Instead of the Heroine, I Married the Male Lead

“Milady.”

“I know it’s dangerous. But Harnen is… really important to me.”

 

At those words, Kaien frowned involuntarily. Philome was too preoccupied to notice.

Realizing that Philome had no intention of backing down, Kaien lifted her up and placed her on the horse.

 

“Hold on tight, Milady.”

 

As soon as the conversation ended, the horse galloped at an incredible speed.

It was only after a long while of running that Philome could finally open her eyes. Kaien held onto her waist and helped her get down from the horse.

They arrived in a narrow alley.

The back door opened, and someone approached Kaien, looking around cautiously.

 

“I’ve brought what you asked for.”

“Thanks. You can go now.”

 

Kaien placed the mask he received from the man over Philome’s face.

 

“Milady, there’s probably nothing for you to worry about. The slave traders aren’t foolish enough to harm their merchandise.”

“Ah… Yes. Please tell me the plan. Did you originally intend to come to this auction?”

“Well… yes. The plan has changed a bit, but we came here as guests. Very special guests.”

“Don’t you have to wear a mask, Duke?”

“I don’t have to. I put on a mask to protect Milady.”

 

Kaien extended his hand to her.

 

“It’s crowded, so it would be better to hold hands, Milady.”

 

Philome reached out her still-trembling hand and grasped Kaien’s. Soon, Kaien confidently kicked open the back door.

 

“Who…”

 

The slave trader’s subordinate’s face twisted into a fierce grimace, but his face turned pale when he recognized Kaien.

 

“Oh, you’ve come!”

 

His attitude was like he was addressing his master, which confused Philome. Glancing at Kaien, she noticed a slightly annoyed expression on his face.

 

“Where’s your master?”

“He’s in the office!”

 

Hearing the answer he wanted, Kaien waved his hand. Instantly, the slave trader’s underling scurried away.

Kaien moved forward without a hint of hesitation, as if he had been there many times before. He stopped in front of a door that was gilded, unlike the others.

 

“Milady, take a step back.”

 

When Philome stepped back, Kaien lifted his foot and kicked the door open. The sturdy door swung wide open.

 

“W-Who’s there!”

“It’s me.”

 

As he walked in, Kaien casually addressed the slave trader.

 

“Y-your Grace.”

 

The slave trader looked at Kaien in astonishment.

 

“What brings you here…?”

“Milady, would you like to speak?”

 

As soon as he saw him, Philome realized.

Kaien was someone who could easily manipulate the slave trader.

 

“…Where is Harnen?”

“H-Harnen…?”

“The half-elf you took today!”

“I-I’m not sure what you’re talking about…”

“Master. You know I don’t like repeating myself.”

“Y-Your Grace. This is a clear obstruction of business.”

“The ones who obstructed my business first were you. How dare you kidnap my business partner?”

 

Kaien’s face twisted in anger.

 

“I didn’t do it intentionally, Your Grace. But that half-elf was originally ours; he escaped. For us to give him to you would be a huge loss.”

“Price.”

“…500 million gold.”

“That’s ridiculous…”

“Here.”

 

Kaien pulled out a blank check from his pocket and threw it to the slave trader. The slave trader hastily picked up the blank check and carefully placed it in his pocket.

 

“Allow me to guide you,”

 

As Philome followed the slave trader, she whispered to Kaien.

 

“Duke, the price is too high. No matter how you see it, Harnen is just a half-elf…”

“Milady, I paid that amount because I believe my business partner is worth that much.”

“But…”

“Do you think he’s not worth that much?”

“No, that’s not it. How can you put a price on a person…?”

 

Kaien chuckled lightly at her response.

 

“Here we are,”

 

Just then, the slave trader stopped walking.

 

“Harnen!”

 

As soon as Philome spotted Harnen collapse beyond the bars, she ran over. Frustrated, she threw off her mask and examined Harnen closely.

Harnen was lying down.

 

“He shouldn’t have any serious injuries. We had to knock him out because he was resisting too much.”

 

Philome glared at the slave trader with eyes full of rage. The slave trader coughed awkwardly and avoided her gaze.

Kaien turned Harnen’s body over to check on his condition.

