RHFTY chapter 17

After the meal, Leonard and Chaeyi continued chatting, spending the remaining time together until the sun set and night fell.

Thanks to this, Chaeyi wasn’t bored at all today, but…

“Aren’t you busy with work?”

Honestly, shouldn’t Leonard be less idle than this?

Just yesterday, he seemed overwhelmed with work.

Worried, Chaeyi asked, and Leonard responded nonchalantly.

“It’s fine.”

“You’re not slacking off, are you?”

“…I’m not.”

Leonard frowned with displeasure at Chaeyi ’s doubtful expression.

“I finished all my tasks for today. I wanted to spend the rest of the day with you.”

Hmm… If he says so, I guess I should believe him even if it seems doubtful.

He’s always been quick and meticulous since he was young.

Plus, he’s not irresponsible, so he’ll manage somehow.

After chatting and wandering around the mansion, it was already bedtime. Leonard naturally escorted Chaeyi to his room.

Chaeyi thought Leonard would leave for his room then, so he patted his head.

“Thanks for today. You should get some sleep too.”

However, Leonard didn’t respond or leave but continued looking at Chaeyi . Thinking he had more to say, Chaeyi smiled, signaling him to speak.

Leonard intertwined his fingers with hiss gently.

“Can I sleep here with you?”

Such a suggestive statement.

His gaze, cast downward, exuded an alluring atmosphere, enough to evoke strong emotions. It was clearly an attempt to seduce.

While it was obvious, few would easily escape from that web of allure.

However…

Chaeyi was far more oblivious than Leonard anticipated.

Unfortunately, being among those “few” who could easily escape such seduction, Chaeyi was unaffected by his ploy.

“Huh? Why would you need my permission? Do as you like.”

His solitary life of ‘50 years based on mental age’ and the strong walls built by his position as a godfather made it so that Chaeyi didn’t even entertain the possibility.

“…Did you understand what I meant?”

“Yes. You want to spend the night at Onyx.”

“……”

“Your usual room is somewhere here, right? Since it’s your house, don’t mind me.”

Leonard’s ambitious attempt to seduce had left his face in a pout.

Chaeyi couldn’t understand why he was acting this way.

“That’s not it. I mean, I want to sleep with you in your room.”

“What?”

“I want to share the same bed and sleep under the same blanket with you.”

Chaeyi couldn’t help but let out a gasp. Indeed, Leonard had a habit of sleeping attached to him when he was younger.

Still, I thought he’d outgrown such habits now that he’s older… Could it be?

“Leo. Do you still need to cling to someone to fall asleep?”

Oh no. Unless he regularly had someone to hold at night, there must have been nights he slept alone.

And on those nights, who knows if he suffered from insomnia.

Feeling pity and concern, Chaeyi couldn’t help but feel distressed, noticing the wrinkles forming on Leonard’s forehead.

He placed a hand on his forehead and sighed deeply.

“That’s not the case.”

“Then go to your room.”

“I want to stay with you. It’s been a while.”

Goodness…

Chaeyi sighed deeply in a different way at Leonard’s stubbornness.

While Leonard seemed so mature at times, he still had childish tendencies.

At 23, shouldn’t he have grown out of needing a parent’s comfort and developed independence?

Leonard’s biological parents are elsewhere, but still.

‘Hmm. What should I do?’

Recalling the size of the bed, Chaeyi didn’t deliberate long.

It was spacious enough to comfortably accommodate two adults, even if they rolled around.

“Alright. But make sure to tell me if you’re uncomfortable.”

“Okay.”

Leonard’s previously sullen face now bloomed with happiness.

Even with his usually stoic expression, Chaeyi couldn’t miss how joyful he was.

Is it really that pleasing?

No matter how much Leonard thought of Chaeyi as a father, the situation of being a ‘son who loves snuggling with his dad’ was too bizarre to comprehend.

Still, if it makes him happy, what can I do?

Chaeyi was truly a devoted father, embracing his immature son.

After letting Leonard in, Chaeyi headed to the bathroom to wash up.

Each room had a private bathroom, spacious and kept clean daily by the attendants.

In contrast, the bathroom in Chaeyi ’s house was so small it had no proper tub.

Compared to that, this place was a paradise.

