I Became the First Love of the Impenetrable Male Lead (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 15
“Stop it, Hermann. The children are here….”
Olivia let her sentence trail off. Her eyes dropped downward as if unsure what to do, giving her the air of a tragic heroine.
With acting skills like that, who could possibly stand a chance?
Just as I tried to swallow a bitter laugh, Vivian’s face filled my field of vision. Unlike Kaiden, who looked relatively calm as if accustomed to such situations, Vivian stared at Hermann with eyes brimming with tears.
“I’ll get up first.”
“It’s high time you accepted Olivia as your mother. You look exactly like Liliana, yet why is your personality so sharp-edged?”
As I moved to rise, Hermann suddenly uttered that name, which instantly pinned my feet in place.
Liliana was Rosebelia’s birth mother. How dare he speak her name when he hadn’t even properly stayed by Liliana’s side during her mysterious illness?
There was ailing Liliana, and little Rosebelia who never left her mother’s side—but Hermann had been absent from their lives.
Not long after Liliana’s death, Hermann remarried Olivia, and Rosebelia erased Hermann from her heart entirely.
A husband who failed to protect his wife, a father in name only—
That was precisely how Rosebelia viewed Hermann.
“Hermann, you’re going too far.”
Hermann’s lips twitched before he quickly downed the wine in his glass.
Exactly like Liliana in appearance, yet why so sharp in temperament?
My tongue nearly spat out, “Thankfully, I inherited my looks from my mother, once hailed as the Empire’s greatest beauty—but I suppose my sharpness comes from my father,” yet I held it back and slipped out of the dining room.
“What a perfectly matched pair.”
I immediately left the mansion and headed straight for the stables. Spotting Roy dozing off against a haystack near the fence, I slowed my steps.
Trying not to wake him, I carefully stepped past—but dry hay crunched underfoot.
Though the sound was faint, Roy instantly jolted awake, rubbing his eyes and looking up at me.
“Miss?”
“I’m sorry, Roy. I thought you were sleeping soundly, so I was going to take Emily out alone…”
“No, miss. I’ll fetch Emily for you right away.”
Watching him dash into the stables like an arrow, I felt an unexpected pang of guilt.
Taking Emily’s reins from Roy as he quickly returned, I headed straight for the knights’ barracks.
My mind held only one thought: I had to climb the city wall.
Perhaps facing the endless sea would ease this heavy weight pressing on my chest, if only a little.
*
As twilight settled, the boundary of the horizon gradually blurred.
The sun was already sinking low when I reached the top of the wall—not a long stay, yet I couldn’t bring myself to look away, reluctant to leave.
“At least I managed to get here without anyone noticing…”
Before I could finish my muttering, I sensed someone nearby.
“Senior?”
Relieved to see it was Ian approaching from below, I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding.
“Oh, it’s just you, rookie.”
“I heard you didn’t come to the knights’ barracks today.”
“I didn’t plan to, but I had nowhere else to go.”
My near-whisper dissolved into the wind, and worry flickered across Ian’s face.
“Did something happen?”
“Want to come up?”
Instead of answering, Ian placed a hand on the wall and nimbly vaulted up beside me.
“…What’s wrong?”
“Nothing worth discussing in front of such a view.”
I gestured toward the horizon, and Ian slowly turned his head to follow my gaze.
After a moment, I felt him draw a sharp breath as he took in the scene before us.
“So this is what it looks like.”
“Isn’t it breathtaking?”
By day, the endless sea claimed your attention; by evening, the vast night sky stole it away.
“Now I understand why you climbed up here, even if it meant getting scolded by the captain.”
A cool breeze swept past, tousling my hair. The soothing sensation made my eyes drift shut.
“It’s refreshing.”
I took deep, slow breaths, exhaling steadily. Occasional soft laughter escaped me, carried away by the wind.
How long had I been like this?
When I finally opened my eyes, Ian stood staring at me, one hand clutching his chest.
“What’s wrong?”
“Huh?”
Ian frowned, clearly not understanding my question.
“Does something hurt?”
I nodded toward his hand gripping his uniform tunic. Startled, he quickly pulled his hand away.
“It’s nothing.”
“Oh, right—how’s your wound? Did you treat it properly?”
As I reached toward his face, I hesitated—but Ian gently caught my hand.
“I already told you it doesn’t bother me.”
“…”
Was it the way his eyes shimmered under the moonlight? Or perhaps his unusually low voice?
