I Wasn't Trying to Seduce with the Male Lead - Episode 66

Gasping for a long breath, he forced his body to rise. A pain like his stomach was splitting in two shot through him, but he could move. However, the sky soon began to spin. Having just sat up for the first time in days on the stone floor, the dizziness was a result of his anemia from losing so much blood. He leaned against the stone wall and waited for the lightheadedness to subside, but his entire body felt unbearably stiff and sore. He moved his rigid neck slightly, and his coarse hair fell over his prickly cheek. Just as he was trying to brush it away with his fingers, the wooden board covering the entrance was removed, and Zenith stepped inside. He seemed to have been out to check the situation.

“Are you feeling a bit better, Your Grace?”

“I don’t think I’m going to die just yet,” Sky replied, his voice hoarse and cracked.

“I’ve brought some water. Please, quench your thirst first.”

Zenith handed him the water and helped him up. The two were currently hiding in an abandoned warehouse within the underground prison. They had infiltrated the prison to rescue Eleanor but were helplessly overpowered by an unknown magical beast. They barely managed to escape, but in the process, three of their subordinates had died, and Sky had been seriously injured. Zenith was in relatively better condition, but he was far from unharmed. Since it was difficult to move properly and escape the underground passage unnoticed, they decided to hide and recover.

“What’s the situation outside?”

“It’s not good,” Zenith replied with a heavy voice. “It seems the Princess has started looking for Duke Phaedra.”

It had been three days since they had been in hiding, so this was only to be expected. Sky had already anticipated as much.

“We need to leave soon.”

At Sky’s words, Zenith frowned. “You can’t even sit up properly. Leaving is out of the question.”

“We have to go anyway. The longer we wait, the more dangerous it gets.”

The pain was still excruciating, but he had regained some of his strength. If he could move, he had to leave immediately.

“I suppose so… We should go back and show your wounds to a doctor right away.” Zenith murmured, then nodded. “If we plan it well, it might not be impossible to sneak into the detached palace.”

“No. We can’t go to the detached palace. There are too many eyes there.”

Arousing suspicion from the already unstable Princess would render all their efforts in vain. If he were to receive treatment at the detached palace, it would be difficult to hide his injury no matter how much they tried. He needed to get out of the imperial palace, receive emergency treatment, conceal the wound, and then return with a plausible reason for his absence.

Upon hearing his explanation, Zenith offered an alternative. “Then what about hiding in the Line of Abrote, where the Imperial Dukes are gathered, to recover?”

“That’s where the Imperial guards are most heavily concentrated right now. Besides, the Dukes won’t exactly welcome me.”

Minaz was friendly towards him, and the Duchess seemed indifferent, but Duke Rohan, who looked at him like he was a bug, was also there. Furthermore, even with the Emperor trying to block information, there was no way such influential figures would be completely unaware of what was happening outside. They likely had secret connections and had heard rumors that Sky had won the Princess’s favor by handing over Eleanor Marich. Appearing there in a weakened state due to his injuries would be like walking into a fiery pit with a bundle of sticks on his back.

“Do you have another plan?”

“…We’ll have to join forces.”

“Join forces… with whom?”

Zenith seemed to realize the answer as he was asking the question. “Are you going to Count Calabria?”

“Yes,” Sky said, nodding with a hint of annoyance. “Lian Calabria, who is on his way back after easily subduing Hakmersia, has a high chance of breaking through the magical beast.”

“But isn’t he under the Vow of Subjugation?”

“That’s precisely why he needs me.”

At Sky’s answer, Zenith tilted his head. He likely knew that Sky could not lift the Vow of Subjugation on Lian. But Sky was not in a state to explain it properly.

“I’ll go out of the imperial palace, get treated in secret, and leave the capital immediately.”

Sky had a wide network in the empire’s underworld. Even if he couldn’t openly walk through the palace, he could easily find a doctor. If he could just get the right medicine, he might even be able to treat himself.

However, Zenith’s expression was serious. “You know that our observers who were attached to the Imperial subjugation force have already lost track of Lian.”

They had planted an informant within the Imperial Knights when Lian went on his expedition, but a message came back that he had broken away and was moving at a speed they couldn’t possibly keep up with.

“The entire world is desperate to be the first to make contact with him, and we don’t even know where he is in this vast empire. How do you plan to meet him?”

“I have something prepared for that part, so just follow my lead.”

As Sky cut off the explanation, Zenith pursed his lips. “Are you still planning on saving her, Your Grace?”

“All operations will continue until I say they are over,” Sky commanded, cutting him off sharply. “We’ll go through with it as soon as the sun sets, so contact the knights who are loyal to me and get them ready.”

Zenith looked unconvinced, but he did not defy Sky. As soon as he left, Sky leaned his body against the wall. Though he pretended to be composed, he was consumed by fiery rage and self-loathing. His flawed plan had cost him his subordinates and failed to achieve his goal. He had been too arrogant. Since his calculations rarely went wrong, it was even harder for Sky to accept this failure.

‘No matter what, I will achieve my goal this time.’

