I Have No Intention Of Training The Male Leads - Chapter 17 Part 3

17. Catfight (3)

Translated by: ???

Edward maintained a dignified posture, as if he had come straight out of a sample in an etiquette book, despite Eve’s attitude of being reluctant to reveal herself. 

Although a short intermission was coming to an end, the two of them did not head towards the audience seats, but instead walked out of the theater. Eve wondered what kind of person this man would turn out to be as they passed through the empty corridor with red carpeting and descended the central staircase of the theater. 

While Eve was mentally simulating pulling out a gun from the holster on her thigh, prepared for a possible confrontation, Edward, as if he had already planned ahead, boarded the carriage where the coachman was waiting with Eve.

Eve held Edward’s hand and sat in a forward-facing seat on the carriage. She asked the man who was sitting opposite her and giving instructions to the coachman.

“Where are we going?” 

“Isn’t it getting late? It’s time for a proper lady to return home.” 

“Hmm.” 

It wasn’t something that someone who had bought a ticket at this time would say. Eve took off her hat, which had been covering her face, and gently tidied her disheveled hair. 

“Now, please tell me. What can you tell me?” 

“I talked about the Holy Maiden before. Do you know why there could be records of the Saintess?” 

“If I knew that, I wouldn’t have asked about the Saintess in the first place.” 

“Well, then you probably don’t know that the blood of the Saintess is mixed in the royal lineage.” 

“…What?” 

Edward smiled at Eve’s momentarily stunned face as if he found it amusing. His blue eyes, focused solely on her, sparkled reflecting the light of the street lamps. 

“It means that I am not the only one who has been bewitched by the creation that God carefully crafted.” 

“What are you talking about…” 

“Perhaps this intense and unpleasant feeling originated from our ancestors.”

Before Eve could even retort, the man quickly whispered.

“There are artifacts said to have been left by the Holy Maiden who became a member of the royal family.” 

“Is that so?” 

“It looks like an ordinary antique at first glance. It’s a clear crystal without any flaws, but the decorations are so worn out that it’s neither junk nor a treasure.” 

In an instant, Eve’s hand shot out towards the man. With movements so swift that even Edward’s peripheral vision couldn’t keep up, Edward was caught in Eve’s grip and his throat was pressed against the back of the carriage seat. 

“Gah, keuk!” 

“It’s you?” 

The man, looking at Eve’s face radiating a blue aura, showed an expression of excitement even as the hand holding his throat grew tight.

“Cough, keuk.”

“You bastard. I thought it was you.” 

“You, cough, you shouldn’t reveal your true intentions so easily, Eve.” 

While his throat was being constricted, Eve glared at the man with a fierce gaze. Her fingertips twitched as if she wanted to twist his neck. 

“It’s better to be honest. Where is the item?”

“Huhu, keuk, eugh…” 

“I have no idea what you want from me.” 

“Keuk, honestly?” 

The man, struggling to breathe, raised his hand above Eve’s hand that was choking his throat, gripping each finger tightly.

Since it was not appropriate to kill the man in this situation, Eve slowly released her hand from Edward’s throat while maintaining her composure.

“Don’t you think it’s time for you to be honest?” 

“What do you mean?” 

Eve furrowed her brow as she sensed a hint of resentment in the man’s voice. Edward, with a face flushed like a person in love, chuckled lazily with sparkling eyes. 

The man bent over Eve’s waist, pulling her close with his arms. Eve, who was pulled on Edward’s lap, tried to push his head away, but Edward, who had already buried his face near her neck, softly smiled at the faint scent of sandalwood that could be faintly smelt near her collarbone.

“Am I nothing to you?” 

“……” 

“Why does the scent of that fellow vibrate throughout your body like this?” 

“Haven’t I told you before? It doesn’t matter to you who I’m with or what I do.” 

“I love you. Don’t you see?” 

“What on earth has gotten into you? If you love me, am I supposed to just say, ‘Oh, thank you,’ and accept it?” 

Eve rolled her eyes and pushed the man’s head away as she had originally intended, coming down from on top of him. Edward watched Eve slip away to the side and chuckled softly, pulling out a glass bottle that was only half the size of his palm from his bosom. 

As Eve wondered what this crazy man was up to, she watched his movements closely and saw Edward opening the lid of the glass bottle.

