My Youngest Keeps Bringing Home Male Leads - Chapter 45

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

Episode 45
Despite the tender tone—almost a whisper—a chill ran down her spine.
Agnes swallowed hard and hurried to explain.
“I wasn’t speaking ill of the Duke, I swear!”
“Then what were you discussing?”
Agnes launched into her defense as Kesenor pressed his temples.
“I don’t know what wrong Aser might have committed, but it seemed excessive to hang him from the ceiling or force his mouth shut with Magic…”
“Hah…”
Kesenor exhaled a sigh and let out a hollow laugh.
“And what were you thinking as you heard this from her, Agnes?”
“I’m sorry?”
“Were you disappointed in me? Did you think I was a cruel man who mistreats those beneath him?”
“No, of course not!”
“But you said I treated Aser impolitely.”
“That was—”
Seeing Agnes flustered, Kesenor finally broke and laughed aloud.
“Haha, hahahaha.”
Agnes’s eyes widened in surprise.
After laughing for a while, Kesenor abruptly stopped, then savored the sight of her bewildered face in silence.
He understood now what had happened.
Aser must have been playing a prank.
Aser had long resented how Kesenor had abandoned the Magic Tower to seclude himself in the Southern Countryside.
‘He must have thrown out that story hoping Agnes would keep her distance from me.’
It was Aser’s miscalculation.
He never imagined she would bother to verify such a claim herself.
And all because she wanted to help Aser.
The desperate, fervent way Agnes had recounted it was both amusing and…
‘Why is this?’
At first he’d wanted to laugh, but as his thoughts deepened, something murky began to stain his chest.
An emotion with no name—something deeply unpleasant and sticky.
‘What is this feeling?’
Whether misinterpreting Kesenor’s troubled expression or deciding she could not remain silent, Agnes forced open lips she had been pressing firmly shut.
Her hands gathered on the table trembled faintly.
“If I’ve misunderstood, I apologize. But I can say this clearly: when I heard what Aser said, in my heart I defended you.”
She knew it sounded like an excuse.
Yet she wanted him to know it was genuine.
She had wanted to help Aser.
But at the same time, she had needed to know the truth.
Because she believed Kesenor would never do such a thing.
And if he had, she’d thought, there must be a reason.
‘In the end, it was my own selfishness.’
She hated the unease that bloomed whenever she looked at him.
“Hah…”
Hearing her words, Kesenor let out another thin, helpless laugh.
At last, he understood what his own heart had been.
A faint floral scent drifted on the air.
Her scent.
It was nothing like the acrid, domineering fragrance that erupts and seizes an entire space.
It suited her—something you had to pay attention to catch its subtle gleam.
Unlike himself, who radiated presence wherever he went.
‘I thought, how dare you affect me this way.’
But that was not the truth.
He had not wanted to petulantly trample on her worth over something this trivial.
Had he felt that way, such emotions would not have melted away like snow at a single word from her.
‘I was simply jealous because she seemed to trust Aser more than me.’
She and Aser had met for barely half a day.
Yet the thought that she might doubt him stung—stung far more than he cared to admit.
‘I’m not a child. How childish.’
Berating himself, Kesenor relaxed against his chair with a wry smile.
Now it was his turn to ease the heavy tension that had settled across her face.
“I see. So I’ve been more on your mind than Aser, then.”
“Ah, well…….”
“That’s why you wanted confirmation, isn’t it? I never imagined you’d trust me this much, Miss Agnes.”
Her face flushed crimson as expected, and Kesenor burst into laughter once more.
After a moment.
Once Agnes had calmed herself somewhat, Kesenor began to speak.
“A troublesome subordinate, I’m afraid.”
“You mean Aser?”
“Precisely. He’s exceedingly capable, but he nearly blew up Celestial on that occasion—I had to rein him in.”
“What?”
Watching Agnes’s startled expression, a smile flickered at the corners of Kesenor’s eyes.
“Mages are peculiar creatures. If something piques their curiosity, they simply must test it. But good heavens—if one insists on detonating something, one ought at least to do it outside the building.”
“So Aser didn’t exercise that restraint.”
