The strange sound turned out to be the man’s groans. For some reason, he seemed unable to move properly.
I hurriedly approached him and asked.
“Hey. Are you alright?”
“…”
The man remained silent.
“Are you hurt? Let me–”
“Get lost.”
When I asked again, he rasped out in a hoarse voice.
“No, you must be in pain. Just wait a moment. I’ll get a doctor.”
“I said, get lost.”
‘What the heck?’
I hadn’t encountered someone this rude since the Crown Prince. Any desire to help him vanished instantly.
Just as I was about to step away and disappear as he wished, the man convulsed and bowed his head deeply.
He looked to be in severe pain, so I quickly reached out my hand.
As soon as I grabbed his shoulder, a splitting headache overwhelmed me.
“Ah!”
The pain was as if I had been struck hard. Staggering backward unconsciously, I lost my balance when I tripped over a stone.
Just before I landed on my butt, a large, rough hand grabbed my arm and pulled me.
I fell on top of the man. I could feel his body beneath me, but I was in too much pain to move.
How much time passed, I didn’t know, but the excruciating pain gradually subsided.
Only then did I have the presence of mind to look around.
Thanks to the man’s body cushioning the fall, I hadn’t scraped my skin or gotten any bruises.
I felt a little guilty for using a stranger as a cushion.
“Are you alright?”
Though a dull ache remained, I forced myself to get up.
I felt bad for the man, and if someone saw us like this, it wouldn’t look good.
But before I could fully stand, he grabbed my waist.
My vision spun, and this time, he was on top of me.
As the man lowered his head, his cloak fell over me like a curtain, covering my body. It became as dark as midnight. Even in the darkness, I could feel his overwhelming physique.
The man alone was enough to cover me completely, and with the cloak draped over us, anyone unaware of the situation might think he was alone, lying there.
‘Could he be an assassin?’
His appearance was certainly suspicious.
His face and even his hair were completely covered by a black mask, and his clothes were all black, making him look like a raven.
But I soon concluded he wasn’t an assassin. If he were, I would already be dead.
Besides, I couldn’t think of anyone who would benefit from killing the Crown Prince’s fiancée in the palace.
So, what on earth was going on?
Suddenly, I felt suffocated.
The compromising position aside, his sheer size made me feel crushed under his weight. I wanted to get out of there as soon as possible.
“Excuse me. I’m trying to leave as you asked, so could you please move?”
But instead of moving, the man asked me a question.
“Who are you?”
“Who are you?”
“I am…”
“Whoever you are, just move. Unless you plan to suffocate me.”
Finally, the man slowly got up.
I didn’t miss the opportunity to quickly slip out from under him.
‘Thought I was going to suffocate.’
“Seeing your condition, it seems you don’t need a doctor. I apologize for meddling.”
It seemed I was the one who needed a doctor. My head still throbbed heavily. It was probably because I had seen the Crown Prince after a long time. The mere thought of him often gave me headaches.
“Don’t go.”
Earlier, he told me to get lost, and now he’s saying not to go.
‘Is he drunk?’
He was a truly strange man.
Ignoring his words, I walked away briskly. The man began to follow me.
‘What is this?’
When I quickened my pace, he sped up as well. When I slowed down, he matched my pace.
There were guards stationed throughout the garden, so I wasn’t scared, but it was incredibly annoying.
I finally couldn’t stand it and turned to face him.
“Why are you following me?”
“Because you’re leaving.”
“You told me to get lost earlier.”
“I take it back.”
“No…”
I was at a loss for words with this nonsensical conversation.
This time, the man asked.
“Then why do you keep leaving? I told you not to.”
“Then what should I do with a stranger I just met?”
“Anything, as long as it’s what you want to do.”
“Unfortunately, there’s nothing I want to do with you. Find someone else to entertain you. There are plenty of people in the ballroom who would.”
I glanced over his broad, muscular shoulders and long limbs.
Despite his odd behavior, his physique was comparable to that of the Crown Prince or Gined. Even with the cloak, it was obvious. He looked like a statue of the god of war brought to life.
