Eventually, the Female Lead Ran Away (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 5
Deborah furrowed her brow and tilted her head slightly as she asked,
“Hm?”
Zen crossed his long legs with grace and parted his lips, which curled arrogantly.
“I intend to hire you—no, I’ve already hired you.”
“Hired me all of a sudden?”
“Sudden? I decided just now. Surely you noticed the long queue in the corridor has vanished completely?”
Deborah stared at the arrogant curve of his lips and gently soothed herself.
‘Calm down. There’s no need to get worked up. Just speak slowly.’
Regaining her composure quickly, Deborah opened her mouth.
“Mr. Baker, as you can see, I’m not the right person for a personal maid.”
By nature, a personal maid had to be sensitive to fashion and exceptionally beautiful.
The maids noble families desired might be older, but they possessed ample experience, connections, and abundant knowledge—whether amusing or awkward—about noble society.
If one hadn’t reached such a level, it was better to hire a young personal maid accustomed to change, especially now—a time when fashion shifted more rapidly than ever.
But Deborah fit neither category. Her appearance might be passable, but that was all.
She was neither a seasoned maid familiar with trends and nobility nor a young maid likely to respond keenly to fashion. Moreover, she was a widow who would wear mourning clothes for the next year.
Was there truly any reason to hire such a woman?
‘None whatsoever.’
Reorganizing her thoughts once more, Deborah spoke.
“There must be many better candidates than me. Are you really willing to overlook them?”
“Huh. None I’ve seen so far.”
“Among those you haven’t interviewed yet, surely someone will satisfy you, Mr. Baker.”
“Hmm. From what I skimmed earlier, they all seemed about the same.”
Zen met Deborah’s quietly gleaming eyes without flinching, even adding an amused smile.
“…I’ll say again—I’m simply not the right—”
“Whether you’re right or not is for me to decide.”
His golden eyes gleamed hotly—the very gaze of a predator fixated on its prey.
Swallowing a sigh, Deborah said,
“Mr. Baker, please understand my position.”
“Hmm. I’m not sure I understand what your position is.”
“I’m very inadequate.”
“The Marchioness of Forea’s letter was filled with praise for you. If you belittle yourself like this, won’t it insult the judgment of the Marchioness of Forea—or rather, your ‘Lady Saint’? Is that really alright?”
Deborah’s lips parted slightly in surprise, then closed again. Zen glanced briefly at her twitching lips before shifting his gaze to his teacup and continued,
“In any case…”
Zen took a sip of tea—perhaps to steady his nerves.
“You’ve had your interview, and I’ve chosen the candidate I like. I’ve already wrapped up the entire interview schedule. Now you say you don’t want the job? Then I’d have to gather candidates again and waste more of my precious time. Who’s going to bear that loss?”
Zen spoke coolly. Trying not to be outdone, Deborah deliberately made a pitiful, troubled expression.
Inside, she wanted to shout, ‘You should bear that loss—you dismissed all the candidates on a whim without even finishing the interviews!’
‘Frankly, I didn’t expect him to go this far. Is he really so desperate for me he’d resort to coercion? Probably not.’
Zen always took only the very best. Even Dia, though lacking in many abilities, had the most beautiful face in the entire kingdom—plus excellent bloodline.
‘Why can’t this man let go of someone as flawed as me?’
Deborah’s mind was in chaos. Yet she couldn’t just stay silent.
“Mr. Baker.”
“Please speak.”
Deborah belonged to the weaker class in this world, yet she was wise. She knew better than anyone that in ‘ordinary circumstances,’ even when wronged, bowing one’s head was the easier path.
But she wasn’t the type to be swept away helplessly without saying a word. She had to struggle to escape.
“No matter the interview result, I must return to Lady Saint—that won’t change.”
Deborah’s eyes shone with unwavering resolve as she spoke.
If Deborah were an ordinary successful candidate, she’d have to return home to pack her belongings and hand over her previous duties—that was only common sense.
Of course, once back, Deborah intended to beg Lady Saint not to take this position, and if necessary, even considered running away entirely.
‘I hope it won’t come to that.’
Deborah acted so stubbornly because Zen and Dia’s story had been truly horrifying. Could she possibly stand by and watch it all unfold with her own eyes? She didn’t trust herself to bear it.
Just then, Zen raised one beautifully arched eyebrow and asked,
“Do you truly have a reason to undertake such a long journey?”
“I still need to pack my belongings, don’t I?”
“I’ll send someone to fetch them.”
“I have many precious things—items I can’t entrust to others…”
“I’ll have someone even more meticulous than you bring every speck of dust. Don’t worry.”
Deborah was flabbergasted—she hadn’t expected the conversation to go so poorly.
‘How can he be so utterly willful!’
Her head throbbed, but she showed no sign of it.
“But shouldn’t I at least bid farewell to Lady Saint?”
Mirroring her smile, Zen smiled too—though certainly not a peaceful one.
“That will be arranged as well.”
Deborah, who had answered smoothly until now, finally frowned.
Watching her pupils, Zen paused in thought.
Deborah Johnson—or Deborah Baker—was ordinary in name and cursed with a common surname, yet her black hair and eyes were anything but ordinary.
