The Male Lead Knelt Before Me

“How did you know?”

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“The leader’s emblem is clearly different from the basic emblem.
Do you see my emblem here?”

Lord Vessel pointed to his right chest.

As I moved my gaze, I noticed a familiar-looking emblem hung over his navy blue uniform jacket.

“The emblem carried by ordinary members is completely devoid of a stick here.
But, as Vice-Commander, I have a stick… whereas our Commander has two sticks.”

When I listened to Lord Vessel and checked the badge Caleb gave me, I realized it was true.

I thought they were all the same, but there was a difference.

It may appear strange that there is no difference.

“By the way, Lady, how did you get our Commander’s badge?”

“It was given to me by Lord Egon before he left to be dispatched.”

“Do you mean our Commander handed it over to you?”

“Yes.”

Lord Vessel’s expression changed at that point.

He appeared to have witnessed something strange.
Why does he have that expression?

 

“Does it have the potential to cause problems?”

“No, it’s not a problem; however, it could become one in the future.
Anyway, it was a little out of his usual self, so I brought it up.”

So, what could go wrong?

But I quickly realized what was wrong.

“Badges worn by knights and military personnel serve as identification cards.
As a result, although it is uncommon, they frequently use badges to prove their identity and give commands instead.”

“Will my order be fulfilled if I wear this badge and pretend to be Lord Egon? Whatever my order is?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Oh my goodness, it’s crucial, isn’t it?

“Of course, Lady, I don’t think you’d do something like that.”

Lord Vessel said as he handed back the badge to me.

“But still, it’s Commander’s badge, so I believe it’s better to keep it well.
It will become a problem if it falls into the hands of someone else.”

Lord Vessel’s voice was light and calm as he said it.

But that was never the case with the content.

When I first received the badge, I thought it was just another ordinary badge.

However, Caleb’s badge is not only distinct from other badges, but it can also command orders…

 

‘Is this something I can really have?’

Caleb had told me when he gave me this badge that I needed to show it to guards if I ever came out and encountered any problems.

But this badge was too important for such a trivial reason.

Is it fair to say that the weight of the badge I just carried feels heavier?

I clenched the badge and made a vow.

That I’ll never lose it.

* * * * *

The market has been bustling since morning.

And there was me, among the crowds of people, looking to buy perfume and lip balm.

In fact, I could have just gone to the general store to get the two items, but the perfume they had was terrible.

I had to purchase the perfume from a perfume store.

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It wasn’t that other general stores didn’t sell perfume; it was just that the perfume Elena used to wear wasn’t available in them.

There were only three perfume stores in this square that sold it.

It was time-consuming to go to the market every time, so I experimented with different perfumes.

However, my skin became irritated every time I used other perfumes.

‘If I know the ingredients of the perfume, I can find another perfume and avoid irritating my skin, but…’

It was a business secret in this world, so the seller won’t tell me what ingredients they use.

‘In this regard, I prefer my previous life.’

Fortunately, however, the scent of the perfume Elena always used was quite my taste.

I went through the crowd first and bought lip balm.

It was a calculated move so I didn’t waste too much time, as I had a history of getting lost while looking for a perfume store.

Following that, I went searching for a perfume store.

Unlike what I thought would take quite a while to find, I could easily find a perfume store.

I wonder why I couldn’t find it before.

I went inside after being greeted by the merchant and began looking for perfume on the shelves.

So, what I usually use is…

“Oh! Here it is…!”

It was a time when I came across a familiar perfume among the perfumes and came to halt.

A hand grabbed the perfume bottle at the same time as mine.

“Huh?”

I was taken aback when I looked at the owner of the hand.

“Lady Vessel?”

It appeared that I wasn’t the only one who was taken aback.

Vivian’s eyes were as big as they could possibly be.

Vivian, who had a surprised expression on her face, soon greeted me.

“I haven’t seen you in a long time, Lady Oreu.”

“You’re right.
Lady Vessel, you must have come to buy perfume as well?”

“Yes, but…”

Vivian’s eyes went down to the bottle of perfume we both held.

