Chapter 8: I Became Friends with the Young Male Lead (1)
“You devil child!”
That dream again.
I flinched at the all-too-familiar verbal abuse, blinking rapidly to adjust to the darkness.
“Crawling out like a rat to bring misfortune!”
“N-no… I was just hungry…”
“As expected of a demon’s spawn—your greed knows no bounds! The meals I provide aren’t enough for you, huh?”
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry…”
If tossing leftovers counts as feeding, I suppose he was feeding him….
I could only stare helplessly at the grim scene in the dark.
Eventually, the man began throwing whatever he could get his hands on.
There wasn’t much in the room to throw—just some stale rye bread, a rotting apple, an unwashed pillow, and old books flew through the air.
“Why did I ever let that filthy thing into my house?!”
His words hurt more than the objects ever could.
The child—who hadn’t cried even as a baby—only curled up tighter and trembled silently.
The man, breathing heavily like he had vented his frustration, threw the last item in his hand with a hiss.
He sounded like he was in his thirties, though there wasn’t even a candlestick in the room to see his face clearly.
‘Then again, if there had been one, he would’ve thrown that too… maybe it’s better this way.’
“F-forgive me, my lord…”
Though the child called him lord, he didn’t seem to be a servant. He appeared to be living here alone.
But the room was so small and pitiful—with a tiny window barely letting in moonlight—it could hardly be called a “room.”
It reminded me of the half-basement I lived in during my previous life….
“If you sneak out again, don’t think you’ll get off this lightly.”
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry…”
The child remained curled up, mumbling endless apologies.
Bathed in faint moonlight, I could just barely make out his silhouette.
Thud, thud—the man stomped out of the room in anger.
“Idiot. Thought he was going to introduce you to others as his son?”
Soon after, a boy entered from the hallway and sneered, backlit so his face was hidden.
He looked to be about 12 or 13—around the age when kids enter the academy.
“Don’t dream stupid dreams. And hide those cursed eyes of yours.”
Spit. The brat made a spitting noise, then kicked the wooden door with a loud bang.
Creak…
The door’s hinges seemed to weep in the child’s place as the boy left.
‘How many times has it been now?’
Every time I saw this child in a dream lately, he was being verbally abused by that oppressive man.
‘Honestly, it was better when he was ignored as a baby and couldn’t walk or talk.’
After Lady Erina died, the baby had been moved to this mansion.
He was always alone during his infancy, but starting about a year ago, things had turned into this nightmare.
Once again, I could do nothing but watch blankly, helplessly.
As the door closed with a soft click, the child slowly lifted his head. His red eyes shimmered with tears.
Tears rolled silently down his cheeks, but he made no sound.
***
“Viscount, I have a question.”
“What is it, Your Highness?”
My lessons with Viscount Lentil had been ongoing for over three years.
As if he had expected my curiosity, he closed the hardcover textbook with a soft thud.
His expression told me he had been waiting for my question.
“Are red eyes considered unusual?”
“Red eyes, Your Highness?”
“Yes.”
“Have you encountered someone with red eyes?”
“…Not exactly.”
Not a lie. I hadn’t “encountered” him in real life—only in dreams.
I tilted my head slightly at the viscount’s tense reaction. My short hair, tied into two pigtails, dangled by my shoulders.
“Did you see it in a book?”
“No, I think… I just heard it somewhere.”
My voice trailed off.
‘Not heard—seen. In a dream.’
Because I couldn’t leave the imperial palace, my exposure to people was limited. I had never seen anyone with red eyes like that child.
Mary had blue eyes, Patricia had black, and our nanny’s were brown.
Even among the occasional guests, I’d seen purple eyes at most—but never red.
“To think such talk still exists even in the palace…”
The viscount let out a small sigh, set down his book, and removed his glasses.
His amber eyes shimmered behind the lenses.
“Shall I tell you something interesting today? It’s not part of the curriculum, so let’s keep it our little secret.”
“Of course!”
I grinned and shut my book too.
Viscount Lentil, who had taught generations of royals since the time of Lady Rebecca, had studied his entire life at the Scholar’s Tower.
He was also apparently from a high-ranking noble family, well-versed in etiquette and the intricacies of social politics.
You couldn’t learn this level of insight from books. So I made sure to absorb every offhand remark he let slip.
“Asuramasura has several deep-rooted prejudices. It’s embarrassing for a leading nation of the continent to still think this way.”
To someone like me who had lived in a democratic society, such blunt commentary was oddly delightful.
The “Asuramasura” he mentioned referred to the empire and this entire world.
To hear someone criticize the empire so openly in front of a royal heir… he clearly had a deep love for society and humanity.
