I Wasn't Trying to Seduce with the Male Lead - Episode 97

“You’re late today.”

It was a simple, everyday phrase, but coming from Sky, or perhaps because of a guilty conscience, it sounded meaningful.

“Am I? It’s only eight o’clock.”

“You’re always in your studio by this time.”

Was he observing her that closely?

Eleanor flinched but nonchalantly shrugged, pretending not to know what he meant.

“But you just came out of the bedroom.”

“I was working late last night. The fatigue piled up, and I just woke up now.”

Fortunately, she managed to respond without a hitch.

Perhaps because of that, Skye’s expression as he approached her held no particular signs of suspicion.

“Don’t push yourself too hard.”

“I’m not. I know my limits.”

The two walked down the hallway together, exchanging everyday pleasantries. It was just as Eleanor reached the dining room and let out an involuntary sigh of relief.

“It seems it was quite a passionate night.”

Eleanor flinched at Skye’s quiet murmur.

“Pardon? What did you say?”

Pretending she misheard, she asked again, but Skye just said, “I wonder. Is it goodwill?”

Goodwill?

Confused, she tilted her head, and Sky’s hand reached out. He lifted Eleanor’s chin.

“The Duchess left a message for everyone, so it wouldn’t be good to go in looking like this, would it?”

“Looking… like what?”

Skye’s long fingers traced down her slender neck, stopping at a single spot. He gently pressed on her collarbone and brought his handsome face closer.

“What…”

“If you leave a mark like this and go in, it’s hard to pretend I didn’t notice.”

Skye’s words made Eleanor’s lips part.

‘A mark. Could it be… the Count?’

She was so flustered that she instinctively covered the spot with her hand and tried to pull away. Skye threw his head back and let out a deep sigh.

“Haa. So it was true.”

He scowled with his sea-colored eyes and muttered softly.

“I just had a feeling and took a guess.”

“What? So there’s nothing there?”

“Right. You’re just as spotless and pure as usual, which is quite exciting.”

The last part bothered her, but she decided to ignore it.

‘I fell for such a clumsy trick question.’

As Eleanor bit her lip in frustration, Sky asked again.

“Did Count Calabria do something that would leave a mark there?”

“Don’t ask strange questions.”

It was pointless to deny the obvious, so she responded coolly. Sky jutted out his lip.

“That’s unfair. I’m restraining myself.”

“You’ve never restrained yourself, have you?”

“Don’t nitpick.”

Sky wrapped his arm around Eleanor’s shoulder and brought his face close.

“If that’s the case, let me do something fair…”

“What are you doing over there?”

A cold voice cut off Sky’s words. Startled, she looked up and saw Lian standing at the end of the hallway.

As soon as she saw him, Eleanor’s face flushed.

“That expression of yours would make anyone passing by notice.”

Hearing Sky’s words, Eleanor looked around. She now realized there were quite a few maids preparing for breakfast passing by. Like well-trained employees, they all appeared composed, but she could feel them subtly watching.

‘Was I so preoccupied that I didn’t even notice others were around?’

It was no wonder that a quick-witted person like Sky had caught on. While Eleanor fumed internally, Lian approached them. He didn’t seem to be walking fast, yet he was suddenly right in front of them.

“Please go inside, Duke Phaedra.”

Lian spoke in a voice as cold as ice. He was normally expressionless, but his demeanor was particularly frigid today.

“I will. I don’t have a hobby of dying before breakfast.”

Skye replied smoothly and entered the dining room first.

“Did you sleep well?”

Lian asked in a low voice, and she felt that ticklish sensation for no reason. Awkwardly, Eleanor, leaving Lian who seemed to want to say more, hurried to open the dining room door. Inside, Skye was sitting alone.

“Is the Duchess not here?”

“She said she would have her meal outside while tending to the falcon,” the butler answered respectfully.

Adrian and Biancasta also didn’t appear for breakfast, perhaps due to the tension of the day’s tasks.

‘I came out so it wouldn’t look strange. If I had known this, I would have just stayed in my room.’

She regretted it, but there was nothing she could do since she was already here. Eleanor sighed inwardly and looked around the dining room. Three people sat at a table over four meters long. Two of them sat at opposite ends.

