I Abandoned the Male Lead Who Cheated with the Villainess - Chapter 51
‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾.
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Herix had initially intended to eliminate all these concerns without hesitation. He truly would have done so if the past mistakes hadn’t constricted his breathing or if the unyielding promises hadn’t oppressed his entire being.
<I will come back, and until then, you must do nothing.>
She had kept her promise. So, Herix had to keep his, even if it felt like his entire body was ensnared in heated chains, making it excruciatingly difficult to maintain his sanity.
All of this was solely for her, thus, the faithful beast could only obey.
‘But Ivonne, does closing the door mean ‘wait’ or ‘no’?’
If it’s the former, he could endure a bit longer. But if it’s the latter, even if it meant revealing his dreadful fangs or if his claws were to be completely worn down, he was prepared to lash out.
‘I shouldn’t…. I’ll end up being punished again.’
He dreaded that. Above all, he wanted to avoid ‘that punishment’ at all costs.
“Whoo…”
Herix took a deep breath. A faint smell of rain brushed against his sensitively sharp nose. Looking out the window, he noticed the raindrops falling. Boom, he could hear the distant clash of thunder.
In the darkness of the unlit room, where the man stood still as a shadow, a cruel smile suddenly twisted his lips.
“Ah… Right.”
A heavy, dragging tone at the end of his voice was followed by a choking laugh, expelling all the air from his lungs.
“You always had a soft spot for those in pain.”
When the man grinned devilishly, baring his teeth and bulging his snake-like eyes, a flash! The cabin, previously enveloped in darkness, was bleached by lightning, obliterating all colors. In that moment, only the man’s purple eyes left a vivid afterimage.
It was indeed a moment of a ‘brilliant idea.’
⚜ ⚜ ⚜
It was a particularly sleepless night.
Perhaps it was the storm that seemed to announce the onset of the monsoon, lashing out fiercely. Thus, Ivonne found herself flipping through the pages of a book, unable to fall asleep. Then, she heard a knock.
“……?”
Knock, knock, knock.
Ah, was it the sound of rain? Or the knock of an unwelcome visitor at an hour when even the night was asleep? Or perhaps the fox, longing for her warmth, had returned on this stormy night?
Ivonne didn’t hesitate to get up from her spot. Even if the visitor was a villain, Ivonne had the power to fend him off. Plus, a neighbor as large as a bear named Rix lived nearby.
However, when she opened the door, holding a lamp in front of her, the person standing there defied all her expectations.
“Ah, Miss Ivonne! It’s a relief. You’re still awake.”
“Department head…?”
The unexpected visitor was Johann, with a drenched face and an embarrassed smile. And he wasn’t alone.
“Behind you… Good heavens, Rix?!”
He was carrying Rix, who was burning up with fever and gasping for breath.
Rain streamed down Johann’s handsome face, making his damp eyebrows droop in a look of embarrassment. He heaved the lifeless Rix onto his shoulder.
“I’m terribly sorry for coming at this hour. But I had nowhere else to turn for help.”
“Ah, no, firstly. Please, come inside.”
Ivonne hurriedly made room. Johann, bowing his head even as he entered, followed her into the living room at her invitation.
“Lay him here.”
“Right.”
Ivonne’s favorite sofa was now fully occupied by just Rix. As Ivonne, who had placed dry logs in the unused fireplace of summer, turned to Johann who was dripping water and standing awkwardly,
“I’ll dry you off in no time.”
“You’ll dry us off?”
When Johann replied, bewildered, Ivonne snapped her fingers. Just like that, Rix and Johann that had been soaked from the summer rain, were instantly dry. Not only them but the water trails Johan had made and the mess on the sofa from Rix disappeared without a trace.
Johann commented with interest as he fluffed his now dry ash-gray hair,
“I knew you were a wizard, but this is truly remarkable. To cast such precise magic without a single chant…”
Caught off guard, Ivonne simply nodded.
“I try not to use it much in the palace, though.”
“Understandable. Revealing that you can wield magic so freely would indeed attract unwanted attention in the palace. Plus, we wouldn’t want to lose Ivonne, our administrative genius, to the Magic Tower.”
The Magic Tower referred to the magic research institutions located in the cardinal directions of the Sortenic Empire. With many wizards in the empire, being affiliated with the Magic Tower signified recognition as an outstanding wizard. It could be an honorary or a salaried position.
Ivonne shrugged feeling somewhat embarrassed,
“I just do my job diligently. But, what brings you here at this hour with Rix…?”
“Ah, yes. Rix has been assisting another department these past few weeks, right? There was a bit of a mix-up related to that. It’s about the Crown Prince’s birthday banquet tomorrow morning. There’s something that needs correcting before then…”
Tsk, tsk, tsk, Johann shook his head as if he had seen all the sorrows of the world, continuing his pitiful tale with a furrowed brow.
