I Was the Unrequited Love of the Male Lead - Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Sir Tyra tried to hold back his laughter from hearing something so unexpected. The thought of taxidermying such a huge deer was already terrible enough as it is but if I placed that in my room then there was no other place that I could sleep in.

“No. That’s not it!”

“Then?”

I answered very carefully. It was because I had to play the part of timid Arielsa who was worried about the Duke.

“The antler is good for a man’s body and health…”

“Antler? Man’s body?”

“……”

When I saw Sir Tyra’s widened eyes, I quickly shut up my mouth as I went back to the Duke’s side.

It seemed like just being timid and speaking carefully would not help me act Arielsa’s character perfectly. The contents of my words were also a problem.

I kept as close to the Duke’s horse as possible otherwise Sir Tyra would come to tease me.

“Which specific part of the man’s body is it?”

“Yes?”

However, it was Duke Kyron who attacked me. He even spoke gently in his distinctive low voice as he turned to look at me. The knights burst into laughter as I ran away after looking at the Duke’s face with tears in my eyes.

I heard Sir Tyra saying ‘Duke, shall I get her?’ but I did not hear the Duke’s reply. Sir Tyra’s loud and boisterous laughter rang so loudly in the forest that the stags’ ears perked up in caution while they stopped fighting for a moment.

I realized something very unexpected, I was quite good at horseback riding. Also, I hated my mom. Why did my mom boil and antlers for my dad every fall! I also hated Duke Kyron at that moment. If I boiled some deer antlers for him then he should eat it by himself, why would I need to take care of such a man!

❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄

3. Who are you?

The carriage that I’m riding back to Harpel Castle looked like it was a merchant’s cushioned wagon. The cushions that were piled up on the narrow space where I could sit must have been a joke pulled by the knights. They even giggled when they passed by me who looked at the scene with a stunned look on my face.

I wanted to take everything out and throw them away but I was the timid Arielsa so I forced myself to climb the wagon as I tucked myself in between the cushions. However, I thought that it was a bit fortunate that I held back my anger.

Not long after the wagon started moving, the shaking had started and I fell in a slumber amidst the piled cushions.

Tch.

Anyway, on the way back to Harpel Castle, the weather remained warm, there were no wolves and I already got used to the carriage so I felt comfortable both in body and mind.

Above all, I had nothing else to worry about since Duke Kyron recovered his health.

I couldn’t get enough of the sight of Duke Kyron riding on a horse under the north’s spring sun as he let out his soft aura that was finally recovered.

❄❅❄

When we arrived at the castle, the first person to run out to greet us was George. He was the first to return to the castle after they finished their outdoor training.

“Did you finish your training safely?”

“It’s the same as what I had reported.”

“Well done.”

Duke Kyron nodded at George as he spoke to me.

“You should also take a rest with Sir George for a few days.”

“I’m alr…!”

“This brat!”

George laughed loudly as he hooked my neck with his thick forearms. It seemed like he wanted to kill me. Duke Kyron just turned a blind eye when George dragged me away as he continued his way to his office.

“Dad, it hurts. It hurts!”

He mercilessly dragged me away until he remembered that he had something to ask.

“I heard that the Duke got ill?”

“Yes. A bit…”

“You brat! Why didn’t you serve the Duke well?!”

But I’m the one who saved Duke Kyron?

He grinned and apologized when he saw my face turning dark.

“Well, I wasn’t worried about you. Ugly people are always strong! Hahaha!”

“Dad! Really!”

When we arrived at the room, I looked back and saw his excitement. My heart felt a bit warm as I spoke to him.

“Dad, how did your training go?”

“So, so. I worked those punks hard. Hehe.”

In addition to Duke Kyron’s title, the well-known strength of the Northern Knights were largely attributed to this squared up and towering man, George. They said that the only thing that could break through Harpel’s Knight Geroge was a huge herd of bison that was now extinct in the north.

Aside from that, he looked like a man who truly enjoyed his gruelling work. He stroked my head as his mouth twitched happily. It seemed like he was delighted that I asked after him.

“You’re all grown up now. You can now serve the Duke alone.”

I spoke angrily when I recalled the knights’ jeers as they teased me.

“It’s because Dad always treated me like a child that’s why everyone made fun of me!”

“I treat a child like a child. How do you want me to treat a child? Do you want me to treat you like a demonic beast that’s found beyond the northern barrier?”

