I Wasn't Trying to Seduce with the Male Lead - Episode 74

Adrian’s green eyes were deeply furrowed. He pressed Bianca, who was too shocked to speak.

“Have you grown tired of talking to me?”

“No way! Of course not.”

Bianca frantically waved her arms, denying it.

“I didn’t know you were awake. I didn’t want to disturb your sleep, so I…”

But Adrian’s stern expression didn’t soften.

“Then you could have come in the daytime. Instead, you’ve been deliberately coming only at night. As if you’re avoiding facing me and talking.”

That wasn’t it at all.

She wanted to make an excuse, but Adrian’s words came quickly.

“If you don’t want to, you don’t need to come and show pity. I’m not here to beg you for politeness, nor am I here to make you feel guilty.”

“No. I didn’t mean it that way…”

“You don’t need to deliberately avoid me. I’ll be leaving the mansion as soon as the doctor gives the okay. It won’t take more than a few days.”

Adrian seemed truly angry and wouldn’t listen. Feeling like she couldn’t leave things like this, Bianca raised her voice.

“That’s not it at all!”

Her voice came out much louder than she intended. While Adrian flinched and paused, Bianca quickly poured out her words.

“What face am I supposed to show you? I’m so sorry that you got entangled in this mess and suffered because of me. I was worried I’d torment your already troubled mind, so I couldn’t bring myself to do anything!”

Her cheeks burned with an emotion she couldn’t distinguish between excitement and embarrassment. She was probably bright red. But she didn’t stop talking.

“You must hate the sight of me. And I shouldn’t cause you any more trouble, but still, still…”

The initial momentum faded, and her voice trembled. Was it okay to say this? Hesitating, Bianca squeezed her eyes shut and blurted it out.

“But I still wanted to see you. I was just going to watch you sleep and then leave.”

As soon as she finished speaking, she wanted to run away and disappear from the spot. But her legs felt frozen, unable to move. She wanted to find a hole to hide in, and to make things worse, Adrian started to approach her.

“D-don’t come closer.”

Bianca backed away, but her movement looked awkward. Instead of coming to her, Adrian walked right past her to the side table.

“I’ll be going now,” Bianca said timidly, seeing him lighting a lamp.

“Come here.”

Adrian’s voice was rigid.

Somehow unable to refuse, Bianca found herself walking toward him. In the now-lit room, she could see clearly that his cheeks, which used to be pleasantly plump, had become thin and somewhat pale. It was probably from being sick, but instead of looking haggard, he looked more mature. Bianca felt a surge of bashfulness and lowered her head.

“I’m sorry for speaking so coldly. My mind has been complicated lately, and I’ve become very sensitive. I think I’ve also developed an inferiority complex from being in this state.”

“Not at all, don’t worry about it even a little! I’m completely fine.”

Bianca hastily waved her hands at Adrian’s apology.

“I’m the one who should be sorry. Because of me…”

Her voice trailed off as Bianca slowly lowered her gaze. She looked at the place she had been deliberately avoiding while coming and going.

Beneath his sleeve.

The spot where his big, warm hand used to be was now an empty space.

She shouldn’t cry, but her eyes welled up against her will.

“What happened to me is certainly unfair and came like a bolt from the blue, and to be honest, it’s so difficult that it’s hard to accept this reality…”

Adrian spoke, taking over for the speechless Bianca.

“I know exactly who is to blame for why this happened.”

Adrian’s calm voice resonated softly in her ears.

“So you don’t have to feel sorry for me.”

Hearing those words, the tears that had been welling up became even hotter. It was only natural that he would resent not only Bianca but the whole world for this sudden misfortune. But instead, he was trying to ease someone else’s pain. Her heart felt as touched as the amount of guilt she had been carrying.

“Why are you crying? Lady Weiss. Did I say something wrong?”

“No, that’s not it. I’m just so thankful…”

Adrian was quite flustered when Bianca started crying. He fumbled with one arm, grabbing a clean towel from the cart and handing it to Bianca. Then he tried to comfort her.

“While I was in the dungeon, Eleanor kindly looked after me. She told me many stories so I wouldn’t get bored. I listened carefully to the stories about you.”

“Stories about me?”

What did she say? Bianca looked up at Adrian with a hint of anxiety.

“How much the Crown Princess had mistreated you, and how you, as a young girl, suffered alone for so long.”

The Baroness had told him those things. It wasn’t a proud past, so her head drooped again.

“I felt so sorry for you that I forgot my own misfortune. I want to be a source of strength for you, but right now… that kind of thought would probably only be a bother.”

