Rejected by Daughter’s Second Male Lead Chapter 104

“Father, I really missed you… Do you know how long I waited? I’ve been getting the newspaper every single day and cutting out your pictures.”

Cecilia said in a cute and pitiful voice that could melt one’s heart. Gillen’s eyes reddened in an instant.

“Oh, Cecil! I missed you too, and I spent every night in tears! I was worried about you constantly. How have you been? Tell me everything.”

Yuan had thought that Gillen had been speaking to him in an overly sweet manner. ‘He must be dying to let everyone know he loves me,’ he had even thought.

But hearing him speak to Cecilia after a long time, the way Gillen spoke to him seemed dry and plain in comparison.

It was not as if he was talking to Cecilia like a baby, but it was almost similar. The way he spoke gently, his voice full of affection, as if he were being careful that the weakest and most precious being in the world might be blown away by a puff of wind… was so irritating to hear.

But Cecilia did not find it strange. As if it were the most natural thing in the world, she clung to Gillen’s neck, rubbed her cheek against him, and repeatedly cooed, “Father. I really missed you.”

Was Cecilia originally such a submissive person, like a tamed puppy? Yuan frowned. It was truly unpleasant to watch. He resolved to give Cecilia a heads-up later. Humans were meant to live autonomously and independently.

Gillen and Cecilia sat side by side at the table as a matter of course. Usually, the head of the house would sit at the head of the table, with family or guests sitting on either side—unless the guest was of higher status—but today, with the excuse that it was a special day, the two of them sat side by side.

“You sit there.”

Gillen pointed to the opposite side in a very chilly and cold manner, speaking as if he were taking pity on a beggar. Of course, that was how it sounded to Yuan. Gillen had just spoken as he usually did.

Yuan kept his mouth tightly shut and sat opposite Gillen and Cecilia, feeling sulky inside. Cecilia was now clinging to Gillen’s thick forearm. What’s more, the arm she was clinging to was his right one. But Gillen was right-handed. If she did that, Gillen would not be able to eat. Yuan, seeing an opportunity, was quick to point that out.

“Cecil, if you cling to him like that, your father won’t even be able to use his fork properly. Why don’t you move away a little?”

However, before Cecilia could say anything, Gillen shook his head with a smile.

“Ha! Ha! Ha! It’s fine, Yuan. I can eat with my left hand if I have to.”

Then Gillen told a story about how, when Cecilia was a child and cried so much, he would hold her in his right arm and feed her with his left hand.

“That’s right. Back then, you made sounds like ‘swoosh~’ with the spoon and fed me in a fun way. It felt just like a dragon was flying in.”

“It’s a known fact that children and animals will open their mouths out of interest if you feed them like that. Hahaha! Still, I learned a lot about childcare while raising you.”

“You’ve always been the best father. Back then and now.”

Yuan was flabbergasted. He could not believe that Cecilia, who was old enough, was still acting childishly cutesy toward Gillen. This was a regressive and dependent phenomenon! It was not good for Cecilia’s mental state.

“Cecil, you’re an adult now. And you’re a Lady, at that. You should observe proper dining etiquette.”

Yuan said politely. It was a tone as if he were teaching his own daughter. Both Cecilia and Gillen opened their mouths to reply to that, but a child came running in from outside with a patter of feet.

“Prince!!”

It was Ivy, the child Yuan was sponsoring. As soon as Yuan saw the child, he made a face of disgust.

“You’re still in this house?”

“Yes! They said I can start at the Blake Academy next year!”

“Time sure passes slowly.”

“That’s right. Time really passes slowly!”

Ivy’s appearance further lightened the mood. Gillen excused himself from Cecilia and got up, then walked behind Yuan.

Yuan’s heart pounded fiercely for a moment. Is he trying to sit next to me? He wants to sit next to me, right? I knew it. Even though he pretends not to…

But just as he thought that, Gillen lifted Ivy, who was standing next to Yuan’s chair, high into the air.

“Ivy! It’s been a while! Did you miss me? Ha! Ha! Ha!”

“I missed you! But Sister Cecil said Mister Duke went to do important work! So I endured it! I endured missing the Prince too!”

“Wow, that’s amazing! And Ivy, your pronunciation has become much more accurate than before! You must have studied a lot, haven’t you?”

“That’s right! Sister Cecil and Sister Claire read books to me every single day. We read fun storybooks. And we read magic books too. Because I want to be a magician like the Prince!”

