RHFTY chapter 13

The intense gaze focused precisely on Chaeyi was a brilliant blue that was unforgettable.

“Leo?”

The atmosphere, along with his much-grown appearance, startled Chaeyi, causing him to widen his eyes in surprise, but soon the feeling of joy took over.

‘That little kid grew up so much.’

It was hard to believe.

He had become exactly the person described in the elaborate depictions by the friend who created this world.

‘Still as handsome as ever.’

Though somehow, his eyes seemed to have gotten more sinister than when he was a child.

Unaware that the fierce gaze was directed at him, Chaeyi remained completely unperturbed.

At that moment, Leonard approached Chaeyi with brisk steps.

Unlike the calm Chaeyi , the men, who were terrified by Leonard’s intimidating glare, were greatly alarmed when they saw him coming closer.

“Chaeyi , Chaeyi ….”

The moment the men, who looked as if they might faint any second, grabbed Chaeyi ’s collar, Leonard placed one hand on the table and tilted his head downward.

“Chaeyi .”

Suddenly, a heavy and persistent pheromone scent surged in.

If it weren’t Chaeyi , it wouldn’t have been surprising if someone fainted from the overwhelming pressure.

However, Chaeyi thought that Leonard’s pheromone was flickering so uneasily that he was worried there might be something wrong with his health.

“I told you, didn’t I….”

Leonard’s gaze, looking down at Chaeyi , seemed deeply absorbed as if seeing someone he had long missed, then turned fierce.

“Not to run away and stay put.”

At this point, Chaeyi couldn’t help but sense that the atmosphere was becoming serious for some reason.

‘Huh?’

Chaeyi tilted his head, pondering what the problem was.

He seemed to be very angry, but Chaeyi couldn’t figure out why Leonard was upset.

“Hmm… What are you talking about?”

“Don’t play dumb.”

“I didn’t do that.”

“Then why did you forge the identification badge?”

“Huh? My badge was a fake? Seriously?”

“…….”

Startled by Leonard’s silence, Chaeyi quickly recalled the memories of ‘novel Chaeyi’ and felt like that might be the case.

Additionally, he remembered that ‘novel Chaeyi,’ who was an orphan and didn’t have a proper name, first came up with the name Chaeyi when registering with the guild.

It was used as an anonymous code name, but it was also the only name he had.

“Forgot… about that?”

Leonard asked back with a face that was nothing short of incredulous.

The pheromone that had been surging with rage gradually subsided, reflecting his current emotions.

However, Chaeyi felt this situation was unfair. It was genuinely absurd.

‘I never imagined that the ID badge I had been using for years was a fake….’

There must be more information that hasn’t surfaced because he hadn’t tried to think about it. The thought made his head hurt.

Who knows where and what kind of memories are still dormant, waiting to be recalled.

In the end, Chaeyi had to offer a pitiful excuse in response to Leonard’s persistent gaze demanding an explanation.

“Sorry. I have, well, a bit of amnesia….”

Suddenly feeling eyes on him, Chaeyi glanced around.

Just as he thought, his skin was prickling, probably because all the eyes in the tavern were watching their argument, not quite a quarrel.

“…Let’s go outside and talk.”

It seemed the conversation would be long, and being here was a nuisance to others.

“Hurry, hurry.”

Chaeyi gestured apologetically to the men and quietly whispered, pushing Leonard’s back.

Although Leonard didn’t seem entirely pleased with Chaeyi ’s urging, he obediently allowed himself to be pushed outside.

As the two of them left the tavern, the people watching were filled with shock.

‘W-what just happened?’

They recognized Leonard the moment he revealed his face by removing the hood.

Although they didn’t know exactly what was going on, they figured something big had happened to Chaeyi if the duke’s son came in person.

Especially since Leonard, officially designated as the heir, was known among the children for being the most cold-hearted, they assumed Chaeyi was in serious trouble.

Yet, contrary to their expectations, Leonard was treated casually by Chaeyi , and Leonard followed obediently as if it were only natural.

It was an unbelievable sight.

Imagine how the knights, who saw their lord, fierce as a winter storm, every day up close, must have felt.

Seeing their lord nearly dragged away was quite shocking for them.

Sir Lawrence, the leader of Leonard’s knights and one of his closest confidants, watched as his master turned into a meek lamb and thought to himself:

‘I thought he had a serious grudge against this person named Chaeyi , considering how desperately he was searching for him…’

It seemed he had been completely wrong in his assumptions.

