Male Lead, Please Dump Me Three Times - Chapter 15

When I heard the sound of someone descending the stairs, I bolted from the spot.

Just in case that troublemaker was coming after me.

“Phew… There really are a lot of strange people in the world.”

Once I was out on the street, the tension in my body strangely dissipated.

I felt as breathless as if I had been holding my breath for a long time.

“Anyway, I should praise myself for securing at least one book.”

Then, as I moved with a lighter step, feeling pleased with myself,

‘Gallop, gallop.’

“Watch out over there!”

I heard the voice of a middle-aged merchant shouting from the opposite side.

But by the time I looked up, it was already too late.

The carriage was moving at a tremendous speed, and regrettably, my feet wouldn’t move as if they were glued to the ground.

The rapidly approaching carriage soon filled my vision.

There was no time to dodge.

I was going to be hit by that carriage.

I tightly closed my eyes.

‘Is this how I die again…!’

‘Whoosh.’

That’s when it happened.

A strong grip seized my wrist and yanked me away.

A ringing ‘beep’ sounded in my ears.

The next moment, I found myself in the arms of someone large.

My vision blurred suddenly.

My body, having lost its balance, was still trembling slightly.

“You should be more careful.”

A soft yet low voice whispered near my ear.

‘Huh… Where have I heard this voice before…?’

I wanted to see who the voice belonged to, but my blurry vision wasn’t clearing up easily.

“Are you in shock or something?”

My sight gradually began to sharpen.

What filled my view was the broad chest of a man.

Soon he pulled me away from his embrace.

The one who saved me…

Was the man wearing the deep hood.

Yes.

The very same troublemaker XX I encountered in the bookstore just before.

In an instant, that man slightly lifted his hood that he had been wearing low over his face.

At the same time, dazzling platinum blonde hair fluttered in the air when it became exposed.

The moment I looked at that face, my entire body froze.

That familiar face etched in my mind.

Those strangely murky violet eyes.

The man in the hood was Killian.

He did not let go of my wrist that was touching his chest.

“Why are you here…?”

Soon Killian’s eyes turned ashen. His lips were curved in a fine arc.

Chills ran down my spine at that unpleasant smile.

“We meet again.”

“No, but why here…”

“Shh.”

He put a finger to his lips as if telling me to be quiet.

The pounding in my heart did not stop.

Despite the rapid beating of my heart, my body felt ridiculously frozen and numb.

His gaze soon turned toward the ground.

There was a book wrapped in brown packaging paper.

The sideways glance he threw was quite fierce.

“No such rule was written down. You tricked me well.”

Killian pointedly mentioned the lie I told him just before.

“Um…”

“Why?”

Killian responded quite irritably.

“That book is mine… I bought it… I can’t give you that one. And I did grab it first.”

“Huh… really, this is unbelievable.”

Killian wore an expression of utter disbelief.

While doing so, he scanned me up and down with an unpleasant gaze.

“Did you come to a place like this without a servant? You’re quite fearless, aren’t you.”

Killian made a meaningful remark with a strange expression on his face.

“Yes… because it’s broad daylight. But I came with a coachman.”

“…..”

He seemed like a different person.

Killian, whom I had seen from the window of Lamonde not long ago, felt markedly different.

Was it because I saw him from afar back then?

Anyway.

As I faced my one and only source of fear, every word that slipped out of my mouth trembled.

But I didn’t want to hand over that book.

So I mustered the courage to say what needed to be said.

“Have you always been this fearless?”

It was the same question I had heard from Ray not long ago.

“I often hear that…”

But what scares me the most is you, Killian.

Killian soon wore a bitter smirk.

“That’s amusing.”

“What is…?”

“I’m a bit busy right now. We’ll see each other again soon. Lady Carnelian.”

He murmured my surname softly.

Killian glanced at me sideways and soon showed his back.

The face of Killian I had just vividly encountered.

A nasty smile still hung on his lips.

The man draped in a dark grey robe quickly disappeared into the crowd.

‘Why is that bastard here…?’

My legs trembled as the tension left them.

‘And why do I have to meet him? It’s not even funny.’

I felt like I could collapse at any moment. I held onto my knees with my hands to keep myself upright.

* * *

Inside the carriage returned to the count’s mansion.

“Damn… Why was Killian there of all places?”

I was biting my lip so hard it might bleed.

