The Obsessive Male Lead Is Obsessed With Me! - Chapter 40
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 40
“First, I’ll try putting my mana in.”
“Ah, yes.”
I rolled my eyes back and forth before carefully lowering my eyelids.
‘Something is coming in.’
Starting from our tightly interlocked fingers like a knot, I could feel some kind of energy flowing into me.
It didn’t feel cool and refreshing like when I received Master’s mana. Just a feeling of something flowing in? A feeling of empty space being filled?
‘Ah, right. I get it.’
The reason Master’s mana felt cool was because my original mana and Master’s mana were constitutionally different. Like how we feel warmth or cold because our temperatures are different.
‘This man’s mana… is constitutionally the same as mine. That’s why I don’t feel anything!’
There was no sense of rejection at all. It felt natural, like my own mana, as it was accepted and accumulated fully in my body.
“…How is it?”
“So much mana came in! Much more than before!”
My excitement about Lionel’s mana capacity being much larger than I thought was short-lived.
As soon as he let go of my hand, I felt the mana leaking out like water from a broken pot.
‘Ah, no. My mana…!’
I was stomping my feet in frustration, but Lionel nodded calmly beside me with a composed face.
“As expected, this method works.”
“Huh? This method?”
Then are there other ways to transfer mana?
“Last time, you collapsed after receiving mana, didn’t you.”
“Ah, yes, that happened then.”
I did get seriously ill once when I was young, but after that I had a healthy constitution with no reason to suddenly collapse.
Probably the reason I collapsed then was because I suddenly received a large amount of mana?
“Ah, then did Lionel figure out a way for me to receive mana without collapsing?”
Lionel nodded.
“Since we already knew we have the same type of mana constitution. I thought this way would be safer.”
My goodness, he deliberately learned a method to slowly flow mana to me because he was worried I might faint again from receiving a large amount of mana at once!
‘Wow, I’m really touched.’
Controlling mana to flow it out little by little is something even mages can’t do easily. To think he practiced this for me within that tight schedule.
“All those cookies I baked and fed him were worth it…”
“What?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
After clearing my throat with a cough, I extended my hand to Lionel.
“It’s a bit wasteful how the mana keeps leaking out, so could you hold my hand until we get home?”
Lionel silently took my hand. Interlocking our fingers again.
His fingers came deep between mine, wrapping around the back of my hand like an embrace, making me wonder if this was really necessary…
‘Ah, this increases the contact area.’
When we linked arms and held hands with gloves on before, I couldn’t receive mana, so probably to receive mana, bare skin needs to touch…
‘This is the best option.’
We haven’t known each other very long, and even though we’re engaged, we’re both still minors. Ahem.
“Are you hot?”
“Huh? …No! I’m not hot at all!”
When Lionel loosened his grip, I reflexively shook my head, then belatedly realized my cheeks were burning hot. He must have asked if I was hot because my face was red.
“Just a bit, well… Hehehe.”
I couldn’t very well say I was imagining skinship beyond just holding hands with him, so I just brushed it off with laughter.
Fortunately, Lionel didn’t press me about why my face was red.
I looked at his red lips pressed in a straight line, then turned my head the other way.
‘Ugh, the heat won’t go down. It’s hot, so hot.’
Somehow it felt like sweat was building up inside our interlocked hands, so I carefully opened the carriage window.
“The wind is cold.”
“It’s not cold at all. I’m really fine, so stop being overprotective.”
“It’s not overprotection…”
“La la la, I can’t hear anything. I can’t hear anything at all.”
I held his hand tightly to prevent Lionel from closing the window, then welcomed the breeze.
The cool evening air blowing from beyond the crimson-stained sky made my hair flutter and tickle my nape.
Because of that, I really wanted to scratch my nape with my nails, but I held back.
If I moved even a little, Lionel would notice and turn his gaze toward me, and I was worried he’d see my red face that wouldn’t cool down even in the cold wind.
“Ahem. But when will this volunteer work end?”
“I’m not sure either.”
“If Lionel doesn’t know, who would?”
“Her Majesty the Empress would know.”
“…”
Do you have to obey everything the Empress commands?
Those words rose to my throat, but I didn’t let them out.
After all, the Empress was of higher rank than a prince, and personally, she was also his birth mother.
Everyone in the empire knew that the Empress treated the Second Prince coldly, but even so, Lionel was human too, so it would be difficult to completely cut off his feelings toward his birth mother.
“By any chance. Don’t you… hate Her Majesty the Empress?”
“You mean me toward her?”
“…Don’t you?”
Lionel tilted his head slightly to one side, seeming to ponder something, then answered.
“No.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
I wiggled the fingers of our interlocked hands and asked once more.
“Then do you resent her or anything…?”
“No.”
“Then?”
“I don’t think anything at all.”
At this unexpected answer, I was so surprised I just closed my mouth.
The first impression I had when I first saw him was correct.
An empty, hollow doll molded from resignation.
“That…”
I was about to ask what his feelings toward the First Prince were, but stopped.
If he said he felt nothing toward him either, I’d feel a bit strange.
‘At least he should be angry at the First Prince, right?’
He took away everything Lionel had, and even killed the bird he cherished when he was young.
“Do you have more questions?”
“Oh, well.”
He seemed to have noticed I was hesitating about asking about the First Prince. I was about to shake my head saying it was nothing, but impulsively opened my mouth.
“Then what do you think of me?”
Lionel’s eyes widened slightly as if that question was unexpected. I quickly added more words, worried he’d think it strange.
“I mean, we’re engaged, and anyway we’ll spend our whole lives together, uh…”
“Our whole lives bickering and fighting while sharing the same bedroom.”
“Right, that! Even though we just met recently, that’s how it’ll be in the future, so if Lionel has no thoughts about me right now, it’s a bit…”
Lionel stroked his chin with his free hand.
His expression didn’t particularly change, but somehow I got a strong feeling he was thinking ‘Is that so?’, so in my frustration I ended up shouting a question.
“Do you really have no thoughts at all? I baked you so many cookies, and we’re even holding hands right now?”
“…”
“And we’re not just holding hands, we’re holding hands with our fingers interlocked?”
I raised my clasped hands and waved them frantically beside his face. Like swinging clenched fists in a threatening manner.
However, Lionel, who had been looking at me with a face showing no emotional disturbance as if I posed no threat at all, suddenly raised his opposite hand.
I flinched in surprise for a moment, and seeing me like that, Lionel’s hand stopped abruptly in mid-air.
After a few seconds passed in that state.
Lionel, who had been staring intently into my eyes, slowly, very slowly extended his hand toward me.
Just like approaching a wary small animal. As if to show he had no intention of harming me, I watched his hand approach so carefully with only my eyes moving.
Eventually, Lionel’s hand was about to touch my cheek.
‘Huh? Huh huh huh?’
The moment I thought Lionel was going to grab my cheek and kiss me, I unconsciously squeezed both eyes shut tight.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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