I Give Up on the BL Novel's Male Leads - Chapter 96
“Why? Is that what you’re thinking of right now?”
“…Edwin.”
“Then I should have killed him.”
“No, that’s not—”
“What’s not?”
“Damon is a childhood friend…”
“Oh, really?”
“He’s a benefactor to our family…”
That was true. If Candelaria Duchy hadn’t extended a helping hand, Thierry Barony would have been in serious trouble.
Even now, they were repaying the debt and gradually paying off the principal. If they weren’t working for Duke Candelaria, her family would have lost their title and been left on the streets.
It was a major business failure that had hit them hard.
For her, Damon’s family had indeed been a savior.
So, deceiving Damon was something that weighed heavily on her conscience and made her feel guilty.
From what she had observed from afar, Damon had endured countless betrayals and pains.
His family’s high status didn’t mean he had been raised like a sheltered flower. Illein knew that well.
So, it was inevitable that she felt uneasy hearing Edwin joke about killing him.
“Do you see him as a man?”
“Damon is… yes. Now that you mention it, he is a man.”
“What?”
He chuckled at her response. Though his anger seemed to have subsided slightly, he still didn’t release her hand.
His hair brushed against her thigh.
The tickling sensation made her body shrink away.
“So, who do you think of as a man?”
“At the academy, everyone is a man except for Marian and Alisha.”
“No, I mean, who feels like a man to you?”
Edwin’s voice was low and soft, but there was an edge to it.
She knew she had to answer carefully to avoid any potential backlash.
“Edwin.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re handsome?”
“Heh. And?”
“Because your eyes are beautiful?”
“Oh, you like these eyes?”
At that moment, she regretted saying it, but she wanted to make amends.
“I know what those eyes mean to you, but to me, they’re just so beautiful. Like a gem.”
“Tell me more.”
“Every time I look into your eyes, I’m reminded of being with you. Even when I close my eyes, the afterimage stays with me, and it’s fascinating.”
“It’s not unpleasant to hear those words again.”
As she spoke, she gently touched his eyelashes with her right hand, the one he hadn’t bitten.
He remained still to her touch like a submissive beast.
“Why are you handling me so well?”
“Me?”
“Yes, you.”
He looked up at her, seemingly leaning into her touch.
It felt as though he was pretending to be a gentle creature despite his intimidating size and the cold, wild madness in his eyes.
“What do you mean by handling you well?”
“Like making me think about killing Young Duke Candelaria, but then deciding not to.”
“…I’d prefer if you didn’t act so frightening.”
“If you keep doing this, it will.”
“Hasn’t it always been like that?”
“It has been, hasn’t it?”
She didn’t quite understand his words. Since she had entered this body, he had always been like this.
“Maybe that wasn’t my true intention.”
“Really?”
“Yes, I want to treat Edwin well. I want to be warm and, sometimes when I unintentionally hurt you, I feel sorry.”
“Do you really think that?”
“Oh! Yes…”
She was startled when he smiled with a sad expression and grabbed her leg.
Then, as he removed her slipper and kissed the top of her foot, she felt as though she might stop breathing.
The tickling and strange sensation she felt with his breath on her fingers now seemed to be present on her foot as well.
“Oh! Why? Are you biting?”
“Does it hurt?”
“It’s itchy. It feels strange.”
“Where does it feel strange?”
“Inside my chest… it feels strange.”
He seemed to take pleasure in her words and laughed softly. Then he bit the top of her foot quite firmly.
Unlike his hands, the top of her foot was less sensitive, so rather than pain, she felt a peculiar sensation.
His bright red lips and deep black hair seemed to enhance his beauty to her even more.
“I feel the same.”
“Ah…”
“I want to have you completely.”
He said this as he moved up to her ankle.
She felt his lips slowly ascend from her foot to her calf, and it made her body feel odd.
“Edwin.”
“Yes?”
“But… what is this!”
Illein then noticed a red mark near Edwin’s neck. Upon closer inspection, she saw blood staining the black uniform he was wearing, and it appeared that blood was splattered onto his neck as well.
She suddenly realized that he was wearing a coat over his blood-soaked clothes.
“Oh, this?”
“Are you injured?”
Illein was momentarily startled by the amount of blood on his body.
If his clothes were soaked, it meant quite a significant amount of blood.
For a brief moment, she thought she might be able to act on her own volition.
But that wasn’t the case. Despite her intentions, her hands continued to explore his body.
