I Became the Male Lead who was Clinging onto the Female Leads

TL/Editor: Raei

Schedule: N/A

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After Philip left the office, Dallas, now alone, looked out the window with a stern face.

He could see the entirety of the domain he had protected all his life.

Despite his efforts, he hadn't developed the land passed down by his ancestors, only managing to maintain its current state.

Yet, if asked whether he loved this land, Dallas would nod without hesitation.

After all, it was his homeland, where he was born and raised.

"Tomorrow, I will leave this place."

He would miss it dearly, so very much.

Moisture formed in Dallas's eyes.

Facing the situation of abandoning his lifelong home and fleeing filled him with sadness.

Knock, knock, knock.

"Father, may I enter?"

"What...?"

Startled by the sudden knock, Dallas quickly wiped his tears and composed himself.

As the head of the family, he couldn't show his sorrow to others.

"Come in!"

"Yes!"

The door opened with a clunk, and Erika entered.

She walked gracefully towards Dallas and stood in front of him.

The office light naturally illuminated her face, her eyes and pink lips shining beautifully.

She was breathtakingly beautiful.

Dallas couldn't understand how his own lineage could produce such a beauty.

'If only she hadn't been born so pretty...'

The saying 'beauty is a curse' had been on his mind lately.

If she weren't so beautiful, there wouldn't be rumors about her looks spreading across the region, nor would she have become a target of the Viscount Hobart.

"Father, don't look so sad when you see my face. I can tell."

"Uh, hmm? Did I?"

"You always tell me to smile, but you're not doing it yourself!"

Erika puffed her cheeks slightly.

It was an act of affection, clearly intended to lighten Dallas's heavy heart.

'Erika is more fitting to be the head than I am.'

A bitter smile formed on Dallas's lips.

As the family head, he should be showing strength and leading everyone, including Erika who had just entered the office.

He shouldn't be showing sadness but rather asking why she came and listening to her concerns.

'Erika must have many worries too.'

Especially after hearing the sudden plan of fleeing under cover of night, she must have many questions.

Fleeing was no easy task...

"So, Erika, what brings you here?"

"I have something to say about our nighttime escape."

As expected.

She must be curious about the departure time, how to transport all the luggage, and how to escape without drawing attention.

"Tell me. I'll explain as best as I can."

"Yes!"

Erika nodded and began to speak calmly.

"I know you've already made up your mind, but I've been thinking about this for a very long time."

"Yes, yes. What's been troubling you?"

"Well..."

Erika hesitated to speak, then sighed softly before continuing.

"I wish we wouldn't flee tonight."

"What did you say?"

Dallas's face was filled with bewilderment.

"Why would you think that?"

"You haven't said it, Father, but the main reason for deciding on this escape is because of me. I'm not so naive as to not realize that... I wonder if it's right for the entire family to suffer because of me..."

Dallas, dizzy with confusion, tried to maintain his dignity while grasping Erika's shoulders.

"What are you talking about? If you reject the proposal and we all stay here, Viscount Hobart will seek revenge. Don't you know that will bring even greater suffering? How can you not see..."

Dallas's expression hardened mid-sentence.

There was a way to avoid pain without leaving, a thought too dreadful to entertain.

"You're not considering... accepting the proposal, are you?"

"Yes."

"What are you saying!"

A look of distress filled Dallas's face.

"You mean to sacrifice yourself to prolong the family's futile existence? Can you truly...!"

"Father..."

"No, it's not right. None of us wants that! Do you think anyone can sleep peacefully knowing they sacrificed you? If we have to maintain our lineage by sacrificing you, our ancestors would rather we take down our family crest!"

"My point is..."

Erika explained calmly.

"The lives of those who have lived for the family for hundreds of years are here."

"What meaning does that have..."

"I want to say that the family name, even if it means sacrificing me, must be preserved. The name Grace cannot disappear from the world; we must prevent that at all costs."

"What kind of..."

Dallas's voice trailed off.

His entire life had been a struggle to not lose the name Grace.

He had resolved to succumb to a world that stretched its claws even to his children and abandon the family name, but now...

"How can you say such a thing..."

Erika, a child who had never seen the glorious days of their family, was willing to sacrifice herself to preserve the family name.

Dallas was speechless at her incomprehensible self-sacrifice.

'This can't be right.'

Protecting the family was the head's responsibility, but protecting his daughter was a father's duty.

