Rejected by Daughter’s Second Male Lead Chapter 105

He had jumped in with the thought of ‘I can’t lose either,’ since Gillen was being so affectionate with Cecilia, but Gillen’s reaction was nothing short of disappointing.

Cecilia’s expression had also grown sourer than before. She looked at her father as if seeing something unfamiliar. Yuan, internally cursing, opened his mouth once more to prove how close they were.

“Gillen, if I had known you liked spicy food, I could have developed some spices for you.”

“Ah, I’ve already made them all with our head chef. When you grind Aevrico peppers into a powder, it gives that sharp, spicy flavor I like! You haven’t tried the spicy fish stew, have you? You have no idea how delicious it is. But you might be weak to spicy food, so you should be a bit careful. First, drink some milk to protect your stomach—”

“Wait a minute. Why would you think I’m weak to spicy food?”

Just a moment ago, he had been triumphant even when treated the same as Ivy, but Yuan, with his innately self-centered nature, couldn’t hold back and cut Gillen off. A vein on his forehead throbbed slightly.

“Being weak to alcohol is due to my constitution, but I can handle spicy food just fine. I’m not a child. Stop treating me like one.”

“How is this treating you like a child? People from the Moore Empire are generally not used to spicy food, so I’m just telling you in advance. To be careful. Good grief…”

Gillen shook his head as if he couldn’t be helped. Yuan was about to explode. His pride was only hurt more because of Gillen, who wasn’t cooperating in the slightest.

“I can handle spicy food. Don’t you worry.”

Yuan said, grinding his teeth. Seeing Yuan like that, Gillen’s shoulders shook as he tried to hold back his laughter. But being a man with a booming laugh, it wasn’t long before he burst out with a “Ha! Ha! Ha!”.

“Do you know how cute you are when you’re like this? Hahaha! Haha!”

“Cute…? Cute, you say? Not cool…?”

Yuan doubted his own ears and asked several times. Gillen just kept letting out that laugh that only served to infuriate Yuan.

And Cecilia, who sat next to Gillen and watched the whole scene, felt as if the world was turning upside down. She had never seen Gillen so delighted.

Of course, Gillen had been happy playing with her or watching her grow up since she was a child, but… this felt a little different. That was clearly paternal love. Something heartwarming… being pleased, being proud, cherishing Cecilia.

But now, between Gillen and Yuan, there was a certain… indescribable tension. It was not a hostile tension. Rather, it was an incredibly strange energy, as if they could be teasing and laughing at each other one moment, and then flip the table and kiss the next… Gillen would have called it ‘sexual tension,’ but Cecilia inwardly named it ‘sexual tension’—she was certainly quick-witted.

‘Don’t tell me… have Father and Yuan truly connected not just in body, but in heart as well?’

When Yuan first followed them in, she had only thought, ‘Yuan is being Yuan, as expected.’ A typical, arrogant Yuan-like act of not knowing when to join and when not to, thinking everyone would be moved to tears and serve him just by his appearance.

She was already sad and lonely from not seeing her father for about two months, and it hurt her heart to know that her father was arduously traveling the country for the honor of the Blake family and for charity work, and now that bastard Yuan was even interrupting their family reunion time! Cecilia, a woman of no-less-formidable character, accepted Yuan’s provocation with the intention of showing him once and for all who her father’s real family was.

But as time went on, something was strange. Her father and Yuan seemed genuinely close. It didn’t feel like a fake relationship. On the surface, there weren’t affectionate and gentle touches or words like her own, but they knew each other too well, and above all… the way they looked at each other was overly sweet.

“Hah…”

She let out a small, dry breath. Only then did Cecilia realize that this was not a situation for her to feel competitive. The seat Yuan had taken was in a completely different domain from hers.

From that moment on, the way Cecilia looked at Yuan changed. To elaborate, it could be said that her gaze changed from ‘let’s see who wins, you or me’ to ‘I will test how fitting you are for our father.’

When the main dish, the spicy fish stew, came out, Gillen picked up his spoon with expectant eyes. After taking a sip of the broth, he scrunched up his face and shouted, “This is it, this is it!”

“You like it that much, Father?”

Cecilia, her fighting spirit gone unlike before, asked with a soft laugh. Ivy took a spoonful of her less-spicy spicy fish stew and mimicked Gillen.

“This is it, this is it!”

