Rejected by Daughter’s Second Male Lead Chapter 120

The entire empire was in a festive mood. To celebrate the marriage of the Crown Prince and Lady Blake, the imperial family distributed wheat and oats, and opened the wedding procession to the public on a grand scale.

The entire nation was enthusiastic about the fairy-tale-like story of the proud legitimate Crown Prince of the Moore Empire and the lady of the founding ducal family of Blake, who was currently enjoying more favorable public sentiment than ever before, developing their childhood friendship into love and finally getting married.

Bards sang about their love, and merchants were busy selling souvenirs. Everyone was further spurred on by the excited atmosphere and celebrated the marriage of the two.

Even the weather was perfect, as if the gods themselves were blessing the couple’s marriage. It was sunny yet a cool breeze blew, and picturesque clouds floated in the blue sky. Hot air balloons, ordered by the emperor to be launched, moved between the picturesque clouds, scattering colored paper.

And today, Gillen, the father of the bride of this wedding, woke up at dawn and, under the nagging of the head maid, put on his formal suit and had his makeup done.

“I’d believe it if you said Your Grace the Duke was the one getting married. You look so strong and handsome today.”

The head maid said with a pleased smile. The maids who were helping with his grooming next to her all agreed with infatuated faces.

“Haha, is that so?”

Gillen, who was rolling and kneading Yuan’s magic stone in one hand, looked at himself in the mirror. He certainly looked handsome today. He looked younger than usual, and because he was good-looking and his facial lines were sharper, he boasted a distinguished beauty.

“I was worried because you lost some weight, but it was a relief that the tailor’s shop was able to alter it quickly.”

The head maid said as she adjusted his collar.

“Mmm, that’s right. I can just eat well and exercise again, so that’s not a problem.”

“Of course.”

The head maid, who had a rough idea of why Gillen had been so sick that he had lost all his fat and muscle, didn’t add any other words and stepped back.

“It is now time to go to the imperial palace, Your Grace the Duke.”

His aide, Navard, appeared at the doorway and announced the time. Gillen put the magic stone in the inner pocket of his jacket and started walking. The head maid also followed him.

“Somehow, today… His Grace the Duke doesn’t look that happy. Don’t you think so?”

The maids who remained in the dressing room to clean up whispered.

“His beloved lady is being incorporated into the imperial family, so he must not be entirely happy. He was always so close to the lady and doted on her.”

“But… she’s becoming the Crown Princess! And she’ll become Her Majesty the Empress! If it were me, I’d be truly honored and happy.”

“I guess people from ambiguous noble families like us would think that. Wouldn’t it be different for someone from the ducal family of Blake?”

“Is that so?”

The maids soon fell silent as they focused on cleaning up. Whatever the duke’s feelings were, the wedding would take place today anyway, and Cecilia would soon become the Crown Princess. No one could change that.

Cecilia, in her wedding dress, was dazzlingly beautiful. For today, Cecilia might have been even more beautiful than Yuan, who was said to be the most beautiful in this world. Gillen laughed foolishly at that thought. To think such a thing as a father, I must be quite smitten with Yuan too.

He held out his hand to his beautiful daughter in front of him. They were standing at the beginning of the wedding aisle. The Crown Prince was already standing in front of the newly appointed High Priest, waiting for Cecilia, and the imperial family, high-ranking nobles, and the close vassals and collateral branches of the Blake family were sitting in the guest seats, looking at Gillen and Cecilia with pleased faces.

“Cecil, are you happy?”

Gillen asked with a smile. Cecilia nodded her head with sparkling eyes.

“Yes, I’m happy.”

There was not a hint of worry or wavering in her voice. She asked back.

“Are you happy, Dad?”

“…Of course, my dear daughter. Your happiness is my happiness.”

Gillen placed a light kiss on top of Cecilia’s head and started walking with her, arm in arm. The wedding march played, and Gillen and Cecilia moved one step at a time towards the Crown Prince. Everyone smiled and clapped. Even the Empress showed tears, as if she were overwhelmed with emotion.

Gillen, as practiced, handed Cecilia’s hand to Hexion and returned to his seat. After that, he didn’t remember well how time passed. Because he was struggling to swallow his tears.

If it were a modern wedding, they would have had a meal after the ceremony, but this was a wedding of the protagonists in a romance fantasy novel, and not just any protagonists, but the Crown Prince and Crown Princess.

