IBDFSML Chapter 24

Bright, kind, and lovable female lead.

The sunshine girl who captured the hearts of the sub male lead Sion, the main male lead, and countless readers alike—

Genevia Lilo.

This was the moment her true colors were revealed.

WHAM! WHAM!

"Aaah, it's all ruined! I'm totally screwed!"

"……"

After furiously kicking around the big guys sprawled on the ground, Genevia sharply turned her head toward Sion.

With eyes brimming with uncontrollable anger and shaking side to side, she snapped.

“…Who do you think you are, barging into other people’s business like that?! Because of you, my whole plan is ruined!”

Her voice, thick with irritation and frustration, lashed out as she pointed a firm finger at Sion.

Watching her, I tried to gather my confused thoughts.

‘So... she’s yelling at Sion, the guy who just helped her out? That’s what’s happening here, right?’

It was a completely irrational reaction. No, beyond irrational, it was just—

‘Why the heck is the female lead acting like that?!’

This Genevia Lilo was nothing like the sweet, radiant heroine from the original story. I was in shock.

“I thought you were in trouble ”

Sion said, eyeing the accusing finger pointed at him with a blank expression.

“Was I wrong?”

Genevia shot back, brimming with annoyance.

“Seriously, what’s up with all the knights around here? Are they all just dying to meddle in someone else’s business? Like saving someone is the only way they feel alive?”

“……”

“I even came all the way to this deserted alley to avoid interruptions, and still, some random knight shows up to ruin everything!”

“…It seems I misunderstood the situation. My apologies.”

Without hesitation, Sion turned and began walking away. Genevia scoffed.

“You ruin everything and then now you say sorry? How laughable!”

“……”

Even as Genevia grumbled and threw sarcastic remarks from behind, Sion walked off without a second glance, clearly done with the whole thing.

‘What... What even is this?’

I chewed my lip in disbelief as I watched the two of them part ways with nothing but bad impressions of each other.

‘No, this can’t be right!’

This was supposed to be Sion and the female lead’s first meeting—the moment I had been waiting for, something romantic and dramatic!

I couldn’t just let it end like this.

Scrambling for something—anything—to salvage the situation, I blurted out.

“Sion, wait! That girl... I think she has some kind of situation she can’t talk about. She seems like she really needs our help!”

As I spoke, Sion didn’t stop walking, but he did glance back.

Genevia, meanwhile, was muttering under her breath as she rifled through the pockets of the fallen thugs.

“She doesn’t look like she needs help.”

Sion commented dryly.

He added, almost casually.

“Lin, you might not know this yet, but in human society, there are… many different kinds of people. A good number of them fall outside the bounds of common sense—like that woman over there.”

“……”

It was pretty clear that Sion had already written Genevia off as someone who made absolutely no sense.

‘No, no, no—this is bad…! At this rate, the two of them won’t even get the chance to like each other, let alone fall in love!’

“Hey, Mr. Knight! Wait a second!”

Just then, Genevia’s voice rang out from behind.

When Sion ignored her and kept walking, she ran up to us and blocked his path.

“I said stop!”

“……”

Standing there with her arms stretched out, she was holding coin pouches—presumably stolen from the thugs.

“So they were the ones getting robbed, not her.”

At Sion’s biting sarcasm, Genevia’s face twitched with irritation.

“Fine. Think whatever you want, Mr. Knight in shining righteousness.”

“Step aside.”

“No, I won’t.”

Genevia, her large gentle eyes wide with determination, said it with surprising force.

But with her adorable face and petite build, she didn’t come off as threatening at all.

“You ruined my plan—so take responsibility!”

“Didn’t you succeed? Looks like you made a decent profit.”

“Ugh, this—!”

Genevia opened and closed her mouth a few times, as if choosing her words carefully, and then finally spoke with a more serious expression.

“This money was collected by forcing little kids to beg. It belongs to them—it’s their rightful wages, not the thugs’.”

“Kids?”

Sion’s tone instantly sharpened at her unexpected statement.

“What are you talking about? Forced child labor is legally banned in the Grand Duchy.”

“Ugh… I can’t say any more than that. I have no reason to trust you…”

“Answer me. If what you’re saying is true, this isn’t just a personal matter—it’s a regional issue that affects the entire Northern Province.”

“But still…!”

“If you won’t cooperate, I’ll just have to find another way to get the information.”

Sion’s eyes turned icy, his tone forceful. Genevia flinched.

‘Uh-oh… If this keeps up, they’re going to end up fighting!’

Panicking, I leapt out from under my robe and quickly stepped between them.

“Wait, wait! Both of you—time out!”

“…!”

“…!?”

Sion’s face stiffened in surprise at my sudden interference.

Genevia, too, stared at me in shock—her already big eyes now even wider.

‘Her eyes are gonna pop out at this rate…’

Standing between them like a referee, I gestured with both hands and tried to mediate.

“Alright, everyone, calm down. Relax. I think we just got off on the wrong foot here. Let’s reset this conversation with a little common sense and decency, okay?”

“……”

A few moments later—

“…That’s what happened.”

“So, to sum it up… Genevia, you’ve been assigned as the next official priestess to the Grand Duchy of Luxior starting this year, and that’s why you came up north?”

“That’s right.”

“And on your way to the North, you provided free medical aid and charity services to the people along the way?”

“Yes.”

“And then, during that journey, you discovered that some of the orphans under the care of northern facilities had gone missing—and you followed that lead all the way here to Lafren?”

“Exactly.”

“…I see. So that’s how it is.”

Finally, I began to understand why the female lead was skulking around the back alleys before the original storyline even began.

“Those thugs from earlier are the low-ranking members of the organization suspected of kidnapping the children. My plan was to approach them and get caught on purpose—so I could infiltrate the place where the children are being held. I heard they also target young women, so I figured…”

“That’s insanely reckless. Couldn’t you at least have asked one of the knights you mentioned for help?”

At my suggestion, Genevia suddenly flared up and let out a burst of frustration.

“Knights? Do you know how many of those oh-so-righteous knights I met while wandering Lafren for ten days? I did try to ask them for help at first, but after hearing my story, not a single one stepped up.”

“Wait, seriously?”

“They all made excuses—saying there was no solid proof, that the knight order was short-staffed, or telling me to file an official complaint and wait for a formal investigation. Nobody actually did anything.”

I exchanged a glance with Sion.

It must’ve been during a chaotic time in the North, when everyone was preoccupied with the merchant guild incident—that would explain why the response had been so lackluster.

Then, with a grim expression that didn’t match her delicate features, Genevia muttered darkly.

“Well, it’s obvious, isn’t it? When have nobles or knights ever properly stepped up for poor, orphaned kids like these? Even if someone like me—a mere outsider and lowly priestess—files a formal complaint, it’d be a miracle if the case even gets registered before those kids grow old and die.”

“……”

“I don’t need any of it. This messed-up world… I’ll save those kids myself. No matter what it takes.”

With shadows cast across her face, Genevia declared this with solemn resolve.

Watching her like that, I couldn’t help but feel a jarring sense of dissonance.

‘…Wait, the female lead is this dark and intense?’

In other words, all that sweet, angelic behavior she showed the main male lead and Sion in the original story… was just an act.

‘…Which, honestly, is kind of impressive in its own way.’

Still, even with this surprise twist in her personality, the fact remained: Genevia was the heroine of this world—and Sion’s destined love.

So there was only one logical course of action.

‘We have to help her.’

I glanced over at Sion, who was leaning casually against the wall.

As I met his calm, grey-blue eyes, I could tell he was thinking the same thing.