I Give Up on the BL Novel's Male Leads - Chapter 148
“Is something wrong?”
“Um, Melias.”
He loosened his arms that had been holding her and looked into her eyes. Illein was gazing up at him directly.
“If I want to marry you and completely sever ties with the Thierry family⌠what would happen?”
At that moment, Melias felt a surge of confusion. He had a good relationship with his father and held fond memories of his late mother.
Because of that, he believed that Illein would eventually reconcile with her parents, even if her relationship with them was currently strained.
Melias opened his mouth. Ultimately, there was only one thing that mattered to him: Illein.
“Once you become my wife, we would be severing ties with the Thierry family.”
“âŚIs that really possible?”
“We would give them all the dowry and obtain a written agreement stating they would never meet privately again. Both you and I are wizards, after all. If we make a vow with our lives on the line, it will hold.”
While Melias spoke, he still didnât fully understand her feelings.
Illein knew he would say that.
“Can you really do that for me?”
She leaned back into him again.
At that moment, Melias made a firm decision. It was a feeling separate from the confusion he had been experiencing.
If Illein wanted to abandon her family and live solely as his wife, and if the Thierry couple rejected that and continued to torment herâŚ
“If you become my wife, there is nothing I wonât do for you. Even if it means harming your parents.”
Melias was startled by the casualness of his own words, but as he noticed her exhale in relief, he came to a realization.
If Illein continued to be tormented by her family, he was someone who could thoroughly destroy them at any moment.
His cold gaze pierced through the illusion of an opponent beyond Illein, like a predatorâs focus cutting through the darkness.
* * *
“Brother.”
Edwin turned to see Rodein calling him.
It was now evening. Edwin glanced at Rodein briefly before trying to turn away.
“Where are you going?”
Edwin couldnât help but wonder why Rodein was here.
This was Edwinâs palace. After being demoted from Crown Prince to Prince, he had to leave the palace where he had lived as Crown Prince and move to the farthest place from the Emperorâs palace.
To anyone, it seemed that Edwin was unlikely to recover from this situation.
The Emperor’s favor had vanished, the Empressâs power had grown, and the number of nobles supporting Rodein was increasing day by day. However, Rodein was not someone with the qualities of an Emperor.
While it was true that he was a powerful wind mage, compared to Edwin, he seemed like nothing more than a child.
However, being the strongest did not necessarily make one the Emperor.
It was simply the person chosen by the Emperor who would become the next Emperor, and if that did not sit well with someone, it was only right to incite a revolution to claim it.
Every time Edwin looked at Rodein, he felt a strange emotion that he couldn’t quite place.
“You still look at me with those eyes, Brother.”
Edwin had never seen Rodein as an adversary.
To Edwin, Rodein was merely a half-brother, a distant figure. He was so far removed from him that it felt as though they could never truly understand one another.
Given that, Edwin found it odd that Rodein might have come all this way just to see him.
“If you have no business here, then go back.”
“Brother, why are you still dressed so uncomfortably?”
Edwin silently regarded Rodeinâs words.
“Your attire makes you look like a wizard about to engage in battle. Youâre even holding a wand.”
“âŚ.”
“Are you planning to ambush someone?”
Ignoring Rodein’s mocking remarks, Edwin turned away.
“Brother.”
Seeing Rodein quickly approach him made Edwin realize that he had moved swiftly using wind magic, which struck him as quite amusing.
“Letâs be honest. You ambushed me the other day.”
“Youâre still babbling nonsense.”
“Nonsense? Itâs a fact that I was attacked! And I definitely saw you that time!”
Rodein glared at Edwin. It was astonishing to Edwin that Rodein bore no resemblance to him at all. No matter how distant their blood relation, they shared the same father.
At the same time, he vaguely recalled that he bore no resemblance to his own father either.
In fact, Rodein looked quite a lot like their father.
“That would have proven that I wasnât the culprit.”
“Then how did you manage to manipulate Illein?”
“Mind your own business.”
“Come on, Brother, be honest. Do you have feelings for Illein? Or is it for Illenas?”
Edwin thought it hardly worth responding to Rodeinâs taunts as he tried to walk past him. Just then, Rodein drew his wand and aimed it at Edwin.
“If you keep going, I will attack.”
“The imperial family has strengthened its anti-magic measures. You wonât be able to cast any magic with your power. And yet you dare to challenge me?”