Gillen had to wait for the procession of the Crown Prince couple, who were riding in a large white carriage, to make a round trip from the imperial palace to the square. During that time, a sense of unknown loneliness, emptiness, and guilt engulfed Gillen.

It was a lie when he told Cecilia he was happy. He was not happy at all right now. He did not want to send Cecilia to the imperial palace. He just wanted to keep his young daughter by his side for the rest of her life and live a happy life together like before.

But the Cecilia he saw today had already become a respectable lady. She was no longer just Gillen’s young daughter. She was fully prepared to become the Crown Princess of the empire, she was sincerely in love with a man named Hexion, and her eyes were shining with joy, moved by the future to come and the reality she had changed.

Cecilia no longer needed a father to read her fairy tales. Of course, she would still love Gillen, but Gillen was no longer the only one in her world. Too many things had broadened her world. And it would probably continue to broaden in the future. It would become richer.

But for Gillen… there was no one but Cecilia. The only reason he could endure in this world was solely due to his determination to raise Cecilia well. The experience of transmigration was novel and fun for a while, but he also suffered terribly, and he even suffered from homesickness, missing his life in Korea where there was not much affection—even though it was his hometown.

Of course, the servants of the Blake family were still by his side, and so was Navard. He was also on friendly terms with the emperor, and if he wanted to, he could come to see Cecilia. If he wished, he could travel the empire or go on an adventure to another continent.

But now, everything felt meaningless to him. Even though he knew that Cecilia would marry Hexion, even though he had known since he first arrived in this world… why did his heart feel so empty?

He was clearly trying to ignore one truth he was missing.

Yuan Hampton. Gillen was consciously trying not to think about him.

But just as you immediately think of a white elephant when you are told not to think of a white elephant, in the end, Yuan also appeared in Gillen’s mind.

‘He didn’t come to the wedding today…’

One of the reasons Yuan had said he was leaving the empire was probably that he didn’t want to run into Gillen at the wedding.

Well, Gillen would have done the same. Why would he want to face someone who didn’t like him from the beginning and who confessed to using him? Of course, everything had stemmed from Yuan’s misunderstanding, but he could still imagine how much his pride had been hurt and how wounded he must have been.

In fact, Gillen often dreamed of Yuan. He also experienced auditory hallucinations of Yuan talking to him, and there were many times he fumbled in the air looking for the communication device he used to talk with Yuan. Seeing visual hallucinations was a matter of course. That was why when Yuan came to the study in person, he had naturally ignored him. Fortunately, at that time, Yuan didn’t seem to have any lingering feelings for Gillen. So it was really a relief. It definitely was.

The one thing he had overlooked was the fact that he hadn’t managed to sort out his own feelings for Gillen. The fact that he was still thinking of Yuan while sending Cecilia off, that he felt an excessive attachment to Cecilia, and that he felt strangely forlorn and lonely were all because he had not taken care of his own heart, but he did not know that fact.

Because Gillen was an adult. That awareness was confining him.

After the Crown Prince couple’s greeting procession ended, a grand banquet was held at the imperial palace. Everyone ate and drank, and enjoyed the magnificent feast. Gillen sat right next to the Emperor, the Empress, and the Crown Prince and Crown Princess, chatting and laughing.

Other nobles approached Gillen to congratulate him, and also lavished praise on the Blake Foundation and the Marian Orphanage. Cecilia was the one who got married, but it felt as if all the respect, envy, compliments, congratulations, and blessings of the day were Gillen’s.

Even Duke Gallet, who usually considered Gillen a thorn in his side, was strangely kind to him today. Several of the families that had been at odds with the ducal family of Blake were unable to attend today due to family matters, so there was nothing to spoil his mood at all.

Gillen was only human, so by the time the banquet ended, his mood had improved a little. Especially when Cecilia hugged him cutely and whispered, “Dad, you have to come often. I’m always your only daughter. Don’t forget,” he was so overwhelmed that he almost cried.

He didn’t even think of Yuan when he got into the carriage, tipsy after talking with so many people and having a moving farewell with Cecilia. He really didn’t.

“Welcome back, Your Grace the Duke.”

Until he arrived at the Blake estate and entered his bedroom alone, he really, really didn’t.