I Wasn't Trying to Seduce with the Male Lead - Episode 21

A buzz went through the crowd at Sky’s bombshell announcement.

Eleanor stared at Sky, her brow slightly furrowed. Even though she was in a crisis, his approach wasn’t entirely welcome.

‘He’s not the kind of man to be kind for no reason.’

That was the impression Eleanor had of him.

Sky slowly approached the wary Eleanor. As he came forward, people seemed to be overwhelmed by his presence, stepping back and forming a circle around them.

“Your answer?”

Up close, his handsome face, with a subtle smirk, was undeniably charming.

‘Even if he’s good-looking, I’d rather not jump out of the frying pan into the fire.’

But Eleanor had no time to refuse.

“Ugh.”

Just as she was about to open her mouth, everything went black for a moment, and her body swayed. She barely managed to stay on her feet but staggered and ended up leaning on Sky.

“Hmm? Did your legs give out because you’re so happy?”

Sky joked casually, wrapping his arm around Eleanor’s shoulder. She wanted to push him away, but her body had no strength. The smile on Sky’s face stiffened slightly as he saw Eleanor’s pale complexion. He examined her for a moment, then his gaze stopped at the wine glass in her hand.

“It’s too red.”

Sky murmured softly, a sound only she could hear. Now that he mentioned it, the wine was an unnaturally deep red. Could there have been something in the wine? But it had tasted normal. While she was lost in thought, Sky lowered his head, bringing his face close. He stopped just as their lips were about to touch, then took a deep breath and his expression turned serious.

“Did you drink this wine?”

Eleanor faintly nodded in response to his quiet question.

“Just a sip… hiccup.”

As she tried to answer, Eleanor turned her head away, covering her mouth. A wave of extreme nausea washed over her. She struggled to suppress it, but something trickled out from between her lips. She recoiled, thinking it was vomit, but it had a metallic taste. Eleanor was horrified to realize that what she was about to throw up was “blood.”

‘What is this? Poison?’

She was usually healthy, so there was no other reason for her to be spitting blood.

‘Who would do this?’

Even while poisoned, a fierce determination not to die ignited within her. She couldn’t close her eyes peacefully in death without catching the culprit and getting revenge. They say your life flashes before your eyes when you die, but for some reason, Eleanor’s detective instincts were on overdrive instead. She hurriedly scanned her surroundings. However, Bianca Star was gone, having apparently fled amid the commotion. If she ran away, it seemed she was indeed the one who had poisoned her.

The infamous villainess of the Empire.

Thinking back now, her trembling had been incredibly suspicious. Eleanor felt pathetic for drinking the wine without a second thought, deceived by the girl’s youthful and pitiful appearance.

‘But then why did she stop me in the middle?’

Bianca Star had tried to stop Eleanor from drinking more. Her eyes at the time had been full of earnest pleading. Even when Lady Sarat encouraged her, Bianca had shaken her head as if to say, “Don’t drink it.”

There was so much to think about, but her insides were starting to burn, and her mind was growing hazy. She didn’t know what to do. At the very least, she had to catch Bianca Star and ask her, so should she leave a dying message? But was Bianca Star’s initial B or V? She was afraid Lady Sarat would just laugh at her corpse if she misspelled the dying message.

While Eleanor was contemplating, smearing blood on her finger, her stomach churned again. This time, it was accompanied by such severe pain that it felt like her breath was being completely cut off. She had no strength left to endure. She was on the verge of collapsing.

“Excuse me.”

Sky said briefly, then suddenly scooped Eleanor into his arms. Before she could react, her body was lifted into the air. He had picked her up. Around them, the ladies let out envious gasps. Sky, still holding Eleanor, slowly walked down the hall.

At the bottom of the stairs, the Marchioness of Litrael was watching them with a look of surprise.

“It seems the Baroness is a bit tipsy.”

“Oh, is she? Then I’ll have a room prepared for her to lie down in…”

“No. She will be with me tonight.”

Eleanor felt that he was deliberately using language that would cause a misunderstanding. To provoke further, Sky looked down at Eleanor and asked, “Isn’t that right?”

His triumphant expression was infuriating. However, Eleanor knew he was a world-renowned master herbalist and a sorcerer.

‘Surely he’s not taking me away to dispose of the body, right?’

For now, to survive, she had no choice but to play along.

“Please forgive the rudeness, Marchioness Litrael.”

With a great effort, she suppressed her churning stomach and managed to say this, then leaned on Sky so her face couldn’t be seen. Marchioness Litrael asked, looking dumbfounded, “Are you… all right, Baroness?”

“I will take responsibility for her, so you need not worry.”

When Sky grinned, the faces of Marchioness Litrael and the other women around them turned blank, then blushed as if splashed with red paint. In their eyes, Eleanor could see a reverence typically reserved for a god of love.

In this way, the two of them left the party hall under adoring gazes. A little later, behind them, the earnest shout of the Marchioness of Litrael echoed, “Please, please, hold the next poetry reading at my mansion again, Baroness-ss-ss!”

