Yuan greeted him in a cold voice. Gillen, who had been casually flipping through the catalog, flinched and looked up in surprise.
"Yuan…?"
"It's a coincidence, isn't it? That we should meet like this."
"Of course it's a coincidence! Why on earth are you here, what…"
Gillen stammered, his trembling eyes glancing toward the jewelry store's entrance.
Yuan sat down across from Gillen.
"I came to pick up a custom-made piece of jewelry, and I noticed the back of your head, full of white hair. I overheard that Cecil will be arriving soon, so I thought I'd wait and exchange greetings."
Having finished his explanation, Yuan quickly added with an "Ah!"
"I'm here to greet Cecil, not to give you the pleasure of conversing with me, so please don't misunderstand."
His tone was haughty beyond measure.
And Gillen was utterly dumbfounded by Yuan.
'What is up with this crazy guy?'
It seemed Yuan firmly believed that Gillen was infatuated with him. A few days ago, Yuan had left abruptly, and Gillen, flustered, hadn't properly clarified things, but now was different. Gillen spoke calmly.
"Yuan, there seems to be a misunderstanding. I'm not looking at you in that way at all."
"Oh, is that so?"
Yuan didn't seem to believe him in the slightest. Gillen forced a smile and nodded.
"It's true. I have absolutely no interest in you, or in men for that matter—"
Gillen was saying when Yuan's gaze shifted behind him. Soon after, the chime of the door opening rang out, followed by the sound of heels clicking. Gillen instinctively knew. It was Cecilia!
"No way!"
At the same time, Gillen shouted as if screaming and lunged toward Yuan. He buried Yuan's face in his stomach.
Caught off guard and forced into Gillen's embrace while seated, Yuan let out a yelp.
"What are you doing right now!"
"Well… there's something on your face! I'll wipe it off for you!"
"Wait, ugh!"
Gillen pressed down firmly on the back of Yuan's head. Yuan, his nose pressed against Gillen's solid abs, barely covered by clothing, pushed back with all his might, but the sturdy Gillen didn't budge easily.
Then, a delicate female voice came from behind.
"Your Grace…?"
Gillen whipped his head around. Standing there was not Cecilia but an elegant middle-aged woman with red hair.
"Viscountess Eiffel? It was you!"
Gillen, who had tried to hide Yuan thinking it was Cecilia, was overly relieved.
"What are you doing?"
Viscountess Eiffel asked, glancing at the handsome young man in Gillen's arms.
"Oh! It's nothing."
Gillen practically yanked Yuan's head away. He turned, shielding Yuan, and politely kissed the back of Viscountess Eiffel's hand. The feel of her fine lace glove against his lips calmed his anxious, pounding heart.
"To meet Viscountess Eiffel in a place like this, today must be my lucky day."
At Gillen's heartfelt compliment, Viscountess Eiffel blushed. Like many women in the Moore Empire, she harbored a slight affection for Gillen, having been widowed for five years. She was also just over forty, not much older than Gillen. They had often exchanged greetings or conversed in passing.
'Someone like me has a chance. I'm on a different level from those other delusional ladies.'
Viscountess Eiffel thought as much.
And she wasn't wrong. In truth, Gillen had his eye on Viscountess Eiffel as a potential future partner. Once Cecilia married the crown prince, he planned to cautiously ask her out. She had the glamorous appearance close to his ideal type, was shy and kind, and, like Gillen, loved children.
Though he had been involuntarily single and celibate for forty-five years, including his past life, he was, after all, Duke Blake. Over the past twenty years, he had perfected all sorts of manners and courtly etiquette and had become adept at handling ladies.
Moreover, in this world, there were traits like alpha and omega. Gillen was a dominant alpha, and Viscountess Eiffel was a dominant omega. In this world, trait-bearers were a minority, and not only were they both trait-bearers, but their alpha and omega traits were perfectly compatible! It was probably fate. The single Gillen thought as much, looking forward to future romance with some excitement.
Of course, all this was something to attempt only after ensuring Cecilia's happy ending.
"What brings you to the jewelry store?"
