I Wasn't Trying to Seduce with the Male Lead - Episode 4

Since she had already been caught, trying to deny it would just be pathetic. Eleanor indirectly admitted it.

“Was I too clumsy?”

She said it playfully, but in reality, sweat was beading on her back. To benefit from this situation, she needed to at least walk out quietly on her own terms. A rumor that she had trespassed into the Duke’s house and been thrown out would seriously damage her reputation.

“Not at all.”

Fortunately, Lian didn’t immediately drag her out.

“Are you very angry?”

“I am not.”

Why wasn’t he angry? That was a question, but even more puzzling was his current posture. His amethyst-like eyes were still so close. It was hard to keep her composure as she kept averting her gaze, finding it too intense to look at him directly.

“Um…” Eleanor suggested carefully. “How about we maintain a more appropriate distance for a conversation?”

For a moment, Lian seemed to frown. She tensed, thinking she had made a mistake, but soon he returned to his expressionless face and obediently moved back.

“Speak.”

He leaned back leisurely in the chair, just as he had been sitting before, and asked, “What were you planning to say to me?”

In the novel, he didn’t yet know the Princess’s feelings at this point. If she rashly told him to propose to the Princess, she might make him wary for no reason and mess things up. He was supposed to let his guard down and, by the heroine’s scheme, end up spending the night in the same room with her unintentionally.

“I think you can guess.”

So, Eleanor decided to be vague. Lian slightly furrowed his handsome brows.

“Marriage, then.”

Seeing his weary reaction, it seemed the Duke had been nagging him quite a bit.

“I have no intention of marrying a woman I have no feelings for.”

His voice was very firm. It would be a problem if his mindset became too rigid, so Eleanor dropped a hint.

“When people live together and their bodies touch, feelings can grow.”

At her words, Lian raised one of his neat eyebrows slightly.

“There are many women in this mansion. But I don’t want to propose to any of them.”

Of course, a place of this size would have at least fifty employees. Eleanor, immediately refuted, latched onto the end of his statement.

“…But you haven’t touched their bodies.”

Eleanor thought to herself, that sounds a bit pathetic.

But unexpectedly, a glimmer of interest appeared in Lian’s eyes.

“Then does that mean feelings will develop?”

“Pardon?”

“Do you think that if bodies touch, feelings will grow?”

It didn’t seem like the kind of man who would do this, yet he was oddly catching her words. It felt a bit awkward to deny what she had said herself just a minute ago.

“Yes, that’s right.”

What a load of nonsense.

“I am a soldier. I don’t believe in theories that aren’t applicable in practice.”

She knew her logic was flawed, but Lian’s contrary reaction made her feel stubborn.

“Then why don’t you try applying it in practice? See whether affection grows when you touch someone’s body or not.”

It was a casual remark. After all, that’s what would happen when he married the Princess. Eleanor thought Lian would just reject the idea again.

“If possible.”

But Lian unexpectedly agreed readily.

“It might be a good idea to experience it.”

It might be a good idea to experience it?

Was he really saying he would experiment to see if affection grew from physical contact with a woman? Knowing how ascetic and indifferent he was, she was shocked, but Eleanor managed to keep her expression in check. He was probably just saying it.

“What a shame. If you had a suitable partner, you would have already known that I was right.”

“There is a partner, isn’t there?”

A partner?

He wouldn’t be calling for a courtesan, would he? Eleanor, who had been dazed, soon realized that the situation was strangely peculiar. There were only two people in this room: him and her. Moreover, Lian was staring at her intently. Eleanor tilted her head slightly, feeling bewildered.

“Are you… talking about me?”

“A theory is most interesting when it’s proven by the person who proposed it.”

His provocative gaze made her swallow hard without realizing it. Everyone thought she had a flamboyant love life, but it was a fact that Eleanor had not been close to any man since losing her husband at the age of 15. In her previous life, she had been so absorbed in her work that she was only familiar with the theory, and her practical experience was weak.

“Even so, it’s probably better not to do that.” Eleanor said, trying not to look like she was backing out. “It would be a problem… if the Count… fell for me.”

As soon as the words left her mouth, Lian chuckled. Embarrassed, Eleanor bristled.

“Are you saying that wouldn’t happen?”

“Well, I’m a novice in that field, so I wouldn’t know.”

“And there’s no way to check, is there?”

The last words were very meaningful. The look on his face seemed arrogant. It was as if he was saying, ‘You, dare to approach me?’ It was as if he thought, ‘I’ve heard she’s innocent and has a wall up, so if I approach her a little, she’ll get flustered and back off.’

In a battle of bravado, the one who backs down first loses. Eleanor didn’t want to lose.

“I don’t mind checking. As long as you’re okay with it, Count.”

The smile disappeared from Lian’s face.

“Fine.”

What?

She was getting strangely tangled up in this. He was supposed to be a cold man who never even gave women a second glance. Why was he saying something so flippant? She might be overthinking it, but she had felt a strange sexual tension from Lian from the very beginning. Their colliding gazes held for a long time. As she kept looking, her mouth went dry and a strange impulse surged within her. She had noticed it before, but he was a man of breathtaking beauty. Beautiful enough that she had the desire to get close to him for just a moment.

There was no one here anyway. Would there be any problem if she got a little close to a man as perfect as him, just for a moment, without anyone knowing? Her heart kept accelerating. Realizing she couldn’t stop, Eleanor decided to set up a safety net instead of just giving in.

Swish.

Eleanor unfastened the scarf she was wearing around her neck. She felt Lian’s gaze fixate on her long, slender neck that was now exposed.

“Please put your hands behind your back.”

Lian looked puzzled.

“It would be a problem if I was too skilled and you lost control, so I’m going to tie you up.”

Eleanor was surprised to see Lian obediently put his hands behind his back. She approached him and tied his wrists tightly. Lian looked down at her and asked, “Do you often do this in other places too?”

There’s no way I would do something so ill-advised. If the person wasn’t Lian, she would have a displeased look on her face if they even approached her within a foot.

“No. It’s not often that I find a partner who is so picky, suspicious, and doesn’t believe what people say.”

Despite being called ‘picky, suspicious, and not believing what people say,’ Lian chuckled with amusement. After tying his wrists, she sat down in front of him. As she leaned forward, Lian bit his lip slightly. Eleanor saw his ears turn red and realized that he was also nervous. His embarrassment was boyish, making the man who was a head taller than her look oddly cute.

Eleanor, who had regained some composure, slowly placed her hand on his broad shoulder. Then, she moved as if to caress it, and grabbed his neatly tied cravat. She slowly untied it and pulled gently. When the silk brushed against his neck, Lian raised his head and swallowed. The movement of his white Adam’s apple was very suggestive.

“Am I not allowed to see either?”

Lian asked as she covered his eyes with the cravat. As he opened his mouth, his breath touched her chest, which was right in front of his face as she tied the cravat. It was so sensual that she nearly trembled slightly.

“It’s my rule.”

The real reason she covered his eyes was because she felt she wouldn’t be able to do anything if she looked into his eyes. After she was finished, Eleanor returned to where she was originally sitting and for a moment, appreciated the situation she had created.

I did it, but now what?

Eleanor looked ahead with a flustered expression. The most handsome man in the Empire was sitting in front of her with his eyes covered and his hands bound. A firm neck could be seen between the loosened shirt from the untied cravat.

What should she do now?

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