To Become Family with the Male Lead (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 9
After about an hour in the carriage, we arrived at Roskoff Village—a place befitting its reputation as an artists’ haven, where diverse artists coexisted.
The village, blooming with vibrant purple flowers, had a small riverside, and painters and minstrels wandered about everywhere.
The wheels, which had been turning continuously, finally stopped—apparently we’d reached our destination. The grand mansion, notable for its purple roof, even featured a small lake and tables set out for tea.
“I’ll show you the way. Please hand your hat and parasol to me.”
As soon as we stepped out of the carriage, maids and servants welcomed us warmly. They must have gone to great lengths for Isabelle’s visit.
‘Am I really supposed to be here?’
Thinking about it, the dress I was wearing and the jeweled accessories I had on—all of them felt overwhelming for me.
Because of that, complaints had poured out of me nonstop since morning. The cause was jealousy—I’d seen the twins dressed up extravagantly that day.
“Oh my, you’ve arrived! Isabelle.”
A woman appeared from among the maids.
She was slightly plump with short black hair and greeted both Isabelle and me with a kind smile.
“Silly.”
They clearly were quite close, calling each other by first names rather than surnames affectionately.
I stood quietly, amazed that Isabelle had such a close friend, when I sensed someone ahead. Turning my head, I saw a boy with black hair and violet eyes staring at me.
So this was the boy my age Isabelle had mentioned.
He clung to his mother’s sleeve as if wary of me.
“You must be Lise? I’ve heard so much about you. This is my son, Roger. He’s the same age as you, Lise.”
No sooner had Mrs. Silly finished speaking than Roger relaxed his sharp gaze.
He gave a slight nod in greeting—completely different from how he’d just glared at me.
I studied him closely. Unlike Yurick, who was angelically beautiful, Roger was a handsome boy with sharp, well-defined features and a lean build.
“Hello, I’m Lise.”
Since Roger didn’t seem likely to speak first, I greeted him. In response, he glared at me fiercely again and hid behind his mother.
“Roger, what are you doing?”
“…….”
“I’m sorry—he’s just very shy. Roger, go ahead and greet Lise properly.”
Mrs. Silly pushed Roger’s back insistently. Under her urging, Roger stood before me but still didn’t utter a word.
“Oh dear, why is Roger acting like this today? He’s shy, yes, but he’s never this quiet. He must be happy Lise came.”
Mrs. Silly tried hard to ease the awkward atmosphere.
“That’s an honor.”
Isabelle answered on my behalf.
“Let’s not stand out here—come inside and talk, Isabelle.”
“Alright. Then we’ll go in.”
Mrs. Silly and Roger led the way first. As I followed them quietly, Isabelle leaned close to my ear, lowering her head slightly.
“How about getting closer to Roger? He’s quite handsome, and I think he likes you too.”
Where on earth did she get that idea?
“I guess it’d be nice to become friends.”
“No, not just friends. What about as fiancés?”
My jaw dropped.
I was only ten years old. A fiancé for a girl who hadn’t even hit puberty yet… Even if people in this era married young, wasn’t ten still too early for an engagement?
Besides, Isabelle wasn’t the kind of sincere mother who’d introduce an honest noble boy to me, her illegitimate child.
‘What’s going on?’
I couldn’t fathom what Isabelle was thinking. She’d deliberately brought me here and even brought up engagements—it was clear she was scheming something.
‘Suspicious.’
Entering the mansion with suspicion, I saw an interior just as lavish and spacious as its exterior.
Among everything, what caught my eye were the statues and paintings—works by famous artists said to be unobtainable even with vast wealth.
I wondered if they might be fakes, but the artists’ signatures were clearly engraved beneath each piece. Additionally, the walls were decorated with various frames containing not artworks but written mottos.
“You seem quite interested in art, don’t you?”
“Are they genuine?”
“Of course. We acquired them through auctions or as gifts.”
“How did you manage that?”
“Our Bacchus family has produced many artists, so we have connections with several of them.”
At Mrs. Silly’s words, my mouth fell open slightly.
Until now, I’d only known this was a marquis’s household, but I hadn’t known what the family actually did.
But the Bacchus family? Among the famous poets I knew, there was one with the surname Bacchus—could it be…?
“Is the poet Logan Bacchus also from this family?”
“Hmm? Yes, indeed. It seems you haven’t heard much about our family from Isabelle. Logan is famous, but Roger is exceptionally talented even among the Bacchus lineage.”
So he wasn’t just a handsome boy lacking confidence.
“How about touring Roger’s room until lunch is ready? There’s plenty to see in his room.”
“I don’t mind…”
I was fine with it, but would Roger be okay? I worried he might feel uncomfortable being alone with someone he hadn’t even exchanged a word with yet.
But Roger gestured to me without hesitation—clearly inviting me to his room.
As I followed him, I stole a quick glance at Roger.
“Where’s your room?”
“…….”
“Do you have any siblings, or are you an only child?”
“…….”
No matter what I asked, Roger didn’t answer. Eventually, I gave up on talking and quietly followed his lead.
Roger’s room was on the middle floor of the third story.
“This is your room?”
When I asked, he nodded. It was a rather quiet room, fitting its owner’s personality, yet surprisingly filled with interesting items.
Mostly musical instruments—among them, string instruments and some I’d never seen before.
He seemed interested in visual art as well; in the center of the room hung a painting—drawn by Roger himself. Though unfinished and full of blank space, the detailed and precise portrait was so vivid it looked like a real person.
