However, Kae-earn remained unresponsive, maintaining his silent demeanor.
‘Why is he behaving like this?’
The sudden appearance of Kae-earn had filled the room with a heavy and awkward atmosphere.
“Duke?”
Confused by his inexplicable behavior, I could only shift my eyes, unsure of how to react.
After a lengthy silence, fortunately, Kae-earn finally spoke. He looked at Lucas with an emotionless face and said,
“The Aiker family?”
“Yes, correct. I am Lucas Aiker.”
“From what I heard from the maid, dinner has concluded, hasn’t it?”
“What?”
“Given that it’s late, if the meal is over, it would seem appropriate for the guest to take leave. Hmm….”
Confused by Kae-earn’s words, Lucas asked for clarification, prompting Kae-earn to reiterate.
It was then that I, and seemingly Lucas as well, understood what he meant.
Lucas’s expression twisted unpleasantly at the veiled dismissal, following the earlier ignored greeting.
“I was just having tea with Helena.”
Kae-earn’s gaze shifted to the teapot I was holding.
“Helena, what do you think? Given the late hour, perhaps it would be better to postpone tea with a friend to another time?”
He then turned to ask me.
“Ah, that is…”
Hesitating on how to respond, I sensed the situation could change drastically depending on my answer.
Unlike Lucas, who I hoped would leave, I had been eagerly awaiting Kae-earn’s return to the capital.
After all, it was not every day that the Duke of Raverion visited my home as a guest.
I felt sorry for Lucas, but there was no room for doubt.
“The tea had cooled down, I was about to get a fresh pot.”
Lucas’s face brightened at my words, but Kae-earn’s brows furrowed.
Hastily, I added more to avoid any misunderstanding.
“But, now that I think about it, it is quite late. Sorry to say this so abruptly, Lucas, but it would be best if you left for today.”
“What? Helena…”
Lucas seemed utterly surprised by my suggestion.
“I have things to discuss with the Duke who just returned to the capital. I’m truly sorry. I’ll serve you tea again next time.”
I sincerely apologized to Lucas with a gentle smile.
“Ah, alright. If that’s the case, there’s nothing I can do.”
Thankfully, Lucas accepted without further argument.
“Just promise me to give me more time than today next time.”
“Uh? Ah, yes, I will.”
Feeling guilty, I agreed to Lucas’s request.
“Great. Then I’ll be leaving now. Duke of Raverion, it was an honor to meet you, even if for a brief moment.”
After finishing the goodbye with me, Lucas also bid farewell to Kae-earn.
I watched them apprehensively, fearing Kae-earn might ignore Lucas again.
“Lord Aiker.”
Fortunately, this time Kae-earn responded to Lucas’s greeting.
“Yes, Duke.”
Lucas and Kae-earn faced each other.
“Is Lord not aware that Lady Rosenthia is engaged?”
However, the words that flowed from Kae-earn were not a farewell, but something unexpected.
“Of course, I am aware. And that the said fiancé is none other than the Duke of Raverion standing before me.”
“Good to know. I thought Lord was completely unaware. But knowing that makes it even stranger. In my understanding, it’s not appropriate for a man, who is not in any relationship, to spend a late evening with an engaged woman. What are your thoughts on this, Lord?”
What’s happening?
Why has the conversation suddenly taken this turn?
Bewildered, I listened to their exchange, then quickly gathered my senses.
Just as I was about to interject, Lucas spoke first.
“Duke, about that…”
“Helena and I are friends. Can’t friends have a meal together?”
“Friends, friends…”
Kae-earn repeated the word with a slightly cool tone in his voice.
“I hope we continue to remain just friends.”
“Lucas, it might be best for you to leave now.”
“Helena.”
“Let’s talk another time, next time.”
As the tense atmosphere, like walking on thin ice, continued, I felt it wasn’t right to just stand by and watch.
So, I quickly urged Lucas to leave.
Lucas hesitated for a moment before finally closing his mouth.
“Alright. I’ll contact you again.”
“Take care.”
With that, Lucas finally left the drawing room.
Until the door closed, he couldn’t take his anxious eyes off me.
But as soon as he was out of sight, I heaved a sigh of relief inside.
With the cause of the situation gone, now I could focus solely on Kae-earn.
Of course, understanding why Kae-earn was in such a mood wasn’t going to be easy.
“Duke…”
Cautiously calling Kae-earn, our eyes met instantly.
“Did you finish your work well?”
I tried to steer the conversation as if nothing had happened.
However, he kept staring at me intently with a still, cold gaze, not responding.
