I Give Up on the BL Novel's Male Leads - Chapter 74
“I misspoke earlier. I’m in class 2 not because I look down on class 1, but because I’ve been too busy with other things to focus solely on grades.”
Melias quickly clarified after Damon’s comment, not wanting to seem dismissive of Illein’s efforts.
“Understood.”
Illein responded with a bitter smile and took the potion Damon offered her.
“But what will this do exactly? What will I look like after I drink this?”
“If you drink it after adding a strand of Melias’ hair, you’ll look somewhat like him.”
“Will it turn me into a man?”
“No, a woman. But you’ll resemble Melias.”
“And if we use your hair…”
“Then you might end up looking a bit like my cousin.”
“Oh.”
Illein was aware Damon had a cousin. The issue was that the two resembled each other quite closely.
“Transforming into her might be tricky.”
“Right?”
“Yes, especially since she’s been involved in marriage discussions with the Second Prince.”
So, Illein opted for Melias’ hair instead and mixed it into the potion. Damon then waved his wand over the potion bottle.
Melias’ golden hair dissolved into the black liquid, disappearing completely. Illein quickly drank it down, experiencing a taste as awful as if she had swallowed liquid charcoal.
However, the potion’s effect was impressively potent; her silver hair turned to a shimmering gold.
“Did my eye color change too?”
“Yes.”
“Good.”
Illein’s appearance had shifted. She might not have been able to see herself in a mirror, but her face now closely resembled Melias’, albeit still retaining traces of her own features.
“I want to find that person from earlier.”
“By now, the police should have arrived with a psychometrician. Let’s ask them to replay what we experienced.”
“That sounds good.”
Hoping to get another look at the assailant’s face, the three of them headed back to the ballroom.
After arriving, the atmosphere had turned noticeably tense.
“Ah, Brother. Is my presence here making you uncomfortable?”
Illein didn’t recognize the speaker, but from the conversation, it was clear who it was.
“My father is worried you might cause another incident, Brother. That’s why I’ve come.”
It was the Second Prince.
When Edwin was demoted from Crown Prince to just a prince, this man eyed the position of heir apparent. He was the eldest son of the current Empress and a favorite of the Emperor.
“Brother, fearing you might be bored, I brought our other siblings as well.”
“It’s a pity, Brother, that you have to graduate from the Academy.”
“How does it feel to relearn everything you already know?”
“You haven’t caused another incident, have you?”
They all spoke to Edwin provocatively. And there were others making the situation worse.
“We are from the police department! We received reports of someone causing a disturbance on the second floor!”
The officers had arrived. The princes exchanged glances and then scoffed at Edwin.
“Brother, it seems you’ve caused another mishap?”
Edwin was the First Prince. He was the eldest son of the previous Empress and bore a strong resemblance to her.
His natural magical power was so strong that everyone had high expectations from the moment he started to manifest his abilities.
When he demonstrated his ability in fire magic, everyone cheered. A powerful fire mage could greatly strengthen the empire.
Edwin’s magical power was unprecedented in its intensity and depth.
When he was angry, he could even produce blue flames, highlighting the immense expectations placed on him by the imperial family.
His intelligence matched his mother’s; he remembered everything he learned, retaining information as if photographed in his mind. His most formidable ability, however, was his physical strength.
Edwin had grown into a man strong enough to take down monsters with his bare hands. He was tall and built like a knight, yet his beauty was unmatched, making him a striking figure. He was truly perfection in every sense.
However, rumors had started to circulate that he was responsible for a murder.
It was widely believed that the blue flames, clearly produced by Edwin, had once set the palace on fire. Although the fire was extinguished, the rumor that Edwin was the arsonist spread, and there was one casualty reported in the incident.
The identity of the victim remained unknown.
However, everyone believed that Edwin had started the fire to cover up a murder he had committed. Coupled with his sudden emergence as an outstanding but uncontrollable fire mage.
It led to Edwin being demoted to a prince under the cloud of a murder accusation.
That was as much as Illein knew.
The Emperor disliked Edwin because every time he looked at him, he was reminded of the deceased former Empress, stirring his longing.
Now, standing defiantly before him was the Second Prince, the son of the woman currently most favored by the Emperor—the current Empress. She detested Edwin, believing that he had stolen her son’s rightful place.
Possibly inheriting his mother’s feelings, the Second Prince looked at Edwin with hatred.