George raised his voice as I hesitated on whether I should take a step back.

What the hell? In this person’s eyes, are there only the demonic beasts and his daughter that would never grow up?

I decided to not deal with this anymore.

“Dad. I’m hungry. Let’s go and eat.”

I grabbed him by the forearm as I spoke to him. His large body was pulled gently through his thick and tree-like forearm.

There were knights that went to the east that were sitting around in the restaurant. When they met George, they raved about sitting on cushions and wolves. What was ridiculous was the fact that George took their side when he heard the stories as he began to tease me along with them.

It seemed that the reason why people took Arielsa lightly was definitely caused by George.

“This is child abuse.”

I mumbled as I continued to eat.

❄❅❄

Following Duke Kyron’s orders, George and I went on a holiday together. We went to the market near the castle and looked around.

To be honest, I had assumed that such a large man would only eat chicken breasts. But he did not miss anything that we could eat when he thought that I would want to eat it. The amount of food that he inhaled was enough to make me laugh though.

“Arielsa, they’re selling candy over there. You want to eat one?”

“Dad, am I a baby?”

“……”

He looked at me quietly with a subtle expression on his face. When I saw his face, all I thought about was speaking up as quickly as possible.

“Yes, yes. I’m Dad’s baby. Ack!”

He gave me a flick as soon as I finished talking.

“If you know then do it right.”

“No, what do you mean by do it right… that’s too much!”

But by the time I reacted, George had already turned away from me as he bargained with the market vendor. Looking at it closely, it seemed like he had a lot of acquaintances.

I was left alone for a while so I had the time to watch the market. The streets were crowded with merchants and street vendors. There were even chickens and goats clucking and bleeping loudly although I wasn’t sure if they were sold or just playing around. There were also a lot of people coming and going in the market. Harpel Castle was quite lively and peaceful. It was all because the male lead was still doing well at this time.

I hugged George’s arms again after he felt proud for a bit. This ahjussi was literally a tsundere with his huge mood swings.

In fact, I was quite surprised that I was having fun spending my day with this ahjussi. George often flicked me on my forehead as he scolded me but when I wasn’t looking he was always gazing at me with a soft smile on his face.

He’s such a tsundere ahjussi.

As we walked, I suddenly remembered something. Since it was George, I thought that he would know.

“Dad, who is Mr. Gaurin?”

“Huh? How did you know him?”

George frowned slightly wondering if I heard this from the east. I looked around for a bit before answering him.

“I heard it from the Duke.”

His frown deepened as he answered me.

“You… You shouldn’t talk about the things that you have heard when you’re near the Duke. You should know this well…”

As he spoke to me, his expression turned somber. His face was screaming ‘Is this because of the Ladder Disease, too?’. I hurriedly spoke to placate him.

“Of course I know that! I’m saying this because you’re Dad.”

He sighed lightly as he continued to speak.

“I know that Administrator Hallisa is in jail. Gaurin is the east’s young representative. With his father’s halo, he will probably become the next administrator.”

George said the same thing as Chaers. Even if I did not mention Gaurin, it seemed like he was everybody’s guess.

“I was just… wondering if he was reliable. This time, I went to Movale so I realized how important an administrator was.”

“Oooh. This brat, did you grow up a bit?”

George said that before lowering his voice. It seemed like he was wary of the surroundings and the ears hidden from within them.

“I know. Of course, it’s an important position. The knights are people who will follow the Duke on horseback and die on his behalf. But the administrators are people who will remain behind to send supplies and take care of the people. This is how important it is.”

George’s mood sank sharply when he talked about death. He seemed like he would always live as if it was his last moment especially if he was riding on top of his horse. Just like what was written in the original.

When I let go of his arm, George frowned as he looked back at me.

“Then, Gaurin-ssi…”

“He’s a smart guy. He’s smart enough that he can coax the elders.”

The more I hear about him, the more I think that he was a perfect traitor. George saw my hardening expression as he clicked his tongue before continuing.

“Administrator Romney has the other administrators in his hands so if Gaurin ever acted immaturely, then he’ll step in to help.”

‘That’s not the problem though.’

I sighed to myself as I continued to walk silently. I was confused.

The original work began when Gaurin pushed Romney off of his position as he took over his administrator post and controlled the northern estate’s warehouse. This fell through since I cleared the accounts and proved Romney’s innocence but now he was trying to become the east’s administrator…

❄❄❄❄❄