Brown might be common, but hair as pitch-black as hers was exceedingly rare—and thus all the more captivating.
Perhaps her late husband used to lovingly clutch that black hair and kiss her lips. And each time, Deborah might have lowered the tips of her eyebrows with a reluctant smile.
“…”
Zen’s grip tightened sharply. If he’d been holding a teacup just then, it would have shattered into pitiful dust.
“…Deborah.”
Despite his fierce expression, his voice calling her name was beautiful.
To her, who blinked quietly, Zen declared firmly,
“Regrettably, you cannot leave. Not ever.”
[This is the timeline separator]Recalling the look in Zen’s eyes as he’d said those words, Deborah shook her head, her shoulders twitching as if startled.
“Good grief.”
Why was Zen so fixated on her? If she was at fault, it was only for attending the interview—and even that hadn’t gone particularly well.
‘Could it be because of Lady Saint?’
Perhaps it was difficult to reject someone recommended by Lady Saint—meaning the Marchioness of Forea. Her recommendation letter must carry considerable weight.
‘But didn’t he mock me during the interview, saying I was unlucky?’
Her head ached. Was it really alright for life to suddenly hurl a storm like this at her?
As Deborah clutched her forehead and groaned, someone knocked.
“Young Lady, may I come in?”
“Oh, of course.”
The one who entered Deborah’s room was a maid—perhaps around twenty. Young, yet not childishly so.
She seemed experienced, offering a gentle smile to her guest, and Deborah returned it warmly.
“Good evening, Young Lady. We’re preparing dinner now—could you tell me if there’s any food you prefer or ingredients you’d like to avoid?”
“No! I’m fine not eating at all.”
The maid looked troubled at Deborah’s refusal.
“My master stressed repeatedly before leaving that I must attend to everything for you, especially your meals, with the utmost care.”
‘Zen?’
Deborah pictured his face, scowling as he gave strict orders to the maid, undoubtedly warning her not to tarnish the Baker family’s honor.
“I’m sorry—I’m truly full.”
Deborah offered an awkward smile and declined again. This time, she wasn’t lying—she really felt like her stomach might burst.
[This is the timeline separator]Earlier that afternoon, after Zen had unilaterally settled the matter, he’d told Deborah,
“Then please eat for now.”
He placed a slice of cake—lavishly adorned with rich whipped cream and glistening fruit—onto Deborah’s previously immaculate plate.
Deborah stared at the cake, fork unmoving. Eat cake now? In this situation?
“Do you dislike cream cake? I’ll bring something else.”
“No, it’s not that…”
Deborah didn’t adore desserts, but she liked them well enough. After all, one bite of such luxury brought a fleeting moment of happiness.
But this wasn’t the time for cake. She had no appetite, and her mind was tangled.
“Is it because my presence makes you uncomfortable to eat?”
Deborah’s eyes widened at Zen’s unexpected remark.
Within those large eyes, Zen continued,
“Unfortunately, I don’t plan to leave until you finish this. So you might as well give up and eat.”
What absurdity was this? Deborah blinked for a moment. Indeed, Zen made her uncomfortable—but how could she admit that outright?
“No, it’s not that I’m uncomfortable—it’s—”
“If I were you, I’d move my fork before making excuses.”
Cutting off her protest, Zen gestured toward the mountain of desserts and sandwiches piled on the table.
“You’ll have to eat quickly if you intend to finish all this.”
Indeed, Zen showed no sign of leaving if Deborah refused to eat.
‘Well, I have no choice.’
Deborah gave a forced smile.
“Thank you—I’ll enjoy it.”
She swallowed the discomfort swelling in her throat and made space for the cake instead.
When scheming men desperately battle for her favor in the male harem
This one’s also on my reread list! The rivalry, scheming between the men in the imperial harem are just as intense and thrilling as in classic palace drama novels, where concubines fight to the death. Give it a read, girls! I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Synopsis:
“I am not worthy of her… but I still want to be by her side, even if only as a loyal dog…”
Those were the painful whispers of Yue Guanyi – the proud Crown Prince of the Great Qi, who was torn between deep love and a guilty conscience. Despite holding the supreme power of the Imperial Guard, he still could not forget the dark past when he was sold into a brothel.
Fate played a cruel twist when Qiu Shuzhi – a young female official who had just passed the imperial examinations with top honors – stepped into his life. She did not know that she was the one who had saved him from a tragic fate many years ago. And now, her heart was the target of pursuit for both Yue Guanyi and the powerful Empress Dowager Qin Qing.
While Yue Guanyi only dared to silently care for and protect the one he loved from afar, the Empress Dowager Qin Qing openly expressed his feelings and did not hesitate to take advantage of his power to approach Qiu Shuzhi. The covert struggle between the two most powerful forces in the imperial court began…
Trigger warning: All men in this novel are yandere style.
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MANGA DISCUSSION
1 Comment
Chapter Comments (2)
Hm, the fl entered the real deborah and forgot everything? Poor ml
Dang. Will that “lady saint’ be a villain? She wanted the story to progress like the OG novel
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Blairwoods
Then she didn’t remember him at all? She said her maiden name was ‘baker’ and the ml was zen baker.