I Wasn't Trying to Seduce with the Male Lead - Episode 112

“Where do you think you’re going! You disloyal scoundrel!” Blaine’s sorrowful voice rang out before Eleanor could even respond.

Lian, who had been about to lose himself in a moment just for the two of them, subtly raised his elegant eyebrows at the sight of Blaine.

“Is he drunk?”

“Yeah! I don’t have a girlfriend, so can’t I get a little drunk?”

Only then did Lian seem to notice the pile of empty glasses on the table.

“Are you drunk, too?”

“No, not really.” Eleanor shook her head at the question.

Besides Blaine, everyone else was perfectly fine.

“Tsk. You acted like you weren’t interested in dating, but you got a girlfriend way before me. And such a wonderful woman, too! When you carried Biancasta in, I thought you were a serial killer.”

“A serial killer is a bit much.”

“At best, you were a first-time murderer.”

The empty glasses kept piling up in front of Blaine. As his drunken ramblings went on, Rian sighed softly and offered a warning.

“Don’t drink so much. You’ll make another mistake.”

“I’ve never really made a mistake while drinking!”

“Not while drinking, but you did make a mistake at a party.”

Rian slightly lifted his eyes as if recalling a memory.

“I think it was at Madame Sarang’s party. When you saw a flamingo for the first time, you were so surprised…”

“Aaaah! Shut up! Just go on your date already!”

With that, Blaine’s drunken rant came to an immediate halt.

However, another voice prevented the two from leaving.

“Have you decided where you’re going?” Sky asked, leaning casually against the table.

At the sight of him, Lian’s expression immediately turned cold.

“Lighten up that stiff face. We’re colleagues, you know.”

“It’s just an alliance I want to end quickly.”

“If you want to go, just answer me.”

Lian frowned at Sky’s easygoing voice. Instead of answering him directly, he looked at Eleanor and said softly, “Anything you want to do is fine with me.”

“You’re the worst date ever.”

Before Eleanor could say anything, Sky chimed in again.

“That’s just putting all the pressure on your partner. I guess Imperial Knights don’t know how to escort a lady.”

Lian bristled at the provocation but couldn’t retort. It seemed that as someone who had lived his life knowing nothing but the sword, he was completely clueless in this area.

Leaving the glaring Lian behind, Sky leisurely finished his wine and raised the empty glass with a gesture. However, it wasn’t a servant with a new glass who approached, but Zenith.

Sky received a bundle from Zenith and tossed it to Lian.

“Here.”

Although it was a sudden toss and looked quite heavy, Lian caught it without any difficulty.

“What is this?”

“A gift.”

Sky gestured with his chin for him to open it. As Lian unwrapped the coarse packaging, Sky took a sip of champagne.

“Right now, various festivals are in full swing all over Felicity. The banquet at this mansion is impressive, but you two can’t really let loose, can you? I heard there’s a rather fun masquerade ball happening.”

Inside were a dress, clothes, and a cloak. The most eye-catching items were two masks. One was a gorgeous one decorated with blue peacock feathers and flowers, and the other was an elegant white one with inlaid jewels.

Eleanor looked at Sky, holding the masks, and he smiled slyly.

“It’s a masquerade where you wear masks and have fun. The atmosphere is more common, but that makes it more fresh and interesting. Most of all, with those, you two can enjoy yourselves without being watched, can’t you?”

As soon as she heard Sky’s words, she was intrigued.

“And I’m sure the Count can completely evade everyone’s pursuit and take you there without a trace.”

It was a very clever and sharp plan, typical of Sky. Lian blinked once, then tilted his head and asked, “Why are you… telling me this?”

“Let’s just call it a thank you for cleaning up my foolishness.”

Was he talking about the oath of servitude? Although she wasn’t sure exactly, it was clear that Sky had prepared this out of goodwill.

“That sounds like fun. Thank you, I’ll gladly accept.” Eleanor expressed her gratitude first, on behalf of a likely complicated Rian.

“Yeah, yeah. Have a good time.” Sky raised the champagne glass that a servant had just refilled, as if to see them off.

“Let’s go, Count.” Eleanor tugged at Lian’s arm, which was still rigidly straight.

Instead of letting himself be led, Lian took Eleanor’s hand and stepped closer to Sky.

“If I were in your position, I would never do this, so I can’t quite understand your intentions…”

He picked up a glass from the table and clinked it against Sky’s.

“In any case, thank you. Eleanor seems very happy about it.”

With that, Lian emptied his glass.

Having received such a sincere thank you, Sky’s expression became even more complex than when Lian had been looking at him with suspicion.

“Ha. You really…” Sky trailed off and then muttered under his breath, “You have a way of making people feel weak enough to be infuriated.”

Eleanor heard it clearly, but Rian looked as if he hadn’t. Sky sighed quietly and then waved his hand, pushing Lian away.

“That’s enough. Just go.”

After saying that, Sky turned to look at the slumped Blaine. From the atmosphere, it seemed like the two of them were going to get thoroughly drunk tonight.

“Actually, I wasn’t completely unprepared myself…” Lian murmured softly as they walked toward the carriage.

“What did you prepare?”

“Hmm, I think it’s a bit too early for that. His plan seems better for now.”

