(BL) Rejected by daughter's second male lead-Chapter 24

Yuan’s expression hardened slightly. It seemed he remembered yesterday’s conversation.

"I have a rough idea of how my words from yesterday might have sounded to you."

"No, how could the Duke possibly have any idea. Like some pipe dream—"

"It must have sounded like the empty words of vanity and idealism, like chasing after clouds."

"..."

Yuan fell silent. Gillen’s words had been accurate. He continued his apology.

"I was certainly lucky. From the moment I opened my eyes in this world, I had everything... money, status, honor, power, connections... and my daughter, Cecilia, was the most lovely treasure in the world."

It reached a point where he became so attached to his current life that his life in Korea became a distant memory. A family that had never once loved him, an uncertain career path and tight financial situation, a vaguely suspended feeling of returning to school, and a loneliness with no bottom in sight. Compared to that reality, the prosperous and affectionate days had continued for so long that he had reached middle age.

"But Hampton, I have always struggled to adapt."

Gillen said in a low voice.

"I have always strived to my limits to plant my feet where I stand. That is why I seem to forget that fact sometimes. The fact that I was lucky."

Gillen gave a respectful nod.

"I apologize for speaking carelessly. I am also sorry for trying to teach you. Please forgive my rudeness from yesterday."

Yuan hesitated, as if he had not expected Gillen to apologize right away. He seemed unsure of what to say. Gillen decided to make him more comfortable.

"But I will not retract the words I said yesterday. It is important to harbor ideals, even if they have a low possibility of being realized. And I believe that when our foundation has such a principle, the children we sponsor can also pursue dreams that they could not have dared to aspire to before."

Yuan stared blankly at Gillen’s sparkling eyes and powerful expression. A firm yet gentle voice resonated pleasantly in the drawing room. At that moment, Gillen looked as young as a man Yuan’s age, and he looked more beautiful than anyone Yuan had ever met. Including himself. That was truly a shocking thing.

’That mister is... beautif... ? Am I going crazy?’

But Yuan soon calmed his mind.

’There is no way a genius like me has gone crazy. I must have just seen it wrong for a moment. I was just briefly moved by his eloquence.’

His faith in himself, firm as a religion, always served as a reliable banner for Yuan. He finally opened his mouth with a serene expression.

"I understand your words, Duke. And your apology seems sincere. That is enough, so please give me the document. Let us get this over with quickly."

At those words, Gillen smiled brightly. Affectionate wrinkles formed around his eyes and mouth. Yuan suddenly thought that those wrinkles looked very nice. Although the thought was instantly evaporated by Gillen’s loud laughter as he handed over the document.

"Ha! Ha! Ha! As expected, Hampton, you are broad-minded. Thank you. I have brought the new document here, so please fill it out at your convenience."

While Yuan was taking the new paper out of the envelope, robot attendant Number 2 approached and served refreshments. Number 2 was the attendant who served as the butler.

Seeing the fragrant tea and cookies, Gillen smiled at attendant Number 2.

"Thank you, your name is...?"

At Gillen’s question, the attendant answered.

"It is Number 2."

"...Number 2?"

Gillen paused. The hand of Yuan, who was taking out the document, also stopped dead.

"Yes. The Marquis calls me Number 2. Therefore, that is my name."

As soon as attendant Number 2 finished speaking, Gillen looked at Yuan. His gaze was filled with reproach and astonishment, as if to say, ’How could you call your butler so inhumanely...?’ Yuan found himself defending himself without realizing it.

"There are five robot attendants, so how can I give each one a name? Do you have any idea how many robots there are in this castle besides the attendants? Giving names to all of them is an inefficient act. Unless it is for conducting an experiment—"

"Experiment?"

Gillen’s eyes wavered even more severely. They were eyes that seemed to say, ’What a piece of trash! I don’t even want to associate with him!’

"I do not want to hear criticism from a non-wizard who does not know the ways of a wizard. Please mind your own business!"

"But Hampton... are they not the ones who strive for your well-being? They probably followed you to Capelli from the Hampton estate. They would be happy if you gave them names. Wouldn’t you?"

Gillen asked attendant Number 2 directly.

