I Became The Male Leads’ Target

IBMLT | Episode 117

117.

“How have you been?”

“Of course, I’ve been well. I hope you’ve been doing well too, Lady Marguerite.”

“I have! I was a bit worried about the Duke, but thankfully, his recovery has been smooth.”

The two of them chatted easily, without any reservations.

I stood there, quietly watching their warm exchange.

Is this what it feels like to be a shadow?

When no one acknowledges your presence, and being ignored feels completely natural.

In contrast, Marguerite…

‘What does it feel like?’

To be loved by everyone.

With her gentle and kind nature.

Her dazzling beauty, like a fairy from a summer forest.

And even a special ability that can calm Lucian’s uncontrollable outbursts.

…Maybe that’s the kind of person who deserves to be the heroine of this world.

‘How pathetic.’

I furrowed my brow slightly.

I hated myself for having such thoughts.

I felt like a crumpled piece of paper.

No matter how carefully you try to smooth out the creases, the marks of being crumpled remain.

And with those marks, you start to see everything from a skewed perspective…

“Oh, by the way, what brings you here?”

“Ah, right!”

At Sir Mason’s question, Marguerite widened her eyes and turned to me.

“The Duke asked me to bring Elze to him.”

“……”

At that moment, Sir Mason’s expression grew cold again.

Just a little while ago, he was insisting that I stay in my room and wait for Lucian to summon me.

Now that Lucian was actually calling for me, his mood soured.

He glared at me with sharp eyes.

‘Why does the Duke even bother with someone like her?’

His eyes were filled with that unspoken question.

In the next moment, I heard a faint whisper echoing in my mind.

‘Is it really okay for that woman to stay here?’

‘Well, the Marquis of Offenheir has been seen with her in public for a long time…’

‘But still, there’s no need to risk conflict with the Marquis over a lowly noble like her, is there?’

‘Why does Kalleid have to deal with this kind of trouble, seriously?’

I could practically hear the disdain in the clicking of tongues.

The way their eyes scanned me from head to toe, as if I were an insect.

‘Am I hearing things now?’

I let out a short, bitter laugh.

It felt like the ground beneath me was falling away.

At the same time, Marguerite suddenly leaned toward me, breaking my thoughts.

“Shall we go, Elze?”

“Oh, yes.”

Startled, I nodded quickly.

“Take care, Lady Marguerite!”

Sir Mason offered a polite farewell to Marguerite, but didn’t even acknowledge my existence.

I gave him a brief nod before turning away, trying to remain indifferent.

“Thank you!”

Marguerite smiled brightly and waved.

And so, we walked side by side down the corridor.

Marguerite chattered away cheerfully.

She talked about how close she and Lucian had become lately, how she had given Benedict some light advice about his business…

The topics of her conversation mostly revolved around the two male leads.

It felt like the entire hallway was filled with her lively voice.

And then, suddenly.

“Elze.”

Marguerite called my name abruptly.

“Yes?”

I turned to her, puzzled.

Her eyes gleamed strangely as she stared at me.

“Have you been having nightmares lately?”

…Out of nowhere?

I hesitated.

Her beautiful green eyes curved slyly.

“Come to think of it, you never did tell me about that dream of yours.”

“……”

That question made me uncomfortable.

Why does she keep bringing up those nightmares?

Is it really that important to her to know what I dreamed about?

…Enough to ask me multiple times?

As those thoughts swirled in my mind, fragmented pieces of the nightmare flashed through my head.

The vivid red drops of blood standing out against the bright blue sky.

The blood dripping down from my body.

[Elze, did you know?]

A delicate hand lifted my chin gently.

Poisonous green eyes, sharp as venom.

A soft voice.

[Crushed flowers smell the sweetest.]

The two men who turned away, forcing themselves to look elsewhere, their faces twisted in anguish.

A pretty smile playing on those lips as they whispered to me.

[I can’t wait to see how far you’ll go with your little struggle.]

And then.

[Stop it!]

The man who was the only one trying to stop ‘someone’ in front of me.

