I became a Male Lead in a Romance Fantasy Novel

"They said the cause of the monsters rampaging was because of the saintess's awakening."

"Really? I wonder who could it be?"

Such words were being uttered in the place where the tea party was set up. Given the sudden turn of events, such discussions were only natural.

"Well..."

Lucia drawled out the end of her sentence in response to those questions, turning her gaze slowly. In the crimson eyes, a person with silver hair soon appeared.

"Suddenly appearing like this. Perhaps it could be someone who suddenly showed up today?"

With a mischievous smile in her eyes, her voice was quite loud.

The sound reached Bella, who was somewhat far away.

Bella, who was absentmindedly pouring tea into a cup, turned her head abruptly.

'Is the show started already?'

Bella could feel it.

Not only the subtle glances but also the information Lucia was circling around to convey.

It was clear that everything was directed at Bella.

And Bella clearly understood that Lucia knew.

That she was saintess.

'What a sharp judgement...'

Her silver hair and silver eyes as the symbols of a saintess was unmistakable. And the fact that there was no one else besides her who could be considered a saintess in this situation was also an evidence.

Lucia was quick-witted and intelligent, just as expected. Even when reading the original work, Bella felt that Lucia was excessively clever.

Bella inwardly clicked her tongue and turned her head again.

There was nothing she could do at the moment.

Being a commoner, there was no way the noble young ladies and gentlemen would involve her in their conversations.

Even if she claimed to be a saintess, they wouldn't believe her easily.

The best course of action was to wait until she was recognized as a saintess in the church and at the royal palace.

'But how do I control my power...'

Bella narrowed her eyes while continuously seeing her power dispersing. Thanks to the rigorous practice before coming to the forest, it was possible for her to manifest a bit of power for attack and healing. But to completely harness the power was proving difficult.

As Bella was concentrating on controlling her power and the rest of the nobles were engrossed in their gossip,

Krrr-

A sound that shouldn't have been heard anymore came from nearby.

'What is it.'

At the eerie yet familiar sound, Bella stood up right where she was.

Along with that, a dark creature sluggishly crept into the barracks.

'Why on earth is it coming in here!'

Monsters were supposed to live in the forest.

Moreover, with Owen and Kyle out there stopping the monsters, how did it manage to come this far...

It was utterly incomprehensible, but Bella moved forward towards the entrance of the barracks. Then she reached out her hand, conjuring up a bright white power.

'Anyway, I'm the only one who can handle this.'

To save herself, she had to kill the creature right in front of her.

Although the knights had joined in the barracks after sensing the monster's presence, the monster in front of them was too large for them to handle. At least the level of Louis's skill had seemed necessary to deal with it. Unfortunately, there were no knights here with that level of skill.

Krrr-

The white powers that emerged from Bella's fingertips instantly formed into the shape of a long spear that soon struck the giant insect-like monster. Perhaps due to piercing its heart accurately, the monster collapsed with a scream in an instant.

"Saintess...?"

"Could it be the saintess who was awakened today-."

As Bella swiftly brought down the massive monster, murmurs started to rise from behind her. But, just as Bella was about to turn around.

Krrr-

Once again, the sounds of the monsters echoed.

"Crazy...."

She thought it was over with one swoop, but...

The monsters didn't stop at that.

Emerging from somewhere, a group of monsters appeared together, sluggishly slithering into the barrack.

Bella summoned her energy again to attack the monsters, but she was unsure.

She was contemplating whether to protect herself first or to protect those nobles behind her.

As Bella fought the worrisome monster, suddenly several monsters who were rushing into the barrack fell simultaneously, creating a red pool of blood. The bodies of monsters, sharply cut as if by a single stroke, began to pile up.

Behind those bodies, a familiar figure emerged.

"Lucia."

With jet-black hair and obsidian-like eyes.

A figure with overwhelming charisma and skill.

The male lead of , Owen Verdin.

Bella's gaze immediately shifted to Owen at his sudden appearance.

The situation was not clear.

The monsters revealing themselves where they shouldn't have, and Owen personally taking action to deal with them.

There were no "distortions" in the forest, no sudden attacks by monsters on the civilians, but above all-.

Owen was not concerned enough to step in and solve it.

Such things did not happen in the original novel.

"Are you hurt anywhere?"

