The Obsessive Male Lead Is Obsessed With Me! - Chapter 48

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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 48

 

I tugged at my hair a few more times, then decided this wouldn’t work and called for Uni.

 

“Uni, do you have scissors?”

 

“Huh? Oh, yes.”

 

Uni, who always carried a portable sewing kit for unexpected situations, began rummaging through her bag.

 

But Lionel stopped her.

 

“I’ll untangle it. Please, don’t move for a moment.”

 

Lionel lowered his long eyelashes and began untangling my hair that was caught on his button.

 

His fingers were so long and beautiful that even the expression “delicate jade hands” seemed insufficient, and I could feel each strand gently loosening as they brushed against my hair.

 

Watching him touch my hair from so close made me feel somewhat embarrassed.

 

I could feel his slow breathing, and perhaps because he had been moving around earlier, even though our bodies weren’t pressed together, I could sense the warmth radiating from him.

 

‘…As expected of a male lead from a novel. He even smells good.’

 

Even at this close distance, it didn’t feel overwhelming—it was a deep yet calm scent.

 

I still liked sweet fragrances and wore fruit-scented perfume. This man really was mature down to the smallest details.

 

‘If I count my previous life, my mental age should be much higher.’

 

Watching Lionel’s face as he silently concentrated on untangling my hair made me feel a bit embarrassed and awkward, so I muttered:

 

“We could just cut the hair…”

 

“If it were my hair, I would have.”

 

Was it because he wouldn’t carelessly cut someone else’s hair, or was it because it was my hair that he was protecting it?

 

I became curious.

 

“By any chance, if another lady’s hair got caught in your button like this, would you personally untangle it for her too?”

 

“No.”

 

“…Why not?”

 

Could it be… Do you like me? Already?

 

“Because that situation wouldn’t arise.”

 

“Huh? How can you be so sure?”

 

What if someone deliberately rushed into your arms? It wouldn’t be easy to avoid that.

 

“It’s done.”

 

“Already? …Wow, you really untangled it all.”

 

Hair, once properly tangled, isn’t easy to untangle.

 

I was truly grateful for his careful effort in untangling each strand, so I sincerely thanked Lionel.

 

But then, a strong wind blew and tossed my hair around.

 

‘No! It’ll get tangled again!’

 

Was it because I quickly stepped back while clutching my hair? My hair didn’t get tangled again.

 

As I felt relieved, Lionel, who had been looking toward where the wind was coming from, turned to me and said:

 

“The wind is strong today. It would be better to tie your hair up.”

 

“You’re right.”

 

Hmm, but I don’t have a hair tie.

 

As I rummaged through the pocket attached to my dress, Lionel asked:

 

“Do you have a hair tie?”

 

“No, I don’t.”

 

I was about to say that Uni probably had one, when Lionel grabbed my hand.

 

“Let’s go over there.”

 

“Huh?”

 

The place Lionel led me to was the bench at the edge of the training ground that I had noticed earlier.

 

After seating me on the bench, he pulled down the cravat decorating his collar and moved behind me.

 

“Look straight ahead.”

 

“Straight ahead? Why?”

 

Without thinking, I looked forward and was startled to discover dozens of pairs of eyes watching us.

 

‘Did he tell me to look at that?’

 

My maid Uni was one thing, but there were Lionel’s aides whom I hadn’t even known were there, maids from the Second Prince’s Palace, squires who had been swinging wooden swords, and other priests and holy knights within the temple.

 

After making eye contact with me, they also startled and turned their heads elsewhere, but they didn’t stop stealing glances in our direction.

 

Curiosity and shock, surprise and interest—facing all those mixed emotions in their gazes made me feel like a monkey in a zoo, but I soon understood why they were looking at me that way.

 

It was because Lionel, standing behind me, had gathered my hair together.

 

“You’re going to tie my hair? Do you have a hair tie?”

 

“…”

 

“Why aren’t you answering?”

 

Whether he couldn’t hear me or not, Lionel didn’t respond and just kept gathering my hair together.

 

If his touch hadn’t been quite gentle and careful, I would have immediately jumped up from my seat.

 

‘Of course, his skill is clumsier than Uni’s…’

 

That was natural. When would His Highness the Prince ever have tied someone else’s hair?

 

“It’s done.”

