I Became The Male Lead’s Female Friend

 

I was dumbfounded, and he finally told me everything that had happened between him and Rudrick.

 

Starting with his revealing his true feelings to Rudrick when we were in the North, how he asked to speak to me in person, and how Rudrick heard of the engagement in the meantime.

 

I sat calmly, listening to Lord River’s story, and then I asked,

“So, to summarize, Rudrick knows you’re in love with someone.” “Yes.” “You said you told him directly, but he doesn’t know that you said it.” “That’s right.” “And in the meantime, he’s heard rumors that we’re getting engaged.” “That’s right.” “And then you declared that you would steal me away?” “…” “My lord, is that really…” 

Jeron spoke up quietly, filling in for me when I couldn’t continue,

“That sounds like garbage.” “Hey, don’t you dare say that out loud!” 

Lord River snapped, head down,

“Really, I don’t know what to say, I should have been rational, but I was blubbering and…” “No, Lord River, you’ve also been told that you resemble your father, so that’s a double insult.” “…” “Wow, but it’s kind of…” 

I said, looking at him in surprise.

 “You’re a bit of a prude, too, to say that outright…” “I know. It’s not easy to say something like that without some kind of confidence.” “Isn’t that right? And you’ve been caught with someone you love.” “What a scumbag, to declare that he’s going to take the Princess and run with her!” “What if O’Neill said something like that!” 

Lord River’s face turned a deeper shade of blue as he watched us squirm. He shook his head hastily and tried to excuse himself.

 “Oh, no. It was only a matter of course…!” “You were thinking of stealing me on a whim?” “What?” “Now that you mention it, I’m curious. How were you going to take me?” “What?” 

Jeron, who had been watching him carefully until then, blurted out,

“With that face?” “That’s fine, but I’ve seen your body before. You’re a knight, after all…” “What, you were looking at his body? Did you two get to that point? What?” “No, it’s weird, so don’t keep accusing me like that! I just accidentally saw him for a moment before.” “…You weren’t pretending it was a mistake?” 

I covered my mouth, feigning surprise,

“Was it something like that, my lord?” “Yes, was it?” “Well, you’ve got your upper torso in the moonlight, and you’re quite a player. You shouldn’t have threatened to take me for nothing…” “You know, people aren’t always what they seem.” “Oh, no. If Lord River decides to steal you from us…” “Let’s not worry about it…” 

Ignoring Jeron’s mutterings of disbelief, I turned to Lord River, my eyes deadly serious.

 “But, sir, my preference is for subtlety, not outright revealing, such as undoing a button or two on your shirt, or rolling up your sleeves to show your biceps…” “That’s something I don’t want to know…” “It’s not something you’re meant to hear, and it’s only for Lord River to know, is it, my lord?” “Eh?” “Don’t act like you don’t know. You’ll have to show Rudrick the hard way sometime.” “…” “Oh, is that the day to show him a lesson, as well? Oh, no, a handsome man is coming to steal me away.” “…” “My lord, shall I look forward to it?” 

The way I said it, even winking at him, made him shut up. 

 

Then he slowly leaned down and buried his face in the palms of his hands, and said in a hushed voice,

“I really did something wrong…” 

I burst out laughing, which I had been holding back.

 

Even though I’d thought of it before, his subtle reaction was like a vein, so I teased him. I was also surprised that he let go of the

‘take me away’

threat.

 

And at my seeming amusement, he gave me a wry look. I shrugged lightly and replied.

 “Come on, I was just kidding, so you don’t have to feel bad.” “You didn’t sound like you were joking…” “Then are you coming to take me?” “…” “I’m sorry… I don’t like men who change their minds easily…” “Princess…” 

At his sullen voice, I laughed as if I knew nothing.

 “So you’ve always been like this, I knew you had a naughty side, but…” “Because you’ve been naughty all this time, and now you don’t have to be?” “…” “Well, enough joking.” 

I pushed myself upright on the couch and faced him.

 “I understand the situation, and I’ll explain it to Rudrick.” “Thank you. I don’t think he’ll believe me no matter how much I explain…” “I understand,”

I said, but the truth was, I was just as troubled.

 

Word would reach Rudrick’s ears, and I knew it. That he would find it strange and come to the capital to find out the truth.

 

But what I hadn’t expected was that he knew Lord River’s true feelings. He hadn’t expected a three-way confrontation in the North.

 

‘It must have been embarrassing.’ 

 

And in the midst of it all, he heard of my engagement to Lord River. 

 

Perhaps it’s no wonder he treated him so harshly. To Rudrick, who doesn’t know the details, Lord River strikes him as the ultimate philanderer.

 

Add to that what Lord River said to him in confirmation, and it’s no wonder he’s seething right now…

 

‘Where do I even begin to explain this?’

 

Of course, it was all true. 

 

True to his word, Lord River revealed his true feelings to me of his own accord, and to accomplish my purpose, I was compelled to join forces with him.

 

That was easy enough, but then came the hard part.

 

‘I must tell him my purpose.’ 

 

A rival in the succession battle has ties to Goldman.

