The Tragic Male Lead Chose the Wrong Partner

Many harbored resentment toward the Bariesa royal family because of the war.
Naturally, Cynthia became a target of contempt.
Behind her back, people referred to her as nothing more than “Masera’s war trophy”—a war orphan who’d clawed her way to the top.

“I’ll turn around and cover my eyes. Draw something simple, and I’ll try to guess what it is.”
Cynthia set down her champagne glass and handed the pen and paper to the congressman.
The man let out a hearty laugh as he accepted them.

“Ha ha, come now… isn’t this just a children’s game?”
“You were the one who asked to see the royal family’s special abilities, weren’t you?”
Cynthia replied with a distant look in her eyes, her words crisp and clear.

“I’d simply read your mind, but I’m worried about your privacy. It’s gotten me in trouble before—exposing affairs or crimes people were trying to hide.”
The congressman’s face stiffened slightly.
Cynthia’s lips curved faintly as she noted the change in his expression.

There’s no such thing as a spotless, scandal-free politician. Especially one who’s made it this far—they’re likely opportunistic by nature.
Without giving him a chance to speak, she smoothly launched into her story.
“I don’t remember my early childhood. Maybe the trauma of losing my family when the royal house was dissolved left me that way. Whatever the reason, I began developing a sort of heightened intuition. When I look at someone’s expression, tone, or behavior—I can usually tell what they’re thinking.”

Gasps of sympathy rippled through the crowd. Several guests consciously avoided her gaze.
Cynthia turned around and covered her eyes with both hands.
“But now, I don’t even need to observe. I just know. It’s like hearing without sound, seeing without sight. Isn’t that fascinating?”

She spoke like a born storyteller.
The audience was entirely absorbed by her calm voice and deliberate delivery.
“Now, go ahead and draw.”
All eyes shifted from Cynthia to the congressman.

He set down his champagne glass and, feeling the weight of the stares, began to draw on the paper.
“You’re done, right?”
The moment he lifted the pen, Cynthia’s voice rang out.

Still turned away, she said,
“A snowman. Am I right? I thought maybe it was a standing caterpillar at first—but then I saw you drew a carrot for the nose.”
A murmur of surprise swept through the guests.

At the end of their gazes was the drawing of a snowman on the page.
“Y-yes, that’s right.”
Beads of sweat instantly formed on the congressman’s forehead. Goosebumps broke out along his neck.

“How… how did you do that? It can’t be a trick… reading thoughts, that is…”
Cynthia smiled as she listened to his trembling voice.
In her palm was a small, round hand mirror.

‘Every word I said was a lie I crafted to build belief.’
She’d used a simple trick she once saw on a magic program in her past life—pretending to cover her eyes, she’d glimpsed the drawing through the mirror in her hand.
The whole thing reminded her of the Bariesa royal family’s long tradition of deception.

The false divinity, the brainwashing—it was no different from a cult.
That had always been the so-called “special ability” of the royal family.
The congressman dabbed at his sweat with a handkerchief, his gaze drifting aimlessly.

He consciously avoided meeting Cynthia’s eyes.
“Amazing. Like a supernatural gift.”
Lifting his champagne, the congressman squinted in a forced attempt at composure.

“It’s nothing special. Everyone has their own unique talents, right? This is just one of mine. Oh—and another thing. I’m…”
Cynthia flashed a sly grin.
“Pretty lucky.”

“Ah yes, the legendary Frost Queen of the Bariesa line was called the Goddess of Fortune, wasn’t she?”
The politician laughed awkwardly and downed the champagne in one long gulp.
Cynthia’s eyes widened as she looked at him.

“But… that was my glass…”
And then—
CRASH!

“Urgh, nghh!”
The congressman dropped the glass and clutched his throat, groaning in agony.
His bloodshot eyes locked onto Cynthia with fury.

“You damned wench—how the hell did you know and switch the glasses?!”
“Excuse me? You’re the one who picked it up, you lunatic. Are you saying I was supposed to drink that?”
Since he spoke informally, she matched his tone.

Was it poison?
Cynthia blinked in confusion, but the man, summoning his last strength, screamed,
“You filthy Bariesa trash, disgrace of the world! You think we don’t see through your scheme to revive the monarchy?! Khh—!”

He vomited blood and collapsed to the floor amid horrified screams.
Elsewhere among the crowd, a brown-haired man narrowed his eyes at the fallen congressman.
‘I told him no assassinations! Not only did he poison it—he drank it himself?!’

He glanced at Cynthia, who wore an utterly innocent expression.
‘Shit. Who the hell is this woman? It’s like she knew everything from the start!’
They were members of the Freedom Assembly, determined to prevent the monarchy’s return.

Their target was Cynthia.
They had planned to kidnap her and use her as leverage against both the Queensguard family and Masera.
The estate was usually too well guarded, so the engagement party—with so many outsiders present—had been their best opportunity.

Though Cynthia didn’t know it, they had tried multiple times to abduct her during the banquet.
They tried spilling a drink on her dress to lure her outside, but she suddenly spun and spilled it on someone else instead.
They tried tripping her and pretending to help her up and lead her away, but she abruptly turned, causing the would-be assailant to fall.

Eventually, they changed plans.
“We’ll have to send her to the hospital.”
That was when they crawled through the ceiling and dropped the chandelier—but she moved just in time.

The assassination attempt by poisoning had also failed, thanks to the congressman’s idiocy.
“Seal all exits and search everyone.”
At Masera’s signal, soldiers began moving in perfect coordination.

The banquet hall doors were all locked down.
At that moment, a young man suddenly shouted,
“Royalty must be erased from this world! We will fight to the end!”

Panicked and impulsive, another member of the Freedom Assembly made his move.
‘What the hell is that idiot doing?! Does he want to get caught, tortured, and killed?! This group is a mess!’
The brown-haired man slipped deeper into the crowd, his face stiff with panic.

Their opponent was Brigadier Visente.
If he were caught, his entire bloodline would be exterminated—no question.
BANG!

Suddenly, the young man fired a hidden pistol at Cynthia.
Screams rang out in all directions.
Cynthia instinctively shut her eyes and ducked. At the same time, someone wrapped their arms around her.

TING!
“Gahhh!”
A loud ricochet rang out—followed by a man’s scream.

The brown-haired man clutched his side in agony.
By sheer coincidence, the bullet had missed Cynthia and hit the man hiding in the crowd.
Trembling, Cynthia cautiously opened her eyes and met Masera’s gaze.

“Why did you…”

At that moment, Masera, still holding her with one arm, raised a gun toward the shooter.

“What the hell… is she a demon? How did even the bullet miss her?”
The stunned young man stood frozen in Masera’s sights.
BANG!

The gunshot echoed. The young man dropped to the ground.
“She’s the goddess of luck… ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ the one who stood with the Bariesa dynasty. The goddess’s blessing is real…”
Someone spoke with a dazed expression.

It was a sight no one could believe: every stroke of misfortune had narrowly missed Cynthia.
Journalists hidden beneath the tables scrambled to write.
 

「The Royal Family’s Special Power: Is the Frost Queen—who once dodged thousands of arrows—Reborn?
Coincidence, or the return of an ancient legend?」
 

This was the first event that deceived the entire world.
And the moment when Cynthia’s unprecedented fraud began.