I Give Up on the BL Novel's Male Leads - Chapter 20
“Oh, I don’t know.”
Finding it too difficult to think, I walked ahead. Damon silently followed me. I felt somewhat exhausted, as if everything around me was pressing down on me.
The ever-looming presence of Edwin, which was as daunting as death itself. The pressure from my parents to get engaged. The burden of not revealing my true identity to Damon.
And the potential of drifting apart from my classmates, who I had finally started to get along with. Still, not having to deal with Willai anymore was a relief.
I shouldn’t think too negatively.
Willai’s issue was resolved, and now Edwin wasn’t reacting to me like he used to in the original story.
There simply isn’t enough time to live thinking only positive thoughts.
With these thoughts, I continued walking.
The sunset cast a glow through the windows along the corridor, and the sunlight seemed to lift my spirits. Although I was breathless, I kept climbing up to the fifth floor.
Damon’s footsteps sounded heavy behind me, as if he was weighing my mood.
When we reached class 1, there was a strange murmur. I hesitated whether to open the door but eventually opted for the back door.
Behind me, Damon’s shadow stretched long across the floor.
“Forgive me, Illein!”
As soon as I opened the door, Willai was there, kneeling towards the door.
“Please, just don’t make me withdraw.”
I didn’t understand what was going on, and instinctively stepped back.
“What are you talking about?”
As Willai tried to grab my legs from his kneeling position, I instinctively stepped back further.
There was a reason Willai was behaving this way.
He was known for his careless mistakes, being expelled from the academy could jeopardize his future employment in the imperial court.
Something that Baron Macintosh, Willai’s father, desperately hoped for.
“I know everything you said to His Highness! Thatâs why you both went to the infirmary, right? To ask him to kick me out! Was Young Lord Candelaria not enough?”
“What?”
Confused by his words, I looked at Damon, who was just smiling and chose not to explain anything to me.
“The Prince told the chairman to expel me! So, the chairman said he’d consider it a withdrawal instead!”
“Ah!”
Hearing Willai’s words, everything clicked for me.
There was a clear difference between withdrawing and being expelled. If expelled, transferring to another academy would be difficult, and securing a future job in the imperial court would be challenging.
Withdrawal, however, was different. While Bellaine Academy was the top academy in the Ensest Empire, it wasn’t the only one.
There were lesser academies available. If he withdrew, he could complete his studies at one of those institutions.
Of course, his future wouldn’t be the same as it would have been with a Bellaine diploma.
He wasn’t from a high-ranking noble family. In fact, high nobles often didn’t rely on academies because they had many other ways to survive without a job in the imperial court.
But that wasn’t the case for Willai McIntosh.
“The chairman said heâd consider it if you forgive me!”
Willai’s shameless words seemed to freeze my heart.
“Why should I do that?”
The injustice I had endured welled up inside me, and words spilled out before I could stop them.
“You…!”
“I know you hate me. But you shouldnât have crossed the line. Werenât you the one who tried to frame me as a thief and ruin my academy life?”
“No, it was just a prank!”
“What kind of prank goes that far?”
His audacity left me feeling stifled.
“Stop it. Don’t say anything more, Illein.”
“But Damon…”
“Just rest. Iâll handle the rest.”
I turned to look at him. He was smiling again. Having known him since childhood, I could tell it was a forced smile.
“No. This is my problem, Damon.”
“Hey! Whatâs so big about a prank like that? What can you even do? Hiding behind the Young Lord all the time. You wouldnât have been at Bellaine in the first place if it werenât for your ability.”
“What did you say?”
“If it werenât for your water attribute, you wouldnât have even been admitted.”
Willai suddenly stood up, causing the nearby students from Class 1 to start gathering around.
“Hey!”
“What are you doing in our class?”
“Any wind abilities here? Get him out.”
“You’re so noisy, really.”
“Do all Class 10 students act like this?”
Damon, without even pulling out his wand, used his powers to drag Willai out of the classroom.
“Hey! Wait! Illein Thierry!”
With a loud bang, the door shut as Willai was swept away by the wind.
Soon, Willai’s voice faded away, apparently silenced by Damon’s ability. A wind ability could manipulate sound as a secondary function.
With the sound distortion in place and the room returning to quiet, everyone turned to look at me.
“Thank you, everyone.”
I expressed my gratitude first.
At that, they all muttered âIt’s nothingâ, somewhat awkwardly and returned to their seats.
It was still early in the semester. Standing up for someone they barely knew, or had barely spoken to, was understandably not an easy thing to do.
