Chapter 12 of The Male Lead Obsesses Over the Wicked Maid
English Translation
I slowly backed away.
Gulp.
Yeah, I’m sure no one else can see me. But seriously—how do I level up my Stealth Skill Points?
Holding my breath, I quietly slipped out of the White Room.
Thankfully, Tybern didn’t try to stop me.
I ran straight to my garden without even stopping to breathe.
“Huff! Huff!”
Once I confirmed no one was around, I collapsed onto the ground.
“Damn.”
Since becoming Lani, I’d never been this scared. My heart was pounding out of control.
Let’s think this through.
Hider doesn’t get affected by my stealth skill either. Honestly, I kind of thought these skills were made just for him. Because to me, he’s the only one who’s special.
But if they don’t work on Tybern either…?
“Maybe it doesn’t work on high-level people?”
That’s a pretty solid theory. Hider isn’t there yet, but he has the potential and fate to become a Sword Master. And Tybern is already one.
Wait, then does that mean Carte and Sorna don’t have any potential to be Sword Masters at all…?
Tsk.
No wonder that fox of a woman kept tormenting Hider. Maybe she saw the potential in him and wanted to crush it before it grew.
Maybe she thought he’d become a threat to her son and wanted to snuff him out while she still could.
But so what? Carte doesn’t have an ounce of talent anyway.
Well, anyway…
“I need to be careful.”
I really don’t know what kind of trap might come with each skill. Who knows if there’s some hidden master lurking around?
Looks like my skill’s been found out…
[Would you like to register as an assistant?]
I hit yes right away. It seemed safer to keep him close and watch him from nearby.
Let’s see… betrayal points…
“Gasp.”
Zero? As expected of a Sword Master—truly a class of his own. I guess someone like me isn’t even worth considering.
I could only be moved by such generosity and tolerance.
Hider rushed back to his room. He thought Lani would already be there—but she wasn’t.
“Could she…?”
Hider ran to the window. The one in this room was much larger than the one in his old room, so he could see outside much more clearly.
Hider blinked. Just as he expected, Lani was emerging from a corner of the garden, her steps far more cautious than before.
How could she be so bold? Lani was fearlessly reckless, almost dangerously so. Honestly, Hider didn’t understand her at all.
He paced his room restlessly, feeling anxious.
The way Lani moved made it clear—she had something she was relying on.
“She must think she’s invisible.”
That was the most believable explanation. And it did seem like no one else could see her, either. Though how that was possible, he had no idea.
“…Is she a fairy?”
If she were a member of the legendary fairy race, that might explain it. Fairies were known to do things beyond human comprehension.
Hider was lost in that thought when the door opened.
“It’s Lani.”
He could now recognize her footsteps.
Hider quickly turned his head toward the door.
“Oh my, young master! You’re here!”
Lani entered with a bright smile. She gently closed the door behind her and took something out of the pocket on her apron.
“I actually brought this for you. It’s the first plum I grew myself. Isn’t it such a pretty red? Please try it.”
Hider blinked slowly. For a moment, it felt like sunlight was pooling around her. She practically sparkled.
“She must be a fairy.”
The thought froze him in place.
Lani’s smiling face hit him harder than ever before.
Her eyes looked like jewels, and even the neat white of her teeth made her shine.
Hider’s cheeks flushed red.
“Lani is really… beautiful.”
The only reason Hider had decided to learn the sword from Tybern was because of Lani. To protect her.
He wanted to tell her about his decision. That from now on, he’d be the one protecting her. That she wouldn’t have to suffer any more mistreatment in the mansion.
But now that she was here, he didn’t know what to say.
He accepted the plum and took a big bite.
“It’s delicious. Really.”
He mumbled with a flushed face.
Tybern lifted his glass. The strong whiskey burned down his throat.
He stared at his hand—callused from a lifetime of wielding a sword. The tips trembled ever so slightly.
Tybern frowned. He could feel his health deteriorating.
His stamina wasn’t what it used to be, and now his hands had begun to tremble. The court physician had said rest and medicine would help, but still…
“This body’s already been used enough.”
Everything wears out with time. He ought to be thankful this body held up for so long.
This body had taken him through countless battlefields, through swords and monster fangs. And it had never once complained.
With this body—and with his sword—Tybern had protected Katieron, his family, and even the Empire itself.
So yes, his body had done its duty.
But before it gives out…
He had to train a successor worthy of becoming the next Duke of Katieron.
While Tybern had been busy with wars, his son Herdon had grown up to be just like his mother. Weak. Unable to handle the sword.
Fortunately, Herdon had two sons.
Sorna, his daughter, had no interest in swords—and wasn’t even built to wield one.
One of the sons was illegitimate, but Tybern didn’t care about that.
Before his body completely gave out, he needed to choose the perfect heir for Katieron.
Recently, the number of northern monsters had surged. Some had even grown wings or adapted to swim through the seas.
For everyone’s sake, Tybern had to complete this final mission.
To find the one who would inherit his sword.
That was why Tybern had come here.
To prepare for the end.
Hider’s face was unusually flushed as he talked about what had happened today. The mansion was in a frenzy because of Tybern, but Hider seemed almost cheerful.
“You really agreed to train under Lord Tybern?”
“Yeah. Grandfather is still considered the Empire’s best swordsman. If I learn from him, I could become the greatest swordsman in the Empire.”
“I believe you can do it, young master.”
I nodded along, but something tugged at the back of my mind. Tybern’s condition. He was clearly poisoned.
In the original story, Tybern dies not long after arriving here.
But look at him—so excited.
What am I supposed to do?
“I’ll become strong, Lani. Maybe one day I’ll even surpass Grandfather.”
He’s saying all this so earnestly…
“Grandfather never treated me differently like everyone else. I’m really looking forward to learning from him. I hope he doesn’t go back north.”
“I see…”
“I honestly thought he’d change too. He didn’t stop my mother from dying, after all. But Grandfather values strength. If I get stronger, everything will change.”
This is the first time I’ve heard Hider talk so much. He must really be looking forward to this. There was something resolute in him.
What am I supposed to do now, really?
Just imagining how disappointed and heartbroken Hider would be is already tearing me apart.
Guess I have no choice.
This big sister will figure something out.
