The Obsessive Male Lead Caught Me While I Was Trying To Ditch My Ex-Husband - Chapter 44

Chapter 44 – Young Duke Bayern

“…So here we are.”

“Ha, ha.”

Leon had entered the Erant Empire faster than anyone else, met Kaien without any problems, and finally met the rumored Emperor.

Gloria’s appearance, with her red hair sparkling like rubies, was truly a work of art. The hyenas who began to show up one by one, salivated at the sight, but Leon was different.

‘My eyes have been trained due to mother and father.’ Raised by parents who exuded a presence so powerful that flowers could be buried under it, Leon seemed unaffected, drinking his coffee as calmly as possible. It was a real struggle to drink the bitter brown water. His preference was milk tea with lots of sugar, but since he was in front of someone important, he tolerated it.

Gloria smiled awkwardly as she noticed Leon’s disgusted face every time he sipped his coffee.

‘If you hate it that much you should ask for something else.’ How could he be so obvious right to her face? Gloria felt sympathy for Leon, who showed all his emotions.

Gloria hadn’t seen Kaien lately. He was hauling out the slave traders in hiding on Gloria’s behalf as she couldn’t leave the palace. Erun, meanwhile, was working just as hard as Kaien, claiming it was for the Empire.

Gloria poured milk into Leon’s coffee and said,

“I’m sorry for the trouble, Young Duke Bayern. I know you’re doing it for the good of the country, but it must be hard to be away from your family.”

“It’s something for which Your Majesty needn’t apologize.”

Leon could not hide his embarrassment at Gloria’s genuinely sorry expression.

‘But why do you pour milk in the coffee?’ Leon’s face evidenced his confusion as he looked at Gloria. She smiled at him. Somehow, being with him felt as comfortable as being with Diana.

“I don’t really like coffee. That’s why I often mix milk into it, and it makes the coffee taste quite mild.”

“Your Majesty doesn’t like coffee, either. Neither do I.”

“Too bitter.”

“And not sweet.”

Did Gloria dislike coffee the same as he did? Leon nodded, his eyes sparkling for the first time since coming to this country. They laughed as they realized neither of them enjoyed coffee.

‘I wish Diana had joined us.’

Since there were no talks of state affairs. Gloria missed Diana. Knowing the hot(?) relationship between Gloria and Kaien, Diana had been attending all kinds of parties as the Duke’s princess.

“Such a difficult love! As Her Majesty’s childhood friend and Lady of one of the founding families I can’t sit still!” she said, and eagerly spread Gloria’s relationship even further.

‘But I see no signs of a breakup.’

Thanks to Diana’s efforts, Gloria and Kaien’s love rumors had reached a certain level. However, Erun and she were still officially engaged. Any attempt to break up their wedding ended with Erun’s supporters barking like mad dogs. And there were quite a lot. Fortunately, Gloria was supported by the feudal lords and other powerful nobles who wanted Kaien to marry her.

‘Of course, they only support the Ludenberg household, not me.

‘Do they think if I marry Kaien they’ll get a piece of the cake, too?’

Gloria sighed at their obvious attempt to grab power. The so-called educated nobility was crystal clear. So obvious they were that even her own thoughts made her feel like a fool.

Leon stared at Gloria, who continued to look into the distance, lost in thought. She fiddled with her coffee cup and sighed. When she looked away and sighed again, Leon spoke.

“I’ve never been in love, so I don’t know, but if Her Majesty was to see His Highness, the Duke, that much you should contact—”

“Wh- wh! Who wants to see Duke Ludenberg?!”

“Geez.”

Taken aback by Leon’s words, Gloria sprung off her seat, slapping the tea table. Her white face flushed red from embarrassment.

‘You reacted too strongly. Stuttering and all.’ Gloria’s behavior felt very familiar as it was similar to Leon’s mother’s. Skilfully securing the coffee cup, Leon watched Gloria exhale in silence. Her face was flushed, and her dark blue pupils quivered. She, who was biting her lips and muttering lightly something like “who would want to see such a beast,” seemed quite in love for sure. Although she strongly denied it.

‘Oh, really, the more I look at her, the more I see my mother.’

