How the Male Lead Cures the Time-Limited Young Lady - Chapter 7.8

The atmosphere between the two noticeably warmed up with the portrait as a starting point.

However, as the conversation with Liliana continued, Yvette felt a sense of guilt.

‘How can I set up such a good person with someone like Kervel?’

At first, she had only thought about gaining Liliana’s favor to persuade Kervel.

But the more they talked, the more she felt Liliana was too good for that.

‘But it’s not like I can just leave things as they are…’

It felt like she had created another problem while trying to solve one.

After that, Liliana and Yvette chatted casually before wrapping up the meeting.

Liliana left for the academy, promising to invite Yvette to her studio later.

After seeing her off, Yvette skipped dinner and flopped onto her bed.

As planned, she had laid the first stepping stone to becoming friends with Liliana.

However, rather than feeling happy, she felt uneasy.

“…Can I really break the curse this way?”

Yvette murmured with a sigh as she touched the nape of her neck.

While she was pinning her hopes on Liliana, she wasn’t entirely confident.

Even if she succeeded in becoming friends with Liliana, what came after was the problem.

To make her persuade Kervel, she would have to explain her curse first.

Inevitably, she would have to tell the story of how Kervel cursed her family.

‘Kervel is surely pretending to be an angel in front of Liliana. Is it okay for me to tell her about this?’

She worried that if she said the wrong thing, her life might be forfeit before she could even break the curse.

“…Why is everything so complicated?”

Yvette let out a deep sigh.

She had expected her path to be difficult, but she didn’t think it would be this hard.

‘Should I just try to seduce Noel?’

In fact, that was the simplest method.

But it was also the most dangerous one.

Even if she succeeded, there was no guarantee that she could stay with him for life.

Yvette couldn’t risk her life in such uncertainty.

“…Nothing is easy.”

Yvette mumbled weakly, her face buried in the pillow.

***

“Master. As you requested, I’ve brought the tea.”

Late at night.

A very tense Leon knocked on the door of Viscount Magnus’s study.

Ever since returning from an outing a few days ago, Viscount Magnus had seemed to be in a good mood.

Usually, he would flare up in anger at the slightest mistake, but recently he had only been nagging.

Leon found this change both welcome and frightening.

He never knew when his master might have another mood swing.

“Come in.”

Sure enough, a gentle voice flowed from beyond the door this time as well.

Leon swallowed hard and pulled the doorknob.

As soon as he entered the study, the first thing that greeted him was a thick cloud of cigarette smoke.

Trying hard to suppress a cough, Leon set down the teacup and teapot in front of Viscount Magnus.

His hands kept trembling due to nervousness.

“Put it there and leave.”

Viscount Magnus said without even looking at him.

Leon moved quickly to avoid upsetting him.

But perhaps he was too hasty.

As he tried to step back, he stumbled.

Crash!

As the carpet was pulled, the items on the table clattered to the floor.

Leon, who had hurriedly stood up, looked down at the floor in dismay.

The golden eyes instantly filled with fear.

“I-I’m sorry. I’ll clean it up right away.”

Leon quickly knelt before Viscount Magnus. Then he desperately gathered the scattered fragments on the floor.

His hand was cut by the sharp edges, but Leon paid no attention to it.

The punishment to come was more frightening than the stinging pain.

“Don’t bother, get up.”

However, for some reason, Viscount Magnus didn’t get angry with him.

If anything, his voice seemed to have softened.

Leon, who had been bowing his head to the floor, cautiously raised his gaze.

He saw Viscount Magnus looking at him with an inscrutable expression.

Viscount Magnus silently reached out his hand towards Leon.

Expecting a blow to come, Leon instinctively hunched his shoulders.

However, instead of swinging his fist, Viscount Magnus lightly grasped Leon’s chin.

“…This should be enough to replace me.”

He carefully examined Leon’s face as if observing him.

Not understanding what was happening, Leon could only tremble.

“That’s enough, you can go now.”

Viscount Magnus released Leon’s chin after finishing his observation.

Following the dismissal, Leon left the place without looking back.

“I wonder who he takes after to be such a coward.”

Viscount Magnus clicked his tongue and snapped his fingers.

The scattered fragments on the floor flew into the trash can on their own.

“Still, he’s worth the effort of raising him all this time.”

Viscount Magnus leaned back comfortably in his chair and lifted the corners of his mouth in satisfaction.

Soon, he recalled the conversation he had with Kervel a few days ago.

***

“We won’t be disturbed by anyone here. So if you have something to say, say it here.”

Kervel withdrew the pitch-black shadow and gestured around with his chin.

The place he had taken Viscount Magnus to was a cabin located in a secluded forest.

Viscount Magnus looked around with an interested expression.

Ordinary people might not notice, but as a magician, he could feel it.

‘He’s put up all sorts of barriers around here.’