My Unrequited Love Is an Absolute Secret - Chapter 106

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Side Story Episode 1

Chapter 1. The Secret That I’m Jealous

Today was an exceptionally important day.
Albert Huntington, the eldest son of the Huntington Family, was returning home after his discharge from the Navy.
But that wasn’t all.
It was also the occasion for introducing Harry to Albert for the first time.
‘I should have picked her up myself.’
Aemerus, who had been glancing at his watch anxiously every minute, finally pulled out his phone.
He was thinking of asking where Harry had gotten to.
“Your girlfriend?”
James Huntington, who had made time for his eldest son’s homecoming, asked while sipping carbonated water.
“Yes.”
Right. I never would have expected Aemerus to worry about his older brother.
James clicked his tongue disapprovingly, thinking that all men were like that.
“A man who’s too obsessed with a woman isn’t attractive. You have to give her room to breathe.”
“I wasn’t obsessed—I was just worried.”
Truth be told, I was obsessed with Harry.
Caught red-handed, Aemerus furrowed his brow and put his phone away.
“You don’t want to lose Lili, do you?”
“…Yes.”
Finally hearing an honest answer from his son, James chuckled.
“I’ll tell you the way to never lose her.”
There were plenty of people willing to pay for his advice.
Even his son, though he pretended otherwise, was clearly listening to him.
“Bind her with money. That’s the best way.”
“…”
Doubt and reproach flickered in Aemerus’s eyes as he looked at me.
This wasn’t it.
James felt inwardly flustered that his son wasn’t looking at him with admiration.
“Are you doubting my words right now? I’m telling you, even when all affection has dried up, if you bind her with money, you’ll have no choice but to keep seeing her face.”
“That’s enough. I’ll figure it out myself.”
James didn’t give up and continued trying to persuade Aemerus.
“I’ll invest in Lili’s parents’ restaurant. It’s about time they opened a new branch anyway.”
Aemerus, apparently finding James’s words reasonable, pondered with a serious expression.
“They might be looking to receive investment.”
“The important thing is to leave room for negotiation.”
James emphasized his point by wagging his index finger.
“Even if your girlfriend leaves you, when money becomes tight, they’ll remember our investment proposal and come crawling back.”
James gave his skeptical son’s shoulder a few reassuring pats.
Just then, the entrance grew noisy.
“Pay close attention to what I do later.”
He winked and rose from his seat.
“My son! Welcome home, let me see your face.”
Sheryl appeared first to greet her eldest as he stepped out of the elevator.
Albert, discharged from military service, had a bandage wrapped around his right shoulder.
The moment his mother saw her injured son, tears welled in her eyes, and Albert laughed heartily.
“Don’t cry, Mother.”
“But…”
“Thanks to this, I’ve been discharged and reunited with family. That’s something to be happy about.”
Despite the lingering effects from the gunshot wound, Albert’s characteristic cheerfulness remained intact.
Sheryl finally noticed Harry as she wiped away her tears, startled.
“Oh my, did you two come together?”
“We ran into each other on the way. I could tell at a glance that he was from the Huntington Family.”
The men of the Huntington Family looked identical, as if stamped from the same mold.
Thanks to this, Harry recognized Albert the moment she saw him in the lobby and greeted him first.
After exchanging introductions, they rode up in the same elevator in pleasant conversation.
“I brought flowers because they’re beautiful.”
Harry handed over the gift she’d been holding, and Sheryl accepted it with delight.
“The flowers are truly lovely. Thank you, Lili.”
“You’re too kind.”
Now even the Huntington Couple called Harry by her nickname, Lili, with ease.
Watching Sheryl embrace Harry warmly, Albert scratched his head awkwardly.
“I wish I’d brought something too.”
“As if an injured person should be bringing gifts.”
Sheryl was giving him a playful look when—
“Albert, you finally made it. And Lili too.”
James and Aemerus, arriving a moment later, greeted their guests warmly.
“How’s the injury?”
“It’s manageable, thank you.”
While James examined his eldest son, Aemerus gravitated toward Harry’s side as if drawn by a magnet.
“Hello, Lili. You look beautiful today as always.”
Harry wore a white shirt today with a sky-blue houndstooth-patterned V-neck vest over it.
Below, she had on light blue jeans—an outfit that looked comfortable yet appropriately refined.
Of course, she hadn’t forgotten to wear the pearl necklace and earrings she’d received as gifts.
“Thanks, you look amazing today too.”
“Did anything happen on your way here?”
“Nothing at all.”
He naturally drew her close by the waist and kissed her cheek as he spoke.
“But how did you and your older brother end up coming together?”
“When I got out of the taxi, I spotted a familiar face. At first, I thought you’d come to pick me up, so I approached him, but it turned out to be someone else.”
