I Abandoned the Male Lead Who Cheated with the Villainess - Chapter 24
‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾.
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While waiting for the end of working hours, Ivonne almost wished she were sick. However, she was too healthy, and as a result, she had no choice but to join the after-work gathering.
“Hey! Isn’t this the first time you’re joining us for a team dinner, Ivonne?”
“I hope we can have drinks together more often. A beer after work! It’s so nice, isn’t it?”
“That’s right. Do you drink by any chance? If not, I can take it for you…”
“No, we haven’t even arrived at the bar yet. What are you talking about? How can you know what the seating will be?”
Amidst the enthusiastic banter of the male employees, Ivonne wanted to go home even more. Although she hadn’t forgotten the fox throughout the past week, today its presence felt even more poignant.
She felt sorry for using it as an excuse. But she was so tired that she wished she could go home, hug the fox, and sleep.
Moreover…
“Ivonne, this is your first team dinner, right? So, sit next to me. As your supervisor, I’ll take responsibility for showing you how to enjoy a team dinner!”
Hamel, pushing through the male employees, even went so far as to assign Ivonne a seat.
“Wow, I’m looking forward to it.”
Ivonne’s face, forced to elevate her social skills and put on a bright smile, naturally paled. For a moment, she considered manipulating their memories with magic and ran away, like when she faced Celestia and Blitzen. She disliked it that much.
‘But that’s not an option.’
Hamel is the third son of a count. The jewel rings adorning his fingers are all magical artifacts, each with its unique enchantments. According to rumors, among them is an artifact that can detect magic and deploy protective shields.
While she has succeeded in using magic all the others, it seems that magic doesn’t work on Hamel. It would reveal her identity as an ancient sorcerer, which could be more troublesome.
Furthermore, regardless of whatever hell this team dinner might be for her, it was officially named the “Rix Welcome Party.” Though his expression couldn’t be read due to thick glasses, Rix might secretly be looking forward to this welcome party.
“Let’s go!”
Hamel subtly wrapped his arm around Ivonne’s shoulders and drew her closer to him. With this gesture, he effortlessly shattered her resolve.
‘Ah, should I just run away?’
She sent a pleading look to her colleagues, but they were just employees in the end. There was no one among them who could offer advice to the deputy head, someone only a rank lower than the department head and, furthermore, a third son of a count.
‘Why isn’t Johann here today…!’
Ivonne struggled to distance herself from Hamel, who was persistently trying to get closer, and headed towards the bar. However, there was someone quietly observing these department employees—the protagonist of this gathering, Rix. He walked alone, keeping a bit of distance from the group.
“…”
Walking a few paces behind, he tilted his head slightly, looking like he was lost in thought. The light from the streetlamp seeped through the gaps in his hair, which seemed tidier than the day before. It was as if a single beam of light from the lamp cut through the night sea like a lighthouse. His violet eyes were devoid of glow, and the pupils narrowed sharply.
If only one person among the bustling crowd leading Ivonne to the pub had turned around to look at Rix, it would have been great. Then they might understand why people instinctively feel fear in the pitch-dark sea, possess primitive fears, and harbor rapidly pulsating survival instincts.
Unfortunately, among the dozen or so people, no one glanced back at Rix, so the future left for them was to sink like a ship facing rough storms.
In the bar, where the team dinner was in full swing, Ivonne felt something strange.
‘People are leaving, but why isn’t anyone coming back?’
As the team dinner progressed, people began to melt away, influenced by alcohol.
There were people with flushed faces, repeating the same words, sprawled on cheap wooden chairs, shouting joyfully, pouring alcohol while intoxicated… It was chaos. Consequently, some went outside to sober up or smoke, forming pairs or trios, but not a single one of them returned.
‘Could it be that they’re making excuses and quietly running away?’
If that were the case, they were truly clever. And lucky. Ivonne also had her mind set on smoking a cigarette, something she wouldn’t touch if only she could go home.
“Come on, Ivonne! Cheers!”
Now, Hamel firmly gripping her wrist, clinking his glass against hers, left Ivonne speechless. Since she asked him to let go of her hand so she could eat the appetizer earlier, she couldn’t utter a word.
Hamel, who emptied his glass with a loud gulp, looked at Ivonne’s still full glass with a suspicious eye.
“Hey? Why aren’t you drinking?”
“Oh, I’ve had enough alcohol now….”
Ivonne was not strong with alcohol. After just two glasses, she was feeling a bit dizzy. Therefore, Ivonne, expressing a subtle desire to stop drinking, had no choice but to be caught in a predicament.
“Is that so?”
At that moment, Hamel’s pupils were so dark that she seemed unable to speak. It made her stomach turn. Ivonne knew what intentions were hidden behind those eyes.
‘Crazy….’
It was the kind of look that could be seen in the eyes of trash trying to take advantage of a drunken woman.
Ivonne was young, beautiful, and a commoner. Even though Hamel was twice her age and a noble, no one would punish him for touching her.
“Come on, come on. Drink up. You haven’t had much. Surely, you won’t refuse the drink I, as your superior, is offering, right?”
Hamel forced her, wearing a smile with impure desire. As she glanced at him with disbelief, the discomfort that had been suppressed all along suddenly surged, and her blood boiled.