"If you are asking for my opinion, then yes, I think it would be nice. Since our Marquis is a genius, he made us so that we can all feel emotions."

"Good heavens, Hampton! You made them to feel emotions and didn’t even give them names...?"

Gillen made a huge fuss, covering his forehead with his hand. Yuan looked back and forth between Gillen and Number 2 with annoyance. The two of them get along so well.

"The robots here right now are five attendants, ten footmen, ten maids, five horses, and one parrot. And even then, the footmen and maids don’t need to be activated unless guests are visiting. They were made purely for show because cleaning and cooking can all be easily handled with magic. They don’t need names."

"Then why didn’t you make them like emotionless machines?"

"What am I supposed to do when I, being so outstanding and brilliant, made them too similar to real living beings?"

Yuan waved his hand dismissively at attendant Number 2 in an irritable manner.

"Don’t be noisy and get out."

"Yes, Marquis. I apologize."

Attendant Number 2 bowed politely and left the drawing room. Gillen’s thick eyebrows drooped downwards.

"He’s become sullen. Did you see that, Hampton? His shoulders subtly dropped."

"What dropped were the Duke’s eyebrows. Those beings can be turned off with a snap of my fingers, so please don’t worry about them too much. I understand very well that the Duke is a compassionate and merciful person, so please, just stop."

Yuan quickly wrote on the sponsorship document. It was an agility born from the desire to send Gillen away even a second faster. Gillen, regardless of what Yuan was doing, muttered with a look of pity that he could not erase.

"Still, it would be nice if they had names.... I saw earlier that they all had different appearances and were designed with different heights and builds. Wouldn’t they like it more if you gave them names? If it’s really too much trouble, even I could—"

It was at that moment. The sound of fluttering wings was heard, and a large bird flew in from somewhere and landed on Yuan’s shoulder. It was a parrot with silky white feathers and dark gray eyes.

"Marquis! Is this mister the Duke?"

"...Go away."

Yuan waved his hand to shoo the parrot away. The parrot, without resistance, circled in the air and then landed on Gillen’s knee.

"Mister! Duke!"

"You’re very smart. That’s right. This mister is the Duke."

Gillen answered with a gentle smile.

"Hampton, is this parrot the magic parrot you mentioned just now?"

"Yes."

Yuan replied without sincerity, scribbling letters.

"Good heavens, then you don’t have a name either?"

Gillen asked, holding out his index finger to the parrot. The parrot hopped up and landed on Gillen’s index finger.

"Name! Don’t have one! I am a parrot! Marquis is Marquis!"

"No, Hampton! You really...!"

"What, what is it! What is so important about a name?"

Yuan finally exploded. He put down his fountain pen and shouted.

"Have you forgotten your apology from just now? You said you wouldn’t point things out in a preachy way. You said you felt terribly sorry for speaking carelessly without knowing the situation well!"

"I didn’t go that far—"

"Do you have to make me out to be such a cold-hearted and unfeeling person to be satisfied? What’s the big deal about a stupid name? Then why don’t you name them, Duke? Try naming each and every one of them and remembering them."

So this was the reason Yuan was annoyed. Because he felt like he knew how Gillen saw him. He seemed to regard Yuan as a villain without blood or tears. It was revealed from time to time that he thought that way. There was no way the quick-witted and sharp-minded Yuan would fail to notice that.

Yuan roughly threw the document with all the blanks filled out toward Gillen. The document scattered on the table with a clatter.

’...I just put it down a little forcefully, why did it make that sound?’

As Yuan’s eyebrow twitched, Gillen silently gathered the documents, put them in the envelope, and stood up.

"I have received the document. Then I shall respect your wishes. Farewell."

Gillen then left the drawing room. The parrot circled the ceiling and landed on the sofa where Gillen had been sitting. The parrot’s eyes captured Yuan’s fine face. His face was slightly flushed with anger and shame.

"What, is he angry or something? Hmph."

It doesn’t bother me at all. Yuan thought so and slurped the tea placed in front of him.

"Ugh, cough!"

The tea was brewed to a perfect temperature, but it tasted terrible. The parrot cackled and said.

"Marquis dislikes the Duke! So I told Number 2! I told him to make the tea taste bad! Praise me, Marquis!"

"What?"