Albert was even wearing a military cap, so I couldn’t see the distinctive coarse hair that ran in the Huntington Family men—yet I still mistook him.
‘The Huntington genes really are something….’
As I stifled a laugh to myself, I looked up at Aemerus without thinking and flinched.
His expression wasn’t very pleasant.
‘Surely he’s not jealous of his older brother…? No, that can’t be it.’
Aemerus knew full well that I had harbored an unrequited love for another man for so long.
Perhaps because of that, he still seemed unable to believe that I genuinely cared for him.
But no matter what, he wouldn’t be jealous of his own older brother.
I tilted my head in confusion, then linked my arm through Aemerus’s and smiled brightly.
Only then did Aemerus’s expression soften.
“Are you hungry?”
“A little?”
Before I could finish speaking, Aemerus turned to his parents.
“We shouldn’t linger here. Let’s go have dinner first.”
“Oh my, where’s my head.”
“Let’s head inside. I’ll take the luggage.”
“That’s alright.”
Albert effortlessly lifted the large military duffel bag with one arm.
“I’ll just drop my things in my room and be right back. My room is still the same, isn’t it?”
“Of course. We’ve kept it clean.”
“Thank you.”
“Let’s head to the Restaurant and get seated first.”
“Yes.”
I made my way to the Restaurant with the Huntington Couple.
Since there was an odd number of us, James took the head of the table to balance the seating.
Sheryl and Aemerus sat side by side to his right, while I sat across from Aemerus.
It was the result of carefully observing proper etiquette.
“Thank you for coming today, Lili.”
James said as he wiped his hands with a warm towel.
“I’m the one who should be thanking you for the invitation.”
“Inviting you is only natural. You’re practically family to us now.”
Sheryl winked at me with a warm smile.
I had dined with the Huntington Couple many times before.
So being separated from Aemerus at the table didn’t bother me in the slightest.
Most of all, he was sitting right where I could see him the moment I looked up.
“I wish Robin could have come with us today.”
“I really wish he could have too. Apparently Robin’s been even busier than I am lately.”
Harry shook her head with a wry smile.
Children grew up so quickly, or so they said.
Robin hardly sought out Aemerus anymore.
He only played with his own friends now, which made Harry feel genuinely disappointed.
“There’s not much time left until university. Are your preparations going well?”
“There’s not much to prepare, really. Sometimes I wonder what the difference is between becoming a thirteenth grader and starting university.”
“Oh, but high school and university are quite different. Especially in how pretentious everyone becomes.”
Harry laughed at James’s joke.
“What did I miss?”
Albert asked after setting his luggage down in the room.
He took the empty seat—the chair next to Harry.
“We were just discussing the differences between high school and university.”
“These two will be university students come this fall, after all.”
“Speaking of which, you got accepted to Yale, didn’t you? Congratulations, Aemerus.”
“I didn’t do anything particularly special. But thank you for the congratulations anyway.”
It wasn’t an inaccurate statement.
Aemerus had been accepted to Yale University through the legacy admission program.
Once Albert was seated, the meal began.
Even as the server brought appetizers to gently whet our appetites, the conversation never ceased.
“You two met at Riverside School?”
“Yes.”
“Unbelievable. When I attended Wharton School, there weren’t any lovely female students like this.”
It was more flattery meant to please the guest than genuine sentiment.
Still, Harry smiled pleasantly.
“I should have gone to Riverside School too.”
“Don’t talk nonsense.”
Aemerus cut him off with an unusually curt tone.
Taken aback by his uncharacteristic sharpness, Harry flinched.
“What’s the first thing you want to do after you’re discharged?”
She kept her gaze on Albert while subtly nudging Aemerus with her foot.
At the covert contact, Aemerus reluctantly softened his expression.
“I’m planning to rest for a while. I need to focus on rehabilitation.”
At Albert’s words, Sheryl clicked her tongue.
“I know you too well. You’ll say that and then barely spend a day at home.”
“But staying home all the time would be too suffocating.”
“Oh….”
Harry let out a small exclamation of admiration.
Albert and Aemerus truly shared little in common beyond their appearance.
In fact, they were polar opposites in temperament.
“Since you’re back in New York after so long, why not attend a party? While we’re at it, I can introduce Aemerus and Lili to people.”
“Me too?”
Harry asked in surprise at James’s words.
‘I understand why Aemerus, but why me?’
Yet at her question, James himself looked taken aback.
“Aren’t you marrying Aemerus?”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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