This BL Novel Is Ruined Now - Chapter 185

BLR has been completely translated on Patreon

Chapter 185

Translator: Yonnee

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“Lady Reina has arrived. Shall I guide her to the drawing room?”

Eli, adjusting his attire in anticipation of his unrequited love’s visit, froze mid-motion.

“Go ahead.”

With a brief command, the man resumed his adjustments.

It wasn’t as if the shirt collar was choking him, yet why did it suddenly feel so suffocating?

“I simply cannot stand idly by and watch your dishonorable intentions toward Reina.”

The warning thrown abruptly by Ethan Liam came on a day when everything seemed to be going smoothly.

Although the bond between Reina and that cerulean freak seemed to be growing stronger by the day, Eli was also entering a different phase with Reina.

Pity. Yes, even if the shifting emotions were unsightly, what of it? There was nothing more effective than pity to weaken someone’s heart and lower their guard.

But Ethan Liam had ruined it all.

“I will not stay still any longer.”

Who would have thought his warning meant this? That cunning fox had entirely undermined the lion’s dignity.

Grinding his teeth, Eli muttered as if reciting a mantra.

“If only I had caught Reina’s eye first…”

Then, in that spot, it would have been him, not the cerulean freak.

He had survived thus far merely by being observant. Thus, Elijah Jehardt certainly knew.

In Reina’s eyes when she first declared her ‘engagement with Ethan Liam,’ there was none of the love present now. It was clearly not a declaration made out of love but rather a façade of love for the sake of the engagement.

“If only my disengagement had been finalized a bit earlier…”

The disengagement that was inevitable anyway.

It was a union with a member of a branch family of the household, meant to protect his weak self—a ludicrous engagement, impossible and nonsensical.

But as they say, one’s thoughts entering the restroom differ from those exiting. Now that it had come to this, he resented the political show that had protected him.

“Huu…”

What’s the use of regretting the past now?

Eli forcibly relaxed his tensing hands. His well-ironed shirt was a mess.

“…Bring another shirt.”

He tossed the shirt to a maid waiting at a distance, and soon a new garment was prepared.

Slipping into the crisply ironed clothes, he pushed down the rising desires within him.

‘It’s not time yet.’

How much patience and waiting does a lion gather before it leaps at its prey?

So, hold on. Just wait a little longer.

“There’s nothing that doesn’t change.”

His life was a testament to that.

He, who seemed destined to remain a perpetual underdog, had become the pride of the black lions. Reina, once perceived only as a nuisance by the nine families, had also become a person of respect for all.

Yes. The world certainly changes.

So, the love between Ethan and Reina will also eventually dilute and fade in time.

That’s the moment to aim for.

With that thought, as he entered the drawing room, he didn’t hesitate to speak.

“Thank you for coming, Noona. Actually… I’ll be leaving soon. I’m glad I get to see you before that.”

This was his strategic initiative.

* * *

“…Huh?”

Caught off guard by the unexpected news, Reina let out a dumbfounded sound.

“You’re leaving… Is it because of me?”

No sooner had she blurted out the question than she immediately regretted it. Would Eli, knowing his nature, ever admit ‘yes’ to that?

“I’m sorry…. What I mean is…”

Trying to scramble and recover from the bomb that had been dropped, the more she spoke, the more she lost her way.

Then Eli let his eyebrows droop and smiled.

“No, Noona. What do you have to be sorry about… It was all my greed.”

“……”

Following his words, a profound silence enveloped them. Only the occasional sound of the wind outside reminded them that time hadn’t stopped.

The woman, glancing down, watched her hands resting on her lap and bit her lip gently.

‘I came here resolutely, but… it’s still hard.’

But she could no longer hesitate.

“You can’t always be a good person. So, you have to become the bad person to one or the other of them.”

As Leo said, the desire to be a good person creates the irony of hurting others.

So, take decisive action.

Reina unclenched her fists, which had turned white from the grip, and with a slightly more resolute look in her eyes, she spoke to the man sitting across from her.

“Eli. I might not be able to contact you often, but I’ll always be cheering in support for you.”

It was a very straightforward farewell.

Why are you going there?

When will you return?

I’ll visit the Jehardt domain to see you.

Yes, such words were not exchanged. No, they couldn’t be.

It would be a lie to say she wouldn’t miss a friend she’d been close to for years. But this was right. This was the best path for Eli and the proper courtesy towards Ethan.

Perhaps sensing her resolve, his previously sad face settled into a different, more resigned expression.

But he only returned a short response.

“…Thank you, Noona.”

Reina was about to let out a worried remark out of habit, but she didn’t.

Instead, she conveyed perhaps a cruel but the only truth to him.

“Thank you for being a good friend, Eli. You are a precious friend to me.”