I’m a Second Male Lead in a Romance Fantasy, but I Don’t Like the Female Lead

The first class on Monday was swordsmanship with Cordelia.

“Let’s go together today.”

I caught Cordelia as she was leaving the classroom and asked.

“What about Hestia?”

“She left a while ago.”

Hestia had rejected my offer to escort her to the classroom and rushed to her classroom herself. It was probably half not wanting to burden me, half wanting to get to the classroom quickly to preview the material. At least, I tried to think of it that way.

“Were you rejected?”

“Since Hestia’s classroom is on the opposite side and our class requires a lot of preparation… Yes, I was rejected.”

I tried to make some excuse to her question about being rejected, but under her direct gaze, I decided to just admit it. Opening my mouth further here would probably just make me look worse.

“Hahaha. If you’re coming to me because Hestia rejected you, that’s a bit…”

“Lady Deneb doesn’t have anyone else to go with either, do you? You don’t have friends just like me.”

When she seemed to be acting coy, I got a bit annoyed and shoved the truth in her ear. She acts so high and mighty when, like me, she has no one else to go with.

“Who says I don’t have friends?!”

She screamed in response to my fact assault. But I clearly saw with my own two eyes that she couldn’t talk to anyone during class time last week except me. I was amazed at her shamelessness.

“There’s no need to be embarrassed. As I said earlier, I don’t have friends either.”

“I have friends, I’m telling you! Besides, I’m a girl and you’re a boy?!”

“What does gender have to do with classes and friendship?”

In truth, it has a lot to do with it. The students in the Basic Swordsmanship class are, of course, all male students except for a very few female students. Even those few female students are aspiring female knights, very far from noble daughters like Cordelia. Naturally, it’s hard for her to meet not just friends but even acquaintances. I knew this but just wanted to tease her.

And it’s not like Cordelia has friends in other classes either. Whenever I see her, she’s alone, and without me and Hestia, she has no one to eat lunch with. Even on the day when we had to eat with Seol-ah, she ate alone in the student cafeteria. I’ve fully confirmed that she’s a loner.

“Grrr!”

She let out a strange cry, seemingly frustrated. A sound that probably shouldn’t come from a duke’s daughter’s mouth.

“So, are you not coming with me?”

At my words, Cordelia trembled and then started moving ahead without answering. If I really let her go alone here, she would sulk. What I needed to do was follow her, apologize appropriately, and yield. Dealing with her is similar to dealing with a young cousin or niece. Even when teasing, it’s necessary to yield at the right timing. Trying to get one over on her isn’t a particularly good choice.

“I was just joking. Please don’t be angry.”

“Hmph!”

“They say the person who forgives first is the winner.”

“Does the person asking for forgiveness get to say that?”

After following and apologizing for a while, by the time we entered the classroom, I was able to soothe her anger. She returned to her usual cheerful attitude as if she had never been upset. It’s a bit mean to say, but she’s really an easy woman.

“Lady Deneb, aren’t you going to change clothes?”

I asked as I headed to the changing room directly opposite the classroom. For swordsmanship class, it’s necessary to change into training clothes in advance.

“I already prepared.”

“Prepared?”

I tilted my head at her words. What preparation is she talking about? She was still in her uniform as far as I could see.

“Ta-da!”

“Ahh! What are you doing?!”

Suddenly, Cordelia started a striptease. I was startled to see her unbuttoning her perfectly fine uniform one by one and pulling down her skirt. I screamed and covered my eyes. I understand she’s expressing tendencies that were suppressed by her engagement to the Crown Prince, but this is a bit… I didn’t want to know if she had an exhibitionist streak.

“You can’t do this here! Why, when there’s a perfectly good changing room…?”

But no matter how long I waited, the response from those around was too quiet. Were they all shocked and staring blankly?

I slightly opened one eye to check her condition.

“Ahaha! What, did you think I would really undress here?”

Cordelia was already perfectly changed into training clothes. She laughed excitedly seeing me completely flustered.

“Of course I was wearing them underneath.”

She showed off her uniform that she had completely removed.

She’s not a high school girl who wears gym clothes under her uniform. Well, in terms of age, she is a high school girl. I laughed hollowly, unable to believe it.

“Aren’t you embarrassed?”

“What’s there to be embarrassed about? Did I show bare skin?”

Of course, she didn’t show bare skin, but still, there’s something about it, isn’t there? It’s not my place to say, having only been in this body for a short time, but she seemed to lack awareness as a noble to an excessive degree.

“A noblewoman should be modest and demure…”

“La la la! I can’t hear you! Are you an old fogey?”

A lecture toward her unconsciously came out. Cordelia ignored my words by covering her ears and making noise like a child. Being called an old fogey, I was a bit shocked. Was what I said that stuffy? But seeing her reckless behavior, I couldn’t help but point it out. Even 21st-century South Korean high school girls who wear gym clothes under their uniforms don’t undress like that in front of male students.

