I Became the First Love of the Impenetrable Male Lead (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 11
“Huh?”
Nathan doubted his own ears.
Ian Klein Martinez.
Regardless of his status as a prince, he was a man brimming with presence—flawlessly handsome, tall, and well-built…
‘He’s the kind of person who stands out no matter where he is, isn’t he?’
“Isn’t your overwhelming presence precisely the problem? That’s why, even though you refrain from public appearances, Her Majesty the Empress still sees you as a thorn in her side…”
Nathan abruptly cut himself off, realizing his slip. Fortunately, Ian’s expression showed no noticeable change, so he cautiously continued.
“What I’m trying to say is…”
“Yeah, I understood well enough.”
“But why ask that all of a sudden? Did someone dare say something outrageous like you lack presence?”
“Not exactly.”
Ian, who had been lightly tapping his fingertips on the desk, smoothed his furrowed brow.
‘Simon is Simon, but why am I the rookie?’
He couldn’t shake off the sudden question that popped into his head. He knew Rosebelia had confused him with Simon—the one who’d confessed to her—when she’d challenged him to a duel.
But Simon had clearly been rejected, whereas he himself had accepted her challenge and was now regularly sparring with her.
‘Don’t people usually think those who exchange swords share a stronger presence? Or am I wrong?’
“Could it be that His Highness the Second Prince has offended you again?”
Ian let out a soft chuckle and tilted his head slightly.
“Nathan, there’s no one easier to deal with than Enoch.”
Ian, the First Prince, was born to the Empress Consort, while Enoch, the Second Prince, was the Empress’s son.
Violet Blayton, Ian’s mother, had given birth before the Empress, which meant Ian had faced opposition from the Empress’s faction since the moment he was born.
After Enoch’s birth and Violet’s death, Ian had lived a life bordering on neglect—but that was precisely what he’d truly desired. His reclusive lifestyle had always been his own choice.
‘If only she were as transparent as Enoch, whose thoughts are plain to see…’
Rosebelia was incredibly hard to read.
He’d joined the White Knights Order out of admiration for Gabriel, but during the Eve Festival, when Ian first crossed swords with Rosebelia, he’d felt a thrill unlike any before.
He’d challenged her to a duel simply because he wanted to feel that sensation once more.
Now, he’d become her sole sparring partner, and by consistently exchanging blades with her, he’d already achieved his goal.
Yet, for some reason, he couldn’t understand why trivial matters kept gnawing at him.
‘Huh? It’s not uncomfortable at all.’
He’d assumed she was cold and indifferent after their conversation at the Eve Festival, but Rosebelia turned out to be surprisingly expressive—sometimes even laughing like a child.
‘Be especially careful in the square; you never know what might jump out at you.’
And she had presence, too.
Recalling how Rosebelia had saved him twice in the square, Ian covered his mouth. Beneath his palm, the corners of his lips kept twitching uncontrollably.
Just as Ian unconsciously curled his fingertips at this unfamiliar sensation—
“Then who on earth could possibly be so insane as to…”
“Watch your words, Nathan.”
Startled by the icy tone, Nathan drooped his eyebrows in a look of injustice.
“But I’m on your side here, Your Highness!”
“I never said anyone claimed I lacked presence. It’s just that I…”
Ian, about to offer an excuse, suddenly fell silent.
‘Why am I even dwelling on this?’
A sigh escaped through his teeth. Confusion flickered in Ian’s eyes as he roughly ran a hand through his hair.
“Understood. I misspoke.”
Nathan prided himself on having the sharpest intuition in the empire.
If someone could unsettle Ian this much, they must be important—and Ian was probably troubled because he felt insignificant to that person.
‘Could it be that Captain Gabriel isn’t paying attention to His Highness?’
“Right. Don’t ever speak ill of that person again.”
“I don’t even know who they are, but I won’t badmouth them again.”
Ian nodded and rummaged through his pocket. What he pulled out was the candy Rosebelia had given him.
“What’s that?”
“…Never mind. It’s nothing.”
If he wasn’t even going to eat it, why had he taken it in the first place?
‘Hurry up and eat it, Simon.’
‘You, the rookie, said you wouldn’t eat any…’
The moment he recalled that scene, irritation surged. Ian clenched and unclenched his fist repeatedly. The candy rolling around inside his palm was becoming annoying.
Since it was so bothersome, should he just throw it away?
The thought had barely formed when his fingers instinctively tightened—as if his body refused to allow him to discard it, pressing it more firmly into his palm.
Rising from his chair, Ian crumpled the candy back into his pocket and gave Nathan a light flick of his fingers.
