RHFTY chapter 14

Chaeyi led Leonard to his current residence and invited the knights following them inside as well.

Although it would be a bit cramped with half a dozen people inside, leaving them outside didn’t sit well with him.

However, the knights seemed startled by his invitation and adamantly refused, saying they couldn’t enter without Leonard’s permission.

“But I’m the homeowner.”

Chaeyi wasn’t upset, but he found their frightened expressions somewhat absurd.

On top of that…

“Are you going to leave them outside?”

“Just leave them be; they’ll be fine.”

Since Leonard wouldn’t allow it and it seemed awkward to drag in people who didn’t want to come inside, Chaeyi eventually had to let them be.

He told Leonard, who was quietly exploring the house, to have a seat and handed him a freshly brewed cup of coffee.

Then, sitting across from each other, they spent time enjoying the coffee and engaging in idle chatter.

“Hey, you know what that drunkard did?”

“Did he try to harm you?”

“No, nothing like that… Suddenly he started crying and ran away. It was ridiculous. He tried to touch me inappropriately, so I threw him off, but anyone would have thought I was the bad guy.”

“Well done. People with wandering hands deserve whatever they get. By the way, what was that guy’s name again?”

“Huh? Roman Iseff.”

“…I see.”

“Yeah. And then before that….”

They shared stories about how they had lived since they lost contact, their experiences, and the hardships Leonard had faced and how he had gotten by.

Their conversation, born from joy and nostalgia, continued through dinner and into the evening.

‘It’s already this late.’

Noticing the time on the wall clock, Chaeyi realized it was already night. It had been a long time since he had lost track of time like this.

However, thinking that it was time to part ways, Chaeyi looked at Leonard and said,

“Leo. It’s really late, so you should head home now. I think your knights outside are waiting for you to come out.”

At that moment, Leonard’s hand, holding the fork, froze slightly.

“I had a good time today. Let’s have dinner together again when you’re free.”

Now that I know your address, I can see you whenever I want and we can exchange letters as much as we want.

As the official heir now, Leonard surely has many responsibilities at his family’s home.

Therefore, Chaeyi thought it was only natural for them to part ways here. Since he had brought the knights along, he likely hadn’t walked here, and his carriage would be waiting nearby.

But when Leonard glanced up at Chaeyi , his gaze was more subdued than before.

Chaeyi tilted their head in confusion, and Leonard quietly put down his fork, wiped his mouth, and spoke.

“I’m not going alone, Chaeyi .”

“What?”

“You have to come with me.”

Chaeyi had to think again to make sure they heard and understood correctly.

“Come with you… where?”

“To my house. The Lancaster estate.”

As Leonard’s voice softly reached their ears, Chaeyi thought for a few seconds and then belatedly understood, making a bewildered expression.

“What? Why would I go there?”

It was a very sudden proposal.

‘Does he mean he wants to show me his house right now?’

Hmm… it seems that way.

There’s no other reason. Having convinced themself with this answer, Chaeyi was about to say, ‘If you’re inviting me over, it’s too late today, so maybe next time…’

“That’s not it. I want you to come and live with me.”

At Leonard’s nonchalant response, Chaeyi ’s mind, which had been spinning quickly, suddenly came to a halt.

Chaeyi showed a noticeably slow reaction, like a broken machine, and propped their chin on their hand.

“Hm.”

‘So, right now… he’s suggesting that I leave this house and move to the Lancaster estate, where he’ll lend me a room or something so we can live together? It was a surprising suggestion, but considering he’d been looking for me for five years, maybe he wants to see me and spend time like we used to.’

Of course, that was touching. But it was clearly not a decision to be made lightly.

Chaeyi swallowed quietly.

“Leo, no matter how close we are, I’m still an outsider. If you suddenly ask me to live with you, what about your parents’ permission? I heard you have siblings, too.”

He’s not the head of the family yet.

Also, I’ve heard that the Lancaster estate is still home to the current, robust head of the family and the immediate family.

Given that, wouldn’t the noble family members feel very uncomfortable if an outsider, who is also a beta commoner, suddenly rolled into their home?

“That doesn’t matter.”

Leonard answered again in a nonchalant tone.