“We both chose the same one.”

“You can take this one, Lady Vessel.”

I decided to let Vivian take the perfume.

When I pulled out my hand holding the perfume bottle, Vivian tilted her head.

“Then, what about you, Lady Oreu?”

“I can ask for another stock.
There’s no way this is the only thing they’ve got here.
Then.”

After a short greeting to Vivian, I immediately asked the perfume merchant to find the stock.

However, after I confidently stated that there is no way…

“…what…you don’t have any more of that perfume?”

“Yes, that is all of the perfume we have in stock.
Because it is not a well-known perfume.”

As if to appease me, the merchant said he would secure inventory the next time, but it was not comforting.

This market was only two weeks later, so I couldn’t use or spray the perfume for a while.

I should not have offered up to Vivian earlier if I had known this was going to happen.

I felt a little bad about it, but I eventually left the market with the feeling that I had done a good deed because it had already passed.

“Oh, Lady.”

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I saw Vivian when I turned my head to the voice calling my name, and her escort knights I saw that day.

“You didn’t go yet?”

“You did let me take the perfume, but I haven’t thanked you yet.”

“No, it’s fine.
It’s nothing.”

“So, Lady Oreu, did you buy perfume?”

“No, it does not.
They said that it was out of stock.”

“Ah, that’s…”

Vivian covered her mouth with her hand, unsure what to do.

“I apologize.
What am I supposed to do? Because you gave it to me for no reason…”

“No, I’ll just come back the next time.”

“So, if you don’t mind, would you like to join me for lunch? I feel sorry, I want to repay you somehow.”

“……”

“I’ll cover the cost of the food.”

With a gentle voice, she added.

I wasn’t sure how to react to Vivian’s offer.

The reason was simple and clear.

Because she is the female protagonist who will stand next to Caleb.

I could have treated Vivian comfortably if I hadn’t liked Caleb.

But, since I’ve already admitted that I like Caleb, I just couldn’t treat her comfortably right now.

And in fact, I’m envious and jealous that Caleb would only love Vivian.

‘I know it’s wrong and pathetic.’

I was afraid it would be different from the original just a few months ago, but now I’m envious that she’s the heroine.

“I apologize, Lady Vessel.
Today I have a lot of places to go.”

That’s why I couldn’t be nice to Vivian or hang out with her.

“Thank you for the offer, but I don’t think I’ll be able to accept it today.”

“Ah, yes, I see.
That’s too bad.”

“I’ll see you next time if I get a chance.
Then I’ll go first.”

After saying my goodbyes, I walked away from the scene as if I were being chased.

* * * * *

I told Vivian that I had a lot of places to go, but all I needed to do was buy perfume.

But the words had already come out, so I went around in circles for no apparent reason.

Even though I knew she wouldn’t follow me.

Anyway, I was getting thirsty as I walked around here and there.

I wish I could drink some cool water…

As I was walking with that thought, I discovered a fruit juice store.

‘Oh, that’s it!’

I went straight into the store and, after a while, I was holding a cup of fruit juice in both hands.

Before I went in, I was planning to buy only one juice, but after looking at the menu, I realized I wanted to try the other one as well.

I bought two on a whim because I wanted to try them.

It was good until I bought it, but when I realized I had to drink all of these juices, I realized I was being overly greedy.

‘I should have just gotten one.’

I sighed and looked down at a clear cup of juice.

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The transparent cup, similar to a plastic cup, was said to be created by solidifying the secretions collected from the Magical Beasts.

It was a fact that I discovered out of curiosity when I asked the owner if he knew what the raw material was.

After hearing the answer, I regretted that I’d rather not ask.
If I hadn’t known, I would have assumed, “Oh, there’s something like this in this world too.”

‘But I’m relieved that the cup is colourless and odourless.’

It was then that I sipped my juice and took a step toward home.

I noticed a girl with light brown hair, about five or six years old, wandering around among the people passing by.

I came to a halt when I saw that.

Anyone could see that the girl somehow looked like she was in trouble.

‘I don’t think she’s old enough to be out on her own… Did she lose her parents?’

