I Wasn't Trying to Seduce with the Male Lead - Episode 89

Sky was dressed in the gray shirt typical of laborers, with a hood pulled over it. His completely commoner’s attire and half-hidden face didn’t stop him from capturing the attention of the few women in the hall.

His smooth black hair and deep, clear, sea-colored eyes. His broad shoulders and solid arms, revealed by rolled-up sleeves. That alone seemed to be enough to melt the women’s hearts.

When he took a seat in front of Eleanor, who was already attracting attention, everyone in the hall seemed to be aware of their presence. To appear natural, Eleanor decided to play along with Sky’s game.

“Yes. I came here to find a man.”

At her reply, the men sitting around them instantly turned to look. They seemed to regret not having approached her first, but they glanced at Sky sitting opposite them and, with defeated expressions, turned their heads back.

“Then, how about we go up to my room together?” Sky went a step further, inviting her in a lighthearted tone.

He was annoyingly smug, but it was better to leave. She quickly checked on Zenith, who was at the bar, and saw that he was already looking their way. When their eyes met, he gave a slight nod as if to say, “Do it,” and then disappeared.

“Alright. Take me away.”

A few men were seen spitting out their beer.

Sky rose from his seat with a smooth movement and offered his arm to Eleanor. The two of them linked arms and climbed the stairs to the second floor. Sky led Eleanor down a creaky wooden hallway to a corner room. It was quite a quaint room, similar to the strangely cozy hall below.

Zenith was already there, standing by the window.

“What was with that suggestive talk?” Eleanor grumbled as soon as the door closed.

“I was curious what it felt like to walk out with the most beautiful woman in the hall.”

‘As if you haven’t done that countless times.’

Eleanor lightly pushed away the smug Sky and walked over to a long chair in the room, taking a seat.

“I want to ask how you knew I was here and why you came all this way… but I suppose it would be a waste of time.”

Given her calm attitude and lack of surprise at his sudden visit, it seemed she had anticipated this situation.

He removed his cumbersome hood, hung it on the chair, and asked, “Did Zenith tell you everything?”

“Yes.”

“Then your purpose for coming here is…”

“I came to take you away.”

Sky’s eyebrows lifted slightly. “Taking me away isn’t going to be a simple matter. The most handsome man in the hall is a bit of a homebody.”

“Are you trying to negotiate a ransom in this situation?”

“I would worry about how to sell a corpse for a high price even if I were about to die.”

“…What do you want?” Eleanor asked him directly, as he seemed to be deliberately prolonging the conversation.

“Well. Let’s start with a kiss.”

As soon as Sky tilted his head and answered, a black shadow instantly appeared in the room.

“Well, now.”

Taking a step back, Sky saw the elegant face of the man who had appeared between him and Eleanor, and the corners of his mouth turned up.

“You have company, milady.”

He feigned indifference, but he was unusually surprised. It was a surprise that someone else was in the room, someone he hadn’t noticed at all. Of course, there was probably no one in the world who could detect Lian when he was concealing himself. Even Eleanor, who knew he was there, flinched when he appeared.

“Don’t push it.”

Lian’s voice was dry, as it always was when addressing someone who wasn’t Eleanor. Hearing that, Sky’s brow furrowed.

“Hmm?”

He was even more surprised than when Lian first appeared. “How can he speak? Wasn’t there an imprint on his tongue?”

Upon hearing his mutterings, Eleanor calmly explained the situation. The half-joking attitude on Sky’s face disappeared, replaced only by a serious expression.

“I was told the skin had to be completely cut away, but it turns out just peeling off the surface was enough.” His sea-colored eyes sparkled with interest. He posed a question to the expressionless Lian.

“How much did you peel off? No, it’s better to see for myself.”

He answered his own question, then strode purposefully toward Lian. “A moment of your time.”

He leaned Lian against the wall where the alchemist’s back was, gently parted his lips with his finger, and brought his face in close. Lian made a face of displeasure but stayed still, perhaps assuming this was part of the research to break the pact.

“Hmm. It’s almost undamaged.”

“We put medicine on it, so it’s a lot better now.”

Because of Sky’s finger, Lian briefly reverted to his former speech pattern.

“Even so, it looks like only the surface was peeled off. That’s very intriguing.”

It seemed his pure research interest as a mage had blossomed, overriding any thoughts of breaking free from the pact.

As he satisfied his curiosity, Eleanor sat behind them, blinking and watching the two men.

‘This is a strange scene.’

A handsome man was pinning another handsome man against a wall, getting close, and putting his finger between his lips to examine his tongue. The sight of Lian with a troubled expression and furrowed brow, and Sky with his face dangerously close, was both bewildering and somehow a feast for the eyes.

After a long moment of a scene that would thrill some enthusiasts, Sky finally pulled away from Lian.

“Phew. If it’s like this, I could have peeled off my own imprint back then. What a shame.”

