I Wasn't Trying to Seduce with the Male Lead - Episode 33

By the time the carriage carrying the three women arrived in front of the hotel, darkness had already fallen over everything.

Expecting the lights to be brightly lit, they had deliberately pulled up to the back entrance, but the hotel was pitch dark.

“Is this place even open for business?” Graham peered inside nervously.

“I’m not sure.” Had someone rented out the entire massive hotel?

Though uneasy about entering, they had no choice but to trust Rian now.

Eleanor got off under the shade of a tree with Bianca Star and gave Graham an order. “Drive around a bit, then head to the safe house and wait with the mercenaries.” “Yes, ma’am.”

They might leave the capital once they’d shaken off their pursuers.

With that thought, Eleanor pushed open the back door, pinned on her alchemist’s badge, and stepped into the vast hotel grounds.

The once-bustling, beautifully landscaped garden was now dark and deserted.

They crossed a long stretch without encountering a single soul.

‘Why is this place so huge?’

Eleanor’s breathing grew heavier.

Even though Bianca Star was light, carrying a person all the way to the entrance was exhausting.

Grunting, Eleanor spotted a gazebo and gently laid Bianca Star down before collapsing beside her.

‘Just a short rest.’

She had barely caught her breath when—

“Baroness Eleanor?”

The sudden voice nearly made Eleanor scream.

She hadn’t sensed anyone nearby, yet a man was standing right behind her.

“I thought it was you.”

“Wh-Who are you?”

“No need to be so startled.”

The man stepped into the light.

A slender face and soft brown curls—Lian’s friend Blaine, whom she’d met at a party.

“Lian asked me to protect you while he’s away. His guard informed me you’d entered the hotel, so I came immediately…”

Blaine trailed off.

Apparently, the guard hadn’t mentioned Eleanor’s blood-soaked appearance or her unconscious companion.

He stared blankly at Eleanor, covered in blood, and the pale girl lying on the ground.

‘This could be seriously misunderstood.’

A woman drenched in blood, a fragile girl collapsed at her feet—anyone would think she was a serial killer.

As Eleanor frantically searched for an explanation, Blaine asked hesitantly, “Is… is the girl alive?”

“Yes. For now.”

Though once the princess found out, she might not be for long.

“I’d like to move her inside. It’s not ideal to leave her here.”

“Ah, well, entering through the front is a bit… problematic.”

“Are there other guests?”

“Yes.”

So the hotel wasn’t closed after all. That was unfortunate.

But Blaine’s next words revealed an even worse situation.

“Lian’s mother is here.”

Cold sweat trickled down Eleanor’s back.

Lian’s mother—the infamous Duchess Floyd?

Eleanor was so stunned she spoke in a dazed tone. “Not the best timing to show up with a blood-covered unconscious noble girl.”

“Indeed.”

That was the last thing either of them said for a while.

When they spoke again, all composure and courtesy had vanished.

“What the hell is going on here!” “Oh no! What do we do now!”

Both of them panicked.

Blaine clutched his head and scolded Eleanor. “Bad timing? Do you think there’s ever a good time to show up with a kidnapped noble girl covered in blood?”

“But Count Calabria said I could use this place freely.”

“That doesn’t mean you can use it to cover up a murder!”

“Murder? That’s rude. She’s not dead yet. And ‘use freely’ implies no restrictions, doesn’t it?”

“Freedom has limits! Who taught you that word? I’m reporting them to the education board!”

Their bickering was interrupted when a light came on in one of the main building’s rooms.

This wasn’t the time for arguing.

Eleanor urgently demanded, “Fine, just lend me a carriage!”

“Where are you going?”

“Anywhere no one wants to chop off my head.”

“No such place exists in the capital.”

Blaine narrowed his eyes. “How did you even get here looking like that?”

“I came by carriage.”

“You weren’t stopped at a checkpoint? The capital’s in chaos over the kidnapping of the Marquess Vice’s daughter…”

He froze mid-sentence.

“Don’t tell me… this girl…?”

Eleanor wanted to deny it, but it was obvious. She gave a sheepish smile.

Blaine softened for a moment at her smile, but quickly snapped back to reality.

“What kind of mess are you involved in! Isn’t it enough that you’ve turned the empire upside down by charming two of its top bachelors in a month?”

“I’m the victim here!”

Both Lian and Sky had approached her first.

Blaine sighed deeply and rubbed his forehead. “Let’s sneak you inside and clean you up before someone has a heart attack.”

