My Ex-Husband Became The Male Lead - Chapter 39

Chapter 39 – Do You Like It That Way?

Love between the two main characters was a necessary condition for a happy ending, and wasn’t it the standard ending that most novels sought? But this man here said he wouldn’t do it. He had no intention to conform with the original novel even though he found out that he was the male lead.

“Sad… ending.”

Every word Kaligo uttered shook Ashia’s life down to its roots. It was so simple for him to say he wouldn’t live according to the plot, but she had never lived with that idea before.

-I couldn’t be the main character in this life either.

She started this life with resignation the moment she found out that she had become a person whose name had never been mentioned. The accident seven years ago may have further restricted her actions.

In front of that Ashia, Kaligo had a nonchalant attitude.

– Because the male lead is not going to fall in love with the heroine but will love another woman.

She thought that today would be a special day for Ashia to change the direction of her life as she hears those words. Rather than living in fear of things that had never happened yet, perhaps she had the willingness to fight back no matter what was waiting.

’Why didn’t I know that? Why didn’t I notice? That he had the strength and will to do that? And…’
– I’ll be by your side to help. Wouldn’t two be better than one?

The courage blooming inside her heart was given to her by the man in front of her.

“…”

Ashia didn’t say anything and just blinked. Their eyes met for a moment. Again, he was smiling. It was very faint, but he was definitely smiling at her.

Kaligo’s hand held her cheek, moving slowly toward her hair. He twirled a lock around his finger, playing with it.

“If I ask who that other woman is… I think you would somewhat feel sad.”

“…” Ashia’s gaze, following his hand, turned to Kaligo’s.

“No, you can ask. You can ask if you really don’t know, or ask to see if you know about it.”

He laughed leisurely.

Ashia, looking down again with his hand holding her hair, asked “Are you okay?”

His eyes were curious. “What do you mean?”

“Aren’t you curious about that person? Aileen?”

Kaligo let out a small laugh and snort, and raised one of his eyebrows. “I am not interested.”

“She was described as very beautiful.”

“I bet you are more beautiful.”

“…” Her eyes grew even bigger with his absurd answer.

Kaligo smiled silently, his tongue darting out to lick his lips. “If you want to say more, go ahead.”

“…She was also kind.”

“I don’t like nice girls.”

“…”

“And?”

“…Kind, dignified, and—”

Kaligo cut her off. “I don’t like a neat and dignified woman as much as I don’t like a kind woman.”

“…”

“Was there anything else?”

Ashia burst into involuntary laughter seeing his sly smile. “Then, do you like me because I’m not nice, I’m not neat, and I’m not dignified?”

Seeing her smile like that, Kaligo’s red eyes lit up. “Certainly, and now you know.”

“What?”

“What I think of you. You can’t deny now that you know.”

“…”

Looking at him with narrowed eyes, Ashia got up from the chair without a word and walked to the side table. Kaligo followed her and got up from the floor. He looked regretfully at her platinum hair that slowly loosened and slipped away from him, repeatedly clenching and opening his empty hand.

“The person you just confessed is so relaxed.” She pinned her long hair up with a hairpin placed. She continued to speak with her back still facing Kaligo. “What if I refuse?” Ashia turned and looked straight at him, tears replaced by serenity.

“Then I will confess to you until you accept it.”

“…”

Even though Kaligo knew very well that his decision was selfish, he couldn’t give up on her in the end. Because he said that he didn’t believe in fate, he wanted to somehow hold on to that somehow as an excuse.

Ashia sat on the edge of the bed. She crossed her legs and placed her hands on her knees. “Then go ahead. Until I change my mind.”

“…”

“Now that we are on it, this may sound funny, but the truth is, I have no intention of dating or getting married.”

Kaligo didn’t show any particular expression at her words. It could be inferred that Ashia’s present decision was made under her present circumstances and memories of the past.