As Bella tried to assess the situation with a confused look. Owen, who had entered the barrack, approached Lucia in one breath.

With desperate eyes, Lucia blinked silently and nodded at his breathless appearance.

"Yes, I'm fine."

For some reason, Owen seemed extremely anxious. And Lucia, who had been pondering, soon realized the reason for his anxiety through the sight of those monster's bodies. It seemed like she had belatedly realized an unforeseen situation.

"When did you get here...."

As she was about to ask for more details. Owen, who had dropped his sword to the ground, embraced Lucia.

Bending his knees and bowing his waist to hold Lucia sitting firmly in his arms. Embracing Lucia tightly, he whispered slowly.

"Thank goodness."

His voice that reached her ears was filled with deep and intense emotions.

"I was worried. Worried you might get hurt."

The words that spilled from his lips, the emotions that surfaced, were all of the same nature, to the point where not understanding was more difficult.

"...I'm fine, Owen."

However, for some reason.

Lucia couldn't smile.

He was the person she longed for.

And his response was the response she had hoped for.

But strangely, she couldn't squeezed out a smile and take advantage of the situation.

Seeing someone worry about her getting hurt, feeling those emotions.

Perhaps because she had never experienced it before.

The thought to soothe his eyes filled with worry and anxiety suddenly came to her. So, instead of taking advantage of the situation as usual, she reached out her hand.

"I'm really fine. So, you don't need to worry."

Softly speaking, Lucia cautiously placed her hand on Owen's back.

Then she began to pat him slowly.

Her small, delicate hands were gentle yet warm.

"Yeah."

He wasn't sure about others, but at least Owen felt that way.

***

To eliminate the monsters underground, Kyle had to once again scatter his magic deep into the ground. Thanks to Owen quickly heading to the barrack, there were no more casualties, but the cost and magic stones to restore the forest had increased.

The next day, the high priests finally arrived at the forest.

Although Bella had already proven her status in front of many nobles by using her powers, formal intervention from the church was required to obtain the title of a saintess.

After confirming Bella's magical power, the priest officially declared her as a saintess. Afterwards, the announcement from the church spread to the royal palace and the entire Empire.

The saintess awakened.

As everything settled down and the curtains fell, the nobles then returned to their territories and mansions. And Bella, for her education as a saintess, headed towards the main church in the capital.

'What on earth...'

On the path to the church, while sitting in the carriage, Bella furrowed her brows, deeply immersed in thought.

'It can't be just because I destroyed the original setting... Owen has changed too much.'

The image of Owen she saw yesterday troubled her so much.

She had been concerned since Owen showed familiarity with Lucia, but to embrace her in front of everyone, especially in such a dangerous situation.

'....'

Owen, who had never acted like this in the original, couldn't have suddenly changed like that.

It must have been for a reason.

Lucia deeply pondered.

If it was simply because of her capriciousness, she would do her best to revert to the original setting, but...

'There seems to be something else.'

Something felt off.

There seemed to be parts she hadn't noticed, events that wouldn't have occurred in the original.

Something unknown to her, and that made her restless.

"We have arrived, Your Holiness."

While Bella was lost in thought for a while, the carriage came to halt in front of the church.

"Oh, yes."

As the stableman opened the carriage door, Bella rose from her seat, uttering a brief reply. Carefully stepping down from the carriage, she was met with a grandiose building in her sight.

"Wow..."

Although it had been emphasized in novel, but the main church in the capital was truly magnificent. Not only was it incredibly vast, but the atmosphere was also overwhelming.

"Please come this way, Your Holiness."

Seeing Bella speechless at the sight of the church, the high priest personally guided her. And upon hearing the high priest's voice, Bella finally regained her composure and followed his lead.

It was not the time to be distracted.

To proceed as closely as possible to the original setting, she needed to return the situation as it was.

She had to follow the path of being adopted by Viscount Taylor just like in the original. So she could erase all the possible causes that led to the destruction of the original.

"This is the office of the Holy Father."

The place the high priest led her to was the office where the leader of the church, Holy Father Francisco, managed the church affairs.

"Welcome, Your Holiness. I have been eagerly awaiting your arrival upon hearing the news."

"Oh, yes. Nice to meet you."

