I Found a Husband When I Picked up the Male Lead

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Chaser Halos.

The second son of the Halos family, who inherited the title of Duke when his older brother, who was the former duke, died. Normally, the Duke’s son, Raphel, should have inherited the Dukedom, but because he had not been included in the family register, the right of succession went to Chaser, and thus, Chaser became the head of the Halos family.

Chaser, who in the novel was portrayed as a fool, was an extremely cold and calculating person to everyone, except Raphel, but…

‘There was a description that he was handsome, and it was true…’

In her entire life, she had never seen anyone so handsome.

Spotless, clear skin that matched well with his black hair. Deep red eyes, a sharp nose and a strong mouth. His appearance shined.

But, it wasn’t just his face.

Broad shoulders, long legs and a well-groomed body that was visible even through his clothes. He was perfection itself.

Even the aura that was emanating from him was handsome.

The more she looked, the more she could envision what Raphel would look like in the future.

“Uhm? Lizelle?”

Raphel nudged her arm, demanding an answer. Lizelle lifted her head from its bowed position and placed her index finger to her lips.

“Shhh.”

‘Stop asking… I think I’ll die of embarrassment if you ask any more than this…’

“Shh! Hehehe.”

Raphel just nodded and laughed loudly, probably because he thought it was fun.

When her flushed face had somewhat returned to normal, she slowly stood up. It was impossible for her to continue to act without any manners. Out of embarrassment, she was unable to make eye contact with Chaser and greeted him, grabbing the hem of her skirt.

“I apologize for the late greeting. My name is Wilhazelle Frosier.”

Chaser looked directly at her, suspicion clearly displayed on his face. She had thought she would be able to speak candidly, win his favor, hand the child over and then collect the money, but that was unlikely now.

Wilhazelle Frosier. Chaser had heard about her from Rohan on his way here.

She was the daughter of Baron Frosier and liked to indulge in all kinds of extravagance. It was said that as the bank loans were not enough, they had turned to private lenders and were struggling with their debt.

The reason she had come to see him was obvious, even without hearing what she had to say. Just like the others who had been to his house so far, she was trying to deceive him and claim the reward money.

If she received that reward, she would most likely spend it on her extravagant activities. She was an extremely pathetic woman. His eyes were on high alert as he watched Wilhazelle’s every move, without missing a beat. It was as if he would pounce on her if she showed even the slightest materialistic greed.

“This is the child the Duke is searching for.”

It would have been nice if the two could have recognized each other straight away, but that was impossible. She knew very well they had never seen each other before.

Raphelion is the child that Yorne, Raphel’s father and Chaser’s older brother, kept secret. Chaser had never even seen his nephew before.

The Ducal family’s tragedy was truly devastating.

After a long wait, Yorne, who was able to finally claim the woman and child he loved as his family, lost his life in an instant. Raphel lost his parents and was left alone. However, Raphel’s wounds would be healed by the love of the heroine, Aincia, and his uncle Chaser.

Chaser cared about Raphel as much as his parents had, so much so that he didn’t even get married in order to pass on his inheritance to him.

‘By the way, Chaser also has black hair and red eyes, so he’ll quickly recognize the child as Raphel, right?’

Black hair and red eyes were the unique symbol of the Halos family.

“Hello…”

Raphel quietly placed both hands on his stomach and bowed to him.

“…”

Chaser stared at Raphel’s face in silence. Black hair that didn’t lose its color under the light and bright red eyes. His face also slightly resembled the description that Yorne always talked about. However, he couldn’t be sure because he had only heard about him and never actually seen him.

Plus, that scrawny body…

He frowned upon seeing the child’s appearance, which appeared to be only skin and bones. Until now, all of the con artists who had visited him had brought plump children, but this woman was different. Was it a play to arouse sympathy through the child’s thin appearance?

It was quite cunning.

Chaser had greatly misunderstood.

“Are you Raphelion Halos?”

“Yes, I’m Raphel. Lizelle said I’m Raphel.”

The Duke’s brow rose at his answer.

