RHFTY chapter 43

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After finishing their meal without any further incidents, the three of them returned to Chaeyi’s room, chatting along the way.

Despite needing to get up early tomorrow, Leonard stayed with them late into the night.

Concerned that he might be tired, Chaeyi looked at Leonard, who was playing with Silviet in his stead.

“Leo, don’t you need to rest?”

His response was bold.

“No, being with you is my rest.”

Though it sounded like flattery, it still moved him.

“You’re sweet-talking again.”

“I’m always sincere.”

As Chaeyi gazed sleepily at Leonard, he slowly lowered his eyelids, smiling as if he were pleased.

“Do you not like being with me, Chaeyi?”

“It’s not that. I’m just worried you’ll be too tired tomorrow because of me.”

“Don’t worry. It’s easy. If you cast a little spell to keep me from getting tired, I’ll be fine.”

Honestly, if only he would stop talking.

Chaeyi laughed softly, then glanced at Silviet, who was fiddling with a toy.

“Silviet’s parents must be looking for her, right? I hope we hear good news soon.”

At that moment, Silviet looked at Chaeyi, his wings fluttering as he spoke.

“I like Chaeyi! Chaeyi is my dad. I’m going to stay with Dad forever.”

“Silviet….”

Chaeyi was so touched that he couldn’t speak for a moment.

To be called ‘Dad’ and to hear that he was loved—he had never heard such words from anyone before, not even Leonard.

It was an unexpected but heartwarming moment.

Yet, he also felt a pang of guilt, knowing that Silviet still believed Chaeyi to be his real parent and didn’t understand his true identity.

After a brief hesitation, Chaeyi decided to tell Silviet the truth.

The child would have to leave eventually. It wouldn’t do any good to keep the truth hidden and pretend to be his real parent.

“You see, actually, I’m not really your paren—”

Before he could finish, Silviet stood up proudly and declared,

“I know! I’m a smart dragon who knows everything! But I still like Chaeyi. You’re the only Dad I need.”

Chaeyi was so moved that he nearly cried.

“Silviet, come here. Let me hug you.”

“Okay!”

“Oh, how precious you are.”

It was like a sudden, emotional reunion as Chaeyi and Silviet hugged each other tightly.

Watching them, Leonard’s expression was one of mixed feelings.

He was currently experiencing an indescribably complex emotion.

“I’m really going to miss Silviet when he’s gone….”

“Do you really like being called ‘Dad’ that much?”

When Chaeyi murmured with a hint of sadness, Leonard looked down and asked.

Chaeyi laughed softly, placing Silviet back on the bed.

“Of course. I’ve always wanted to hear it but never did. You’ve never called me Dad, after all.”

Leonard pretended not to hear, turning away.

Since Chaeyi hadn’t meant it as a reproach, he didn’t mind.

“I’m so happy now, but I wonder how adorable and lovely it would be if I got married to someone I love and had a child who called me Dad. I think about it sometimes.”

“…….”

“Leo, don’t you?”

After a moment of silence, Leonard met Chaeyi’s gaze and tilted his head slightly.

“I do.”

His face dipped, his lips lightly brushing against the back of Chaeyi’s neck.

The sudden, soft kiss made Chaeyi’s heart thud in his chest, and he instinctively pulled back.

“Uh….”

Her heart raced so fast it made his feel warm all over.

As his face flushed, Chaeyi averted his gaze.

Again. It was happening again. his heart pounded so loudly that it made his dizzy.

Why was this happening to him?

Just then, Leonard spoke up.

“Is there someone you like?”

“Huh? Me? All of a sudden?”

“Yeah.”

“Well… not really….”

Though the question was rather unexpected, he answered it anyway, but Leonard didn’t respond.

He couldn’t figure out what Leonard was thinking. He wanted to see his face but couldn’t bring himself to do so, so Chaeyi just stared at the floor instead.

Suddenly, Leonard called out to his in a low voice.

“By the way, Chaeyi.”

“…Yes?”

“Why are you avoiding my eyes?”

In that moment, Chaeyi’s heart sank again. He was worried that Leonard might be upset, but at the same time, he felt an inexplicable anxiety.

Unable to meet his gaze, Chaeyi turned away completely and muttered,

“It’s nothing. I just don’t feel well.”

Then, from beside him, he sensed a momentary hesitation and embarrassment.

Leonard, now calmer than before, gently stroked Chaeyi’s back.