Deciding what was more important was not easy, but he knew he had to choose.

"Your life is more important to me..."

"Father..."

"The escape will proceed as planned. Go back to your room and rest. We have a long journey ahead of us tomorrow."

"Please don't do this..."

"This is the end of the discussion. Go back."

Dallas turned his back, refusing to listen to anything else Erika might say.

"Father..."

However, Erika quickly stepped in front of Dallas, her eyes filled with earnestness.

"I know what will happen if I accept the proposal."

"If you know, then how can you..."

"I'm not trying to sacrifice myself. I just want to believe."

"What do you mean?"

"You've seen how my brother has returned to his original self. You know that."

Erika's small hand clasped Dallas's wrinkled one.

"He's come back so dependable and strong. If I'm suffering in the Hobart household, I'm sure he'll come to save me."

"..."

"No matter how it happens, he'll rebuild the family and rescue me legally, whether it takes years or decades."

"That's..."

Just as Dallas was about to counter, Erika gripped his hand more tightly.

"So, Father... Don't run away tomorrow. Stay. We should stay."

"..."

"If we flee, we'll never be able to reclaim what our ancestors built and cherished..."

If we just keep the family name alive.

Someday, in the distant future, when good times come to our family again, we can return to those happier days.

"So please, don't give up."

Erika smiled brightly.

She showed a hopeful smile, full of strength, to her father, who had protected the family all his life.

Dallas felt his heart tearing apart facing her.

Just as Erika said, Dallas couldn't easily give up on the family.

It was his homeland, his everything...

He truly wanted to keep the family lineage alive by any means necessary.

Hadn't he struggled for decades for this?

If giving his life meant preserving the family's legacy, Dallas would willingly do so.

But hearing such words from his daughter, who hadn't even seen the family's glorious days...

His throat tightened, and his eyes stung.

His vision blurred with tears.

'How unfair...'

He resented the fact that he couldn't provide a happy life for his kind daughter, resented his own reality.

His head naturally bowed.

He couldn't bring himself to look Erika in the eye.

Seeing Dallas like that...

'My foolish father.'

Erika smiled gently and, holding Dallas's wrinkled hand, whispered,

"You understand how I feel, don't you, Father?"

Then, she slowly walked out of the office.

It was her way of showing consideration for Dallas, who seemed unable to continue the conversation any longer.

Thud.

As the office door closed behind her, Dallas sank to his knees on the floor.

Tears streamed down his face, dampening the ground.

His shoulders shook with a desolate tremor.

He couldn't suppress the deep sorrow welling up inside him.

The figure of a family head is always expected to be broad and strong, but at that moment, his silhouette was nothing but small and fragile.

---

Raei Translations

---

After a tear-filled night, the dawn of a new day broke.

Eugene, having trained in lightning magic in a secluded valley for six long days, looked up at the sky and shouted with joy.

"Finally!"

I did it!

His body was blackened from handling lightning for so long, his hair was a tangled mess, and his eyes were bleary from lack of proper sleep.

If someone saw him now, they would surely call him a complete mess.

Even a beggar seeing him would proudly claim, 'I look better than him!'

Eugene's appearance after six days of relentless training and barely even breathing was indeed a sight.

But!

"That doesn't matter!"

A broad smile spread across Eugene's face.

He had broken through the six-star barrier of lightning magic, forgetting to eat and sleep in his dedication to training.

'Training in lightning swordsmanship really helped.'

If he hadn't sufficiently mastered the lightning swordsmanship and built up his proficiency in handling lightning, it would have been impossible to break through the six-star barrier in such a short time.

'Anyway!'

Done is done!

Eugene swiftly turned his head to look beside him.

Amidst the ravaged valley, a single intact rock stood out.

Five long lines were drawn on it...

For each day that passed, Eugene had marked a line to keep track of the dates.

The last line wasn’t drawn yet, meaning...

'Today marks the sixth day of training.'

It was also the day Viscount Hobart proposed to Erika.

As the afternoon approached, Hobart would visit his family to express his feelings to Erika.

'There's not much time left.'

Looking at the faintly brightening sky, it seemed to be around five or six in the morning.

Ssshhh─

Eugene quickly shifted to a half-sitting position to recover his vitality and mana.

Completing the process in an instant, he put on the mask and hood he had brought and hurried toward Viscount Hobart's residence.

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