“Wow! Amazing!”
The exclamation slipped out naturally. I wanted to admire the painting more, but Roger blocked my view.
“Why? I want to look more. I’ve never seen anyone who draws this well before.”
“……It’s a ruined piece.”
Roger’s voice was lower than I’d expected.
“A ruined piece? But it’s so wonderful.”
“……It really is ruined. Look here—the eye color is dull.”
He pointed to the man’s eyes in the painting.
“Hmm, I don’t really see it.”
“If you don’t know, then forget it.”
Roger didn’t explain further and simply moved the painting out of my sight. Not wanting to upset him by continuing about the painting, I looked around the room again.
“This really is a fantastic room—filled with fascinating things.”
Mrs. Silly had been right. Roger’s room was full of things to see and interesting objects. While I was absorbed in examining them, Roger sat quietly on the bed, watching me.
“…….”
I did the same. After finishing my silent inspection, I turned my gaze toward Roger on the bed. A wrinkle had formed between his brows.
“Why aren’t you touching anything?”
“……Huh?”
“You said it was fascinating. Why don’t you go closer or touch anything? Everyone else who comes here looks at things and touches them. Are you just saying it’s interesting without really meaning it?”
“No, it really is fascinating. I’m extremely curious.”
“Then why not?”
He asked innocently.
“Artworks are delicate, you know. Especially instruments—if you handle them wrong, the sound gets ruined. And if you accidentally disturb the paint, even a little mixing of colors could ruin it. Do you really like it when people freely touch your instruments or artworks?”
This time, I asked him. Roger stood up from the bed and shook his head.
“No. I really hate it.”
He stepped closer to me.
“Do you know how much that instrument costs?”
He pointed to a violin hanging on the wall.
“No idea.”
“It’s worth five gold ingots. And it’s extremely sensitive—even a slight touch changes its sound.”
“But if it’s so valuable, why not store it properly instead of hanging it on the wall like that?”
“That one’s already ruined. Too many kids who visited kept touching it. Now it’s just for decoration.”
He stared straight at me, then took down the violin he’d just pointed to and held it out to me.
“Do you know how to play?”
“I’m sorry, but I know almost nothing about art. Even if you taught me, I probably wouldn’t understand.”
“Then how did you know instruments are delicate?”
“I read it in a book. Also, even if it weren’t an instrument, I was always taught not to touch other people’s belongings carelessly.”
“Hmm…”
Roger fell silent.
He didn’t seem as timid as I’d first thought, nor particularly shy. Given how decisively he spoke now, maybe he hadn’t talked earlier simply because he found it bothersome.
“Can I read a book?”
I looked around and pointed to the bookshelf on the wall.
“They’re all books about art—you’ll probably find them boring.”
“Really? Well, I’ve got nothing else to do.”
“Won’t you play with me?”
“Do you want to play with me?”
When I asked, Roger immediately shook his head. Just as I expected.
“Then just give me one book. I’ll stay quiet. You go do your own thing.”
“Is that okay?”
“What’s wrong with that? But let’s keep it a secret from our parents. We’ll lie and say we had lots of fun together.”
Roger hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
“Any book is fine?”
“Yes.”
He went to the bookshelf and handed me a thick volume titled “A Theoretical Treatise on Aesthetics.” Though it seemed dull, with nothing else to do, I sat down in a chair and opened it right away.
Just as I thought I could finally read quietly, Roger hovered in front of me. At first, I ignored him—I assumed he’d eventually go do his own thing.
“…….”
But he didn’t.
“……What are you doing?”
Unable to hold back any longer, I asked. He flinched.
“I just wanted to see if you were really reading.”
“So should I pretend to read instead?”
“No.”
What a letdown. I tried to return to my book, but Roger stared at me intently.
“What? If you have something to say, just say it.”
“……I can’t lie.”
“What?”
“I can’t lie. So I can’t say we had lots of fun.”
“Then what do we do?”
“Let’s play. For real.”
He said it simply.
Turns Out He’s Been Secretly in Love with Me
One-line summary: He acts like he doesn’t like her but is actually playing hard to get.
Synopsis:
Xu Muzhou like her. He has liked her for a very long time, and through repeated schemes, he finally closed the distance with her.
But this is still far from enough.
He wants to be the one who stands out among her many suitors, to fight for her attention, and to make her take the initiative to pursue him.
_____
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MANGA DISCUSSION
1 Comment
Chapter Comments (66)
Oh, poor Liz and Roger! How awful Isabel is, trying to belittle Liz’s personality. I hope Liz grows strong and refuses to be treated this way.
- What is this? Liz is still too young to be engaged at this age, just to restrict her and prevent her from expressing her personality. Poor Liz.
- Oh my God, oh my God, how sweet they are! Our Yuri and Liz are so sweet. Who is this looking for our little Liz? I hope they don’t want to hurt her.
Inline Comments (28)
“You do like it, right? Characters shaped like this—I actually do too.”
Oh, how sweet they are! Our dear Liz charmed Yurik with her sweetness 🤭💗
He said it shyly, but his sincerity touched me so deeply I wanted to give him mo
Omg omg. They are so cute. I am gonna die from sweetness 🤧
Duke Fenton stared at his son as if seeing a stranger. Then, finally, Madame Fen
Hahaha, Duke’s situation is so funny! Everyone is in love with our little Liz.
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Miioo
Well done, good child! How sweet of him to say he can’t lie, but I think he just loves our dear Liz 🤭💗