Our lips, drawn together like magnets, showed no sign of parting.
“You may touch me as much as you like. The wound has healed completely.”
“Already? In just one day?”
“The cut was very minor, and I applied good ointment. You can check for yourself.”
He guided my hand to his cheek. As I carefully traced it, I felt his skin tremble faintly beneath my touch.
I distinctly remembered a scratch there, yet my fingertips met only smooth skin.
“So I’ll spar with you again today.”
Now I understood why he hadn’t mentioned it earlier.
He wasn’t even wearing his uniform today, yet he wanted to spar.
Of course, Rosebelia’s skill didn’t depend on attire—but was it admirable lack of prejudice, or simply his complete focus on training?
I bit my lower lip to suppress an involuntary smile and met his gaze calmly.
“No, I think it’s better if we don’t spar anymore.”
“Why suddenly…? If it’s because of my wound…”
“You know why I stopped sparring with the others for a while.”
My firm tone dimmed the light in Ian’s eyes.
“It was my own carelessness. It wasn’t your fault, senior.”
“I wasn’t focused either—that’s why I injured you.”
Ian’s lips moved as if to speak, then he hesitated before finally saying,
“…Truthfully, I lost interest in the sword for a while. But there was a reason I couldn’t let go, so I forced myself to keep holding on.”
I wanted to ask what that reason was, but his expression looked so pained I couldn’t bring myself to speak.
As if reading my thoughts, he continued with a faintly sorrowful smile.
“My mother passed away when I was young. She’d been ill for a long time. The day I first learned swordsmanship, I showed her my clumsy skills while she lay sick in bed—and she was truly happy.”
Ian’s mother was the Empress, right? She died a few years after his birth, after lingering illness.
“That image stayed with me, impossible to forget. So I held onto the sword above all else, unwilling to release it even at the end. That’s also why I joined the White Knights.”
He’d needed motivation.
“…”
“I came here because of Captain Gabriel’s reputation. But then, by chance, I crossed swords with you at the Eve Festival—and I couldn’t forget that feeling.”
In the original story, told from Daisy’s perspective, Ian’s hidden reasons for joining the White Knights were impossible to guess. Now knowing the truth, my heart ached.
In the original, Ian had left the White Knights soon after. If what I’d seen in my dream was outside the original plot…
Perhaps Rosebelia had ultimately refused to spar, leaving Ian without motivation, causing him to depart the order.
“And yesterday, when we dueled seriously again, I remembered that initial passion I felt when I first learned the sword. It reignited my will to train harder—that’s why I stayed late practicing today. I’ll keep improving. For now, even wooden swords would be fine—could you reconsider…?”
I raised my hand abruptly, cutting him off. Hearing such earnest words, I couldn’t bear to refuse.
“Alright. If wooden swords are acceptable, I’ll spar with you.”
“Thank you, senior.”
“…Actually, I’ve also lost interest in my pen—no, my sword—before, just like you.”
“You, senior?”
After my mother and maternal grandmother passed away, I fell into a slump. Back then, everything—including fencing—felt utterly meaningless.
“There was a time I wanted to give up, but I held on for my mother’s sake. I feared she’d be disappointed if I let go so easily.”
I eventually pulled myself together, but an injury forced me to quit fencing. Still unwilling to abandon it completely, I secretly practiced alone.
“…”
“But no matter how I think about it, this physically demanding life seems to suit me well. It’s even enjoyable.”
Unlike fencing, where only victory or defeat mattered, here a sword could mean life or death—a thought that secretly frightened me, yet I was glad to wield a blade again, even in Rosebelia’s body.
“So you’ve had such worries too, senior.”
“And your skill is truly exceptional even now. I’m only slightly better.”
The moment I finished speaking, Ian laughed aloud. I gazed up at his face, transfixed.
Had Ian ever smiled so openly and relaxed before?
“Then, shall I give you this today?”
From his pocket, he pulled out the candy I’d given him last time in the square.
“You’ve kept it this whole time without eating it? You really are…”
What a strange kid.
I chuckled softly as I looked down at the candy. Just then, Ian suddenly grabbed the edge of my cloak.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
“How bland.”
“Let’s head down now.”
Even after landing at the base of the wall, Ian didn’t release my cloak.
His grip was stubborn, like a child clutching their mother’s hem for fear of losing her in a crowd.
“By the way…”
Ian followed behind as I called out.
