Chapter 23

‘To be close, to want to touch, to get married.’

Leon repeated Lance’s words in his mind.

“Dad, sit in your usual seat. Next to Teacher.”

“Teacher, your shoes…”

As Leon mulled over Lance’s words, glancing between Diane and Adrian, he spoke to his father. At exactly the same moment, Edward, who had been smiling at Diane’s shoes, was also about to say something to her.

Naturally, Leon’s sudden and out-of-the-blue words drowned out whatever Edward was going to say.

With Leon’s statement, the expressions of the three adults in the carriage each changed differently, but if there was one emotion common to all their faces, it was anxiety.

Anxiety about what Leon might say next.

Edward glared at Leon with sharp eyes, and Diane stared at Leon, her eyes wide in surprise.

However, as if to calm their discontent and unease, Adrian spoke quietly and calmly.

“Leon, the carriage seats two people on each side.”

But Leon easily ignored his father’s explanation.

“I know, Dad. But I want you to sit in your usual seat, and Teacher to sit next to me. I’m small, so it’s fine for the three of us to sit together.”

“Leon, what’s with you?”

Edward asked with a crooked tone.

Leon glanced at his uncle, then abruptly stood up.

“Dad has to sit next to Teacher, or I won’t sit down.”

“Leon! Sit down, that’s dangerous!”

“If you sit in his usual seat, Dad, then I’ll sit down.”

Adrian’s voice had become stern, but it was no use.

“I’ll move over there, Duke!”

Diane said in confusion.

“No! Both of you sit next to me. Teacher, you’re next to me, then Dad!”

It was true that the Duke was soft with Leon, and Leon could be willful, but he usually wasn’t this stubborn.

It was clear that since Diane Lina appeared, Leon’s tantrums had become worse when it came to matters involving her.

“This kid, what’s wrong with him? Stop the carriage right now!”

Finally, Edward shouted at Leon’s words.

The coachman, at Edward’s yell, began to slow the carriage.

Once it stopped, Edward glared at Leon and spoke.

“Hey, Leon! Are you done with these games?”

His voice was so harsh that Diane shrank back, but Leon didn’t care.

“What? I’m not playing games. I just want Dad to sit in his usual seat.”

Adrian also couldn’t understand why Leon was acting this way.

But even if he didn’t understand his son, Adrian had no intention of tolerating Edward glaring and shouting at his child.

To Adrian, Leon was his only son, who had lost his mother far too early, and whom he regretted not being able to care for properly. That’s why he was always weak when it came to Leon.

“Leon, your uncle is right. You shouldn’t stand and make a fuss in a moving carriage. Promise you won’t do this again, and I will sit in my usual seat.”

It sounded like a condition, but in truth, it was agreeing to Leon’s wishes.

“Okay!”

As soon as things went his way, Leon smiled brightly and sat down as if nothing had happened.

“Hah!”

Edward let out a gasp of disbelief and glared at Adrian, but Adrian ignored his brother’s look and moved to his usual seat.

Just as Leon had said, the carriage was spacious enough that two adults and one child sitting together on the forward-facing seat wasn’t uncomfortable.

However, seeing the Duke coming to sit next to her, Diane quickly shifted closer to Leon.

Leon, delighted, was grinning, but at the same time, he was using all his strength to push Diane toward the Duke with his body.

Edward was so displeased with the situation that he glared at the three of them in turn, his eyes blazing.

Diane’s face turned red as Leon’s subtle pressure pushed her toward the Duke. She was too busy resisting further movement to even notice Edward’s gaze.

Adrian, unaware of Diane struggling not to be pushed by Leon, kept his eyes on Edward.

Leon’s stubbornness wasn’t good, but Adrian couldn’t stand Edward’s angry glare at his son.

He signaled Edward with his eyes to stop glaring, but Edward’s fierce look showed no sign of softening.

Edward’s face twisted even more when Diane’s skirt brushed against the Duke’s leg.

