I Give Up on the BL Novel's Male Leads - Chapter 72
“What exactly happened here?”
Damon’s expression darkened as he noted the peculiar closeness between Illein and Melias.
But as he caught Illein’s eye, he forced a smile and responded to Melias’s question.
“I don’t know. Someone hit me from behind, and when I woke up, I saw blood on Illein’s shoulder.”
“Who did it?”
“I didn’t get a good look at their face.”
“It was Edwin.”
Illein added, squinting slightly and then reopening her eyes.
“Really? But Prince Edwin was downstairs with people.”
Melias’s bewildered response made Illein’s head spin again.
Illein still felt a throbbing pain in her head. She was so drunk that she couldn’t differentiate between reality and illusion.
And she even wondered if this situation might be a dream.
She hadn’t drunk alcohol in so long that her body wasn’t handling it well. In her past life, she had been conditioned by frequent social drinking, so she had thought she knew her limits well.
But it seemed this body was weaker to alcohol than she expected.
She used to be quite resistant to poisons and truth serums, possibly thanks to the heirloom ring she always wore, rather than her inherent strength as a water manipulator.
Now, the only thing different about her was the ring that was not with her, which could be causing her increased vulnerability.
That was probably why she was so confused. Her head hurt, and the swirling thoughts were disorienting her.
“We need to go downstairs.”
“There’s a hangover cure there, right?”
“Yes.”
Melias looked at Illein with concern as she appeared quite pale.
“Melias, are you angry?”
“No.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. I guess I wasn’t thinking straight…”
Illein stared earnestly at Melias.
Seeing his expression harden, Melias quickly softened and reassured her.
“I’m not angry with you. It’s just my concern that might have made me look upset.”
Melias held her gaze until the turmoil in her blue eyes steadied. The blue eyes mixed slowly with a sense of relief and he felt a bit of relief as well.
“I’m worried about the blood on your dress, Illenas. I’m concerned you might be hurt without realizing where.”
Damon trailed a step behind, he hesitated to step in between them as it seemed Melias was genuinely concerned.
Melias might have been recalling his mother’s accident.
The late Marchioness Wignum died due to an attack by a desert monster. She initially thought to be a small cut from a plant that bled a little but turned out to be a deadly poison and she died suddenly.
Melias was the one who saw it from the sides.
Having witnessed his mother’s sudden death from an unnoticed injury, it was natural for Melias to react strongly to Illein’s situation.
“Damon, you should head to the police.”
“…Yes, that seems wise.”
“No need to go there directly, there are ways to report. I’ll report this… and come back.”
Damon then went to the first floor, heading in a different direction from them.
“That wasn’t really my blood. I’m perfectly fine.”
“….Let’s see a doctor first.”
“No, I’m a water manipulator; aren’t I more capable than most doctors?”
“A priest might still be good to see.”
“I think I’m better than most priests too. Look.”
Illein then demonstrated her abilities to Melias. He inadvertently chuckled at the warmth flowing through him from her touch.
“Even so…”
Seeing his concern, Illein seemed somewhat repentant and nodded.
“I won’t drink anymore.”
“No, you don’t have to go that far…”
“I’ll abstain from alcohol.”
“That’s not what I want. You don’t have to restrict yourself so much.”
Melias didn’t wish for her to cut out a part of her life because of him.
“Then I’ll only drink a little.”
“I will also only drink a little.”
“Okay. We both will only drink a little.”
Unlike before, Melias’s serious worry had lessened, and now he appeared quite relieved.
Together, Illein and Melias headed towards the first terrace on the first floor.
As Illein approached the terrace, she spotted Edwin surrounded by people. Despite his apparent irritation, he seemed to be enduring the attention, which Illein found amusing.
“Your Highness, this way…”
“Your Highness! I’m…”
“Would you remember me? I’m…”
“Your Highness, I’m so happy to see you again!”
Edwin looked on with disdain at the clamoring voices around him.
Seeing this, Illein felt certain that her earlier experience had been a dream. It made sense now.
If Edwin had really been upstairs, it seemed unlikely that the crowd would have allowed him to slip away unnoticed.
