The Tragic Male Lead Chose the Wrong Partner

* * *
Masera stood in front of Cynthia and loaded his pistol.

“Follow Dalia outside.”
Dalia was already exiting the banquet hall, holding Eugene in her arms.
But Cynthia couldn’t follow them.

Beep—
As the echo of the gunshot and the ensuing commotion in the banquet hall faded, a high-pitched ringing filled Cynthia’s ears.
“Ah…”

Her sense of reality blurred and her consciousness drifted.
It was the manifestation of war trauma from her previous life.
She, too, had been a victim of war.

“Cynthia!”
Edford tried to catch her as she staggered and nearly collapsed, but he was immediately shoved aside and landed on his rear.
“Move.”

The voice was cold enough to freeze the air.
Masera’s eyes glinted with murderous intent.
Feeling the pressure, Edford backed away with a frightened face.

As Masera supported Cynthia, he felt her hand gripping the hem of his coat.
She stared up at him with a dazed expression. In her panic, Cynthia was seeing her older brother from her past life in Masera.
Her trembling lips barely moved.

“Oppa, don’t go…”
Was she calling Carlos her older brother? Masera’s brow furrowed deeply.
Whether she had an improper relationship with her real brother or not, it was none of his business. She wasn’t someone he would spend his life with anyway.
“I fell for you at first sight too.”

He knew those words weren’t true.
Yet he couldn’t bear the unpleasant feeling, like a shard of glass lodged deep within, persistently jabbing at him.
Then came her next words, and he felt a strange sense of confusion.

“The air raid siren hasn’t been cleared yet.”
The war had long since ended—why was she talking about an air raid?
Her glazed-over eyes seemed to be looking at another world entirely.

“Don’t leave me alone, please…”
With a voice full of despair, her hands clutched at Masera’s neck as if she were lost in a nightmare.
He didn’t push her away.

“Who are you speaking to?”
There was no answer.
Cynthia’s body went limp as she fainted, and as Masera looked at her, an inexplicable feeling stirred within him.

At that moment—
“Cindy!”
Carlos rushed over and caught the limp Cynthia. Then he locked eyes with Masera, who was still holding her.

Carlos frowned, discomforted by the strange color in Masera’s eyes.
“Colonel, leave Cindy to me and take care of the situation quickly.”
Their gazes clashed, sharp as blades.

Carlos tried to pull Cynthia toward him, but her body didn’t budge.
“You really care about your siblings, Sir Carlos. Like a proper eldest son.”
Masera’s voice was calm, but carried an edge.

He arrogantly raised his chin as he lifted Cynthia in his arms.
“As her husband, I’ll take care of her. You’d best focus on your other sibling.”
Where he gestured with his chin, Edford was sitting pathetically on the floor.

Carlos gritted his teeth and turned away.
‘He dares to act like her husband when it was just a transaction.’
Of course, Carlos had also only used Cynthia as a tool.

But for some reason, his stomach kept burning with jealousy.
When the gun was fired at Cynthia, he had felt as if his heart had dropped.
‘It’s just concern for a borrowed item getting damaged. That’s all it is.’

Trying to rationalize it to himself, Carlos kicked Edford’s butt.
“Stop embarrassing yourself and get up!”
Meanwhile, Helene watched it all with a blank expression.

Her fiancé, the Duke of Recanosa, approached her belatedly.
“Are you all right?”
Helene slowly turned her head and looked at him.

Even if this was a political marriage she had no affection for, in front of all these socialites, shouldn’t he at least pretend to show the care that Colonel Visente did?
And the way he had been staring at Cynthia earlier irked her.
“I’m fine. Are you all right, Your Grace?”

Returning the meaningless courtesy, she looked at the captured members of the Liberty Society.
‘Ignorant common trash.’
With the duke escorting her, Helene narrowed her lips as she stared at the soldiers.

‘Still, we’ve set a good example today. Hopefully this means no lowborn rabble will crash my wedding in the future.’
The only reason the Liberty Society members had been able to get in was thanks to Count Queensguard.
Since she’d continue her social activities in the capital, she expected the Liberty Society would pose a threat—so she planned to use Masera to eliminate them.

‘And perhaps… Colonel Visente was thinking the same.’
Though he probably hadn’t expected they would sneak in guns by avoiding the body search.
* * *

Gasp.
Perhaps because of the disturbing incident, I dreamed of my past life while unconscious, and woke up drenched in cold sweat.
“Were you very startled?”

I looked up at the low voice—and saw Masera, holding me in his arms.
“The war… is it really over?”
The horrors I had experienced in my previous life rose like shadows in my mind. Even though I knew the answer, I asked again.

Hearing my trembling voice, he nodded.
“Yes, it’s been a year since the armistice. Did you dream of the war?”
This world had also only recently ended a large-scale war. I tried to shake off the clinging remnants of the nightmare in my chest.

“How long was I out? What about the engagement ceremony…?”
“Ten minutes.”
Ten minutes? I thought days had passed!

I looked around. It was a guest room near the banquet hall.
He had kindly evacuated me in a princess carry. Was this a tsundere trait?
I felt a little touched and asked,

“Were you… worried about me?”
At that moment, my body suddenly thudded down onto the bed.
Masera had tossed me onto it.

“Yes.”
He loosened his tie and replied with languid eyes.
Pick one—either be kind or be rude!

“For about three seconds.”
Then, he pulled something from his coat and continued in a low voice.
“Until I found out you were quite the skilled liar.”

What he held was the small hand mirror I had used for my trick.
No way—did he figure it out? Does he think even my fainting was a ruse?
His eyes grew colder, and I tensed up with anxiety.

“Whatever your past, or whoever else you may have… I don’t care.”
My past? Don’t tell me he found out who I really am. Did I say something weird while I was unconscious?
I shrank back a little as I watched his terrifyingly stern expression.

“Why are you saying this all of a sudden…”
“Even if you use me like you did today, I won’t mind. It’s mutual, after all.”
Does he think today’s incident was a staged drama between me and the Queensguard family? A ploy to eliminate the Liberty Society, who were a threat?

Considering something like this happened inside such a secure government residence… it probably was the count’s doing.
The servants who followed me must’ve cooperated.
Relieved that he probably hadn’t discovered my real identity, I exhaled softly—but then the bed jolted.

He was now above me, looking down from where I lay.
“But if you keep deceiving me with lies that are bound to be exposed—”
Masera’s eyes, now much closer, had deepened into the color of the setting sun.

He didn’t say what he’d do. Instead, he pressed a cold gun barrel against my forehead—and curved his eyes into a gentle smile.
“So never get caught by me.”
I looked back at him with a pale face.

Even if I fooled the entire world, it would mean nothing if I couldn’t fool this man.
And yet—why did his expression carry not anger, but betrayal?
So long as I didn’t get caught being fake, I could survive.

But that also meant one day, I could be killed by the truth.
This scam will end someday.
And the only thing that could stand against such harsh truth… was genuine sincerity.

Then I’ll become that sincerity for this man.
The hand in my glove reached for his cheek.
I forced a smile—remembering how he had shielded me with his entire body earlier when the gun was fired.

He may hate me, but maybe… just maybe, he likes me 10% now.
“Then… will you keep saving me from now on? Like you did earlier?”
The fact that he went through with an unnecessary engagement probably meant he intended to eliminate threats to me in advance.

In the end, you’ll fall for me.
Just wait, future doormat.
“I won’t forget what you did today…”

Maybe it was the gun still pointed at me, but the words meant to thank him came out sounding like # Nоvеlight # a vow of revenge.
And then—I fainted again.