(BL) Rejected by daughter's second male lead-Chapter 64

"You really do whatever you want, don’t you."

Yuan said, clearly annoyed, but Gillen didn’t even pay attention.

"If you truly hated it, you’d have tattled and badmouthed me right in front of me and stormed off. Ha! Ha! Ha!"

"When did I ever tattle...! I’m too annoyed to even talk to you. And can you do something about that laugh? It sounds like an old man."

"Old man? Well, I am technically an old man... but even so, by face value, I don’t look much different from you."

"Do you have any conscience? You compare yourself to me? And ’by face value’? Words like that just make you seem even more like an old man. Does being old on the outside make one an old man? When the inside is old—"

"What? The outside... outside is old, inside... what?"

For a moment, it seemed the conversation might go smoothly, but no such luck. Gillen, who had confidently thought he now had a mental and auditory filter, suddenly had his nerves scraped raw.

"Does being old on the outside make one an old man? Being old on the inside makes one an old man!"

Like some sort of slogan, Yuan sat cross-armed and looked away, pouting

"Right, so sorry for being old on the outside and inside. Sorry for dating someone like me and causing misunderstandings. Please accept my sincere apology."

"You’re acting childish even though you’re old, really."

"Earlier you said my inside was old? Now I’m childish? So now it’s outside old, inside young? Huh?"

"Making up nonsense like that is also very old-man-like."

"..."

Yuan’s remark was sharp, and Gillen wanted to fire back with something, but he remembered seeing adults in his childhood awkwardly trying to copy children’s slang just to fit in. He understood what Yuan was pointing out.

Still... to realize I’ve truly become that kind of old man! No matter how many years pass or how much one raises a child, fully acknowledging that you’ve aged is never easy.

Moreover, Gillen was still very healthy and felt immense sexual desire every rut. His appearance hadn’t changed much, and he hadn’t lost any hair. Sure, he had some white strands, but even in his prime, his hair had always been thick and abundant.

Before getting involved with Yuan, countless people had expressed romantic interest in Gillen, and he had been the one rejecting countless date requests. Even young ladies like Laura, who had boldly thrown themselves at him earlier, were far from rare.

’Perhaps even while rejecting them, I secretly felt a bit smug about it...’

Gillen thought in shock. He had lived in this fantasy romance world for over twenty years, and perhaps he had already absorbed the logic of this world. In modern Korea, a male couple with a twenty-year age gap would likely have been the target of not just criticism but outright disgust.

’Hmm... comparing it to Korea won’t work.’

Putting aside Korea, which had been conservative and closed-minded until his death, and thinking more globally, a twenty-year age-gap male couple would clearly be to the younger partner’s disadvantage.

People would easily predict reactions: why didn’t the older one have a relationship until that age? Would a sane older person dare to date someone so much younger? When the younger was born, the older had already entered university... and so on. None of it was hard to anticipate.

Gillen’s shoulders slumped little by little. His eyebrows lowered, and his gaze dropped to the floor. He looked thoroughly glum.

’Why is this old man acting like this?’

Yuan glanced at Gillen and thought to himself. Is he hurt because I called him old, an uncle, childish, or lacking conscience? Well, did I say anything wrong?

Just as Yuan, flustered, was about to speak, a knock sounded again. Sebastian, the robot aide, entered, pushing a tray.

"I’ve prepared disinfectant and a simple late-night meal."

On the two-tiered silver tray with wheels, the first level held disinfectant on a cushion, along with a bottle of wine and two glasses. The second level held an extravagant display of charcuterie, cheese, soup, and fruit.

"Excuse me."

Sebastian served expertly, smiling. Soon, the sofa table held the wine, snacks, and disinfectant. No one spoke while he set the table. Yuan pouted silently, and Gillen remained lost in deep thought. Failing to pick up on the tense atmosphere, Sebastian politely asked the master:

"Shall I pour the wine?"

"No. Go."

"But you’ll need someone to serve the wine."

"I said no. Leave."

"Then please tell me who will use the disinfectant so I can—"

Before Sebastian could finish, Yuan snapped his fingers. Sebastian disappeared in a flash.

"W-what was that?"

Gillen looked up, surprised.

"I just sent it to the first floor. Too noisy. Normally, they’d listen to me, but ever since Your Grace gave them names, they refuse to obey."

