MPBAGS Chapter 14

I was watching Donau's house burn futilely when the surroundings became noisy.

It seemed the neighbors had evacuated after noticing the smoke. Or maybe not? Seeing how everyone was just watching the fire, maybe they just came out to watch?

Still, whether someone with a conscience reported it or they found it while patrolling after seeing the smoke, knights arrived quickly and began organizing the area.

Perhaps because this was a romance fantasy world, instead of armor they wore splendid white uniforms and white cloaks. The most magnificent man among them approached me. When Hanna stood in front of me to block him, I patted her shoulder saying it was okay.

"Excuse me."

When the man greeted me with a silent bow, his jet-black hair flowed down softly. When he raised his head, blue eyes and handsome features were revealed.

Whoa? Why is he so handsome? He had a blunt voice and seemed to have a cold impression, but he was so devastatingly handsome that he could create memories that never existed.

Wait... I'm getting a bit anxious.

A handsome, cold, black-haired knight? If the Crown Prince is middle-aged and there's no Northern Grand Duke in this worldview, then the next male lead candidate would be the Knight Commander, right...?

No, wait. I don't know if he's the Knight Commander or not, so let me not jump to conclusions.

"I am Gabriel, Commander of the Pharalos Knights."

Damn, he's the Knight Commander. He must be the male lead!

"My Lady, what brings you to this place? It doesn't seem suitable for a stroll."

My Lady? We don't already know each other, do we? I trembled inwardly and thought for a moment, then realized I had just heard his self-introduction.

Phew... So we don't know each other yet. Since I have a maid with me and anyone can see that Evangeline looks like a noble, he must be calling me My Lady.

Besides, if he knew Evangeline, he wouldn't have come out so politely. Usually male leads hate villainess characters like they're disgusting. After all, villainesses typically get their heads cut off daily in regression stories.

The only villainess male leads like is the reincarnated villainess heroine who goes the repentance route. Wait, could I be included in that category?

I'm a reincarnator, and I am taking the repentance route. Now all I need to do is say 'Why do you like me when there's the heroine!' and I'll be set?

I'm finally starting to feel like I'm really in a romance fantasy reincarnation story.

Now that I think of him as the male lead, even that cold expression seems to have a story behind it. But even though he's handsome, maybe because he's from a book, I don't particularly feel any romantic emotions.

Does this disqualify me from romance fantasy?

The male lead frowned. Oh right, I need to answer him. What did he ask? Why am I here?

Since this is our first impression, I should answer as sincerely as possible. This is the turning point between getting my head cut off or not. Let's go for villainess escape!

"I didn't come for a stroll, I came looking for someone."

"Someone?"

"The owner of that burning house is my servant."

"Then did you find that servant?"

"Ah. He's inside there."

It felt creepy to use formal speech after so long. I pointed at the blazing house, pretending to be nonchalant.

The building is completely collapsing, surely he's not going to rush in there with a sense of justice to save him? Worried, I quickly added more.

"He's already dead, so don't worry about it."

At those words, the male lead's expression worsened even more. Did I speak too calmly about someone's death? But Donau deserved to die anyway!

"I'll need you to explain how you know that."

Explain? Well, he'd need to know who died and what caused the fire to write a report to his superiors. But where should I start?

Even if I told him that Donau committed suicide and before dying summoned a fire spirit that caused the house to end up like that, would he understand?

Could it be that because of Evangeline's bad reputation, he'll pin the crime on me for killing him and burning the place down to destroy evidence? That's way too possible. Has villainess escape gone down the drain?

While I was pondering how to explain, Kanna stepped forward.

"Sir Knight! Let me explain!"

I was so moved seeing someone smaller than me step forward to protect me, her back looking so dependable that I almost shed tears of gratitude. Is she repaying the favor for being saved? Indeed, people get back what they give.

The male lead nodded as if to say go ahead.

"A man named Donau, who's this young lady's servant, kidnapped me."

"Kidnapped? Are you hurt anywhere?"

"I'm fine. This young lady came to rescue me. My sister called for help, so the young lady came with her. When she said she'd called the knights, Donau got scared and ran away, setting the fire."

"And about him being dead?"

"With the flames reaching so high, there's no way he could be alive. The young lady and my sister were busy getting me away to safety, so there was no time to worry about Donau."

This sounded much more plausible than saying Donau who committed suicide had summoned a spirit that set the fire.

The male lead easily believed Kanna's words too. He even showed concern for her body when she mentioned being kidnapped. He seemed much more comfortable than when dealing with me. Wait, could it be?

Suddenly, all the romance fantasy covers I'd read flashed through my mind. A red-haired heroine and a black-haired male lead?

'Holy shit. Kanna is the heroine!'