To Become Family with the Male Lead (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 16
The chess pieces kept moving. Unlike me, who advanced slowly without exerting strength from the start, the pieces the Duke moved were consistent—pawns.
It was an aggressive opening strategy.
When he chose a piece other than a pawn, as I had anticipated, it was the bishop. He placed his chosen piece in a position where it could both defend his king and attack my pieces.
‘First, I need to block the bishop’s path.’
I quietly looked down at the chessboard where the game was unfolding. I carefully examined each piece’s possible routes. Though I still seemed to have the higher chance of winning, as Yurick had said, Duke Fenton was clearly a formidable opponent. His attacks lacked the impact of Baron Kito’s, yet each one carried undeniable weight.
‘The price for underestimating me will be steep, Your Grace.’
The sharp ticking of a clock somewhere in the foyer rang clearly in my ears.
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.
“Hmm… If it goes like this, this spot will be blocked, Lise.”
As time passed, I realized my plan was unraveling. The moment the Duke moved his rook, I finally understood how arrogant I’d been all along.
I bit my lip without even noticing.
The entire situation had flipped completely.
Having been in a favorable position, the sudden reversal shattered my composure. All the strategies and moves I’d carefully plotted vanished like waves sweeping them away, leaving nothing inside me but blank emptiness. Contrary to my hopes, from that point on, I kept making foolish mistakes.
I tried to run until the end to force a draw, but the Duke created an opposition—where the two kings face each other—and checkmated me right then and there with the very rook that had been pressuring me.
“Checkmate.”
Stunned by the hollow defeat, I sat there blankly, forgetting to offer a handshake. Even after regaining my senses, I kept staring at the chessboard, carefully retracing where I’d gone wrong. As I followed the paths of the pieces with my eyes, I heard the Duke clear his throat.
I looked up to find him gazing down at me with an indifferent expression. Only then did I snap out of my daze and extend my hand to acknowledge my loss.
“Oh, thank you.”
“Yes, Lise. Now, about where you went wrong…”
“Oh, no! I—I think I can figure it out myself!”
I hastily interrupted the Duke and quickly shifted my gaze back to the board. It seemed I hadn’t used my pawns properly.
If only that pawn had held its position…
“Could you play another match with me?”
“…Another match?”
“Is that not possible?”
At my request, Duke Fenton silently began gathering the pieces. I thought it was over—but then he reset the board. He was agreeing to my request.
The match began again. This time, I moved my pieces using my usual familiar opening. I intended to play it safe rather than take risks, gradually increasing my winning odds before transitioning into the middlegame. One mistake was enough.
I entered the game with an even heavier heart than before. Whenever I felt anxious, I kept repeating to myself that I could win.
For a long time, we moved our hands in silence.
And as a result, I lost every single game.
[This is the timeline separator]“You underestimated me.”
After losing even the final game, the Duke spoke gravely.
“Yes?”
“…Aren’t you going to shake hands?”
“Oh, thank you for playing with me…”
I forced out a reply, though my hand remained clenched tight. After shaking hands with the Duke one last time, I immediately lowered my head.
I knew exactly why I’d lost every game. I even knew how I could have won. Despite knowing the future and understanding the situation, what came before me was not victory—but defeat.
“You were impatient.”
“…”
“You trusted yourself too much.”
The Duke spoke as he tidied the chessboard. He wasn’t wrong.
“Your greed got the better of you.”
“Oh.”
“Reacquaint yourself with your shortcomings. Don’t just assume you can do it. Trust isn’t always a good thing—it can sometimes be the cause of failure.”
The cause of failure.
His painful advice made my heart sink heavily. A weighty atmosphere settled onto my shoulders. It wasn’t bitterness over defeat—it was the feeling that even the vague, hollow hope I’d clung to had been ripped out by the roots.
Had I grown arrogant from a single remark by Baron Kito? Or had I believed that, thanks to luck, my second life made me superior to others?
“Darling.”
“Oh… I’m sorry. I didn’t realize I was being so harsh.”
The Duke apologized at his wife’s remark, but I didn’t hear it.
My hands tightened. While I was briefly lost in self-reflection, a hand rested gently on my shoulder. Startled, I flinched—and Yurick’s familiar scent washed over me.