But I was a noble lady who knew about dignity and etiquette.
I wasn’t brazen enough to openly evaluate a stranger’s body, so I mumbled vaguely.
“I don’t know what your face looks like behind the mask, but you’re tall and, well… you seem like you’d be in demand.”
“I don’t need anyone else. I want to know about you.”
‘Is he really crazy?’
He was obstinate, but in a different way from the Crown Prince.
While the Crown Prince deliberately ignored my words, this man couldn’t hold a proper conversation from the start.
“Tell me. What do I have to do to make you stay?”
The man spoke in a voice that even sounded desperate.
I had seen people flirt at banquets, but I had never encountered someone who followed me so persistently.
I hesitated for a moment.
The man stood still, staring at me. His large build was still intimidating, but the distance between us lessened the pressure.
“Hmm.”
As the hesitation dragged on, the man slowly tried to approach me.
I firmly shook my head and pointed to the ground where he stood with my finger.
“Stop right there.”
The man halted abruptly.
Seeing him actually stop when told to, he seemed more obedient than I thought…
“If you don’t behave like you did earlier, I’ll consider it.”
“Like earlier?”
“Didn’t you learn that you shouldn’t touch a lady’s body without permission?”
“Is that wrong?”
“Of course!”
The man looked down at his large hands.
Then he answered in a very regretful tone.
“I won’t do it again.”
“Good.”
“But instead, you touch me.”
This time, I was so shocked I couldn’t close my mouth.
Unlike the man who remained calm after saying something that could be so easily misunderstood, I looked around nervously to see if anyone had heard.
After confirming no one was around, I shouted quietly at him.
“Why would I touch someone I just met? And how can you say something like that so casually? Do you even know who I am?”
“…”
“Never mind, just sit down. No, don’t come too close. Sit at the edge of the bench.”
The man sat at the edge of the bench as I instructed. I also sat at the opposite end.
If I went back to the ballroom, I’d have to pretend to get along with the Crown Prince, so it seemed better to sit here and vent my frustrations to this man.
“By the way, why have you been speaking informally to me since earlier?”
“Is that wrong?”
“Sigh… Hey. Have you ever received etiquette training?”
“Yes.”
It was a sarcastic remark, but the man nodded confidently.
“Didn’t your parents teach you when you were young?”
“No. They both died early.”
“Oh.”
I was so shocked, I didn’t know what to do.
I struggled to find something to say to smooth things over.
“Well, I mean… um, you grew up well. Your family elders must have taken good care of you.”
“But all the other elders are dead too?”
‘D-damn it…!’
I had inadvertently insulted him, and desperately, I darted my eyes around.
If I were a man, I’d probably be challenged to a duel.
“Well, still… anyway, your parents would be proud of you if they saw you now. Same with your family elders. Really.”
The man’s shoulders shook slightly, as if he found my rambling amusing.
“The dead don’t matter. That’s not what’s important right now.”
“Sorry for the unnecessary talk.”
“It’s fine. Oh, and if my way of speaking bothered you, you can speak comfortably too.”
“Well, then I will.”
I shrugged my shoulders and immediately dropped the formal way of talking. It was tiring to maintain formalities with someone I’d only see today.
“What’s your name? Where are you from?”
“Who are you to ask that? Don’t you know it’s polite to reveal your name first if you want to know a lady’s name?”
“…”
Given his brazen attitude, I thought he’d immediately state his name, but the man hesitated unexpectedly.
Well, if he intended to reveal his identity, he wouldn’t be covered from head to toe like this.
“If you don’t want to say it, you don’t have to. It’s a masquerade ball anyway. But I won’t tell you my name either.”
‘Is he a royal or noble from another country?’
I thought as I glanced at the man. Even with the mask on, if he were from the empire, he would’ve recognized me.
The man muttered softly.
“Leon.”
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ok so that’s definitely her special female lead power, absorbing the wounds and pain from the male leads 🥲 what a useless power ngl
and finally the third male lead makes his appearance! dont know how i feel about him yet