“Are you okay? Do you have a fever?”

“Hmm… It’s not something to worry about.”

“Just in case, you should get some rest now.”

Soon, he felt movement beside him. It seemed Leonard was preparing to leave since it was late and

Chaeyi wasn’t feeling well.

It felt like he was being driven away, which left Chaeyi feeling a bit uneasy.

Perhaps because of this, Chaeyi, now much calmer than before, cautiously raised his head.

Leonard was already standing.

Since he couldn’t reach Chaeyi’s back while sitting, Chaeyi patted his thigh instead.

“Go and get some good rest. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Okay.”

As their eyes met, Leonard softly smiled, his eyes narrowing gently, and he wrapped his hand around Chaeyi’s head, placing a kiss on his forehead.

Chaeyi’s heart reacted again, but fortunately, it wasn’t trembling as much as before.

By the time his heartbeat began to calm down, Leonard had already left.

Just then, Silviet, who had been watching from the bed while rolling around, began poking Chaeyi’s arm.

“Dad. Dad.”

“Hmm?”

“Do you like Leonard?”

“Why do you suddenly ask that?”

“You kissed him.”

“Well…”

Chaeyi was momentarily at a loss for words.

It felt as if his heart was swelling up and trying to burst through his throat.

Completely flustered, Chaeyi, a beat slow in his response, tried to refute Silviet’s statement.

“Sylvi, that was just a greeting.”

“Hmm.”

“Leonard is like a son to me, just like you are. Do you understand?”

Despite Chaeyi’s calm explanation, Silviet kept staring at him with half-closed eyes, as if he was sure Chaeyi was lying.

“It’s true. Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Silviet may be a dragon who knows everything, but since you’re uncomfortable, I’ll pretend I don’t know.”

Chaeyi was speechless.

Silviet, who was less than a week old, was acting as if he were more mature than Chaeyi.

It was absurd.

“…Enough. Let’s just go to sleep. It’s late.”

“Dad, stroke my back.”

“Alright. Lie down here.”

Silviet, who always flew over and settled beside Chaeyi, flipped over and exposed his belly.

Chaeyi couldn’t help but smile at his dog-like behavior, and as he rubbed and stroked Silviet’s belly, the little dragon quickly fell asleep.

In the quiet room, only Silviet’s gentle breathing could be heard, and Chaeyi let out a light sigh with a serious expression.

‘It seems certain that there’s something wrong with my heart. I feel like it’s happening more frequently, too.’

At this point, he couldn’t just ignore it any longer.

He needed to find out exactly what was causing it, whether it was just a harmless arrhythmia or something more serious.

• If you need any more help, feel free to call me anytime.

Suddenly, he recalled the face of Jaden, the Lancaster family’s physician, along with what he had said.

Though it felt somewhat shameless to call the family’s physician when he wasn’t even a member of the family… Jaden had said it was okay to call him.

‘I’ll ask for his help one more time.’

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The next morning, Chaeyi woke up, staring blankly at the ceiling before getting up.

Around the usual time, the servants came in to clean, and Enoch brought him a glass of water.

Everything was peaceful until Enoch noticed something different about Chaeyi’s demeanor.

Concerned, Enoch tilted his head slightly.

“Chaeyi, you don’t look well today… Are you tired?”

Chaeyi shook his head once at Enoch’s concern and turned to him with a calmer face than usual.

“Enoch, could you call Jaden for me?”

“Huh? The physician, Jaden?”

“Yeah. He said I could call him if I needed help again.”

Enoch was so startled that he dropped the tray he was holding, causing a loud clatter that drew the attention of the servants who were cleaning the room.

Thankfully, Chaeyi had already taken the water glass from the tray.

“Enoch…”

Chaeyi looked at Enoch cautiously, surprised by his reaction.

For some reason, Enoch was standing there with a shocked expression, seemingly in a daze.

It was right after that when Enoch started to panic, as if he’d just heard something shocking.

“Ch-Chaeyi! Are you hurt?!”

“Ah, well, how should I say this… My heart…”

“J-Just wait a moment!”

The moment Enoch heard the word “heart,” his eyes widened as if they were about to pop out.

With a look of sheer terror, he began to stomp his feet anxiously before dashing out of the room.

Chaeyi, feeling a bit embarrassed, closed his mouth.

Anyone would think Chaeyi had just said he was about to die.

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