Rejected by Daughter’s Second Male Lead Chapter 78

The two bickered back and forth until Jade brought the appetizers. Jade was very surprised when she saw Yuan and Gillen.

“I’m as surprised as I was when I got my hands on Lasina. To think I’d see the day my darling smiles while on a date.”

“Just bring the food and get out, quickly.”

Yuan cut Jade’s words off sharply. Gillen smiled as if to apologize on Yuan’s behalf. However, he never said it was ‘alright’ or that she could ‘just sit down.’

“I understand. I can’t disturb the lovely couple. Besides, my darling is the benefactor who found Lasina for me… I will repay you with the best meal of the day. I will show you why our Sterns is the number one restaurant in Auguinet.”

Jade kept her word. She served a delicious and magnificent banquet, and Gillen emptied an entire bottle of wine—not a single drop was given to Yuan. They ate and drank to their heart’s content and had a pleasant time.

That’s right. It was pleasant. Gillen was surprised by the fact that he was enjoying himself. He had had many lunches and drinking sessions with others until now. He had shared meals with close friends and even with the Emperor, with whom he got along quite well. There was never anything to be upset about, and it was common for him to leave after laughing his fill. However, he had never once thought that it was ‘pleasant.’

Because enjoyment was an emotion he could feel to its fullest in his relationship with Cecilia. There was no need to maintain etiquette and formality, nor was he bound by the culture and class system of this world. A father and daughter were beyond such things. That was one of the reasons he had become more attached to Cecilia after his transmigration.

‘Yuan doesn’t know I’m a transmigrator either, so why doesn’t it bother me?’

That question briefly arose, but Gillen answered it himself by concluding it was simply because Yuan reminded him of Cecilia. In any case, it was enjoyable, so it was fine.

When they were leaving the restaurant, Jade said she would not accept any money, but Gillen insisted on paying, leading to a bit of a squabble. In the end, Jade lost, but this time, Yuan paid with a gold coin first, so Gillen ended up being treated to the meal.

As they came outside, Gillen kept grumbling to Yuan about why he did that.

“I am a Duke, I have my dignity to consider. I’m older too.”

“I said no talk about age.”

“Still, isn’t this improper? In the eyes of others, we would seem like lovers, yet you paid for the meal…”

When Gillen was genuinely hurt in his pride, Yuan snorted.

“Are you my only lover? As your lover, I paid as well. Don’t get your pride hurt over such a trivial thing. I’ll be the one paying from now on anyway.”

“What, what?”

“I told you. I have more money than His Majesty the Emperor. I’m twenty years younger than you, but with this much wealth, it’s only right that I pay, no matter how you look at it, isn’t it?”

As he said this, Yuan offered his arm as if it were a bother. His attitude said he did not want to have this kind of argument. Gillen obediently placed his hand on Yuan’s arm. Walking down the street where the crowd was parting like the Red Sea, Gillen thought.

‘You little brat… you’re kind of cool.’

It was such an Alpha-like line that he wanted to use it himself someday. Gillen resolved that in the future, when this contract ended and he took a new wife, he would definitely say the exact same thing.

For the sake of external appearances, he shared a room with Yuan, but the room the Duke and Marquis were staying in was three times the size of other rooms. It had separate bedrooms and was a large suite with a luxurious bathroom, making it the perfect accommodation for the fake couple.

“Well then, I’ll be going to bed now. Sleep well, Yuan.”

“You too, Gillen.”

Even at bedtime, they exchanged utterly simple greetings. Yuan gave a nod and waved his hand, extinguishing the lights with magic, and Gillen went into his own bedroom and lay down on the bed in a star shape.

No matter how comfortably he had traveled in the carriage, it had been a while since he had traveled without teleportation magic, so travel fatigue washed over him. Gillen fell asleep just like that.

The next morning, the two of them checked out and, accompanied by servants and knights, headed to the port of Auguinet. At the port, they went to a restaurant with delicious seafood, stopped by a souvenir shop, and walked the tourist streets together. After that, the two got back into the carriage.

The rest of the journey continued in that fashion. It was a truly relaxing vacation where all they had to do was sightsee without any worries or concerns. The only concerns they had were where to eat, what to buy, and which tourist spots to visit. Annoying chores were taken care of by the staff, and all Gillen had to do was have fun with Yuan.

And it was truly, unbelievably comfortable and fun!

‘Since I transmigrated here, I think this is… the first time I’ve rested like this?’

