Chapter 5. If the Administrator Favors You, Summoning the Male Lead Is Basic!
Her sharp nails tangled in my hair.
A single scream escaped my lips from the searing pain that felt like my scalp was being torn apart.
I could hear the maids gasping around us.
But none of them dared to step forward.
“Urgh.”
Maybe it was because I had just woken up from a high fever.
A wave of nausea hit me, along with dizziness that made my insides churn.
My vision began to blacken.
If I were in better condition, I might have been able to resist.
But I was in such terrible shape I couldn’t even move my arms and legs properly.
‘Maxed out luck, my ass. Damn that administrator…’
So this life would also end with me being tormented by my aunt.
Just as I resigned myself to fate—
Ping!
【Administrator: “Damn that administrator”? You’re hurting my feelings.】
【Administrator: Found this on the way. My first gift to you! ♪(´ε｀*)】
“…!”
I didn’t even have time to fully grasp what was going on.
One after another, messages started flashing before my blurry eyes.
【SYSTEM: Thanks to the keyword ‘#MaxLuck’, a luck buff has been activated!】
[Romance-fantasy cliché No. 21: “Appearing at a desperate moment” triggered!]
“Young Master Eckhart!”
Hurried footsteps stopped in front of the door.
“Oh, Young Master…!”
“Young Master, you’re here!”
The servants, as if a savior had appeared, stirred noisily.
The hand that had been mercilessly yanking my hair suddenly withdrew.
I collapsed onto the bed, unable to hold myself up.
My face pale, my hair in wild disarray, my limbs limp and weak.
I didn’t need a mirror to know I looked terrible.
“What is this commotion about?”
A cold voice instantly silenced the chaos in the room.
“Oh my, Eckhart…”
Silvery hair that shimmered like starlight. Dazzling golden eyes.
A strong physique, befitting the heir of the prestigious Swordmaster family, the House of Serteia.
An overwhelming presence that none could challenge.
Eckhart Serteia, the firstborn son of the duke, my older brother, and the original male lead of the novel—appeared like a miracle.
“Eckhart, why are you still here…?”
Aunt Petunia was speechless for a moment.
When she finally opened her mouth, she stammered in confusion.
“Does it matter why I’m here?”
Eckhart looked down at her with a sharp, angered gaze.
“I asked what the hell is going on here, Aunt.”
“Eckhart, you seem to be misunderstanding something.”
“….”
“Surely you don’t think I did something to Roselia?”
She tried to sound gentle, coaxing him like a snake hissing sweet lies—just like always, whenever things didn’t go her way.
“You know how unruly Roselia has been. I was merely disciplining her a little—”
“So you treated a patient who just regained consciousness this cruelly?”
“….”
Eckhart cut her off coldly.
There was no way flimsy excuses would work on someone like him.
He was a man of reason and clarity.
Realizing further excuses were futile, Aunt Petunia clamped her mouth shut.
Eckhart’s gaze turned to me.
His brows twitched slightly at the sight of my pitiful state.
“Physician.”
Eckhart called for the doctor in a low voice.
“Yes, Young Master.”
“How is Roselia’s condition?”
“She’s only just regained consciousness after suffering from a high fever for three days and nights. But before she could recover her strength, she was subjected to extreme stress…”
The doctor had just been slapped and dismissed by Aunt Petunia moments ago.
He didn’t hesitate to tell Eckhart the whole truth.
“Extreme stress, you say.”
Eckhart glanced sideways at my aunt.
Her face turned blotchy with shame and rage.
“I understand the situation well enough.”
In just that short time, he had assessed everything and spoke in a level voice.
“I believe it would be best if I personally look after Roselia for the time being.”
“!”
“There’s no need for you to worry about her anymore, Aunt.”
His words were polite in tone, but they were unmistakably a warning:
Don’t lay a finger on her again.
Aunt Petunia understood perfectly.
She bit her lips hard, humiliated by her young nephew.
Turning his back to her, Eckhart approached me.
“!”
Then, without hesitation, he scooped me up into his arms.
His firm arms wrapped around me protectively.
‘What is even happening…’
To be treated like this—an affectionate escort—for a reviled villainess like me?
Even in my dazed state, the sudden change overwhelmed me.
“….”
I still couldn’t comprehend anything.
My exhausted body went limp in his arms.
It seemed I had hit my limit—my consciousness faded again.
With nothing left to think about, I quietly closed my eyes.
When I came to, I was lying in an unfamiliar bed.
“Where am I—?”
