RHFTY chapter 37

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As soon as he saw her face, Chaeyi was reminded of Duchess Bennett.

The lady had beautiful platinum blonde hair, with violet eyes that were a shade lighter than Bennett’s.

Of course, Bennett had a calm and noble air, while this young lady seemed much more lively and sharp, but their features were strikingly similar.

Chaeyi was certain.

He didn’t know the exact lineage of the Lancaster family, but he was sure that this girl was also one of Leonard’s siblings.

Wasn’t there a saying that you can’t hide your bloodline?

Chaeyi felt a renewed respect for the powerful genes of the Duke and Duchess, which were as unmistakable as fingerprints.

“Violet…”

The terrified Hallard slipped off his chair and tried to sneak away.

But the girl, Violet, caught him by the collar and began scolding him in a rapid, quiet voice.

“You… I shouldn’t have trusted you! I told you to gather information, so what are you doing playing around with that guy…?!”

“But I was just…”

“Don’t try to be cute…!”

She seemed to be trying to keep her voice low so Chaeyi wouldn’t hear, but her voice was so full of emotion that he could hear every word.

Still, Chaeyi pretended not to notice.

“If you failed to get the information, you should’ve at least thought about leaving! Don’t you realize that if Oscar catches us, we’ll both be in huge trouble…?!”

“I was gathering it just now…”

“You should’ve done it secretly…! Secretly!”

She must be older than Hallard but younger than Leonard. As Chaeyi was roughly estimating her age, their eyes suddenly met.

Violet, realizing she was being watched, quickly released Hallard’s collar and composed herself, adopting a proper, noble posture.

“Ahem. I’m sorry. My brother must’ve been bothering you, but you didn’t send him away. You’re very kind. Anyway, nice to meet you. I’m Violet De Lancaster and I’m eighteen years old.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Chaeyi.”

“Lord Chaeyi, you’re the Beta staying at Leonard’s mansion, right?”

Chaeyi nodded in confirmation.

Seeing this, Violet put on a deliberately menacing expression that was almost comical in its obviousness.

“Alright, let me get straight to the point then! How did you become close with Leonard? What’s your relationship with him?”

Chaeyi pondered how to respond to that.

Even if he said they just happened to meet, she wouldn’t be convinced, and revealing the full truth would be too complicated.

Plus, Hallard was still here.

“Sorry, Lady Violet. That’s a difficult question to answer.”

In the end, Chaeyi honestly refused to answer.

Violet hesitated for a moment but then surprisingly backed off without much resistance.

“If that’s the case, I suppose it can’t be helped.”

She was just like Hallard. She was only concerned about her sibling; she didn’t intend to make anyone uncomfortable.

Knowing this, Chaeyi felt a warmth in his heart. They were kind and gentle kids. Smiling softly, Chaeyi gestured to the seat next to Hallard.

“Why don’t you sit down too, Lady Violet? If you have any questions, I’ll answer as best I can.”

“But… If Oscar catches us sneaking around here, we’ll get in big trouble. Leonard will be very disappointed too.”

“Then I’ll make sure you don’t get in trouble. I’ll tell everyone that I invited you to visit. Alright?”

“…!”

Violet’s eyes sparkled with gratitude at Chaeyi’s consideration, and she nodded enthusiastically.

Thus, in front of Chaeyi as he finished his meal, a serious consultation session began between the two children, each taking their turn with a generous helping of dessert.

“I want to get closer to Leonard. What do you think is the best way to approach him, Lord Chaeyi?”

Violet asked, resting her chin on her hand, her expression serious.

Unlike Hallard, who was content just listening to any story about Leonard, Violet had a clear goal in mind—she wanted specific advice on how to win Leonard’s favor.

She was a sharp young lady.

Around that time, Chaeyi, having finished his meal, put down his fork and asked her a question before answering hers.

“Do you really like Leonard that much? I mean, I appreciate that you do, but isn’t he always cold and distant towards you?”

It made sense that Chaeyi, who had a special connection with Leonard, would get along with him, but how could these kids like someone who barely acknowledged them?

From what he had heard from a friend, Leonard even personally killed a sibling who had been an obstacle in the competition to become the heir.