Even after reconsidering, it was indeed a splendid act of filial piety.

After Chaeyi , now refreshed, handed over the bathroom to Leonard and decided to read a book until he returned, he relied on the lamp placed on the nightstand for light.

Although there was a large chandelier installed in the room, it was always a hassle to lower it and turn it on and off.

As he read, he became more engrossed in the text. he had picked up a book from the shelf in the room, and it seemed to be a novel. The content was quite risqué and provocative.

‘Who brought this in?’

Leonard would never have specifically instructed which books to place, and it seemed the housekeeper or servants had randomly put it there.

Since no one had touched the bookshelf since Chaeyi started using the room, it probably wasn’t intentionally put there by someone…

Perhaps someone even forgot they had placed it there.

Therefore, Chaeyi reading this book was an unforeseen and unintended consequence.

‘So naughty, so naughty.’

Although Chaeyi had a somewhat weak resistance to explicit content, he couldn’t tear his eyes away from the book, muttering to himself.

“Chaeyi. What are you doing?”

As he read with intense focus, a shadow suddenly fell over his. Looking up, he saw Leonard standing above his with a languid expression.

His hair, covered with a towel, was still slightly damp. Chaeyi quickly hid the embarrassing book under the bed and spoke.

“Come here. I’ll dry your hair.”

Chaeyi moved slightly to the side, patting the bedspread, and Leonard, without any further comment, sat at the edge of the bed and faced his.

After opening the window to let in the natural breeze, Chaeyi dried Leonard’s hair with the towel.

‘His hair has always been so nice.’

Unlike his own abundant and slightly wavy hair, Leonard’s straight hair was a rare and pleasant texture to touch, providing a feeling he couldn’t get from his own hair.

As Chaeyi enjoyed this sensation while drying his hair…

Leonard, who had been looking down at his, reached out and nonchalantly brushed the ends of Chaeyi ’s front hair, which had already dried.

It was a puzzling action. Focused on drying his hair, Chaeyi adjusted his gaze to meet Leonard’s eyes.

“Why?”

“…Chaeyi , you look like a puppy.”

“Me?”

“Yeah. Fluffy and cute.”

At that moment, Chaeyi felt a strange sensation, like being treated like a child by an adult. It was a peculiar feeling.

Are you the one who should be saying that to me?

Suddenly, the remnants of harsh Confucian ideas popped into my head, but in a society where status takes precedence over age, I quickly reminded myself that the young man before me was indeed the rightful successor of the grand duchy. It was his rank.

“That’s enough, kid. You seem to be all dry now, so let’s call it a night.”

Chaeyi tossed the wet towel into the bin where laundry was collected and extinguished the lantern.

Aside from the occasional bird calls from outside the window, the night was quiet.

The two lay side by side in silence for a moment.

Gradually, as Chaeyi’s eyes adjusted to the moonlight streaming through the window, the room began to brighten.

Chaeyi remained lying straight, facing forward, but suddenly, there was the sound of rustling, and Leonard turned to lie on his side facing Chaeyi.

Chaeyi, feeling the uncomfortable intensity of his gaze on the side of his head, eventually turned sharply to glance at Leonard.

“Why are you staring like that?”

“Can’t I?”

“…Look the other way.”

“I don’t want to.”

The audacity and shameless refusal were infuriating.

Surprisingly, the image of young Leonard from his childhood also came to mind, making him seem somewhat endearing.

With an exasperated sigh, Chaeyi turned back to face forward and stared at the ceiling, letting out a short laugh.

It was clear to Chaeyi that the reason he couldn’t bring himself to truly dislike Leonard was because he knew that Leonard wasn’t using his status to look down on him.

“You really haven’t changed at all.”

“…Do you really think so?”

Leonard suddenly propped himself up and leaned towards Chaeyi , reaching out to place his hand beside Chaeyi ’s head.

As Leonard’s knee came between Chaeyi ’s legs, their clothes brushed against each other, causing a slight rustling noise.

Chaeyi lifted his gaze slightly.

In the deep darkness, only Leonard’s blue eyes, reflecting the moonlight, shone vividly.

‘Huh?’

Realizing their current position, Chaeyi furrowed his brow.

He found himself trapped in Leonard’s embrace.