Rejected by Daughter’s Second Male Lead Chapter 125

“Am I five years old right now? Or a minor? At twenty-five, another man would have already been married long ago, so why are you making such useless calculations?”

“But—”

“But nothing. Let’s say I was captivated by your… freely obtained maturity, or whatever. But I don’t love you simply because of that.”

Yuan now spoke the word ‘love’ without any hesitation. On the contrary, it was Gillen’s face that turned red.

“The you I know would have been warm and affectionate even as a child, twenty years ago. You would have tried to treat everyone kindly and rushed to help anyone in need. You would have always laughed heartily and endured any hardship with strength. Am I wrong?”

Yuan’s words were as if he had seen right through the Gillen before the transmigration. Gillen’s expression became strange.

In fact, Yuan was right. During Gillen’s time as ‘Yoo Jeong-hyeon,’ though he was born to violent parents who hated him, he always got along well with his friends. There were friends who would gladly let him sleep over when he didn’t want to go home, and many girls confessed to Jeong-hyeon—though he rejected all romance and anything similar because it reminded him of his parents.

Even during his ‘Yoo Jeong-hyeon’ days, he was famous for being the loudest and most cheerful laugher in his class, and even after returning to school, he was dragged out to drinking parties by his juniors. Then he was hit by a car and ended up on the transmigration track.

Even when he was confused shortly after transmigrating, he took care of the young Cecilia first and slowly built relationships with the servants of the household. At that time, Navard’s father was his aide, and even that strict man gradually opened his heart to Gillen and helped him handle official duties smoothly.

To the clumsy and mistake-prone Gillen, the emperor had helped him a great deal, saying, ‘For some reason, I feel more fond of you than before,’ and even the nobles notorious for their rudeness gradually became favorable.

All of that was the result of the person named Gillen, the person named Yoo Jeong-hyeon inside him, and furthermore, simply his true nature. He always tried to be sincere and kind to others, and they responded in kind.

“Do you still really think I fell in love with you simply because you’re mature?”

“That’s…”

“Even if you were younger than me, I would have eventually fallen for you. Because you are Gillen Blake. Because you are someone I am bound to love.”

Gillen’s face grew even hotter than before. This was the first time he had received such a direct and honest confession. Even though he had been confessed to countless times, this was a first.

“Being apart for half a year and then meeting once, barely seeing each other once every two months… I don’t want to live like that. Every second with you is precious. Even if it weren’t for something like pheromone deficiency… it’s just that I, I love you so much… that I feel like I’ll die without you.”

Yuan turned his head, as if he was getting choked up again. Looking at him now, he was a complete crybaby. But it was also kind of cute to see the guy, whose only usual emotional expression was being snarky, constantly sniffling and shedding tears.

Moreover, Yuan’s confession had the power to move a person’s heart. It would be cowardly not to respond just as honorably to a confession that came at him so head-on.

Gillen began to speak slowly.

“At Cecilia’s wedding, I thought of you the whole time. As I sent away my beloved daughter, a sense of grief washed over me, wondering who was left for me now. I felt miserable, and very… lonely.”

Yuan, who had been sniffling with his head turned, looked at Gillen with his tear-streaked face—though it was still beautiful.

“Here, I’ve lived my whole life looking only at Cecilia. Wanting her to be happy, my eyes naturally turned to other children. As I did, I couldn’t help but see poverty, and I began to see the marginalized. The discriminated trait-holders and non-trait-holders, commoners and slaves… Being born, no, transmigrating as a duke, I came to see the other side of the world I hadn’t known.”

Gillen continued calmly.

“So in fact, even if Cecilia gets married and leaves this house, I have many things to do. There are many people left for me. People I need to take care of, things I want to do, my mission. But, Yuan. That had nothing to do with loneliness. No matter how many people and tasks were left before me.”

“I don’t want you to be lonely.”

Yuan said with a frown. His attitude was firm, as if he would never tolerate such a thing. Gillen let out a small laugh.

“Yes, I didn’t want it either. It was a surprising thing. Cecilia hadn’t gone away for good, so why was I feeling lonely? How much had I been relying on Cecilia until now? And why, in this situation… did I think of you?”

