The Runaway Female Lead Doesn't Run Away (13 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 11
The garden party was a success.
Although there had been a minor issue between Duke Seyear and Duke Chamberg at the beginning, the atmosphere at the party had quickly become warm and friendly, as if nothing had ever happened.
But that was only on the surface.
Marquis Landrofil, the host of the party, approached Clayton with an apologetic expression.
“I’ll offer my apologies in place of the unpleasant incident earlier, Your Grace.”
“That’s not something for which a marquis needs to apologize.”
Clayton tilted the champagne glass he was holding, his voice flat and disinterested.
Yet, contrary to his calm exterior, Clayton was deeply troubled by what had just occurred.
‘Where on earth did that information leak from?’
The fact that a black carriage had been coming and going from the estate was a secret known only to a select few within the family.
Yet Duke Chamberg was aware of it—which could only mean there was a rat hiding somewhere within the household.
At that thought, a wave of irritation quickly passed through him.
His gaze then shifted toward Dahlia, who was speaking with several other ladies not far away.
While he had briefly stepped away to fetch a drink, Dahlia was now surrounded by noblewomen, hiding her annoyance and forcing an unnatural smile.
Something about her expression struck him as oddly amusing, and he let out an involuntary chuckle.
Lately, Dahlia had changed. It felt as if someone else had donned her skin.
Her behavior, speech, even her gait—everything was different, but Clayton didn’t mind the change. In fact—
‘It’s confirmed now.’
Whenever he was in contact with Dahlia, he could now move about even in broad daylight.
Everything that had been uncertain before the outing had become crystal clear today.
With a slightly relaxed expression, he lifted the corners of his lips, recalling what he had done before leaving for the garden party.
‘What? You’d like to take a different carriage? As you already know, all the carriages at the estate are currently under repair, leaving only a single one-seater. It would be far too cramped for the two of you.’
It had been an uncharacteristically childish move, but for the sake of confirmation, such a thing was nothing to him.
He had deliberately taken a small carriage without curtains to test whether he could tolerate sunlight while in contact with Dahlia.
And the experiment had been remarkably successful. Normally, whenever Clayton had to travel during the day, he needed curtains drawn tightly inside the carriage to block out as much light as possible—
even sunlight filtering through the glass windows was enough to make him uncomfortable.
But today had been different. Because he had been in physical contact with Dahlia in the cramped carriage, not a single adverse symptom had appeared, even under the sunlight streaming through the windows.
By the time they arrived at the garden party, Clayton’s mood was lighter than it had been in a long while, fully convinced of Dahlia’s ability.
Yet there was one problem: the effect lasted an absurdly short time.
‘It hasn’t even been five minutes since we separated.’
Dahlia had only left his side five minutes ago, claiming she was going to fetch a drink.
Already, that familiar discomfort was creeping back into place.
Clayton’s eyes darkened, and countless thoughts surged through his mind at once.
Could the effect vary depending on the duration of contact? Or perhaps the intensity? Or even the specific body parts that touched?
For instance….
He lifted his gaze from his thoughts and happened to lock eyes with Dahlia just as she was drinking water—more precisely, with her lips.
The clear water in the transparent glass and Dahlia’s now-moist lips were enough to capture his full attention.
Staring intently at her damp lips with an almost obsessive gaze, Clayton took a sip of champagne to wet his throat.
It was an unfamiliar kind of thirst.
Noticing that Clayton’s gaze kept returning to Dahlia, the marquis made a suggestion.
“Your Grace, how would you like to see the pond I wasn’t able to show the Duchess earlier? It’s a very quiet and serene spot, quite unlike this area—our Landrofil estate’s pride and joy.”
As he spoke of the pond, the marquis stepped even closer, as though sharing a secret.
“I plan to show it only to our honored guests later this afternoon. How about enjoying a quiet stroll there with the Duchess beforehand? If you’d like, I’ll make sure no one disturbs the two of you.”
“A stroll…”
He turned the champagne glass in his hand, listening quietly to the marquis’s offer.
“That sounds acceptable.”
Curiosity was something meant to be satisfied.
[This is the timeline separator]“This is our Landrofil family’s pride—the pond.”
Guided by the marquis, they arrived at the very pond he had praised so highly.
Expecting little more than a modest pond with perhaps a few carp, Dahlia was astonished to find something grand enough to be called a lake.
Thus, she couldn’t help but exclaim in pure wonder.
“Wow—it doesn’t look like a pond at all! It’s practically a lake!”
