chapter 54
The warmth of her body and the magic she radiated felt comforting.
Elion and Rubiana were alone in a quiet space, and it was pleasant to be like that.
In truth, this situation should have felt awkward.
It should have made her blush.
But she didn’t feel the slightest awkwardness, nor any embarrassment.
As always, Rubiana felt at ease.
Not family, not a long-time friend, yet she could feel this comfortable.
In her past life, she had some experience with romance.
But her relationships had always been uncomfortable.
She had felt uneasy with the gaze of someone interested in her famous actress sister, and she had felt uneasy at herself for caring about it.
Yet in that moment, awakening in Elion’s embrace, she felt no discomfort at all.
She didn’t even wonder if it was right to be like this with Elion, the black-clad figure, instead of Chad, the male lead.
“I think I’ve always… wanted a relationship this comfortable.”
Suddenly, her heart thumped loudly, asserting its presence.
Rubiana immediately surfaced, gasping for air.
Her cheeks, flushed from the deep breaths she had held in, were warm and heated.
Meanwhile, Elion, having finished his meal late, was washing in another bathroom.
As he thought of the true purpose of this trip, he could feel his blood heat up.
He inspected his naked body reflected in the mirror.
The various scars scattered across his upper body made him frown.
Thanks to the gods, he had never suffered a mortal wound.
But he had been in countless battles.
Even someone as strong as Elion would have been injured once or twice out of several fights.
“Pathetic.”
He worried that Rubiana might be shocked by the scars on his body.
Their first night together had been frantic, intoxicated by magic.
Thankfully, they hadn’t had the chance to fully, slowly explore each other’s bodies.
He had always regarded his scars as medals of survival.
Yet now, exposing himself naked in front of Rubiana, the scars were just scars.
Ugly, unappealing.
They evoked painful memories rather than honorable ones.
“I’ll have to dim the lights.”
Since he couldn’t remove the scars, his only option was to adjust the lighting.
When Elion entered the bedroom, Rubiana was sitting alone at the table, sipping wine.
As he wished, the room wasn’t too brightly lit.
Feeling relieved, he approached her.
“Welcome, Your Highness. Sorry, I was drinking first. I was thirsty.”
“During this week here, there’s nothing you need to apologize for. You came here for rest. You are the main character. You can do anything you want.”
“Me… the main character?”
Rubiana blinked, her eyes glistening.
Her face looked like she might start crying at any moment, and Elion felt a twinge of panic.
Had he made a mistake? As he was tense, Rubiana broke into a smile and spoke again.
“You’re the first person to call me the main character! I’ve wanted to hear that my whole life… thank you.”
“You’ve wanted to hear that your whole life…? Then I’ll say it again. You are the main character, Lady Payson.”
“Oh, wait.”
Rubiana raised her index finger and shook it from side to side toward Elion.
“That’s wrong, Your Highness. We agreed to call each other by name affectionately.”
“Oh, I see. My mistake. Rubiana. Is that better?”
“No, no. You have to start from the beginning and go all the way.”
A helpless laugh escaped Elion’s lips.
It seemed Rubiana was a little drunk.
Her flushed cheeks and slightly slurred speech confirmed it.
Judging by how little wine had been consumed from the bottle, she was likely sensitive to alcohol.
“Come on, Elion.”
Having called him “Your Highness” until just moments ago, now addressing him by name made him laugh again.
“Rubiana, you are the main character.”
“Hehe… I like it! Again, say it again.”
“You are the main character, Rubiana.”
Her smile stretched all the way to her ears.
“Alright, I’m feeling generous. Elion, you get to be the main character too today. I’m the female lead, you’re the male lead. How about that?”
“Oh? May I, the male lead, take the place beside you?”
Rubiana pretended to be serious.
“At first, I couldn’t accept it. You seemed… like a villain in the beginning. The heroine and the villain—how could that work?”
“I seemed like a villain?”
“Yes! A very strong villain. A villain addicted to magic stabilizers. Manipulated by the hands of evil. A villain, yes, but a slightly pitiable one.”
“…”
“But not anymore. Elion, you’re no longer addicted to magic stabilizers, and now you’ve met me… so I hereby appoint you as the male lead.”
“That’s very kind of you, Rubiana.”
Excited, Rubiana laughed and poured wine into Elion’s empty glass.
“Now, let’s toast to becoming protagonists.”
“Alright.”
Elion raised his glass cheerfully.
Clink! The two glasses met with a clear, ringing sound.
The fragrant wine slid down smoothly.
Elion frowned as Rubiana tried to drink it all at once.
“Rubiana, you seem drunk, don’t drink too much—”
“You said I’m the main character! You said I can do whatever I want!”
“…True.”
Unrestrained, Rubiana cut him off mid-sentence and drank the wine in one gulp.
All Elion could do was watch.
After finishing her glass, she stood up abruptly and grabbed his hand, speaking cheerfully, as if chirping like a bird:
“Now, Elion… shouldn’t we do what we came here for today?”
Drunk, she seemed to feel no embarrassment.
Holding her hand, Elion was pulled to the bed, sitting there facing her.
Rubiana gently caressed his cheek, chattering.
“You have the face of a true male lead. Not a villain.”
Giggling, she tapped his well-built chest.
“Sharing your magic with me… that’s good. Kind. Truly male lead material, not a villain.”
Her slender hand moved slightly lower, sliding through the loosely tied robe to caress his abs.
“Your body is perfect. Totally my type! No, every woman’s type! Truly male lead material, not a villain.”
“…”
“So… share your magic now.”
Rubiana’s face drew closer, and finally, their lips met.
The kiss didn’t last long, as she slipped into his arms.
“Rubiana? My lady?”
Elion called, but there was no response.
Only her even, soft breathing could be heard.
He sighed and chuckled at once.
Elion laid her properly on the bed and lay down beside her.
Watching her sleeping face, he slowly caressed it.
Her cheeks were warmer than usual.
“My honest and mischievous contract lover will have no wine from now on. Even as the main character, it’s no use.”
Main character…
Elion had told Rubiana he was originally a villain, addicted to magic stabilizers.
When Rubiana had spoken about this randomly, he had thought of Florencia.
Of the magic stabilizer Florencia had prepared.
And of Omar’s suspicious remarks:
“Perhaps… there was a drug in that drink. Something that destabilizes magic.”
“How far do you trust humans?”
“I… think humans are the type to lightly ignore moral standards if it serves their desires.”
When Omar had said this, Rubiana had been unconscious.
If she didn’t hear it from Omar, where had she learned it?
Or was it just her imagination?
“But it aligns perfectly with what Omar said… No, no. There’s no need to attach meaning to drunken words. Just coincidence.”
Pushing away these thoughts, Elion gazed at Rubiana’s sleeping face.
“I have no choice. Tonight, I’ll just hold her hand. I hope she remembers everything from today tomorrow morning. My female lead.”
Elion smiled, entwining his fingers firmly with hers.
Holding hands through the night would allow them to exchange quite a bit of magic.
Not as much as Omar had suggested, but still.