Eleanor asked at Sky’s muttering, “Was there a chance for that?”

“When I put the Princess to sleep… but mine is in a more dangerous area to remove.”

It seemed that Sky had also been subjected to the Pact of Subjugation on the night he put Lian to sleep. That would have been the perfect opportunity for both of them to escape together.

Eleanor asked regretfully, “Why did you get the imprint in a dangerous place?”

“It was unavoidable. The location is decided by the other person.”

In that case, given the Princess’s character, she would have placed it in a difficult-to-remove location. It was fortunate that Lian had made his pact when he was very young.

“Where is it? Show me.”

“You want to see?”

It would be easier to come up with a plan if she knew where it was. Since she was also wearing the Marking Stone, Eleanor nodded.

A mischievous smile appeared on Sky’s face.

“If you want to, you’re welcome to, but we have a bit too much of an audience.”

“What’s the big deal? Is there something to hide?”

“I have to lower my underwear.”

‘He has to lower his underwear?’

Eleanor’s face flushed a little, and her mouth dropped open.

“I don’t have a hobby of taking off my underwear in front of men.”

Eleanor half-shouted at the glib Sky, “Then… you’re not telling me it’s down there, are you?”

Sky burst out laughing at her incredibly blunt question.

“Haha. Fortunately, I was spared that fate. I was very nervous because she kept glancing at that area, but in the end, she pointed to a spot slightly off to the side.”

It seemed the Princess hadn’t completely abandoned her image of an innocent girl. Her hypocrisy, for once, had worked out for the better.

“But it’s in a very precarious spot. It’s quite a sexy spot, would you like to see it?”

Before Eleanor could retort, a low voice echoed through the room.

“If you don’t stop, I’ll cut it out myself.”

Lian’s eyes seemed to say he would not only remove the imprint but also the vital parts if Sky teased her just a little more.

He had a lot of chairs he could have sat on in the room, but he deliberately approached the one Eleanor was in and sat down to block Sky. Sky, in turn, was grinning as if the situation were amusing.

“Why are you so calm when the situation is this serious?”

“Hmm, I don’t know. Looking at you, I have a feeling everything will be resolved well.”

“Did you perhaps anticipate this happening?”

“No, not at all.”

She had asked the question because he seemed to see through everything, but Sky shook his head.

“I thought I would never see you again. That’s why I was so desperate back then.”

His tone was light, yet it contained a hint of the anguish he had endured. The word ‘back then’ made Eleanor feel a sudden pang, as she was reminded of the kiss he had given her last time.

“First, let’s not waste time here. Let’s go to a safe place. We can come up with a plan again there.”

“If you take me, the Princess will find out right away.”

Sky seemed to know that he was also connected to the Princess via the Stringstone.

“That doesn’t matter. Do we look like we’re worried about not being on good terms with the Princess right now?”

At Eleanor’s words, Sky smiled faintly. He raised his sea-colored eyes and cast a glance at Zenit.

“Please do.”

As soon as their eyes met, Zenith, who had been silent all this time, spoke. His voice was so earnest that even Eleanor, who barely knew him, flinched.

Sky gave a shrug and muttered softly, “To keep him from running away from home again, I guess I have to act like a proper master.”

The meaning was unclear, but it sounded like an acceptance. Without delay, Eleanor stood up and urged everyone on.

“Then let’s go right away. A carriage is waiting outside.”

“A carriage. What a grand escort.”

Sky spoke facetiously, even though he knew it was prepared to avoid the Princess’s gaze.

With only a few simple belongings packed, the four of them left ‘The Tailor’s House.’ The windows of the carriage parked behind the building were completely covered.

“This is the perfect setting to show off my prowess.”

Sky, who had gotten in first, held out his hand to help Eleanor up. “I’m not bad in a rocking carriage either.”

His words were meant to provoke Lian. And the Empire’s best knight had a low immunity to this kind of thing.

“You drive the carriage.”

Lian immediately handed the reins to Zenith and got into the carriage. As he sat protectively next to Eleanor, watching Sky with a chilling gaze, Sky muttered softly, “Even if this works out, I might die for a different reason.”

“Deliver this note to the Line of Abrot.”

As soon as they arrived at the mansion, Lian gave Ilai the order. Communication had become much more efficient since they had a top-tier knight who could infiltrate the Royal Guard undetected, much better than using a hawk. Usually, the more veteran Herhorn was in charge of communication, but he seemed not to have returned yet from a morning errand.

Ilai bowed his head and then disappeared.

“Let’s go inside first, guide the Duke to his room, and then meet in the tearoom.”

“That would be a good idea. I’ll show you the way.”

They had gotten out of the carriage without incident, but Lian’s guard did not seem to have been lowered.

However, the trio’s plan was interrupted as soon as they entered the hall.

“When were you going to tell me that you got into a sword fight with your father?” the Duchess Floyd asked Lian, her brow furrowed.

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