I Wasn't Trying to Seduce with the Male Lead - Episode114

“Whoa!”

As the music ended, a cheer erupted.

Only then did Eleanor realize her surroundings and flinch.

‘Ugh, everyone’s staring.’

It was a masked ball in the middle of the plaza. Attending a festival after a long time, Eleanor was in her element, as if a fish had found water. As she swayed her shoulders to the band’s music, Lian asked her to dance, and the two of them joined the bustling crowd. They danced so enthusiastically, following the rhythm of their bodies, that a circle formed around them, and spectators gathered.

She hadn’t noticed because the mask narrowed her peripheral vision so much. No, more than that, it was because of the person who had captured her attention right in front of her.

“Would you like to dance another?”

The corner of his mouth smiled so elegantly.

That alone was enough to make the spectators gasp.

There was no need to attract more attention, so Eleanor shook her head and retreated to a corner with Lian.

Going to the bridge near the pond, Eleanor leaned on the railing and looked at Lian.

“I didn’t know the Count could dance.”

Having been to all the major parties in high society, she could tell right away that his skill was top-notch.

Lian was an ultra-celebrity whose every move was known in high society; if he sneezed during a regular knight order report, it would be the talk of the town the next day. If he were good at or enjoyed dancing, it wouldn’t have been a secret.

“Did you like dancing?”

“I don’t dislike it.”

Lian’s answer sounded a little awkward.

When Eleanor raised an eyebrow and looked at him, Lian soon admitted honestly.

“I don’t enjoy it, but I practiced a little because you said you liked it.”

That was “a little” practice?

Well, considering his inhuman athletic ability, it was probably to be expected.

“I wanted to share what you love.”

“So you learned it for me?”

“Well, I did it alone.”

Alone?

Thinking of him practicing alone in his room made her feel a little fond of him.

Eleanor chuckled and shook her head.

“I appreciate the thought, but what I like is something we can both have fun doing together. Count…”

Lian held up a finger, stopping Eleanor’s words.

“It might be better to change how you address me.”

Even though they had escaped to a corner, people were still watching them.

“Would you call me by my name?”

Eleanor hesitated for a moment and then decided to follow his suggestion.

“Lian.”

When she said his name, Lian grinned.

He seemed happy, but she felt shy for some reason.

Was it because it had been so long since she had been alone with a man that she felt this fluttery?

No. This was all because the person was Lian.

Feeling awkward, Eleanor subtly changed the subject.

“Oh, there are ducks.”

Cute ducks with alchemist’s lanterns on their backs were floating in the clear pond.

The reflection of the lights on the water created a very lovely atmosphere.

As she watched with her mouth agape, someone tugged on her clothes.

“Miss, Miss.”

She looked down and saw a small, young girl in ragged clothes.

“Would you like to feed the ducks?”

The girl held out a basket that was too big for her small body, a pitiful sight. Fortunately, it seemed she had sold a lot, as the basket was full of coins.

“I will.”

As soon as Eleanor’s words fell, Lian stepped forward.

When he approached, the girl’s face turned red.

To be able to sway the heart of a girl half his age, even with a mask on…

He was truly a man of many sins.

“The duck, duck food is one coin.”

The girl stuttered, her expression like she was experiencing first love.

Lian immediately took out a gold coin and offered it.

“Oh, I don’t have that much money…”

“However much you have is fine.”

After saying that, Lian abruptly grabbed a handful of the coins piled up in the basket.

Eleanor was flustered at the sight.

A gold coin was worth dozens of times more, but there was no need to take all the change, was there?

Was he unexpectedly calculating?

Even with a poor young girl?

“Take this.”

Lian handed a handful to Eleanor and smiled.

Then he walked over to the railing and did something completely unexpected.

Splash!

Lian threw the coins he had picked up into the pond.

Eleanor’s eyes widened, and the startled ducks scattered in all directions.

“What… are you doing?”

When she asked in a dazed voice, Lian tilted his head.

“Hmm, they don’t seem to be eating well. Are they full?”

Eleanor tried for a moment to understand his actions.

And she soon realized his reason.

“They don’t eat the coin, they eat…”

“Ah…”

Before she could finish her sentence, Lian also seemed to realize his mistake.

He looked blank for a moment, then a blush spread from his pale earlobes to his cheeks.

“Just a stream of consciousness… I didn’t mean to.”

“Ahahaha!”

Eleanor burst into laughter.

“It seems my low score has just dropped even further.”

Lian grumbled in a low voice.

If his score went any higher, it would be too much.

A handsome man who was also cute was a dangerous combination.

“It’s our first date, I was nervous.”

Lian explained in a low voice.

As he said, Lian had seemed stiff from the beginning.

Eleanor giggled and then turned around.

And she threw the coins Lian had given her into the pond.

“Eleanor?”

Lian looked at Eleanor as if asking what she was doing.