“Father, may I show Lise my room now?”
What? Yurick had interrupted.
“Lise, let’s go.”
Without waiting for my reply, Yurick pulled me along. I stood up dazedly and stared blankly at his back for a moment.
“W-wait!”
“We agreed to take a look, didn’t we?”
While I was distressed over my defeat, had Yurick been eagerly waiting for the perfect moment to show me his room all this time?
In the end, he succeeded in dragging me to his room—though the problem was that my mood was decidedly poor.
[This is the timeline separator]“Here we are.”
“I see…”
Yurick had dragged me all the way to his room.
I wanted to be angry, but I had no energy left. I only planned to look around briefly, feign some interest, and quickly leave.
Just as Yune had said, Yurick’s room was truly plain. The only thing catching the eye was the bookshelf packed with picture books—so thick they must have been the kind where illustrations popped out when opened. Everything else was utterly ordinary, which only made me more annoyed.
But Yurick, wanting to show me something else, took my hand and led me further. He seated me in a chair, told me to wait, and headed toward the bed.
While sighing quietly to myself, I noticed a bundle of keys on the desk. The decorative keyring I’d chosen for him wasn’t there.
“…The keyring isn’t here.”
I’d spoken to myself, but Yurick must have heard me—he straightened up.
“I keep the keyring separately. It’s too precious to use.”
“…”
“There’s something else I want to do with you.”
Yurick came before me and held out a box. I didn’t know what he wanted to do, and honestly had no interest, so I just nodded absently.
When Yurick opened the box, my attention was caught by the unexpected item inside—a thick wad of cash.
“Why are you showing me this?”
“It’s all yours.”
…What’s gotten into you?
“Yurick.”
“Go on, take it quickly.”
“…Did you eat something strange?”
Though I was short on money, receiving cash out of pity didn’t sit well with me. Unsure what to say, I just stared at the bills—and noticed something odd.
“It’s fake money.”
Upon closer inspection, one of the images on the bill differed from real currency.
“It’s toy money. Look here at the bottom—it says in tiny letters, ‘Hosha Village Toy Shop.’”
He was right. Realizing the money before me was fake left me oddly deflated.
“Won’t you tear it?”
“Huh? Tear it?”
“This—money.”
“…?”
“Shall I show you?”
Show me what?
He said he’d demonstrate first, took a bundle of bills in his hand, and began tearing. Rip—rip—. The sharp sound echoed through the quiet room. Shreds of paper filled Yurick’s hands, and then he tossed the bundle into the air.
Amid the slowly falling pieces, Yurick flashed a bright smile. Then he grabbed another wad and held it out to me.
“You can’t tear real money, right? So whenever I feel down, angry, or overwhelmed, I tear this instead—and throw it away.”
It was a surprisingly clever way to relieve stress.
He urged me to try tearing some myself. Just as the last pieces settled onto the floor, I timidly tore a bill. Rip—it made a satisfying sound.
“Tear harder, Lise.”
At Yurick’s voice, I tore the money more forcefully. As the bill split apart freely, I felt a wave of relief. Strangely, I felt good—as if I were doing something naughty yet fearless. Looking at myself, unafraid, I realized there was nothing left to fear.
Yurick and I began tearing money in earnest. We tossed handfuls of shredded paper into the air and blew on them. Pieces stuck to Yurick’s hair and clung to his face.
Finding it slightly ridiculous, I laughed—and Yurick, not to be outdone, tossed more shreds toward me. We were too busy tearing money and laughing.
“Like this—you toss it high! Higher!”
“Like this? Ah!”
I slipped and fell while trying to throw the bill fragments even higher. Luckily, I landed on the soft bed, so it didn’t hurt.
“Lise! Are you okay?”
“…No. I feel like my head’s turning completely white.”
“Let’s go to the hospital, quickly!”
“More importantly—do we still have any money left?”
At my question, Yurick looked at the now completely empty box and shook his head. Only then did I realize just how absurdly I’d behaved.
Yurick tearing fake money!
His stress-relief method—never once shown in the original story—was both surprising and funny. I felt someone’s gaze from behind. Turning my head, I met Yurick’s blue eyes. My own reflection was clearly visible in them, so I stared back intently.
