The Runaway Female Lead Doesn't Run Away (13 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 3
“Oh, no. I—I mean, that’s….”
Her lips, which had been chattering animatedly just moments ago, began to tremble.
Seeing the maid on the verge of tears, Dahlia asked again.
“Why are you trembling like that?”
“I—I mean, we….”
The maid, fidgeting like a puppy desperate to relieve itself, stole a quick glance at Dahlia’s face.
It was as if she were silently saying, ‘You know you’ve done something wrong—that’s why you’re shaking, isn’t it?’
And it wasn’t just that.
Though she was clearly smiling, a chilling coldness radiated from her clear violet eyes—something Dahlia had never felt before.
Eventually, the maid bowed deeply once more, her eyes brimming with tears.
“I—I’ve committed an unforgivable sin, Madam!”
Her forehead nearly touched the floor—a display of groveling humiliation never seen before.
Watching the maid, Dahlia thought to herself,
‘But I was having fun, wasn’t I?’
She tried speaking a few more times, sensing some misunderstanding, but each word only made the maid’s face grow paler.
[This is the timeline separator]Guided by the maid, Dahlia arrived at the kitchen, where every servant froze mid-task and turned to stare at her.
It was because the Duchess had arrived here without any warning.
Just as Dahlia began curiously glancing around the kitchen,
a man who had been watching her from afar with clear displeasure approached.
“What brings you here, Madam?”
The man’s expression was brimming with complaints and arrogance.
He was Max, the head chef of the Duke’s estate.
“No matter how much you may be the Duchess, this kitchen is mine. It’s very inconvenient for you to barge in without a word.”
It was unheard of for a mere kitchen staff to speak so boldly to Dahlia, the noble mistress of the estate. At the very least, boundaries should be respected, even without overt deference.
He looked down on her, well aware that Dahlia couldn’t raise her voice to the servants.
Had this been the original Dahlia, she would have fled the kitchen, intimidated by the chef’s icy glare.
But unfortunately for him, she was no longer that Dahlia.
She casually ignored the chef’s arrogance and began rummaging around the kitchen.
Watching her, Max quietly bit his lip.
‘How could she possibly know to come here? Could she… have figured something out?’
Today was an extremely important day for Max, the head chef of the Seyear Ducal household.
It was the day he was finally executing a meticulously prepared plan he’d been setting up for days.
A week ago,
someone had handed him a herb, claiming it came directly from a high-ranking person.
“Put this in the Duchess’s meals. Do this, and I’ll pay off all your debts.”
Moonflower herb.
In simple terms, it was a contraceptive.
But the herb itself was extremely potent—not merely preventing pregnancy.
If the Duchess was already pregnant, it could cause a miscarriage—and potentially permanent infertility.
Moreover, if ingested by a man, it could even render him sterile—a truly fearsome poison.
Still, Max had been puzzled when he received it. Everyone in the Empire already knew the Duchess was barren; why go to such lengths?
“It’s just to be absolutely certain. As you said, her body can’t conceive anyway—so if she fails to get pregnant, it certainly won’t be your fault.”
Moonflower wouldn’t endanger life itself—only cause infertility.
And as that person said, the Duchess was already barren. So for a large sum of money, this seemed like an easy task.
That was, until the Duchess suddenly stormed into the kitchen.
‘Damn it! I only needed to serve it at tonight’s dinner, and it would’ve been over!’
Moonflower uniquely carried a strong fishy odor and taste.
No matter what dish it was added to, that distinctive fishiness could give it away.
Thus, Max had bribed the maids to mix strongly fishy-flavored ingredients into the Duchess’s meals,
reasoning that the normally timid Duchess would never complain, no matter what she was served.
Yet, she had unexpectedly shown up in the kitchen herself. How had this happened?
As Max pondered, he recalled that in recent days, Dahlia had repeatedly ordered meals remade.
That was unlike the usual Duchess.
‘She definitely… knows something!’
She must have already known he planned to poison her dinner tonight.
That’s why she was personally searching the kitchen—to catch him red-handed.
The moment he realized this, cold sweat began to bead on his back.
He watched the Duchess as she appeared to inspect every covered pot with feigned curiosity—it was unmistakably an act.
‘Damn it!’
Fortunately—or perhaps unfortunately—the poison had already been fully used before the Duchess arrived.
Since it was already mixed into the food, traces would be hard to find, but there was still a slim chance.
He never imagined the supposedly timid and foolish Duchess could be this terrifyingly calculating.
Max’s expression toward Dahlia shifted completely.
But just as Max anxiously bit his lip, Dahlia was thinking…
‘I want something spicy.’
Tteokbokki, malatang, chicken feet, grilled intestines—she yearned for bold, stimulating flavors.