Gillen realized that fact anew. Of course, he took a long vacation with Cecilia every summer, but… until Cecilia became a young woman, he had chosen vacation spots solely to suit the child, and for the sake of her emotional development and his own acquisition of this world’s common knowledge, they had mainly visited art museums, libraries, and historical sites.

At least after Cecilia became an adult, they also went to resorts like Capelli Island, but a daughter is always a child in her parents’ eyes, no matter how old she gets. Gillen was busy following Cecilia with his eyes every minute and every second. Sometimes, when Hexion joined the vacation, he also had to cater to His Highness the Crown Prince.

After realizing that this was a real vacation, Gillen enjoyed the journey to Chambery, North Lane, South Lane, and Sunning to the fullest, feeling 200 percent happiness.

It was a sorry thing to say, but from Chambery onward, he paid no mind to Yuan who was next to him. It was as if he had just clocked out from childcare for the first time in 20 years. He loved Cecilia so much, and he was dying to see her even now, but nevertheless, the time when he did not have to worry about anything other than himself was so pleasant and liberating.

The problem occurred on the way to Cryning, located on the outskirts of the Moore Empire. As the road gradually became rougher, the violently jolting carriage finally collapsed.

Clatter, with a loud noise, one side of the carriage sank down. One of the carriage wheels rolled futilely off to the side of the road. The horses, panicked, thrashed their bodies and whinnied, and the other cargo carriages following behind also ended up in a chain collision.

“Ugh…”

And the moment the carriage wheel came off, Yuan embraced Gillen and cast a protective magic shield.

“Yuan!”

Surprisingly, he had excluded himself and cast it only on Gillen. Thanks to that, Yuan’s arm slammed hard against the wall of the tilting carriage.

“Your Grace! Your Lordship! Are you alright?”

“Your Graaaace!!”

“Open the door, quickly!”

It was chaos outside. All the servants who had accompanied them on this trip were from the Blake family. Therefore, they were all people who were loyal to Gillen, or at least held him in high regard. They turned pale with fear that Gillen might have been hurt, and the coachman was already sniffling and crying with a dark expression.

The door on the side that had collapsed was twisted and would not open, but fortunately, this huge carriage had doors on both sides. The knights managed to open the opposite door and pull out Gillen, safely enclosed in the protective shield, and Yuan, who was bleeding from his right arm.

“I’m fine, so hurry up and look at Yuan! He needs first aid! No, Yuan, healing magic! Use healing magic!”

Gillen’s face was paler than anyone else’s.

“Be quiet, Gillen.”

Yuan said as he dispelled Gillen’s protective shield.

“I’ve been to war, you know. You haven’t forgotten, have you? A wound of this degree is nothing.”

Normally, Gillen would have praised him for being amazing, but right now his eyes were fixed solely on the blood-soaked wound.

“Then hurry up and use healing magic!”

“Alright.”

Yuan casually touched his own right arm. Then, a white light shot out from his left hand and instantly healed his right arm. They could see the flesh that had been deeply gouged through the torn clothes fill in and the skin become smooth. All the knights who were watching the scene from the side gasped in awe.

However, Gillen was not impressed. Still concerned about the blood-soaked clothes, he rushed over to Yuan and tore the clothes even wider. Then, he rolled up the tattered sleeve and confirmed that Yuan’s wound had completely healed.

“Hoo…”

“It’s fine, right? I told you it was really nothing. A wound of this degree can be healed with one spell, and it was a wound that wouldn’t have been a problem even without magic in the first place. What do you take me for—”

“Why did you shield me there!”

Gillen’s roar echoed thunderously through the forest. Shock was etched on the faces of not only Yuan but everyone else present.

‘The’ Duke Blake is angry?

“The right wheel came off, so you were in more danger than I was! Can’t you even make that judgment? Why did you use magic on me instead of yourself! You call yourself a genius? You say your brain works several times faster than others!”

“No—”

“How is it nothing when your flesh was torn to the point of bleeding? Are you putting on a brave front even in a situation like this? Are you really going to be like this?”

“It’s not a brave front—”

“That’s enough. It’s a relief that you’re all healed. Rest for a bit. I’m going to go check on the others.”

Gillen even cut off all of Yuan’s words, got up, and strode off somewhere else. Left alone, Yuan sat there dumbfounded, just blinking his eyes.

I definitely saved him… Why did I get scolded?