“What, what is going on here?”
Surely, the creature I left behind in the cave-why is it here at the duke’s estate? Moreover, it looked so sleek and shiny, as if it had eaten something good in the meantime.
Yellian stared at the dragon with suspicious eyes.
[Kyuuuung.]
Feeling Yellian’s gaze, the dragon looked at Yellian and let out an adorable cry.
No, adorable? What am I saying? Yellian quickly snapped out of it. I mustn’t grow attached to this dragon. I can’t raise it anyway, and getting attached will only lead to sadness later.
“Why is it here…….?”
“It seems to have followed us. It kept protesting outside the duke’s estate, so we let it in.”
“Eh……?”
At Elton’s response, Yellian blinked in surprise. They had never imagined that a dragon would come to the duke’s estate on its own.
How did this tiny thing know where to find the duke’s estate? Though curious about the details, there were more urgent questions at hand.
“What about Leonard? Is Leonard okay?”
“You’re asking about him awfully early.”
A discontented voice answered Yellian’s worried question. Yellian turned toward the source of the sound.
There stood Leonard, leaning casually as he looked down at Yellian. Though his expression carried a hint of dissatisfaction, Yellian felt relieved just knowing he was safe, and they smiled with an almost tearful expression.
“I’m so glad, really. I thought you were badly hurt, but you got up so quickly……. Quickly?”
Yellian tilted their head, feeling something odd about what they had just said. At that, Leonard clicked his tongue and shook his head.
“What is it? Why doesn’t it feel like it was quick?”
“Because it wasn’t quick.”
“Then?”
“I woke up after three days, and you after five.”
At Leonard’s reply, Yellian’s mouth dropped open, and they blinked their wide eyes.
Leonard had been poisoned, so it made sense for him, but Yellian couldn’t understand why they, who seemed far less injured, had been unconscious for five days.
“Elton, you may leave now.”
“Yes, my lord. Please call me if you need anything.”
With a brief reply and a bow, Elton left the room. Leonard silently watched the door close, then approached Yellian step by step.
Yellian still stared at him with wide eyes, shocked by the fact that they had been unconscious for five days.
“You sure have a variety of ways to make someone worry.”
“That’s not it……. Leonard, you were out for three days yourself!”
“And you were out for two days more than that.”
“It was just a two-day difference.”
Yellian pouted in frustration and protested. Meanwhile, Leonard had already come right beside Yellian. At a distance close enough to touch, Yellian instinctively swallowed dryly.
“Isn’t it enough that you toyed with someone’s heart during those two days?”
“Huh……?”
What is he talking about? When did I ever toy with Leonard’s heart?
Yellian tilted their head, unable to understand his words. At that, Leonard let out a short sigh and shook his head. Yellian could only stare blankly, not comprehending Leonard’s attitude.
“I’m saying that you made me worry about you.”
“But why……?”
Yellian couldn’t understand why someone like Leonard would worry about them. He was the protagonist of the Black Prison and the mad duke. In other words, all his emotions in the Black Prison were focused on the main recipient.
And that recipient was Abigail, not Yellian. So, it made no sense for Leonard to worry about them.
“Are you really asking because you don’t know?”
“Yes……. I guess so……?”
At Leonard’s exasperated reaction, Yellian glanced at him cautiously. Then, Leonard reached out his hand. Yellian instinctively flinched. Seeing this, Leonard narrowed his brows as if displeased.
“Why are you dodging?”
“I-I didn’t dodge…… It’s, it’s just, um, I’m low on magnesium, so my body spasmed on its own……!”
“……And you expect me to believe that now?”
“I’d be grateful if you did.”
“Ha…….”
Leonard took a deep breath. Yellian, watching him cautiously, was still busy in their mind trying to figure out why Leonard had been worried about them. Leonard could see right through Yellian’s thoughts.
In fact, this wasn’t the only thing. Sometimes, Leonard could clearly see what Yellian was thinking. That’s how bad Yellian was at hiding their thoughts. In other words, they were far from being good at lying.
“Yellian.”
“Yep.”
“I only realized it when you got hit by that arrow.”
“Realized what……?”
“I’m about to tell you, so can’t you just shut up and wait quietly? Is your tongue so long you can’t control it?”
“……No, do you have to say it like that? I’m quite satisfied with the length of my tongue. So please, don’t even think about touching it.”
“Don’t touch it, you say…….”
“Yep.”
Yellian nervously responded while watching Leonard mutter to himself. They were afraid he might suddenly draw his sword and cut off their tongue.
Fortunately, Leonard didn’t resort to such barbaric behavior beyond common sense. Instead, he just stared at Yellian with an intense gaze.
His gaze was somehow different from usual. Even someone as oblivious as Yellian couldn’t fail to notice such a distinct change in his eyes.
“I think I like you.”
“……Huh?”
“I’m not sure. It’s just a guess for now.”
“So, um, right now…… you’re saying you like me, something like that……?”
Yellian’s voice trembled uncontrollably as they repeated his words.
Yellian’s face turned pale, as if they might collapse at any moment. Had they heard correctly? The protagonist of the novel liking them-did that even make sense?
Above all, he was the mad duke among many dukes. Yes, that was the biggest problem.
“That guess…… what are the chances it’s wrong?”
At Yellian’s cautious question, Leonard’s expression visibly crumpled.
And understandably so-Leonard was offended. Instead of shedding tears of joy at his confession, Yellian had the audacity to ask about the chances of his confession being wrong.
Countless women had confessed to him or proposed marriage. Though rare, there were even occasional confessions from men. In other words, he was quite popular with both women and men.
Yet this feline humanoid, who came from who-knows-where, dared to react lukewarmly to his confession. It was only natural that Leonard’s pride would be wounded.
“I can’t understand it. I am Leonard Abrams, the duke. When someone like me confesses, shouldn’t you at least say ‘Thank you’ and accept it? What’s with this reaction?”
“……Well, there are all kinds of people in this world, and tastes vary widely. Thinking that everyone in the world would like Leonard is an overblown misconception……. Sorry. Please don’t touch my tongue.”
Seeing Leonard’s eyes sharpen, Yellian quickly changed their tone.
They had spoken unnecessarily. But wasn’t Leonard’s attitude just too arrogant? Being the mad duke of the original story is one thing, but did he really think everyone should like him just because he’s so great?
Still, no matter how annoying he was, Yellian couldn’t risk losing their tongue, so they smiled as harmlessly and innocently as possible.
“You asked what the chances are that my guess about liking you is wrong.”
“Yes…… I did.”
“Why is your tone like that?”
“Ah, sorry. I didn’t mean to……. I did, I did.”
Yellian, whose annoyance had unintentionally seeped into their sarcastic tone, quickly adjusted their speech at Leonard’s remark, as if swapping out parts.
“I’m going to confirm it now.”
“How……?”
At Yellian’s worried question, Leonard replied plainly.
“You said not to touch your tongue.”
“Yes……. You’re not really going to cut it, are you……?”
“No. What do you even think of me…… Sigh, never mind. Forget it.”
Leonard stopped mid-sentence and took a deep breath. Then, he stared intently at Yellian-or more precisely, at Yellian’s lips.
“I’m going to try kissing you.”
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