Male lead must live

Shortly after dinner, the two unwelcome guests suddenly found themselves outside the Rosebloods' estate, wondering what had happened.

"Uh... did we... get... just kicked out?" Chad asked, scratching his head.

Donovan smiled weakly. "Obviously. And I feel robbed, too."

Chad shook his head and looked back. "I do not understand her. She saved us. But she does not want to be friends. But she was happy to take the money."

Donovan frowned and thought about it. Something did not seem right to him either. He had clear memories from when he was still under Selene's influence. Elizabeth had seemed cold but very determined to try to save them. Someone who did not care about them in some way would not do such a thing.

"Maybe she's avoiding us on purpose?"

Chad considered and looked around before turning to Donovan. "Do you think it's not over yet? Could she feel threatened?"

Donovan nodded slowly. "Maybe she is. Elizabeth has a lot of secrets. Her behavior is unpredictable. I think she's up to something."

Chad sighed, put his hands on his hips, leaned back, and looked at the sky. "So what now?"

Donovan patted his friend on the shoulder. "All we can do is help her as best we can. Even if she does not ask for it, we owe her that, at least."

Chad nodded, and the two parted ways. "So that's what we are going to do. We are going to find a way to pay her back."

Then they both winced and looked back when they heard a scream that sounded like Elizabeth's. The guards at the entrance startled and looked at each other.

"SHIT, NOOOOOOO!!!!"

*****

Eliz happily fans yourself with two written checks. She looked at them and read that each had made out ten thousand gold pieces to her. That was less than she had won at the casino, but still a decent amount.

"Haha. They do quite nicely appreciate my help." She murmured with satisfaction and carefully stowed the checks away in her sleeve.

She was about to summon Alobela when a system window appeared before her eyes.

Congratulations on your success!

Description: You just gained two new followers at once. Your hard work will be rewarded.

You have managed to gain the respect and following of Donovan Hephisto and Chad Legorned.

Reward: Achievement - Merciless Queen, Bonus - Shock

Merciless Queen - Your aura of superiority is more dominant and can affect Rank 1, when you speak people listen to you, and each successful alliance adds 1% mana.

Bonus - Shock - You can send an electric shock to a target with a touch, causing paralysis.

Eliz stared. She rubbed both eyes and stared again. She tried to close her eyes for a moment, but nothing changed.

When she realized it was real, a wave of disgust rose.

"SHIT, NOOOOO!" She cried out angrily, clutching her head.

How the hell could this be happening? Why had they become her followers? Are they stupid? Was she supposed to let them beat up to make them understand that she did not care about them?

"Agggrr! This is driving me nuts!" She complained miserably.

Her scream did not go unnoticed. The first to appear was Alobela, who was never far away, and the next to appear were the guards, along with the servants, looking for the reason for her scream.

"My lady..."Alobela began to speak, but Eliz cut her off.

"Be silent. I am thinking." She began pacing back and forth.

Alobela was troubled by her mistress' strange behavior, but she did as she was told and signaled everyone that everything was fine and they could leave.

Eliz ignored her and thought about what she should do. This was not at all to her liking. Instead of getting rid of them, they had attached themselves to her? Damn, stalkers!

The rewards she was getting were nice, but they were just bribes. Eliz saw that the system was intuitive and responded to her actions. The only problem was what it was trying to do.

Now Eliz understood what the system planned.

'This bastard wants to make me the new heroine!

She shook her head. Was Male Lead trying to latch onto her and get her to go along with the story? As if Eliz would let that happen!

Male Lead only attracted trouble, one at a time, always targeting or getting involved in other people's problems. Eren was quite enough for her. She suspected he would get her in trouble too, but he was still a brother, so she decided to make an exception, but she had to ensure the others stayed away.

"Should I make them disappear?" She muttered to herself. Alobela, who had overheard, widened her eyes as she realized the disturbing things the young lady was saying.

Eliz, however, dismissed it. She couldn't eliminate the male lead. As heroes, most problems would come to them first. Besides, she had already twisted the original story more than enough. If the male lead disappeared, would not everything fall apart? She had no idea how things would work then. Everything could disappear, and so could she. What if the cycle started again? Would she have to go through it all again?

Eliz shuddered at the thought of having to go through it all again and again and again. She would probably go completely insane.

No, there was no way she could let that happen. So Male Lead must live.

