STVWDTD Chapter 9

The Sub Male Lead Is Missing?

Rodrick's attitude—putting up walls—made one side of her chest go cold.

"The curse. Don't you want to get rid of it? You don't want to die, do you?"

"Not particularly. Dying doesn't really matter to me."

Ha. Look at this guy. Diana's lips twitched with a convulsion.

"Even if you don't care, I care!"

Hot emotion surged up at that expressionless face showing no sympathy whatsoever.

I thought you were at least in the same position as me. Both extras. Both on borrowed time, death imminent and unremarkable.

"I don't want to die. Never again, that painfully..."

I don't want to die. Never again. Diana grimaced and swallowed the rest.

At some point, she'd assumed he would naturally cooperate. Even though their circumstances differed, their thoughts differed. She'd been fooled by his acceptance of her.

Maybe she'd unknowingly placed trust in Rodrick.

Desperate, she grabbed his collar. When did my heart get this weak? Had her mental state deteriorated as much as her physical strength?

She felt like crying. She didn't want to show him her face, so she bowed her head deeply.

"..."

"..."

The delicate hand gripping his collar trembled finely.

Is she crying again? Rodrick assumed it casually, but when she jerked her head up shortly after, she wasn't crying.

She was appealing to him with eyes more vibrant than ever.

There was no negative emotion like resignation in her.

"I'm sorry, but I need you."

"Aren't you past the age for acting spoiled, my lady?"

"Rodrick Schwartz. This isn't a request—it's a proposal."

"That proposal isn't attractive to me, though."

"I'll make you a proposal that is attractive."

Her skin was so pale that her pink eyes seemed to bleed red around the edges.

Even Diana's appearance, which stimulated protective instincts, stirred no particular emotion in him.

He simply impulsively stroked her hair again—that dark violet that glowed faintly. Him, who despised touching anything at all.

The hair scattered softly beneath his black glove. The waves of hair over the blanket looked like the northern night sky.

"Fine. You want to live."

"Yes. I want to live."

He remembered a woman clinging to him as a child, struggling desperately, saying she wanted to live. She'd been ugly and unpleasant.

But the woman before him—even while desperately craving life—she shone. Rather, she overflowed with vitality from her attachment to living.

This woman is different.

Just having Diana near seemed to make him strange. Completely opposite from his usual sensitive state.

His mind was peaceful, but unfamiliar sensations invaded, making him uneasy. In another sense, he felt out of control. His brow furrowed slightly.

"E-even if you glare at me that scary, it can't be helped. I can't back down either. I'll definitely stay with you. I won't leave."

"Whatever the proposal. First. I understand the princess needs to absorb the curse."

At his words, Diana's eyes rounded with delight. Did he finally get it? But the next words deflated her.

"However. The princess is nothing but a hindrance to my work."

Right. He'd said he was on a classified mission. From what she could see, it was a small elite force.

For a mission prioritizing mobility, a child and a woman would be nothing but baggage.

Diana quickly made her judgment and swallowed dryly. She had to speak well.

She needed to appeal her usefulness and somehow stay with Rodrick.

Right now, leaving this man's side wasn't an option.

The desperate person has to bend. What choice is there?

"Can you tell me what the classified mission is?"

"Don't you know what 'classified' means, Princess?"

Who does he take me for, an idiot? So annoying. Diana glared at Rodrick with displeasure.

"That mister is looking for his younger brother!"

Diana and Rodrick's gazes turned to Noel simultaneously.

"Younger brother?"

"Kid, where did you hear that?"

Even at Rodrick's serious question, Noel remained bright. His expression said, if it helps Diana, what does it matter?

"I heard the misters talking when we ate!"

"Haah."

With an expression full of things to say, he swept a hand down his face. His barely suppressed aura turned viciously savage. Mm. Rest in peace, knights.

But anyway—a younger brother?

"Felice Schwartz is missing?"

"..."

Felice Schwartz—in the original timeline, he inherits the duchy and becomes the figure who opposes the Crown Prince.

So shouldn't he be quietly up north right now?

It had been puzzling why they'd come to the Forest of Fiends, called the Black Forest.

The Inhuman Demon Realm. This place was a habitat where so many monsters appeared that humans couldn't set foot.

There was no reason for the northern knight order to bother coming here to subjugate them.

"The young lord is here?"

"I have nothing to say, my lady."

It was clearly his younger brother's runaway, but not something to reveal to someone from another family.

But this woman—her eyes grew even brighter.

"I'll help! In exchange, let us come with you."

"No."

Even at the firm refusal, Diana didn't back down.

"Rodrick. This proposal will be attractive to you too. I told you I can see mana, right? I can find the young lord with mana too."

It was news to her as well, but people each possessed their own unique mana. The amount was very slight, but not so much that it couldn't be distinguished at all.

Since she could confirm with her eyes, it would be more useful than the well-trained knights' mana sensing.

"The reason you haven't found the young lord so far—isn't it because you couldn't determine his location?"