Moreover, the area around the pond was thickly shaded by trees, creating the illusion of walking deep in a forest.
“Yes, it’s large enough to float a small boat. Unfortunately, the boat is under repair right now, but we’ll have to enjoy a boat ride together here someday.”
He seemed quite pleased by Dahlia’s reaction, his shoulders lifting slightly.
Truthfully, she hadn’t held high expectations when he first mentioned showing her the pond—but the unexpectedly beautiful scenery had lifted her spirits without her even realizing it.
“Then please enjoy some private time together.”
“And what about you, Marquis?”
Surprised that the marquis planned to leave after only guiding them, Dahlia reached out to stop him.
“I’d love to accompany you both the entire time, but as the host of the party, I can’t afford to be away from my duties for too long. Please feel at ease and enjoy yourselves.”
“Oh…”
Having no real reason to hold him back, Dahlia saw him off with an awkward smile.
Once the marquis left, only Clayton and Dahlia remained alone by the pond.
‘Ugh… this is so awkward…’
Ever since she’d refused to share his bed under the excuse of being unwell, being alone with Clayton had become intensely uncomfortable for her. At least in the carriage, she could pretend to be asleep.
Now, with no one else around and just the two of them in this silent place, she felt an inexplicable urge to do something—anything.
So Dahlia began wandering near the pond, deliberately inspecting the flowers blooming around her.
She tried to appear as natural as possible, but Clayton watched her with a faint smirk—the discomfort practically written across her face.
He’d come here for only one reason:
To test exactly how far Dahlia’s touch could protect him—nothing more, nothing less.
But then—
“Do you know, Your Grace? These flowers are incredibly sweet and delicious!”
Dahlia returned holding an unfamiliar flower, her eyes distant with nostalgia as she began arranging its petals.
“When I was little, I used to eat the nectar from these flowers all the time. First, I’d pluck the petals and tidy them up, then do this—put the flower in my mouth like so…”
With focused lips, she placed the flower’s tip between them and eagerly sucked out the nectar it held.
Her eyes sparkled as she tasted the sweet nectar.
“Would you like to try one, Your Grace?”
She beamed at Clayton, plucked another blossom, and held it out to him.
At that moment, a breeze blew, causing her long white hair to flutter gently before his eyes.
“…”
Dazed as if under a spell, Clayton glanced once at the flower offered to him, then looked again at Dahlia’s face.
Her bright, unfamiliar smile, combined with the faint scent carried by the wind, softly brushed against something deep in his chest.
“Your Grace?”
Misinterpreting his silence as reluctance toward eating wildflowers, Dahlia insisted again.
“Just trust me—try it once. It’s really swee—”
Snap.
Before she could finish her sentence, he caught her wrist.
Slowly pulling her arm toward him, he lowered his head and took the flower into his mouth.
“Oh…”
Dahlia froze, not expecting him to take the flower directly from her hand with his lips.
Unfazed, Clayton mimicked her actions precisely.
“It’s not that sweet.”
Only after hearing his indifferent remark did Dahlia snap back to her senses and quickly pull her hand away.
“R-really? That’s strange—I thought mine was sweet. Let me get you another flower then…”
“I’d like to try the same one.”
“Huh? But I already finished that one?”
Looking flustered as she stared at the discarded flower on the ground, Dahlia barely had time to react before Clayton stepped even closer.
“Not that one.”
“Then how…?”
Gently grasping her nape, he tilted her head toward him.
“Like this.”
And in the next instant, Clayton claimed Dahlia’s lips.
He kissed her slowly, like a child savoring a sweet lollipop.
It was slightly too warm to be called comforting, and a bit too lingering to be called brief.
When he finally pulled away, he murmured softly,
“Sweet.”
A hint of wistfulness lingered in his faint smile.
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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MANGA DISCUSSION
1 Comment
Chapter Comments (15)
Good for you designer! Then let’s move to the next location
She is lost in her own world… lol. The bug went plop
Despite your horrible with listening, Rachel you get points
Inline Comments (67)
Clayton murmured with a cold, sharp smile.
You ignored her first. To me ,you don’t have rights to anything about her
And so, unintentionally, Dahlia ended up ditching Samantha and Daniel yet again.
Noo. They won’t trust you again girl. Anyway I am still mad at Clayton
Unlike the Duke, who didn’t even care whether his own wife was being humiliated
Yes. So I want you to become male lead. Clayton did a lot of mess. But there is bot a chance for you🥲
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VKotaku28
On the fence about this, but na yeon is probably avoiding intimacy due to contraception