Oh No, I Possessed a Male Character! (13 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 15
As expected, Klaus immediately showed his displeasure the moment he saw me.
“What could possibly take so long just to fetch a document from the Treasury?”
“I’m sorry.”
I apologized straight away without any excuses. After all, it was true that I’d been slow—and unnecessary justifications in the face of a superior’s fair reprimand were inappropriate.
Klaus frowned and stared at me.
“Last time, you claimed it was because you were talking with Princess Elfride—has it happened again?”
“A-Ah, no. This time, it was Lady Evangeline….”
I realized my mistake the moment the words left my mouth.
But it was already too late. Klaus’s frown vanished instantly, replaced by a dramatically altered expression.
“Evangeline? That name sounds familiar…”
I involuntarily held my breath.
Damn it—surely the blasted original story wasn’t trying to entangle the male and female leads like this?
Just hearing her name once was enough to shift his entire demeanor—this cursed world seemed utterly desperate to forge some connection between them.
Anyway, the real problem was my own big mouth. If you’re that stupid, just go die already, Eojin.
Klaus tilted his head, clearly determined to solve this mystery, and finally stood up to rifle through the bookshelf.
“Is she listed in the noble registry?”
Disaster. An ominous aura was already rising thickly around me.
I had to make a decision. Staying silent would only make Evangeline’s impression on him stronger.
So I boldly confessed everything.
“She’s the daughter of Count Feuerbach, who works at the Treasury. I met her by chance at the Cathedral during the last holiday.”
“Oh, really?”
Klaus withdrew his hand from the bookshelf and looked directly at me.
Helpless, I elaborated further.
“At the Cathedral, I helped the count’s daughter when she was in trouble because her shoe heel broke. Just now, she invited me to dinner this weekend as thanks, so I wanted to check with Your Highness first whether it’d be acceptable.”
“Hm? Why ask my permission for that? You’re the one who received the invitation.”
Klaus asked with genuine puzzlement in his eyes. I answered somewhat sheepishly.
“I was worried you might misunderstand—that a newly appointed aide like me is already trying to build connections with nobles.”
“……”
He silently fixed his gaze on me. His violet eyes were so strikingly beautiful that if I kept meeting them, my face would surely turn red.
I quickly lowered my head to avoid his gaze.
“If I’ve overstepped and offended you, I sincerely apologize.”
“No, it’s not that I’m offended….”
Klaus trailed off.
“I just wanted to say I wouldn’t suspect you over something as trivial as a dinner invitation. Of course, I’m well aware you often get detained by noble ladies for conversations.”
“Well….”
It wasn’t like it happened that often—but was he referring to the few times I’d met Rumi? If so, I’d let it slide for now.
Unaware of my inner thoughts, Klaus continued as if he were some profoundly understanding superior.
“Well, it seems this time you’ve caught the attention of Count Feuerbach’s daughter. Just be appropriately courteous without causing offense—otherwise, they might seize the opportunity to make trouble.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Klaus shot me a sidelong glance and gave a bitter smile.
“It’s troublesome when an aide is excessively handsome.”
“!”
I stared at him without thinking. Had he just… called me what?
Klaus waved his hand dismissively and returned to his desk.
“You should go now. Oh, and hand me those documents.”
“A-ah, yes.”
I don’t even remember how I left—my mind was utterly blank.
I was certain I’d just heard something incredible.
[This is the timeline separator]Though “clocking out” was almost a formality for aides, I somehow managed to carve out time and step outside the Imperial Palace—heading straight for the post office.
I sent Rumi a brief telegram:
To save on telegraph fees, I kept the message as short as possible.
Yet its brevity made it all the more striking. Surely Rumi would be left burning with curiosity.
Sure enough, my prediction was correct.
Less than a full day after sending the telegram, a palace maid cautiously approached me.
“I was told to deliver this to you.”
“?”
Without even saying who sent it, the maid hurried off the moment her task was done. Anyone watching might’ve thought she’d just slipped me a secret love letter.
I carefully unfolded the note—it was Rumi’s reply.
“Hm.”
At least it was clearer than a telegram. A definite meeting time was plainly written.
Rumi had set our appointment for right after the Empress’s dinner—likely his only free time.
He’d even included directions: he’d send that same maid to guide me discreetly, so I should follow her without drawing attention.
It was quite a clever ruse. If anyone saw me, they’d probably assume I was sneaking off to meet a maid for a secret rendezvous.
Of course, for me, that misunderstanding would be far better than being discovered meeting Rumi.