“Let’s leave as well,” Lawrence said.

The knights, who had been hesitating, took the cue and quickly exited the tavern, glad to have an excuse.

The tavern’s patrons also peeked outside, sensing some entertainment to be had.

Outside the entrance, Leonard and Chaeyi appeared to be having a casual conversation as if they were on friendly terms.

Of course, rather than engaging in everyday chatter, they were closer to arguing, trying to resolve the misunderstandings that had built up between them.

“What about your name? I heard Chaeyi isn’t your real name. Were you lying to me about that too?”

“It’s not like that,” Chaeyi sighed and continued.

“When you were gathering information, did you happen to hear that I was an orphan?”

“…Yes.”

“The alias I chose when registering with the guild was the first name I ever had in my life. That’s all there is to it. So… you could say it’s as good as my real name.”

More accurately, that’s what the “novel Chaeyi” did, but to avoid complicating matters further, Chaeyi had to make it seem like it was their own story.

“Really.”

Leonard looked down at Chaeyi , as if trying to capture their image within the box of his eyes.

His once wide-eyed gaze had grown sharp and deep over time.

“…So, you’re saying you didn’t cut off contact and run away because you didn’t want to see me?”

“Aww, I told you that’s not it, you fool. I didn’t know you’d be looking for me like that.”

If I had known, I might have reached out first.

At the time, I cut off contact because I was worried it might negatively affect the issue of choosing the official successor.

But now that everything had worked out, it didn’t matter anymore. Seeing the sincerity in Chaeyi ‘s tone and demeanor, Leonard’s mood had softened considerably.

“…Chaeyi . I missed you a lot.”

“Right. I’m grateful.”

“And you, Chaeyi ? Didn’t you miss me?”

“Of course, I missed you.”

It wasn’t an empty sentiment.

I believed that if he wanted to see me, he would come find me, and if he didn’t, it was because he was busy or didn’t want to see me.

That’s why I didn’t approach him hastily. However, Leonard still seemed dissatisfied, as if he found it hard to believe.

Chaeyi let out a short sigh of exasperation.

The pouty expression on Leonard’s face reminded Chaeyi fondly of old times.

“Leo, thank you for remembering and finding me first. I mean it.”

“……”

Suddenly, Leonard reached out his hand towards Chaeyi . His hand lightly brushed against Chaeyi ‘s cheek.

Chaeyi glanced in the direction of the gesture before looking back up at Leonard.

“Then… if you’re grateful.”

Leonard gently lowered his gaze.

His fluttering eyelashes half-concealed his dazzling blue eyes, like gems, as if trying to hide the obsessive attachment within his gaze from Chaeyi .

“Promise you won’t ever leave me again.”

At first glance, those precise nuances might stir up strange emotions, but Chaeyi felt nothing upon hearing them.

It was just like when he used to throw tantrums as a child. Chaeyi didn’t think much of it, having seen him use such peculiar phrasing before.

“Sure. That’s not a difficult request.”

Chaeyi smiled nonchalantly, and Leonard’s eyes curved into a half-moon smile.

Watching from afar, the knights instinctively sensed that the seemingly ordinary commoner was, in fact, the most precious person to their lord.

“If anyone messes with that commoner, they’ll lose their head at the lord’s hands.”

The knights silently followed the pair, careful not to make any mistakes.

Unaware of this, amidst the now amicable atmosphere, Chaeyi shifted the topic.

“It’s been a while since we’ve met like this. Shall we have dinner together? Is there anything you’d like to eat?”

“As long as I’m with Chaeyi , I don’t care what we eat or where we go.”

“Wow! Look at you, you charming little thing, saying such sweet things just because we haven’t seen each other in a while.”

Chaeyi ruffled Leonard’s hair with a pleased expression.

Leonard mumbled, “I mean it…” and then looked up with bright, shining eyes.

“But… Chaeyi . Where do you live now?”

“Oh, come to think of it, you wouldn’t know yet. How about I invite you to my place?”

Leonard, who had been smoothing down his tousled hair, nodded at Chaeyi ’s suggestion.

As they started moving, the knights followed them as quietly as shadows, making no sound.

The people in the tavern watched them depart and began debating the nature of their relationship.

“Chaeyi . Can I hold your hand?”

“Of course.”

At that time, no one knew that this would be the last time they would see Chaeyi ’s face.