 

“His pulse is normal, Milady. He looks a bit rough, but… as the owner said, he doesn’t have any serious injuries, and his life isn’t in danger.”

 

After saying that, he picked up Harnen.

Then he went back the way he came.

 

“Milady, do you want revenge?”

“Honestly, if it were up to me… I’d want to make the slave trader suffer the same way.”

 

Philome let out a deep sigh.

 

“I just didn’t have the strength to do anything… I had no idea it would be this difficult… But it’s okay. With you here, Duke, I feel like I can do something.”

“Milady, you still don’t understand, do you?”

“Yes?”

“I told you before. What will Milady soon become?”

“…The Duchess.”

 

As she quietly answered while standing in front of the back door, Kaien continued speaking.

 

“As the Duchess, you can do anything you want. I’ll make it happen, Milady.”

“…..”

“So, tell me again. Do you want revenge?”

“…Yes.”

“Good.”

 

As Kaien smiled, the door burst open. Dozens of knights poured in, all wearing armor emblazoned with the Duke of Wintbell crest. They passed Kaien and Philome before heading inside.

Beyond the back door, Gio slightly bowed his head and greeted them with his eyes.

 

“I told you,”

 

Philome glanced back at Kaien.

 

“I’ll make it so you can do whatever you want.”

 

☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓

 

It took Harnen a total of two days to recover.

During that time, I explained everything to Kaien. After hearing the whole story, he showed no particular reaction, which was a relief.

Fortunately, the shop owner recovered quickly, so now all that was left was to repay Kaien.

Knock, knock. When I knocked on the door, I heard a voice telling me to come in.

 

“Duke.”

“Milady?”

 

Kaien looked a bit surprised, as if he didn’t realize it was me.

 

“Do you have anything else to say?”

“Not really… Here.”

 

His expression changed subtly as he looked at what I offered.

 

“What’s this?”

“It’s money. Five thousand gold.”

“…Why are you giving this to me?”

“It’s not enough, but it’s the amount you paid to the slave trader.”

“Milady.”

“Please accept it. After all, the first thing I wanted to do with the money I saved was to help Harnen escape his fugitive status.”

 

It was the truth.

It was also something I hadn’t told Harnen. It pained me to see Harnen unable to walk freely outside and stuck in the office.

So, on the day we first got out of the deficit, I vowed to set Harnen free.

 

“If Harnen hadn’t been kidnapped by the slave trader that day, I would have taken that money and gone to the slave trader someday. To pay for Harnen’s freedom.”

 

I worried that Kaien might refuse, so I kept talking too much. Thankfully, Kaien took the pouch of money.

 

“I’ll use it as business funds.”

“…Thank you.”

“How much has Harnen recovered? It seems we can finally have a comfortable conversation among the three of us.”

“Yes. I stopped by before coming here, and he’s doing better now. He can return to his daily life right away.”

“He’s a half-elf, so he recovers quickly.”

 

Soon, Harnen arrived, and we began to talk.

We decided to continue using our current office. Kaien offered a larger and more comfortable office, but Harnen insisted that he preferred the familiar space over a new one.

After various discussions, Harnen decided to return to the office.

As I bid him farewell, I told him what I had wanted to say.

 

“We gave the five thousand gold we’ve saved so far to the Duke.”

“Good job, boss. We saved more money than I thought!”

 

I smiled at Harnen’s usual demeanor.

 

“Yeah.”

“But you know, boss, I think the Duke is better than I expected.”

“What do you mean?”

“If he were a real scoundrel, I’d just take you and run away from this place. Too bad it didn’t work out.”

 

Harnen shrugged as he got into the carriage.

I chuckled at the absurdity for a moment before pushing him into the carriage.

 

“Stop talking nonsense and just go.”

“You’re too harsh on a patient, boss.”

“Seeing you act like your usual self makes me think you’re all better, right?”

 

Even though I told him he could stay for a few more days, Harnen refused. He insisted the office was the most comfortable place for him, and as soon as he recovered, he got up from his seat.

 

“Don’t worry too much about me, boss.” Harnen added lightly.

 

As I closed the carriage door, Harnen suddenly leaned out of the window.

 

“Boss, you know. I’ve been so busy that I almost forgot.”

“What is it?”

“I think I saw the scoundrel. Your ex-fiancé, I mean.”