‘I just asked him to be patient until I find a marriage partner… Is he going to keep acting like this?’

Edward’s harsh attitude finally began to twist Adrian’s own mood.

It was Edward who had brought the reading tutor into the house.

Having arbitrarily chosen a woman as Leon’s teacher, Edward had to accept whatever happened afterward.

By Adrian’s standards, it was unacceptable for Edward to throw a tantrum just because things didn’t go his way—especially toward his son.

When it came to Leon, Adrian had no intention of tolerating Edward’s temper.

From Adrian’s perspective, this situation, and Leon’s stubbornness, were all because Edward had brought in this reading tutor.

Adrian suddenly smiled gently and looked at Diane.

“Teacher, what kind of books do you like? I wonder if there is anything in the study that suits your taste. The study here in the Duchy doesn’t have as many books as Rettrang’s study.”

“Ah…”

Diane blushed at the Duke’s unexpectedly friendly expression and tone.

His enchanting smile reminded her of Prince Aed from her memories.

She couldn’t imagine that the prince she remembered wasn’t Adrian, but Edward.

In fact, Adrian’s smile was famous.

When he deliberately filled his beautiful face with a smile, no woman could resist.

With impeccable manners and captivating kindness, he was born with such good looks that people said he was dressed in beauty from birth.

“On the bookstore, please choose a book that suits your taste.”

“Oh, yes! I like any book… Actually, I like novels.”

Even though the books in the ducal mansion were already more than enough for her, and she had no intention of buying books with the Duke’s money, Diane blurted out her taste, flustered by his kindness and handsome face.

She regretted it a little as soon as she said it.

“Oh, novels… What kind of novels do you like?”

Adrian continued, meeting her eyes as if he was genuinely curious.

He wasn’t the type to flaunt or use his natural charm, but that didn’t mean he was unaware of it. He wasn’t so inflexible as to never use it when needed.

Plus, he always did his best at whatever he set his mind to.

And right now, what he wanted was to warn Edward, who refused to understand Leon despite his request.

‘If you mess with my son, I’ll mess with your woman.’

Of course, it wasn’t his true intention.

He just wanted to irritate Edward a bit.

“I like any kind of novel. I like mystery novels, and romance novels too.”

“Oh! Mystery and romance. I see.”

Adrian nodded as if he had learned something significant.

And at that moment.

Adrian’s provocation worked exactly as he had hoped.

Edward’s harsh words, almost like an outburst, rained down between Adrian and Diane.

“Why are you interested in your son’s reading tutor’s taste in books? And romance? Mystery? Why read that stuff? Isn’t it a waste of time? What a leisurely taste.”

Edward’s biting words made Diane’s face turn pale.

“Edward! How rude! Everyone has different tastes.”

Adrian pretended to be stern, and Diane glared at Edward.

“Why? Why are you looking at me like that? Is that how you look at your employer? Are you going to judge me with those eyes? It’s the first time I’ve ever received such a disrespectful look from an employee.”

Edward, face flushed, laughed and spat out his usual rough words at Diane, who was glaring daggers at him.

“Edward!”

Adrian called his brother in a voice that sounded genuinely angry, then turned to Diane and spoke kindly.

“He tends to speak harshly. Please understand. I apologize on his behalf.”

“N-no, Duke.”

Edward was getting more and more infuriated, feeling like he was about to explode.

Seeing his brother’s actions right before his eyes was so absurd he wanted to punch him.

His mouth, heated with anger, kept spitting out reckless words.

“Did you come here as a reading tutor, Diane Lina, or did you come to flirt with the Duke?”

“Edward!”

Adrian shouted at his brother, whose self-control had snapped, and Diane glared at Edward even more fiercely, her face bright red.

At that moment, Leon chimed in.

“What does ‘flirt’ mean? Is it love? Did Teacher come here to marry Dad and become my mom?”

“Hey, you rascal!”

“Leon!”

Edward shouted in excitement, and Adrian hurriedly called Leon.