Eventually, the Female Lead Ran Away (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 2
Deborah could not recall the name she had before becoming “Deborah.”
Though Deborah couldn’t even remember that short name, she retained vague impressions of the life she’d lived, the useful knowledge gained from that world, and the kind of wisdom only direct experience could reveal.
Thus, the story Deborah remembered—“the tale where Zen is the male protagonist”—was merely a fragment of the knowledge she possessed.
Deborah seemed to have read many stories before becoming “Deborah.”
“I don’t recall precisely…”
In any case, the most intense and unsettling story she’d read was titled, “Now No One Can Leave My Side.”
Dia Blaise, the only daughter of a fallen noble house, meets Zen Baker, a foreign bourgeois man. For some reason, he harbors a deep hatred toward Duke of Verrain and makes a proposition to Dia that sounds more like a threat.
“Become my wife. Become the blooming flower of this damned high society—so I can strut freely. In return, I’ll pay off every debt your family owes.”
To enter the conservative Grosian high society, Zen, a foreigner, needed a wife of noble birth. Moreover, to climb higher, he needed a title.
To him, Dia was a suitable match. She was beautiful, and despite her family’s lack of wealth, she belonged to the venerable House of Count Blaise.
Moreover, since Dia was an only child, by marrying her and having a child, Zen would automatically become Count Blaise under the kingdom’s laws.
Dia feared Zen’s arrogance and harshness, but her mother, desperate to escape crushing poverty, pressured her relentlessly—and Dia finally resigned herself to her fate.
Zen, always preoccupied, held the wedding ceremony immediately upon Dia’s arrival in Dover, the capital.
The dazzling yet uncomfortable wedding dress, the beautiful but heavy ring she’d never wear again—everything seemed to foreshadow Dia’s future.
As soon as the wedding ended, Dia had to endure numerous lessons.
“You can’t possibly attend a formal banquet or party looking like that. One word from you, and everyone’ll know you’re utterly ignorant.”
“……”
“I don’t have time. Learn to be a proper lady as quickly as possible. If you can’t truly become one, at least fake it.”
While Dia struggled through this overwhelming training, news spread that Duke of Verrain would attend an upcoming ball. Seizing the opportunity, Zen brought Dia to the event—and her misfortune accelerated from that moment onward.
The nobles hounded Dia. Not only them, but even her governess and the ladies’ maids who helped dress her mentally tormented Dia as well.
Thus, provincial Dia suffered wounds both outside and within the Baker household. Yet, instead of offering comfort, Zen only treated her coldly.
Then one day, Dia discovered Zen’s secret—could it be true that he was Duke of Verrain’s illegitimate child?
In Zen, Dia saw the image of an abandoned child. How could anyone hate a child who stared at the world with eyes full of pain?
“He’s just in so much pain and suffering. That’s why… that’s why he cries out like this.”
Dia wished she could at least offer him a small measure of comfort, even if she couldn’t truly save him.
It didn’t take long for Dia’s sympathy to turn into love. And love kept breeding desire.
“If I try even harder, will he smile at me? Even if it’s far in the future—even just a little—will he ever learn to love me?”
But Zen only made “efforts” to produce an heir to secure his position as Count Blaise. He never gave Dia his heart.
And from that loveless, bitter act, no child came. Was that fortune… or misfortune?
On a day when Dia’s anxiety deepened, a woman appeared, claiming to carry Zen’s child.
Overwhelmed by despair, Dia finally abandoned both her love for Zen and her sense of duty to her family—and fled.
But Zen was not the sort to let what was his escape. He hunted Dia relentlessly, to the ends of the earth, until he finally found her.
Grabbing her wrist and glaring with bloodshot eyes, Zen declared:
“I don’t care if you’ve been with another man—even if you’re carrying his child. You’re mine. I bought you. And I won’t let anyone else take what’s mine. Never again.”
Thus, Dia was locked away in a lightless room of the Baker estate, enduring horrifying days.
As Dia grew thinner, Zen told her that if she couldn’t bear his child, he would pass off that woman’s child as hers.
“What did you say? Then what about the child’s mother?”
“I’ll just get rid of that worthless woman.”
