After Linking the Villainess and Male Lead (5 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 9
Where had my earlier resolve gone? My mind was tangled once more.
Simply being with him and holding his hand were entirely different matters.
Holding hands with Kaern was far too much for me to bear.
Therefore, letting go of his hand now was the right thing to do.
Yet if I pushed his hand away here, society would surely be filled with gossip about Kaern and me by tomorrow.
And that gossip wouldn’t merely insult me—it would also insult Kaern for having been seen with such a person, so I had to prevent it from happening at all costs.
‘From now on, for his future, I must avoid scandals like this as much as possible—but this time, there’s no helping it.’
After all, I was still Kaern’s fiancée.
Though embarrassed and shy, I wanted to show myself as befitting Kaern’s fiancée.
So I stiffened my neck to keep my head from dropping and held myself with as much confidence as I could muster.
In doing so, I must have unconsciously tightened my grip on Kaern’s hand.
His voice murmured softly near my ear.
“Are you truly all right?”
“…Yes. I’m fine.”
I lifted my head, smiled at him, and together we slowly walked deeper into the banquet hall.
“Oh, Duke of Lavellion. You’ve arrived?”
A man who had been chatting with others called out to Kaern and approached us.
Many others also hovered around Kaern, watching for an opportunity.
Beside Kaern, I merely exchanged brief greetings with people but engaged in no real conversation.
While this uncomfortable situation continued, the banquet hall doors opened, and the usher’s booming voice filled the room.
“His Majesty the Emperor Benedict Loyden, the radiant sun of the Loyden Empire, and Her Majesty the Empress Monica Loyden, the noble moon, now enter. All present, show due respect to His and Her Majesties.”
The Emperor and Empress, adorned in glittering attire, entered, followed by the Imperial family, including the Crown Prince.
The nobles in the hall bowed their heads in unison toward them.
As I bowed beside Kaern, our clasped hands naturally came apart.
A faint sense of regret mingled with relief washed over me.
“Raise your heads, all of you.”
At the Emperor’s words, everyone lifted their heads and turned their gaze toward the dais where the Imperial family stood.
At the highest tier, the Emperor and Empress sat side by side; one step below sat the Crown Prince, and another step beneath that sat the other princes and princesses.
Today’s guest of honor, the youngest prince, was nestled in his nurse’s arms, fast asleep.
I carefully looked again at the Emperor and Empress.
Their age difference was strikingly obvious to anyone.
This was only natural—the current Empress had become the Emperor’s wife through remarriage after his first Empress had passed away following a long illness.
And the youngest prince was precisely the first child born to the Emperor and his current Empress.
“I express my gratitude to all of you for attending this banquet celebrating the prince’s birth.”
While the Emperor delivered his lengthy address, I pretended to listen attentively while carefully scanning my surroundings.
I wanted to see if any familiar faces were present.
But the banquet hall was too vast, and the crowd too dense, making it difficult to spot anyone.
‘I’ll have to look again when I get another chance.’
To avoid drawing undue attention, I needed to separate from Kaern.
And to part from him naturally, I had no choice but to meet those people.
“I hope you all enjoy the banquet prepared by the Imperial Household.”
While these thoughts occupied my mind, the Emperor’s speech concluded.
Simultaneously, skilled musicians began to play, filling the hall with beautiful melodies.
Nobles once again gathered in small groups, chatting as before.
Naturally, those who had flocked to Kaern were again discreetly glancing his way.
I, too, was watching carefully—just like them.
The only difference was that they wished to stay by Kaern’s side, whereas I wanted to slip away to avoid unnecessary attention and misunderstandings.
Fortunately, before I even needed to act, the perfect moment arrived.
“Duke of Lavellion. His Majesty the Emperor requests your presence.”
A man who appeared to be an imperial attendant approached Kaern and spoke courteously.
At the attendant’s words, the nobles couldn’t conceal their disappointment.
I, however, let out a sigh of relief and immediately seized the opportunity.
“Please go, Your Grace. I’ll be fine on my own—I have friends here.”
At my words, Kaern frowned slightly with his left eyebrow, as if displeased.
Though his expression bothered me, I couldn’t afford to miss this chance to escape everyone’s attention.
“Duke of Lavellion.”
When Kaern still didn’t move despite the Emperor’s summons, the attendant grew restless and urged him again.
“Let’s go together.”