Inside was water as cold as ice. The reason Eve could tell what was inside was because Edward turned the bottle upside down over her head, pouring out its contents. 

As if some kind of magic spell was engraved on the glass bottle, an unbelievably large amount of water poured out, drenching Eve’s head. 

With a splash, the freezing cold water cascaded over Eve’s hair, sending shivers down her spine. The water flowed down beneath her hair, dripping onto her cheeks and falling onto her shoulders and clothes. 

Eve didn’t bat an eye and took the man’s actions without flinching. Edward looked at the woman who was staring back at him with a cold expression and whispered with a sweet smile. 

“It would be best to avoid associating with such a man, my lady.” 

“Thank you for the advice, but I see no reason to heed it.” 

“If my intention was to surprise you, then I succeeded. But such emotions will only bring discomfort, so let’s avoid them in the future.” 

“It’s quite an honor to have caused you discomfort.” 

“Don’t behave so vulgarly. If you’re a lady, always act with grace.”

“Damn it, seriously.” 

Edward looked at Eve, who was spewing foul language with an indifferent face, while droplets of water fell from under her chin. He gazed at her with an affectionate expression, as if she were something incredibly adorable, and brushed the wet strands of hair that clung to her cheek behind her ear. 

“Enough with the talk about the Saintess. Let’s put aside what you believe.”

“What about the necklace?” 

“I will contact you again soon.” 

“What about the necklace?” 

“It would be best if you kept in mind that you can only meet me when I desire.” 

“You bastard.” 

As Eve’s cursing came to a frightening end, the carriage suddenly came to a stop. Glancing out of the window over Edward’s shoulder, Eve realized that they had arrived at the capital mansion of Vermell. With one hand, she brushed her wet hair away from her face, neatly tucking the strands that had fallen down behind her ear. 

The coachman who opened the carriage door was Edward’s knight, whom Eve had glimpsed before. The knight, dressed in a coachman’s uniform, was taken aback by the sight of a drenched woman jumping out of the carriage instead of the familiar man. 

Without looking back, Eve entered the mansion. The footman who held the door open also had his eyes wide open as he saw the young lady, with her wet skirt held up, walking briskly towards him. 

Having received the news that a carriage without a crest had arrived in front of the mansion, Alberic, who was descending to the first floor, paused for a moment as he caught sight of Eve’s wet figure crossing the lobby. However, he casually followed the chamberlain who was following behind and instructed a maid to prepare a bath for her before approaching her. 

“…Did you enjoy the play? You don’t seem to be particularly pleased with it.” 

“At first, it was quite entertaining, but the ending was complete garbage.” 

“Is that so?” 

“I was so fed up with it that my jaw is sore from biting my lips so hard. I want to wash up and have something to eat. Please arrange it for me.” 

“For the meal…” 

“Of course, I haven’t eaten. You should know by looking at the time. The skin of my stomach is sticking to my back¹(slang) To have a sunken belly and feel very hungry because one has not yet eaten..“

Uttering these words in a light tone, Eve mumbled low curses in her mouth and confidently climbed the stairs. 

Alberic, who was watching her back with a slightly relieved expression as she seemed incredibly angry but didn’t look particularly dark, called another servant and left instructions to make preparations in the dining room before following Eve upstairs.

***

After the incident at the theater, not long after, Alberic suddenly packed his belongings and headed to his estate. He sent a letter to his parents, urging them to leave the capital and spend time at the summer villa of the Vermell family in the lower region. 

Although it was still the social season, the hunting season was approaching, so the Vermell couple, without any suspicion, followed Alberic’s suggestion and headed to the beautiful summer villa surrounded by a forest in the vicinity. 

It was not proper for an unmarried woman to stay alone in the capital without a guardian. Eve, regardless of her own intentions, was led by Alberic to the country house in the estate. 

For a while, Alberic seemed busy with various matters. Without calling for Eve separately, he would spend the whole day locked up in his study and occasionally go out dressed in his outing attire to meet someone. 

During this time, Eve pondered how she could extract information about the sacred relic from Edward. However, no particular method came to mind. Damn it, that man is too cunning.

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  (slang) To have a sunken belly and feel very hungry because one has not yet eaten.