“Um, Duke…”
The topics I had planned to discuss with him now seemed inappropriate for the current situation.
Trying to make the atmosphere more comfortable, I thought of talking about something mundane, but nothing more came to mind.
Ultimately, without saying anything, I just kept quiet, and then a voice, even lower than before, reached my ears.
“You’ve been friends with Lucas Aiker since the academy?”
“Yes? Yes, that’s right.”
Why was he persisting on the topic of ‘friendship’?
I was puzzled but responded directly to his question.
“Yes, we’re friends. Like I mentioned before, we attended the academy together. You remember Evelyn from the banquet, right? Evelyn and Lucas were close friends from our academy days.”
I added more explanation for him to understand better.
“Close?”
“Yes. Not as close as Adelia, of course. Oh, Duke, please sit here. I have some nice tea, would you like some?”
I invited the still-standing Kae-earn to sit on the sofa.
Thankfully, he slowly nodded and took a seat.
“Just a moment, please. Amy!”
“Yes, miss.”
Amy, who had been standing startled outside the door, entered upon my call.
“Please prepare some warm tea again. And some cookies to go with it.”
“Right away, miss.”
“Thank you.”
Amy left the room and the door closed behind her.
Once again, it was just Kae-earn and me in the room.
I quietly observed Kae-earn sitting opposite me.
When did he return to the capital?
Did he come back today?
‘Did he come straight here from the estate?’
His attire wasn’t the usual formal wear he had at the estate or for simple outings. His clothes were noticeably wrinkled, as if he had been riding for a long time.
“Did you finish your work well? When did you return to the capital?”
I asked again, hoping to hear the answer I missed earlier.
“Today.”
“Today, like in the afternoon?”
“No, I just got back.”
“Now? So, did you come to see me right after arriving in the capital?”
Kae-earn responded by nodding instead of speaking.
Why? Why did he come to see me in such a hurry?
“Do you have something to tell me?”
“Is it necessary to have something to say to visit one’s fiancée?”
“No, but…”
Worried that continuing this topic might lead to unnecessary words, I quickly changed the subject.
“Oh, right. I did a bit of maintenance in the garden when I went to look around last time. Did you hear about it from the steward?”
“No, not yet.”
“Oh, so you came straight here after returning to the capital? Then you must not have heard yet. You said I could visit the garden whenever I wanted, so I went and planted a lot of new flowers. I think you’ll like it when you see it.”
“Was there anything else special?”
“No? No, just as I promised, I only went to see the garden.”
With Kae-earn away, there wasn’t much else I could do at the duke’s residence.
Top Celebrity Younger Brother Bears Her Child (Female-dominant)
One-line summary: Forced to live stream romance with a top celebrity in a female-dominant world.
Yan Jin transmigrated into a brothel, with a fellow transmigrated junior beside her.
Hearing the obscene words coming from outside, the unfortunate junior covered his ears tightly, his cheeks flushed red, and whispered to comfort her, “Don’t worry, I will definitely help you escape.”
“Don’t worry, I will definitely defend your chastity.” Yan Jin looked at the flawless and delicate features of the unfortunate junior and gently comforted, “Because we have transmigrated into a female-dominant world.”
※※※
Top celebrity Yu Shu suddenly fell into a coma during a concert.
Research scientist Yan Jin fainted in the lab after working overtime.
Two people with no connection were rushed to the same hospital.
Three days later, neither of them had woken up.
Suddenly, the entire nation discovered that a live streaming app had been forcibly installed on their phones.
Upon opening it, they heard the two discussing how to escape from the brothel.
The entire internet was in an uproar.
After the two successfully escaped from the brothel, Yu Shu’s fan group rushed to make a banner and sent it to the hospital overnight.
“Big sister bravely took action to defend the chastity of our idol!”
※※※
When Yu Shu was diagnosed with pregnancy, Yan Jin stared at his belly for a long time.
Covering his stomach, he muttered gloomily, “If you don’t like it, I’ll go get an abortion.”
“It’s not that I don’t like it.” Yan Jin hugged Yu Shu and said softly, “I just feel like I’m not human.”
Yu Shu comforted Yan Jin, “I was already an adult when we got together.”
Yan Jin hesitated, “But you won’t be of legal marriageable age even after giving birth to the child.”
At the same time, a flood of bullet comments appeared in the live streaming room that the two couldn’t see.
[Although it’s inappropriate, I also want a young and handsome boyfriend to have my child.]
①Male pregnancy (highlighted)
The female lead is five years older than the male lead, and the male lead is already an adult when he appears.
