I Give Up on the BL Novel’s Male Leads

She moved through the floors, changing everything except for the clothes, from the first floor up.

Eventually, she reached the dressing room, where Melias guided her for a change of attire.

She was watching him as he naturally picked out dresses for her.

“Do you remember how well the blue dress suited you the other day?”

“Ah, yes.”

Melias couldn’t help but notice that Illenas seemed a bit withdrawn, and it bothered him. He thought about what he could do to help her feel more at ease, but after some consideration, he spoke up.

“Should I change clothes as well?”

“What?”

“If you feel uncomfortable being the only one in a dress, I can change too.”

“Do you have something similar to wear? I mean, something like what Melias would wear…”

Illein recalled that his family had a subtle preference for gold and continued.

“I want us to match in gold. I think it would be nice if you wore a black outfit with gold accents, and I’d like to wear a gold dress.”

Melias smiled, realizing that the style she described reminded him of the dress she wore to the dance party. It seemed like she was reminiscing about that time.

“Let’s do that.”

He said this and gestured to the staff in the back of the room.

The store primarily sold custom-made clothes but also offered ready-to-wear pieces. Since Melias and his father often came to change quickly, they kept several outfits in their sizes.

For urgent tailoring, they could always ask a wizard to make something on the spot, though it would cost a fortune.

“I’m just not used to places like this,” Illein said as she looked down. Melias noticed her hair sticking to her cheek and gently tucked it behind her ear.

“You’ll get used to it.”

Illein thought to herself that Melias was trying his best to care for her.

In truth, considering the original story where Melias never ended up with anyone, she wondered if he had lived his life without loving or liking anyone.

Seeing him be so kind as her fiance made her think that with such tenderness, no one could possibly resist marrying him.

But at the same time, she found it strange and a bit frustrating that Melias could be so caring without any real emotions.

Maybe he would have been just as kind to anyone else, not just her.

She hated the thoughts swirling in her mind. She had to find a way to truly love him, but all she could do was yearn for ways to avoid loving him. She hated herself for it.

She wondered if this was her defense mechanism.

“Melias.”

“Yes?”

“I remember reading somewhere that when people are close to each other often, touch each other frequently, and have conversations, their emotions tend to grow stronger.”

“Is there such an experiment?”

“Yes, I read it somewhere a long time ago.”

This was something Illein had read in a paper during her past life.

It was said that even strangers, if they spent a lot of time together, would develop deep feelings for each other.

She held Melias’s hand tightly and looked at him as if asking for something. Melias looked into her eyes and responded.

“I’ll spend time with you every day, Illenas. I’ll hold your hand every day, and we’ll talk for at least an hour every day.”

Illenas appreciated Melias’s calm demeanor and his willingness to listen to her. She truly hoped that his kindness would turn into affection, and eventually into a rational kind of love.

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“What if we run out of things to talk about? You don’t usually say much.”

“Then we can read books together and talk about them. If that doesn’t work, we can study together.”

Illenas nodded in relief at his words.

The surrounding attendants, noticing the harmony between them, quietly stepped away to give them space.

Illenas remained holding Melias’s hand, chatting with him for quite some time, waiting for the staff to bring the clothes.

She hoped that her feelings would flow in the direction she desired.

* * *

Illenas didn’t know much about Melias’s wealth.

But now, she could understand why his wealth was significant and why his family name was so highly regarded in the Empire.

In contrast, she couldn’t help but feel more confused about her own situation.

The Thierry family was poor, with nothing but debt weighing them down.

To prevent accumulating interest, Baron Thierry had to work as an aide, and Baroness Thierry had to work as a lady-in-waiting.

In that sense, being born into the Thierry family was something to be grateful for, but they had nothing of value.

So when Illein, after changing clothes and putting on accessories with Melias, arrived at the top-floor restaurant, she felt truly strange.

The place itself felt awkward and overwhelming.

The room Melias guided her to was enclosed on three sides with one side made of large glass windows. The view through the windows was breathtaking, clearly indicating that this was a VIP area.