I Wasn't Trying to Seduce with the Male Lead - Episode 19

The Imperial Banquet Hall for the fifth night of the birthday celebration was eerily empty.

Gifts were piled up everywhere, far more than the previous year, but with no people, the lavish hall—created with a massive expenditure of tribute—and the heaps of gifts looked absurd.

This was to be expected, since the princess, the guest of honor, had not attended the party, citing ill health. Even those who came out of a sense of duty and courtesy stayed for a bit before escaping the hall as if in a rush.

It wasn’t that the nobles had suddenly grown to dislike parties. The nights in Felicity were still buzzing, and at the center of it all was the mansion of the Marchioness of Litrael.

Clink!

“Oh, look! Lady Eleanor is coming down.”

Finally, the person they had been waiting for appeared.

Blaine and everyone else’s eyes were drawn to the stairs in the center of the hall. Blane had brushed past Eleanor at a few parties before, so he recognized her instantly.

‘She really is beautiful.’

He had come to say something to her, but seeing her face softened his rigid resolve.

An elegant necklace with a magnificent ruby was hanging from her neck. It seemed the Marchioness of Litrael had invested heavily to keep her there.

‘She got quite a lot for one night.’

Blaine consciously tried to dislike the baroness. Beneath her elegant exterior, wasn’t her heart black?

Liam had argued with his father and Eleanor had instantly changed the atmosphere. Miss Sarang was grinding her teeth.

“Let’s see how long this glossing over lasts.”

It seemed she intended to attack Eleanor for a long time to come.

Soon, the dancing began and the party’s atmosphere became lively and dispersed.

‘She’s definitely a smart woman.’

True to her reputation, she seemed to have the charisma to easily captivate a crowd without using Lian.

Blaine continued to observe her until he saw her climbing the stairs to the second-floor terrace by herself.

This was his chance to talk to her alone. He discreetly followed her.

“Hey.”

Blaine, who had spoken roughly to the lone Eleanor, flinched. The baroness, bathed in moonlight, looked very different from how she had in the hall. Instead of the confident, proud demeanor that seemed to bow to no one, she looked like a wistful girl.

But that look lasted for only a very short moment. After seeing Blaine, Eleanor’s expression changed, and she quickly returned to her original elegant and proud self.

“Can I help you?”

At Eleanor’s question, Blaine paused for a moment. He had come with a firm resolve, but now that he was face-to-face with her, the words wouldn’t come out. She was just a lower noble, but she had an unusual amount of grace.

“Why don’t you tell Lian that his feelings are genuine?”

A completely different question from what he had planned came out of Blaine’s mouth.

“I don’t understand what you mean.”

“From what I heard, he formally asked you to be his partner, didn’t he?”

When Eleanor looked suspicious, Blane belatedly introduced himself.

“My name is Blaine Canterbury, Viscount.”

He was famous in the empire as Liam’s one and only friend. Eleanor’s face hardened for a moment, then she returned the question with a question.

“Do I really have to say that?”

“If you had, you wouldn’t have been insulted by people saying you’re clinging to a one-night affair.”

Eleanor calmly replied to Blaine’s point.

“There’s no need to spoil Her Highness the Princess’s mood just to save face for a moment.”

Is she pretending to be abandoned by Liam to save the Princess’s dignity? This was indeed the behavior of a woman who had survived in high society since a young age.

“So you’re making Liam look like a shameless person who spent one night with you and then abandoned you?”

“No one thinks the Count is shameless. If anything, the rumor that I rejected him would be more of a disservice to him.”

“So you’re doing this for Liam?”

Eleanor was silent for a moment before answering.

“I believe I should respect the Count’s feelings.”

This was something he hadn’t considered.

“If you wanted to respect Liam, I think it would have been better not to come to a place like this.”

“Coming to a place like this is my job.”

Blaine said in an accusatory tone.

“You have enough wealth to be discreet for a while, don’t you?”

“It’s not enough to protect myself.”

“Lian will protect you.”

“I’ve already ended everything with the Count. I can’t reject his feelings and only accept his favors.”

He had come to find fault, but the more they talked, the less he had to say. There was nothing to criticize about her thoughts or her actions.

Furthermore, it seemed she was unaware that Lian was planning to propose.

‘Maybe I’m thinking about this all wrong.’

Just as Blaine was about to say something else, the banquet hall suddenly became noisy.

“Something must have happened.”

Eleanor said in a calm voice and peered into the hall through a gap in the curtains.

“People are crowding near the entrance. It looks like someone is coming in.”

The hall was already packed with more guests than invited. At this point, the only people who could enter were high-ranking nobles whose presence would elevate the party. Cheering could even be heard from inside the hall.

Very few people could elicit such a reaction.

The most likely candidate immediately popped into Blaine’s head.

‘Lian!’

Blaine hurriedly walked toward the door.

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