A burst of laughter blossomed over the dining table. But there was one person, Yuan, who could not laugh. His skin, as white and smooth as jade, was flushed bright red, like a person tipsy from drink. Not just his face, but his neck, ears, and even his hands were all red.

“Yuan, are you alright?”

The first to notice Yuan’s change was, of course, Gillen. Cecilia turned to look at Yuan with eyes as if testing him.

Yuan gulped down the water that filled his glass, then cleared his throat.

“I’m, I’m fine. Of course… slurp, it’s delicious? Slurp, it’s not particularly spicy either? Phew… hah… ahem…”

Contrary to his words, Yuan tapped the empty water glass. At that, white milk filled the glass. Ivy’s eyes widened.

“Wow!! Milk appeared! How did you do that? Prince, Mr. Yuan, how did you do it?”

“Slurp, don’t talk to me…”

And then Yuan downed the milk in one gulp. Gillen laughed loudly and called for the maid standing behind him.

“Dora, bring Yuan the same thing Ivy is having. It seems he can’t handle spicy food well.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

“No? Slurp, I don’t need it… haah… not at all… it’s just right for me now… cough!”

“Ha! Ha! Ha! Don’t be so proud, Yuan. When the people of our Blake household first ate spicy fish stew, they were all like you. As they gradually ate it, they started to miss it, started wanting a stronger taste, and then the weak ones dropped out, while those who adapted grew stronger and acquired the taste. Like Cecilia. Brian tried it a couple of times, but his stomach got weak, so he doesn’t even touch it now.”

“Hiss… that butler is an old man. Who are you comparing to whom, slurp, haah…?”

If it weren’t for the saliva constantly pooling in his mouth and the burning sensation in his mouth, throat, and chest, he would have wanted to retort sarcastically, ‘Are you distinguishing the weak from the strong with something like spicy fish stew? Anyone hearing that would think it was a sword master exam.’ But it was so spicy that tears were welling up, and Yuan couldn’t even sit up straight. He was getting a little annoyed too. Why are they putting this kind of thing in their bodies and calling it food?

Then Yuan met Cecilia’s eyes. The look she gave him was so pathetic that, for a moment, he completely forgot all about the spiciness.

“Yuan is… weak to alcohol, and weak to spicy food… In many ways, you don’t seem to match well with Father.”

Cecilia evaluated Yuan in a pitiful tone. That got on Yuan’s nerves.

“Ha! Cecil. There are many other beverages in the world besides alcohol, and this isn’t spicy, it’s practically murderous. What on earth, phew… wait a minute, let me just drink some more milk…”

“Oh my… Don’t dominant alphas like Father usually get attracted only to people as strong as, or stronger than, themselves?”

Cecilia asked innocently, looking at Gillen. At the same time, Yuan’s every movement stopped.

Gillen answered, glancing at Yuan out of the corner of his eye.

“Hmm… on the contrary, since they’re dominant alphas, I think their instinct to protect and care for someone weaker than themselves is stronger. At least, that’s how I am, Cecil.”

“Ah… Still, wouldn’t it be a bit much if you met someone whose tastes are the complete opposite of Father’s?”

“Uh, well… I think that’s a matter of personal preference, so it can’t be helped, but… why are you asking that now?”

Gillen asked back, watching Yuan’s expression. He, too, had finally noticed that Cecilia had put Yuan to the test.

Yuan hastily drained another glass of milk and shouted sharply.

“Who are you to test and evaluate me, Cecil?”

But Cecil replied with a blank face.

“Just wipe off that milk mustache you’ve got.”

“…!”

Yuan didn’t even think to use magic and quickly wiped his mouth with his sleeve. Even so, he didn’t forget to glare confidently at Cecilia. Cecilia scoffed.

“What kind of noble, a Marquess at that, wipes his mouth with his clothes? You should use a napkin.”

“Such empty formalities—”

“If you, a Marquess of Danseung, were to live and die alone, then you wouldn’t have to observe such empty formalities. But right now, you’re known to the public as our father’s marriage partner. Surely you don’t intend to embarrass our father, do you?”

“…Hmph.”

Unable to find a retort, Yuan whipped his head away. His skin, which had calmed down after drinking milk, could be seen flushing red again. For some reason, it pained Gillen’s heart that Yuan couldn’t protest at all.

“Cecil, that’s enough. Yuan usually knows the imperial etiquette well. He’s just like this now because it’s too spicy.”