Gillen asked in a charming voice. As Viscountess Eiffel shyly prepared to answer, a fierce voice interrupted from behind.
"I can't take this anymore."
It was Yuan, who had momentarily been forgotten.
"I tried to endure because you're Cecil's father, but I can't anymore."
Yuan shouted indignantly.
"Look here, Duke. You forcibly embrace me one moment and then toss me aside like this—what kind of imperial custom is that?"
The moment he finished speaking, a stunned silence fell over the spacious jewelry store. Gillen's jaw dropped without him realizing it.
What is this guy saying?
But Yuan, unaware of the bomb he'd just dropped, continued.
"I clearly told you, didn't I? That I don't share your feelings. Yet you overpower me with force. Is that something a duke of the Moore Empire is allowed to do? If you like someone, can you just take them by force?"
"Gasp…!"
Viscountess Eiffel inhaled sharply and stepped back, her face pale as if she might faint any moment.
The other customers and staff in the store weren't much different. Their eyes scanned the tall, muscular, and imposing Gillen. He quickly realized what kind of misunderstanding they were having.
"No! It's not what you're thinking… Look, Yuan. Why are you saying it like that? Correct yourself! When I said I embraced you, it wasn't like that—"
"How shameless, Duke. Are you denying it because there are so many eyes watching? Since it's come to this, let me say it clearly one more time."
Yuan spoke in a loud, clear voice.
"Let me say it again: I do not like you, Duke. I have no intention of being with you. So please, give up on me."
It was a fatal blow.
To make matters worse, a familiar voice came from behind.
"What is this all about, Dad…?"
Unable to bear turning around, Gillen squeezed his eyes shut.
'This crazy guy…'
Gillen belatedly realized. Yuan Hampton was a massive disaster in his life.
But whether Gillen tried to escape reality or not, Yuan's eyes were fixed solely on the pure-looking girl with long, dark hair.
"Cecil!"
The partner Yuan hadn't seen in about ten years had matured while retaining the face of her childhood… and had grown quite prettily (for Yuan, whose standards were sky-high from seeing his own beauty in the mirror daily, "quite pretty" was the highest praise).
"…Yuan?"
Despite only meeting once ten years ago, Cecilia recognized Yuan instantly.
It must be hard to forget this face. Yuan thought as much when Cecilia clapped her hands.
"You haven't changed a bit! Still thinking everyone's in love with you, still overflowing with self-love!"
Cecilia laughed as she explained to Gillen.
"Yuan is an old friend of mine, but he loves himself quite a lot. He used to get mad whenever someone made eye contact, assuming they dared to like him. I went through it a lot back then."
She was essentially speaking for the benefit of Viscountess Eiffel and the others present.
Gillen realized Cecilia was naturally smoothing things over for him. That's my daughter. Touched, he pressed his lips together tightly.
But Yuan felt differently.
"Cecil, what are you talking about? Your father has genuinely been courting me for a month."
The atmosphere in the jewelry store, which had briefly softened at Cecilia's words, stiffened again. Whispers began among the customers and staff, their voices low. Though the content wasn't audible, it was easy to guess.
"He's been taking me on dates here and there, saying he doesn't want to be apart from me. Just now, he forcibly embraced me, didn't he?"
"Look, Yuan. That kind of misleading talk—"
"Did I say anything untrue, Duke?"
"…If you put it that way, it's not entirely untrue, but—"
"See, Cecil. Even your father admits it."
Yuan stepped forward. The bright lights of the jewelry store illuminated his delicate face. In that moment, everyone—even Gillen and Cecilia—forgot all other thoughts, their gazes stolen by Yuan's sharp beauty. Everyone might be the protagonist of their own life, but right now, Yuan Hampton felt like the protagonist of everyone present, the only one who mattered. He was that dazzlingly radiant.
"Let me make it clear in front of everyone. I, Yuan Hampton, with all of you as witnesses, once again reject Duke Gillen Blake's feelings here and now. So, Duke."
Yuan looked straight at Gillen, driving in the final nail.
"Promise that such an unfortunate incident will not happen again. In front of your daughter and everyone here, say it clearly in your own voice."