[Elze! Elze…!]

The ruby-like gaze that desperately searched for my face…

“I’m not sure, I can’t really remember.”

I shrugged, pretending nonchalance.

“Dreams are like that, aren’t they?”

“Are they?”

Marguerite tilted her head with a smile.

“Well, dreams do tend to fade quickly.”

“……”

“I just thought that since you were so scared of it, it would stick with you longer.”

Marguerite murmured softly, almost to herself.

“Then again, … it’s not like remembering can change anything.”

Her voice was so quiet I could barely hear her.

I frowned slightly.

“Sorry, what did you say?”

“Oh, nothing.”

Marguerite quickly smiled her usual kind smile.

“Oh look, we’re here.”

Before I realized it, we had arrived in front of Lucian’s room.

Marguerite stepped back.

“Well, I’ll be going now.”

“Thank you.”

I watched Marguerite’s retreating figure for a moment, then turned to face the door.

It stood firmly shut, as if blocking my way.

…A strange sense of unease washed over me.

As if opening this door would lead me straight into a dark, bottomless pit…

‘What am I even thinking?’

Shaking my head to rid myself of the unnecessary anxiety, I knocked lightly.

Knock, knock.

“Come in.”

A casual response came from beyond the door, making my earlier worries seem baseless.

Click.

I pushed the door open.

Sunlight poured into the bright bedroom.

Lucian, leaning against the bed, greeted me with a friendly expression.

“Ah, Lady. You’re here?”

According to the doctor, Lucian had mostly recovered by now.

As expected of a male lead, his recovery rate was nothing short of remarkable.

Lucian reached out toward me, whining playfully.

“What are you doing standing there? It’s just the two of us.”

I walked over to him without hesitation.

And that’s when I noticed.

The untouched medicine bowl sitting on the bedside table.

“Why haven’t you taken your medicine yet?”

“Oh… the medicine.”

Lucian rolled his eyes and smiled awkwardly.

“Do I really need to? I’m recovering just fine without it.”

“You absolutely do. The doctor wouldn’t have prescribed it for no reason.”

“Well, still—”

“Hurry up.”

I picked up the tray with the medicine bowl and brought it over to Lucian.

The bitter smell wafted up from the bowl.

Lucian grimaced.

“Ugh, that smell…”

It was clear that the medicine, brewed from various herbs, would taste bitter.

But still.

“Drink it.”

I firmly pushed the tray toward him.

Lucian swallowed hard, glancing at me warily.

“…Do I really have to?”

“Yes, now.”

I didn’t budge.

“Hoo.”

With a deep sigh from the pit of his chest, Lucian picked up the bowl with a determined look.

He squeezed his eyes shut and downed the entire thing in one go.

“Ugh…”

He let out a groan, shuddering as his shoulders shook.

“How was that? Did well, right?”

He proudly showed me the empty bowl.

“……”

I stared at him, exasperated.

He’s acting like a child.

Finally, I nodded, humoring him.

“Yes, well done.”

Lucian’s cold and distant demeanor from the first day we met had completely vanished.

It was much easier to deal with him now.

He reminded me of the carefree boy I had once known from our school days.

“Would you like a candy?”

Feeling unexpectedly lighthearted, I picked up the candy jar sitting next to the medicine bowl.

It seemed like he had prepared it in advance to get rid of the bitterness.

Lucian immediately opened his mouth, expecting me to feed him.

‘What now?’

I looked at him, puzzled, and Lucian, with a sulky face, nudged me again.

“Can’t you at least feed me a candy?”

“……”

In that moment.

A strong sense of déjà vu washed over me.

[…It’s not that I’m planning to quit smoking. I just want to smoke less in front of you.]

Even as he said that, Dante obediently opened his mouth, waiting for me to feed him a candy.

[I’d like the Marquis to stay by my side for just one day.]

The strong arms that wrapped around my waist with just a whisper.

The lingering taste of sweet fruit candy on his lips during a passionate kiss…

“Lady?”

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