Male Lead, Don’t Push, Pull!

It was like a flash of enlightenment.

Out of nowhere, I realized this world existed in a romance fantasy novel, and the kid who had just pushed me was the male lead of the novel.

“Miss! Are you okay?”

The maid, Lisa, woke me up from my daze.

Because I fell onto the floor of the garden, there was dirt smudging my cute yellow dress.

“Uh, huh. I’m okay.” I answered roughly because I was distracted by the sudden rush of information.

Lisa furrowed her brow, upset, and looked at my knee. I think it hurt a little because the skin was peeled, but I was more concerned about the young boy – Kyle – in front of me.

< The Return of the Saint>

It was the last web novel I read just before I had a fatal accident.

It was a novel of salvation, in which a woman, a saint, saved the male protagonist, the prince who has a dark past. I had been enthralled with it at the time.

I had completely forgotten about it.

So that boy is Kyle, the male lead in <The Return of the Saint>.

Kyle creaked like a broken machine, perhaps because he didn’t know I was going to fall.

Blue eyes wavered aimlessly, saying ‘I’m embarrassed’. It was the image of Kyle who had always been stubborn as a child, who wouldn’t even apologize.

I recalled the story of Kyle’s time as a prince before the original work began and stared at him with a curious mind.

‘Oh, he’s running away.’

“Prince! Where are you going?” Lisa shouted at Kyle, who was still running. 

Looking at Kyle running without looking back, I thought.

But why did he push me?

***

The Marquis of Rosiere.

Yes, that is the family to which Vivian belongs.

The Marquis of Rosiere was a prestigious family that produced the commanders of the 1st Knights from generation to generation and was in charge of the military affairs of the Empire.

Thanks to this, they had enough money to live on even for five generations.

‘It’s almost like a script for a romance/fantasy story,’ I thought with a tinge of irony.

Vivian was the second daughter of the Marquis of Rosiere. There was one older brother, but I couldn’t say we grew up together because we were 15 years apart.

Among the nobility of the Imperial Empire, there was no one similar to my age, so I was growing up almost entirely alone. There was only one person with the same age I interacted with, the male protagonist, Kyle.

In the novel, he was greatly influenced by my older brother Verdo, who is currently serving as a knight commander at the Imperial Palace. This is because Verdo, who recognized Kyle’s swordsmanship talent, claimed to be his swordsmanship teacher.

As a result, he came to my house a few times and, naturally, we interacted with each other. A consistent playmate relationship ensued. 

However, Kyle was so busy that he would only visit occasionally to play for a few hours and then go back.

Anyway – 

When we were playing tag, Kyle knocked me down, got scared and went back to the palace.

The skin on my knee was a little scraped because of my thin clothes, but it was not severe. Lisa treated me as soon as I came back to the mansion.

If you run around, you can fall, and it’s just a mistake anyway, right?

It was more disturbing that Kyle had run away.

“I shouldn’t let this make things awkward with Kyle,” I mumbled to myself.

I only realized today that I was possessing someone! 

As soon as I learned that vital information, I knew that I couldn’t move away from the male protagonist.

I lamented that the memory had only just returned to me now. From the moment Kyle came to my house, I should have licked him so that he knew he was mine.

To be the future emperor’s and the male protagonist’s childhood friend had considerable merit. 

For example, when the story of the original work begins and the case progresses, we can be freed from the crime of treason.

I’m talking about the return of memories from my previous life. I remember <The Return of the Saint> was a work with a solid, detailed storyline and quality story development as much as with deep romance.

Especially detailed was the process of revenge taken by the female and male protagonists. It was so cruel that it caused resentment among some readers.

Among them, the scene where the rebelling nobles get executed is – 

“Ugh….”

The mere thought of it made me shudder.

Then, a surprise quiz! What was the end of the Marquis of Rosiere?

Drum roll.

Ta-da …. the answer is a purge!

The Rosiere family was a family of imperialists, but at the same time, they were also a profit-seeking family. This means that though they claimed to be loyal to the emperor, that loyalty varied depending on the circumstances. 

The Marquis of Rosiere thought Kyle was less likely to become emperor. Although the emperor even officially declared him as the Crown Prince, he had a very narrow political base.

So, in the end, our family got involved with the first prince of the empire and his plan to usurp the throne.

And the result was… dark.

The first child of the family was Kyle’s swordsmanship teacher, and the second was his childhood friend.

The betrayal of the Rosieres was even more painful because of this.

We were not executed in an exemplary way. The Marquis of Rosiere was in charge of the military power of the empire, so actually, make that a triple betrayal!

As things stand, my future is a purge ending. 

‘I don’t like that kind of ending!!’

“Lisa.” I called sweetly.

“Yes, Miss.”

“Can you bring me some stationery?”

In order to prevent the Marquis of Rosiere from participating in the rebellion and to prepare for any unexpected situations, I should also valiantly defend the position of the male protagonist’s childhood friend.

I should write a letter first.

‘Let’s make up, my friend.’

***

At a time when the sun was still high, Kyle returned to the palace earlier than usual.

“You came back very quickly. Did you enjoy your outing, Your Majesty the Prince?”

“I don’t know.” Kyle muttered.

Kyle snuck into his room, ignoring the attendant who was following him. Kyle threw himself ont0 the bed and buried his face in the covers.

He was allowed to go outside of the palace for the first time in a long time, but now he just felt depressed.

He didn’t mean to hurt Vivian.

He was just playing tag, but no matter how much he ran, she couldn’t be caught. He just wanted to hold her lightly, to finally catch her, but…  

Vivian lost her balance and fell when he suddenly grabbed her hem. He was so surprised that he stepped back.

‘Oh, it hurts.’

Vivian’s white knees were bleeding. Drops of blood dyed her pretty yellow colored dress red.

Kyle shuddered slightly.

‘I didn’t mean to run away like that.’

Kyle hugged his knees to his chest and started to cry. The thought that he had done something wrong weighed on his heart heavily.

‘I have to say I’m sorry…’ he thought while sniffling sadly. 

It was then.

“What are you doing, Kyle?” 

Kyle was startled by the voice from the door and scrambled up.

The tightly closed door opened and Kyle’s biological mother, concubine Titania stood there.

At that moment, Kyle’s eyes instinctively darted past her through the exit, the doorway. Unfortunately, the servant closing the door on the desperate Kyle was faster.

Thud. Kyle’s door closed firmly.

“Mother….” he said, scrubbing his sleeve across his wet cheeks.

Cold eyes, tinged only with slight contempt, scanned Kyle up and down.

Every time Kyle looked into his mother’s eyes, he felt like he was nothing. His heart sank further and further down.