(BL) Rejected by daughter's second male lead-Chapter 37

Alphas and omegas generally lose their reason during a rut or heat. However, they do not lose their memories. They simply become slaves to their sexual instincts and say and do things that are unlike themselves, and it is not as if a physical or mental action strong enough to make them lose their memories occurs in the process of resolving their heat, whether through sex or suppressants.

Therefore, Gillen also clearly remembered everything that had happened over the past five days. The fact that he had gotten on all fours and told Yuan to just fuck him because he didn’t want to rape someone else, the fact that he had sobbed that it felt too good, and the fact that he had mixed his body with Yuan’s countless times....

"Ahem-hem! Ahem! Keh-hem! Ahem!"

"You’re being loud."

As he cleared his throat due to the uncontrollably rising shame, Yuan immediately rebuked him. The tips of Gillen’s ears turned red.

"I’ll say what I have to say quickly while no one is around and get it over with. First of all, I apologize. Because of me, you also got caught up in a sudden rut... On top of that, with an alpha who’s much older than you... doing... that sort of thing... ahem."

For someone who said he would get it over with quickly, Gillen continued his apology with extreme hesitation.

"The Blake family will handle Simon Nogarius. Until now, we’ve gone easy on him since there wasn’t much damage, but it seems that was the root of the problem. This time, I’ll make sure he receives a severe punishment so that it doesn’t end with just a fine. So don’t worry."

"Why would I worry? If I put my mind to it right now, I could kill that Nogari-something or whatever instantly from here. Rather, it’s Your Grace who is surprising me for trying to resolve this legally."

"Instant death is not an option, Yuan!"

"...Well, it’s not like I was really going to do it."

Perhaps because he had called him ’Yuan’ instead of ’Hampton’ throughout their sex, the name Yuan was now stuck to Gillen’s lips. He didn’t even realize it himself. Only Yuan puckered his lips and reacted like an adolescent boy.

"Anyway, I sincerely apologize. Since you, as a fellow alpha, know well what it’s like to be controlled by instinct during a rut, I won’t offer a separate explanation. Just... think of it as an accident that happened and forget it. I will do the same."

"Of course I will. Do you really think I would spend my entire life dwelling on something like this and thinking about you, Your Grace? You might wish for that, Your Grace, but it’s an impossible dream. My brain is so brilliant that it quickly distinguishes between what to remember and what to forget. Contrary to popular belief, the more of a genius one is, the faster one forgets useless things."

Yuan said, slightly indignant.

"Hahaha, of course, that would be true for you. You’re a real genius, after all."

Gillen laughed weakly and agreed. At his compliant attitude, Yuan once again puckered his lips and twisted them slightly. It was an expression that seemed both a little pleased and a little shy, but Gillen, sitting in the mana chair, could not see Yuan’s face, which was high above him, in detail.

"If you wish to raise any issues, please contact me through Navard."

"I take care of my own problems. There’s no need to borrow Blake’s dog."

"If you keep calling Navard a dog, I’ll start calling you a puppy, so you’d better know that."

"Hmph."

Yuan turned his head haughtily. Gillen, looking up at him, asked with a generous smile.

"Are you accepting my apology?"

"Didn’t I say so earlier? That I would forget it immediately. So the apology is unnecessary. In the first place, Your Grace is a victim as well."

Yuan distinguished right from wrong more clearly than expected. Gillen was inwardly surprised but didn’t let it show as he held out his hand.

"Thank you for accepting my apology. Then, this will be our last time meeting. Fare thee well."

"...What did you say?"

"Hm? I’m asking for a handshake."

"No, move your hand. What do you mean, our last time?"

Yuan asked, coldly slapping Gillen’s hand away. However, it was Gillen who asked back as if he were the one who was puzzled.

"Didn’t we talk about it before that... sudden rut accident happened? That I would definitely keep my promise not to appear before you. We were together for five days because of the accident, but we can’t put it off any longer."

That was right. Astonishingly, Yuan had completely forgotten that fact! Had his genius brain automatically deleted the memory because it was too useless? Or could it be that he had thought nothing of it, believing there was no way Gillen would really declare that he wouldn’t see him? Either way, Yuan was extremely flustered.

"So this is... the end?"

"Yes. Isn’t that great?"

Gillen smiled contentedly, revealing his white, even teeth.

Why does this Mister look so relieved?

Yuan looked down at Gillen in shock. His mind spun rapidly, filling in the blank spaces of the mystery on its own.

Ah, yes. He loves me so much that he has decided to sacrifice himself. If it’s true love, you can live your whole life satisfied with that, even if it’s not reciprocated. Besides, we had an incredible amount of sex. He’s thinking this is enough. He was always a simple and unpretentious person, unbefitting of his status as a Duke, after all.