“Eleanor, please sit here.”

“Sit here, Eleanor.”

The two men spoke almost simultaneously.

“I’ll just sit near the door.”

She wasn’t going to sit on one side. Mutering to herself, she sat down. Sky immediately stood up and moved to the seat next to her. But before he could even sit down, Lian took the chair first.

“My apologies, but I sat down first. You should sit opposite.”

What kind of power struggle is this over a meal? Eleanor said to Lian in a low voice.

“Why are you doing this?”

“I don’t want him close to you. That man touches you too easily.”

It seemed he had seen the scene in the hallway earlier.

“It was just a joke.”

“Even if it’s a joke, you shouldn’t touch other men.”

Lian shook his head.

“If feelings develop, it could be a big problem.”

“Pardon?”

“They say that when you rub against someone, feelings grow.”

Lian still seemed to believe the theory that touching someone makes you develop feelings for them. She was about to retort, but Sky was quicker.

“Rubbing against someone creates feelings?”

He looked annoying, pretending not to know, even though he had probably rubbed against many women.

“Yes, Eleanor taught me that.”

At Lian’s answer, Skye raised an eyebrow. She gulped, sensing he was about to play a mischievous trick. Suddenly, Skye hugged Lian.

“Oh, did nothing happen?”

“I’d get feelings from rubbing sandpaper against myself before I’d get them from you.”

Lian’s voice was stiff. But Skye, not at all bothered, retorted, “It was an interesting experiment. If you don’t have a sense of humor, women will dislike you.”

Lian frowned, a look that said, ‘What does that matter?’

“You know Eleanor is a woman, don’t you?”

Sky turned his downcast eyes to Eleanor and asked, “What do you think of a man with a sense of humor?”

“Well… I like it, of course.”

She just answered honestly, and Sky wore a triumphant expression.

“I have a sense of humor too.”

At Lian’s reply, Eleanor and Sky, as well as the servants bringing food to the table, all froze. Everyone must have thought to themselves, ‘That’s a bit of a stretch.’

“Then tell us a funny joke.”

Expectant gazes from Sky and the servants fell on Lian. He parted his lips but couldn’t utter a word and bit them.

“…I’ll prepare one for next time.”

The fact that he had to prepare a joke seemed to defeat the purpose, but Sky didn’t say that.

“I’ll look forward to it.”

He looked like he would use it as ammunition for his next attack.

“That’s enough, both of you. Just sit down and eat.”

To prevent the meaningless power struggle from dragging on, Eleanor made both of them sit down. With three people sitting side by side at a table with over ten seats, she couldn’t tell if the food was going into her mouth or her nose as the two men continued their verbal sparring.

“Well, a young count like yourself probably doesn’t know much about such things.”

Sky spoke condescendingly, and Lian’s eyes widened. To prevent another incident of him grabbing his sword, Eleanor hastily intervened.

“For the sake of my honor, let me make it clear that nothing happened, and nothing will happen.”

However, the verbal ping-pong didn’t stop.

“Oh, so you went in there and came out unscathed? Is there a problem with your lower half?”

“I was simply respecting Eleanor’s wishes.”

Lian replied flatly, but he looked resentful. He silently poked a potato with his fork for a moment before adding, “You won’t even get the chance.”

It seemed like a counter-attack he had thought of for a long time. However, the one person who was peerless at being slick, Sky, was not going to be flustered by such an attack.

“I don’t know. Today, I’ll be alone with Eleanor in the tower.”

Lian was set to play an important role in the third trial today. It was a trial that the Duchess and everyone else would attend, so as Sky said, the only significant people remaining in the castle would be the two of them.

“A lot can happen in that time. As you know, I’m quite fast with my hands…”

“That’s enough!”

Eleanor couldn’t bear to listen anymore and intervened. Lian pulled her into his arms. It was a very short kiss, but perhaps because of the memories of the night before, Eleanor flushed a deep red.

“She’s already mine, so you have no right to touch….”

Eleanor wondered if he could work properly as she left the dining room. The faces of the maids standing by the door followed her. Their gazes were filled with envy. Eleanor sighed inwardly and returned to her room.

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