She wandered through the kitchen hoping to find something satisfying, though of course, such dishes didn’t exist here.
Still, determined to freshen her palate with something mildly spicy, Dahlia kept searching persistently.
“Oh? What’s this…?”
Soon, she spotted a pot smeared with red sauce on its exterior.
Delighted, Dahlia lifted the lid with a bright expression.
Max, watching her, turned deathly pale.
‘That’s…!’
It was the tomato stew—into which he’d mixed the poison—scheduled to be served to the Duchess that evening.
He quickly stepped between Dahlia and the pot, putting on his most natural expression and tone.
“This is tonight’s tomato stew—one of the dinner courses.”
“Tomato stew?”
Max smoothly positioned himself to block Dahlia’s view of the pot.
“Yes. You’ll taste it at dinner, so for now…”
But Dahlia sniffed the air and tilted her head.
“This smells odd… Has it gone bad?”
Damn.
She’d caught the scent already?
Max’s shoulders flinched involuntarily.
“N-no way! I just finished cooking it moments before you arrived, Madam.”
“Really? But it smells… fishy?”
Damn.
She’d sniffed it for just a second yet immediately noticed the fishy odor.
She definitely knew beforehand—that was certain now.
‘What should I do?’
He’d prepared it during an off-peak hour to secretly add the poison when no one was around.
He had no time to remake it—and worse, he had no poison left.
So he decided to bluff it out.
“It’s not spoiled. You must be mistaken, Madam.”
To hide his panic, Max answered with even more insolence than before—an utterly shameless attitude.
“After all, how could someone like you, who’s never cooked a meal in her life, possibly…”
“Then taste it yourself.”
“…What?”
“Taste it. You’ll know if it’s spoiled or not once you’ve tried it.”
“T-that’s…!”
In that instant, he realized he’d tripped over his own feet.
‘Could this be a test? Is she testing me right now…?’
Good heavens.
Where had the leak come from?!
Max stared fearfully at the pot.
‘If I eat this, I’ll…’
At thirty-eight, in the prime of his life—he’d be rendered sterile.
But if he refused, he’d be accused of attempting to harm the Duchess, endangering not just himself but his entire family.
Those icy violet eyes were pushing him right to the edge of a cliff.
Max bit down hard inside his mouth to keep his emotions hidden.
Then, as if making a decision, he lifted a ladle and, right before Dahlia’s eyes, scooped up stew and swallowed it.
‘For the sake of my family…’
Becoming sterile was a small price to pay.
He clenched his eyes shut and forced the stew down.
Dahlia, who had been silently watching, asked,
“How is it?”
Was she asking how it felt to become sterile?
He unconsciously steadied his cracking voice.
“…It’s n-not… spoiled.”
“Really?”
“…Yes. Will you… believe me now?”
“Well, if you say so… But please serve something else for dinner tonight, not this.”
It was undoubtedly the Duchess’s silent warning: never add poison again.
Max replied in a resigned voice.
“…Yes. Understood.”
He’d gravely underestimated the Duchess.
Though born into a humble family, she was still a noble—and now, the mistress of House Seyear.
He bitterly regretted obeying that person’s orders, swallowing his tears inwardly.
Meanwhile, Dahlia tilted her head, puzzled by the chef who seemed on the verge of tears.
For some reason, his condition had visibly worsened since eating the stew.
Beads of sweat dotted his forehead, and his hand clutched his lower abdomen, trembling violently—as if he were in pain.
“See? I told you it was spoiled.”
Tsk tsk.
Clicking her tongue at the chef, who looked ready to collapse any second, Dahlia reached into a basket and popped a cookie into her mouth.
Male lead says he’s pregnant — and it’s female lead’s child
Something seems a bit off about this world.
Wang Zhao thought as she watched a pregnant man walking towards her…
Intro
Female lead finds herself in a world where the men who possess the ability to bear children.
As she navigates this unfamiliar reality, she is caught off guard by the sudden appearance of her boyfriend, who reveals that he is pregnant.
Is this truly her boyfriend?
Why can’t she recall any details about their time together?
She begins to doubt whether the child her boyfriend is carrying is even hers.
Is there a hidden reason behind her amnesia, or could it be a side effect of her sudden arrival in this strange new world?
Just when it seems the protagonist’s life couldn’t become any more entangled, her ex-boyfriend makes an unexpected appearance, raising questions about the protagonist’s past.
__________
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MANGA DISCUSSION
1 Comment
Chapter Comments (23)
Oh… this FL feels so relatable, but still leave that jerk
I feel like you have plot armor strong you that is driving the character reactions… lol
Yes…. Just inadvertently let slip the truths… this is so refreshing
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
Well.. the staff’s overactive imagination sure is helpful