I Became the Regretful Male Lead's Sister (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 12
What could the Crown Prince possibly like?
I quickly went down to the kitchen.
“My lady, what brings you here?”
The head chef’s eyes widened in surprise.
After all, I’d never set foot in the kitchen my entire life—no wonder he was so shocked.
For now, I looked for something sweet.
In the original story, there was an episode where Teresa gave Nathaniel a tart.
Even though he’d scoffed, “Why buy something like this?” he’d ended up eating an entire large tart by himself—so he clearly loved desserts.
“Do you happen to have any tarts or cakes?”
“Huh? You never eat sweets—why now…?”
I came up with a suitable excuse.
“I’ve been so stressed lately over my brother’s affairs—I’m suddenly craving something sweet.”
I even lightly placed a hand on my head.
Hearing Maximilian mentioned, the head chef’s expression darkened.
“We don’t have cake, but I can prepare something else right away.”
“Oh, no. I’ll take it myself.”
The head chef nodded at my words.
He skillfully cracked eggs and separated the whites from the yolks.
To the yolks, he added milk, vanilla bean, and flour to make batter.
He whipped the egg whites into meringue and gently folded them into the batter.
“Pancakes?”
“Yes. Nice and fluffy ones.”
The head chef immediately greased a pan lightly, poured in a thick layer of batter, covered it with a lid, and let it cook.
Once the pancake was golden brown on both sides, he placed it on a plate and topped it with strawberry jam, mixed berries, and whipped cream.
“Wow. That looks really delicious.”
“It’s something you loved when you were little, my lady.”
“I see.”
Sadly, I searched my memory but couldn’t recall anything.
The head chef started to carry the finished plate upstairs.
“Oh, I’ll take it up myself.”
“It’ll be hot.”
“No, I can easily carry this much. Thank you for today!”
Carefully holding the plate, I headed back to my room.
Nathaniel lay stretched out straight on the white bed—visible at a glance.
Even though he was in dragon form.
“Are you hungry? Come here and have this.”
At my words, Nathaniel slowly flapped his wings and landed on the table.
His adorable sniffing at the pancake was quite endearing.
“Oh, wait! You’ve got cream on your nose.”
Due to his careless movements, whipped cream was smeared all over his face.
I gently wiped it clean with my handkerchief.
Then I waited for him to start eating.
[I have no hands.]“Oh…”
Nathaniel tapped the table lightly with his tiny hand.
Swallowing my irritation, I smiled brightly and cut the pancake.
Its soft, fluffy texture was vividly felt through the knife and fork.
I cut it into bite-sized pieces suitable for a baby dragon, added whipped cream and strawberries, and brought it right to his mouth.
“Open wide.”
“……”
“Your Highness?”
Had his pride been wounded?
Watching him carefully, I suddenly remembered something.
In the original story, he never ate food offered to him until someone else had tasted it first.
It was a habit formed after nearly being poisoned as a child.
“This man really has had a tumultuous life.”
I took a bite of the pancake right in front of him.
Between the soft, fluffy texture of the pancake, the sweet whipped cream, and the tangy flavor and aroma of strawberry jam, everything blended perfectly.
“It’s truly delicious! Now, Your Highness, please have some.”
I placed a freshly cut piece, generously topped with whipped cream and strawberries, right before his mouth.
After a brief hesitation, he opened his mouth and eagerly gulped it down.
His eyes, slowly chewing at first, sparkled with pure delight.
His chewing quickened, and soon came a loud gulp.
His stiff tail wagged left and right just like a puppy’s.
[More.]“Yes, yes. Right away.”
Thank goodness the Crown Prince was pleased.
I diligently cut more pancake and fed it to him.
He eagerly accepted each bite, and his expression visibly brightened.
‘Though I’m not sure if I should even call that an expression, considering he’s a dragon.’
Seemingly full, Nathaniel patted his belly and sprawled out on the table.
Moreover, his eyes were slowly closing—he must have been sleepy.
‘I can’t let him sleep in my bed.’
No matter how cute and adorable he looked as a baby dragon, he was undeniably the Crown Prince—sharing a bed was absolutely out of the question.
Watching Nathaniel wobble through the air and flop onto the bed, I stepped outside and called a maid.
“Mia, go fetch a clean basket.”
“A basket? What size do you need?”
“About this big?”
I drew a circle slightly larger than Nathaniel with my hands.
“Yes. I’ll bring it right away.”
The maid quickly returned with a basket.
