Chapter 1: Dropped Into a Scandalous Script

I don’t know how others feel about it, but I’m the type who doesn’t mind too much if the latter half of a novel I’m enjoying goes off the rails.

There’s even a saying, isn’t there?

The mark of a masterpiece is botching the ending.

Even famous authors often get flak for failing to wrap things up neatly, so it’s no surprise that lesser writers might struggle with the second half.

I get it. Sure, I understand that writing the latter half is tough.

But still, isn’t there a line you just don’t cross?

“What the hell is this?”

Wondering if I’d seen it right, I blinked a couple of times and stared at my phone again.

[Your Highness, please don’t be shocked and hear me out.]

[I believe I am carrying Your Highness’s child.]

[…Are you certain?]

[For the past six months, I have not given myself to any man but Your Highness, so I am certain. But just in case Your Highness doubts me, I consulted a renowned physician in this field…]

I saw it right.

So, to sum it up, instead of sticking with the female lead he was clearly smitten with, some random supporting female character pops up, claiming she’s pregnant with the male lead’s child.

“Wow…”

In a romance fantasy, no less, where the main plot was just sweet, fluffy interactions without any major drama.

The male lead cheating on the female lead? Does that even make sense?

Fine, let’s say I can grudgingly accept the supporting character’s pregnancy for the sake of argument.

But the male lead’s next line—“If a renowned physician says so, it must be true. Then there’s no choice; I’ll have to take you as my queen.”—there’s no way I can let that slide.

Not only did he get a married woman pregnant, but he’s going to make her his queen?

I was so dumbfounded that I let out a dry laugh and opened the comment section.

[How to Tame an Obsessive Male Lead]

[Comments: 784]

The comments, which usually hovered around 100 per chapter, had skyrocketed to about 800.

As expected, most of them were complaints from people like me who couldn’t accept this chapter’s development.

– Seriously, author, have you lost it? Why is a side character getting pregnant before Stella?

– Looks like this is the author’s last work before quitting.

– I was enjoying this until now, but I’m dropping it here.

– I knew something was off with how the male lead was being described lately; it’s gone full soap opera.

– The male lead must be based on the author’s boyfriend, who probably cheated recently, because this plot twist is incomprehensible lololol.

Aside from the top five upvoted comments, the rest were filled with rants against the author.

Of course, some attacked the author personally, and others were straight-up cussing.

I thought about chiming in but figured there was no need to pile on since the author was already getting roasted.

So, I just left a blank-faced emoji.

[-_-]

There, done.

I checked that it posted and scrolled through the new comments flooding in.

Right below my emoji, a long, heated comment popped up.

– Author, if you’re going to write a plot like this, why even introduce Stella in the first place? You should’ve just had the male lead flirt with this unlikeable side character from the start. You’ve broken the unspoken promise with your readers. In a romance fantasy, the male lead not only cheats on the female lead but gets another woman pregnant first?

– You said in the afterword that you wanted to show your unique style. So, throwing away 100 chapters of buildup to have a Mary Sue character swoop in and hook up with the male lead is your “style”? Does that even make sense? Author, if you’re reading this, please explain. I’m genuinely curious.

The comment was so long it hit the word limit and continued in a reply, tearing into the author.

I could feel the commenter’s rage through the screen; whoever they were, they were seriously pissed.

Well, I get it. It’s worth getting mad over.

Since they pretty much said what I wanted to, I hit the upvote button. Just then, a new reply appeared.

“Huh?”

And wouldn’t you know it—the reply was from someone with the author’s pen name.

At first, I thought it was a troll, but I clicked the profile and confirmed it was the real author.

Let’s see what they wrote.

– Dear reader, it seems there’s a misunderstanding. This plot twist doesn’t ignore the story’s buildup. I’ve been dropping hints through the female lead’s monologues, haven’t I? About how the male lead seems to be interested in another woman lately.

– And every time there was such a description, didn’t you also write that the female lead thought she was overreacting, that the male lead wouldn’t do such a thing? You’re not seriously saying that was all a misunderstanding on her part, are you?

– The information conveyed through the female lead’s first-person perspective isn’t 100% reliable. You seem like an experienced romance fantasy reader; surely you didn’t miss that, right?

“Wow…”

Not only is the author arguing with a reader in the replies, but they’re being snarky about it. This author’s got some guts. But this is just pouring gasoline on a fire.

As expected, my prediction was spot-on.

Not long after the author’s reply, the commenter doubled down, venomously tearing into the author again.

“If you’re going to write a plot like this, just quit writing. Don’t ever set foot in this industry again. I’ll hunt you down even if you change your pen name and write something else—” and all sorts of vicious insults.