Once the automatic rationalization was complete, pity followed.

He is pitiful. How much must he like me to make such a sacrifice? I’ve never loved anyone that much, so I wouldn’t know, but my emotional intelligence is high, so I can empathize.

It was a train of thought that would have made Gillen not just laugh hollowly but cough up blood if he had known. Yuan, who had felt baffled for a moment, quickly regained his composure. He smiled, lifting one corner of his mouth.

"Yes, that’s great. The end. It’s what I wanted."

Even as he said that, Yuan couldn’t suppress a smirk that was escaping him. Gillen would surely come looking for him in no more than a few days. How could he accept ’the end’ when he loved Yuan so much as to volunteer for such a sacrifice?

Try falling into the trap you set yourself.

Yuan extended his hand with a benevolent smile. It was the gesture of a good-natured person offering the handshake he had rejected earlier. Gillen would think of it as their last skinship, so it would be like a single drop of sweet honey water to him.

’I shall give you enough material to fap to for a few days, Your Grace.’

Gillen, who had no idea what Yuan was thinking, beamed and clasped his hand. Yuan’s white hand, firm but slightly thinner than Gillen’s, with long, fine fingers, intertwined with Gillen’s hand. For a moment, a series of scenes flashed through both their minds—of touching each other’s parts with these hands, of pulling each other’s backs, of pressing down on each other’s stomachs—but neither of them let it show.

Gillen squeezed the hand, shook it twice, and pulled away first. Yuan withdrew his hand more slowly. A brief silence fell between them.

"...Then, I’ll be going."

Yuan said calmly.

"...Yes, fare thee well. Thank you and I’m sorry for everything. It was also quite enjoyable."

Gillen, too, replied somewhat more slowly than before.

Yuan gave a single nod, then disappeared using teleportation magic. Only the empty hallway remained before Gillen.

"Yuan?"

Gillen called for Yuan in a whisper. The Yuan who should have glared coyly and said, "What is it now?" was truly gone.

"He really... left."

Gillen muttered in a low voice. He hung his head low. His chest, which had taken a deep breath, swelled up fully and then slowly deflated. Soon, Gillen’s characteristic laughter echoed throughout the entire ducal mansion with its high ceilings and wide spaces.

"Ha! Ha! Ha! I’m finally free!"

Gillen’s face, when he lifted his head, was brighter than ever before, and his wide-open mouth was cool and hearty.

"Thank you, God! Ha! Ha! Ha! Goodbye now, you cute and insolent second male lead brat!"

He had, unbeknownst to himself, grown a bit of a love-hate affection for Yuan, but that was all. He had even ended up having sex with that little squirt.... Gillen couldn’t even properly look him in the eye.

But now, he didn’t have to see him anymore! He even made a promise not to run into him, even by mistake! Well done, past me! What a strategist, Gillen Blake! Gillen praised himself and excitedly pounded the armrest of the mana chair with his fist. If he could, he would have stood up and danced, but his legs were trembling and his waist and butt ached, so he couldn’t.

Still, he couldn’t hide this joyous sense of liberation. Gillen hummed a little tune, la la la, and moved the mana chair toward the stairs.

"Brian! When the room cleaning is finished, prepare a grand party! Let’s have everyone in the Blake family eat and drink until their stomachs burst today! Ha! Ha! Ha!"

He would still have to mount an ironclad defense against Yuan, who would try to interfere with Cecilia and Hexion’s relationship in the future, but he felt more at ease than before. This was because Cecilia had rejected him more firmly than expected, and also because Yuan’s interest had been focused more on him than on Cecilia—though it was negative interest—which had lessened his obsession with the marriage proposal compared to the original story.

"Your Grace the Duke, are you all right...?"

Brian, who had rushed over after hearing Gillen’s booming laughter from afar, asked in surprise.

As a loyal butler of the Blake family and one who respected Gillen, Brian had spent the past five days mired in anxiety and worry.

For the past five days, no sound had escaped from outside the bedroom door, as if Yuan had cast a spell, and the door wouldn’t open no matter how many times he turned the master key. Still, there were times when the door would open occasionally. That was because even during a rut, one had to consume water and food.

About once a day, Yuan would open the door, barely wearing a pair of pants, and ask for a meal to be brought. Even when Brian pleaded, "I’ll just check on His Grace the Duke’s condition and come right out," he would just take the tray with a somehow angry face and slam the door shut. The possessiveness and jealousy etched on that face.

It was only then that Brian truly realized just how terrifying a dominant alpha was.