But trouble arose elsewhere: Klaus showed no sign of leaving his office even as evening approached.
Unable to wait any longer, I finally asked,
“Your Highness—are you skipping dinner?”
Klaus calmly replied,
“I think I’ll just grab something quick. There’s far too much paperwork from the Department of Internal Affairs.”
Even after I’d processed a considerable amount myself, it seemed many documents still required the Crown Prince’s personal seal.
His skipping a meal was secondary—but how was I supposed to meet Rumi’s maid now? Having a superior who refused to leave work at quitting time was nothing but an inconvenience and annoyance for a subordinate like me.
Just then, Klaus looked up.
“What is it? Something on your mind?”
“Ah, it’s just….”
Caught off guard, my voice came out weak and hesitant.
“I was just thinking you really should eat something proper.”
“I’m not skipping entirely—a sandwich will suffice.”
Klaus glanced at me briefly before returning his attention to the papers.
Ah, damn it. Thanks to this oblivious superior, it seemed Rumi was going to be stood up after all.
Unable to boldly declare, “I have a personal engagement!”, I trudged back to my seat, defeated.
At that moment, the Head Steward appeared, carrying a tray with sandwiches.
“I brought enough for Lady Muzel as well, Your Highness.”
This was exactly the feeling of wanting to laugh while on the verge of tears—grateful he’d remembered me, yet frustrated that the Crown Prince was working so diligently it caused problems.
Still, sharing a snack with the empire’s finest male company offered some consolation. How often in life would I get to eat alongside such a handsome man?
Rumi would surely understand under these circumstances. We could always reschedule.
Just then, Klaus called me in a businesslike tone.
“Muzel, come have a bite.”
“Yes.”
The Head Steward poured warm tea into both our cups, then added almost like a concerned uncle,
“I worry you’ll be working through the night again, Your Highness.”
“With so many reports coming in from the provinces, it can’t be helped. When leaders are idle, the people suffer.”
If only every ruler were like Klaus. At the very least, the Empire’s citizens should be grateful their next emperor held such principles.
“It’s truly fortunate that Lady Muzel is here—you won’t have to work alone late into the night.”
“Indeed. She’s been an enormous help. Without her, this would be twice as difficult.”
Oh dear—if they kept saying things like that, how could I possibly leave? How could I abandon the male lead all alone?
“I’m both honored and grateful that my humble efforts have been of some assistance to Your Highness.”
We were chatting like this, eating sandwiches together, when one of the knights guarding the office stepped inside.
“Ah, Lady Muzel—someone is here to see you.”
My mind went completely blank.
Could it be that maid? No—why would she openly summon me like this?!
Wasn’t the whole point of using the maid as a decoy to meet Rumi secretly? And now Klaus was right here!
Naturally, Klaus’s gaze immediately turned to me.
“Someone’s looking for you? Who on earth could it be?”
“Well… I’m not sure.”
Ugh—how was I supposed to answer that? I couldn’t possibly say I’d promised a maid a stroll after dinner!
Before I could think of a reply, Klaus frowned and asked the knight,
“Who’s asking for Muzel?”
“A maid from the Empress’s quarters.”
His words revealed something surprising—the maid wasn’t Rumi’s personal attendant at all. I’d assumed she’d been specially brought from the ducal household to run errands for him.
In any case, with my superior—the Crown Prince himself—glaring daggers at me, there was no way I could brazenly leave to meet some mere maid. I simply didn’t have that kind of nerve.
I replied to the knight in a stiff tone,
“Please tell the maid I’m currently occupied with urgent official duties and cannot meet her. Kindly ask for her understanding.”
“Understood, Lady Muzel.”
The knight departed with disciplined steps.
The Head Steward’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Oh ho—so Lady Muzel is quite popular among the maids, it seems.”
Klaus immediately narrowed his eyes into sharp triangles and snapped back,
“Even so, if they know she’s in my office, they should realize she’s still on duty and withdraw politely! Do none of the Empress’s staff possess even basic common sense?”
This was bad—he was genuinely furious.
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.”
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Waiting for rumi to either mature up for once or to just get out of the picture 🫠
Waiting for rumi to either mature up for once or to just get out of the picture 🫠
“If he had never learned that Muzel was a woman, he might have mistaken it for deep friendship”
I had this thought, and this semi confirmed it for me: Klaus seems to like Muzel no matter the gender. He maybe bi, but it maybe only for Muzel. Like Shang from Disney’s Mulan