Then they also heard Lady Sarat’s voice yelling loudly that it was all a ruse and an act, and they shouldn’t fall for it. Eleanor, who had been desperately holding on, couldn’t take it anymore. She lost consciousness.

‘I almost fell for her looks.’

That was the thought Blaine had the moment he saw Eleanor leaving with Sky Phaedra. Although she was of low status, she had a certain grace and intelligence, and after talking to her, he felt she had an unexpectedly deep character. He had been starting to wonder if he had misunderstood a good woman due to his prejudice.

But then to see her so calmly leaning on Sky, acting all coquettish. Her acting, pretending to be drunk when she had been perfectly fine just moments ago, was a masterpiece. Even if she had refused Lian’s official proposal, how long had it been since the “elopement” that had turned the social world upside down? And now she had already moved on to another man? And this was after she had captivated Rian with her dark charms, making him lose his mind. She clearly had some power to charm men, but she was a dangerous woman to never get involved with.

‘I need to tell Lian about this right away.’

No matter how much he was blinded by love, hearing that she had openly left with another man would surely make him lose his affection for her. He pushed past the ladies who tried to hold him back and galloped back to the mansion.

“Butler! Where’s Lian?”

Blaine’s voice echoed loudly through the mansion. The butler hurried out to greet him.

“The Count has not yet returned.”

“Where on earth did he go that he’s still not back?”

Even if he pressed the butler, he wouldn’t know something that Blaine didn’t. After a moment of fuming, Blaine decided to try another method. He went outside the mansion and shouted loudly toward the garden.

“Hey! Where are you? I have something to ask you, come out!”

However, the garden was silent, with no response.

“Hey! The guy on guard! I know you’re there! It’s important!”

The people Blaine was looking for were Lian’s personal knights. To escape the Duke’s surveillance, Lian would have surely placed guards at this mansion as well. He was certain they were there, but their skills were so exceptional that he had no idea where they were. Although he held a fairly important position in the knights’ order, Blaine’s strength was his political acumen, not his martial arts.

“I know you’re hiding! Just come out already!”

He felt the butler’s suspicious gaze on him, as if he thought Blaine was drunk, yelling at an empty garden. For the dignity of a lord, he had to summon them somehow.

“Come out!”

He yelled one last time, staring at the likely hiding spots with a serious face, as if he knew everything. After what felt like an eternity of staring into thin air, just before the butler was about to discreetly call for a doctor, a black shadow finally appeared from a corner of the garden.

“What is the matter?”

As expected, it was a man in the armor of the Behind Knights. Blaine shot a “See, I told you” look at the butler and shouted triumphantly, “Come over here! I have something to ask!”

The man soon approached. In the light spilling from the hall, a hideous scar was visible on his grim face. As expected of a member of the strongest knight order, a chilling aura, as if he had just buried someone alive somewhere, emanated from his entire body. Blaine’s attitude instantly became extremely polite.

“Did you… happen to see what happened at the banquet earlier?”

The man nodded curtly. It seemed he was in charge of Blaine’s personal security. This saved him the trouble of explaining.

“Did you inform Lian that Baroness Eleanor left the banquet hall with Duke Phaedra?”

“The commander only ordered us to provide security, not surveillance.”

It seemed Lian had instructed them to only operate within the scope of their orders, so as not to infringe on Eleanor’s private life. These “Sword Demons” were so lacking in flexibility. Blaine sighed and asked, “Where is Lian?”

“I cannot answer that.”

“Just tell me, please.”

“I cannot.”

They continued to argue, but the man remained unyielding.

“You might be okay with it, but I can’t let Lian propose to a woman who is nonchalantly going to sleep with another man!”

Blaine, having had enough, grabbed the knight by the collar.

“If you don’t tell me, I won’t let you off!”

He tried to threaten him as menacingly as possible, shaking his body with all his might. However, the man didn’t budge, like an 800-year-old tree hit by a gentle breeze. Blaine, after a moment of useless struggling, gave up on the futile act.

“If you just leave him be, Rian will get hurt. Are you really okay with that?”

Blaine slowly let go and asked. Seeing the man’s light-colored eyes flash dangerously, he quickly added, “…sir.”

The man pursed his lips but soon spoke. It seemed he, too, didn’t want to see Rian hurt.

“The commander went to the Rosewood Park auction house.”

“The auction house?”

Rosewood Park. It was the Empire’s general auction house, where you could auction off anything in the world. There were quarterly “Grand Auctions” for assets and jewels from the wealthy, but it was mostly a place to dispose of assets confiscated from those who had committed crimes or couldn’t pay their debts. It was a must-visit place if you were looking for something, as things were cheap and a wide variety of items could be found, but it was hours away by horseback, located in a remote corner of the capital.

“Why on earth did he go there?”

“He’s staying at a nearby hotel and will be participating in tomorrow’s auction.”

What could Lian possibly be buying at an auction house? Blaine’s mind was racing with urgency, unable to guess. Tomorrow was the last day of the Founder’s Day festival. He wanted to get Rian back on track as soon as possible. Blaine mounted his horse and rode through the dark streets of Felicita.

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