Chaeyi quickly realized that this proposal hadn’t been pre-approved between Leonard and his family.

He was so stubborn as a child….

Even after growing up, Leonard was the same.

“Even if you have bad memories of your family and aren’t close to them, shouldn’t you be more cautious with decisions like this?”

“……”

“It’s not like we’re saying goodbye forever. We can meet up again if we set a date. More than anything, I’m worried that my presence might be toxic to you….”

“Chaeyi .”

Leonard’s voice, calling their name, was gentle but cut off their words more decisively than ever.

Chaeyi lifted their eyes from where they had been lost in thought to look at Leonard again.

Leonard’s eyes, having blinked open, held a fierce glint that was at odds with his soft voice.

“I didn’t bring those guys outside just to hear you refuse.”

It was a kind of threat.

If Chaeyi wouldn’t come along willingly, he was saying he’d use the knights to take them by force.

“Ha….”

Chaeyi found the situation so absurd at that moment that they let out a hollow laugh.

Was he rebelling because he thought he was grown-up?

‘He wasn’t like this before.’

At first, Chaeyi was speechless due to the absurdity, but then curiosity about his intentions arose.

‘What exactly is he thinking?’

While Chaeyi was lost in thought, Leonard’s gaze, watching them, narrowed slightly.

“And don’t worry about me, Chaeyi . You won’t ever be a poison to me. I’m the one who needs you the most.”

Unfortunately, Chaeyi couldn’t identify what kind of emotion flickered briefly in Leonard’s eyes.

‘Well… there must be a reason for this.’

They would find out eventually by following along, right? No matter how much they pondered, there were limits to what they could understand right now.

“Alright.”

Treating it as if it were no big deal, Chaeyi decided to humor Leonard’s request for now.

Thus, Chaeyi ended up riding in a carriage to the Lancaster estate, almost against their will….

“Wow. Is this the front yard of the house?”

As soon as the vast grounds, which seemed to have moved a part of nature itself, greeted them, Chaeyi forgot the circumstances and eagerly looked around.

“It’s huge.”

Perhaps because the front yard was so expansive, a path was paved from the gate to the front of the mansion, allowing the carriage to ride up.

In the center stood the main mansion, where the head of the family and his wife usually stayed and worked, while guest houses of different shapes and colors flanked it on either side and behind.

Rumor had it that the Lancaster head built these for his children.

“Each guest house has its own name. Starting from there, it’s Peridot, Amethyst, Spinel, Celanite, and Onyx.”

Including the main house, there were six houses in total within the estate grounds.

“I see. Onyx is yours, right?”

“Yeah.”

“It’s an impressive house.”

“Is it? I’m glad you like it. Since it’s where you’ll be staying from now on, I was worried.”

The place where I’ll be staying….

It seemed that the place where Chaeyi would live was Leonard’s exclusive guest house, the Onyx Mansion, which was the dark blue one.

With a mix of worry and anticipation, Chaeyi toured the Onyx Mansion, marveling at every turn.

‘Since it’s the house of a Grand Duke, I expected it to be grand, but it’s much bigger than I imagined….’

From the neatly arranged marble lobby to the dining room with a professional kitchen, rooms large enough for cattle to frolic in, a library holding everything from old tomes to the latest publications, a study designed for solitary moments, and even a spacious garden inside the mansion….

The fact that this wasn’t even the main house but a guest house was even more astonishing.

Moreover, due to Chaeyi ’s impending residence in the Onyx Mansion, they were provided with an extravagant level of service, including a resident chef, caretakers, numerous attendants, and knights.

‘It’s excessive.’

A beta commoner would never experience such luxury for free anywhere else.

I tried to dissuade him, saying there was no need for such extravagance, but Leonard was firm.

He wanted to ensure I wouldn’t feel lacking while staying inside the mansion.

To be honest….

I liked the Onyx Mansion much more than the house I had bought with money I saved for a long time. Thus, it’s now the second day since I started living in Onyx.

Initially, I had doubts about Leonard’s insistence on bringing me to his house, but… now I think I understand why he was so insistent.

‘In other words, this is filial piety tourism.’

Chaeyi agreed while lying on a bed so soft it felt like they might sink in.