I Wasn't Trying to Seduce with the Male Lead - Episode 105

Eleanor instinctively reached for the door handle, then simply grabbed it. She decided there was no need for formalities. As she opened the door, a chaotic room was revealed. The silk curtains were torn to shreds, and once-valuable, lavishly decorated objects lay scattered across the floor. She hadn’t given any orders to destroy the property, so the person residing here must have done it themselves.

“Why are you here?” a sharp voice echoed in the room.

Turning to face the voice, Eleanor saw Eileen curled up on a chair, her blue eyes standing out remarkably. The perfectly lovely, high-born royal was gone, replaced by a haggard, bloodshot-eyed girl. It wasn’t just her appearance; her entire reality was clearly unstable.

“Did you come to look down on me and act arrogant?” Eileen’s voice was filled with malice.

Eleanor gave a slight shrug. “I don’t have enough free time to indulge in such a nasty hobby.”

With her reply, Eleanor pushed the cart she had brought into the room and closed the door.

“Don’t come near me! You lowly thing!” The princess reacted like a wild animal.

There was no one else in the room besides Eileen and herself, but Eleanor wasn’t particularly worried. Aileen’s hands and feet were bound by shackles, and even though he wasn’t visible, Illa was surely somewhere nearby. With this security, Eleanor calmly approached and lifted the cover on the cart. A teapot, teacups, and a plate full of sweet cookies and desserts were revealed, drawing the princess’s gaze.

“What is this? Are you trying to act kind?” The princess’s response was cold, but she couldn’t hide the way she swallowed.

Although she was confined to Rosagrande, she was being treated like a criminal. Eleanor had heard that she had been refusing meals recently, as she was used to eating exquisite delicacies but was now only served coarse bread and watery soup.

“I imagine sweets are what you crave when you’re cooped up like this. I was recently locked up myself, so I know very well.” Eleanor spoke with a mocking tone as she poured tea into a cup. The steam rising from it looked delicious.

“It’s no use trying to act kind. Do you think I’d fall for such a childish trick?”

“Then what should I do? Should I get a promise from you to never bother us again and set you free?”

“You’re free to do that, but there’s no reason for me to be grateful! I was unjustly imprisoned anyway…” Even as she said this, a hint of expectation lingered in her voice.

Eleanor took a sip of tea and cut her off bluntly. “I know. And that’s why I have no intention of doing it.”

“What?”

“This is my meal. I heard Rosagrande’s tea and desserts are famous, so I wanted to try them.”

In truth, she had brought them as a carrot to gently coax the princess if she seemed dejected. But since it didn’t seem like that would work, there was no reason to show kindness. Seeing Eleanor bite into a delicious-looking pie, the enraged princess screamed, “How dare you, a lowly thing like you, eat a royal meal?”

“Hmm, I think your problem is that you believe you can do something but no one else can.”

The princess looked blank for a moment, hearing the strange mix of formal and informal speech. Seeing her reaction, Eleanor smiled slightly.

“You should know that if you’re stabbed with a knife, you’ll bleed just the same as anyone else.”

“What did you say? You crazy…”

The princess couldn’t finish her curse.

Smack!

A sharp slapping sound cut through the room.

“What’s with that expression? Did you try to kill someone in a dungeon and not expect to get slapped?”

Her palm was stinging from how hard she had hit. But the look of shock in the blue eyes was quite a sight, and it made her feel relieved.

“You, you’re now…”

“Shall we see if a noble-born person’s tongue can be cut with a knife?” Eleanor smiled, picking up a well-honed knife from the cart.

As she looked at the princess’s pale face, she was thinking something entirely different. I never imagined I’d threaten the female lead like this.

However, to achieve her goal, she couldn’t be picky about the methods. She slammed the knife down on a nearby table with a loud bang, and the princess, who was hunched over, flinched.

“Remove the binding spell you cast on Duke Phaedra,” Eleanor stated bluntly.

The princess scoffed. “That’s a weak threat.”

“Unlike you, I’m not good at that sort of thing. There’s no need to be calculated.” Eleanor dragged the knife and brought it close to the princess’s cheek. The reflected light from the blade made the princess visibly tense.

“You know if you kill me, that man will die too, don’t you?”

“You must also know that I can torture you without killing you, right?”

“If you try that, I’ll bite my tongue off!” Her tone was deliberately casual, but the corners of her mouth twitched.

“You’ll never be able to die. I’ll tie your arms and legs and gag you. Even if you bite your tongue, I’ll take immediate action to save you, and I’ll force-feed you with a funnel if I have to so you can’t die.”

“How dare you…! A lowly girl like you can’t possibly do such a cruel thing to me!” The princess shook her head and cried out in a trembling voice in response to Eleanor’s threats.

“I am this country’s princess, a person who carries the bloodline of the Haskator Empire! I am a noble person, completely different from a bug like you!”

Not only is her personality bad, but her manners are terrible, too.

“Is that so?” Eleanor thought of a more effective way to torment this rude girl.

“Beatrix told me. You are not the Emperor’s daughter.”