Yuan said brusquely and picked up the disinfectant. Gillen quickly took it from his hand. He twisted the cap and soaked some cotton on the cushion, then gently dabbed the soaked cotton on Yuan’s palm.

"Names do that, don’t they?"

Gillen spoke while carefully disinfecting the wound with the cotton.

"Giving something a name is a way for someone else to call it and, in doing so, confirm its existence. It creates a more definite sense of self."

"I’ve called them many times before. Number one, number two..."

"You said you planted emotions in them. Then of course they know—that those numbers aren’t their names."

Gillen finished disinfecting and cleaned Yuan’s fingertips thoroughly. When Yuan pulled his hand back, he gently extended his fingers to soothe him.

"Somehow, I’ve started calling you Yuan myself. Honestly, I began to open my heart from that moment. I realized you’re not someone to be feared all the time."

"...I thought you weren’t aware of it."

"At first, I wasn’t. Ha! Ha! But before I knew it, I kept calling you that. The human subconscious is really fascinating."

Gillen had started calling Yuan "Yuan" precisely after their sexual encounter. Saying he became conscious of it later probably meant he couldn’t pinpoint the exact moment. Yuan let out a small chuckle. If he told him it was after sex, what kind of expression would Gillen make? Would he jump up in embarrassment and insist on going home? That would be unpleasant.

When Yuan stayed quiet, Gillen asked cautiously:

"Do you dislike being called by your name?"

"Dislike?"

"Like... I’m old-on-the-outside, old-on-the-inside... if that bothers you, just say so. I’ll be careful for the duration of our contract."

He was still slightly bothered by what Yuan had said earlier. Yuan scoffed.

"Who said I disliked it? I was just stating a fact that you seem like an old man. I never said I disliked it."

"...Is that so?"

"Yes. And the name itself doesn’t matter either. I just think it feels a bit too familiar, which I don’t like much."

"Then shall I call you the Marquis of Hampton instead?"

"...Forget it. Now that I think about it, it’s not so much that it feels familiar as it feels unfair. I think I’d rather just call you, Your Grace."

Yuan quickly changed his mind. The old man seemed more sensitive than he thought. Then, Gillen’s expression suddenly brightened.

"In that case, you can call me by my name too."

"What did you say?"

"We’re already known as a couple anyway, so what’s the harm? Call me Gillen. In the West... well, we generally call each other by name without caring about rank."

Gillen’s suggestion was unexpected. Of course, couples might use names or nicknames regardless of rank, but still... 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

"Are you really okay with that? If I... call you by your name?"

"I said it’s fine. Go ahead. Try it—Gillen."

"..."

"Come on. Gillen, try it!"

"...I’ll call you that next time the occasion arises."

"Hahaha! Alright, make sure to call me by my name."

Gillen seemed to brighten instantly. Humming a little tune, he placed the disinfectant-soaked cotton back on the cushion. His mood swung wildly, like a novice mage attempting broomstick flight for the first time.

Yuan silently turned his gaze to his palm. The areas where his fingernail marks were red stung slightly.

’This boy’s name is just... we call him "Gold Nugget."’

It was as if his mother’s trembling voice, long forgotten, whispered in his ear.

’As you can see, he’s very pretty. A boy, and although his traits haven’t manifested yet, his skin is smooth and fair. He will surely become an Omega later! You can use him as a servant for now, and when he’s older, bring him to the bedroom.’

Yuan’s mother had raised his face like one would a livestock animal, explaining it that way. And the dark face of Count Teyyu, lusting after a child barely five years old, came to mind.

’Well, is there really any need to wait?’

At Count Teyyu’s words, Yuan’s mother’s face went pale blue for a moment, but she silently pushed him forward. Even when Yuan cried out for his mom and dad, his parents could only prostrate themselves on the ground.

When his father, caught stealing after gambling and selling information from Count Teyyu, was nearly beaten to death, his mother had grabbed Yuan and fled. And in exchange for his father’s life, she had handed Yuan over. In the stables and laundry of the Count, the only thing of value to them was Ewan.

’Take the child, please, save us, My Lord. Do whatever you wish. He was a child we were going to sell eventually anyway, so we didn’t even give him a name. This child’s name is simply... we call him "Gold Nugget."’

A child called "Gold Nugget" without a name, thinking it was a precious nickname—this was Yuan’s childhood.