The Young Male Protagonist Who is Destined for Ruin Fell for Me - Chapter 20

Sitting beside Kyle in the carriage, I leaned subtly against his shoulder and took in the scenery outside the window.

The thought of heading to the imperial palace filled me with anxiety.

To me, having read the original story, the palace wasn’t just “the place where the harvest banquet is held.” It was a place teeming with ticking time bombs, ready to go off at any moment.
If you were to ask, “What could possibly go wrong?” my answer would be simple: the other nobles at the banquet, the crown prince, and Kyle himself.

First, the nobles at the banquet.

The Chield family was powerful enough to draw the attention of everyone. With such a prominent family, even the slightest misstep could become fodder for countless rumors among people who didn’t even know us.

If small issues could have such an effect, imagine the impact of a bigger one.

To the other nobles of the Hail Empire, Kylian Chield was a frightening and ruthless “Monster Duke,” known for eliminating rivals to secure his position as heir.

Outwardly, they would maintain decorum, but inside, they’d be eager to gossip about Kyle’s attendance at the harvest banquet.

‘Though, there’ll probably be those who admire him just for his looks.’

The second ticking time bomb was the crown prince, Verdreban de Hail, or simply, Verd.

He was the only son of the current emperor and his cherished first empress.

The emperor, back when the empress was alive, was said to have been a completely different man. He didn’t keep a harem of women he couldn’t remember the names of or get manipulated by their influence.

It was hard to imagine, given that after the empress’s death a year after Verdreban’s birth, he became obsessed with women and neglected state affairs.

The Chield family was closely tied to the royal family by blood. Verd’s mother was also a Chield, Kyle’s aunt.

Thus, Verd and Kyle were quite closely related and had been forced to spend time together since childhood, regardless of their own wishes.

To Kyle, Verd was the only friend he had been allowed to have, granted permission by his stern and ruthless father. No wonder he cherished him so deeply.

But to Verd, Kyle was just a cousin who constantly overshadowed him.

When the emperor became too distracted by women to manage state affairs, the Chield family took the reins.

Kyle’s father, taking advantage of the emperor’s distraction, replaced high-ranking officials with his own people, making the royal family dependent on the Chield household.

For young Verd, Kyleian Chield, who had inherited the power of the Chield family, was a thorn in his side.

The original story’s turning point, where Kyle decided to start a war, was because of Verd.

To summarize, Verd played a cruel trick with the invitations to his birthday party, which were distributed to all the nobles. Only Kyle’s invitation had a different location written on it.

Kyle, eager to celebrate the birthday of the friend he cherished, brought a lavish gift to the venue, only to find it empty.

It wasn’t until later, when he was surrounded by the prince’s entourage who came to mock the confused duke, that he realized what had happened.

And that’s why the third ticking time bomb I had to be wary of was Kyleian Chield.

Hurt by Verd’s betrayal, Kyle returned to the Chield mansion and pondered why Verd had kept up the pretense of friendship despite not truly considering him a friend.

‘Why else? For money.’

Verd had to keep up appearances with the Chield family, the financial pillar of the royal family. Without them, the royal family would be out on the streets.

Moreover, with the emperor’s obsession with women, the palace was full of princesses.

‘Verd cared a lot about his younger sisters.’

Feeding, housing, and indulging them all required Chield’s wealth.

This incident made Kyle realize that people were drawn to him because of his fortune. It pushed him to use that wealth to start a war, setting him on a path of ruin.

When I frowned at the memory, Kyle looked startled and asked,
“Sister, are you all right?”

“Um… Kyle, will the crown prince be attending the harvest banquet as well?”

“…Are you particularly interested in the prince’s attendance?”
“I think everyone attending would be interested.”

“He won’t be. I heard he’s under house arrest for playing a reckless prank on his sisters.”

“Hmm…”

That was a relief. It was better for Kyle and the prince not to meet.

With a hopeful heart, I clasped Kyle’s hand and spoke as if in prayer, “Kyle, the world is all about love and peace. Love and peace. People shouldn’t be starting wars in such a beautiful world. Understood?”

“Love…”

Kyle nodded, as if he understood.

＊＊＊

Contrary to my expectations, Kyle didn’t look tense or stiff as we entered the banquet hall. He moved with the poise of a duke, showing the proper mix of courtesy and authority.

Once the atmosphere grew lively, he began introducing me to others.

“This is Lady Amelia Diane, who will soon be my fiancée after the harvest banquet.”

Though I hadn’t been in this body for long, I could tell. The people Kyle introduced me to were truly “important”—children of high-ranking officials.

From the daughter of the chancellor to the son of the royal physician, all of them greeted Kyle and me with smiles and polite words.

They treated us as if they were greeting the head of a massive conglomerate’s chairman—a level of deference that was somewhat unnerving.

There was one exception: Lady Reina, who appeared to be around my age. Unlike the others, she added a comment after her greeting.

“I didn’t expect the Duke of Chield to attend the harvest banquet.”

Kyle seemed surprised by her remark but answered smoothly, “It is, after all, a banquet hosted by His Majesty, the sun of the empire. Besides, I had someone special to introduce.”

Coming from Kyle, the “sun of the empire” sounded almost trivial.