“Yes, yes. Then rest well.”
*
“I’m really sorry about yesterday, Rose.”
“It’s fine. I understand it was an unavoidable situation.”
Daisy’s fate was important, but of course he had to go when his mother had fallen down the stairs and gotten hurt.
“Really?”
“Yeah, let’s drop this topic. Fortunately, the Marchioness is fine, and it’s already over anyway…”
“Huh? What’s over? Explain properly, Rose.”
At first, when Edwin disappeared, I thought the original plot couldn’t be changed. But when Daisy was in danger, Ian hadn’t shown up after all.
Though it was troubling that he’d eventually appeared in the square…
Even if I intervene and alter something, could events still ultimately follow the original story?
“It’s nothing…”
Just then, some junior knights passed by, chattering loudly. Hearing the word “fight” in their conversation, I abruptly grabbed one of their arms.
“A fight?”
“Oh, Senior. There’s a fight breaking out in front of the training grounds…”
Before the junior knight could finish, Edwin was already sprinting toward the training grounds.
“Thanks for letting me know.”
The scene awaiting us at the training grounds was utter chaos. Two rookie knights, their faces already bruised and uniforms half-undone, stood glaring at each other, surrounded by a crowd of onlookers.
“Lucas, where’s the Captain?”
Lucas, looking troubled, replied, “He went to the Imperial Palace today. The Deputy Captain doesn’t seem to be around either.”
Was this a stroke of luck or not?
While I was sighing in relief, I saw Edwin pushing through the crowd toward the two troublemaking rookies.
Judging by his tightly set jaw, he was clearly furious—should we really leave him to handle this alone?
“What are you two doing right now?”
Derek immediately answered Edwin’s question.
“Jace started it first!”
“I started it? You were the one who shoved my shoulder!”
Jace let out a hollow laugh, then bared his teeth at Derek again, ready to resume their fight. They’d been clashing egos for a while, and now it had finally escalated into an actual brawl.
“Both of you, stop it. Aren’t you ashamed of yourselves, throwing punches like common brawlers?”
Chastened by Edwin’s rebuke, the two rookies simultaneously fell silent.
“Instead of causing a scene here, why not settle this with an official duel?”
“Edwin! If the Deputy Captain finds out…”
“Lucas, I think Edwin’s suggestion is reasonable. It’d be an official duel, after all.”
Vanessa, who’d been silently observing with her arms crossed, chimed in. She was a senior knight more experienced than Rosebelia and one of the Order’s top fighters, frequently participating in beast hunts.
Right, an official duel might actually be better.
I absentmindedly started to nod, but then made direct eye contact with Vanessa. She gave me a subtle eyebrow twitch—as if signaling something—before speaking again.
“Rosebelia, what do you think?”
“I agree with Senior Vanessa. How about the loser leaves the Order?”
“What?”
“Leave the Order?”
Derek and Jace exchanged bewildered glances. Barely suppressing a laugh, I spoke in the gentlest tone I could muster.
“If you lack even that much courage, I truly can’t understand why you’d cause such a commotion.”
“Rose is right. We’re the White Knights Order—the most elite among all imperial knight orders. We’re the only ones who never miss a beast hunt, and we always field the largest contingent. Do you understand what that means?”
“That the White Knights Order is that strong…”
Vanessa waved her hand dismissively, as if she didn’t need to hear the rest.
“Yes, we’re strong—which is why honor follows. But that’s not all. Though there hasn’t been war recently, any of us could lose a comrade we trained with just yesterday. And of course, we could lose our own lives too.”
At Vanessa’s words, the faces of Edwin and several others who’d participated in last year’s beast hunt darkened.
Back then, Captain Gabriel’s aide had suffered severe injuries and left the Order; the position had remained vacant ever since.
“Why don’t you two just join the Guardian Knights instead? Their main duty is guarding the palace, so if knights fight among themselves, they probably just say, ‘Oh well, it must be boring around here.'”
Edwin’s half-joking, half-serious remark turned Jace and Derek pale.
The Imperial Royal Knights were divided into the elite White Knights Order and the Guardian Knights, who maintained palace security. The two orders had long been rivals with poor relations.
The White Knights mocked the Guardian Knights as mere ornament-worshippers, while the Guardian Knights often ridiculed the White Knights as brutish and uneducated.
Moreover, their internal cultures were complete opposites. The Guardian Knights still strictly admitted only noble-born men, whereas the White Knights accepted anyone regardless of status, as long as they proved their skill.
The White Knights had also been the first to admit female knights. Since female knights were a relatively recent development, Rosebelia—being a noble lady—was the only one of her kind.