“Is it safe to go in? What about the other guests…”

“The duchess and her entourage are the only ones in the main building. It’s huge—what are the odds you’ll run into them? Unless your luck is truly awful.”

Given her recent streak of bad luck, Eleanor wasn’t reassured, but she had no other choice.

They carried Bianca Star and headed toward the back entrance of the main building.

“What if we run into staff in the hallway?”

Eleanor whispered as they reached the door.

“No worries. The place is practically empty.”

“So the rumors about it being closed are true?”

Blaine shook his head. “It won’t be reopening.”

“Why?”

“Lian bought it.”

“What? He bought this hotel?”

Eleanor stared at the massive building in shock.

“It’s a long story. Save your surprise for later.”

Blaine quietly opened the door.

A musty smell hit them as they stepped inside.

“It’s been closed for a while. Most of the building is dusty. While I get a maid to prepare a new room, use my bathroom.”

Eleanor nodded.

They tiptoed upstairs and entered a room tucked in the corner.

Once the door was shut, the tension eased slightly.

“Take a bath. I’ll find you something to wear.”

Blaine left, and Eleanor entered the bathroom.

She felt much better after washing off the grime.

But Blaine didn’t return.

Finding women’s clothes in an empty building wasn’t easy.

Not wanting to leave Bianca Star alone for too long, Eleanor wrapped herself in a towel and stepped out.

‘Maybe there’s something I can wear.’

It was Blaine’s room, so there had to be clothes.

She rummaged around and found one of Blaine’s shirts.

It was so oversized it looked like a dress.

She tied a shawl around her waist and began tending to Bianca Star.

‘She’s still not waking up. Is she really okay?’

Even wiping her cheeks with a wet towel didn’t stir her.

But color returned to her pale face, and she looked peaceful.

As if she’d finally let go of a heavy burden.

Maybe she was dreaming dreams she’d never dared before.

Eleanor gently wiped her dry skin.

While Eleanor bathed, Blaine stood awkwardly behind a maid.

Woken in the middle of the night by a young nobleman’s knock, the maid’s blushing cheeks turned icy when asked to clean a vacant room.

“Haha. A rat showed up in my usual room. Sorry for the late hour.”

“No worries. Being worked to death by nobles is my job.”

Her voice was polite but frosty.

Blaine suspected he’d be eating spit-laced stew during his stay.

“Haha… Didn’t you say you wanted a handkerchief from ‘Filanji & Misswood’? I’m heading there tomorrow. Want me to get one?”

“Really?”

The bribe worked. The maid warmed up.

Blaine decided to milk the moment. “Has the duchess gone to bed?”

“No. She’s been wandering the hotel.”

“What? At this hour? She must be tired from traveling.”

“She said the surroundings felt ominous and ordered tighter security.”

“Security?”

“Yes. She’s posted her guards around the walls and garden. Said the capital’s guards are unreliable.”

The Floyd family’s guards were known for their northern ferocity.

Bad news for Blaine, who needed to sneak Eleanor and Bianca Star out tomorrow.

“She also seemed upset. Kept muttering things like ‘I need to find that woman’ and ‘Where did she vanish to? When I find her…’”

Just imagining the duchess muttering like that made Blaine sweat.

As the imperial knight commander’s right-hand man, he’d met many royals and nobles.

But none intimidated him like Duchess Floyd.

‘She might execute her on the spot.’

Knowing her temperament, it wasn’t impossible.

‘Where the hell is Lian? He was supposed to be back by now.’

According to the guard, Lian was still in a private meeting with the emperor.

Leaving Blaine to suffer alone.

“Protect Eleanor no matter what until I return.”

Lian had said that when Eleanor was still at Duke Phaedra’s villa.

It hadn’t seemed difficult at the time.

How had things gone so wrong?

Blaine sighed deeply, lost in thought, until the maid nudged him.

“Viscount?”

“Huh? Oh?”

“Cleaning’s done.”

“Ah, right. Let’s go back.”

As they left, the maid asked curiously, “Where are you going? Weren’t you moving into this room?”

“Ahaha. I can’t sleep without my own pillow… I’ll go fetch it from my old room.”

Rats and now pillow issues

You call yourself a knight?

She didn’t say it out loud, but the maid’s eyes were clearly saying just that. His already poor reputation had certainly hit rock bottom.

Having ruined his reputation to get a room prepared, Blaine trudged back to his room. However, he couldn’t find peace even there.

“Ah! What… what kind of outfit is that?!”

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