I Abandoned the Male Lead Who Cheated with the Villainess - Chapter 135

Thus, the thoughts Ivonne had missed earlier came back to her: why Herix was so obsessed with her.

‘From the way he acted earlier, he doesn’t seem to be worried about the Emperor threatening me. But wait a minute… didn’t the Emperor know one of the crown prince’s weaknesses? I think it was mentioned in the original story.’

The problem was that the details of that weakness, and when it occurred, were vague.

‘But back then, at the birthday banquet, Herix acted as if the Emperor didn’t matter at all.’

Maybe Herix had already dealt with whatever weakness the Emperor knew about. Still, this was all based on the original settings.

After nearly a year since the possession, Ivonne had started to forget many details of the original story. So much had changed from the original story, and having experienced so much, her mind was becoming more and more complicated. It was wise to discard thoughts that led to no conclusions.

So Ivonne decided to let it go for now.

‘I can’t remember, but what can I do? Herix said there would be nothing left to hide from me, so I’ll just ask him directly later. What exactly was that weakness?’

This was something Ivonne hadn’t experienced since her possession, so it was definitely part of the original story. Even if the original plot of the mad crown prince was quite small, and even if Herix’s weakness had nothing to do with the main couple’s story.

⚜ ⚜ ⚜

The carriage carrying Herix and Ivonne soon arrived at the Tens Mansion.

“Ah, finally home.”

Ivonne muttered as she stepped out of the carriage. The clinking sound of the shackles on her ankle continued to ring in her ears. In the end, she failed to free herself from the shackles through their conversation in the carriage.

“…”

Herix, watching Ivonne’s back as she got down without taking his hand, looked at her with a slightly melancholic expression before following her out. Once Ivonne returned to a place full of familiar faces, she adjusted her skirt to cover the shackles on her ankle. Herix’s mood worsened further.

“I’ve already cleaned the house. You can go straight to your bedroom to rest… or, would you like me to prepare some food?”

Despite his effort to speak up, he received no response. Herix didn’t add anything else. He just followed Ivonne, who was heading towards Tens Mansion as usual.

In fact, the reason Ivonne didn’t react to Herix’s words, despite her earlier resolve to ask him about the weakness the Emperor had over him, was because of Isaac.

The carriage they were in went straight to the capital via the front gates, while Johann and Isaac’s carriage headed directly toward the sea prison.

The sea prison, a step above the imperial prison, was an artificial island built on the ocean. Once someone was imprisoned there, they would never come back to land, even in death. Thus earning it a fearsome reputation.

Considering Isaac’s crime of faking his death, it was only natural for him to be sent there. However, for Ivonne, this presented a dilemma.

‘Visiting hours are impossible, and even sending letters isn’t allowed. I can’t even confirm if he lied. If I ask Herix, he’ll just become more depressed, right?’

She had become so absorbed in these thoughts that she briefly forgot about Herix. It wasn’t intentional; she wasn’t deliberately ignoring him. But this was Ivonne’s own line of thought, not Herix’s.

‘What should I do? How can I make Ivonne believe me?’

Asking her to believe him felt like an impossible request. He knew this himself. He had deceived her all this time. Understanding her values—how much she hated lies—he feared she would cast him aside.

Yet, miraculously, Ivonne hadn’t done so, instead, showing him a divine-like leniency.

‘At least for now.’

Still, it was a small victory that he could remain by her side, thanks to her will. Now, he had to wait. He had to wait for Ivonne to come to a decision, to look back at him, to choose him, like a loyal servant waiting for the call of a god.

“I’ll go rest for a bit.”

“…Yes.”

Ivonne quickly headed to her room. Herix couldn’t bear to look up at her retreating figure. He couldn’t bring himself to face the clinking chains under her skirt. It was a pathetic and desperate feeling of separation anxiety and insecurity.

‘If he’s so afraid of the chains like a child afraid of ghosts, he should just take them off.’

Ivonne, feeling Herix’s anxious feelings, thought to herself. She couldn’t understand him, nor could Herix understand himself. He was undoubtedly an extraordinary man in many ways.

“Ah, I knew it. Home is the best. The farm in the Ortensia Republic and the new house were nice, but this is truly my home.”

Ivonne murmured, lying on her bed and staring at the ceiling. Her pink hair fluttered in her line of sight as she lay there, the most comfortable place she knew. Perhaps because she had returned to this familiar space, her tangled thoughts began to calm down and organize themselves.

The first thing that needed to be done was already clear.

‘I need to calm Herix down first.’

The shackles, clearly designed with great care, didn’t bother her at all as she rolled onto the bed. But no matter how much she had gotten used to them, they were still shackles. Even if they felt familiar to her, they would be unsightly to others.

‘I’ll get rid of the anxiety Herix feels and ask him to take them off.’

Without causing any more conflict.