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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: The Worn-Out Male Lead Chose the Wrong Partner
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The officer ground his teeth as he glared at Cynthia's retreating back.
He was Captain Gail Declan, a comrade who had shared life and death with Masera.
'How did the Brigadier General manage to rise this far? The country that was on the brink of ruin due to the foolish royals recovered so quickly thanks to us lowly ones rolling in the battlefield dirt.'
In the past, this nation had been the first to fall due to the royal family's failed policies, sparking a long world war.
Countless young people had sacrificed themselves for the country over that extended period.
At the time, Masera had wandered the battlefields as a boy soldier.
With his exceptional eyesight and genius marksmanship, the tale of him single-handedly wiping out an entire enemy unit had struck terror into the hearts of the enemy nation.
In that way, Masera became one of the key figures who ended the world war.
Though he bore a brutal reputation for indiscriminately slaughtering surrendering prisoners and driving soldiers to their deaths to save nobles, it was overshadowed by praise as a "war hero," so no one paid it much mind.
On top of that, with his young and strikingly handsome appearance, marriage proposals poured in competitively from all directions.
'So when I heard he'd gotten engaged to a ghostly remnant of the Variesa Royal Family, I was shocked. It must have been pressure from a federal superpower.'
He simply couldn't tolerate the injustice.
At that moment, someone spoke to him.
"That white hair makes me feel sick to my stomach. Do you feel the same, Captain?"
It was Hayden, Eugene's tutor.
When Captain Declan didn't respond, he gave an awkward smile and walked past.
Though it felt suspicious, he decided not to report it. Whether it was slander or a scheme, he thought it would be nice if that man handled it instead.
A dinner gathering with the officers who had returned from their mission.
Cynthia, sensing the awkward atmosphere, quietly took a seat in the corner.
The officers, all wearing stiff expressions, discussed internal military matters.
After a lengthy exchange of complex topics that only those versed in military knowledge could follow, someone spoke up.
"She hasn't even married him yet. Is it really okay for her to be here?"
Though said with a smile, it treated Cynthia as an outsider.
At that, Captain Declan let out a laugh.
"Most people here probably don't understand what we're talking about. You've been living peacefully in the countryside, far from the war, haven't you?"
His words, tossed out as a joke, hid sharp thorns.
In response, Cynthia flashed her characteristic innocent smile.
"You're right. It's too difficult for me. Please carry on comfortably."
Cynthia, accustomed to being hated, didn't mind at all. Compared to what the royals had done in the past, this was nothing.
'What's more painful than being hated...'
Cynthia let out a small sigh.
"What luck? She's just a cursed girl who took others' lives!"
"She survived by sacrificing my daughter!"
She recalled those from her previous life who had pointed fingers at her for miraculously surviving alone.
'The worst part was being left alone after even the people who hated and blamed me left. So I have to get along with everyone.'
For now, winning Masera's heart was the top priority. To do that, she needed to get along with his work colleagues too.
'Right, I'll buy their favor with bribes.'
As Cynthia nodded to herself, firming her resolve inwardly, Captain Declan spoke.
"The Brigadier General is a war hero known worldwide, and with his perfect looks, marriage proposals still flood in like waves. Having such a popular fiancée must be burdensome, don't you think?"
In fact, even after learning of the engagement, some sent proposals anyway, or courted her saying they'd become a mistress if needed.
Afterward, the officers continued their provocations in flowery, roundabout language, but Cynthia, lost in thought about what bribes to offer, didn't hear a word.
'We're not even the type to be jealous of each other, but how can she be so unfazed?'
Masera watched Cynthia, whose expression remained unchanged, and sank into his own thoughts.
That night, Cynthia went straight to find Masera.
"I was thinking of heading to the shopping district tomorrow morning. It'd be great if you'd come with me."
"No."
Masera, dressed in a shirt and sweater as he sat reading, replied without lifting his eyes from the book.
"With Dalia or Diego..."
"I knew you'd say 'Go with Dalia or Diego.'"
Cynthia shrugged, having already memorized his repertoire.
"I'll buy you some super delicious parfait. They say it's packed with tasty pastries and fruits?"
"I'm not a child."
He brushed back his platinum blond hair, frowning slightly.
Cynthia then made an expression of utter disbelief. She must have thought it was the ultimate strategy he couldn't refuse.
Masera raised one eyebrow as he looked at her outfit.
"And why do you keep wearing those weird clothes?"
She was dressed in a bizarre dress crudely sewn together from checkered fabric.
"What's weird about it? It's a handmade reformed dress that's eco-friendly."
"I said it once before, but I'm not poor. Try to buy new ones whenever possible."
Thinking arguing would just waste time, Masera waved his hand, signaling for her to leave.
"Anyway, if you don't want parfait... then no choice."
Masera watched her give up unusually quickly, when suddenly a conversation with Dalia came to mind.
"Other servants say she's going around in ridiculous clothes. Why is that?"
"It's not that she's deliberately pretending to be frugal or modest... I accidentally put a hole in it and fixed it for her."
He'd thought she was protesting his indifference, but no.
"When I told the other servants the truth, they said she was doing it to punish me for my mistake, but that's not it either. Everyone views whatever she does negatively, so there's nothing to be done... but it seems she's wearing it on purpose so I won't feel embarrassed."
'Dalia's completely fallen for her.'
Feeling a pang of regret, Masera pulled out a check, signed it, and handed it to her.
"Don't worry about money. Spend as much as you want."
People reveal their true nature in front of money. Her spending habits would reveal her inclinations.
There was also a bit of desire not to be treated like he was poor anymore.
Cynthia's red eyes widened as she looked back and forth between the check's amount and Masera a couple of times.
"You won't regret it? I'll really buy everything I want? I can bankrupt you, you know?"
As expected, in front of money.
As Masera smirked silently, she turned to leave with visibly excited steps, then looked back at him.
"Oh, right. You were talking about drilling operations with the officers earlier. About Knox, right?"
(Drilling deep into the ground to prospect for underground resources)
The Queensguard family had received the Knox region, where oil deposits were suspected, and were gathering investors to prepare for drilling.
It was a natural topic since some officers were investors.
'Knox wasn't even mentioned by name, so how did she know?'
It would reach the Queensguard Count soon anyway, but who knew what annoying scheme he'd pull.
The servants he'd dealt with before, and other shady things—it wasn't just one or two issues.
'Of course, even if he schemed to break the engagement and reclaim the land, it wouldn't help. The Count couldn't bear the massive operation costs.'
It was a project that could take over ten years, making it impossible to gather investors without considerable trust.
He had already calculated the various variables the Count might exploit.
"Brigadier General, start from the rabbit-shaped mountain range to the west. Treasures are sure to come out."
This was a variable he hadn't anticipated.
Masera's eyes widened slightly at Cynthia's unexpected words, then returned to normal.
"What's your basis?"
"My luck. You've seen it several times."
With a bright smile, Cynthia spun around and left the room.
Masera unconsciously opened a drawer and gazed at the "wealth-bringing gem ring" she'd made from a bread bag string.
'Forgot to throw it out.'
He closed the drawer again, leaving the ring as is.
Leaving the room, Cynthia walked down the corridor, check in hand, in high spirits.
'Gotta buy everything I want. I'll make a fortune anyway.'
She had felt a sense of déjà vu ever since coming to the capital.
After researching Media and the wasteland Knox region...
This world matched the geography of the world from her previous life perfectly.
And Knox was a place where enormous oil reserves would be discovered in the future.
