Rejected by Daughter’s Second Male Lead Chapter 110

“Hmm? My face?”

Gillen touched his cheek with his palm. It was true his skin had gotten a bit rougher and his bone structure was more prominent than before, but he had been shaving neatly every day and was properly dressed.

“Why, how do I look?”

Whatever Cecilia answered, Gillen planned to feign being hurt and tease his daughter. But Cecilia spoke seriously.

“You look… just like the old Dad. Like the Dad I saw when I was three years old.”

At those words, Gillen felt as if he’d been struck on the back of the head. The Gillen of that time was not the Gillen of now. It was the original Gillen. Cecilia’s real father. The man who, after losing his wife, had closed his heart and resolved not to even see his own child.

“…Oh dear, why would you think that? I just lost some weight from being busy. Hahaha…”

Gillen made an excuse, mumbling, and patted Cecilia’s back.

“Let’s go inside. I’d like to see the place where you’re staying.”

A separate palace had been assigned for the Crown Princess, but Cecilia said she was currently staying in the Crown Prince’s Palace. It was still under preparation, and Hexion had insisted they must share a bedroom, or something of the sort.

‘That thieving brat…’

Even though the decision had already been made for him to be his son-in-law, he couldn’t stop such aggressive thoughts from surfacing. However, Gillen managed his expression skillfully. With 20 years of transmigration experience, he was capable of hiding such inner thoughts without any trouble.

“If I had known you were staying at the Crown Prince’s Palace, we could have met somewhere else. I’ve already been to the Crown Prince’s Palace a few times, after all.”

“Tsk, what are you talking about? Does the place matter? What matters is that you’re meeting me.”

Cecilia complained cutely. She was wearing a perfect golden dress permitted only for the royal family and was adorned with splendid jewels, but at times like this, Cecilia felt like the same cute little child from long ago. Gillen smiled warmly and gently patted Cecilia’s cheek.

“Once you truly become the Crown Princess, this father of yours will have to use honorifics with you, won’t he? What will you do if you get upset over that?”

“I don’t want to. To me, Dad will forever be just Dad.”

“Even if the form changes, the essence does not, my dear. You know that, right? Whether I use honorifics with you or bow to you, the fact that you are my lovely daughter will not change.”

With that, Gillen placed a light kiss on Cecilia’s forehead. Cecilia smiled happily. She seemed a little relieved that Gillen, despite his gaunt face, was still as affectionate and full of love as ever.

Cecilia led Gillen to the rose garden of the Crown Prince’s Palace.

“Dad, you like roses, don’t you? There are roses of all colors here too. They say some of them have had their colors changed by magic.”

In that moment, Gillen’s chest ached. He hesitated for a moment before sitting down at a tea table set up in the garden.

‘Come on. The roses are in beautiful full bloom. I really want to show you the rose garden that our Blake family is so proud of.’

‘You already showed it to me last week.’

There had been days like that. A time when he would drag Yuan around the rose-filled garden to keep him away from Cecilia.

‘The previous Duke loved flowers and trees so much that he created five gardens in front of and behind the estate. One is a rose garden, one is a butterfly garden—’

‘The rest are the topiary garden, the moonlight pond garden, and the delphinium garden. You told me the week before last.’

‘You really have a good head on your shoulders.’

‘It’s not just good, I am a genius with a superhuman brain.’

Back then, he had thought, what kind of insufferable brat is this? Gillen smiled faintly at the memory that suddenly came to mind. Cecilia looked at him quizzically.

“Why are you smiling?”

“Hmm? Oh, it’s nothing. Just thinking about something from the past for a moment. This garden is also very splendid. His Highness the Crown Prince must like roses as well.”

“Hmm… Originally, there were other flowers like zinnias, nigellas, asters, and campanulas. He thought the reason our estate has so many roses was because I like them, so he filled this whole place with roses. Hex is such a fool.”

“Hahaha! My daughter is truly loved. But from now on, be careful with how you address him outside. You will no longer be friends, but will represent the Moore Empire as the Crown Prince and Crown Princess, won’t you?”

“Ugh, I know. I know that very well. That’s why lately Hex, I mean, His Highness the Crown Prince and I have been practicing our forms of address diligently.”

Cecilia groaned as she drank her tea. Even in the midst of that, her elegant movements, not a single point of etiquette amiss, were admirable. Gillen watched his daughter with a pleased expression before turning his gaze to the garden.

‘If they changed the color of the roses with magic… could Yuan have done it?’

