I Give Up on the BL Novel's Male Leads - Chapter 48
“What will you be doing?”
“I’ll quietly study.”
“Study… really?”
She looked at him in surprise when he mentioned studying.
“What do you mean?”
As he smiled mysteriously, she tensed up and quickly clarified,
“Because you’re always sleeping during class.”
“Education at the academy feels repetitive since it’s my second time around. It’s easy and I manage fine without listening.”
At that moment, she felt a pang of tension. She had always been top of her class at the academy.
It dawned on her that Edwin, being royal, had likely already learned much of what the academy taught. Even if he seemed to take classes lightly, could he really fail the exams?
“Why that reaction?”
“Oh, no, I’ll just go and change.”
“Okay.”
Realizing this made her more determined to focus on her studies.
He seemed so nonchalant about it all because this was all simple to him. She thought studying had been her talent this life and before, but it made her reflect that she had been reckless.
She felt foolish for underestimating him because he always seemed disengaged.
How disastrous it would be, if she even came second. Her parents would surely pull her out of school, thinking it best for her, and then she’d likely have to marry Melias.
‘Stop it!’
She stopped her train of thoughts and headed upstairs.
Meanwhile, Edwin casually flipped through a textbook. It was all too mundane for him as he had already mastered the material.
Moreover, he had a photographic memory, though he never mentioned it to others. He could glance at a book and imprint its content in his mind. So, he was able to recall it effortlessly during exams.
For him, academy exams were trivial.
While his eyes were on the book, his mind wandered. He dwelt on his anger towards the imperial family that had framed him and demoted him.
It all seemed like a well-orchestrated play. Every piece of evidence had been manipulated to target Edwin as the culprit. So it left him trapped.
To resolve all these problems, he needed to find the mastermind behind the situation. But the culprit seemed just out of reach, adding to his frustration.
“Uh, excuse me…”
Illein approached Edwin hesitantly, looking clearly uncomfortable. Edwin looked up at her voice, then abruptly closed his book and looked at her intently.
“Dress comfortably…”
He had told her to dress comfortably, yet there she was in a lavish dress.
He was momentarily confused—was this really her idea of casual attire? Since everyone at the imperial palace dressed opulently, perhaps in her own way, this was her definition of comfort.
“You’re dressed.”
“Uh, yes. It’s very comfortable. Really.”
Illein’s face flushed.
She hadn’t anticipated such a scenario, having never much cared about her attire. She had wanted to dress comfortably, too, but when she went to pick out something casual, there was nothing suitable in her wardrobe.
The only decent thing she had was a dress her mother got from Duchy Candelaria, which was left at Marquis Wignum’s residence. So, with no other options, she had ended up wearing this extravagant dress.
“Does it look strange?”
Illein knew it well. She knew her outfit was too much; it was anything but casual, and her voice trembled as she asked.
“No.”
His response came out oddly smoothly. Then, doubting if he had spoken properly, he looked at her again.
Her silver hair cascaded over her shoulders, shimmering like waves, and her eyes sparkled blue like sapphires.
Looking into her eyes, he noticed they weren’t just deep blue; they were as bright as the surface of an iceberg. Possibly reflecting her water attribute, reminiscent of a crystal-clear lake.
“Your hand, please.”
“Why my hand? Oh, right, of course.”
He hurriedly corrected himself as she appeared even more bewildered. He wanted to reach out to her, Edwin found himself taking her hand first.
Although no one said they had to face each other, once he took her hand, Edwin found himself gazing intently at Illein.
Illein didn’t want to meet his piercing red gaze as she felt intimidated. But it seemed rude to look away from someone staring directly at her.
Moreover, he was someone who could end her life at any moment.
However, he was known as a mad prince with no interest in women.
Perhaps that’s why, despite the fear, he didn’t seem as threatening as when she first saw him.
It was like looking at a black panther trapped behind bars.
“Hehe.”
Somehow, Illein felt it was good to share her magic with him.
When she shared her magic, as much as hers flowed out, his flowed into her.
That’s why she had felt so healthy for the two days they had shared magic.
Despite only sleeping for four hours over two days, she felt as refreshed as if she had slept ten hours a day.
That’s why she liked holding hands with him like this.
She would receive more of his magic and could catch up on all her studies until dawn.
“Why are you laughing?”
“Because I’m happy. Edwin, your hands are really warm. Is it because you have fire attributes?”
She said this with a smile.