CH 1

“Black-haired bastard…”

My lips quivered as I realised how much I meant it.

Why, oh why, do the male leads in romance fantasy novels always go with a dark-haired man. And why, oh why, do I always end up giving my heart to a brunet?

Who knows the heart of someone who puts all their fortune on a stock even though they know it’s a risky investment that could lead to financial ruin?

In particular, Vileon 1 Byers, the sub male lead of <The Marriage Alliance,> published four years ago, is the pinnacle of pity.

The name itself seems to have a story. Vileon Byers the is the childhood friend of the female protagonist and currently the Chancellor of the empire. It’s clear that this character was created with great intention.

A long-standing supporting character who only has settings that prevent him from becoming the male lead

I mean, how can the Chancellor defeat the iron-blooded, black-haired Northern Archduke, how can they send Vileon Byers off to fight Cain Blackwood?

No man of conscience should do this, really.

“What can I do about this bitterness, oh my God, oh my God… Author-nim, oh my gosh.

I wish you’d put more effort into your characters, so I wouldn’t have to obsess over my favourite name at the top of my lungs for four years.

However, the black-haired duke was considered a so-called “real man.” Reader 1, who preferred gentle brown hair as her favorite, had to overlook it.

“This story is too good to end like this.”

Of course, the heroine, who has risen to the top through adversity and hardship, would disagree, and it would be a perfect ending for the dark-haired bastard next to her.

Reader 1 is the only one who feels sad. The readers 2, 3, and 4 who sympathized with me at that time are now digging into other works with brown-haired characters.

“It’s been a long four years and I still can’t get over…”

I wondered if I grabbed the wooden table instead of the object we were supposed to catch during the stone-catching game. 2

Why do I keep coming back to Vileon Byers?

I have met many valuable and entertaining works throughout my life. There were also quite a few brown-haired characters that tickled my heartstrings. I even met a brown-haired character who became the main protagonist.

But for some reason, I can’t stop thinking about Vileon Byers.

Is it a salmon? 3

Maybe it’s a salmon that swims back home against the current when the time is right, but why do I keep coming back to this perennial sub male lead?

I picked up a heavy paperback book. I spun around in my office chair and the black text seemed to spill out at me.

“Mmm… It must be the mood, right? I feel like the words are really pouring out of me… Aah! Aah! Aah! Wait, what is this?”

And just like that, I was in the middle of the romance fantasy story, <The Marriage Alliance.>

Oops, there. Wait! I didn’t save my work!

◇ ◆ ◇

“AUGH!”

I opened my eyes with a desperate scream. The pinky and index finger of my left hand, spaced exactly between the Ctrl and S keys, drew the attention of everyone in the room.

A few seconds passed that felt like an eternity. I swallowed hard in the deathly silence.

Why… is it not a bed?

Common sense tells me that I should be able to see the unfamiliar ceiling, and that I can’t wait for the maid to come and give me some personal information.

But there was nothing in the sunny room but a bookcase and a lot of books, a desk, a very large desk, some potted plants and picture frames.

No matter how I looked at it, I was in a meeting.

Oh, how I love this horribly awkward atmosphere.

“…Aide Didi. What’s going on with your fingers?”

Thank you, middle-aged man sitting across from me, for not addressing me as ‘hey’ or ‘you’. You really don’t deserve a subordinate who sleeps in a meeting, do you? That pathetic look in his eyes says it all.

Yeah, but what did you just call me?

“If you’re tired, go home first and rest. It’s not even a position that aide Didi must necessarily protect.”

Who’s Didi? Surely that’s a name I recognise. An aide? An aide to whom?

Suddenly, my mind went crazy. My left hand, which was pressing a non-existent shortcut, sneaked up to my head. I lifted my head as naturally as I could, and my eyes fell upon a head of fluffy, cotton candy-coloured hair.

Oh, my God. Oh, my God. I know this guy.

Shee’s mentioned in the story as having a rather unusual hair colour. She had a fairly small role, but she was often seen in scenes of plenary meetings or discussions with her superiors.

Her last name, Didi, is easy to remember since she was a minor character.

Marienne Didi, Third Assistant. There are no major flaws, but the skills are not outstanding either…

Vileon Byers’ assistant.

“Gosh.”

Marienne gasped in shock. I, I, I, I’m one of Lord Byers’ men! Gosh, my God, I can’t believe it.

No, I mean, yes.

“Is there something wrong with your hair?”

A soft bass voice echoed through the office. Marienne instinctively recognised the identity of the voice’s owner. She was afraid to look up. She should be excited or happy, but strangely, fear prevailed. Marienne turned her head as fast as she could. There, in her line of sight, was Vileon.

‘Wow…’

The almond-coloured hair that covered his forehead looked fine. And how dense and full it was. If I ran my hand through it, it would probably feel wonderful against my fingers. Marienne’s fingers twitched involuntarily, imagining the softness of it.

‘And what about those pretty eyes.’

The irises were green, nestled beneath long, luscious lashes. Marienne’s fingers twitched again as she stared at the fine nose and pale pink lips.

She was impatient, but in a different way.

‘They said he was beautiful, but they didn’t say he had a good body like this…’

The face is that of a literary youth, but the body is a mercenary. When he’s not working as a mercenary, he works in a blacksmith shop. The map of conquest cascading down his inverted triangular torso is stunning. The biceps are so thick you want to hang on to them, and the hand holding the pen is huge.

