Male Lead, Don’t Follow Me! - Chapter 22

I shook off Serhin’s hand and glared at him.

“I didn’t tell him.”

“Don’t lie. If not, why would the Duke deceive me?”

Serhin grabbed my hand again. But his eyes wavered as I immediately pushed him away.

“He had already figured it out. That’s why he said it would be interesting.”

I couldn’t believe his words.

Because I vividly remembered how Serhin’s eyes had changed when I said I was leaving this place.

I trusted you! I thought we got along well!

In the end, Serhin had spilled everything to Duke Bishwaltz. There was no other reason to prevent me from going to another region.

If he knew I couldn’t go, there was a high chance Ephelia wouldn’t go either.

Perhaps he had already gone up ahead and heard about my rejection.

Since the original goal was to separate the two, was the objective achieved? I had no other options now.

It was too late for a midnight escape, and now that everyone knew me as his hidden woman, there was only one way.

‘Fine, let’s go all out now.’

With nowhere left to run, I was in a “come what may” mindset.

Serhin seemed to think I had given up and would stay here. But knowing what I was about to do, I had to find a way to live on.

Therefore, what I’m about to say now is for survival.

The gazes of those around me were unusual. I strode towards Bishwaltz. He met my eyes directly without avoiding them.

I saw a strange light flickering in his blue eyes. Instinctively feeling threatened, my hair stood on end.

The woman next to Bishwaltz furrowed her brow at me.

“No way, you and that woman? Then what am I?”

The woman with a dumbfounded expression was about to speak to him.

I reached out my hand to interrupt her words and glared at Bishwaltz.

“This is what you want to say, right? I’ll say it for you.”

At my words, the woman swallowed a bitter laugh and twisted her face in anger.

He must be wanting me to say these words anyway.

It was the voice he had been so desperately searching for.

I took a deep breath, gathering all my energy, and then shouted.

“Bishwaltz, you son of a b*tch!”

There! Is this the intonation you wanted? Wasn’t this the voice you’ve been searching for?

I put my hands on my hips, held my head high, and came out brazenly.

I’m the one who knows all your secrets, you bastard!

“You play me like this? You conspired with His Highness the Crown Prince to deceive me with the application form, didn’t you?!”

Bishwaltz’s lips curled into a crooked smile as he looked at me.

He spoke to me clearly.

“As I thought, it is you with that voice.”

What on earth was I thinking when I shouted so boldly?

I writhed, pulling at my hair. My legs trembled at Bishwaltz’s gaze, staring at me right in front of me.

He knew, since when?

***

We came out to a corner of the garden with Bishwaltz, avoiding people’s gazes.

In fact, it was closer to being kicked out by Bellita.

Bishwaltz told me to get in the carriage, and so I found myself at Bishwaltz’s ducal residence in a daze.

Who knew being alone with him would be this suffocating?

“You seem very anxious.”

“No?”

If I cower, I lose. I straightened my shoulders as much as possible and held my head high.

“Please give me another application form. You didn’t keep your promise, did you? Two powerful people conspiring to torment an innocent person.”

“Torment?”

Bishwaltz clicked his tongue briefly at my words.

“Yes, I’m sorry for cursing. But deceiving me with a document is a very, very wrong thing to do…”

I confronted Bishwaltz with a shrinking voice.

No, it’s not like he’s a voice analyzer. How can he be so sure it’s me just from my voice?

“And I don’t understand why Your Grace is doing this, but I don’t think there’s any reason for me to be called here like this!”

There’s no evidence, so what can he do?

Bishwaltz only had his suspicions, no physical evidence.

It’s not like he would have brought a voice recorder in that state of mind, he only judged with his ears.

How can one be 100% certain about a person’s ears?

Thinking this, I, who was already brazen, looked straight into his eyes.

“So, are you telling me now that it’s not you?”

“If Your Grace thinks I’m the person you’re looking for, I don’t think so?”

“Are you sure?”

“Probably…”

“Lady Lowell, think carefully before you answer.”

His eyes froze in an instant. I swallowed dry saliva as my mouth went parched from the sudden chill in the air.

“I dislike people who lie.”

“…I, I see.”

I subtly avoided his gaze. His piercing stare was about to bore holes in my face.

Like a predator hunting its prey, he slowly tightened his grip.

“I’ll ask one more time. Aren’t you Kiara Lowell, the owner of that voice?”

He made a low, guttural sound as if warning me.

“…I’m not asking because I am that person, but if you find that person, are you going to kill them?”

I didn’t want to die like this. At least I hadn’t enjoyed anything here yet and wanted to live a bit longer. Doesn’t everyone want to live?

At this young age! Days spent avoiding death flags while fending off strange guys next to the female lead, without properly enjoying anything in a nice house, flashed through my mind.

‘If I had known it would be like this, I should have just stayed quiet.’

If I’m going to die either way, it would have been less unfair if I had lived recklessly before dying.

Tears welled up unnecessarily from the sadness.

“Anyone watching would think I’m about to eat you.”

“You’re glaring at me like you’re going to kill me. Couldn’t you put away that sword next to you?”

If you hold it like you’re about to draw it, everyone will be scared.

What if you cut off my head for saying one wrong word? I can’t even speak because I’m so scared.

Bishwaltz hid the sword behind him at my words.

Finally feeling somewhat relieved, I adjusted my posture with a more comfortable expression.

“Don’t you know me well? What do you think I’ll do?”

“No, I don’t know. I don’t know even if I know, and I don’t know even if I don’t know. I have no interest in Duke Bishwaltz at all.”

Hahaha.

Along with my awkward laughter, Bishwaltz’s softened face crumpled.

“No interest, you say.”

He laughed lowly. It was clear he didn’t believe my words.

But in my words, there was no lie… well, maybe a little, but it was true that I had no interest.

“I have absolutely no personal feelings or interest in Your Grace.”

“Absolutely?”

“Yes, none at all.”

At my firm answer, Bishwaltz pulled out a letter and showed it to me.

“Here, the time, date, and even Serhin’s eyewitness account are all written down, so read it carefully.”

“…Serhin?”

The paper Bishwaltz handed me had detailed records of when I went to the forbidden forest. The memory of that day when he helped me.

I thought he only had circumstantial evidence, but he had physical evidence too.

Did Serhin help him to prevent me from leaving? Why?

‘This crazy bastard really did it.’

I bit my lips while placing my hand on my forehead. It seems I can’t pretend anymore.

“Are you going to kill me?”

“It seems you’ve finally decided to confess. Do you think I would kill you?”

Yes, you’re exactly the type who would kill without hesitation and probably do worse.

Instead of waiting for my verbal response, Bishwaltz seemed to read the certainty in my eyes and rested his chin on his hand.

“Why do you think that?”

“Well, that’s…”

I can’t say it’s because you’re the male lead character who freely slashes people’s necks and kills to your heart’s content.

“You were chattering away earlier, but now your tongue is tied?”

“I only spoke the truth.”

“Keep talking like that.”

He stood up from his seat and leaned towards me.

“W-What are you doing!”

I took a defensive stance and showed my hands in a scissors shape.

“If you keep your mouth shut like that, I’ll have no choice but to make it open.”