it immediately after speaking.

Both with Mélisande and now—it seems I’m weak to beautiful people. While having unexpected self-reflection, I saw Lysander smile brightly.

“Alix.”

Wow, I almost thought nothing else mattered as long as I had this smile just now. The phrase ‘beauty that could topple a nation’ isn’t there for nothing. I barely caught my reason running away. Get it together, Alix Levizet! This man is your new sister’s future husband! The two of them are destined!

“Alix.”

He repeated my name as if savoring it, then bowed his head before me.

“I swear. I will surely win this war. And thus, Alix, I will dedicate the glory of victory to that noble and beautiful name.”

No, I don’t need that. I smiled awkwardly and executed ‘Oh, look at the time! I have a prior engagement, so I must go’ and fled. An ominous premonition washed over me that my life and survival plans would be completely tangled. Argh! Aaaaah!

***

“Sigh,”

When I kept letting out deep sighs, Mélisande asked with a worried expression.

“Alix, what’s wrong?”

Life is complicated.

Of all things, to encounter the male lead in the middle of the imperial palace.

It was already disturbing enough to encounter him out of nowhere, but the bigger problem was that he suddenly took a fancy to someone other than the female lead. And to me, a passing villain no less! Why all of a sudden?

In the original work, ‘Alix’ and Grand Duke Lysander Nicerion had no opportunity to meet alone or have any connection. The ‘original Alix’ was already a married woman by the time the main story was progressing. Moreover, it was only Mélisande who directly dealt with the ‘original Alix,’ not the grand duke. So naturally, the original Lysander’s attitude toward the original Alix wasn’t mentioned. So how could I have imagined such a thing would happen? My complicated head spun round and round.

Yes, there might be a one-in-a-million chance that my appearance really matched his taste. I racked my brain. Let’s say, taking ten million steps back, that I could become the winner of his ideal type world cup, beating even the peerless beauty, Mélisande. Let’s assume that the original Lysander simply hadn’t realized this because they had no opportunity to meet.

But he would eventually fall in love with Mélisande anyway.

According to the description in the novel, he fell for not Mélisande’s beauty but her upright character of being gentle on the outside but strong within, her kindness and warm heart. While attraction based on appearance would wither over time, love for a solid and brilliant inner self would be eternal.

Yes, anyway, he doesn’t even know my family, and three years is more than enough time to forget someone who caught his eye at first sight. We only exchanged a couple of words anyway. I comforted my uneasy feelings that way.

But how could I voice all of this? Hiding my thoughts, I made excuses.

“Ah, seeing Mélisande’s room made me feel complicated.”

Actually, it wasn’t entirely untrue. Perhaps because I had just come from the empress and princess’s spaces, which were armed with deadly splendor, Mélisande’s room in Piety Palace looked relatively shabby. Mélisande averted her gaze as if embarrassed.

“This room is livable enough. It’s just that the marquis mansion is so splendid.”

Mélisande, who had been saying good-naturedly that this much was fine, closed her mouth at my gaze. Are you kidding, sister? You’ll ruin your pretty face living here!

There was no reception room for entertaining guests, no shelves for perfumes and cosmetics, no locked cabinet for storing jewelry and accessories, and not even a dedicated maid assigned to this room. When I pointed this out, Mélisande muttered with an expression of not understanding.

“But even before marriage, I lived without a dedicated maid, in a room similar to this one.”

“Mélisande!”

I pressed my forehead in frustration at her endlessly innocent words.

“You can’t think based on when you were the daughter of Baronet Boden. I’ve been telling you continuously. Mélisande, you’re……”

“The legitimate Marchioness of Levizet, right?”

I nodded to Mélisande, who answered reflexively.

“The daughter of the Boden family might be able to do that, but the Marchioness Levizet cannot.”