 

“Thank you!”

 

Lionel had simply tied my hair at the nape of my neck. I could tell without looking in a mirror. He had really just gathered it together so my hair wouldn’t blow in the wind.

 

Still, thinking this was something, I touched my hair and felt fabric serving as a hair tie at my fingertips.

 

‘What’s this? It feels like quite luxurious fabric.’

 

Come to think of it, hadn’t this man loosened his cravat earlier? Could it be that he untied his cravat and used it to tie my hair?

 

‘…What? He has a more caring side than he looks?’

 

If he had a younger sister, he would have made a really good older brother. No wait, should I say he’d become a daughter-fool when he has a daughter later?

 

‘A daughter, a daughter. Hmm. She’d be pretty and cute no matter who she resembled, mom or dad.’

 

As I was imagining a child who resembled half of me and half of Lionel, I suddenly heard Lionel’s voice from beside me.

 

“Liri.”

 

“Hm? …Huh? Me?”

 

Startled, I looked up at Lionel, and his gaze was fixed precisely on me.

 

I looked around wondering if the blue bird was floating somewhere nearby, then asked him:

 

“Did you just call me?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Why are you calling me that?”

 

Then Lionel asked me back in an even more puzzled voice, as if he didn’t understand why I was asking such a question:

 

“Didn’t you give me permission to call you that?”

 

“When did I… No, I did give permission, but!”

 

I stood on my tiptoes and whispered in Lionel’s ear, worried that people watching us might overhear:

 

“Didn’t you mean you’d call the blue bird Liri?”

 

“I didn’t.”

 

So he meant he’d call me by a nickname?

 

“Why would you…? Then what are you going to call the blue bird?”

 

“I was actually curious about that. What’s the blue bird’s name?”

 

“I haven’t given it one.”

 

“Then please give it one now.”

 

But I haven’t thought about the blue bird’s name…

 

‘Should I be the one to name it? Well, I did create it.’

 

Thinking of myself as its parent, I felt a surge of mission to give it a pretty, meaningful, easy-to-call, and cute name.

 

‘What should I name it? What should I name it?’

 

As I was earnestly pondering, one of the squire holy knights who had been stealing glances approached us hesitantly.

 

“Um… Your Highness. I’ve finished the hundred downward strikes as you instructed.”

 

“Ah.”

 

Come to think of it, Lionel had been observing the squires’ postures until just a while ago.

 

I couldn’t help with anything here, and I had taken up too much of his time.

 

“Right. I should go then.”

 

“Then Lionel, I’ll…”

 

I was about to say I’d wait until everything was finished, when Lionel extended his hand to me.

 

‘Huh?’

 

I blinked for a moment, wondering why he was extending his hand to me, then soon realized something.

 

‘Is he trying to escort me nearby?’

 

I thought it would be fine to just sit here on the bench and wait, but there was no need to embarrass the hand he’d extended out of consideration for his fiancée, so I took his hand.

 

Rather than taking it, it was more like I gently placed my hand over his in the manner of an escort.

 

But then Lionel suddenly interlaced our fingers!

 

“Huh?”

 

I wasn’t the only one flustered. The squire who had come to call Lionel was surprised, the other squires who had been waiting for Lionel to come were surprised, Uni was surprised—everyone was surprised.

 

They were so surprised that the small sounds of daily life and rustling around us stopped abruptly, and only silence settled over the area.

 

Whether he knew this or not, Lionel gently pulled our clasped hands toward himself while giving a small nod to the squire standing in front of him.

 

“Aren’t we going?”

 

“Ah! Let’s go. We’re going. We should go…”

 

The startled squire hurried toward the training ground while glancing back. His gaze was fixed on our interlaced hands.

 

And following Lionel who followed behind him, I ended up walking along too.

 

The good feeling from the mana rising through our joined hands was brief, as I whispered into the ear of Lionel, who had positioned me beside him and begun observing the squires’ postures.

 

“Rio, am I not getting in the way?”

 

“Right now I don’t need to use my hands, so it’s fine.”

 

“No, but still, everyone seems to be paying attention…”

 

Fortunately, Lionel didn’t say ‘Is that a problem?’

 

Instead, he swept his gaze once over the squires lined up in the training ground.

 

“Does it bother you?”

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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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