My reflection in the window looked as if I had been rolling around in a mud pit, completely disheveled.

The more I thought about it, the more a sense of disillusionment with life washed over me.

‘It sucks, everything sucks… I look like shit, and my life sucks… Should I just leave? At least it was peaceful in the south.’

Why does it feel like the more I try, the more tangled everything gets?

Life never goes as one wants it to, but why must I live such a tiring life…

“Did I accumulate some bad karma without realizing it…?”

The sound of the galloping carriage filled the silent space.

The sky visible outside the window was being dyed with an orange sunset.

-We’ll see each other again soon. Lady Carnelian.

What’s with that creepy and uncomfortable line…

We’ll see each other again soon? Why?

I want to believe it was just empty talk, close to nonsense.

But knowing what kind of person Killian is, I couldn’t help feeling uneasy.

‘Perverted psycho freak…’

I should have asked Ellie to do today’s task…

I acted rashly, saying I would go myself, and stepped on a landmine.

It seems I’ll have to stay at home and live like a recluse for a while.

‘It’s ominous. As expected, everything gets tangled. At times like this, I should just stay quietly at home…’

“Miss, we’re almost there!”

That’s when I heard the coachman’s voice.

As we neared the Carnelian mansion, the carriage began to slow down.

A black afterimage suddenly stole my gaze.

“Huh? Wait a minute! Oren, slow down a bit!”

At the entrance of the mansion was a luxurious black carriage parked alone.

It was a familiar black carriage that I had seen often.

“Isn’t that Ray’s carriage…?”

The black afterimage that had captured my gaze was the carriage of the Croit Ducal family.

“Oren, could you stop here for a moment?”

* * *

A very handsome man was standing with his back against the black carriage.

The cool evening breeze blew, making his hair flutter attractively.

I approached him with light steps.

“Ray?”

Soon, a faint smile appeared on his lips.

“Where to, are you on your way back?”

“Yes! I’m on my way back from the market. But what brings you here all of a sudden?”

“Just passing by. Thought I’d drop this off and see your face. I’m glad I met you before calling you out.”

He handed me a paper bag that he had been holding.

“Oh my, what’s this?”

“Cookies. The ones you ate last time.”

Inside the paper bag were all sorts of cookies, packed to the brim.

They were the cookies I ate in Ray’s carriage a few days ago.

“Wow! Thank you. These were really delicious.”

Ray gave me a languid smile in return.

“But you seem to pass by here quite often.”

“Huh?”

“You stopped by on your way past here the other day too.”

“Oh. Did I? Has it only been two days…”

Ray trailed off.

I looked up at him, waiting for him to continue his sentence.

But suddenly, Ray’s expression noticeably hardened.

A deep wrinkle formed between his brows.

The faint smile that had been on his lips was gone.

“…Is there something on my face?”

Why is he looking at me with such a serious face?

If it’s that serious…

Could it be that there’s a bug in me?!

“Just a moment.”

With those words, Ray leaned in closer, bending at the waist.

I instinctively moved backward, taken aback by his sudden approach.

But regardless of my movement, his large and thick hand gently wrapped around the back of my neck.

Then he naturally pulled me into an embrace.

“Ray…, what’s this all of a sudden…”

Ray gently caressed my slightly parted lips with his other hand.

A strong woody scent wafted from his body, grazing the tip of my nose.

“……”

Ray kept his gaze fixed on my lips and only traced that spot with his hand.

But why am I just standing still?

This is definitely an embarrassing situation, position, and partner…

Even though my mind thinks this situation is strange, I still find myself entrusting my body to him.

“Did you fall?”

“Huh? No? I didn’t fall.”

“You have a wound on your lip. There’s blood on it.”

Ray’s eyebrows twisted as he spoke.

“Ah! That’s because…”

I slightly backed away from him as I spoke.

I had been biting it continuously on the way here…

No wonder it tasted like blood.

“I have a habit of biting my lips when I’m bored.”

“……”

Despite my words, Ray’s red eyes were still full of me, staring.

His lingering touch and gaze somehow felt oddly sensual.

Suddenly, a flush of heat rose to my face.

I avoided his gaze and said,

“I–I’m okay… First, put me down…”

I gently pushed against his firm chest with both hands as I spoke.

But Ray did not easily step back from me.

That’s when it happened.

“Sister…?”

A familiar male voice came from behind me.