I Unintentionally Cured the Grand Duke’s Insomnia - Chapter 80

40. — The Secret of the Book (2)

“Your order for Aren afternoon tea set for two… and rosemary tea.”

All of a sudden, the waitress’s face unexpectedly turned red as if about to burst as she absentmindedly gazed at the table. I hurriedly closed the book, realizing that her gaze had fallen on the illustrations inside.

⎾ What Happened in the Stable? 2 ⏌

‘…I’m going crazy, seriously.’

Seeing her bewildered expression, I quickly turned the book over to hide the illustrations once more. The waitress smiled awkwardly at my behavior before backing away swiftly.

…I just want to quietly disappear, really.

I buried my face in the book, feeling embarrassed about my revealed preferences to the waitress. In a world where even transmigration was a possibility, why couldn’t there be a way to regress? I mumbled this fleeting wish to myself when I heard Million’s faint voice near my ear.

“Did you enjoy reading my book?”

“…Yes?”

“To be honest, I was a little surprised when Note told me that you enjoyed reading my book so much.”

“Ah…”

“Since the Young Lady is eagerly waiting for the second volume of my book to be released, I wanted to give you one as a gift since the publishing company gave me some copies in advance for my share.”

“….”

“With my apologies for what happened last time.”

As he calmly continued speaking, I straightened my hunched back and attentively observed his expression.

Million, noticing my gaze, leaned in closer to me.

“I apologize for what happened last time, Young Lady Adelia. My younger sister has been mourning over the Grand Duke for a long time, and as her only older brother, I think my heart was filled with a resentful feeling.”

“…Younger sister? Not you?”

“Yes? I’m not sure what you mean—”

He appeared somewhat puzzled by my words as his voice trailed off as if he didn’t fully comprehend. Taking note of his reaction, I spoke more cautiously.

“Well, I know that Young Lady Evelyn has feelings for His Highness the Grand Duke. However, I thought it was because you, the Young Lord, were fond of him, not because of Young Lady Evelyn.”

“M, me…?”

His voice rose with considerable surprise as he was taken aback by my words. Aware of the glances from people around us, I leaned towards Million and whispered.

“I… Well, I actually saw it that day.”

“What do you mean?”

“When the Grand Duke first appeared, the Young Lord’s ears turned red as if they were about to explode.”

Right, that was right.

…He had feelings for Cain.

I awkwardly raised the corners of my mouth while looking at Million, who remained frozen in place. It was likely that he never anticipated being caught by me. After all, how many people in this world would have ever imagined a man liking another man?

This was just a very ordinary romance novel in the rofan genre.

“Was, was it th, that… obvious?”

His voice quivered as if he was quite taken aback by my words.

I met his eyes and nodded hesitantly.

“Yes, actually, it’s a little too much.”

“H-haha.”

Million, who was laughing awkwardly, fumbled for the teacup in front of me. It seemed like he felt quite parched after revealing the secret to me as he gulped down the hot tea in large sips.

I carefully pushed the glass of cold water in front of me towards him and then began to speak.

“Honestly, it was a bit strange. The Young Lord’s ears blushed when you saw the Grand Duke and the hostile reaction to me when I was introduced as the Grand Duke’s fiancée.”

“….”

“Come to think of it, if I assume that you like the Duke, it could be understandable.”

Millon only blinked his eyes without drinking the water as he listened. As I observed his heavily furrowed brow and his lips pressing together as if lost in thought, I nervously added.

“Oh, don’t worry too much. As of now, I’m the only one who knows this.”

“…Yes?”

“I must’ve figured it out because I’m quite perceptive. I don’t think His Highness has noticed your feelings towards him yet.”

“…Ah. I, I see.”

Finally nodding as if unsure how to respond, he took a sip of the water he had been holding. It was only after emptying the glass of cold water in one swift motion that he seemed to regain his composure and turned towards me.

“Then, could you please refrain from revealing my feelings to His Highness?”

“Yes?”

“Because, well… if I were to confess my feelings, it might make him uncomfortable.”

“….”

“…And, he might not feel the same way.”

His face flushed bright red as if it were about to explode.

Seeing him nervously fidgeting with his fingers, I couldn’t help but wonder if perhaps the reason Marquis Black disproved his own son had something to do with Million’s sexual orientation.

“Of course! Don’t worry about that. Even if I look like this, my mouth is quite heavy.”

“Thank you, Young Lady Adelia.”

Noticing his bright smile, I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of sympathy.

As far as I could recall, Cain was the epitome of a perfect straight man. Glancing at him, I couldn’t help but feel sorry for Million’s unrequited feelings. Even feelings of liking someone didn’t always lead to the desired outcome.

Pushing aside the sudden pang of sadness, I reached for my fork when suddenly, a little boy with bright eyes barely making it across the table approached us.

“Sister, are you that author?”

“Huh?”

When I tilted my head at the child’s words with an innocent look on his face, the child quickly continued with a clear voice.

“The boring author who wrote the book that puts you to sleep when you open it!”

Boring author?

For a moment, my mind went blank, as if someone had struck me on the back of the head.

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