LMTM 22

Chapter – 22

Hayson, oblivious to the change in Cesar, smiled broadly in high spirits. His crescent-shaped eyes were downright unpleasant to look at. In a voice raised a notch, he whispered,

“It’s already our third date. Before long, there’ll be a fourth.”

At those words, sparks flew in Cesar’s eyes.

This wasn’t a kind of emotion Cesar could control. He didn’t even know why he was feeling this way, or where it had begun.

The image of Hayson and Reina laughing together kept surfacing in his mind—scenes he had no reason to imagine, yet couldn’t stop. Had Rochester approved of Hayson?

“You should hurry and meet someone nice too,” Hayson went on. “The world looks completely different. I can’t believe how good this feels.”

“……”

Cesar coldly shoved Hayson’s arm away.

“I don’t want to hear it.”

No—more accurately, he didn’t want to hear it. But Hayson stubbornly stuck close to him. Completely unaware of how sour Cesar’s mood had become, Hayson leaned in and whispered by his ear,

“Hey, if something’s bothering you, just say it. When you’re like this, it makes the others uncomfortable.”

“I told you it’s nothing. Stop.”

Cesar’s voice was icy.

This was all because Hayson kept blowing his breath unpleasantly close to his ear. The damp warmth of it made everything worse. As Cesar irritably pushed him away again, a commotion broke out at the entrance to the knights’ training grounds. Knights who had been quietly minding their own business gathered in a rush.

Hayson spoke in a slightly higher voice.

“Reina?”

He muttered excitedly.

“She didn’t say she was coming to see me.”

Cesar’s eyes froze solid. Reina—coming all the way here to see Hayson? Had their relationship already become that public? Cesar clenched his teeth hard.

But Reina hadn’t come for Hayson.

Surrounded by knights, Reina spoke in a gentle voice,

“Excuse me, do you know where Sir Regifield is? My mother sent me on an errand.”

“Ah, Sir Regifield….”

Hayson murmured in a strangely disappointed tone. The knights rushed to volunteer as her guides. Just as a fellow knight had once said.

‘You don’t realize how blessed you are. They say those who have everything never know it, right? Do you know how many guys in our order would kill just to exchange a few words with Lady Regifield? You should see those dark, grim bastards twisting around shyly like newlywed brides in front of her. You don’t see it because you’re the one who has everything. Or is it the leisure of the privileged? Not noticing the desperate hearts of the rest of us.’

Cesar’s jaw tightened.

All the while, Cesar kept his eyes on Reina. Yet she didn’t look at him even once. Beside him, Hayson spread himself out like a peacock, trying desperately to catch her attention—but he, too, failed to earn even a glance.

It was a strange feeling.

Here, in this training ground, Cesar had become just one of the many knights watching Reina. Like a sunflower, he faced only her, yet couldn’t receive a single look in return. Only now, after losing it, did he understand what it meant to be special to someone—and how valuable that was.

Reina trotted away, and Hayson followed after her.

Only then could Cesar finally release the breath he’d been holding. He hadn’t even realized he’d been staring at Reina without breathing.

Soon, the knights dispersed like a receding tide. Half of them chased after Reina.

Cesar alone remained in the training grounds.

“Ha.”

As he left the knights’ building, Cesar roughly ran a hand through his hair.

He should have felt indifferent—but everything grated on his nerves. Reina not looking at him. The knights following her around like puppies.

And most of all—

Hayson irritated him.

Especially Hayson, who acted as though he were someone special to Reina.

* * *

I decided to remove the biggest obstacle to my love life.

If I’d learned anything from our family outing, it was this: Rochester would never change. Of course he wouldn’t—he was the type to become a shadowy villain. Who in their right mind would oppose the imperial family just because their younger sister died? Since I couldn’t change Rochester, I needed to change the situation.

So, behind Rochester’s back, I pleaded with Mother. In the end, I managed to kick my brother out. Using the excuse that his room needed repairs, I made him stay in the knights’ dormitory for a week.

It really was just an excuse.

There were plenty of rooms.

‘My daughter, that boy was suffocating you, wasn’t he?’

Only my mother truly understood my heart. Rochester complained, but in the face of Mother’s sharp gaze, he had no choice but to tuck his tail between his legs. No matter how impressive he was, he was still just a child born from her womb.

Thanks to that, I was enjoying peaceful days in the mansion without Rochester. Dating would be much easier for a while. No need to watch my step anymore.

So, in high spirits, I came to the knights’ order on an errand. Of course, I’d also been looking forward to exchanging glances with Hayson along the way.

But once I realized how many eyes were watching, I restrained myself. This place was practically Rochester’s nest. There was no need to provoke his already violent temper.

Whew—almost got caught.

I quickly straightened my gaze and moved to find my destination. Perhaps he’d heard that I’d arrived—Rochester came running over, out of breath.

“Reina!”

“Brother!”

“Why did you come all the way here? Did you come alone?”

“Of course I came alone. Who else would I come with? I’m not a child.”

Suddenly, my brother slung an arm around my shoulders, his face like Cerberus guarding the gates of hell. According to his theory, all men in this world were wolves, and he seemed determined to protect me from them. This was really too much. Other people needed to know that my opinion had absolutely no say in Rochester’s behavior.

What was he, some kind of squid bodyguard?

At least if I were Grace or Selena, it’d be worth guarding like this. I shook my head.

“Brother, I told you not to overdo it.”

“My adorable Reina. So, what brings you here? If you had business with me, you should’ve sent for me instead of coming here yourself. It’s dangerous.”

So my words weren’t reaching him at all. Or was he just ignoring them? I glared at him and held out what I’d brought.

“Mom told me to give you this. And this letter too.”

“Mother did?”

Rochester tilted his head as he accepted the items. From the start, I’d only planned to deliver these and leave.

“I’m heading off now. I have an appointment.”

After briefly relaying my errand, I tried to make a run for it.

If I wasn’t careful, I’d end up staying here for dinner. What if Rochester clung to me because he was lonely? If he caught me, I’d be stuck listening to hours of his strange lectures again. And what if I slipped up and revealed Hayson?

Before any rumors started, I wanted to enjoy this peaceful dating just a little longer.

As I tried to bolt, Rochester grabbed me.

“Reina, wait a moment.”

I flinched.

“Sir Regifield!”

Thankfully, someone called out to my brother at just the right time.

“You still have paperwork to finish. Hurry up!”

Rochester looked back and forth between me and the man.

“He’s busy, see? Hurry and go, Brother. You don’t need to worry about me!”

I waved my hand at him insistently. Hurry, shoo!

“I’ll stop by the house later, so we’ll talk then. Got it? Just go straight home. Okay?”

Still fidgeting anxiously, Rochester was dragged away by the man.

Wow—what a savior.