 

Well, not exactly Goldman, but the entire imperial court, and I intend to stop them from changing the law to their liking.

 

It’s a mud fight, but if there’s one family that’s not involved, it’s the Bousers, who are isolated in the north. 

 

But if I were to tell them, Rudrick would surely…

 

‘He’s trying to help me.’

 

I still wasn’t sure if it was right to bring him into this fight, to involve his family.

 

‘I’ll have to think about it more.’

 

 

When I heard Lord River’s words, I had intended to visit him immediately to explain the situation, but I decided it would be best to put it off for a while longer. 

 

As I was lost in thought, I heard a voice call out to me.

 “Princess?” 

It was O’Neill.

 

No, not just O’Neill, but all eyes in the room were on me. Jeron, O’Neill, and even Lord River stared at me questioningly.

 

I shook myself out of my thoughts and looked around earnestly, realizing that Rudrick wasn’t here and there was no immediate urgency.

 “Well, let’s get this meeting underway, shall we?”  “My father was greatly pleased and embraced me, just as you said.” 

I was the first to ask Lord River about the situation.

 

The rumor of my engagement to him was intended to catch the Duke off guard, but I also wanted to make sure that Lord River was recognized by the Duke first and foremost.

 

Fortunately, my ruse seems to have worked.

 “Does he seem to believe in it?” “He’s already thinking about when to set the date. He even asked to bring you over some time.” “Well, just to be sure, I’d better go…” “No.” 

Lord River said, his face hardening into something that seemed unusual for him.

 “You don’t need to go to that den of scum, and there’s no telling what else my father might be up to.” “What else…?” “I don’t know if I should tell you this, but…” 

After a long pause, Lord River finally spoke,

“He’s still trying to get you pregnant. He said we should make sure you couldn’t run away.” “Rubbish…” 

I nodded as Jeron muttered beside me. 

 

Lord River had somehow managed to turn it around, but I’m sure that wasn’t the end of it. He’d probably have given him some sort of potion to get the job done quickly.

 

Shaking my head, feeling dirty just thinking about it, I swallowed hard. Then, trying to lighten the mood, I said, 

 “I’ll have to apologize to Rudrick later, because that was the worst thing I could have said.” “Haha, right…” 

At his helpless reply, I stared at him for a moment and then blurted out.

 “So, what do you think?” “What?” “Do you think the Duke will give you the job?” 

Yes, that was actually the most important thing. I needed him to take the gambling house job to get the first step of my plan off the ground.

 

I watched him nervously, lost in thought, and soon he looked up with some good news.

 “He hasn’t quite gotten the words out yet… but the glimpses I’ve gotten have been positive. I think he’ll be happy to let us go, barring any other changes.” “That’s good.” 

I patted myself on the chest. Then Jeron, who’d been listening to the conversation in silence, spoke up.

 “So, what do you want to do with the gambling house, anyway?” “Well…”

I stammered, scratching my chin in embarrassment.

 “That’s not really why we’re here, because I haven’t come up with a good way of doing it yet.” “Have you thought of anything?” “My first thought was that if Lord River is in charge of a gambling house, we could sneak in there, round up the crooks in it, and stab them in the back. Word on the street is that it’s not usually a dirty place.” 

Jeron shook his head as he listened to my story.

 “It’s impossible. You said it goes all the way up to the imperial family. You’d have to cut him off at the knees, or he’d have no answers.” “So, you’re saying that you don’t think we’re really going to get anywhere with this, especially when we don’t know how many people are involved…” “Unless I…” 

Lord River held up a hand dismissively.

 “If I run the gambling house into bankruptcy because of poor management…” “Then I’m sure the Duke will have the gambling house taken over before it even goes out of business. It’s not like the gambling house is going to close down just because you botched up the operation.” 

Jeron added another thought,

“And it won’t just be one gambling house that goes down. The Duke of Goldman’s gambling houses are only a fraction of what he has, and if the legalization proposals pass, he’ll have a huge casino, so he might consider that a small price to pay.” “That means…” 

O’Neill, who had been listening calmly until then, said cautiously,

“Doesn’t that mean we have to stop it from being legalized somehow?” “That’s right.” “But after all, legalization would require a majority of nobles in the Council to pass.” “We don’t know exactly how many of those nobles are on board.” “But we do know who the nobles are, don’t we? I mean, if they’re in favor of legalizing gambling, that might mean they’re already having fun at the Duke’s gambling house…” 

O’Neill lowered her voice and muttered,

“If we take the gambling house lists and kill all the nobles involved…” “No, seriously, why are you being so extreme!” 

I said, hastily interrupting her.

 “Half the nobility of the Empire might be blown away if we do this, and it’s best to get them to turn against it on their own accord, by showing them how harmful gambling is…” 

I rambled on, stopping at a sudden thought. I stared blankly at the ceiling and muttered to myself.

 “No, why don’t we just let them see ‘firsthand’ how harmful it is?” “What?” “Lord River, as O’Neill says, I’m sure there are many nobles who join the Duke in his gambling houses.” “Yes, I’m sure there are many.” “I see, then…” 

I leaned forward, a twinkle in my eye.

 “How about this?”