“Hey, kid, you can’t become a magician just by reading books—”

“Wow, is that so, Ivy! That’s so cool! It’s so cool that this Mister is moved! Ha! Ha! Ha!”

“Ha! Ha! Ha!”

Ivy mimicked Gillen’s laughter. Cecilia giggled as if finding it cute, and even the maids serving the food all smiled fondly as they watched their masters and the cute child.

Only Yuan could not smile. His face was as stiff as a plaster statue in the garden.

“Here, Ivy, sit next to brother Yuan. Let’s eat something delicious together.”

“Wow, yes! Okay!”

Gillen sat Ivy down next to Yuan, then returned to his seat next to Cecilia without a second thought. He did not give Yuan a single glance.

Yuan was shocked. How could he do this? Don’t tell me… is he deliberately keeping a distance? Is it because he’d be embarrassed if our close relationship was revealed in front of his daughter? Yes, if not for that, there’s no explaining this situation. Just before we got here, we were all lovey-dovey, almost like we were getting married… we even greeted the emperor together… huh? We did, right?

While Yuan was lost in a daze of confusion, the first course filled the table.

“Father, say ah. I want to feed you. Ah~”

“Ha! Ha! Ha! It really is nice to be home, isn’t it? Alright, will you feed me? Ah~”

Gillen opened his mouth. Cecilia glanced at Yuan, then made a “swoosh~” sound and put the spoon into Gillen’s mouth.

‘Fuck…’

They’re just father and daughter, so why am I so jealous and in such a bad mood? Has my brain gone rotten? At last, Yuan did something he had never done in his life: ‘blame himself.’

‘There’s no way my brilliant brain could go rotten, come on…’

Yuan scoffed at himself for blaming himself even for a moment. The reason he was in a bad mood was simple. It was because Cecilia was deliberately provoking Yuan. It was not because Yuan’s brain was rotten or his temper was sensitive.

“Gillen, Cecil’s arm must be hurting. Wouldn’t it be better for everyone to eat on their own?”

Yuan changed his tactic. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. If Cecilia was going to mess with him, Yuan would just have to win overwhelmingly.

Hearing Yuan’s words, Gillen was startled as if he had only just realized it and took Cecilia’s hand.

“Cecil, you must have skipped meals waiting for me. You need to eat quickly. I was thoughtless.”

“No, that’s not it…”

Gillen resolutely detached Cecilia from his arm and moved his chair slightly to the side. He had made more space for Cecilia to eat more comfortably. As a result, Gillen and Cecilia were separated. Only then did Yuan’s stomach feel at ease.

“This is delicious. It’s easy to eat in one bite.”

Feeling better, Yuan praised the creamy appetizer served in a deep, small spoon. He also picked up his wine glass. But Gillen raised his hand.

“Yuan, put that glass down.”

“Why?”

“You get drunk after just a few sips, don’t you? I can’t leave my seat here to take care of you. Now, put it down quickly. Drink juice like Ivy.”

Although he was treated the same as the child Ivy, Yuan became even more triumphant. He raised one corner of his mouth and threw a look at Cecilia.

See? Gillen even looks out for my drinking. How about that? That was the meaning of his gaze. Of course, the sharp and quick-witted Cecilia understood its meaning right away.

“Father, since your favorite spicy fish stew is coming for the main course, you should eat a lot of the appetizers. I know you like spicy food, but you should also think about your stomach’s health.”

Cecilia thoughtfully worried about Gillen. Gillen’s face brightened.

“Thank you for worrying, Cecil. Of course, I will. I can’t have my angel of a daughter worrying.”

“Hehe, of course I’d—”

“You two really get along well.”

Just as Cecilia was about to reply, Yuan cut her off. Gillen’s gaze naturally turned to Yuan. In doing so, he failed to notice Cecilia’s eyes blazing with competitiveness.

“Seeing a father and daughter who have met after a long time eating together so affectionately and taking care of each other truly warms my heart.”

“Have you been drinking, by any chance?”

“What did you say?”

“Why the sudden pleasantries? It’s not like you. You drank the wine, didn’t you? You’re saying that because you’re drunk right now, right?”

“No, I’m not!”

He had tried so hard to get Gillen’s attention by complimenting him, but instead, Gillen just suspected him of being drunk. What kind of mister was this? Yuan gritted his teeth.