“You… you’d separate a mother from her child?!”
“And you worry about her in this situation? How saintly of you.”
With a face colder than ice—and hands even chillier—he grasped Dia’s gaunt cheeks and said:
“All I have left is revenge. What wouldn’t I do for it?”
At the very moment Dia despaired, the story ended—with the implication that Zen’s vengeance would continue.
Deborah stared quietly at the book, now filled only with blank pages. Though the story had ended, their misery surely hadn’t. Likely not until death—and perhaps not even then.
Deborah swallowed a sigh. The feelings she’d had while reading mattered little now. What mattered was the man standing before her—he was the protagonist of that tale.
Arrogant, despicable trash who didn’t even know how to love someone.
Ironically, because Zen was exactly that kind of man, Deborah had never imagined—not even for a moment—that he could possibly be her interviewer.
“True, his tone was arrogant, but he still used polite speech.”
In the story, Zen might have spoken harshly, but his actions always carried grace—careful never to give anyone cause for criticism. But just now, he’d gulped down water with absolutely no trace of elegance.
“That’s exactly why I was certain it couldn’t possibly be Zen.”
Yet here she was, interviewing him in person.
And what was that look he was giving her? He stared desperately at Deborah, his expression still incredulous.
“…Mr. and Mrs. Heather returned to their home country eight years ago. Were you also in the capital until eight years ago?”
Zen’s trembling voice sounded like a pleading gesture. It was Deborah’s startled reply that grasped his voice floating helplessly in the air.
“No. I left the capital earlier due to some matters. That was already ten years ago.”
At those words, Zen’s eyes reddened like a child clutching someone’s hand tightly.
“Th—”
As Zen stepped toward Deborah, he forgot his own size and bumped into a partition, toppling it over.
Crash! At the sudden noise, Deborah clutched her chest and flinched. Why did he keep crashing into things in this spacious place?
“…Ah.”
Zen anxiously checked on Deborah, then quickly surveyed his surroundings. There were broken cups, overturned tables, and the fallen partition—utter chaos.
“Damn it.”
He muttered under his breath, running his fingers irritably through his hair before hastily lowering his hand.
“…I’ll step out briefly. Please wait here.”
Zen’s beautiful golden eyes trembled uncontrollably as he spoke, his Adam’s apple bobbing like a nervous man’s, beads of sweat forming on his handsome brow.
“Yes?”
“I’ll be back very soon—truly, in just a moment. So please stay right here.”
“I….”
“You absolutely must not leave. Not until I return. Absolutely not.”
Zen stared intensely at Deborah as he spoke. Though his tone was stubborn and domineering, Deborah strangely felt as though he were begging her. Without realizing it, she found herself nodding.
“Yes.”
At that short reply, part of Zen’s urgency evaporated along with the cold sweat on his skin.
“Then… excuse me.”
Zen hurriedly left. Alone in the suddenly wrecked room, Deborah opened her mouth slightly.
“Huh?”
What on earth was happening? Meeting the male protagonist of that dreadful story was shocking enough—but what was this incomprehensible behavior Zen had just displayed?
“It’s as if a storm just tore through here.”
But storms don’t block the path of those trying to leave. Because of this, her schedule was now disrupted.
“I wanted to leave right away.”
Though the room was now in disarray, in the quiet space, Deborah closed her eyes tightly and pondered.
Why was the male lead clinging to Deborah? Just why?
No matter how hard she thought, no plausible answer came to mind. Only her heart grew more troubled.
[This is the timeline separator]Crash! Bang! After the noise repeated several times, the footman was already thoroughly startled.
What was going on? Had his ill-tempered employer caused some kind of accident? If so, what should he do? Should he go in and intervene? Or should he stay here and silence the frustrated interviewees?
The footman couldn’t choose either option. Even if he’d been given more time, he likely wouldn’t have made a good decision.
Then his employer appeared before him. His hair was slightly disheveled, his clothes wrinkled—utterly unlike his usual self, who maintained elegance even when irritated.
“You there.”
Zen exhaled sharply and called to the footman. The footman, tensed to the point his shoulder muscles knotted, quickly responded.
“Yes.”
“Send everyone here away.”