As I looked around, my eyes met Eckhart’s.
“My bedroom.”
He answered coolly.
The icy aura in his voice took my breath away.
“….”
I nodded slightly, though the question still lingered in my mind.
‘Why is Eckhart here at the ducal mansion?’
By the original story timeline, he should’ve already left for the Imperial Academy.
Just before I passed out, the administrator had popped up, saying something about a “gift,” and it seemed like some luck-based skill had activated…
‘No, more importantly—’
The real question was—
‘Why did Eckhart save me?’
Even with the administrator’s interference, Eckhart coming to my rescue was completely unexpected.
‘He despises me.’
In my past life, Aunt Petunia repeated it like a mantra.
That I was a disgrace to the noble House of Serteia simply by existing.
That everyone in the family found me repulsive, and I should just live quietly like a dead woman.
At first, I didn’t believe her.
‘We’re family, after all.’
I thought surely there would be at least a sliver of affection.
But after repeating this life several times, I realized she had been right.
Even when wounds from her cane festered, even when I fell down the stairs fleeing from her violence…
I was always alone.
In that frigid neglect, I gave up expecting love from my family.
‘But this time, Eckhart brought me to his room and cared for me?’
It was unfamiliar. Unsettling.
Breaking the silence, Eckhart asked,
“How are you feeling?”
“Well…”
Now that I thought about it, pain rushed back.
My scalp still throbbed, and I was drained of energy.
Still, compared to being dragged around by my aunt earlier, I felt much better.
“I’m alright,” I replied, my voice barely above a whisper.
“Physician.”
Apparently unconvinced, Eckhart summoned the doctor again.
“She still has a slight fever, but emergency treatment is complete. With rest, she’ll recover soon.”
With that assurance, Eckhart dismissed all the servants from the room.
Now it was just the two of us.
A strange tension filled the air.
“…Did this sort of thing happen often?”
Eckhart finally spoke.
He must’ve been referring to my aunt’s frequent abuse.
“Yes. Aunt Petunia would raise her hand over the smallest matters.”
I nodded calmly.
Even as acting head of the house, Eckhart would likely be cautious about accusing another Serteia.
“As you’ve seen… I couldn’t resist her abuse.”
I hoped Eckhart would believe me.
But—
“Why didn’t you say anything until now?”
His sharp question cut through me.
“You suffered severe abuse, and yet you never said a word? That’s hard to believe.”
He eyed me with clear suspicion.
‘I’m the victim, so why am I the one being interrogated?’
Frustration welled up inside me.
When I first possessed Roselia, I was horrified.
‘I thought she was just a bratty villainess…’
But her body was covered in bruises. Her health was a mess.
Still, Aunt Petunia had so thoroughly isolated her that there was no one to report it to.
I took a deep breath.
‘No. I can’t let the tragedy of the past repeat.’
This was the perfect opportunity to expose my aunt. Staying silent would only lead to more misunderstandings.
‘I won’t be part of a frustrating plotline again.’
“I’ll explain why I couldn’t reveal her abuse.”
I looked Eckhart straight in the eye.
“Do you remember when Father last visited the estate?”
“….”
“That day, Aunt locked me in my room and told him I didn’t want to see him. At the time, she had whipped me and starved me for three days.”
“….”
“And earlier this year, when I jumped from the second-floor terrace, she told everyone I was being hysterical and needed to be committed.”
This all happened before I possessed this body—these were Roselia’s own experiences.
Briefly mentioned in the original as the villainess’s “eccentricities.”
I only knew the truth because I’d thoroughly investigated Roselia in a past life.
“But the truth is, I jumped to escape her. I figured breaking my legs was better than dying.”
Even as I said it, emotion choked me up.
“What else would you like to hear? About how I wrote letters to Father and you, only for Aunt to intercept them?”
“….”
“Or how I tried to expose her to outsiders, only to nearly be silenced by those who support her?”
I could talk for days and still not finish listing her sins.
Eckhart already looked exhausted.
“Just say the word. Since Aunt came to this house, all this became as normal as breathing. I couldn’t tell anyone about her abuse even if I wanted to.”
I poured out all my pent-up sorrow and injustice.
Suddenly, sound effects of applause echoed in my mind, followed by another message from the administrator.
【Administrator: WOW.】
【Administrator: Maybe I should’ve made you a rapper instead of a villainess. (°∀°)b】
【Administrator: Will Eckhart be moved by her testimony?! (thump thump) (popcorn loaded)】
‘Shut up.’
