Chapter 2 (1/2)

Chapter 2

Honestly, I have a vulnerable side to pretty faces even before I came to possess this body. When I came inside this novel with a male lead having this kind of beauty… I think I can root for this novel. Of course, that didn’t mean I wanted to do something with Valdwin.

Take it easy Laila, you’ll die if you do something wrong. You should be close friends with the female lead as close as possible, then stay in the line with the male leads – you can do it, right? Don’t forget that the original Laila died while harassing the female lead.

(T/N: Stay in line means not crossing the line with the male leads)

I vowed to myself once more and hugged Valdwin tightly. This is the result of being a die-hard fan. Valdwin blinked his jewel-like eyes in my arms. He’s so cute that I’m dying.

Contrary to what my heart wants, my body only let off Valdwin when I already smeared a lot of saliva on his cheeks. Phew, am I starting to be like this because I am a baby now? When I released him from my hug, he wobbled and fell backwards with his head first  as he was still young. Uh, uh… this isn’t my fault.

“U, uuwaaaa! Moooooooom!”

“Lala! Did you bully Didi again?”

Didi, Didi!

It seems that mother just coined a new nickname for Valdwin. I even completely forgot that she misunderstood me.

Mom held up the cute and soft cat Didi. How can a nickname like that be given to a cat? In my previous life, I have always dreamed of having a pet cat and that came true now.

“Stop crying Didi. Shhh…. Mom will scold Lala! Hit! Hit!”

Of course, that doesn’t mean that I will leave Valdwin’s side.  Anyway, I have to let him go after the female lead comes so I will just enjoy it to the fullest now.

Actually, Didi’s personality when he grows up will be… uhm, he was more chic and sharp.

Now let me tell you, I had a history of unfinished dozens of novels because Valdwin had completely attacked my taste buds. He was very tasty. In the original novel, Valdwin had the basic qualities of a male lead and practiced proper obsession with the characteristic ‘I’m bad to others but I am only kind to you’.

Readers had a whole stock fight over Einz and the bad-to-others-but-only-kind-to-the-female-lead Valdwin, and even coined a new word for them – EoNam-Win and EoNam-In – anyway, my husband Valdwin, and anyway my husband, Einz. Of course, I am an EoNam-Win – even now that I am inside the novel!

(T/N: The term 어남(eonam) is the abbreviation of 어차피 남편은 that means along the lines of ‘anyway, he’s my husband’, ‘he’s after all my husband’ or ‘he’s my husband either way’. I used romanization because it was too long. Another, the -win and -in in the end were both taken from Valdwin’s and Einz’s name, as you can see. )

My mother let out a deep sigh seeing me wriggling no matter what she said to me.

“Sigh, who on earth do you take after….?”

Mom said as she patted Valdwin’s wiggling back. Who does I resemble?

“Mom!”

“What? You look like me?”

“Hmm!”

Of course, I looked like my mother.

My mother raised both my hands and feet at my sly smile. Seeing me like that, Valdwin moved his cute butt and dug deeper into my mother’s arms. What is so sad that you’re crying like that? Messy.

I want to make him cry more.

My broken heart swelled up after suffering an unfortunate incident. It was rare to see the young Valdwin to cry so I wanted to see him cry a little more. This is what we call a fan success story. How many people can watch their favorite character cry right next to them?

Let’s grow up prettily, Valdwin. Noona will support you, smile.

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

Valdwin grew up steadily and beautifully as I wished. As he grew up, mother and father’s worries deepened and it was the same to his education. We don’t know what the future holds so we’ll have to make sure that he gets the right education as the Duke’s heir, but that would take away his status as a nanny’s son.

A commoner’s son without a surname was educated as a successor in a Duke’s family? It was clear that people around us would be suspicious of him. However, it was impossible to comfortably decide on how Valdwin should treat Emperor Lygos, who was still very obvious at his hostility towards the Winchesters. There was also a narrative about that in the novel.

The name Winchester was called the ‘Swordsmanship Beginning’ and was enough to summon mercenaries and knights. It was also the reason why Emperor Lygos wasn’t lifting up his restrain order on them.

Everytime mother saw Valdwin, who likes to draw, play and read, her anguish deepened. But Valdwin was a boy to be kept as my playmate or study buddy. Mom and Dad taught Valdwin themselves in the original novel, so Valdwin had to fill their shortcomings by learning to read the book himself. My parents always felt sorry for it.

Well, why don’t we go on a similar route again this time?

We are now 7 years old. Was it because of my overprotectiveness? Valdwin grew up to be tougher than I thought.

Fortunately, we formed a relationship that was closer than others and closer than friends. We’re already 7 years old, and it’s all worth the effort I put in.

“Our liwel cat ~.”

Startled, Valdwin shook his head and slowly moved away his butt.

“I-I…  am not a cat!”

Of course, you’re not.

As Valdwin got further away, I moved closer to him.

Don’t reject me. Your noona will get hurt if you do.

“Shall we play with dolls?”