RHFTY chapter 59

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Just like in the novels where people consumed by revenge became vengeful ghosts, if Leonard had been consumed by his grudge, things might have been different.

But now, having reconciled his relationship with Chaeyi, he no longer cared about such things.

Half of his revenge had already been achieved by becoming the heir to the Lancaster family, and whether the rest of them lived or died was no longer of any interest to him.

He had no desire to repeat the toxic traditions of his family.

That was all there was to it…

Yet for Aelan, something stirred in his chest—a small spark of courage.

“What bothers me is, if we let him live, what if he tries something stupid with Chaeyi again, like this?”

“I promise I won’t.”

Aelan’s quick response made both Chaeyi and Leonard turn to look at him in surprise.

Now that the situation had calmed down, Chaeyi let go of Aelan.

Rubbing his sore arm, Aelan awkwardly glanced at Leonard before turning his head away again.

Not missing the moment, Leonard pulled Chaeyi toward him.

“There’s more you should say, isn’t there?”

“…I’m sorry. For trying to use you.”

Aelan turned to Chaeyi and apologized obediently.

He had tried to manipulate Chaeyi and Leonard out of fear of taking his own life, so an apology was in order.

When Chaeyi gave him a reassuring smile, Aelan hesitated before turning to Leonard once more.

“And… I’ve always wanted to say this. I’m sorry for standing by when you were expelled from the family.”

In truth, when their father Delion had coldly disowned Leonard as a disgrace to the family, Aelan had tried to ask if it was really necessary to throw out his brother, but he had been harshly rebuked.

Afraid of more punishment, he hadn’t dared speak up again, hiding like a coward.

But he didn’t add any of these excuses.

The fact remained that he had hurt his younger brother that day.

And when Leonard returned alive, Aelan had clung to the idea of securing his position as heir, despite knowing that all former heirs who had failed were dead.

In that process, he had entertained some bad thoughts. So now, all he wanted was to…

“I hope you’ll give me a chance to atone.”

All he felt now was a desire for redemption.

“…”

Leonard remained silent, his expression unreadable.

He seemed angry, but deep inside, Leonard was feeling something else entirely.

He hadn’t expected Aelan to harbor such guilt over the past.

While he wasn’t ready to forgive his brother or the family entirely, Leonard looked at him with fresh eyes.

“Do as you wish. Like I said, it doesn’t matter to me anymore.”

“…”

“Once you return to the family, the head of the Lancaster house will assign you tasks. Follow their orders.”

With a dismissive gesture, Leonard called in the waiting knights to take Aelan back to the family.

He wanted to assign knights to keep an eye on him.

Unable to hold back anymore, Aelan burst into tears.

All the emotions he had kept bottled up now flooded out.

The knights, after receiving a few instructions from Leonard, carefully guided Aelan to the carriage, giving him some space to compose himself.

There was no rush, as the carpenters had yet to return.

Chaeyi suggested they wait a little longer until the situation was completely resolved, and Leonard obediently agreed.

Enoch, who had been watching the situation unfold from a distance, followed Aelan so as not to interrupt Leonard and Chaeyi’s time together.

The once noisy and bustling surroundings gradually quieted down.

Only then did Leonard, feeling somewhat relieved, let out a brief sigh and turned to look at Chaeyi.

At that moment, Chaeyi instinctively averted their gaze.

Something long forgotten had resurfaced, bringing back a sense of awkwardness.

‘Ha…’

Though it was ultimately for the best that it had been mutual, Chaeyi couldn’t shake off the deep sense of shame.

Merely entertaining the possibility that they might like Leonard was entirely different from actually realizing it.

‘How did I end up… feeling this way about someone I practically raised? The fact that I don’t even know when these feelings started is what shocks me the most.’

Of course, Chaeyi knew they couldn’t avoid the truth forever, but at that moment, they wanted nothing more than to bury their face in water and escape reality, even if just for a moment.

Leonard, oblivious to what was going on in Chaeyi’s mind, misinterpreted the avoidance, thinking Chaeyi found his presence uncomfortable. His mood sank.

But there was nothing he could do.

This was all the result of his own choices.

After all, Leonard had confessed fully aware of the consequences.

He wanted to reach out to Chaeyi, but knowing Chaeyi might pull away, he simply fidgeted with his hands and asked, “Chaeyi, are you hurt anywhere?”