He didn’t know which sibling it was exactly.

Whoever it was had long since died.

It was understandable that Hallard didn’t remember, being too young at the time, but it was surprising that even Violet admired Leonard so much.

“Aren’t you scared of him?”

Chaeyi asked the question carefully, watching the two kids’ reactions. But Violet responded surprisingly quickly and lightly.

“Of course, he’s scary. Everyone says so. But I know the truth! That my brother is actually more compassionate than he seems. And isn’t he just so cool? I really respect Leonard.”

Violet then shyly looked down and continued.

“Actually, when I grow up… I want to become the commander of the Lancaster knights. I want to protect Leonard’s Lancaster.”

“Really? That’s an admirable dream.”

“Hehe. Thank you. Lately, I’ve been receiving special lessons from Lawrence, the current commander.”

Oh. From Lawrence…

That’s impressive.

Chaeyi thought, realizing once again how much Lawrence dedicated himself to the Lancaster family.

Violet, delighted by the compliment, smiled broadly before composing herself again.

“Leonard is the lord I’ll serve in the future. He’s also my role model. So it’s only natural that I want to be close to him.”

“That makes sense.”

Chaey, who had been listening attentively, nodded.

Although the idea of calling Leonard “merciful” felt a bit odd, Violet’s sincerity came through.

Chaeyi pondered the question posed a moment ago.

“How to get closer to Leo…”

“And how did you get close to him?”

“Me? Well… it just kind of happened?”

Violet, seemingly dissatisfied with the vague response, stood up abruptly, a look of disappointment on her face.

“That’s not fair! You listened to my whole story. You just don’t want to teach me, do you?!”

That wasn’t the case, but Chaeyi couldn’t help it. He and Leonard had grown closer gradually due to a complex mix of situations and reasons.

It wasn’t something that could be condensed into a few sentences.

Especially if he had to omit the past.

Chaeyi was briefly lost in thought, trying to figure out how to navigate the situation when suddenly…

“Enough with the teasing.”

A woman’s voice, which had been standing behind Hallard and Violet, interrupted.

‘I didn’t notice her presence at all.’

Chaeyi looked up in surprise. A woman with a distinctly intellectual aura, perhaps due to her glasses, tugged on Hallard and Violet’s ears.

“Ow, ow! I’m sorry, sis!”

“Ouch! Sis! No, I just came because I heard Hallard had sneaked into the mansion!”

“Stop with the obvious lies. Is that why you’re here, chatting happily with Hallard, the one you supposedly came to catch?”

“N-no, that’s…”

“I’ll let it go this time, out of respect for Chaeyi’s courtesy, but remember, I won’t stay silent if it happens again.”

Her voice was calm yet firm. Her light blue eyes and the unreadable expression reminded Chaeyi of Leonard—more specifically, Delion.

‘This must be Oscar.’

The woman soon handed the two over to the knights who had followed her in. It seemed she had only brought two knights with her, likely to keep the commotion to a minimum.

“Take them away.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Chaeyi glanced at her.

Judging by how she seemed to have overheard the entire conversation, she must have been trailing Violet since she entered the mansion… yet Chaeyi hadn’t noticed her at all until now.

She was quite skilled at concealing her presence.

Once the two children were escorted out by the knights, a sudden silence fell over the place. Only then did the woman let out a soft sigh and turn to Chaeyi, extending her hand first.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lord Chaeyi. I am Oscar de Lancaster, the eldest daughter of the Lancaster family.”

“Ah. Nice to meet you.”

So, she was the eldest daughter.

That made it three of Leonard’s siblings that Chaeyi had met today. Shaking hands with her, Chaeyi mused that he seemed to be meeting a lot of Leonard’s family members today.

It was probably possible because Leonard had been busy, leaving the mansion empty all day.

Chaeyi found that he didn’t mind these surprise encounters.

He hadn’t known much about Leonard’s family before, but now he had learned a lot….

Just then, as Chaeyi was lost in thought, Oscar spoke.

“Lord Chaeyi, if you wouldn’t mind, could we have a conversation? It’s not often I get a chance to meet with you like this.”

That was an unexpected offer.

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