Male Lead, Don’t Follow Me! - Chapter 15

***

“But didn’t they look so good together?”

The young ladies were excited about the story of Bishwaltz and Serhin. The chemistry they showed was so enchanting that they couldn’t forget it.

There were even those who lamented not having seen that famous scene that day.

‘How is this even progressing?’

I admired Bishwaltz’s intelligence. It seemed I should leave here quickly.

“Ephelia, are there any spirit user recruitments in the provinces?”

This was <Kotina>, the capital city at the center of the empire. As befitting a capital, both magicians and spirit users were concentrated here.

Occasionally, there were cases where they recruited support from the capital to the provinces. That’s what I was aiming for.

I often asked Ephelia if she’d like to apply together for the provinces to get her away from here.

There were some jobs in the provinces that needed the hands of spirit users.

Things like surveying the land; I was certain that the kind-hearted Ephelia wouldn’t mind going where her help was needed, as it wasn’t particularly dangerous work.

“Hmm, the recruitment guidelines haven’t been posted yet.”

“When they do, we’ll go together, right?”

Ephelia smiled, forming an arc with her lips at my sparkling eyes.

“Since there are other spirit users in the capital, we should go where help is needed. It seems like things are wrapping up here anyway.”

“I think the Kaibern region would be good.”

“Kaibern? Would that be okay?”

Ephelia asked in a somewhat worried tone. It was a place everyone tended to avoid.

However, I felt that there was no safer place than that.

Four regions surrounded Kotina at its center, and among them, the Kaibern region was located in the north.

The reason I specifically wanted this area was that it had less active exchange with Kotina compared to other places.

When you think of the northern region, doesn’t it bring to mind images of bleakness and a dark Grand Duke?

Who knows, there might be a hidden man who’s kind and sacrifices everything for the woman he loves.

Yes, I had a strong desire to find another potential protagonist who might be hiding there and connect them with Ephelia.

“Of course! It’s fine! Shouldn’t we go especially because others don’t apply there?”

Ephelia seemed greatly moved by my words.

It feels like things will work out well.

People’s interest in the Forbidden Forest, which had been a constant topic of conversation, was gradually fading away.

In a way, it was fortunate. Just the fact that my bamboo forest still existed was a comfort to me.

‘Still, these rumors are too ridiculous.’

I clicked my tongue.

“By the way, who could it be?”

Ephelia tilted her head curiously.

“Hmm?”

“The Hidden Woman of Duke Bishwaltz. Well, it’s fortunate for me, though.”

Thanks to this, Ephelia’s father rejected the marriage proposal.

The reason was that he couldn’t allow her to marry into a house surrounded by such persistent rumors.

Perhaps I had heard so many times that Duke Bishwaltz was unsuitable that my ears had grown numb to it?

Ephelia showed no interest in Duke Bishwaltz.

Fortunately, they hadn’t had any encounters yet, so I was also relieved.

“Whoever she is, it’s quite unfortunate.”

“Y-Yeah…”

I felt sorry for the hidden woman who probably didn’t even exist.

What was Serhin thinking when he helped him?

Did he step forward despite knowing that he did this to find me?

Then why did he help hide me before?

‘Ah…’

I see. He just finds this whole situation amusing.

“Oh, right! Did you hear? His Highness the Crown Prince is also personally looking for that woman.”

“W-What…?”

I asked back with a pale face.

“Didn’t you know? Duke Bishwaltz and Crown Prince Liandore have been close since childhood.”

“…”

I didn’t know. I hadn’t thought about it at all.

I had been so focused on the relationship between Bishwaltz and Ephelia that I didn’t have time to consider others.

Above all, those two shouldn’t be that close, should they?

What kind of proposal could they have exchanged?

Crown Prince Liandore, Serhin, and Bishwaltz were rivals if anything, not close colleagues.

They would become rivals over Ephelia in the future, after all.

How could I have forgotten about Crown Prince Liandore? I felt sick at my painful mistake.

‘But why are they all looking for me together? Why?’

I resolved to leave this place as soon as possible.

Should I even consider fleeing in the dead of night…?

I felt like the net was slowly closing in around me.

***

I kept suppressing my desire to go to the forbidden forest.

“I have nowhere to talk about this.”

I might get sick at this rate!

Unable to bear the frustration any longer, I finally went out.

Ena waved her hand, telling me to go with Ephelia.

“At times like this, something sweet is the best!”

“I knew you’d say that, so I made a reservation in advance.”

“Really?”

I stomped my feet in excitement, imagining the cake that would soon be in my mouth. A smile naturally formed from the feeling of happiness.

As expected, she knew me well.

“Well, actually, someone else made the reservation…”

Ephelia trailed off.

But my ears only heard that a reservation had been made.

A new dessert! I was excited at the thought of getting a sugar boost after so long.

“But where is it that you needed a reservation?”

Basically, there were enough cafes that you could drop in without a reservation.

Perhaps because of the dessert craze that once swept through, many shops had sprung up due to explosive interest.

Among them, three places required reservations.

Chopart, Le Blanc, and Tejebi.

These three places had such high-quality desserts that their prices were not insignificant.

And the view while eating!

They were shops that had everything from location to interior to taste.

I looked at Ephelia with hopeful eyes.

Noticing my expectant gaze, Ephelia smiled brightly and said,

“It’s Le Blanc cafe, the one you said you wanted to go to.”

“I heard it’s hard to get a reservation there. As expected of Ephelia!”

Le Blanc’s desserts, in particular, were popular among the nobility because even their shapes were pretty.

I hugged her with a satisfied smile.

“Are you that happy?”

“Of course! I’ve been having a tough time lately. This is the best gift!”

I hadn’t gone out for a while, worried that someone might have figured out who I was.

‘As soon as the announcement comes out, I’ll leave for the provinces with Ephelia right away.’

It’s one thing to endure with that thought for a day or two, but

‘As soon as the announcement comes out, I’ll leave for the provinces with Ephelia right away.’

It’s one thing to endure with that thought for a day or two, but after a week, I was getting antsy.

The cafe we arrived at was full of young ladies drinking tea.

Although there weren’t many tables, it was bustling with people.

I took a bite of the dessert I ordered and smiled happily.

“This is it! This is the taste!”

The taste and shape were perfect, without any flaws.

The whipped cream melted smoothly in my mouth, and it had just the right amount of sweetness without being cloying.

The soft, fluffy texture of the bread was simply fantastic.

Without realizing it, I leaned back in my chair, feeling a sense of satisfaction spreading throughout my body.

As I was thoroughly enjoying the feeling of my fatigue melting away, I saw a familiar face.

“…Duke Bishwaltz?”

I rubbed my eyes, thinking I might have seen wrong, and looked again. It was definitely him.

At that moment, the heavenly dessert no longer went down my throat.

Yes, my appetite had suddenly vanished.