The Love Guide for the Supporting Female Character

2

When I woke up again, it was already the next morning.

I blinked in confusion for a moment, then quickly shrank back into the blanket, checking over my body.

Bruises and marks covered my skin, silently proving how intense things had been in this room last night.

Still wrapped in the blanket, I sat up and immediately lashed out, kicking the person lying next to me, exposing a conspicuous red stain on the bed sheet.

My legs trembled uncontrollably. On the verge of tears, I turned to look at the person on the floor, only to be met with a pair of sleepy, puppy-like eyes.

He looked young, his pale face almost translucent, carrying a hint of fragility.

The marks on his body were even more severe than mine, as if he’d been ruthlessly tormented.

Rubbing his sore bottom, the boy’s eyes turned slightly red, and his lips pouted in a pitiful frown. His amber eyes were full of grievance.

“Morning, Miss…” he whimpered in a soft, kitten-like voice, the tone sticky with clear hurt that made my heart itch.

My own thoughts went rogue, and I almost reached out to help him up, but I nearly exposed myself in the process.

Clearing my throat, I adjusted the blanket to cover myself better and stared at his extraordinarily beautiful face. “What’s… your name?” I asked tentatively.

The boy, with his disheveled black hair sticking up in odd angles, looked adorably confused. “I’m Charles Shaw.”

“What? You’re Charles?”

My eyes widened, and I clutched the blanket to my chest, nearly shouting in disbelief.

What a coincidence!

The male lead Ethan’s half-brother, the one I’d never met, was named Charles, and he was supposed to be mentally impaired.

According to the story, he had just been brought back from some remote countryside yesterday.

And on his very first day home, I somehow ended up being the one to stumble upon him.

Not only that, but I’d somehow ended up… with him.

“Oh, great…” I groaned, covering my face in embarrassment as I sank deeper into the blanket.

In the novel, Ethan cared deeply for his younger brother. If I’ve slept with him, would I really be forced, just like in the story, to marry this pitiful guy?

But I had my own grand ambitions of living a carefree, noncommittal life! This wasn’t in my plan!

Just as that thought crossed my mind, there was a sudden knock at the door.

Ethan’s deep, pleasant voice carried a hint of tension. “Elizabeth, are you in there?”

Crap, speak of the devil!

3

“You two… slept together?”

As he took in the bruises on my skin, Ethan’s expression darkened, his face twisted with anger.

Barely restraining his fury, he pushed past me, clad in nothing but a knee-length shirt that showed off my long legs, and stormed inside the room.

Grabbing Charles off the floor by the collar, he landed a heavy punch on him. “What did you do to her?”

Charles blinked in shock, blood trickling from his lip as his cheek swelled. Tears filled his eyes, and he turned to look at me, pitifully crying, “Oww, Miss, it hurts…”

Fearing Ethan might strike him again, I rushed to intervene. “It wasn’t his fault; it was all me!”

Ethan turned to me in disbelief, hurt flashing in his eyes. “Elizabeth, how could you betray me?”

Taking advantage of the moment, I pulled Charles over and hid the fragile boy behind me, protecting him from further harm.

Then something caught my eye.

I sneered, rolling my eyes dramatically, and pointed to a woman upstairs. “Oh, spare me! And who was the one who swore he didn’t love her but still ended up in bed with her?”

Ethan and Charles both froze, turning their heads in unison to where I pointed.

Delia sat silently on the third-floor railing, her red dress torn from the night before, tears streaming down her face.

She gazed at Ethan with heartbreak, sobbing uncontrollably.

Ethan had once promised me, or rather, the original Elizabeth, that marrying Delia was purely a necessity and that he would never touch her.

He’d said that once he took full control of the family business, he would divorce her and give Elizabeth a grand wedding.

Now, seeing the barely hidden tenderness in his eyes for Delia, I didn’t bother hiding my disdain.

“Hah!”

Before you start pointing fingers at others, maybe take a good look at yourself first.

Those obvious marks are all over you, especially those scratch marks on your chest – who wouldn’t be able to guess what happened?

Acting all devoted when you clearly can’t keep it in your pants?

Please, you’re just a two-faced player.

Ugh, what a pathetic jerk!

I spat in disgust. “From now on, there’s nothing between us.”

Throwing down those parting words, I grabbed my shoes off the floor and prepared to leave Ethan’s mansion.

Just as I reached the doorway, I paused, as if struck by a thought.

Turning back, I gently poked Charles’s chest and asked softly, “Do you… want to come with me?”

After all, he was my responsibility now. If he stayed, who knows if Ethan might continue to bully him?

There was no way this soft, clueless puppy would stand a chance against Ethan’s ruthless temper.

I’d hate to see him get torn apart.

The boy, still teary-eyed, blinked up at me, his thick lashes wet with tears. “Huh?”

Realizing what I meant, he quickly wiped his eyes and grabbed my hand, as if terrified I’d change my mind. Taking tiny, shuffling steps, he hid behind me, looking so helpless and fragile.

He clung to my arm, his wide eyes shining with uncertainty, just like a puppy testing his boundaries. “Will you... feed me?” he asked hesitantly.

“Of course!” I replied confidently, giving him a reassuring smile.

His eyes brightened, and after a moment, with an almost hidden sense of resolve, he pressed on. “Then... will you marry me?”