Oh No, I Possessed a Male Character! (13 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 5
The next day. I woke up in Muzel’s room. I had hoped that perhaps upon waking, I’d find myself back in my old studio apartment—but, as expected, I hadn’t.
“Whew….”
I let out a long sigh. Even though this was a world I knew from having read the original novel, actually living as a character within it felt frightening and nerve-wracking.
And on top of that, I wasn’t just living my life—I had to cross-dress as a man, too.
After finishing my preparations to go out while lost in such thoughts, I stood once more before the mirror one last time.
“Hmm.”
Honestly, I had to admit—I looked stunning. When in my life would I ever get to see myself with such beautiful golden hair and teal-colored eyes?
Muzel possessed looks so dazzling they surpassed even the novel’s descriptions. She was also quite tall—standing side by side with the male lead, there was hardly any noticeable difference. For a woman, she was remarkably statuesque.
Moreover, her frame wasn’t delicate either. Her shoulders were sharp and straight, giving her an excellent silhouette for wearing clothes.
Especially in my usual attire—a coat that reached down to my waist—my overall appearance was easily perceived as that of a man so exquisitely handsome he could almost be mistaken for a woman.
If I quit my job as an aide right now, I probably wouldn’t have to worry about making a living; modeling alone would suffice.
Concluding that everything from head to toe looked perfectly in order, I carefully opened the door.
My room was on the same floor as the quarters for the Crown Prince’s attendants and maids. Perhaps because of that, this area was livelier than elsewhere.
People I met in the hallway offered brief greetings before quickly continuing on their way. The scene felt oddly familiar—reminiscent of the atmosphere at an office right after clocking in for work.
“Lord Muzel! Have a wonderful day again today!”
A young maid, who seemed barely past coming of age and hadn’t quite shed her childishness, approached from the opposite direction and greeted me. I offered her a practiced, polite smile.
“Yes, uh…”
I nearly said, “You too,” but paused mid-sentence. Referring to her so vaguely as “you” without using her name felt somehow impolite.
Noticing my hesitation right away, the young maid quickly introduced herself.
“I’m Gretchen. We briefly met on your first day at the Imperial Palace.”
“Oh! So you’re Miss Gretchen. I’m sorry—I didn’t remember clearly.”
“Hehe, it’s alright! But you did remember that my name starts with a ‘G,’ right?”
Gretchen beamed brightly.
“Since you’re the first person I’ve greeted today, Lord Muzel, I think I’ll be happy all day long!”
With a flutter of her hand, she disappeared down the hall.
“Haha.”
I awkwardly raised my hand halfway, then quietly lowered it again.
It seemed this body was more beloved by the palace staff than I’d realized.
Then again, it made sense. If I were in their shoes and a new coworker turned out to be this devastatingly handsome, I’d be curious enough to strike up a conversation too.
Pretty women were rare, but pretty men were even rarer, weren’t they?
Soon, I arrived at my workplace. The greatest perk of this job I’d acquired through transmigration was undoubtedly my superior’s face.
A short while later, the Crown Prince and the Head Steward entered the office. I respectfully clasped my hands together and bowed.
“Your Highness, have you arrived?”
“You’re here early today.”
Klaus tossed out the comment indifferently and sat down on the sofa.
“I’ve got something to discuss—take a seat, Muzel.”
“Ah, yes.”
This was unexpected. I stiffly moved to sit on the opposite sofa.
What on earth could he want to talk about? I felt secretly nervous.
Klaus spoke, his expression as dry as ever.
“I was told that yesterday, during your conversation with Princess Elfride, your voices became rather loud.”
“Oh….”
My heart sank. I’d assumed the Crown Prince had good intelligence, but I hadn’t expected he’d know even such trivial details.
Klaus tilted the corner of his lips upward slightly.
“There’s hardly anything in this palace that escapes my notice. And besides—would it really go unnoticed that the Crown Prince’s famously handsome aide held a private audience with the belle of high society?”
His words left my mind momentarily blank.
Truthfully, I hadn’t had the luxury to consider such things. My sole driving thought at the time had been to meet Rumi.
Only now did I realize just how much trouble I’d actually caused.
“I sincerely apologize, Your Highness. I hadn’t anticipated such a brief exchange would spread into rumors.”
“To be honest, I don’t care what you and the princess discussed—but be careful not to give her any grounds to pick a quarrel with you. When dealing with her, you’d best be fully prepared.”
“Do you mean the Duke’s household would try to find fault with you, Your Highness?”
Klaus frowned slightly, as if bewildered by my odd remark.
“Do you really think she’d pick a fight with me? I’m talking about you, Muzel.”
