I Wasn't Trying to Seduce with the Male Lead - Episode 75

It was past midnight. Eleanor was alone in her room, writing. Suddenly, a voice startled her. “You look lonely.” He was here. She had wondered where he’d gone, and it turned out he was right here. She was incredibly glad to see him, as Lian had mentioned that he’d cooperated with Sky to help her escape from the dungeon. “Then why didn’t you come find me sooner? There’s so much I wanted to ask.” As Eleanor took a step toward him, Sky flinched and backed away. “What’s wrong?” Eleanor tilted her head in confusion. He usually took a step closer when she did, so his retreat was unusual. Looking at him closely, she saw that he was a bit thinner, his eyes were slightly red, and he looked exhausted. “You don’t look well. Did you get hurt somewhere?” “It’s almost healed. I just didn’t sleep well.” Why hadn’t he slept well? That didn’t sound like Sky. Eleanor stopped approaching him and posed a question. “Tell me what’s been happening.” Sky explained what he had done in a calm, matter-of-fact tone. She bit her lip when he said he had deliberately led her into the dungeon, but her eyes lit up when he described meeting Lian and setting a trap to lure out the princess. “The princess has quite a skilled bodyguard with her, so I couldn’t harm her, but as expected, she didn’t interfere when I performed a spell she had consented to. Thanks to that, I was able to put her to sleep very soundly.” It was a clever strategy that targeted the princess’s weakness. However, a suspicious part remained. “The plan worked well, but it’s amazing the princess was able to let go of her suspicions and trust you.” How could he have gotten through the defenses of a woman who was prickly from everything going wrong? It was an impressive feat, but Sky simply shrugged as if it were nothing. “It’s my specialty to break down the walls of a woman’s heart. Coaxing a young girl isn’t that difficult.” Had it really gone so easily? Eleanor felt a lingering sense of doubt, and Sky changed the subject. “We don’t have time to be talking about that right now.” He leaned against the wall and continued. “The princess must have realized her mark is gone and is probably going crazy right now. With this, the princess will officially become my enemy.” As he said, the princess would realize she had been deceived and direct her anger at Sky. It was unbelievable that the Duke of Phaedra, who had so much to lose, would do this to the Imperial Family. “Why did you take such a great risk?” “I just cleaned up the mess I made.” Sky answered nonchalantly. “Well, nothing will happen immediately. She’s not so foolish as to announce she lost Lian while trying to make a love vow.” “But she can’t just let it go either.” “Right. It would be unwise to stay in the Empire while the princess is desperate to catch me. Your Count of Calabria won’t protect me either.” Sky’s voice sounded a bit on edge. The exasperating confidence he usually had was completely gone. “Are you going back to Phaedra?” Sky nodded at Eleanor’s question. “I’ll ask you one more time. Will you come with me?” A hint of anxiety flickered in his sea-colored eyes. After all he had done for her, it was difficult to refuse. “The Count lost so much because of me. I can’t leave his side.” “I thought you wouldn’t choose a man based on how much he sacrificed for you.” Eleanor gave a wry smile. “It’s not like that, of course. This will probably be the last time we have a conversation like this.” Saying that, Eleanor extended her hand to Sky. “Thank you so much for everything. I hope you continue to do well…” “I don’t make such compromises.” Sky cut Eleanor off roughly. “I’ve been waiting for you to make your own decision, but I’ve reached my limit. If I can’t give you up, then I have no choice but to make you change your mind.” Eleanor flinched at his harsh tone. He had been an arbitrary and intimidating man from the moment they first met, but he had never spoken to her like this before. “What are you talking about?” “If you won’t come on your own, I’ll take you by force.” By force? Feeling an ominous energy, she tried to leave the room immediately, but Sky was much faster. He grabbed her arm and pulled with great force. Without being able to properly resist, she was dragged to the bed and laid down. “What are you doing? You’re not that kind of person. Let go of me!” “Do you know what kind of person I am? I’ve done much worse things than you think. I’ve deceived countless people, extorted, and fought…” The shape of Sky’s beautiful eyes looked like someone else’s. He brought his head closer and whispered ominously. “I’ve taken what I wanted and made it mine.” With those words, Sky covered Eleanor’s eyes with her own stiff hand. As her vision was plunged into darkness, something soft touched her mouth. “Ugh.” Eleanor was startled to realize he was kissing her. And it wasn’t a short kiss. As she was held firmly, unable to turn her head, Sky held her in a deep, consuming kiss. In contrast to his aggressive demeanor, his lips were gentle, passionate, and even desperate. It was a kiss completely different from Lian’s, which still had a hint of awkwardness. But no matter how skilled the kiss was or how handsome the face in front of her was, she was not in the mood to enjoy a forced kiss. Eleanor pushed him away with all her might during the brief moment he paused to catch his breath. He fell back surprisingly easily. As he moved away, Eleanor slapped his cheek. Slap. Since he didn’t even try to dodge it, the sound of the slap was intense. “I thought you weren’t such a despicable person.” The disappointment was so profound that it overshadowed her anger. As she muttered in a trembling voice, Sky spoke without raising his head. “Well. I’ve just been holding myself back all this time.” Seeing him not even try to make excuses made her angrier. Eleanor gritted her teeth and warned him. “I’ll let this go because of my debt to you, but this is the limit. I can’t tolerate it anymore.” “What if I don’t back down? Are you going to call Lian and have him cut me down?” To Sky’s provocative words, Eleanor replied coldly. “I will be so disappointed, despise you, and truly come to hate you. I’ll forget all the good memories, and to me, you’ll become something worse than an insect.” Instead of threatening him with someone else’s power, she conveyed her true feelings. Sky’s sea-colored eyes darkened. “Disappear before I come back. And don’t ever appear in front of me again.” After saying her piece, Eleanor tidied herself up and walked out of the room. Left alone, Sky didn’t leave immediately. Instead, he lay down on the bed. His movements were as listless as if all his energy had been drained at once. He lifted his eyelids, with their long lashes, and stared at the wall sconce on the opposite wall. And he reached out his hand as if to grab it. The hand that had been so powerful just moments ago looked surprisingly weak. On his delicate face, illuminated by the dim light, all the rough and threatening expressions were gone, replaced only by a feeling of hollowness and bitterness. “I’ve never done anything so self-defeating.” He muttered bitterly, clenching his fist weakly as if to grab hold of the empty air. After a while, Sky got up and quietly left the room.