While I stopped to look at the girl, she kept looking around.

At this point, there could have been at least one person helping, but everyone only went their own way.

Given that there are people who deliberately avoid the place where the girl is standing, does it appear that they are pretending not to know on purpose?

“Hmm.”

Originally, I would have helped the girl without hesitation, but the incident with the old woman kept me from doing so.

What if it’s another trap?

But I can’t leave her like this…

It happened when I was staring at the girl with a troubled heart.

A fast-walking man passed by and pushed the girl down because he couldn’t see her.

And the already frail girl was unable to withstand the impact and collapsed backwards.

“What the…? When I’m this busy, eugh, so annoying.”

Despite the fact that the girl fell as a result of his actions, the man did not apologize or raise her but instead continued on his way with a furrowed brow.

How can such a person exist?

The girl, on the other hand, found it difficult to get up after falling.

Even until I approached her and inquired.

“Are you all right?”

“Oh, eonni?”

What exactly does she mean by eonni? Did I have a younger sister whom I was unaware of?

But I think Elena is originally an orphan.

“Eo-eonni? Is it really you, eonni?”

Meanwhile, the girl jumped up and approached me.

The girl’s face was filled with disappointment as she stared at my face.

“Ah, you’re not eonni… I’m sorry.”

“Are you looking for your sister?”

The girl nodded helplessly.

Her light brown eyes, as light as the colour of her hair, fluttered.

Anxiety that she had been unable to conceal was passed on to me.

Shall I help the girl first?

I made my decision and squatted to make eye contact with the child.

“My name is Elena.
I’d like to know your name and age.”

“My name is Mila.
I’m seven years old this year.”

Even though she was hunched over, the girl spoke without hesitation about herself.

She’s a little older than I thought.

“May I address you as Mila?”

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When I asked her a question, she nodded tearfully.

“Thank you for allowing me, Mila.
Can you tell me the name of your sister?”

“Natalie… My sister’s name is Natalie.”

Of course, it’s a name I’m unfamiliar with.

“Did you lose your sister somewhere around here?”

“I’m not sure… I dropped my hairpin, and my sister disappeared as soon as I picked it up.”

Mila’s hands touched a small ribbon hairpin on her head.

“Is it your sister who bought the hairpin?”

“Yes.”

I don’t believe her sister abandoned the girl on purpose.

Isn’t that a relief?

I locked my gaze on Mila.

Mila stated that she was taught not to move if she ever lost, but given that her sister has yet to arrive…

“Why don’t you follow me to the guard station, Mila? Let’s go there and ask that the guards look for your sister.”

“The guards? But my sister…”

The girl hesitated.

Why is she acting this way?

Don’t tell me her sister is a member of a dark gang who shouldn’t be involved with the guards.

‘Eiy, no way.’

That fantasy-like situation is completely absurd… No!.

Because this world is contained within a book.

I asked Mila, disregarding my chilly hunch.

“What did your sister say?”

“My sister warned me not to put my trust in the guards.
They’re lazy bastards, who live by their mouth and don’t put anything into action.
And if I need someone to believe me, my sister advised me to put my trust in her rather than those jerks.
”

Huh?

What was that I just heard?

I couldn’t keep my shivers to myself.

I never expected to hear the words “bastards” or “jerks” from a seven-year-old girl.

Still, I’m relieved it’s not for the reason I believe it is.

“Was that really said by your sister?”

“Yes.”

What kind of person is her sister to say such a thing to her younger sister?

“All right, Mila.
Your sister must have said that for a reason.
But now I need the guards’ help and support.”

“Why?”

“The more people you can tell your sister where you are, the faster you will be able to find her.
And that role is contributed by the guards.”

“But, according to my sister, the guards always do whatever they want and never do their job properly.”

I was able to control my facial expressions by listening to Mila.

This is because I remembered bullies who had previously threatened me.

Certainly, the guards are uninterested in their duties, but…

Still, there is no need to instil a pessimistic mindset in children.

“Don’t be concerned, Mila.
This time is going to be different.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.
I have something very good.”