“Oh! Right.”
I quickly mentally reviewed the original novel’s plot. How had Princess Elfride usually behaved? The answer came swiftly.
How indeed. She’d turned everyone around her into enemies.
She wasn’t called a villainess for nothing. A true villainess would recklessly stop at nothing to achieve her goals and was exceptionally skilled at treating others as mere tools.
I gave Klaus a slight bow.
“Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. But I believe I’ll be fine.”
“Oh? So you’ve got some confidence, then?”
Klaus raised one eyebrow, clearly surprised.
His expression was so unexpectedly endearing that I found myself smiling before I even realized it.
“Though our voices did rise briefly yesterday, we didn’t actually argue. It was merely that the princess spoke rather loudly.”
“Hmm….”
Klaus stared intently at my face. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking.
Anxiously, I waited for his next words. If he asked what we’d talked about, what should I say? Should I just blurt out, “The princess is interested in you”?
But Klaus simply turned his gaze away.
“If you’re that certain, then you must have good reason. I won’t bring this up again.”
I felt oddly touched. His willingness to trust me without further questioning resonated deeply in my chest.
An unexpected comfort in this strange world I’d suddenly fallen into.
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
Alongside the gratitude, a pang of bitterness rose within me.
To be this moved over something so small—apparently, transmigration had worn me down more than I thought. Since when had I become so sentimental?
Klaus brought his teacup to his lips and spoke.
“Don’t mention it.”
Perhaps the male lead of this novel was a far better person than I’d imagined.
After work ended, I returned to my room.
“Now, how do I meet the female lead…”
Pen in hand, I twirled it absentmindedly over my open journal.
To fulfill Rumi’s request, I first needed to meet the female lead, Evangeline.
The story had just passed the point where the female and male leads first encountered each other, so it was about time for the female lead to meet the secondary male lead as well.
Of course, meeting Evangeline wouldn’t be difficult. According to the original plot, I could simply stage a “chance encounter” when she went to the cathedral to pray.
It was safest to follow the original story rather than invent unnecessary incidents to connect with Evangeline.
Since the cathedral near the Imperial Palace was a place frequented by nobles of the capital, no one would find it strange for me to visit.
The script was already prepared—I just needed to carry it out smoothly. How simple it all seemed.
“Sigh….”
And yet, my sighs kept coming. That could only mean I wasn’t truly eager to carry out this plan.
To be honest, I didn’t like what Rumi was doing. But it wasn’t so detestable that I felt compelled to deliberately sabotage her efforts.
To put it precisely, I didn’t care what Rumi did at all. My only concern was figuring out how to send her back to her original world.
But what could I do? Until she let down her guard enough to calmly listen to me, I’d just have to go along with it.
Having sorted my thoughts, I snapped the journal shut with a sharp clap.
“That’s enough. Time to sleep.”
My chest fluttered with tension. I wondered if I’d be able to sleep soundly.
[This is the timeline separator]Muzel’s day began with greeting her superior.
Since Klaus usually arrived in the office precisely on time, I made sure to get there slightly earlier. After all, no superior in any world disliked a diligent subordinate.
As the door opened, I, having prepared myself beforehand, offered a respectful, light bow.
“I greet Your Highness, the Crown Prince.”
“Ah, yes.”
The lean, panther-like man replied to my greeting with his usual dryness.
His indifference wasn’t off-putting at all—in fact, it suited him so perfectly it felt completely natural. Was this the charisma of the male lead?
As he sipped the tea brought by the Head Steward, I reported the day’s schedule, acting every bit the proper aide.
I nearly laughed. It all felt so natural—as if I really were Muzel herself.
“I must verify today whether the relief supplies destined for the flood-stricken southern regions have been fully loaded. I’ll head to the harbor.”
“I see. Understood.”
Klaus, seated on the sofa with his eyes closed, nodded faintly.
Internally, I cheered.
No matter how many times I thought about it, this was truly the perfect excuse! Using an errand as cover, I could visit the cathedral and accomplish the grand mission of meeting the female lead, Evangeline!
But then the Crown Prince asked an unexpected question.
“The harbor is quite far—it’ll take considerable time. When do you plan to leave?”
“Ah! Can I… can I leave right now?”
A foolish answer slipped out before I could stop it.
Klaus furrowed his brow slightly and turned his violet eyes toward me.
“Go ahead.”
“Thank you! Then I’ll be off.”
I could sense his bewilderment in his gaze. Embarrassed but enduring it, I turned and left.
If I wanted to survive here safely, quick thinking was essential—but clearly, I needed more practice.
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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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