“Oh. Uh, no, I’m fine.”

Chaeyi recalled a small cut on their forehead that had bled earlier but brushed it off.

Luckily, Leonard didn’t press further on that point.

“With everything that’s happened, what about the trip? We were supposed to go somewhere today, right? But with the time now…”

“Well, yeah, but there’s nothing we can do about it. Even if we leave now, we won’t be able to see much… Enoch was really looking forward to it though. He’ll be disappointed.”

“What about you, Chaeyi? Are you disappointed?”

“I am, a little.”

Feeling awkward standing around, Chaeyi sat down on a large nearby rock and patted the spot next to them, signaling Leonard to sit as well.

Leonard followed suit and sat beside Chaeyi.

“There will be plenty to see next year, so we can go then.”

“Next year?”

“Yeah. I heard this year’s creatures weren’t as many as last year, but there were still quite a lot.”

“Sounds like you know a lot about it.”

“Yeah, I looked into it since you were planning to visit. It’s helpful to understand the ecosystem of monsters, as it makes it easier to adapt to changes.”

“Really? Now that I think about it, you seem to know a lot about dragons too. Do you know much about other higher races?”

“Yeah, to a certain extent. Are you interested?”

“Yeah, tell me more.”

“Alright. I’ll start with the elves, since they’re one of the most mysterious higher races.”

As the conversation continued, the awkwardness that had initially hung between them slowly melted away.

While listening to Leonard speak passionately, Chaeyi’s gaze drifted down to Leonard’s pale, neatly arranged hands, feeling a sudden surge of curiosity.

“Elves are known for their long, pointed ears and golden hair. Those of high status wear laurels on their heads. Despite their graceful appearance, they’re actually quite fierce and aggressive…”

As Leonard talked, Chaeyi reached out, gently covering Leonard’s hand with their own.

Startled, Leonard stopped mid-sentence and looked at Chaeyi.

“…”

“…”

Warmth.

The hand that used to be smaller than Chaeyi’s had grown larger and stronger. It was still pale and slender, but now carried the marks of a man’s hand.

Chaeyi’s fingers brushed over Leonard’s knuckles before pulling away.

Leonard, not understanding the gesture, looked confused.

‘This is… difficult.’

Chaeyi truly felt conflicted.

Having crossed the thick barrier of thinking of Leonard as family, it felt as if everything they had repressed was now bursting forth.

The curiosity was overwhelming, especially since Chaeyi had never realized or admitted such feelings before. It was new, unfamiliar, and exciting.

Suddenly, Chaeyi wanted to hold his hand and embrace him.

The things they had always done now carried different meanings, but Chaeyi didn’t dislike it.

Of course, Chaeyi felt pangs of self-reproach for having such thoughts, but what could they do?

They had already acknowledged their feelings.

This was, after all, the most ideal outcome they had hoped for.

It was now something to adapt to and overcome.

‘Besides…’

The fact remained that Chaeyi wasn’t an Omega, so this love was bound to have a time limit.

If that were the case, wouldn’t it be better to fully embrace it and love as much as possible in the time they had?

That’s what Chaeyi thought.

So…

As Chaeyi, who had never experienced a relationship before, began to picture a simple yet positive future with their first love, another thought crossed their mind.

‘Oh, but before that…’

Chaeyi realized they needed to properly convey their feelings to Leonard.

That crucial thought finally came to mind, and they turned back to Leonard.

It was best to express such things boldly, in the heat of the moment.

But before they could speak, Leonard stood up, having noticed something.

Chaeyi followed his gaze and saw a group of carpenters returning to the area.

“What’s going on here?”

“This is beyond strange…”

They were looking around in confusion, not yet realizing that they had been under the influence of Aelan’s powerful aura.

Since Aelan possessed such strong abilities, no one noticed what had happened.

A moment later, Aelan appeared, now calm, and gave the carpenters a final farewell and an apology. They seemed to have grown fond of him over time.

“Well, I don’t quite understand, but I’ll accept the apology! And to think you were a noble, young man… you look different to me now!”

“Take care of yourself when you return.”

With the carpenters teasing and bidding him farewell, Aelan smiled and nodded. Chaeyi, who had been watching, got up, preparing to return as well.

‘I’ll confess… later.’

And with that, the group, including Chaeyi, safely returned to the Lancaster Estate.

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