“Old fogey? I was merely saying it out of concern for Lady Deneb.”

“You sounded exactly like an old fogey. You said exactly the same things as the head butler who nags me all the time.”

“I’m not an old fogey; you’re just excessively free-spirited!”

“Yes, next old fogey.”

I rarely felt like I was losing in an argument with her. How is a duke’s daughter more open-minded than a modern Earth person? Our ways of thinking are completely different.

“And you, if you thought I was undressing, why did you open your eyes?”

Cordelia placed her hands on her waist and stared at me intently, as if she had caught me out. But honestly, I really had no thoughts. I’m truly and completely innocent without a hint of shame. So I responded very confidently.

“I really had no thoughts and just opened my eyes because it was quiet. But will you believe me?”

“Am I supposed to believe that?”

“Then just think whatever you want. Anyway, I don’t think of anyone but Hestia. Hestia would believe me too.”

“You’re no fun. Using your fiancée as a shield is cowardly.”

Cordelia seemed disappointed at my overly calm response. What on earth was she expecting?

“Fun? What kind of reaction were you expecting? And I’m not using her as a shield; it’s the truth.”

“Like getting flustered and yelling that it’s absolutely not true? Then I would have immediately reported to Hestia. But you’re so confident that I have nothing to say.”

Cordelia soon lost interest in my reaction. She’s not a child, but actually, sometimes when I talk with her, it feels like she is.

I took this opportunity to ask about the romance novels and female knights that I had heard about from Hestia this morning. Honestly, it was still on my mind.

“Ah, by the way, does Lady Deneb also like romance novels?”

At my sudden question, Cordelia froze. Her neck slowly turned toward me. I could almost hear a creaking sound effect.

“R-r-romance novels? Why suddenly?”

She visibly looks flustered. She even stutters. There’s definitely something there, as Hestia said.

“This morning, Hestia and I were talking about romance novels. I was wondering if Lady Deneb also likes such novels.”

“I, well, I don’t particularly like them…”

That’s a lie. Her red face, her deliberately avoiding eyes, her fidgeting fingers. As I’ve felt before, she is remarkably untalented at lying. I’m certain that she absolutely loves romance novels. I decided to probe a bit deeper here.

“That’s a shame.”

“What is?”

“I was hoping to ask for recommendations if you knew such novels well. Hestia seems to like them too, so I was thinking of reading together.”

At my words, Cordelia’s pupils began to spin. She must be experiencing tremendous internal conflict. One of the questions that elicits the most intense reactions from someone who loves something is: what would be good for a beginner to start with? The twitching at the corner of her mouth indicates she’s really itching to speak.

“Then I’ll have to ask someone else.”

“No!”

“What’s wrong?”

Cordelia shouted in a very desperate voice. I couldn’t help but laugh, and I had to try hard to manage my expression.

“I, I’ll teach you!”

“But didn’t Lady Deneb say she doesn’t particularly like romance novels?”

I looked at her with the most puzzled expression I could muster.

“Even so, even so, I want to teach you.”

Cordelia spoke while sweating profusely. She seems uncertain, hesitating. It’s completely different from her usually confident attitude. Just how serious is she about romance novels?

“If you insist, I understand. Anyway, I didn’t have anyone to ask besides Lady Deneb or Hestia.”

“Great! Then follow me to the dormitory after the closing ceremony. I’ll lend you a few books.”

I accepted her proposal as if I had no choice. Her face noticeably brightened at my answer. I decided not to point out the fact that she said she doesn’t particularly like romance novels, yet has several books in her dormitory to lend.

“Can you tell me what they’re about?”

I asked a question that came from genuine curiosity. I wondered what kind of content would be in the novels that someone so serious about romance novels would confidently recommend to a beginner.

“It’s complicated to explain… A female knight overcomes all sorts of hardships and trials and falls in love with another knight? It’s better to see for yourself!”

She explained the content with an ecstatic expression, as if just thinking about it was thrilling. Her mood seems better than usual, probably because she’s talking about something she likes.

“A female knight?”

“Yes. A female knight!”

“By any chance, is the female knight in the story good with a sword, exercises diligently, and rides horses well?”

“She’s a knight, so of course?”

Found it. The cause of her suspiciously strong attachment to female knights and physical activity.

I felt the puzzle pieces scattered here and there coming together neatly.

The admiration for female knights she showed this morning, Hestia’s hint about romance novels, the reason she liked physical activity in the first place.

She admires the female protagonist of the romance novels she likes.

For that reason, she takes swordsmanship classes, exercises at dawn, and even decided on her club. Without realizing it, I looked at Cordelia with warm eyes.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Nothing. Please continue to be like that.”

“…?”

Seeing her so enthusiastic and living her life to the fullest, immersed in the protagonist of a novel she enjoyed, somehow made my heart feel very warm. It feels like I’ve seen something truly clean and pure.

“I said, why are you looking at me like that?!”

I kept looking at her that way until she eventually got annoyed and asked why I was looking at her with such eyes.