Appearing before Lian Calabria as a defeated wretch was the last thing he wanted to do. He even considered threatening the Princess to break through the magical beast. If there had been a sliver of a chance of success, he would have done it.

“Damn it.”

He was the one who had brought Eleanor to the imperial palace and handed her over to the Princess. He would make up for his failure by any means necessary. Gritting his teeth, Sky covered his eyes with his arm and lay down.

In a corner room of the underground prison, Eleanor, Blaine, and Eli sat in a circle, engaged in a conversation. Beatrice, who could see everything happening in the underground prison as if it were the back of her hand, had still chosen to join them in the corner room for a sense of psychological security.

“…That’s what we talked about.”

Eleanor recounted her conversation with Beatrice in detail. Eli, who had been listening intently, asked, “Do you think Beatrix can break through the magical beast?”

“No. It’s impossible for her right now.”

“If it’s a matter of powerful force… I see.” Elai lowered his gaze and fell into thought.

“What if we cooperate? Would that make it possible?” Eleanor asked, and both Eli and Blaine looked up.

“What kind of cooperation?”

“If Beatrice distracts the magical beast, we can attack it together. Maybe we can get rid of it that way.”

However, the two were unenthusiastic.

“From what we’ve heard, it’s a very powerful beast, so the risk is too great. We have a patient in our group.”

“I’ll step up and divert its attention so that Adrian isn’t in danger.”

“How can we let you do something so dangerous?”

“It’s better than being trapped here forever, isn’t it? Didn’t you even consider digging a tunnel to get out quickly?”

“We considered that because it’s a low-risk option. Now that we know there’s a magical beast, it’s better to wait than to fight it.”

Eleanor, sensing what Blaine was about to say, bit her lip.

“Because Lian will be here soon.”

Elai nodded in agreement.

“But the Count shouldn’t come here. If he encounters the Princess at the imperial palace, he’ll be subjugated immediately.”

“The Behind Knights must have contacted Lian, so he knows about the Vow now. He’ll come carefully, making sure not to encounter the Princess.”

“We infiltrated Rosagrande to follow you. As the captain, he can get in without any trouble and without anyone knowing.”

Both of them had immense faith in Lian. Eleanor knew what an incredible knight he was, but she was still worried because the risks of failure were so high.

“There’s no guarantee that the Count will get here without being discovered. He’s never even been to the underground prison.”

“Lian has the authority to access confidential information as the captain of the Imperial Knights. He probably knows the underground structure and what’s inside it.”

“He hasn’t been the captain for that long, has he? He wouldn’t have had enough time to find all the old documents and memorize them.”

“He’s been a boy-captain since he was young. Given Lian’s personality, he would have done it even if it meant staying up all night.”

Eleanor was honestly convinced, but she didn’t back down.

“The witch told me that the Vow can be activated just by him entering the Princess’s line of sight. It’s over just by her seeing him from afar with an alchemist’s tool.”

“We’re not unaware of that danger.”

“Then I think it’s right for us to share the risk. I’m sorry that everyone is in danger because of me…”

“We’re not afraid of being in danger.” Blaine pouted a little. “We’re trying to avoid something that Lian would never do if he were here. As I keep saying, we wouldn’t be able to face him if you get hurt.”

“The Captain ordered us to prioritize your safety above all else. I cannot agree to this either,” Elai said.

With Elai also against the idea, Eleanor had nothing more to say. To comfort the sullen Eleanor, Blaine said, “As long as you’re alive, Lian will come to save you no matter what. You know that, don’t you?”

She knew it, and that was the problem.

“Let’s just put that thought aside and rest for now. Maybe we can come up with a better plan.”

At Blaine’s suggestion, Eleanor returned to her room. Although she wasn’t physically tired, she felt drained and lay down on the bed. As she fidgeted with the necklace Lian had given her on the creaking bed, a high-pitched voice rang out.

[“As long as you’re alive, that guy will come no matter what, huh? Hah. So that’s why the Princess is so desperate to get you.”]

It was Beatrice. She seemed to have used her power to eavesdrop on their conversation. Since Eleanor had already expected as much, she remained silent.

[“Well, if you don’t want the Count to come, you can just die, can’t you?”]

Her tone was meant to provoke, but Eleanor was not easily rattled. She had considered that. ‘If Lian comes and is subjugated, I’m going to die anyway. Wouldn’t it be easier to just go first?’

But she soon changed her mind. Because Lian would really come. She didn’t want him to find her dead body and be filled with a sense of futility.

‘If only that Vow didn’t exist.’

How wonderful it would be if they could just get away. As she thought about it, Eleanor recalled something.

‘When Beatrice cast the spell on the Count, she must have been at a very weak point in her power.’

She had lost her power and been sealed hundreds of years ago, and the Vow was cast after the Princess was born, so it had been at most 17 years ago. According to her constant bragging, the power she could use now was less than half of what she had before.

In that case…

‘If she regains her power, she might be able to break the Count’s spell.’

Eleanor’s eyes lit up with a brilliant realization.

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