“What?” The princess’s blue eyes narrowed.

“The Emperor believed a gypsy woman who came to him one day and took you in, giving you affection. But that was just a lie she told for money and honor. You have no relation to the imperial family.”

“What nonsense are you talking about? I have imperial blood! That’s how I could even control Beatrix!”

“That was a lie Beatrix made up to use you and live comfortably. You’re just a gypsy’s daughter.”

“That can’t be! It’s not true!” The princess screamed in what was almost a fit.

“It’s no use denying it. Everyone outside knows that now.” She was shaking her head as if she didn’t believe it, but she was completely unsettled.

“So now, even if you die here, no one will care.”

“My friends will believe me! My father, too…”

“They won’t. You never approached anyone with your heart, relying only on shabby spells and incantations. Everyone just wanted to get away from you, and no one followed you willingly.”

After saying this coldly, Eleanor roughly grabbed the princess’s wrist. At that moment, the scene that appeared because of the Stringstone made Eleanor’s composure waver. She’s cast a terrible amount of them. The area around the princess was dense with red lines. The slight compassion she had felt vanished immediately.

Eleanor unfolded the paper with the spell circle she had prepared and forced it on the princess.

“Come on. Put your hand on this and release the spells.”

“No… no.” The princess muttered as if her soul had left her, resisting by tensing her arm.

“It seems words won’t work.” Eleanor pulled the dagger she had stuck in the table.

“This is perfect. You cut off my friend’s hand.”

“Ah, ah-ah-ah-ah-ah! No, don’t!” The princess’s scream erupted the moment the dagger was raised.

She had casually cut off someone else’s hand, but now that it was her turn, she couldn’t stay calm at all. The blood vessels in her eyes had burst, her legs were trembling, and her eyes were filled with tears.

“I’ll cut off one hand first. Then, if you still refuse, I’ll slice your lips horizontally. After I scar that pretty face of yours, I’ll ask you again.”

After giving her a good scare, Eleanor gripped her wrist tightly.

“Think carefully. These pretty fingertips only have meaning if they’re still attached.”

As she raised the sword, the answer she had been waiting for finally came.

“I-I’ll do it! I-I’ll do it, so don’t cut it! P-please don’t cut it! Don’t do it!” A single tear streamed down the princess’s blue eyes as she pleaded.

Eleanor pulled the trembling hand and placed it on the spell circle. Then she watched as the red lines extending from the princess’s body vanished one by one.

“Ugh.” As soon as she left the princess’s room, Eleanor clutched her mouth and leaned against the wall. She had to do it, but torturing someone didn’t seem to suit her personality. The terrible things she had said made her feel sick to her stomach.

As she hung her head and tried to steady her breathing, a shadow fell over her.

“I thought you’d be happy.” A familiar, low voice sounded playfully. “Are you that upset that I’m free?” Sky was smiling and holding out a handkerchief.

“That was horrible. I never want to threaten anyone again.” Eleanor let out a deep breath and took the handkerchief.

“How did you know already?”

“Ah. I happened to be looking at your lower body.” When Eleanor pretended not to hear him, he slyly added, “Aren’t you going to ask what I was doing?”

“I’m not curious at all, so don’t tell me.” Eleanor said bluntly, wiped her lips with the handkerchief, and asked, “What if I had failed? Why did you come all this way?”

“I thought there was no way you’d fail.” Sky answered calmly, then asked, “Is it true that the princess is just a gypsy’s daughter?”

“Of course not. She has already passed through a magical beast that can only be controlled by imperial blood and can even handle Beatrix.”

“So you just said that to torment her?”

Eleanor nodded, and a corner of Sky’s mouth lifted. “That’s pretty good.”

Eleanor leaned on Sky’s outstretched hand to straighten herself. When she was standing upright, Sky asked again.

“I heard you were going to keep a promise. Is that the one about saving me?”

Eleanor nodded and said abruptly, “Thank you for your help.”

Sky raised an eyebrow, not understanding the sudden gratitude.

“If you hadn’t risked your life to neutralize the princess, there would have been no escape or anything. I was late in saying it so you wouldn’t get conceited, but you saved my life.”

Sky had a briefly pleased expression, but it soon turned bittersweet. “Is this where you say we’re even now and our relationship is over?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Well, you’ll say it someday.” Sky’s tone was somehow meaningful.

Sensing something was off, Eleanor asked sharply, “Where is the Duke right now?”

“He’s in a meeting with the other dukes.”

“Why didn’t you go?”

“I had a more important matter to attend to,” Sky said, winking playfully. “It’s my last chance to run away with you.”

“Are you still saying things like that?” When she replied dismissively, Sky asked seriously, “The Emperor was just dethroned. What do you think the dukes are doing right now?”

Eleanor’s large eyes narrowed. The answer was too obvious to pretend she didn’t know.

“They’re deciding on the next Emperor.”

“Then there’s nothing to discuss. It’s already been decided.” Sky shook his head lightly and said, “Isn’t there one more important matter that needs to be debated?”

Eleanor understood what he meant and unknowingly swallowed.

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