Yurick’s face gradually turned red. He quickly lay down on the bed.
“…How are you feeling?”
“Huh?”
“You weren’t feeling well earlier.”
He’d been considerate of me.
“It was the best.”
“I’m glad… I was worried you’d keep feeling upset.”
“Why tear money of all things?”
“Because I hate money. Once you meet my grandfather, you’ll understand.”
Yurick’s voice dropped slightly. Had I ever imagined such a tone coming from the character ‘Yurick Fenton,’ whom I’d only known from the book?
The first time I saw Yurick, I thought he was different from the original protagonist—and I still felt the same now. He was unfamiliar, yet always new.
“Lise, what do you dislike, and what do you like?”
At Yurick’s question, I hesitated. There were too many things I disliked—I didn’t know where to start—and I couldn’t think of anything I particularly liked, making it hard to answer. But not wanting the conversation to end so abruptly, I wracked my brain as hard as I could.
“Oh—can you play the violin?”
“The violin?”
I really wanted to brag about the first instrument I’d ever learned.
“Yeah, I happened to start learning it—it’s fascinating! I can only produce two notes so far, though. I can’t wait to learn more notes quickly.”
My excitement got the better of me, and I rambled on without realizing. Only after telling Yurick everything did I suddenly think, Oh no—I’d sounded far too presumptuous.
What if Yurick was actually a skilled violinist? Then I’d just come across as showing off to an expert.
“Oh, sorry—I sounded like I knew too much, didn’t I?”
“No, not at all. I don’t know anything about violins.”
“Then my story must’ve been boring.”
“Why would you think that? I found it really interesting.”
Relieved by Yurick’s words, I was about to say more—when the door opened again.
“Young Master, Miss. Dinner is ready—please come down to the dining room.”
It was a Fenton household maid.
Dinner…? Was I even supposed to join them? More than that, I honestly didn’t have the courage to face the Duke.
“Lise.”
Yurick lightly tapped the back of my hand.
“Let’s go together.”
Yurick gave a small smile. Reassured slightly by that smile, I climbed down from the bed. Shreds of paper were scattered everywhere in the room. Just as I resolved to clean them up after dinner, something caught my eye.
[Yurick Fenton.]It was a violin case. The edges of the old case were frayed and worn from use. Faintly etched into the worn fabric was Yurick’s name.
Male lead reborn without memories — but he still falls for her.
The person he finds displeasing in this life turns out to be his cherished wife-master in previous life…
Xie Zhi and Fang Xianxing who had known each other for less than three days through a blind date sat in the same car in front of the civil affairs bureau. They had a disagreement and failed to get married.
Xie Zhi immediately took out his phone, slid through his contacts, and randomly selected the next marriage candidate.
The woman snatched his phone and hung up. Looking at his phone wallpaper, she awkwardly changed the subject: “An ancient painting, eh? It looks pretty good, it’s just that the person in the painting looks a bit like me.”
When he heard this, he sarcastically mocked her for being so delusional, completely unaware that, the person in front of him was the reincarnation of Wen Ru, the famous prime minister of Yuan Shun whom he most admired…
The female CEO who doesn’t want to get married with a divorce agreement in hand × The male archaeological researcher who will only get married if he’s sure he can get divorced
MANGA DISCUSSION
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Chapter Comments (59)
Oh, he explained the situation to her well. I hope Liz’s game improves and she wins the upcoming matches.- How perceptive Yurik is! He noticed what Liz wishes for. I hope he can help Liz.
- Haha, it’s funny how Roger acts like an adult when he’s just a child.
Inline Comments (25)
Only a vague sense of emptiness lingered in my chest.
Poor baby. She has not a proper family. When I think about the other novels. Her family looks better than them. But it’s doesn’t mean they are good. They are abusing in a different way
When she asked, I shook my head.
This is so sad. I hope Liz has a family who loves her too. Why was she born again without a family? I hope Liz finds happiness.😭💔
As I put all the meat from my plate into my mouth, Yurick gave a small smile. Se
Oh my god, Yurik is so sweet! He’s really romantic. He’s obviously very much in love with our dear Liz 🤭💗
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