Eliz paused and rubbed her chin thoughtfully. It could be enough to keep them away from her. But she needed someone for that. Ordinary guards were not enough. They would not stand up to her even if she ordered them to, as Commander Backhorn said. They're not allowed to hurt a noble for no reason.

"Mercenaries!" She snapped her fingers and smiled. She should have thought of that right away! Mercenaries will do anything for money. If they get enough money, they kick nobles' butts. And it's true that Eliz needs protection and can not run around everywhere with her family's guardian.

Besides, Eliz was planning to do some shady things. Of course, the guardian would report that to her father. They will have no problem doing the dirty work if he gets the right mercenaries.

'Wonderful!'

Eliz turned to Alobel, who stood beside her, watching her thoughtful walk.

"Get me the head butler. And get yourself ready. We are going to practice mana control." She said.

Alobela hesitated momentarily before deciding not to ask questions, bowing and fetching the head butler. He was an older man with a lot of experience and had served the family for many years. But for some reason, he stepped before Eliz, seeming nervous and perhaps a little afraid.

This made Eliz uneasy. She knew she was a little more determined but had not hurt anyone. Did he have any reason to be afraid of her? Eliz, in particular, was someone who had quite a bit of respect for older people. People who survive life and live to old age always have her respect.

"Hm. Please contact the mercenary guild and have them send you a list of currently free people. But I do not want anyone weaker than rank 2."

The old butler looked at her in surprise. "Excuse me, young lady, but the Mercenary Guild?"

"Am I stuttering?" Eliz said automatically, then clicked her tongue in irritation. But that was not because of the butler; it was because of herself.

"I mean, do you have a hearing problem?" Eliz blinked because she wanted to say it more gently, but why did it sound like she was scolding him?

Butler gave a quick bow. "No, young lady! I'll take care of it right away." He promised and quickly walked away.

Eliz did not notice, for she was staring again at the wording of the Merciless Queen's achievement. She would have to learn to control it. She was dominant enough herself. She really did not need any help with that.

*****

Eliz practiced mana control with Alobel until dinner. Although she had a negative mana status, she only managed to faint three times this time. Alobela said this was because her mana pool was gradually stabilizing, and the fact that she kept emptying it also contributed. Eliz sounded like she was trying to comfort her but decided to accept her words. She would like to try the new bonus shock, but given the state of her mana, she would kill someone or herself with it. It's better not to use it just yet.

The whole family gathered for dinner. Father sat at the head of the table, Eliz and Mother to the left, and Eren to the right.

Eliz ate in silence, but she expected it to come eventually. And it happened during dessert.

"Eliz. I heard some interesting news today. I heard that you were at the casino." Spoke Father.

Eliz nodded. "Yes. Interesting experience." She replied.

Duke spoke carefully as if he did not want to raise his voice. Was he upset about this?

"And are you still planning to go there?" He asked. Her mother stopped eating and looked at her, as did Eren.

"Probably. Maybe once or twice more." Eliz did not deny it and looked at her father.

"Father, are you against this?"

Duke took a sip of his appetizer before speaking. "Of course. This is no place for a young lady of your standing."

Eliz blinked. "I think you mean it's not a place for your daughter, do not you?" she smiled.

Her father snorted. "I do not have a daughter who's a gambler." Eliz thought it was cute how her father cared.

"Father. You have nothing to worry about. I just went there as a juror to try something. And it worked. I am sure the guard told you I won a lot of money, did not he?"

My father set the glass down abruptly on the table. "If you need more money, you should come to me, Elizabeth."

Eliz almost choked. Wait a minute.

So that was the problem?

Father was sorry that she went to the casino instead of going to him? How great is Father? He'd much rather have his daughter take the money out of his pocket.

"Father. It was just a little extra help. Of course, I still need your help. Speaking of which, the head of the Frosthound Clan I hired to build the Blue Rose will arrive tomorrow. If it makes you happy, you can cover the initial cost."

The mother next to her chuckled and suppressed a laugh. Even Eren preferred to lower his face to his plate.

Father stared at Eliz. "Frosthound? That sounds familiar."

Eliz nodded. "The Mountain Dwarf Clan. They are great Makers and have a lot of skilled builders. They will fix up the Blue Rose estate in no time. But they are a bit more expensive, and the materials will not be cheap either. I want only the best. That's why I went to the casino. I was worried you might be concerned when you saw the amount." Eliz artfully buttered his mouth.

