BMLT CH 10

Chapter 10

“After thinking it over, I realized… there’s nothing more pathetic than clinging to a man who doesn’t love you.”

I answered calmly.

Lucian looked a little surprised at that.

Well, it made sense.

The original Elje acted like she would die without the Marquis Oppenheimer.

But I wasn’t that Elje.

“Officially, I may be the Marquis Oppenheimer’s lover. But—”

I declared firmly,

“That doesn’t mean he loves me.”

Throb.

A sharp pain struck my chest again.

That feeling must belong to the original Elje, who loved him obsessively.

So I didn’t need to care about it.

Ignoring the stabbing pain, I continued,

“The Marquis doesn’t love any woman. He only keeps them around because he needs them.”

That was the truth.

Marquis Oppenheimer—Dante—was originally written as a “beautiful trash psychopath mastermind.”

Until he met the heroine, he constantly changed women without hesitation.

“Hello, darling.”

Because of his past trauma, he suffered from severe emotional deprivation and didn’t even know how to love someone.

He hated loneliness, so he regularly kept women around and played at being in relationships—

“D-don’t leave me… please…”
“We had fun while it lasted, didn’t we?”

But once he got bored, he broke things off without the slightest hesitation.

Some women couldn’t let him go and clung to him—

And Dante described them in just one word:

“Pathetic.”

…Even now, he’s only seeing Elje and no other women, but…

If I upset him even slightly, someone as powerless as me could disappear without a trace.

I didn’t want to take that risk anymore.

“More importantly, your presence here is top secret. And I’m one of the few who knows about it.”

“……”

“So if I were to escape from here—”

I finished clearly,

“The Marquis would kill me if necessary to silence me.”

When illegitimate children or failed heirs of noble families were imprisoned here, people usually turned a blind eye.

But this was different.

Lucian was the rightful head of one of the most prestigious families in the empire.

If it were revealed he was imprisoned here, it would cause an uproar.

Dante, who had an exceptional sense for profit, wouldn’t want to lose this efficient business—the Rosenkreuz Academy.

…And besides, he has personal reasons for running this place.

I stopped my thoughts there.

Right now, I needed to focus on Lucian.

“So I want you to escape from here.”

“Me?”

Lucian looked caught off guard.

I nodded.

“If you escape and reveal that the Duke of Kaleid was imprisoned here—”

I shrugged lightly.

“Then the secret I know will no longer be a secret.”

“…That makes sense.”

“Of course, in that case, the Marquis might hold me responsible for failing to manage you properly.”

I added calmly,

“Or he might push all the blame onto me and wash his hands of the situation.”

Lucian frowned at that.

“Wouldn’t that put you in danger?”

“Yes. That’s why I want to make you an offer.”

I looked straight into his eyes.

Clear, blue, and transparent—

The gaze of someone who had just stepped into adulthood, still unfamiliar with deceit.

And yet, I—

Was already setting layered traps to use him.

I hid my bitterness behind a smile.

“I’ll become your ally.”

“What?”

“And in return, when you escape this place, use the power of the Kaleid family to protect me.”

Of course, that was a lie.

The moment Lucian escaped, I planned to cut ties with all the male leads and run away.

But without a reason like this, he wouldn’t trust me.

“Honestly, the Marquis is such a busy man, he might just ignore someone like me out of annoyance… but you never know, right?”

I had said that casually—

But suddenly, Lucian frowned at me.

“…What kind of thing is that to say?”

“Huh?”

I tilted my head.

He stared at me with an odd expression, then shook his head.

“…It’s nothing.”

Well, if he said so.

There was no need to push further and make things awkward.

“Alright then. Would you like some celery now?”

I smoothly changed the topic.

…And Lucian, who had been subtly trying to avoid the celery, glared at me resentfully.

* * *

After that,

Elje said, “See you next time,” and left with the dishes.

…I didn’t know she thought like that.

Lucian stared at the closed door, feeling conflicted.

A woman blinded by love, acting as a criminal’s subordinate—

That had been his impression of Elje.

But—

The words she had spoken earlier lingered in his ears.

“There’s nothing more pathetic than clinging to a man who doesn’t love you.”

The man she loved didn’t even see her as more than trash beneath his feet.

What must it feel like to accept that?

Maybe that’s why—

“The Marquis is busy, so he might just ignore someone like me… but you never know.”

Those words had bothered him so much.

The way she casually belittled herself—

He hated it.

Without realizing it—

“What kind of thing is that to say?”

…he had even questioned her.

Of course, he knew he wasn’t in a position to worry about her—

So he swallowed his words.

“…Ha.”

For some reason, his chest felt uneasy.

Lucian let out several sighs.

* * *

I didn’t expect convincing Lucian would go this smoothly.

After leaving the room, I felt unusually good.

Lately, Lucian had been actively engaging in everything.

As expected, nothing motivates a person more than stirring their emotions.

Especially when that emotion is revenge.

Now, Lucian would run forward like a madman—

To reclaim Kaleid and destroy Baron Craig.

In the process, his innocence would be worn away—

Leaving behind only the cold, twisted Duke of Kaleid.

…But that’s not something I can control.

I shrugged.

The heroine would probably heal his wounds later.

As the villainess, the most I could do—

Was not interfere with their story.

Instead of going mad with jealousy and harming the heroine—

I would simply disappear quietly.

And that, I was confident I could do.

Just then—

“Elje!”

Someone called out loudly.

That voice…

I narrowed my eyes and turned toward it.

The moment I saw who it was, a wave of exhaustion hit me.

“Victor.”

I looked at him with a crooked gaze.

“What could possibly be so important that you’re shouting like that?”

Then I added pointedly,

“How rude.”

Victor strode straight up to me.

With glaring eyes, he demanded,

“It’s you, isn’t it, Lady Elje?!”

“What are you talking about?”

“The letter sent by Baron Craig has disappeared!”

Victor pressed me aggressively.

“You’re the one who took it, aren’t you?!”

…Ah, damn.