With that, Kyle continued introducing me, this time with a genuine smile instead of a practiced one.

“This is Lady Amelia Diane, my soon-to-be fiancée…”

He smiled again, and his introductions were so full of praise that I felt a little embarrassed listening to them.

After enjoying the curious and envious gazes for a while, Kyle led me to a comfortable seat and whispered, “Are you enjoying the banquet?”

“Yes, very much.”

It was exciting to be acknowledged by characters who, in the original story, only mentioned me in passing.

Satisfied with my response, Kyle glanced over at some nobles in the distance. “I need to step away for a bit. There’s someone I need to talk to.”

“You know I’m older than you, right? I can manage on my own. I’ll just sip some wine.”

“…It’s problematic when you’re too alluring when drunk.”
“I know my limits, and I won’t drink enough to get tipsy. Don’t worry.”

Kyle, still looking somewhat concerned, eventually smiled.
“Well, it shouldn’t be an issue. If you do get drunk, I’ll just have to carry you to bed.”

…Why did that solution sound more suggestive than reassuring, male lead?

Kyle stepped away, likely to discuss business or policies with other nobles.

True to my word, I stayed seated, planning to sip my wine quietly.

That’s when Claire approached and took a seat beside me.

“Where is the Duke?”

“He said he had something to discuss.”

“Ah, I see. By the way, did you see the fountain over there? The marble carvings are…”

Something felt off.

Normally a listener rather than a talker, Claire was suddenly rattling on about palace decorations and the orchestra, topics she didn’t seem particularly interested in.

It felt like she was trying to distract me deliberately.

‘Is she hiding something from me?’

While listening to Claire’s composed and sultry voice, I subtly scanned the room with my eyes.

Many gazes were directed at me, accompanied by murmurs.
“Isn’t Amelia Diane from that crumbling count’s family? I heard they’re so poor they can barely afford to visit the palace.”

“No wonder Count Diane, who used to be the head of the knightly order, declared his retirement.”

“How did she manage to get engaged to the Duke?”

Well, I did subtly entice the male lead and made history happen…

But their speculations about my engagement were way off the mark.

“It’s obvious. She was probably sold off.”

“Right. There’s no way the Duke of Chield would fall in love with Lady Diane.”

“Is it for political leverage? Or…”

“Either way, it’s not love.”

Nobody thought that Kyleian Chield loved me. Most assumed I’d been sold off like merchandise.

And cheaply at that. Paid in one lump sum, with discounts so steep it was like throwing out old baggage.

“…”

A sense of injustice simmered within me. Their belief that Kyle couldn’t love me felt like they were reducing me to an object.
Just as I was stewing in those thoughts, Kyle returned and sat beside me, having finished his conversation.

Claire, who had been keeping the murmurs at bay, stepped back to enjoy the party.

Once we were alone, I squinted at Kyle.

Anyone could see he was looking at me like he was in love, his eyes practically dripping with affection! And yet people thought this wasn’t love?

“Is there a problem?” Kyle whispered. A daring yet slightly risky idea popped into my head.

If this worked, it would prove the young ladies’ assumptions wrong and possibly improve Kyle’s image.

“Kyle, let’s dance. You’ve been practicing your waltz, haven’t you?”

I was asking the male lead, whose waltz skills were mediocre at best, to dance in front of everyone.

The goal, of course, was to show people how close we were.

Kyle didn’t show frustration or anger. Instead, he smiled slyly and whispered, “You’re trying to show the ladies something, aren’t you?”

I flinched but tilted my head as if I didn’t understand.
“Show them… what?”

“That I love you. It seems nobody believes it.”

It wasn’t for nothing that Kyle was the most capable magnate. His observation was sharp.

And, knowing that I was using him, he didn’t get mad; he just laughed.

Kyle took my hand and led me to the center of the room, as if asking what more we were waiting for.

We started the waltz, which I expected to be clumsy. But why was he suddenly so good at it?

Had he been pretending not to know how to lead?

Caught off guard by his skilled moves, I stumbled, and Kyle flashed his trademark mischievous yet menacing smile and whispered, “Is this really all you can manage with the card you hold?”

“…Pardon?”

“Lady Claire must have told you. You need to crush these rumors so they don’t come up again.”

It seemed I was caught in Kyle’s pace yet again.

“If we stop at just this waltz, people will spread similar rumors even after we’re married. Our children would have to hear that I don’t love you.”

Sliding in talk about marriage and future children so casually!

“If you don’t want that, demand something bigger from me.”

“…Kiss me on the cheek.”

Kyle chuckled and immediately kissed my cheek, raising an eyebrow as he pulled back.

“Is that all you’re satisfied with?”

“Ugh…”

I glanced around. A kiss on the cheek clearly wasn’t enough for anyone to believe that Kyle truly loved me.

In the end, I voiced a selfish, bold request.

“Kyle, kiss me.”

“How?”

“So passionately and deeply that everyone gasps.”

I trailed off because Kyleian Chield’s eyes had transformed into those of a predator.

He lifted me in his arms, striding across the hall into a secluded hallway, and spoke in a low voice.

“You asked for this.”

“Huh?”

“So this time, I’m not waiting for you to count to three.”