When the Female Lead Went Off-Script, the Main Male Lead Became the Tyrant's Empress - Chapter 7.1
It was frustrating, but he was right.
Even though Nam Eunjeong had graduated from university, that wasn’t of much use here.
She knew nothing about imperial studies, let alone the basic history of the Empire.
She was ignorant of noble etiquette, and she didn’t even know how to hold a fork and knife ‘properly.’
Arden, who had been closely observing Clary, once picked up a random book and had her read a page aloud.
It was a light novel without any difficult content, but her clear voice kept cutting off in the middle or rising into a questioning tone.
Clary knew just as little as Nam Eunjeong did.
It would have been nothing short of a miracle for someone who hadn’t received even a basic education since the age of nine to follow etiquette skillfully or know much of anything.
Arden opened his mouth.
“You’re popular right now, so a lot of people support you, but that number will decrease over time. To be honest, it would benefit the nobles more for you to become a mere Baron than to enter the imperial register. A young, low-ranking noble favored by the Emperor. And the territory ruled by that noble. Who would turn that down? It would be difficult if you were a member of the imperial family, but if you were merely a Baron, you’d be much easier to obtain. Why would any of them support it?”
Clary, who had instinctively started to interrupt, snapped her mouth shut at his words.
“Isn’t what just happened proof enough? The son of an ordinary noble looked down on someone who may become a member of the imperial family, and he did it in the imperial palace of all places. I helped you today, but what about next time? Are you going to slap every person who harasses you?”
“But that was……!”
“Unless I or another member of the imperial family helps you, they’ll tear you apart even when you’re in the right. How long do you think my aging imperial father can continue protecting you?”
“Then what am I supposed to do?”
It wasn’t difficult to soothe his niece, who was whining with a face on the verge of tears.
“I’ll help you.”
Arden pressed deeper into Clary’s vulnerability as she faltered before the harsh reality she could now feel against her skin.
“I’ll become your godfather.”
If Clary had no power, he only needed to become her support.
The investigation into Arthur Lurie’s other crimes, excluding those for which he had already been found guilty, was currently in full swing.
Because of that, the Lurie territory had temporarily been seized by the state, but before long, it would be returned to its original owner, Clary.
Therefore, Arden needed to become Clary’s official guardian before the other nobles could attempt anything.
After accepting Clary into the imperial family, he would persuade her to—
“Excuse me.”
The girl interrupted with an awkward expression.
“I already received that offer from my mother’s cousin.”
Arden looked as though he had heard an exceedingly difficult foreign language and couldn’t understand it.
“……Your mother’s cousin?”
“Yes.”
“Haster?”
“Yes.”
Arden stared blankly for a moment before letting out a hollow laugh.
Of course.
That foxlike bastard.
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A considerable amount of time had passed since Clary, or rather, Nam Eunjeong, arrived in the capital from the Count’s territory, but she still couldn’t fall asleep easily.
The deeper she buried her face in the feather pillow, which was as soft as a dream, the more wide awake she became.
Just as the Crown Prince promised, every wound and scar on her back had been healed without leaving a trace as soon as the summary trial ended.
Even the brand of a beast.
More than being dragged around by someone she didn’t love, the fact that she had come to love, even slightly, the person she wanted to hate with all her heart was unbearably miserable and bitter.
Just as I loved Lord Haster.
Then I’ll be able to think of what he did to me as nothing more than a trivial farce.
Several sentences suddenly surfaced in her mind before sinking away again.
The original Clary had often worked hard to brainwash herself into believing that she had to love the male leads.
Fundamentally, Haster and Arden were both proud and arrogant men.
Neither of them was the type to tolerate taking a loss.
Haster, in particular, always treated Clary in an overbearing manner.
What a convenient excuse it was to say that he was simply bad at expressing his emotions.
Arden was more affectionate than Haster, but he rarely revealed his true thoughts and always behaved evasively.
And he was cruel.
Behind his constantly smiling face, he used any means necessary to obtain what he wanted.
But they weren’t like that now.
Arden was so skilled at hiding his true thoughts that she couldn’t be certain about him, but Haster was clearly different.
He wasn’t overbearing.
Instead, he treated her kindly and tried to protect her.
Exactly like an older relative caring for his niece.
At times, he even gave her worried looks as though he were watching a puppy wandering lost in the rain with snot dripping from its nose.
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