This had caused quite a stir throughout the empire when she’d joined. Hermann and Olivia’s reactions had been particularly amusing.
“You’re all curious about beast hunts, right? Knights who’ve been on even one hunt earn different looks from people. Why do you think that is? Think simply.”
“Because many don’t return unharmed.”
It wasn’t Derek scratching his forehead or Jace, who’d been glancing at me since earlier, who answered Edwin—it was Ian, who’d appeared unnoticed.
It was somewhat unexpected that Ian, of all people, would get involved. I’d assumed he’d stand by indifferently as before.
“So if you’re going to muddy the Order’s waters, leave now.”
Edwin’s firm voice silenced the training grounds completely.
“As rookies, your job isn’t petty ego battles—it’s to attend classes diligently and train as much as possible. Even with endless practice here, plenty of knights never get selected for a beast hunt. Only those who survive through skill, not luck, earn that chance.”
“But I’ve heard some seniors go on every hunt…”
Derek’s gaze locked directly onto Edwin and me.
“That’s because we’re exceptionally skilled.”
Edwin replied with a perfectly calm expression.
“Then… may I request a duel with you, Senior?”
To my surprise, Jace’s hesitant question was directed not at me, but at Edwin.
I’d assumed he’d challenge me, given how he’d kept glancing my way—but Edwin?
“Me?”
“Well… Senior Rosebelia doesn’t accept duels.”
Right, that rumor had spread. So I really had been treating Ian specially.
“Rosebelia refusing duels isn’t her looking down on you—it’s her showing mercy.”
Stung by Edwin’s words, I glanced subtly at Ian. Ian, who’d apparently been watching me for some time, met my gaze midair.
Huh? Since when had he been staring?
Just as I tried to hide my flustered expression, the corners of Ian’s mouth softened into a gentle smile.
He shocks his senior and then smiles?
When I raised an eyebrow in annoyance, Ian quickly covered his mouth, clearly catching my cue.
“If you want to duel Rose, you’ll have to defeat me first.”
My judgment was right after all. What a good kid.
Though I’d missed a perfect opportunity, I’d surely get another chance to meet Daisy.
This time, I’ll make sure your unrequited love comes true, Edwin.
“What’s that?”
Lucas pointed toward a man riding into the Order’s entrance.
The stables weren’t this way, were they?
“Isn’t that cloak from the Guardian Knights?”
Murmurs grew louder. The silver-haired, handsome man on a white horse approached leisurely, utterly indifferent to the gathering attention.
After glancing briefly around, the prince-like figure dismounted.
The direction of his steps…
Huh? Why does it feel like he’s coming toward me?
The man, draped in the Guardian Knights’ signature red cloak, walked straight to me without the slightest hesitation.
“Who might you be…”
“We’ve met once before, yet you don’t seem to remember me.”
We’ve met? Then why does he feel like a stranger?
Had he not left a strong impression on Rosebelia’s memory?
As I hesitated, the man took another step closer and smiled gently.
“My name is Rinat Elijah.”
“Rinat Elijah…”
The Elijah family—that’s Daisy’s family, right?
Looking closely, his eyes were the same deep violet as Daisy’s.
Yes, Rinat Elijah.
Daisy’s older brother, Deputy Captain of the Guardian Knights, and heir to the Duke Elijah household.
In the original story, he’d been considered the top marriage prospect, hadn’t he?
Just as I briefly recalled the original plot, the murmuring around us grew louder. In my field of vision, Rinat knelt on one knee before me.
“Wait, hold on…”
Before I could react, Rinat pressed a kiss to the back of my hand.
Male lead first thought she played hard to get, only to realize she
really disliked him
Short intro:
What she can’t stand the most is the streets full of effeminate men, especially that so-called top beauty whom she avoids at all costs.
Shen Yaoxing looks at Jiang Mingyue, who keeps approaching her with coy shyness.
Shen Yaoxing: Bro, don’t be like this, I’m really about to throw up!
She fears nothing in heaven or earth, except for him getting close to her.
*
At first he thought she was just using the trick of feigning indifference to attract his attention. Later, he learned that she truly despised him.
This dealt a heavy blow to Jiang Mingyue, and he vowed to make her, like everyone else, fall at his feet in worship!
***
Synopsis:
Before transmigrating, Shen Yaoxing only wanted to find a reliable man to spend her life with. Who knew that after transmigrating, she would become a reliable woman herself…
A forced misandrist, highly skilled, and reliable female lead
vs.
An initially aloof and arrogant, later morbid, obsessed male lead
_____
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