RHFTY chapter 60

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After Aelan, who had been missing since his expulsion from the family, returned alive, the Lancaster estate was thrown into chaos.

The Lancaster family, known for their strictness and coldness, had never before shown such leniency in their long history.

The fact that this change came from Leonard, who was regarded as the most dominant Alpha and the future head of the family, was even more shocking.

It was no surprise that the elders of the family were in disbelief.

Some elders believed it was a change that had long been necessary, but most saw it negatively.

Some even claimed that bringing back a “failure” would tarnish the family’s prestige.

Even though times had changed and peace had replaced the wars of the past, they clung to their outdated ways of strict competition and discipline, refusing to face reality.

Thus, the atmosphere at the estate remained unsettled for days after their return.

Four days later, a small reception was held to officially welcome Aelan back into the family.

Instead of the Great Hall, the event was held in the Main House’s salon and was a modest affair.

The guest list included only local noble vassals and a few neighboring lords with close ties to the Lancaster family.

With the absence of the Coneller, due to Bennex’s health issues, the reception was quieter and more intimate than the previous one.

‘…Well, perhaps not everyone is having a quiet, intimate time.’

Chaeyi hadn’t planned on attending the reception, but Delion had insisted, so they were there when it started.

“And this is ‘Chaeyi,’ count Philander. They made an appearance at the last reception as well.”

“Oh! I saw you then as well. So your name is Chaeyi. It’s a pleasure to formally meet you, Lord Chaeyi. I am Count Philander.”

Suddenly, Delion was taking Chaeyi around, personally introducing him to various nobles. It was bewildering.

This person was really hard to understand.

As a result, instead of a quiet and peaceful time, Chaeyi had a tiring and confusing one.

“Nice to meet you, Count Philander.”

Still, it wasn’t appropriate to forget basic manners.

Chaeyi returned the greeting to Count Philander with a rather polite demeanor.

And so, the cycle of introductions continued between Chaeyi and Delion, making acquaintances with almost every noble there.

Once Delion finally let Chaeyi go, satisfied, he left.

“You’ve worked hard, Lord Chaeyi.”

As Chaeyi sat down, exhausted, Enoch approached with a quiet laugh and handed him a drink.

The sweet taste of the drink helped alleviate some of the fatigue.

Suddenly, something came to Chaeyi’s mind, and he turned to Enoch.

“Oh, come to think of it, Enoch, aren’t you the son of a noble family under the Combest domain?”

“Yes, I’m from the Oliven family. And my father is the man over there, the one with the same hair color as me.”

Enoch, sitting next to Chaeyi, pointed somewhere.

There, a middle-aged man with long green hair tied to one side stood. He was the man they had greeted earlier.

“Then, the people next to him are…?”

“My mother and my older sister.”

That made sense. Chaeyi nodded in understanding.

Looking at it now, Enoch seemed to resemble both his father and mother equally.

“Don’t you need to greet your family?”

“I already did earlier.”

“But it must’ve been a while since you’ve seen them….”

Chaeyi was thinking it might be nice to spend more time with them when—

“Chaeyi.”

A familiar voice called out, and Chaeyi turned his head.

It was Leonard, who had been mingling with the other nobles like his siblings, coming towards him.

Since the awkward tension between them had lessened after the incident a few days ago, Leonard wanted to talk to Chaeyi.

And Chaeyi, having something to discuss with Leonard, stood up.

“Then, I’ll excuse myself.”

“Sure! Take your time.”

With a satisfied smile, Enoch saw Chaeyi off.

Soon, Chaeyi and Leonard found themselves on a quiet terrace, away from the crowd.

The sun had set, and it was getting dark outside.

“The night sky is beautiful.”

“Yeah.”

Chaeyi responded to Leonard’s casual observation while looking at the sky.

Emboldened by the pleasant atmosphere, Leonard glanced at Chaeyi.

“Hey.”

Leonard’s hand brushed against Chaeyi’s fingers.