“…!”

“After feeling lonely, I thought of you, Yuan. And then my rut broke… and you came to me.”

Gillen’s voice began to tremble.

“Do you know what this means?”

Yuan’s face lit up with joy and emotion, but at the same time, fear and hesitation coexisted. He seemed scared that he might have misunderstood. If he were to be rejected again… Yuan really didn’t think he would want to live anymore.

“I don’t know. I don’t know.”

Yuan answered in a trembling voice as well. As he did, he sent a pleading gaze. Please, tell me with your own lips. Tell me what I’m thinking is right. It was conveyed not only through his eyes but also through his pheromones, his trembling, his tense complexion, and his stiffly rigid body.

Tears somehow welled up in Gillen’s eyes. This crazy bastard who lived so full of himself that it was annoying… this severe narcissist whose mental state was a concern, this incredibly rude madman who was called by the code name ‘Ten-bird’… to be so dispirited because of me.

Gillen was once again reminded of how important relationships are. People change other people. Just as Marius had changed Yuan with violence and obsession, Gillen had changed Yuan with misunderstanding, understanding, and love.

“If you really don’t know, I’ll tell you myself.”

Gillen said with a smile.

“The reason I imprinted on you is… because I, too, love you with the same heart.”

Just as I changed you, you also changed me. He had now let Cecilia, onto whom he had projected his younger self, become independent and leave, he had come to acknowledge his loneliness, and he had come to experience a love that could not be compromised or conceded for anything.

“Do you… really love me? You’re not just saying that to have sex because your rut isn’t fully over yet, are you…?”

“No, I’m making a big confession here and what? Sex? Haa… What on earth do you take me for? And you like it more than I do! That sex, I mean!”

“I just asked again because I couldn’t believe it. Don’t be angry.”

Yuan said in a small voice, his lips pouting slightly and his gaze lowered.

‘…What is this? Is he trying to act cute?’

Gillen was flustered by this new side of Yuan. Come to think of it, he had seen many new sides today. It was the first time he had seen Yuan abandon his pride and beg like a whining child, and the first time he had seen Yuan sobbing and clinging to his trouser leg—though in this case, it was just his crotch.

“It’s nice that you’ve changed because of me, but it’s also scary.”

Gillen said impulsively.

“But… I just… like you, no matter what you’re like. I’m sorry for being so shameless.”

“Shameless! Keep talking. And don’t say you’re sorry. I’m the one who’s sorry. I will never lie or act proud in front of you again. I won’t say anything about your age, and I won’t misinterpret your actions or your gaze as I please. I won’t do anything you dislike.”

After saying that, Yuan embraced Gillen as if to pounce on him. Pushed by Yuan’s weight, Gillen fell backward helplessly. Fortunately, a soft pillow cushioned them.

“Alright, alright. Do as you wish. But if that makes you miserable or sad, it will be the same for me, so just keep that in mind.”

Gillen carefully raised his hand and stroked the back of Yuan’s head. He could feel Yuan’s torso heave with that affectionate touch. He was crying again.

“I didn’t know you were such a crybaby, Yuan.”

When Gillen laughed teasingly, Yuan hugged him even tighter.

“You’re the one who made me like this.”

For a moment, there was only the sound of Yuan sniffling. But a few seconds later, Gillen let out a groan.

“But Yuan, crying… and grinding your hips… don’t you think that’s a bit… much?”

“I’m crying, but what can I do when Gillen’s cock is right here? It’s here to be ground against.”

“That’s not what it’s for… Anyway, I’d appreciate it if you’d just do one or the other.”

Gillen said, trying hard to ignore the slowly rising arousal. It didn’t make sense to have sex again in this situation. But Yuan briskly wiped away his tears and then began to press his body closer, grinding his hips even more roughly.

“Wh-what is it?”

“What is it? You told me to just do one thing.”

“So now you’re going to stop crying and have sex again?”

“Yes. Is there a problem?”

Of course there’s a problem, you crazy bastard. Gillen panted and took his hand off the back of Yuan’s head. This guy really was a genuine lunatic.