THMLM Chapter 04

Chapter 4

—

“Of course, it’s not like I have any romantic interest in you, my lord.”
I hurriedly added that.
I was still young, and I definitely didn’t want to die yet.

I glanced behind me.
Hashin, who had been standing there quietly, now seemed bored—he was kicking a small rock with the tip of his shoe.

I have absolutely no romantic feelings for your master!
…Okay, correction.
I am interested, but not in that way.
Really, I swear. I know I keep saying that, but truly, really, it’s not like that.

Besides, liking a character and actually loving a person are totally different things, right?

“……”

Kahen said nothing.

Worried, I bit my lower lip.
He hadn’t said a word for a while now, and my brain was blaring alarms.

Maybe I’d completely misunderstood something.
If this wasn’t what he meant, then what else could it be?

Even though I knew the original story, I couldn’t seem to use any of that knowledge properly.
It was so unfair.

I hadn’t even gotten to use any of the useful parts of the story—and now my favorite couple was fighting!

Sigh…

Just then, a gust of wind blew through the greenhouse as the door opened.
My hair scattered wildly, and my bangs flew back.
I quickly covered my face with my hands.

Because of that, I didn’t see Kahen’s full expression—but he seemed to let out a small, helpless sigh.

“Alright.”

I was fixing my messy hair when his calm voice reached my ears.

It was such a late response that I froze for a second.

“Let’s make a contract. The duration will be… until what I want comes true.”

“Yes—until your love comes true, my lord.”

His acceptance made me smile happily.

I didn’t like that my mood was rising and falling depending on his words—but since he’d agreed, I decided not to overthink it.

Then, he let out a soft laugh.

The sudden sound made me stop moving completely, staring at him as if under a spell.

“Yes, until then… let’s do our best.”

The last part was too quiet—I couldn’t catch his exact words.
Probably because I was too distracted by how absurdly good-looking he was.

Honestly, he looked even better than the illustrations from the novel.

If there really was a god, they must’ve been fair—he’d given Kahen a miserable life, but also a face that could earn him forgiveness for anything.

After leaving the glass greenhouse, we chatted as we walked.
Most of the conversation was about Bella.

Kahen’s tone was very businesslike—but considering his personality, that was expected.
Whenever our conversation fell silent, he would bring up something new about Bella that I didn’t know.

Each time, I got excited, eager to hear more about her.

Kahen shared details that weren’t even in the original novel—like the fact that Bella had been learning swordsmanship.
And not just a little—she was really skilled at it.

I knew the Havelion family had a strong background in martial arts, but in the original story, Bella had never touched a sword.

Oh! No wonder I’d been confused when I saw “Ribellius” appear in this world.
Apparently, Kahen had personally arranged for him to teach her.
He was her escort knight—and sword instructor.

I happily nodded at that, rambling about how I’d seen Sir Ribellius a few times and how amazing he was with a sword.

But then, a certain memory suddenly popped into my head—and my smile froze.

I snuck a glance at Kahen, walking beside me.
If he showed even a hint of annoyance, I was ready to run.

Kahen Lu Cherta—the near-perfect male lead.

But behind that perfection, he had suffered greatly.
After being cursed by political enemies, he’d spent years hovering between life and death.

While the Havelion family excelled in swordsmanship, the Cherta family was renowned for magic.
They were so powerful that even the emperor didn’t dare interfere with them.

But when Kahen tried to save a dying soul—he used up all his magic, breaking the curse but losing every last bit of power in the process.

He survived—but his mana was completely gone.

And since the Cherta family took pride in their magic, losing it was like losing their entire identity.

The last heir of such a family—unable to use magic at all—was quietly mocked as a half-broken noble.

No one could imagine how much he’d endured since then.

He had to train himself relentlessly—to survive, both inside and outside.

That’s when he chose to learn swordsmanship.
It took him years to master it, especially with his frail, cursed body.

He didn’t even like swordsmanship.
He only used it because he had to.

But in the end, he became exceptional at it.
Whenever people mocked him—saying things like “a magician with a sword”—he crushed them without mercy.
So thoroughly that they never dared rise again.

Since then, no one mentioned swords in front of him—whether to mock or praise.

How could I forget something that important?

I sighed inwardly.
After years in this world, my memories of the original story had started to fade.