Marienne, who thought it was a man’s hands after all, corrected herself within a second.

‘Wait, he’s got a really big chest.’

This man has the whole country on his chest. But he had more than just a big chest. All his subordinates were sitting down, and because the Chancellor was standing alone, Marian could see under Vileon’s waist and her pupils dilated.

Thighs.

Thighs.

…thighs!

“Aide Didi.”

Call me Marienne.

If I had been the heroine, I would have replied confidently. With a slight smile. The heroine can do whatever she wants. It’s her privilege.

But my name is Marienne Didi. The sub male lead’s third assistant. There is no such thing as a backup.

After dozing off during a council meeting with the Chancellor, Marienne Didi sat up and bowed her head deeply.

“I’m sorry.”

I bowed to the middle-aged man who appeared to be the first aide.

“I’ll be careful in the future.”

When Marriene sat back down, she sat in a posture so stiff that will make the captain of the Imperial Knights cry. She picked up her pen and stared at hheris superior with burning eyes. An intense gaze. The look of devotion toward her beloved.

Hey, you.

You are now the male lead of <The Marriage Alliance.>

As long as this Marienne Didi is reborn, Vileon Byers will be the true man of the empire!

“If there’s no problem… I’m glad.”

Vileon trailed off with a strangely uncomfortable expression. He seemed to think his third assistant was running a fever.

◇ ◆ ◇

“Hey, Mari.”

As she puffed out her chest and left the office, a voice called after her. At first, she didn’t realise she was being called; she thought they were calling a passing maid named Mari.

But it turned out to be the middle-aged man who had called her out during the meeting, calling her by her nickname and giving her a hint.

Lockman Phil, the Chancellor’s first assistant.

“Hey, Marienne.”

He called Marienne, almost in a whisper, and slipped his hand into the inside pocket of his coat. The stealthy way he glanced around made Marienne a little nervous.

Will I get murdered even though I just possessed this body a while ago? People can doze off during meetings while working. Is it necessary to go as far as killing someone?

“If you’re tired, eat this.”

Instead of laying his hand on his sword in the hallway of the palace, he boldly took out a small container that was smaller than a ring case. Inside the container were light yellow candies.

Poison.

“You don’t like it? Do you want another flavour? Wait… Oh, no. I must have left it in the drawer.”

Marienne squinted her eyes and looked left and right down the corridor. The other aides had already dispersed. She debated fiercely whether to run back into her office and lock the door.

“Thanks for the candy, but, um, I think I’ll let Aide Phil have it.”

He clicked his tongue from across the desk and gave me a sour look, as if this was some sort of wistful comment.

“You can call me uncle when we’re alone.”

“Uncle…?”

I asked hotly, and Lockman quickly corrected me.

“Of course, technically you’re a friend of my brother-in-law’s neighbour’s daughter, so we’re not related by blood, but still. I guess you could call me uncle.”

I’m from a Confucian country in the East, after all, and I’m not technically related to you if you’re the husband of your friend’s neighbour’s sister.

Marienne looked like she’d swallowed a frog.

“You’re just a stranger…”

Lockman clutched his chest in shock and heartbreak. For a moment, he wondered if she was suffering from some sort of age-related illness, but he wasn’t.

“Hey Mari, it breaks my heart. Even Uncle lacks as much energy as our Mari who even talks in her sleep while nodding off.”

“I didn’t mean to make you cry.”

“he only advantage is being strong.”

“With a subtle turn?”

Lockman drew a handkerchief embroidered with violets from his chest. Moisture came out when he wiped his eyes. What? This guy is really crying!

Marienne forced an awkward smile to hide her horror. It was time to let the suspicious Candy Uncle go. She picked up one of the candies and handed it to Lockman, who took it with glee.

“Oh, candy from our own Mari!”

Marienne then popped her share of candy into her mouth. Carefully placing it between her molars, she raised her eyebrows in a sign of satisfaction.

“Uncle and the Chancellor can do all the work. You shouldn’t have to do all the hard work, Mari.”

Only Lockman seemed to know what type of person she was. Marienne nodded repeatedly, like a broken doll.

“I’ll leave you to it, then.”

As soon as Lockman turned away, Marienne spat out the candy in her mouth and backed away. Still, she wanted to get the information out of him.

“Excuse me, Aide Phil.”

Lockman turned.

“Do they know about our relationship?”

It was a line that reminded me of a man and woman having an affair. Any brain-dead bastard who tried to hook up a man in his 50s with a cotton-candy-haired babe deserved to die. Even if it was Marienne herself.

Inwardly, Marienne chastised herself. If she was going to live here, she’d better pay attention to nuance.

Lockman’s eyes widened.

“Are you worried that I might have teased you wrongly?”

“Are you saying you don’t know?”

“That’s what I’m asking.”

Lockman gave me an old uncle’s wink. Don’t wink at me, uncle.

“Hold on to your worries. No one knows.”

“Yeah, well, be on your way.”

Lockman let out a creepy, hmm, sound and walked away. Marienne felt the need to return to her room and clear her head.

pronounced vai-le-on

it probably means that the speaker has mixed feelings about the way people sometimes prioritize things that are not important or necessary

the metaphor of the salmon can be used to represent a person’s desire to return to their roots, to their home or homeland, or to their true self. It can also signify the idea of overcoming obstacles and difficulties to achieve a goal or reach a destination.