The Obsessive Male Lead Is Jealous Of My Doll - Chapter 49

Chapter 25.1

‘What’s this? He’s easier to understand than I thought.’

Ignis would probably be as beautiful as Stella if he smiled, but with his cold and stern expression, he never did. It seemed that only Stella got to see him smile.

Soon, Karentina shifted her gaze away from him and stood up.

“About Rublia.”

“Yes?”

“As the Young Lady said, the flower’s meaning is like a dog, but it’s still used as a good medicinal herb.”

‘…Why does he always compare things to dogs? Did he have some bad memories with dogs when he was young?’

Karentina blinked in confusion at his strange way of speaking.

“Really? It’s such a good flower, yet someone came up with such a terrible meaning for it.”

Ignis then closed his mouth in disbelief as she huffed at the unknown opponent.

“….”

When they finished speaking, an awkward silence fell as if they had made a pact.

Karentina, who was feeling uncomfortable with this silence, finally parted her lips and asked Ignis what she was most curious about.

“Your Highness, I couldn’t ask you because I was so flustered, but why didn’t my brother come with you? Is there… something wrong?”

Ignis didn’t blink but continued in a cautious tone.

“Damion is safe.”

Karentina breathed a sigh of relief.

“Damion… The Duke of Lorraine will be reorganizing the forest and returning with the wounded knights. I’ve burned all the demonic beasts.”

As Ignis curled his lips into a smile, it felt so chilling that cold sweat ran down her back.

“I-I’m relieved. I hope my brother comes back soon.”

Karentina was overflowing with anticipation of meeting her new older brother. Ignis, who had been staring at her intently, shifted his gaze.

By the way, what happened to Ceria?

From the way he spoke, it sounded like he wouldn’t be going to the forest where the monsters appeared.

“So, does that mean you’re not going to the forest anymore?”

Ignis’s voice suddenly became sharp.

“Why? Are you plotting something again?”

Karentina was startled and jumped.

“It’s not like that at all!”

Ignis’s eyes narrowed as she threw up her hands in vehement denial.

“I… I was just curious about how the others are.”

“They are all safe.”

“I’m really relieved to hear that everyone is safe. Are you not injured?”

She bit her lip as she recalled the memory of his right side bleeding profusely.

“…As you can see.”

At the sight of Leah perking up her ears, Karentina smiled and gently patted her head. Ignis, watching this, slowly continued speaking.

“One reason I came early was to check if Stella was safe, but it’s also to find someone.”

At his words, goosebumps rose all over her body at the sudden sense of foreboding.

‘N-No way…’

A cruel smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as he looked at her.

“I need to find a woman.”

“A, a woman?”

Karentina responded a beat too late as she felt her heart tighten.

“Yeah. Black hair and blue eyes. She was a woman with magic.”

Horrified, all she could do was hide her trembling hands.

‘C-Could it be that he’s looking for me? Why me instead of Ceria… Could it be that they saw my eyes?!’

As she looked down at Leah with trembling eyes, Leah also shivered, thinking the same thing.

“The knights were nearly wiped out, but she saved everyone, including my own life, and then disappeared like smoke.”

Karentina deliberately kept her voice bright and hid her anxiety.

“T-That’s very kind of her, but is it really necessary to search for her?”

“I need to find her.”

Ignis’s tone was firm.

“I don’t know the reason, but she hit me on the head.”

“….!”

His eyes lit up with amusement as he spoke with a voice as cold as ice.

“There are so many questions I want to ask, like why did she save everyone and why did she hit me in the head? It’s as if she knows exactly what will happen in the forest.”

Karentina’s head throbbed with the certainty that she had set off some strange flag.

“At first, I suspected the Princess because your eye color was similar to that of the black-haired woman.”

Her hair stood on end, and she felt a chill running down her spine.

“I-It couldn’t be. I don’t even know where my brother is. It could be someone from the knights. A black-haired woman…”

‘It’s Ceria…!’

Despite the fact that she internally shouted the name of the original female lead, Ignis shook his head indifferently, contrary to her hopes.

“There’s only one woman with black hair in the knights, and that’s my aide. But it’s definitely not her.”

‘…What on earth made him so sure about that?’

“I’ve imprinted a magic seal on that woman’s body.”

Karentina’s mouth fell open in shock at the unexpected information.

‘What is that supposed to mean? Does he know it’s me, and he’s doing this on purpose?’

She felt like she might go crazy with this new setting that didn’t appear in the original story.

“That woman had magic. I can imprint magic seals on people with magic powers.”

It was strange, but why couldn’t he recognize her? A multitude of questions swirled in her mind. Ignis seemed completely unaware that the woman was Karentina.