The words were so brutal that even I, just watching, felt a pang. So, I left another emoji.

[Shivering dog emoji]

– Author, you don’t have the basics to write romance fantasy. Just quit and do something else. Or go write BL novels instead. Judging by how you’re handling this mess, you’d probably do well there. Those readers might even like this kind of thing. So, just go and never touch this genre again.

– Dear reader, what exactly are you so upset about? Is it that Stella didn’t become the male lead’s queen?

– That’s obviously part of it. Honestly, I didn’t like the plot from the start. I regret paying for this.

– Oh, is that so? You’re dissatisfied with my novel’s plot. In that case, why don’t you rewrite my novel from the beginning?

– If I could, I would’ve done it already. And I’d probably do a better job than you.

Whoa, that’s a dangerous thing to say.

Getting into a spat with an author over a novel’s plot or ending and saying, “I could do better than you,” is practically an unspoken rule in this industry for getting sucked into the novel’s world.

No sooner had I thought that than—

– Very well. Then, dear reader, why don’t you go ahead and shape my novel’s plot as you see fit?

A cryptic comment from the author appeared.

“…Huh?”

Suddenly, my vision spun.

It felt like the ceiling and floor were flipping places, my sight blurred, and my mind grew hazy.

Thud.

“Wait, hold on…”

I didn’t even say anything bad…?

…And that’s how I ended up in the world of How to Tame an Obsessive Male Lead.

At first, I wasn’t aware I was from the modern world, but—absurdly enough—I got hit in the back of the head by a stray wooden sword during a sparring match.

Flash. That’s when it hit me.

“…This is ridiculous.”

What kind of nonsense is this?

Returning to my room under the pretense of resting, I let out a hollow laugh as I looked around.

It’s not quite right to call them past-life memories, but either way, all my memories of living in 21st-century South Korea came flooding back.

The fancy furniture and spacious room I’d always taken for granted now seemed extravagantly luxurious.

The bed I’m sitting on alone probably costs millions of won.

So, how much is this entire mansion worth?

As I walked through the halls, I noticed plenty of servants, ornate decorations, and an overall old-world charm that was no joke.

“Maybe billions, or more…?”

I couldn’t help but stick out my tongue at the conclusion.

To think that I, neither the original story’s protagonist—the future king—nor one of his close aides, am living in such a grand mansion.

Right after my memories returned, I was just dumbfounded, but now that I think about it, pretending nothing’s wrong and living like this doesn’t seem so bad.

The moment I thought that and smirked to myself—

Creak. The door opened without a sound.

A tall man with a pale face and sharp jawline approached me.

“Sorry for not holding back. Did it hurt a lot?”

I almost said, “Who are you?” but shut my mouth.

If I said that to my older brother, he’d probably smack me again for being rude.

“No, it was my fault for being clumsy. You did nothing wrong, brother.”

“Calling me ‘brother’ means it really hurt, huh?”

With a chuckle, my ridiculously handsome brother smiled at me.

Then he handed me something—a bottle filled with red liquid.

“It’s a potion to boost your body’s natural healing. Drink it and listen.”

Sounds like it’s good for me. I carefully opened the bottle.

“Cain, you know our family’s training policy, don’t you?”

He’s talking about the Reinhardt family rule: when a son turns ten, he must go out into the world and prove himself—a policy that’s borderline child abuse.

I nodded readily.

“Yes, I know. I’m ready. What’s my first mission? Monster hunting or rooting out heretics?”

“Easy, Cain. Your swordsmanship has improved so much it’s starting to rival mine, but you’re just ten. You think we’d give you something that dangerous?”

“Then what is it?”

“Your official mission is to serve as an escort knight for a noble lady.”

“And the unofficial mission is surveillance and information gathering… right?”

He neither confirmed nor denied, just smiled.

“As you know, Cain, the most important thing is…”

“Not getting caught as a spy.”

“And the second most important thing?”

“Gaining the trust of the person I’m escorting. And the third is thorough, close surveillance.”

I’ve lived as the third son of the Reinhardt family for a whole ten years.

I’ve heard the family’s training policy so many times my ears could bleed, so the words come out almost reflexively.

“Hm, excellent. As expected of my little brother.”

“Yeah, well. So, brother, who am I supposed to serve?”

“She’s the daughter of a count, and you’ve probably heard her name before.”

A noble lady whose name I’ve heard? Could she be a character from the original story?

I sipped the potion absentmindedly.

“Lia von Elevess, the heiress of a famously wealthy family in the empire…”

“…Pfft!”