Adrian offered a bitter smile.

“Not at all, that’s absolutely not true!”

Bianca wanted to say something good to him, who was trying to comfort her even in this situation.

“I… I thought about it before all of this happened. That I wanted to go south with you.”

Stuttering, she cursed her own clumsy way with words.

“I wanted to leave the capital… no, it’s not just that, I wanted to be with you. You were the first person I ever felt this way about. I thought about a lot of things by myself. With you and…”

The more she spoke, the more it felt like she was sinking into a mire. Bianca’s face turned a fiery red as if it were about to explode.

“Do you still think that way?”

Adrian lifted his severed wrist and asked in a low voice.

“I once read a fairy tale about a pirate captain with a hook. He was a bad villain who tormented the protagonist. But I thought it was very cool. I… I actually…”

Everything she was saying felt terrible. However, a small smile had now appeared on Adrian’s firm lips.

“Then shall I get a hook?”

Seeing him joke, she felt like she was going to cry again.

“It’s fine with or without anything. I just like you as you are.”

Though not eloquent, her words were filled with all her heart, but it still felt insufficient. Desperate to express her bursting sincerity, Bianca racked her brain. She soon gathered her courage, lifted Adrian’s arm, and gently kissed the bandage over his wound. When she looked up, Adrian was right in front of her. She flinched and tried to back away, but Adrian pulling her close was much faster.

“……!”

His rough lips met hers.

It was a clumsy first kiss where their lips just touched, but Bianca’s world was instantly painted pink. She wrapped her arms around Adrian’s neck and closed her eyes.

The largest room in Count Calabria’s residence.

Even though the weather was warm, a fire was lit in the fireplace for the patient. The Duchess of Floyd stood watching her son, who lay in the middle of the warm space.

His face was as white as the bedsheets. And with the bandage covering half of his face, he looked like a man bound to the bed.

“Right now, you can’t talk back no matter what I say, can you?”

When the Duchess spoke, Lian’s eyelids lifted, revealing his purple eyes.

“First, you gave me a hard time saying you wanted to marry a widow, then you went on a dangerous expedition, and now you’ve come back injured on your own accord. Is this the result of all your confidence?”

The Duchess’s sharp voice echoed coldly in the room.

But Lian just stared at her, showing no reaction.

“You’ve passed the crisis, but there’s still a big hurdle ahead. Are you prepared for how many people will be caught up in your decision, and how many terrible things will happen?”

This time, Lian gave a small nod. Seeing the strong resolve in his eyes, the Duchess said mockingly.

“But you won’t be able to see her for a while. You won’t be able to stand showing her this state.”

The bandage moved slightly. It seemed as if he was about to say something but swallowed it. Seeing this, the Duchess covered her mouth and lowered her head. A sound like a sob came from her.

“How am I supposed to tell Baroness Eleanor that you’re in this state?”

Lian shook his head from side to side. It seemed he meant she shouldn’t say anything to her.

“If you don’t want me to, you can tell her yourself.”

A strange sound came from Lian’s mouth. The Duchess pressed her lips together again at the sight. Her shoulders, lit by the firelight, trembled.

“If you want to oppose the Imperial family, do as you please. If they’ve been unfair to you, and you want to resist, I can’t stop you. But I can’t just stand by when it comes to that woman.”

The Duchess spoke in a voice that seemed to be suppressing something.

“You say you’ll be fine, but I don’t think things will turn out that way. I’ll have to intervene.”

Lian continued to shake his head, but the Duchess was unyielding.

“Just lie there like a good patient. While we solve the problem with that woman.”

Having said her piece, the Duchess turned around. Lian tried to call out to her, but no proper sound came out. The Duchess left the room as if she didn’t notice her son’s movements.

That wasn’t the only conversation that took place at the count’s residence that night.

While a fresh love blossomed and a conflict between mother and son arose, Eleanor lay on her bed, looking up at the man on top of her.

“What are you doing?” she said, her voice trembling.

“Let me go. You’re not the kind of person to do this…”

“I wonder. Am I not?”

Sky stared down at Eleanor with his sea-colored eyes shining.

“What do you know about me?”

She tried to push his chest to get away, but he didn’t budge. His captivating eyes and red lips were just a short distance away. Eleanor gulped in tension at his gaze filled with desire.

‘How did things get to be like this?’

They had just been having a normal conversation. Eleanor wracked her brain, trying to figure out why Sky had suddenly changed.

Thirty minutes ago.

The scene of him suddenly appearing in her room came to mind.

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