“Do you mean… you’re ending the interviews?”
“Yes. So move right no—”
He cut himself off, covering his mouth with his large hand. After frowning momentarily, he lowered his hand and said,
“No, never mind that. Stay here and make sure the lady inside doesn’t leave. Not even a single step. Understand?”
The footman struggled to comprehend the situation. But understanding was a luxury he couldn’t afford. After all, he only ever had one acceptable answer.
“Yes. Understood.”
“I’ll be back soon.”
Zen, rubbing his face vigorously, turned to leave—but then turned back to the footman once more to add,
“Apart from letting her leave, grant her anything she asks for. I won’t tolerate even the slightest rudeness. Understood?”
“Yes. I’ll keep that in mind.”
The footman replied without showing his tension. Zen glared into the footman’s eyes for a moment, then strode off quickly with his long legs.
Watching his employer’s retreating back, the footman thought,
“Why give such an order? The person inside is clearly a commoner.”
Though bourgeois were technically commoners, a vast gap still existed between ordinary commoners and the bourgeois—just as a great wall remained between bourgeois and nobles.
And for someone usually so indifferent to care this much about another person…
“What on earth is going on?”
He wanted to scratch his head in confusion, but just then, one of the interviewees approached and spoke to him.
“Excuse me.”
“Oh!”
The footman braced himself, expecting the interviewee to vent frustration over the recent commotion and long wait.
“What should I say…?”
The interview had been suspended, so he couldn’t just vaguely tell them to keep waiting. As he agonized over an answer that wouldn’t cause trouble later, the interviewee covered her flushed face with her hands and asked shyly,
“Was… was the gentleman who just came out Mr. Baker?”
“Ah. Yes.”
“Oh my! I see. Thank you for your answer.”
The woman smiled bashfully, bowed politely to the footman, and returned to her seat—then quietly chatted with the interviewee beside her.
Judging by her flushed cheeks and happy chatter, she was certainly talking about Zen.
Watching the small groups whispering among themselves, the footman sighed.
“The influence of my master’s beauty is truly formidable. I’m always astonished myself—imagine how those seeing him for the first time must feel.”
With that face and immense wealth, how blissful his life must be.
He’d likely never known the feeling of longing for something his whole life.
“I’m envious. So envious.”
Male lead is reincarnated to save his wife
I’ve also read this one twice already. The female lead is kinda soft and gets embarrassed easily—not really my type, but the plot is definitely worth reading. Hurry up and read it, y’all!
Intro
When Shen Yuan encountered Su Jin again in his previous life, she had already become the Prime Minister of the current dynasty. As for him, the former top young master of the capital, he had long since fallen into the abyss, becoming a singer on a pleasure boat.
After a song ended, he was redeemed and sent to the Su Residence.
Su Jin respected and cherished him, gave him a roof over his head, and bestowed him with warmth. Shen Yuan fell deeper and deeper, but before he could express his feelings, Su Jin passed away.
Shen Yuan died to follow her in death, but instead, he returned to when he was fifteen years old.
At that time, he was not yet engaged, and Su Jin was just a poor scholar.
Shen Yuan gritted his teeth, casting aside all his pride, and thought of ways to coax and entice her every day.
The colder and more indifferent Su Jin was towards him, the more proactive Shen Yuan became.
He was not afraid of being mocked by the world, only wanting to marry his Wife-master early, to hold her hand and never let go for a lifetime.
[Note: This story will not specifically point out the male lead’s reincarnation time point; it’s all in the details. Whenever you feel that the male lead is acting strangely, he has most likely been reincarnated.]
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
MANGA DISCUSSION
1 Comment
Chapter Comments (5)
He’s arrogant. Asked someone past like he didn’t care about the other person feelings
Her smile was as faint as a single drop of dye in a clear bottle of water.
I like the FL. She’s so calm and serene
Then she didn’t remember him at all? She said her maiden name was ‘baker’ and the ml was zen baker.
YOUR COMMENT
2. Inline comments are now available. Tap the end of any line in a chapter to share your thoughts instantly.
Log in to comment.
Blairwoods
Dang! That was the OG plot? Gurl, never blame OG female lead if she ran away.