I Give Up on the BL Novel's Male Leads - Chapter 162
At her question, Edwin let out a quiet chuckle.Â
He didnât answer outright, but it was clear that his response ment an agreement.
“You still donât expect anything from me?”
Edwin said this as he wrapped his arms around Illein’s waist. As his firm arms encircled her body, she felt like prey caught by a snake.
“When did I say I didnât? I want a lot of things.”
“Like what? Tell me.”
“Who knows? Maybe I approached you because I want to secure a position in the imperial court.”
“Pffft.”
He spoke as if he already knew that her words were a joke.
“Iâm going to be the Emperor, so what does the position matter?”
“âŚEdwin?”
“Do you still not want to become Empress?”
Illein looked at him, unsure if he was joking.
“Or do you want me to make you prime minister, as youâve always dreamed of? Or foreign minister?”
“Edwin, what are you saying…?”
She was confused because his words didnât seem like a joke. His tone felt eerily similar to the Edwin she had seen in her past life.
As Illein looked at him, flustered, Edwin raised his head and stared directly at her.
“If you need such a position, I can give it to you anytime. But you never wanted that, did you?”
“Who says that? I totally want that.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
Edwin looked at her as if to say, âDonât lie to me.â But Illein stared back at him with a firm resolve. So, Edwin spoke again.
“Then prove it.”
“How do I prove that?”
“…”
“Edwin knows nothing about me, yet my heartbeat is perfectly fine.”
Illein still scolded Edwin for not noticing that her heartbeat was calm. He actually enjoyed her doing this.
“Fine, then. If you donât run away, Iâll make you prime minister.”
“âŚEdwin.”
“And if you still donât run away, Iâll make you Empress.”
“…”
“If you stay by my side, I wonât treat you the way I did before. I wonât make you scared of running away from me. So donât run away from me. I wonât even ask you to love me.”
“âŚEdwin.”
“But, even if you donât love me, you must allow me everything you have.”
Her mind was becoming more and more muddled with his words. Illein was suddenly so drowsy, her head felt clouded.
“So donât run away. If you run again, I really donât think I can stand it.”
“Ah…”
With that, she fainted. As her limp body slumped, Edwin chuckled softly.Â
He looked down at her, who had collapsed.
“Don’t run away again, Illein.”
* * *
When Illein opened her eyes, Edwin was there.
However, she couldn’t remember when she had fallen asleep or why seeing him wasn’t unfamiliar.
One thing was certainâshe couldnât recall anything, as if it had been erased from her memory. Still, she found it strange that she didnât feel uneasy or question why Edwin was right there in front of her.
“Edwin.”
As soon as she opened her eyes, she naturally reached out to him. He stepped back a little and watched her.
“When did you fall asleep?”
“Huh?”
“Tell me if someone came before me.”
Illein couldnât understand his question. It was hard for her to comprehend why he was asking that.Â
And the way Edwin had stepped away from her touch made her feel strangely uncomfortable.
“I was studying late and fell asleep. I was waiting for you to come, but I didnât expect you to come in the early morning.”
She spoke and wondered why she felt so light. It was as if Edwinâs magical energy had replenished her strength without her even realizing it. She felt no trace of fatigue in her body.
“Were you really alone?”
“Now, Iâm not. Youâre here now, Edwin.”
She yawned and swung her legs off the bed.
“Whatâs that?”
“Oh, that.”
Illein realized that she had written down the formula for the love potion and the lucky potion before falling asleep. At that moment, her face flushed.
It wasnât something she could proudly show to anyone, and she felt embarrassed. She also worried that Edwin might recognize it. For some reason, she didnât want him to find it.
Though she had made the decision herself, she strangely couldnât bring herself to speak about it in front of him
Illein hid her embarrassment and casually pushed the formula to the side. At the same time, she was relieved that Edwin probably didnât know much about the love potion formula. If he knew even a little, he would have asked about it, and she didnât have a good answer.
She certainly couldnât tell him she was going to drink the love potion with Melias.
“Were you studying?”
“Brother Illein left it behind.”
She answered nonchalantly as if it was nothing.
“I see.”
Edwin, seeing Illein’s calm demeanor, quickly lost interest. He glanced around and asked,
“But where did Illein go?”