“The most common divide is between the imperial faction and the noble faction. The empire’s been around for nearly 500 years, and yet these ancient power struggles persist. Isn’t it ridiculous?”
“It really is.”
I nodded, thinking of the same imperial-vs-noble faction conflict that was central to Eyes of the Shared Future.
The main lead, Leopold, was heir to the head of the imperial faction.
Meanwhile, the “sub-male lead,” Lucifeus—the shadowy figure obsessed with the female lead—was the noble faction’s problem-solver.
Lucifeus’s scheming played a major role in the suffocating slow-burn plot of Shared Eyes.
The “villainess” Scarlett, also a noble, couldn’t approach her crush Leopold due to their political differences, so she took it out on the female lead, Amelie.
Leopold’s family had long been loyal to the imperial family…
‘Speaking of, when will I finally become friends with Leopold?’
Thanks to that loyalty, I’d soon get a chance to meet him.
‘If I wasn’t part of the imperial faction, there’s no way this overprotective palace would let him be my companion.’
To be friends with the male lead! I calmed my excitement and tuned in to Viscount Lentil’s next words.
“There’s also discrimination between central and regional nobility. No matter how powerful one’s divine ability is, without noble lineage, it’s nearly impossible to become a high priest.”
Exactly. Amelie was ostracized even though she was a noble, just because she was from a rural area.
“There have been three female emperors, and with Her Highness Grace now crowned crown prince, the atmosphere is shifting. Still, many families won’t even consider a woman as heir. Red eyes fall under such discrimination as well.”
“Red eyes?”
“It used to be called the devil’s gaze or cursed eyes—those terms have just been softened over time. Even when Your Highness turns ten and leaves the palace, I doubt you’ll ever meet someone with red eyes.”
“It’s that rare?”
“Do you remember what I told you about the Sea of No Return?”
I nodded silently.
The Sea of No Return.
Years ago, the Holy Knights stationed there had been wiped out. Grace led the remaining knights and priests to support the front lines.
That child’s mother—who had been a knight—must’ve died there.
It wasn’t a literal sea, but the name for the gateway to the demon realm.
About 500 years ago, the first emperor, chosen by the gods, defeated the demons and drove them from the continent—but failed to fully seal the gate.
So every century or so, the entrance reopened.
This occurred when the twin moons aligned with the sun, causing a rare dual eclipse. That phenomenon was known as the Sea of No Return’s “surge.”
Monsters would pour through during the surge, like in that recent battle.
“People believe demons come and go through that gate. And that red eyes are born from humans who consorted with demons.”
Ah. That’s why they called the boy in my dream “a demon’s child.”
“There’s no proof of demons actually crossing over. The Scholar’s Tower believes red eyes are a rare mutation. But the rarer something is, the more it’s either revered or shunned. Either way, they’re treated as something ‘not human.’”
That child had been born near the Sea of No Return, so it made sense he’d be treated that way.
I crammed the viscount’s words into my head, struggling to keep up with adult logic.
‘Red eyes weren’t even mentioned in the original novel. I had no idea.’
I felt proud to learn some “TMI” about the world of the novel.
But that pride quickly faded.
‘If that child really is under a noble family’s protection, I’ll never be able to find him.’
They would be desperate to keep his existence a secret. And at under ten years old, I had no way to access military information.
Seeing my serious expression, Viscount Lentil smiled fondly behind his glasses.
Her radical yet warm mindset made it impossible not to care for her student.
‘…I wonder if the viscount also ended up in the Scholar’s Tower after losing a succession battle?’
The title “Viscount Lentil” was apparently granted after she became a royal tutor.
Ugh, there’s only so much I can learn stuck in the Frisia Palace. I couldn’t wait to turn ten. To finally be an adult.
***
“Cecile, you’ll have a guest tomorrow.”
One day, after I had evolved from a pesky seven-year-old to a lovely seven-year-old…
I received the news I had long awaited.
“A guest for me?”
“Yes. I’ve arranged for you to have a friend your age.”
“I’m getting a friend?”
A friend? Could it be…?!
Until now, the only outsiders I’d met were my mother’s guests. My heart fluttered with anticipation.
If it’s really a friend for me, then maybe—just maybe—
“He’s the grandson of Duke Aurenbach, who holds territory just north of the capital. He’s your age.”
It’s happening. I’m finally going to meet Leopold, the male lead of Eyes of the Shared Future!
I’d been waiting so long to meet the protagonist of my favorite novel.
Sure, I, my family, and even my second sister Roselia—his future superior—were all original characters from the book.
But meeting the main character? That was another level entirely.
‘I’ve waited so long, believing we’d become friends one day.’
Having lived seven years as Cecilia, I beamed with pure joy.
“I’m so excited!”
Tomorrow, I would finally become a blessed, fangirling fan.