Eleanore nodded, since she had wanted to go to a masquerade anyway, no matter what it was.

“Yeah. Anything is fine with me.”

Excited, Eleanor arrived at the prepared carriage with Lian. Elai was sitting in the driver’s seat, and Lian got in first.

“Be careful getting in.”

As she took his hand, she felt as if she was lifted and seated in the carriage. Soon the door closed, and the loud noise from outside faded away. Lian sat her on the far side and then sat right beside her instead of across from her.

When Eleanor looked up, Lian’s beautiful purple eyes curved gently as he looked down at her.

“This is our first date.”

His voice instantly made the comfortable atmosphere that had been there disappear. Her heart pounded, and a warmth spread from her ears, filling her entire face. Why did she feel so awkward and shy for no reason?

To hide her feelings, Eleanor cleared her throat slightly and looked straight ahead.

“I hope… we have a lot of fun today. We’ll laugh a lot, and, um, that would be nice.”

Her words were so jumbled they were embarrassing.

Lian, who had been smiling at her, clapped his hands together as if an idea had just struck him.

“Now that I think about it, I’ve prepared a funny story.”

“A funny story?”

Lian, a funny story? She was surprised, as it didn’t suit him at all.

‘Right, he said he was going to prepare a joke.’

Instead of feeling excited, she felt a sense of dread.

And then Lian opened his mouth with a proud expression.

“Eleanor. Do you know what happens when you combine Lady Litrael Page?”

Eleanor groaned inwardly. Her bad premonition hadn’t been wrong after all.

To think he’d prepared such a lame joke. It was truly pathetic.

“Is it… Lady Litrael Book?”

Lian visibly flinched at Eleanor’s answer.

“That’s… right.”

A moment of silence fell.

[Ugh, even I think that’s terrible.]

Beatrice’s voice suddenly came to her, as if she had been eavesdropping. Even a witch who had been trapped for 300 years was giving him a hard time.

Rian, who had failed at what was likely his first attempt at a joke, seemed too shocked to even scold Beatrice. The normally cool, handsome lines of his eyes softened like a puppy’s.

Seeing that, the corners of Eleanore’s mouth began to twitch upwards.

“Ah, ahaha. Ahahahahahaha!”

As Eleanor burst out laughing, Lian’s dejected face brightened.

“Was it funny?”

“Count. It’s a good thing you’re handsome.”

“Pardon?”

Eleanor chuckled and leaned slightly against Lian, who was asking what she meant, looking clueless.

“Anything you say is fine because your face is so funny.”

She had definitely thought the same thing when she first met him.

As she smiled at the old memory, Lian took her hand and held it tightly, asking, “What’s so funny?”

“I don’t know.”

She really didn’t know, but she just kept laughing for no reason. Her hand, held in his, was warm, and she felt incredibly happy. The corners of her mouth wouldn’t come down.

Rian seemed to feel the same, smiling as he kept looking at Eleanor. His usual aloof, ice prince expression was nowhere to be found.

“You’re so pretty when you laugh all by yourself.”

Lian whispered in her ear and then lightly kissed her cheek.

An unbearable sweetness filled the carriage. After getting a taste of her skin, Lian’s eyes softened slightly. Eleanor noticed the heat beginning to rise in his purple eyes and turned away deliberately, feigning indifference.

As the little bird-like Eleanor pulled away, Lian seemed quite eager. She knew this but pretended not to. She planned to cherish and enjoy everything slowly, one by one.

The night was long, and their date was just beginning.

Holding Lian’s hand tightly, Eleanor smiled to herself.

Rustle.

Delicate fingertips rustled and turned a thin page. Claude turned the worn law book, which he had read repeatedly, and moved his quill. Whenever his mind was complicated, he would always shut himself in his study and immerse himself in legal research like this.

Today, he had barely left his seat since the morning. His distracting thoughts were gone, but his neck was stiff and his wrist ached. Just as he tilted his head to pick up the water glass beside him to wet his throat, someone snatched the quill from his hand.

“I said, you need to have some fun, didn’t I?”

Minaz was standing right in front of him, having arrived at some point. At the sight of her, his heart, which had been dry and still, thumped loudly once.

“A young man like you, with festivals in full swing outside, just cooped up in his room all day.”

Instead of answering, Claude tried to grab the quill from her hand again, but Minaz quickly pulled her hand back.

“It’s been a while since I’ve snatched a pen like this.”

“I suppose so.”

Since before Minaz became a Duchess, it had probably been at least ten years. That meant it had been that long since he had been able to properly meet the woman he loved. Claude bit his lip and reached for the pen again.

Minaz pulled her hand back once more to avoid him.

“Huh?”

A surprised sound escaped her lips. Claude, having risen from his chair, had taken the pen from her so easily.

“How many times do I have to tell you I’m not a child anymore?”

Claude placed the snatched pen on the table, walked around the desk, and approached her. Minaz seemed to be backing away. However, since there was a wall right behind her, she couldn’t retreat much.

“The reason I didn’t go to the festival is because I don’t have a date.”

Leaning against the wall, Claude looked down at Minaz and said in an emotionless voice, “The woman I want to go with keeps ignoring me and won’t give me the time of day.”

Claude placed a hand on the wall, bringing his face closer. Tension filled Minaz’s normally relaxed eyes.

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