Before she could answer his question, a cheer erupted from the people around them.

“Whoa!”

Poor boys and girls nearby began to jump into the pond.

They were looking for the coins the two of them had just thrown in so extravagantly.

“The ducks aren’t the only ones who are hungry.”

Lian’s expression showed he understood Eleanor’s words.

More than the money itself, the sight of the children splashing and playing in the water was truly a happy scene.

“Do you have more gold coins?”

Lian held out his pocket.

Eleanor handed a gold coin to each of the children who had been selling duck food or flowers and then took their coins and threw them into the pond.

Soon, not just children but young adults too jumped in.

“Let’s go in too.”

The two of them also rolled up their pants and skirts and played in the water.

It was a great joy to see the children’s faces as they splashed in the shimmering light, picked up the buried coins, and rejoiced.

They laughed, chatted, and bought food from street vendors, enjoying the festival to the fullest.

As the night deepened, the heat of the first day of the festival began to subside.

“I had so much fun.”

“Me too.”

Lian’s expression showed his genuine agreement.

He also seemed much more relaxed than at the beginning.

“Are you all relaxed now?”

Lian smiled and nodded.

“Then shall we go on the date you prepared, Count?”

Eleanor spoke without thinking, and then she felt she had made a mistake.

A subtle light appeared in Lian’s eyes.

“Follow me.”

Lian’s heated voice carried an undeniable power.

As if enchanted, Eleanor took his hand.

And she got into the carriage as Lian led her.

Lian sent away Elai and drove the carriage himself.

She thought it would be close, but the carriage traveled for a long time, leaving the city of Felicity behind.

It was very late at night.

Eleanor, who had been dozing off, woke up to a hand shaking her.

“We’ve arrived.”

Lian, still wearing his mask, was calling her.

Dazed, Eleanor got out of the carriage and looked around, her eyes widening.

“This is…”

A magnificent castle lay beyond a huge moat.

It was more of a fortress than a castle. Unlike the elegant La Florid or the practical Line of Abrot, it had a rugged but very strong, ironclad image.

As Eleanor looked around, Lian spoke in a low voice.

“This is the Calabria Field.”

The Duchy of Calabria.

If so, the reason he brought her here was…

“My father called me last night and told me of his intention to step down.”

Eleanor slowly turned back to Lian.

“I tried to dissuade him, saying it was unnecessary, but he would not change his mind, saying the name of Calabria should be passed on to the Imperial Knight Commander.”

“Then the Count… has become the Duke.”

It was a foregone conclusion, so it wasn’t strange, but there was a lingering feeling in Eleanor’s voice.

Even with just a count title, the difference between him and a commoner was as vast as heaven and earth.

The place Lian belonged to was inside a mansion party, and the place that suited her was the commoner’s plaza from earlier.

Even though she told herself she didn’t need to be conscious of it, she couldn’t help but feel awkward.

She wasn’t doubting Lian’s sincerity at all.

Just as she was confident in herself for always living her life with her own abilities, the very position of having to stand on a tilted ground was very uncomfortable.

“Let’s go inside.”

Still, she didn’t want to ignore Lian’s heartfelt gesture because of her own feelings.

Eleanor tried to put on a bright expression and followed him inside.

Beyond the high castle walls was a huge parade ground.

As befitting a famous martial family, instead of a well-tended flower garden, there were wooden training boards, targets, and various physical training facilities for knights.

The two soon entered a long corridor.

“This is the Hall of Calabria Knights.”

Lian explained briefly.

Portraits of knights who had brought glory to the Calabria family were hung on the long stone walls.

In front of them were old suits of armor and the weapons they would have used.

It was the very history of the Calabria family, which had existed for longer than the empire itself.

Eleanor was genuinely impressed.

“What a wonderful place.”

Hearing her words, Lian’s lips curled up.

Honestly, she had expected the date Lian had prepared to be something romantic.

But he brought her to his family’s hall.

It was cool, but it didn’t seem like him.

Did he feel more pride in his family than she thought?

The two of them soon reached the end of the corridor.

“Wow…”

An exclamation of admiration flowed from Eleanor’s lips once more.

The wide, grand hall was decorated with alchemist’s lanterns, creating a fantastical atmosphere.

Stained-glass ceilings filtered in mysterious light, and red roses, as if deliberately arranged, were hung on the walls.

Lian led Eleanor to the dais in the center.

And he spoke in a serious voice.

“Eleanor.”

“Yes, Count.”

Lian slowly reached out and took off the mask covering Eleanor’s face.

Then he began to untie the ribbon on his own mask.

Swoosh.

As the ribbon came loose, Lian’s face, more fantastic than anything else, was revealed.

His purple eyes were filled with a look of great tension.

The atmosphere was unusual, as if something very important was about to be said.

“I brought you here because there is something I must tell you.”

Lian’s pleasant voice echoed sweetly in the hall.

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