He knew Yuan wasn’t of the rank to be called for such a task—and that he wasn’t the type to come even if called—but the thought occurred to him for no reason.

Yuan could probably change the color of every rose in this garden just by snapping his fingers. Would he have only changed the colors? He might have turned the flowers into jewels. And then he would have boasted immensely. Saying where else could you see such magic, that everyone else would have struggled to change just one single flower… As he imagined this, Yuan’s voice seemed to ring vividly in his ears.

“I asked why you would call a magician for this when you should call a gardener, Your Highness the Crown Prince. Are you perhaps hard of hearing? Shall I use healing magic on you? One healing spell costs three million gold.”

…It’s really vivid.

Gillen marveled at how great his imagination had become. The content, while not violating etiquette, was utterly insolent and disrespectful, exactly the kind of thing Yuan would say.

Just then, Cecilia raised her hand toward the area behind Gillen.

“Over here, He… Your Highness the Crown Prince.”

“Cecil… Crown Princess-to-be!”

The sound of Hexion approaching came from behind. Gillen quickly stood up to show his respects, turned around, and bowed his head.

“I greet His Highness the Crown Prince.”

But there were four feet in his line of sight. The Crown Prince was not alone. Thinking it might be an aide or the lord chamberlain, Gillen raised his head to greet them separately, only to freeze on the spot. Standing next to the Crown Prince was Yuan. The Yuan he had been picturing in his mind and smiling about until now, the Yuan whose voice he had deluded himself into thinking he could hear so vividly… was really there, standing in front of Gillen.

Now that he looked, he could also faintly smell Yuan’s pheromones. He had smelled them a little since earlier, but Gillen had thought that too was his imagination. To think it was really Yuan.

“Yuan… Ahem, Marquis Hampton. It’s been a while.”

“…Good day, Your Grace.”

Yuan greeted him with proper etiquette. Moreover, he used the title ‘Your Grace’ instead of ‘Gillen.’ Why did that feel so disappointing? Gillen gently bit the tip of his tongue inside his mouth.

“I invited Yuan because of the garden, and I heard Duke Blake was also here, so I came, Ce… Crown Princess-to-be.”

“Oh, you did. It’s good that you came… I mean, you are most welcome, Your Highness.”

Their conversation was a complete mess. Gillen held back a laugh and looked at Cecilia playfully. Cecilia, seeing her father’s mischievous gaze, pouted her lips.

“Ha! Ha! Ha! You’ve spent over a decade as friends calling each other by nicknames, how could your manner of speech and titles be sorted out in just a few days? At least here, please speak without feeling burdened, Your Highness. Please, have a seat.”

Feeling strangely cheerful, Gillen pulled out a chair from the table and spoke.

“You have a point. It’s really difficult. I want to at least call her by her name and speak informally when we’re alone, but Cecil says we have to practice even when we’re by ourselves so we don’t make a mistake in front of others.”

“That is correct, Your Highness.”

Cecilia chided Hexion, who was sitting next to her, by nudging his forearm with her elbow. Hexion quickly nodded in agreement.

As Hexion sat next to Cecilia, the seat next to Gillen naturally became Yuan’s. Yuan sat down in the chair with a reluctant face, leaned back, and crossed his arms. It was a posture that showed his resolve not to participate in this tea time at all.

Normally, he would have said something about sitting up straight, but now, Gillen was nothing to Yuan. So he just focused on watching Cecilia and Hexion.

But a refreshing and sweet citrus scent wafted on the gentle breeze blowing in the rear garden. It was the scent of Yuan’s pheromones. As soon as he smelled those pheromones, his mouth watered and his throat quivered. A dull ache began to form in his lower abdomen as well.

‘I’m crazy…’

Gillen cursed himself and picked up his teacup. He felt he needed to wet his throat.

‘It’s because we haven’t seen each other in so long.’

It had already been two weeks. Gillen quickly glanced at Yuan out of the corner of his eye, so fast that Yuan wouldn’t notice. It was only for about a second, but looking again, it seemed Yuan had also lost some weight. Moreover, he had dark circles under his eyes, which had previously been smooth. Of course, even with dark circles, it just gave him a more decadent sort of beauty, so he didn’t look particularly haggard.

‘Yuan must have been having a hard time too… to have been so shocked and felt so betrayed.’

Suddenly, Gillen felt the urge to take Yuan somewhere and beg for his forgiveness. Or he wanted to just silently have intense sex with him in an enclosed space.

No, that wasn’t it. He just… wanted to look at Yuan properly. He wanted to meet Yuan’s gaze and talk with him. That was all.