Leon chuckled as he looked at Gloria, who was unable to hide her embarrassment. He never expected he would see such an Emperor so ashamed of herself when he was almost banished from home after trying to defy his father’s orders.

Leon smiled at Gloria.

“I like the role of a love bird better than entering as Her Majesty’s concubine. Oh, do you want me to tell him that you’d like to see him today?”

“I don’t want to see him at all!”

Gloria shouted as she slammed the tablet down at Leon’s blunt proposition.

Instead of acting nicely, Kaien had shoved the contract in her face and grinned wickedly saying “There’s no reason to hold it in anymore, Your Majesty.” Gloria marveled at how the once-crumpled contract was now neatly folded into a scented envelope.

They went for a walk, shielded outsiders’ view with the parasol, and kissed once. And once briefly behind a tree. And then once sneakily in the hallway before going to her palace after the state reunion.

‘You’re working so hard to do it at least three times!’

Lately, Gloria had been driving herself crazy with Kaien kissing her whenever no one was looking. Even though he was following the contract, his kisses felt like they were out of love. Her heart was beating wildly against her reason.

Leon drank the rest of his coffee in one gulp as he watched Gloria slump back into her chair and cover her flushed face with her hands. It hadn’t been long since he’d started staying in the Ludenberg residence. It had only been four days at most, but after breakfast, lunch, and dinner, Leon had recognized Kaien’s murderous aura.

‘I think he’s dealing with slave traders.’

He didn’t mention it because it was an Imperial matter. Yet, Leon was fast to notice. The black-gloved Kaien who looked like he had just killed someone, his fearful aura moving out late at night, silently leading his specially trained knights, carrying burlap bags in their wagons. Sometimes a howl could be heard from beneath the ground. The basement at the lustrous Duke’s residence must be quite spacious, Leon thought.

‘Those sacks… were shaking a lot.’ Leon closed his eyes, recalling the sacks.

Seeing his posture, Gloria misunderstood and frowned. With his eyes closed, Leon seemed to be thinking, “Well, you can say that all you want, but I’m well aware of your and Duke Ludenberg’s steamy love.”

She closed her eyes and spoke to him, who actually was thinking about murderous Kaien and burlap bags.

“I wasn’t thinking of him. Rather, it feels good that I haven’t seen the duke these past few days!”

“Hoo… is that so?”

“Of course! That beast-like man. You have no idea how he attached— uugggh!!!!”

“You say?”

Gloria was desperately trying to explain things to Leon and turned around sharply at the sound of a man’s ferocious voice coming from directly behind her. What she saw in front of her was a smiling, but by no means amused, Kaien.

Leon had already seen him coming, but he hadn’t bothered to tell her. He knew all too well what would happen next.

‘Mother, I’m witnessing the same scene I’m used to seeing at home.’

Leon looked up at the blue sky and talked to his mother back in his home country far away.

Leon grew silent with an expression as if he had given up.

Gloria and Kaien were busy glaring at each other.

“Duke. I’m talking with Young Duke Bayern right now, so give your report later.”

“I’m sure I’m more important to you than a meeting with the young duke.”

The thought of her meeting alone with the young duke made Kaien’s stomach churn.

Gloria didn’t understand the extent of their relationship and was distressed by Kaien’s rudeness in claiming that he was far more important even in the presence of the young duke himself…

“You pervert! Do you have any idea how many times a day you jump on me? Do you have any idea how hard it is for me to deal with you?!”

Gloria cried out loud. However, Kaien had no intention of losing. At the sight of Gloria being stressed, Kaien raised one side of his mouth and said,

“Who told you to use romance novels as a reference? I’m only acting as I should as Her Majesty’s lover.”

“Wh- whose lover?”

“Don’t you know? If you don’t know I’ll tell you, everything you and I do is what lovers do. That makes us lovers.”

“I didn’t accept!”

“You didn’t accept it…”

Had reason flown out the window because of shame? At Gloria’s desperate denial, Kaien’s expression darkened. It was as if he was trying to figure out how to cook the little red rabbit in front of his eyes so she would understand well.

But only for a moment.

Kaien smiled a triumphant, arrogant smile. Gloria, stunned by the smile, felt her mind go blank for a moment.

At a loss for words, she watched Kaien silently pat the contract in the chest pocket of his jacket.

——