“No. Since His Majesty specifically asked only for you, he surely has something to discuss.”
I gently shook my head at his suggestion to accompany him.
And to ensure my refusal didn’t further upset him, I quickly added a reason referencing the Emperor.
“The young lady is correct. His Majesty instructed that only the Duke accompany me.”
With even the attendant supporting my words, Kaern finally relented.
“Where will you be?”
“Hm? Oh, I’ll stay right here.”
I answered lightly, meaning only that I’d remain in the banquet hall.
“…Understood. I’ll go, then.”
“Yes, please do.”
Kaern slowly turned his gaze from me and walked toward where the Emperor sat.
Watching his dependable back, a satisfied smile naturally formed on my lips.
‘Good.’
As soon as Kaern left, the nobles who had gathered around us instantly dispersed.
Having passed the first trial, I picked up the cool drink beside me and took a refreshing sip.
The beverage soothed my parched throat, finally allowing me to breathe easier.
Only then did I realize just how tense I’d been while standing beside Kaern.
Thankfully, my racing heart had also gradually returned to its normal rhythm.
Not knowing when Kaern might return, I quickly scanned the banquet hall for familiar faces.
Just then, I spotted a man walking toward me—his face both familiar and oddly unfamiliar.
“Helena!”
He called out to me with a cheerful voice.
“…Lucas?”
“Yes, it’s me.”
Having graduated from the academy, I hadn’t seen him in a long while, and he’d changed somewhat.
It was hard to say exactly, as we hadn’t met in so long, but he seemed a bit taller and broader than before.
“You really are Lucas, right?”
“Yeah, it’s me. Why? Have I changed much?”
“Not ‘much’—you’ve changed a lot!”
“Haha. Is that so?”
Lucas answered with an embarrassed, bashful smile.
“I’ve been away from the capital for a while, undergoing knightly training.”
“Training?”
“Yes. I’m considering applying to the Imperial Royal Guard.”
“Oh, right—you always had talent with the sword, didn’t you?”
“You remembered that?”
“Huh? Of course I did.”
“Helena…”
Lucas gazed at me with a deeply moved expression.
Was remembering that really so touching?
Everyone at the academy knew Lucas was skilled with a sword.
Despite his humiliating rejection by Adelia in the past, Lucas Aiker had remained one of the academy’s notable figures.
Moreover, like other ducal houses of the Empire, the Aiker family had produced many founding war heroes who led the Empire to victory.
Though admittedly, their influence still paled in comparison to the Lavellion house, where Kaern served as Duke.
“Am I… all right?”
“Hm? What do you mean?”
Puzzled, I looked at Lucas with a questioning gaze.
“I mean… do I look… okay?”
“Oh… um, you look good.”
“Really? For real?”
“Yes.”
“I’m relieved.”
I wasn’t sure what exactly he was relieved about, but Lucas beamed happily at my words.
“But I guess you didn’t come to this banquet with Adelia?”
“Oh? Ah, no—Adelia didn’t come today.”
Though much time had passed, Lucas still seemed unable to let go of his feelings for Adelia.
Could he possibly not know she’d married?
That couldn’t be.
Adelia and Calix’s wedding had been a union between two ducal houses, stirring excitement throughout the capital.
Ah, right—he mentioned he’d been away for knightly training.
He must have been too far away to hear the news.
From our conversation, I concluded Lucas still didn’t know, so I carefully opened my mouth to tell him about Adelia’s marriage.
Turns Out He’s Been Secretly in Love with Me
One-line summary: He acts like he doesn’t like her but is actually playing hard to get.
Synopsis:
Xu Muzhou like her. He has liked her for a very long time, and through repeated schemes, he finally closed the distance with her.
But this is still far from enough.
He wants to be the one who stands out among her many suitors, to fight for her attention, and to make her take the initiative to pursue him.
_____
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If there is a person checking these comments. Can you please add a word/letter count to the bottom. Also sometimes the comments don’t stay within the chapter you read but throughout the whole book, please fix that glitch. Another, per book- hour limited to how many comments can earn cookies – it’s better you write that somewhere or give a notification to the commenter about that. The notification about the 3/3 free reads glitch too, sometimes it says 3/1,1/3,1/1 or not work. The cookies glitch sometimes too, id have 10 but when I try to unlock chapter it keeps saying I have none. Love yalls work!
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