Her father quickly exchanged a frown for a smile. "Ah. So that's how it was. You were thinking about the budget and did not want to worry about your old father. What a good daughter you are!" Eliz could not help smiling.

'Doting fathers really are the best.'

"So everything is all right with you, Father?" she assured herself.

Duke paused, then nodded. "I'll be in the office tomorrow morning. You can come by and sort things out." Eliz smiled. She could imagine Kuron would be happy to see her father. It would only put him at ease in the situation. She had to be careful not to mention anything about the fortifications Eliz wanted, though. She really could not say anything yet.

"Thank you, Daddy." Duke smiled, straightened up, and looked as pleased as a peacock.

Eliz looked at Eren. "And what about you, brother? How have you been?" She wondered.

Eren looked up and wiped his mouth with his napkin. "I do not have anything yet. But I am looking at old military files on the snipers. If he's a veteran, he should be listed somewhere." Eliz was surprised. That was actually pretty clever!

"What are you talking about?" Asked mother.

"I found Eren, a great teacher. I mean... I have heard of him before, and he's supposed to be a top shooting ace. I do not have much time to deal with that, so I left it up to Eren to find him."

"Oh. Really? Who is he?" Duke asked, and Eliz shook her head.

"Please leave it to Eren. I think he can handle it, and it's a good distraction for him after the whole thing." Eliz refused to say, fearing her parents would get too involved. And it was good for Eren to start working on himself more. The fact that he had thought of going through the military files was a good move. She probably would not have thought of it herself. At least not right away.

Father seemed pleased. Maybe he liked the way Eliz was taking care of Eren. "Speaking of which. Eren. What about your military service?" He turned to his son.

"I should be returning to duty soon. But father... I was thinking about assigning me to our house permanently." Said Eren.

Eliz, his father, and his mother were surprised by this statement. "Truly? Do you want to do your military service under our coat of arms? Eren, you already know there will be no exceptions for you, even if it is in your own house? In the civil service, you can take a command within a year. In private service, it is not so quick and easy. Besides, you have to go through another year of training."

Eliz was not as familiar with military terms, but she understood the principle of how military service worked here.

Once students leave the military academy, they must serve a year of public military service like regular soldiers. Compulsory military service is intended for graduates of the Military Academy.

Of course, people can join the army without graduating from the Military Academy, but the conditions are worse for them, and it is harder for them to make a career in the army.

After graduates of the Military Academy will serve a year, they can take exams for any position of their choice. It was a good way for the kingdom to get fresh recruits and keep the military operational.

But there are other options. They can be accepted into the private service of a noble house. That was not as lucrative anymore.

It takes much longer to get a promotion. After becoming recruits, they must undergo another year of training, which takes another year or two to get promoted. Then they must altogether serve for five years after training before leaving. The crown has regulated the military strength of the nobility very well, but even the nobility has found its way to get good young blood.

In many cases, they pay for strong and experienced veterans, whom they then train the young blood. Some are so famous that the young recruits almost fight for a place among them. Even if they then have to serve longer. But such training is priceless.

Eren nodded. "Yes. I am sure of it. I would also like to go to the Blue Rose Estate with Elizabeth. I want to protect my sister."

Eliz had to bite her tongue.

'Who's protecting who!'

But she could not say anything. Eren was thinking about what she wasn't. She had not thought about his military service at all. He really couldn't go anywhere with her with that.

Eliz underestimated Eren! Now that he was not bewitched anymore, he had some sense after all!

She was relieved. She would not have to lead him by the hand all the time anymore. She could give him some actual tasks!

"Oh, my child! Are you going to leave us too?" Mother exclaimed in displeasure.

"Mother. It's not that far. Just a few days' drive. It will not be a problem to come back occasionally, and we can use the communication crystal." Eren soothed his mother. Apparently, with his departure, the mother was not so calm.

"It's hard to tear the twins apart, Mother." Eliz smiled. "Besides, when the Blue Rose estate is finished, you can come there, maybe when it's cold. It's farther east so it will be a little warmer there."

Father shook his head. "Just let him go, dear. He's made his decision, and our children are growing up and want to go their ways."

At these words, they all looked at him.

"My husband. You... just you... uh... just shut up." Mother sighed, and Father looked hurt.