Holy Father appeared just as described, with a benevolent demeanor. Feeling somewhat relieved, Bella exchanged greetings with him.

"Please have a seat. There's much to explain, and it seems we'll need to talk for a while. Would you like some tea?"

If it was tea, it would undoubtedly be black or green tea. Bella, who disliked the taste of those bitter tea, shook her head in refusal.

"No, thank you. Instead..."

As the conversation was about to prolong, she had to speak up first.

It was urgent to restore the situation as it was in the original.

"May I speak?"

"Please, go ahead."

Holy Father nodded, wearing a puzzled expression. To him, Bella was a saintess who had appeared after decades. Hence, he was willing to accommodate almost any request of her.

Bella was well aware of the situation in the church and Holy Father's character. She had read the original dozens of times, memorizing the settings like a mantra.

"I want to be adopted by Viscount Taylor. Is that possible?"

Her unexpected request seemed to surprise the Holy Father. Perhaps it was because the words that came from Bella's mouth were unforeseen.

"Yes, it might be possible. If Viscount Taylor makes the request."

However, he soon nodded, holding affirmative words on his tongue. Though unexpected, it was quite understandable from his perspective.

The fact that the saintess was of common birth was indeed a concern. So, if she were to enter a noble family and gain noble status, it might actually strengthen her position as the saintess among the commoners and nobles. And somehow, this will also benefit the church in the end

"I'll try to ask for the favor."

As expected, a positive response came from the Holy Father, causing Bella to smile.

Now, with the twisted settings corrected, the only thing left was to learn about Owen.

After fixing the distorted settings and events, if he still didn't return to her sides...

If the cause was not me but something else,

Certainly, the 'loophole' had to be found.

***

While Bella struggled to revert the original flow, Owen was lost in similar thoughts.

'Why on earth...'

No matter how much he thought about it, Bella's timing of appearance was odd. Even if he had changed, he never expected the original to change this much.

No, Owen realized that he did hope for changes in the original, but not in this direction.

He only wished for Owen to change, to help Lucia gain what she wanted. But he never wished for Bella to change as well.

'The timing of her appearance, the place. And...'

The fact that the starting point of the novel had changed was a problem itself.

The fact that Bella's appearance had been accelerated, that the place of her first appearance had changed.

It all distorted the settings of the original work.

But the most concerning part was not that.

'Her abilities...'

In the novel, Bella gained full abilities alongside her awakening. Not only she could attack the monsters with her power, but she can also freely manipulate that power.

Yet strangely, the Bella he saw at the hunting competition couldn't do that. At that time, the schedule of the original had simply been pushed forward. So, he thought it was a result of the timing of her awakening being altered.

Honestly, even now, he couldn't think of any other explanation.

And yet, he felt something was amiss.

'Perhaps it's just a hunch.'

Racking his brain didn't yield any answers.

Realistically, aside from the changes that had occurred to him, there was no apparent cause. Shaking off his thoughts, Owen sighed softly, feeling a headache coming on. His musings about Bella had been sufficient by now.

The saintess's awakening and the events of the hunting competition would be discussed at the upcoming council meeting.

And it wasn't something within his authority.

It was a matter for the royal palace and the church to handle.

"Logan."

Owen, emerging from his study, immediately called for the butler.

Standing by, Logan inclined his head respectfully and answered, "Yes, Your Highness."

"The reservation was for 3 o'clock, right?"

"Yes, that's correct. You instructed Stella Boutique to be completely vacated by 3 o'clock."

"Alright."

Today marked the launch of the summer season collection at Stella Boutique. Typically, on such days, the boutique would be busiest and have the highest sales, making it uncommon to rent out the entire store. However, as always, Owen was an exceptional figure.

It was a well-known fact that the few hours he rented would bring in more profit than dozens of other guests. Hence, Owen easily rented out the boutique for the opening day of the new season.

"Then, I'll be off."

The reason for his actions was clear.

The limited edition brooch on Lucia's wish list was being released this season.

Of course, he wanted to personally present the limited edition brooch to her.

Owen then got onto his carriage and headed towards boutique street. Since the distance from his mansion to boutique street was not far, the carriage stopped shortly after setting off. At the moment Owen was about to get off through the carriage door opened by the coachman, he paused at a sudden movement and smirked.

"Oh? Yet another bug?"