Translator: Nox

While Others Became Female Leads In Romantic Fantasy Novels, I Became A Closet Monster

Chapter 25

I coached Dedrick from the sidelines.

“Tell her you brought the wrong one. Say you meant to grab a different book but made a mistake, and you were just about to put it back.”

“I simply brought the wrong one. I was just about to return it.”

Dedrick repeated my words exactly. Joanna didn’t hide her disappointment, her shoulders drooping.

“……I see.”

Joanna toyed with the picture book, gathering the courage to speak to him again.

“Don’t put it back—try reading it! This book is really fun!”

“No, thank you. Please leave my room now.”

At such a blunt rejection—bordering on embarrassing—her lips parted as if to speak, then pressed firmly shut.

I watched Joanna with a sense of unease.

If she hadn’t been so obsessed with Dedrick, she would have been quite a decent person.

She was talented, knew her own strengths, and knew how to use them effectively. She was charming enough that, if not for the female lead, one might have thought she and Dedrick would make a good match.

‘If she’s just going to end up loving Didi and falling into despair…….’

It would be better if she didn’t love him at all.

I wished she would just give up on Dedrick now and live her own life.

“This kind of behavior is burdensome.”

When Dedrick cut her off flatly, Joanna’s pupils shook violently.

Somerset glared at Dedrick and snatched Joanna’s wrist.

“Let’s go, Joanna. It’s only because you don’t know him yet. He’s not the great guy you think he is.”

Why the hell is this brat grabbing her arm so recklessly?

Joanna also looked uncomfortable, her brow furrowing. She tried to pull her hand away, but Somerset didn’t let go.

‘I was going to stay quiet, but I can’t let this slide.’

I raised both hands and struck Somerset’s wrist.

Startled by the sudden pain, Somerset let go of Joanna’s wrist.

Joanna quickly took two steps away from him.

“Ow! What—what was that!”

Rubbing his wrist, Somerset looked around frantically.

Ignoring Somerset’s solo performance, Joanna looked at Dedrick and gave a small nod.

“……I’ll come visit properly next time, Dedrick-nim.”

Joanna hadn’t given up.

She shot Somerset a look that said, ‘What is wrong with this guy?’ before gracefully walking out.

Somerset moved to follow her in a hurry, then stopped to bark a warning at Dedrick.

“You, don’t you ever meet Joanna again. If I see you two together one more time, you’re dead!”

“I’m the one who’s going to kill you!”

I screamed at the top of my lungs.

He couldn’t hear me anyway, but doing this was the only way to feel even slightly relieved.

Silence settled once the two whirlwinds had left.

Dedrick glanced at me, locked the door, and then stood before me.

“It’s a misunderstanding.”

“When did you meet her?”

“……Briefly at dawn while I was exercising. But I told her not to act like she knew me and came back immediately.”

“Hmm.”

“It’s true, nothing happened.”

Dedrick explained the whole story to me. I stood slightly on my tiptoes and swept his bangs back.

“……Wh-why?”

I looked up at his face, which had flushed red in an instant, and nodded to myself.

“Your face was the plot hole…….”

I couldn’t see it properly when his bangs covered his eyes, but his beauty was definitely radiant.

Plus, with his voice being so nice, he fit Joanna’s ‘Prince Charming’ image perfectly.

Young or old, falling for a face is just like in the novels.

“Didi, you’re handsome. Your bangs must have parted while you were running and revealed your face. I think she fell for you at first sight.”

He was already striking, but lately, perhaps because he was eating well, his beauty was in full bloom.

Moreover, since he’d started exercising, his muscles were…….

‘Can running alone do this?’

In the quiet room, the sound of Dedrick gulping echoed. I stopped massaging his firm arm and looked up at him.

Dedrick hurriedly covered his mouth with his hand and jerked his head to the side.

“Th-that……. Ah, should I start wearing a mask?”

“A mask?”

“……If my face is handsome, I thought it might be better if others couldn’t see it.”

“What are you talking about! First impressions are so important. You should show off your pretty face, Didi.”

“I don’t like getting tangled up with people like that for no reason.”

Hmm. If I left it alone, things might get complicated.

It was definitely better for him to stay out of sight until he became an adult.

‘The age limit for Herba Academy is up to eighteen.’

The exact age before becoming a legal adult.

So, if he just stayed careful until he turned nineteen, he would be safe from the risk of being sent away to Herba Academy.

