The Female Lead

Sipping my tea. Peacefully. That's all I was doing. Minding my damn business. But, of course, people won't let me do anything peacefully.

Across the table, Elara Fendrich—a.k.a. the main heroine of this damn novel—had her eyes glued to me.

I blinked.

She blinked.

I blinked again.

She was still staring.

Damn it! What's her deal? Do I have something on my face? Is my soul leaking out or what?! I took another slow sip of my tea, pretending not to care.

But I cared. A little.

Why wouldn't I?

What's so special about my face, huh?! First, the Crown Prince. Now her. Do I look like some rare Pokémon? Why is everyone acting like I'm a damn limited-edition character?!

People really love to get on my nerves.

Then, I peeked at Elara again. Something about her seemed off. Her posture was weird. Her shoulders stiff. Her hands trembled slightly as she held her teacup. She looked weak.