[BL] Seducing Male Leads To Survive As A Villain In A Novel-Chapter 361: Words to say

They proceeded with breakfast. Eden introduced the pancakes and pastries to them, explaining how they were a delicacy from the world he came from.

He watched them enjoy the meal, several of them already asking for more.

"Look, I hurt my hands," Lysander said. "Why don’t you feed me? And I want some of yours, too." He leaned closer so Eden could feed him.

Eden smiled. "Sure." He cut into his own pancake and fed Lysander a spoonful.

Lysander smiled as he enjoyed the unique taste. "It gets better the more you have. I want more."

Eden smiled and gave him another bite.

Adrian stared at them for a while before dropping his spoon and feigning a wince. "I also think I hurt my hands," he said, smiling at Eden. "You should feed me, too." He leaned forward.

Eden stared at him. "Are you sure about that?"

He nodded. "Yes, I am." He opened his mouth, and Eden fed him a spoonful as well.

Lysander bit his lip. "Now I want more."

Eden scoffed. "At this rate, I guess I’ll just have to feed all of you." He turned to Elvis with a playful smile. "Do I need to feed you, too?"

Elvis shook his head, then took his own spoon, scooped a bite from his plate, and offered it to Eden. "Have some. Or should I feed you?"

Eden smiled and opened his mouth. Elvis fed him one spoonful, then another.

Adrian and Lysander sat there watching them. They blinked at the sight, then quickly dug their own spoons into their meals. "Have some, too," they both said to Eden at the same time.

Leo stared at the two of them and let out a casual laugh.

*****

The breakfast continued in the same spirit of fun and laughter. During a comfortable lull, Eden glanced over at Princess Cordelia, who was quietly enjoying her meal.

She clearly felt awkward, but sitting beside Helen—who was helping her with the unfamiliar dishes—she seemed to be feeling a bit better.

Eden hesitated before asking gently, "How’s the meal? Are you enjoying it?" He smiled warmly at her.

All eyes turned to Cordelia as she looked up, her gaze meeting Eden’s. She nodded slowly. "Yes. It’s delicious."

Eden nodded with a smile. "Then that’s good. I’m glad."

The room fell into a brief silence, and in that moment, Princess Cordelia felt the need to speak. She stared down at her plate and said softly, "Thank you..."

Everyone paused, looking at her again as she continued. "Thank you for saving me..." She glanced up at Eden, a clear sense of guilt crossing her face. "I haven’t been the best person to you... but you still saved me and brought me here safely. I’m really grateful."

Eden smiled warmly. "I’d be a devil if I’d left you there to die."

"But aren’t you already considered the devil?" Lenny blinked at him.

"Shut up," Eden snapped. The others laughed.

Eden kept his eyes on Cordelia. "So don’t worry about it. Just rest so you can recover..."

She nodded, her head lowered. Eden’s kindness after everything she had done only deepened her guilt, and she felt compelled to say more.

"I’m sorry... for trying to come between you and Crown Prince Elvis. The two of you are perfect together, and I truly see that now... so I feel terrible for even trying to break you up. I’m so sorry..." She kept her head down.

The room stayed quiet as Eden looked at her, his warm smile still lingering. "It’s okay. It’s alright to have liked him, too. There’s no need to apologize for that..."

"That’s not it..." Princess Cordelia said quietly. "It’s that I don’t like him... and yet I tried to ruin your relationship anyway..."

A shocked, awkward silence fell over the room. Everyone stared at Cordelia.

It was no secret that Princess Cordelia had been openly obsessed with Crown Prince Elvis. Everyone knew this. She had shamelessly pursued him everywhere. So to hear her say she didn’t actually like him was completely unexpected.

"What do you mean... by that?" Eden asked, confused.

"Well... it’s not that I didn’t like him at all..." She hesitated, searching for a better way to put it. "I liked him when I was younger... I did... but... I grew up, and my feelings for him faded over time..."

Silence hung in the air until Lysander stared at her. "So why did you keep actively going after him?"

"...It was because of my dad," Princess Cordelia explained.

They were shocked but still didn’t fully grasp how that connected.

They all sat quietly, watching her and waiting for her to explain further. And she was ready to.

"I had given up and wasn’t really interested in pursuing him anymore. But my dad insisted. He suddenly became very interested in my relationship with Elvis. He started pushing me to get closer to him by any means necessary..."

She explained how the Emperor had threatened her in different ways, forcing her to approach Elvis.

The Imperial Princess found the courage to open up to them. She described how her father had suddenly changed and become someone they no longer recognized.

He had turned into a monster who wasn’t afraid to beat her and her mother. Someone who seemed to feel no love for them at all. He treated them like objects.

She explained how he would punish her if she failed in her task of getting closer to Elvis—beating her, locking her up, or sending her mother away as further punishment after beating her, too.

She detailed everything they endured at his hands after his sudden change, and how she was forced to do all she did just to survive under his control.

She couldn’t stop the tears from rolling down her cheeks as she explained. Helen, who sat beside her, gently consoled her as she spoke.

"And... that was why I said what I said to Elvis during the engagement ceremony..." she finished, her voice trembling through her tears.