Diana was right. The signal from the earring his younger brother always wore had cut off inside the Black Forest.

But wandering the Black Forest posed no particular problem for them.

Only—his younger brother's life or death was the issue. Even a weak one, if he was a Schwartz, he'd survive for some time.

"Do I need to say it twice? The princess is nothing but baggage."

"I'll handle my own share. Just allow me to touch you—Noel may be young, but he's a mage. Valuable talent. Right?"

"Yes! I'm not baggage."

Noel raised one hand brightly. Rodrick looked at Noel with a dazed feeling, then at Diana.

"Wasn't there something impure mixed in just now?"

"Ah, touching you?"

"Does the princess not know shame?"

The noble lady had no such thing as embarrassment. Rather, she was even confident.

"When it's a matter of life and death, what does that matter? So are you allowing it? Staying with you and touching you?"

"..."

"I'm not trying to show off, but don't forget you owe me your life."

"...Right. I'm in debt."

When that handsome face came close, Diana tensed and swallowed hard.

Overwhelmed by his presence, she unknowingly released the collar she'd been gripping.

Thunk. Forehead met forehead. What is he doing? Before she could think, Rodrick muttered.

"No fever."

"Mm. I'm not sick."

'Surely he doesn't think I was delirious from illness this whole time?'

"Right. Not delirious."

Hup. She held her breath. Can this man read minds?

"It's all written on your face, so stop the useless thoughts."

Haha, right? Diana laughed awkwardly in embarrassment.

"If I allow it, I want to know how far you're planning to go."

"Physical contact?"

"Right."

If I say I've kissed him even without permission, will he be angry? No, nothing soft was exchanged, so maybe it wasn't a kiss?

With a guilty conscience, Diana rolled her pink eyes sideways to avoid his gaze.

As if displeased by that, the hand in its black glove gripped her chin.

"Why?"

Breath touched between lips that had grown dangerously close.

"You were talking so confidently until now."

The man emanating a beast's aura from his entire body was sensual enough to suffocate his opponent.

Like he might devour her any moment.

"Ahem. Commander, what are you doing?"

The bushy-bearded man stood awkwardly, pupils trembling with an earthquake.

Having entered at some point, he conscientiously covered Noel's eyes with his large hand.

"Why?"

"Really now. Please show some restraint in front of the child. Even if you're at a vigorous age, still. Ahem."

Before the man could finish his words, Rodrick raised one eyebrow.

It wasn't strange to hear such words—their posture was truly improper.

Rodrick, holding the woman placed on his lap fully in his arms and sending heated gazes, looked ready to perform the deed at any moment.

Rodrick looked at him with his characteristic indifferent expression, as if asking what the problem was.

"Well. With the child present, it seemed bad for morale, so I was just saying to be careful."

"The point."

That's not the answer I want, so shut up and say what you originally came to say.

"The rain stopped, and you must be hungry, so shouldn't you eat?"

"Bring it."

"No!"

Diana, who had been quietly listening to their conversation, shouted. She couldn't receive special treatment in a place like this.

Having finished thinking that she needed to befriend the knights to travel with them, Diana pushed Rodrick's face with her slender hand and answered.

"We'll come out. Thank you, Sir."

"Ah, yes."

The man answered awkwardly, glanced around, then left. He didn't forget to take Noel with him.

Ugh. Diana rose from Rodrick's lap and flexed her stiff legs.

How long had she been held? Her legs ached. Still, she was fortunate her body had recovered. With this much stamina, she wouldn't be baggage.

"Are you going out like that?"

Under the blanket, she wore only a thin nightgown. Even at the castle, she'd been in a nightgown dress since waking.

The fortunate thing was there were activity boots she could wear. As long as her feet didn't get hurt, right?

Diana shrugged her shoulders and answered.

"I'll just wrap the blanket around me."

Rodrick, who had been propping his arm on his knee with his chin resting on it, let out a deep sigh.

He stood up and dressed her in his heavy upper garment, then wrapped a robe over that.

When he even covered her legs with a blanket in front of the campfire surrounded by knights, it was natural for his subordinates to be shocked.

"They say if a person does something they've never done, they'll die."

"Hey, shut up if you don't want to die right now. Look at the commander's eyes."

"You shut up. The commander's eyes were always nasty."

Listening to the knights' trivial talk beside him, the new recruit felt his soul leave his body. These people are seriously insane. Is that something to say in front of the commander?

Sipping his portion of soup, the baby-faced young man glanced at Diana sitting beside Rodrick.

Having lived only in a northern village, the young man had never seen someone so beautiful.

Even the woman rumored to be the village's greatest beauty wasn't as beautiful as that lady. Were capital nobles somehow different?

"Daren, the princess and young master will travel with us until we find Felice."

Before Daren could respond, Diana's reaction burst out first.

"Thank you, Rodrick. Really, thank you!"

Wow. The young man's mouth fell open at that radiant smile like she'd gained the whole world.