I wondered if an ordinary rattan basket would do, but decided to take it inside anyway.
“I’m going to sleep now—don’t let anyone into the room. Understood?”
“Yes.”
After firmly instructing Mia, I returned to my room.
Nathaniel had already curled up and fallen asleep.
I placed a pillow inside the basket and carefully lifted Nathaniel onto it.
Luckily, he was so tired he slept soundly, making soft cooing noises.
“It feels like I’m keeping a pet I never expected to have.”
Nathaniel, the baby dragon sleeping peacefully with his eyes closed, was truly adorable.
Though he might be a bit troublesome once he opened his eyes and spoke.
I quietly gazed into the basket for a while before lying down on my bed.
It really had been a whirlwind of a day.
‘Father will have to explain things well to His Majesty…’
Lost in various worries, I soon drifted off to sleep.
Late at night, Duke Winters returned to the ducal mansion utterly exhausted.
He headed straight for his study. His mind was tangled.
He’d told the Emperor he’d ask his daughter’s opinion, but it seemed there was no other choice anyway.
Letting out a deep sigh, the Duke sat on the sofa and ordered his butler to bring him wine.
‘Life…’
He’d always thought he had nothing to envy—blessed with talented children and a comfortable life.
Yet overnight, everything had changed.
The Duke poured himself a glass of strong liquor and downed it in one gulp.
The burning sensation of the liquid sliding down his throat was vividly felt.
“Father, are you in there?”
“Come in.”
He had no energy left to be angry at Maximilian’s voice from beyond the door.
He’d decided it was his own fault for forcing a marriage to make love forget love.
Maximilian slipped quietly through the door, his face grim.
Now that he’d caused trouble, he seemed genuinely worried about the family’s reputation.
“Well? What is it?”
“I just wanted to see if things went well.”
Maximilian, who’d always lived loudly without caring what others thought, now looked utterly deflated.
But the Duke didn’t feel an ounce of pity for him.
Right now, the unhappiest person was Jaina—and next was himself.
“What? Worried now, are you?”
“Yes…”
“You fool. Can’t even hold onto your own heart.”
“What did His Majesty demand?”
Seeing him hesitate, the Duke felt his breath catch.
“He suggested marrying Jaina to His Highness the Crown Prince.”
“What? Jaina…?”
“Yes. He seemed ready to demand the Sorce mines otherwise.”
It meant he’d never wanted anything but their marriage from the start.
Nathaniel’s aloof nature had left him with weak support among the nobility.
It had worsened especially after the Empress gave birth to Prince Henry.
The Emperor wanted Nathaniel to solidify his power without bloodshed among his children, but Nathaniel had zero interest in politics.
Perhaps that was why he wanted the House of Winters to firmly back him.
‘I still can’t understand why I ever pushed for Anais and Maximilian’s marriage in the first place.’
Wanting to forget his tangled thoughts, the Duke took another sip of wine.
“That can’t be! Let me speak with His Majesty again.”
“Idiot. You’ll only anger His Majesty further. You’re confined to the estate for a month, and in winter, you’ll return to the northern lands—stay there until I summon you.”
Maximilian frowned at the Duke’s thunderous decree.
If that happened, he’d be too far from Teresa.
He hadn’t even managed to win Teresa’s heart yet.
Just by looking at Maximilian’s face, the Duke could guess what his son was thinking.
“Don’t you even mention Teresa! Do you want to drag the Menisil family into this mess too?”
“A… No.”
He didn’t want to plunge Teresa into hardship.
Maximilian sat across from the Duke.
“Do you think Jaina will agree to marry easily? She’ll surely refuse.”
“Even if she dislikes it, she knows how to weigh reason. She’s not like someone blinded by love, recklessly rushing in without thinking.”
The more he spoke, the more frustrated he felt.
The Duke clamped his mouth shut and kept drinking.
He worried how to deliver this tragic news to his daughter without upsetting her.
In the chilly dawn air, the baby dragon woke.
The little dragon slowly blinked and looked around.
‘Where am I?’
Nathaniel finally remembered he’d fled to the Winters ducal mansion and stretched his body.
It felt like the first peaceful sleep in a long while.
He fluttered his wings, climbed out of the basket, and perched on the table.
Lately, Nathaniel had been exhausted by these sudden, seizure-like transformations.
Even if he died soon, he never wanted anyone to see him like this.
‘Just my luck.’
Yes, truly unlucky.