“This woman said you were Raphel?”

Did she force the child to use the name Raphel?

A strong gaze filled with disgust was directed at Lizelle.

Hm.

His gaze was so cold that she trembled.

‘Why have you been staring at me like that the whole time?’

Wilhazelle had no idea what was going on, she couldn’t help but be confused by the burning eyes that seemed like they would devour her.

Chaser’s face was full of dissatisfaction. Unilaterally forcing something on a child could be considered abuse.

But, she forced the child to use the name Raphelion?

The corner of his mouth twitched. He had become warry of everyone due to the greed and selfishness of the past scammers.

“Where did you find him?”

“Huh? Oh, well…”

If she told him it was the garbage dump, won’t he be very upset and call her a fool for bringing him a child from there? She didn’t know if she should say it straight out or try to brush it aside. While she was lost in thought for a moment, Chaser’s suspicions grew.

‘She’s probably trying to think of a good place that will arouse sympathy.’

He already saw Lizelle as a shady person.

“Hmm… I found him in a garbage dump and brought him here.”

She decided to just be honest.

Even if she didn’t speak the truth, they would discover it when they investigated and if they asked Raphel, they would know everything.

“Ha…”

Chaser swallowed an incredulous chuckle, as if he had known this would happen. A garbage dump? It couldn’t have been a more outrageous answer.

‘She must have planned this carefully.’

He undid the top button of his shirt, as if to dissipate the anger that was building up inside.

Wilhazelle stared at the man’s unusual behavior before speaking again.

“And Raphel must have been so shocked that he has lost his memories.”

“Then how can you be so sure this child is in fact Raphel?”

He loosened his tie and swept back his black hair roughly.

“Why are you asking me that?”

Wilhazelle was bewildered by his question.

She had brought a child that had black hair and red eyes, just like the flier had stated. You could only find these features in someone with the Halos blood. Why would he question how she could be sure?

“Just now, what do you mean…? I brought you the child that has black hair and red eyes that you are looking for. What is your intention behind asking me whether or not I’m sure?”

She had cut off Chaser’s words with a puzzled look on her face. She too was starting to get annoyed by this situation. When she brought him the child he was looking for, he started glaring at her with a hostile expression, and now he was even questioning her with that same hostile expression.

‘I take back what I said about him being handsome. Handsome my foot. He’s unlucky.’

She glared back at Chaser with all her might.

Chaser also stared straight into Lizelle’s eyes with his fierce gaze.

Sparks flew as their gazes collided.

“Staring contest! Go, Lizelle! Go, Lizelle!”

Raphel clapped his hands and cheered for Lizelle when he saw the two people like that. Chaser’s brow furrowed.

‘Ha, a staring contest?’

He became even more annoyed when he found himself being caught up in her actions.

No matter what happened, he would have been fine if she had just admitted her lies and accepted the punishment, but now she was reacting to every move he made. Perhaps it was because no one had ever been so audacious in front of him, the master of Halo’s, until now. He wondered what the young lady, who had no title, was thinking as he looked at her wide eyes. She was not only sneering at him, but also questioning his motives when she was the one committing fraud.

Is that why?

For some reason, Chaser had developed a strong desire to win. He didn’t want to get caught up in her plot and lose to that con artist.

He had never lost to anyone.

Chaser narrowed his eyes even more, focusing his gaze. It was his pride that caused him to show off. Wasn’t there a saying that pride fuels the ego?

‘This poisonous bastard. He’s not even blinking!’

Lizelle’s eyes also narrowed even more, thanks to Raphel’s support. Before she knew it, the ‘handsome duke’ had turned into the ‘poisonous bastard’. She scolded Chaser in her head without any intention of being the first to divert her gaze. With lips pursed, she kept glaring at him.

She refused to lose. At least not to this man who had been rude from the very beginning.

Knock.

The spirited fight, in which both parties refused to give in, did not end, even with the sound of knocking. Chaser spoke without turning his head.

“Come in.”

Rohan entered once he received permission, walking toward the Duke with a serious face.