Her eyes and lips suddenly became resolute as if she wasn’t the person who was just crying earlier because of her strong belief that she wouldn’t be shaken—it seemed that she could be shaken. She couldn’t help it because the man she once loved confessed his heart to her with utmost sincerity .

She could also admit and accept the circumstances that made her fall in love with him again. Accepting his heart in the place where their misunderstandings had been resolved… and also…

Marriage?

’What for?’

Ashia was quite satisfied with her current situation. She was capable and independent, and although she needed a lot of gold with her responsibilities, that would be resolved once she cured the Grand Duke in front of her. Having feelings for him, loving him, dating or marrying him, were another matter.

“I didn’t hate it when you told me about your feelings. Rather, it flatters me to see your different expressions”

“Ashia.”

“But dating or marriage, um… I don’t know.” Tilting her head, Ashia smiled bewitchingly. “So, try to get my heart like that. It’s alright if you cling to my skirt, or beg me, ah… I want to see your face as you suffer because of me.”

“…”

He didn’t even dare to speak out until she said she wanted to see his crying face.

“Do you like it that way?”

“…Well, if you fall in love with the female lead before that or get tired of me, then there’s nothing I can do about it.”

Her hidden anxiety came out of her mouth. The reason she felt her heart ache while saying this was probably because she was halfway to accepting him.

Kaligo smiled at her reassuringlyl. He was prepared to be rejected by her in the worst case scenario, but now, she was giving him a chance to be accepted.

’That was it. If that was the one…’

“That will never happen.”

“…”

Ashia intended to see it with her own two eyes. It looked like her anxiety would only disappear when the two main characters met and didn’t play along with the original novel. She couldn’t accept his heart with such worries because she wasn’t so young to recklessly jump into a passionate love without thinking, and she wasn’t innocent either.

A person’s mind could change easily even without the intervention of other forces. The feelings of love weren’t very different. Even more so, she couldn’t be sure that Kaligo’s heart wouldn’t change at the encounter of the two main characters, which was fated in this world.

Kaligo walked over to Ashia and carefully grabbed both of her shoulders. “Ashia.”

“Yes.”

“If I was destined to act as what the original intended to, then I think I wouldn’t have thought of a way to ask you to make a potion nor meet you to get it.”

“…”

Kaligo turned again and took his overcoat, which had been placed on the back of the chair. She, who had just kept her distance, lowered her eyes and took a step closer.

“…Are you going?”

“Yes, I think I have to be diligent to change your mind.”

“…”

Ashia summoned the gate to the Grand Duchy at his request.

Standing in front of the gate, Kaligo couldn’t just enter so he turned and faced her again. “Even if I tell you not too worry and take it easy, you’ll be impatient waiting, right?”

“…You don’t know me yet. I’m the type of person who forgets when I turn around.”

Kaligo’s lips curved softly as her nose twitched. “…I really hope you are. We will deal with any concerns you may have as soon as possible. Trust me.” He caressed Ashia’s cheek. His hands were obviously rough and large, but his fingertips were warm for some reason.

Ashia nodded, then he turned around and entered the blue gate. It quickly burst into small particles and disappeared into thin air. Half-excited, half-worried, laughing at the thought that she might have to be vigilant all night, Ashia fell into a deep sleep as soon as she went to bed.

“How about contacting Kyrian?” Kaligo called Redin early in the morning and inquired about Kyrian’s contact with the capital.

“As expected, the tower was involved.”

He frowned as he recalled the Magic Tower Master he had met in the Imperial Palace.

“…In the end, the people I need to annihilate seem to be in the Magic Tower.”

Redin nodded at his words and handed over the material he had been researching. “We have yet to figure out why the two were together for any reason.”

“That’s something we need to figure out step by step, so make sure to thoroughly identify the number of knights.”

“Yes, my lord.”

He walked down the hallway again and headed to his office.

’That small wizard I saw at the Imperial Palace…’

The corner of Kaligo’s lips slightly rose as he recalled Ashia’s gaze when talking to the Magic Tower Master, and the image of that woman running away with her hood up.