If he’d merely resembled a human in dragon form, that would’ve been fine—but why did he have to become an actual dragon?
And not even a mighty dragon—just a tiny hatchling the size of a small dog.
‘I’d rather die than let anyone else see me like this.’
It was a matter of pride.
Ever since his first transformation into a dragon, he’d hidden his appearance.
As a child, when he was even smaller, he’d relied on his nursemaid’s help.
Later, as he grew a bit older, he’d hidden himself by a lakeside behind a small temple run by a priestess close to his mother.
But rumors began spreading that the lake water had gained holy power—perhaps due to the dragon’s magic—making it harder to stay hidden.
Worse, the Empress, who saw him as a thorn in her eye, had even caught sight of his tail.
Meeting Jaina back then had been quite fortunate.
Nathaniel landed beside Jaina’s pillow as she slept, blissfully unaware of the world.
Even in his baby dragon form, she was far too carefree.
Considering the disaster that had happened earlier that day, it was understandable—she must have been drained.
Still, watching the Empress’ furious, trembling face had been rather amusing.
“Woo… Woooong. Please stop already, you idiot.”
Was she being tormented by her family even in her dreams?
Jaina muttered coarse curses the likes of which Nathaniel had never heard before.
Just as he’d suspected—she certainly had spirit.
After listening to Jaina’s stream of curses for a while, Nathaniel gradually felt sleepiness creeping over him.
He curled up on the pillow beside her and fell asleep.
Morning came.
The ducal mansion, which should have been bustling with celebration for a new bride, greeted the morning in quiet.
The Duke, who’d drunk heavily into the night, was still sound asleep, and Maximilian, feeling guilty for burdening his younger sibling, had also drifted into a light slumber.
Nevertheless, the servants bustled about to prepare a lively morning.
They boiled tomato soup for those with upset stomachs and baked warm bread.
Once breakfast was ready, they knocked on doors to wake their masters.
The Duke, face puffy from drink, and Maximilian, hair tousled, sat at the dining table.
“Jenny?”
“She’s still asleep.”
“Hmmph. Go wake her quickly—no, I’ll go myself.”
The Duke wanted to make a good impression on his daughter today.
He was also afraid of Jaina’s reaction—she’d been handed a bombshell.
‘She’s always been weak in the mornings.’
He decided to wake her gently, feed her something delicious, and then talk—so he opened the door.
But what he saw before his eyes was utterly shocking.
Beside his sweetly sleeping daughter lay a strange man.
Male lead fell into her trap — and shattered when she walked away
This is also on my reread list!
This one is a slow burn, but when it burns, it burns hard.
Definitely worth a read, y’all!
The story follows a thousand-year-old seductive spirit who, on a bet, sets out to charm the male lead—a once-promising but unfortunate cultivator.
But just when she succeeds in making him fall for her, she heartlessly leaves, driving him to madness.
Determined to find her at all costs, he captures her, keeping her by his side no matter what, even if she hates him.
I love this kind of trope—I enjoy watching the male lead suffer in agony.
The ending drags a bit with unnecessary filler, but that’s fine.
As long as I enjoy the beginning, I’m good.
Intro
As an enchantress, Su Heng possesses captivating eyes and charming beauty, easily manipulating the joys and sorrows of living beings at her fingertips.
But to enchant a god, making him taste the bitterness of love’s separation, long-lasting resentment, unattainable desires, and inability to let go…
Do you dare?
Su Heng assists a divine lord in his cultivation, aiming to make him experience all the sufferings of love, so that he can attain the Great Dao.
Only after being chased down from the heavens by the divine lord, confined and completely possessed by him, does she realize how successful she has been.
The once gentle and polite youth has transformed into someone she no longer recognizes.
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MANGA DISCUSSION
1 Comment
Chapter Comments (2)
The Empress is truly vile and disgusting; she doesn’t think about what her children want, but rather controls their lives and imposes her will upon them.
Hahaha, Nathaniel looks cute, he’s funny, he looks like a kid on a picnic
Inline Comments (39)
From now on, my life motto would be: be a cunning flatterer!
Loll cunning flatterer. She is so funny omg. I love them actually
She wasn’t a child, and as one of the highest-ranking women in the imperial fami
She is so cruel. Aren’t you her mlther. Why are you doing this
“I’ve been thinking about your words, Your Majesty. Understanding your wish to g
Lol he is like a child. I love him so much. They are so funny actually
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Miioo
Oh my God, what an embarrassing situation! Poor Jayna