“Yes?”
“How old are you, rookie?”
The original story never mentioned Ian or Edwin’s ages—only that both were older than Daisy.
“I’ll turn twenty-two at my upcoming birthday.”
Twenty-two? Rosebelia turns twenty at her next birthday, if I recall…
So Ian is older?
I clamped my lips shut before they could part in surprise and quickened my pace toward the stables.
“And you, senior…”
“See you tomorrow, rookie.”
*
For several days afterward, an almost unbelievable peace settled over my routine—thanks to leaving the mansion early and returning late to avoid Hermann and Olivia.
It was somewhat regrettable not seeing Vivian or Kaiden, but my mind and body felt much lighter.
“Edwin.”
When I stopped in place, Edwin raised an eyebrow as if asking what was wrong.
“Is your leg really alright? During class, it still looked uncomfortable.”
“It was just a sprain. It’ll heal soon…”
“Wait, be quiet for a moment.”
For the briefest instant, the grass beyond Edwin rustled—unnaturally so, not like wind.
“What is it?”
“Something moved over there.”
Thinking it might be a kitten, I stepped closer—and the grass shook more violently.
Just as I reached for my scabbard, a sharp cry rang out.
It wasn’t a cat—but a person?
The first thing I saw was the hem of a dress.
Wait—a dress at the knights’ barracks?
Though there were a few female knights, aside from Rosebelia they were all commoners, and without me wearing one, there’d be no reason to see a dress here…
With a sinking suspicion, I peered behind the grass—and my vision filled with
“Hello.”
The original heroine, Daisy, rose awkwardly from the ground.
Male lead is a Divorced Husband
She said to him: “Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change it!”
Liu Changning transmigrated into a female cannon fodder character in a female-dominant novel.
After reading the first half of the novel’s plot, the first thing she did upon transmigration was to divorce the Pan Jinlian-style male protagonist she had just married.
She indulged herself, pretending to be ugly and poor.
But as time passed, the way that man looked at her became more and more unusual…
Liu Changning was dumbfounded: Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change!
――
This lifetime, Pei Yuanshao was rejected by the same woman twice!
The first time, she drove him away. Forced by the situation, he endured the waves of anger in his heart, yielding and humbling himself.
That person lay slanted on a rocking chair, her sallow face emotionless: “If you don’t want a divorce, go cook!”
Pei Yuanshao’s face was dark and gloomy: “You!”
The second time, after the crisis in Jinling City was resolved, the new emperor sent someone to pick him up. He turned around, stammering: “I… I have to go. If you keep me…”
That person lay on the kang bed, her back to him, as if she had long anticipated this day, crisp and clear: “Goodbye!”
Pei Yuanshao was so angry his fingers trembled: “You… you!”
The mission of family and country made him restrain himself, averting his eyes and turning to leave this broken household.
Two years later, they met again. Seeing her ethereal face, his body shook like a sieve.
“She was originally a ‘she’!”
At the Qionglin Banquet, the top scholar of the imperial examination, a talented person with exceptional speech and conduct, all the unmarried young gentlemen from aristocratic families looked at her with shy and timid eyes.
The peerless imperial official Pei Yuanshao felt the anger in his heart erupt. He pointed at the woman surrounded by the crowd at the Qionglin Banquet, his thin lips slightly curled: “Little sister, I wants that person to be the wife-master of my Mingde Prince Manor.”
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
Most Commented This Week
The Villain Has Gone Mad For Me (Completed Main Story)
I’m The Lowest-Ranking Daughter Of A Martial Arts Villain (2 Chapters Left to Complete)
[Full] The Villain Found Out This is a Novel (Completed Main Story)
I Became the Assassin Family’s Foster Daughter (Completed Main Story)
[Full] The Villainess Just Wants to Live Quietly! (Completed Main Story)
The Duke Only Needs My Child (Completed Main Story)
Men of the Harem (137 Chapters Left to Complete)
At the End of Ruin, There You Are (56 Chapters Left to Complete)
She’s a Villainess but her Husband is Handsome (Completed Main Story)
My Discarded Fiancé Returned (Completed Main Story)
People Aren’t Meant to Be Fixed! (4 Chapters Left to Complete)
I Received The First Time Of My Extraordinary Superior (9 Chapters Left to Complete)
Summer Must Die (16 Chapters Left to Complete)
Regret With All Your Might (Completed Main Story)