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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 49
Chapter Title: The Ruined Male Lead Picked the Wrong Opponent
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* * *
The cold war between Cynthia and Masera had begun.
The people at the residence couldn't possibly fail to notice the chill between them.
"They fought, didn't they?"
"Yeah, they did."
The servants nodded knowingly, glancing around cautiously.
"Newlyweds fight a lot, that's normal."
The elderly butler, Milchenko, looked at the two with a pitying gaze.
The pair didn't speak to each other or even share meals. They treated one another indifferently, like strangers living under the same roof.
Masera had expected Cynthia to chatter away with her usual bright smile as if nothing had happened, but she treated him like he was invisible.
She flashed her sunny smile at everyone but him.
'I might have been too harsh. But I wasn't wrong.'
Masera glanced out the window at Cynthia happily making a snowman with Eugene.
The hurt expression on her face from that day kept flashing in his mind, stirring pangs of guilt.
"Still, you were too harsh. You don't even know everything about me."
He'd thought he knew it all.
Then he spotted Cynthia waving cheerfully at someone.
It was Major Isaac Rodriguez.
The thorn in his side, Major Rodriguez, had been approaching Cynthia more frequently lately.
And that rabbit brooch he wore on his uniform every day—wasn't that the one Cynthia bought during their honeymoon?
'A soldier wearing something like that.'
He couldn't hear their conversation, but from their expressions and gestures, it looked like Rodriguez was suggesting the three of them go out together.
"What schemes does he have?"
As a direct subordinate of Brigadier General Steve, who always picked fights with him, Major Rodriguez was not to be trusted. It had nothing to do with anything else; that was simply why he irked him.
Cynthia had a habit of making big gestures when she was excited, and based on what he'd roughly observed so far, it seemed they needed to buy materials to build a cat house.
She'd tried making one alone twice and failed both times.
Soon after Cynthia entered the residence, she emerged bundled up warmly with Eugene in tow. Her laborious steps made her look like one of the legendary dwarven gnomes from folklore.
'Sending them off to a snowball fight or something?'
Masera frowned as he watched Cynthia and Eugene climb into Major Rodriguez's car.
"As if I don't know what that major's after. Why does she trust people so easily?"
Moments later, Diego entered after a knock, his eyes widening.
"Brigadier General, where are you off to?"
Masera was draping a serious-looking overcoat over his shoulders.
* * *
The afternoon after the snow had stopped.
Cynthia headed to the shopping district with Major Rodriguez and Eugene. Dalia came along too.
Umbrella in hand, Cynthia held Eugene's hand and crunched through the piled-up snow in the middle of the street.
Eugene was heavily armed with a scarf, pompom hat, thick coat, and bear paw gloves—a far cry from his preference for simple, monochromatic gentleman's suits.
In the past, he would have rejected the colorful clownish outfit, but today he meekly let Cynthia dress him.
"Eugene, you know what this is? It's snow piled up for people who love snow to step on."
"……."
Crunch. Eugene stepped on the neatly piled snow with one foot. His cheeks and nose, reddened by the cold, were utterly adorable.
Major Rodriguez couldn't understand why they were stepping on snow with such excited faces.
"Isn't the street lovely? I wanted to show you."
Major Rodriguez smiled kindly, holding Eugene's other hand.
"It is. I haven't been out lately, so I didn't realize. It's so pretty. Thank you, Major."
The place had Christmas too, and the snow-covered streets were decked out in festive colors.
"You've both seemed down lately, Eugene and you too, Lady Cynthia. I thought a change of scenery might help. I've even booked a nice restaurant."
"Dalia and I eat a lot. Can you handle it?"
At Cynthia's words, the major nodded as if to say not to worry.
"I have no real place to spend money anyway. Eat as much as you like."
Dalia, who had as much pride in her eating as Cynthia, grinned slyly.
"Eugene, a gift."
After stopping at a small shop, Cynthia handed Eugene a notebook and pen.
"Even if it's short, write me a letter whenever you feel like it."
Eugene stared blankly at the notebook, then scribbled something and held it out.
Cynthia leaned down with an expectant face and looked at the notebook.
Hurry up and pick stuff out. I want to go home and take off this clown outfit.
'Still as prickly as ever.'
"Lady Cynthia, shall we check out that shop over there?"
Dalia pointed to a baby goods store.
Seeing Eugene's face stiffen, Cynthia vigorously shook her head. She guessed that the idea of a child between her and Masera was Eugene's source of anxiety.
Instead, she pointed to the toy store next door.
"Eugene, want to look at toys?"
I'm not a kid.
"I'm buying for myself? Planning to put it in your room. Adults hate being teased, so they make excuses about kids to buy their own stuff. Everyone does it."
It was then, as they headed to the toy store with Eugene.
Weeeeeng—
A siren like an air raid warning blared loudly through the streets.
"What is it?"
The major, following behind them, looked around in alarm.
Then he sensed something off about Cynthia, who stood frozen with a blank expression, like her soul had fled her body.
"Lady Cynthia?"
Boom—!
A massive explosion roared from a nearby factory. The shockwave shook surrounding buildings and streetlights.
Having recently endured war, the terror of bombing triggered screams among the crowd.
"Lady Cynthia! It's dangerous!"
The major shouted amid the panicking crowd surging back toward them. He tried to push through the receding tide of people, but it was tough going.
Meanwhile, Dalia and the major's voices didn't reach the dazed Cynthia.
Ring—
Tinnitus ebbed and flowed, her vision blurred, and panic and hallucinations crashed over her.
The hallucination instantly transported her to the heart of an air raid barrage. Like sleep paralysis while standing, her body wouldn't move.
"……Where was the air raid shelter again."
The fighter planes flying in formation overhead were unnaturally vivid for a hallucination.
Cynthia scanned her black-and-white surroundings and spotted Eugene amid the fleeing crowd, clutching his head and crouching.
Eugene, a survivor of air raids himself, harbored immense fear of the sirens.
Cynthia recalled Masera's voice from when she'd panicked over fireworks on their honeymoon.
"It's okay."
It's okay. The war is over.
Trembling, Cynthia muttered it to herself over and over like a mantra.
"The war is over, the war is over, the air raid warning has been lifted……."
She struggled to push away the roaring engines filling her head and the whistling bombs raining like meteors.
Then she saw a signboard, struck by debris from the factory, about to fall.
Eugene was crouched beneath it.
"Eugene!"
Cynthia shoved through the crowd and embraced him.
Eugene stared at her with a pale face.
She actually resembled his mother a lot.
The glowing white hair, the tearfully gentle face, the warm embrace and sweet scent.
Tears welled up in the child's light green eyes. The last image of his mother overlapped and seared into his memory.
And behind her, Masera came running desperately.
He enveloped the two of them, just like Eugene's father had back then.
"Our baby, you have to survive."
Eugene's parents had shielded him from the bombing, saving his life, only to die on the spot.
Clang—!
An iron signboard crashed down perilously close to the three, bouncing away.
Eugene buried his face in Cynthia's chest. His small, quivering lips parted.
"……Mom, Dad."
His choked voice broke as he threw his head back and burst into loud sobs.
"Mom, Dad, don't leave me! Waaah!"