……What to do.

As I was lost in thought, Dedrick gently cupped my cheek.

“……What are you thinking about?”

“About hiding Didi away so only I can see you…….”

I was joking, but he looked genuinely happy.

“I’d like that.”

Imprisonment isn’t a good thing, child…….

“Anyway, what do I do now?”

“About Joanna Primrose.”

That was certainly a concern.

Somerset was already a ball of inferiority when it came to Dedrick.

He was so consumed by it that he frequently committed stupid acts without thinking of the consequences.

If Joanna had fallen for Dedrick earlier than expected, Somerset’s tyranny might grow worse by the day.

Somerset’s unrequited love was quite formidable.

So he shouldn’t get involved with Joanna, but I wasn’t sure how to handle it.

“Ah……. Well.”

“What if she keeps coming to see me until she leaves?”

“That wouldn’t be good.”

It was very troublesome. The Grand Duchess liked Joanna quite a bit.

“Right? It wouldn’t be good, would it?”

With a strangely bright expression, he squeezed my hand and asked.

“Yeah, it’s not good. Hmm, then how about rejecting her clearly?”

I could only think of a firm rejection.

Since she hadn’t fallen too deep yet.

And actually, seeing her in person, she seemed like a decent, reasonable girl. Polite and well-spoken.

She was definitely too good for Somerset.

The reason she was portrayed as such a reckless villainess in the novel might have been because she was influenced by Somerset.

It was a reasonable suspicion. Somerset was a guy who was helpful to no one.

“And while we’re at it, we can break her fantasy of you…….”

If she wanted a prince, we could just show her that Dedrick wasn’t one.

“Break her fantasy?”

I spoke with a playful smile.

“Like picking your nose or something…….”

“I’ll do it.”

No, I was just kidding.

He was so serious it made my joke feel awkward. I wiped the sheepish grin off my face and shook my head.

“No. I think it’ll be fine if you reject her clearly and don’t see her until she goes back.”

Even if Joanna didn’t change her mind, this whole incident would have already reached the Grand Duchess’s ears.

In that case, she would try to find ways to bring Joanna and Somerset closer together. If even that didn’t work, she would kick Joanna out as soon as possible.

And she would never invite Joanna to the Grand Duke’s Castle again.

There was no way the Grand Duchess would do anything that benefited Dedrick.

“Then can I pick my nose?”

How did we reach that conclusion?

“You don’t have to……. I just said it.”

“But if you tell me to, I will.”

Do I look so mean that I’d make you do such a thing?

---

Dedrick couldn’t sleep.

His precious monster said it was fine, but he felt sorry for causing unnecessary trouble.

‘Still…… she didn’t like the idea of me being paired with Joanna Primrose.’

That made him happy. It felt as though the girl had claimed him as hers.

Above all, she had said she wanted to hide him away. So only she could see him.

Recalling those words, Dedrick buried his reddening face in his palms.

His whole body felt too hot, but he felt good.

‘I want to be closer.’

Licking his dry lips, Dedrick glanced sideways at the wardrobe.

After a moment of hesitation, he grabbed his pillow and knocked on the wardrobe.

“Yes, there is a monster inside the wardrobe.”

Dedrick gave a low laugh and nudged the door open.

Seeing the girl looking up at him from a lying position, Dedrick climbed inside.

“Is something wrong?”

“I’m scared to sleep alone. Let’s sleep together.”

“Huh?”

As the girl looked bewildered, Dedrick hugged his pillow tight and watched her reaction.

Clutching her sleeve with one hand, he asked cautiously.

“……Are you going to kick me out?”

If you ask so cutely, I can’t kick you out.

Above all, I had already declared this wardrobe our hideout, so I couldn’t exactly evict him.

“No.”

The wardrobe was quite large, so it wasn’t uncomfortable.

The only problem was his legs.

I glanced at his awkwardly bent legs.

They say children grow fast, but Dedrick really was getting bigger by the day.

Though he was still small compared to others his age.

“You can’t stretch your legs out, can you? It must be uncomfortable.”

Since I was a closet monster, I didn’t mind not stretching my legs.

“It’s not uncomfortable.”

I looked at Dedrick curiously, wondering why he was being so stubborn today, but he seemed strangely excited.

There was no reason to push him out, so I nodded.

As I lay down, resting my head on his large pillow, he carefully reached out and took my hand.