Still, dying because of a stupid mistake like this was not how I wanted to go.

Kahen’s expression darkened gradually.

Can I look up? What if he’s glaring coldly at me right now?

He was the one with power in this “alliance.”
If he decided I was no longer useful, he could discard me easily.

Even in the original story, when misunderstandings occurred between him and Bella, they’d always reconciled quickly—without me.

So, yeah. I might not even be needed here.

I wanted to slap my own mouth for talking carelessly just a minute ago.

“Lady, if you really want to get a clear reaction, shouldn’t we start by spreading a rumor first?”

Kahen suddenly spoke.

I’d been too busy worrying about my neck to expect that, so I jumped a little.

“Th-that’s true! I’ll go to Bella and mention it casually!”

“I’ll lend a hand too. I’d like to see it finished properly.”

He smiled faintly.

It was such a small smile that you could barely tell whether his lips were actually curved upward.

Maybe he’s happy about being able to make up with Bella?

In the original story, that gentle smile only appeared when he was around her.
So it wasn’t strange for it to appear while talking about her now.

I decided not to overthink it.
Thankfully, he didn’t seem offended by anything I said, so I relaxed.

—

After saying our goodbyes, Kahen climbed into his carriage.

He stood there for a while, staring at the spot where Bessia had just been, and then quietly chuckled.

Kahen wasn’t the type to laugh easily.

Standing beside him, Hashin frowned as if he’d just witnessed something ridiculous.
It wasn’t exactly the kind of expression a servant should show his master—but Kahen let it pass.

They were practically brothers—one of the few people Kahen truly trusted.

That’s why he called him now.

“Hashin.”

“Yes, my lord. As you said earlier, should I secretly spread some rumors about that lady?”

Having served him for so long, Hashin immediately understood Kahen’s unspoken intent.

Kahen’s faint smile disappeared. His deep blue eyes shimmered like still ocean water.

“No.”

“Make it certain.”

And within half a day, the entire high society was buzzing with gossip—
about the Cherta heir and a mysterious lady.

—

After Kahen left, I finally managed to sleep peacefully.

All my energy had been drained after meeting him.

But my rest didn’t last long—because of an uninvited guest.

“Pigeon, why did you have to come now of all times?”

The white carrier pigeon tilted its head as if it didn’t understand me.

I sighed, gently stroked its soft, fluffy chest feathers, and handed it some bird feed.

A small note was tied to its leg.

“You know what today is, right?”

“Ugh… so annoying…”

I read the short message and slumped to the floor.

The window was open for the pigeon to come and go, and the cool morning breeze blew my hair around.

But no matter how lazy I felt, I couldn’t just ignore this.

I reminded myself of my resolve from the very beginning—

“I may be trying to avoid the original story… but here I am helping the male and female leads get together.”

It sounded contradictory, sure.
But for a background character like me—especially a villainous extra—survival meant doing whatever it takes.

Even if Bella and I got close, I still needed to prove that I wasn’t a threat to anyone.
That I was harmless.
That I was useful.

Otherwise, they could easily kill me without a second thought.

So, I got up, changed into something simple, and tied my hair up with a blue ribbon.

It didn’t look very fancy, but I didn’t need to look like a proper noble anyway.

I quietly left the mansion.

Thanks to Bella’s consideration, there were only three servants here.
She’d wanted to fill the place with hundreds, but I’d flatly refused.

It just felt weird to have people older than me serving me.

I tiptoed toward the front door like a mouse sneaking out—only to be caught by the butler who managed all three servants.

He was originally in charge of the entire household staff, but with everyone else on leave, he seemed a little underworked.
Still, he took great pride in his job and came to see me off properly.

I awkwardly stood there through his long, formal farewell before finally trying to leave.

“Where are you going, my lady?”

“Just nearby…! I’ll be quick! It’s really close!”

“I see.”

He smiled politely—and gestured to the side.

There was a carriage waiting.

I’d planned to walk, but I guess that wasn’t an option now.

Not that it really mattered. Whether I walked or rode, I knew someone would be there waiting for me anyway.

“I’m afraid that won’t do.”

The butler said with a smile—and before I knew it, I’d been gently but firmly pushed into the carriage.

And just like that, I found myself sitting inside the cozy, velvet-lined carriage…
bearing the crest of House Havelion.