Watching Chaeyi’s reaction to see if he was uncomfortable, Leonard, seeing no negative response, carefully intertwined their fingers.

“…….”

Chaeyi’s face flushed bright red, looking down with his gaze averted, not at Leonard.

The firmness of Leonard’s fingers, intertwined with his own, the soft texture of his skin, the slow movements of their hands fitting together — Chaeyi could feel each of these sensations, making him feel very embarrassed.

Normally, he wouldn’t have thought much of this, but knowing Leonard’s true feelings, and realizing how he himself felt about Leonard, made everything different.

“Is it okay if I keep holding your hand?”

“…It’s not like you can’t.”

Answering that way, Chaeyi suddenly had another thought and held Leonard’s hand more firmly.

Leonard had already half-intertwined their fingers, so now their hands were fully clasped together.

When Chaeyi glanced over, he saw Leonard staring intently at their joined hands, as if wondering what it all meant.

“Ahem.”

Chaeyi cleared his throat and swallowed nervously.

The atmosphere was becoming awkward, making it hard to stay still.

“…Chaeyi.”

Leonard blinked slowly, calling Chaeyi’s name in a deepened voice.

Then, he brought their clasped hands closer and kissed them.

Chaeyi, unable to take his eyes off, met Leonard’s gaze head-on.

Chaeyi felt like he already knew what Leonard was going to say next.

“I like you.”

Yet, despite knowing, Leonard’s confession made Chaeyi’s heart race faster than usual.

But it wasn’t an overwhelming, exhausting kind of heartbeat — rather, it was warm and pleasant.

People say that when someone you like tells you they like you, your heart flutters cutely.

Chaeyi figured this must be what they meant.

“Last time, it was too sudden and emotional, so I wanted to say it properly.”

Hearing Leonard’s gentle continuation, Chaeyi nodded and steadied himself to speak.

“Since that day, I’ve thought about it a lot.”

“…….”

“About how I feel. And whether I can accept your feelings. But as I realized, it seems… I was already the same as you.”

Leonard’s face, which had been calmly listening, suddenly cracked with surprise.

He hadn’t expected to hear an answer — let alone a positive one — so his reaction was visibly shaken.

Chaeyi smiled awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck as he looked away.

“I like you, too. But… in a different way than when I say it normally.”

“…Does that mean I can kiss you?”

“What? Oh, uh… yeah, I guess it does?”

As soon as Leonard’s blunt question came out, Chaeyi, who wasn’t used to such direct talk, blushed deeply.

Leonard, watching him closely, bit his lip.

He was so happy that he worried he might make a mistake. It was hard to believe this was real.

He wanted to be closer to Chaeyi.

He wanted to kiss him and hold him.

He didn’t want to rush things, but the feelings he’d been holding back for so long were overflowing, making it hard to contain.

“Then… can I kiss you now?”

Leonard, awkward and hesitant, reached toward Chaeyi’s blushing cheek, but before his fingers could touch it, Chaeyi suddenly pulled back a little, facing Leonard directly.

“Oh, before that, there’s something I still need to say.”

At that moment, Leonard froze.

A bad feeling crept in, and unfortunately, that feeling was right.

“Um, I’m okay with us dating, but… you’re an Alpha destined to inherit your family’s legacy, and I’m a Beta.”

“…….”

“You know this already. Someday you’ll need an heir, and you can’t have one with me.”

In other words, when the time came for Leonard to marry, Chaeyi planned to part ways.

Leonard had intended to keep Chaeyi by his side forever, but Chaeyi was already thinking of leaving.

Though Chaeyi was considering Leonard’s difficult position, at that moment, Leonard felt something like betrayal.

“Ha.”

Lowering his hand, Leonard let out a twisted, bitter laugh.

The joyous, overflowing emotions from before had disappeared entirely.

“Why? Why can’t it be with you?”

“…Huh?”

“You can become the Omega, Chaeyi.”

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