The Emperor looked down at his daughter’s sleeping face in the dark room. Her eyes were red and swollen from crying just before she fell asleep. ‘I was wrong about him.’ He had thought Sky Phaedra was an intelligent man who knew his place, even if he was ambitious. He had believed that if Sky became a Grand Duke, the Duchy of Phaedra would prosper and elevate the Empire’s honor. ‘How could he dare deceive this innocent child?’ That cruel vow should have been made directly. He had been short-sighted. He had forgotten how wicked those who professed loyalty could be behind his back. ‘My mistake has caused this angelic child so much pain.’ His daughter, who had never lost her composure, had lost her mind completely, wailing uncontrollably. From a mouth that had only ever uttered beautiful words, he heard desperate curses upon the world. ‘He must suffer the same as I did! He must be punished just the same!’ To her endless pleas, the Emperor nodded, assuring her he would. It was his mistake, and he had to restore her to her former self. The Emperor stroked the princess’s hair, then bent down and kissed her forehead. He then quietly left the room and went to his office. “Your Majesty.” Zeppelin was in the Eogainos as if he had stayed up all night. The Emperor walked over to him and sat down in a chair. “Has Her Highness the Princess calmed down a little?” “No. She won’t recover so quickly.” The Emperor answered in a hoarse voice. “The shock of betrayal seems to be too great. She just loved him so deeply and selflessly. Why is the world so cruel to her?” Zeppelin lowered his head without a word. “Her deep affection has now turned into hatred. She said she never wants to see Lian again.” “Is that so…” Zeppelin looked sympathetic, yet somewhere he seemed relieved. “For the sake of Her Highness the Princess, we must quickly resolve this chaotic situation. What do you think about sending the Count of Calabria to the frontier for a while? He’s also wounded, so he’ll accept the order.” The Emperor scowled as if to ask what he was talking about. “My daughter is living in hell right now. And you’re telling me to send the cause of it all away for a rest?” “That’s not what I mean. We can reprimand the Count of Calabria and strip him of his title as Imperial Knights Commander. But for now, we must first…” “That’s not enough. I plan to plunge him into a deeper hell than my daughter is in.” Zeppelin turned pale at the Emperor’s words. “Your Majesty. It is impossible to expel the Count of Calabria. The Dukes will not agree either.” “I am the Emperor of the Empire. What do you mean ‘impossible’? I will show those who speak so arrogantly the power of the Emperor.” “Show them your power… Are you talking about starting a civil war?” When the Emperor didn’t deny it, Zeppelin desperately tried to persuade him. “We must avoid civil war at all costs. It’s not a desirable or necessary war.” “Did you just say war is not necessary? It seems you’ve seen and heard things differently from me by my side.” Despite the Emperor’s cynical words, Zeppelin didn’t back down. “He was almost a puppet because of a vow he didn’t even know he made, and he suffered great pain and danger to break free from it. He has the power to oppose you, and he has a just cause to do so.” The Emperor’s expression grew steadily worse, but Zeppelin asked with determination. “And yet, are you trying to cast out a subject who you believe will be loyal to you?” Lian would not drag the people of the Empire into a war because of his own problems. If the Emperor would just change his mind, this whole incident could be covered up as a minor, unpleasant affair. Zeppelin watched the Emperor anxiously, his heart in his throat. Soon, the Emperor’s lips parted, and a reply on which the fate of the Empire hung came out. “My daughter must become a complete Queen.” Zeppelin watched the movement of his lips with a blank look. “That means everyone in the Empire must serve and obey her without question. I will cut off all the rotten buds during my reign.” The stubbly jaw of Zeppelin trembled as if in a seizure. The Emperor gave a command to his solidified subordinate. “Convene the Troin Council.” The Troin Council was an assembly of elder nobles composed only of Royalists who supported the Imperial Family. The reason for gathering them was obvious without a need for further explanation. He intended to rally the forces that would support him. ‘It’s finally turning into a catastrophe.’ Could no one stop this course of events? Zeppelin closed his eyes, sighing at the grim future of the Empire heading toward a fiery pit.

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