“Since others suffered harm, I had to make a show of punishing him—for he’s utterly obsessed with Magic. He loves everything that Magic can accomplish, and as a result, he regards me rather as a symbol or idol of Magic itself.”
Thanks to that devotion, he could be an exceptional aide, yet at the same time his interference ran deep.
“He despises seeing me occupy myself with anything other than Magic, so that’s likely why he said such things to you, Miss Agnes.”
“Ah, so he dislikes your lordship’s staying here?”
“Intensely.”
“How curious.”
Agnes showed no sign of displeasure at Aser’s intentions; instead, she rested her chin on one hand and gazed at Kesenor with soft scrutiny.
Her gaze was as gentle as a spring breeze.
“It’s strange—you speak of each other as though you understand one another perfectly, yet you’re complete strangers. Really, Aser’s discontent amounts to the same thing your lordship feels: that you shouldn’t be doing anything besides Magic.”
He couldn’t deny it.
All these years, he and Aser had bickered back and forth against his will, and in that time, fondness had accumulated.
Yet watching Agnes admire the situation so plainly, an impulsive question rose to the surface.
“Does it not trouble you, Miss Agnes?”
Agnes merely widened her eyes.
“What? Oh, their bond is splendid—I envy it! It must be because you’ve shared so many experiences together.”
It was strange.
Since meeting her, his softened heart had been touched by cold frost.
I wasn’t like that, so why are you so composed?
I sulked like a child, thinking that perhaps Aser had grown closer to you in the span of mere half a day.
‘I even intended to control and manipulate you however I pleased.’
How utterly arrogant such thoughts had been.
As Kesenor traced the past in his mind, he lifted his teacup to conceal the weight settling into his expression.
Agnes then recounted what had transpired in Laberose’s territory.
Unfolding the many problems that had piled up, Agnes only now truly grasped that Kesenor had returned.
While they enjoyed leisurely conversation and basked in the warm sunlight streaming down upon them, Kesenor broached another subject.
“What are your intentions for the future? Your objectives have been largely settled now, have they not?”
“I’d like to rest thoroughly until Amy returns, but there are things I must do.”
“Such as?”
“I need to call on Count Valdemar and repay a debt incurred there.”
“That is…….”
Kesenor’s expression clouded over.
“I would advise against it.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“Do not go to Valdemar.”
Taken aback by his unexpected words, she looked at him, and Kesenor continued.
“I’ve made inquiries into the Valdemar and Laberose Houses.”
“Our House has nothing particularly noteworthy.”
“That is not the case. Though your fiefdom is small, the Laberose House itself wields considerable influence. They handle much of the Valdemar’s affairs and maintain relations with Count Laenheim as well.”
“That’s right. Father used to travel between both territories frequently.”
“However, there appears to have been a rift between your House and Valdemar long ago. Some twenty years past, Baron Laberose threw his support behind the current Count Valdemar’s elder brother as the next House Head of Valdemar.”
“But we have no real influence. We were once vassals of the Valdemar House, but we’ve been entirely independent for quite some time.”
“Indeed. Rather than a hierarchical relationship, it seems Baron Laberose was likely a close friend of the current Count Valdemar’s elder brother. The brother was renowned in those days, whereas the current Count—the younger brother—is a far colder individual.”
“And he supports Crown Prince Pie, doesn’t he?”
“Precisely. He sided with the Crown Prince early on and rose to the center of power the moment the Emperor fell ill.”
“But what bearing does that have on our House?”
Agnes already knew something of Count Valdemar.
When she had tutored the twins, she would observe from a distance whenever Count Valdemar returned home from the Capital Kavas two or three times a year.
Count Valdemar had a temperament that was quite demanding; whenever he returned, Agnes observed that not only the servants but even the Countess and the twins grew tense.
Unlike the Countess Valdemar, whom she saw frequently, he proved to be a far more difficult figure to approach—which made it all the harder to understand why her father should be entangled in the matter of the House’s succession.
Kesenor continued with measured deliberation.
“Isn’t it strange that a House of such character would help Agnes? He’s hardly the sort to aid another without condition.”
“What if it were the Countess’s wish?”
“This is merely my conjecture, but when I met the Countess, she showed no favor toward Agnes whatsoever.”
There was no reason for Kesenor to slander the Countess at this point.
While Agnes fell into thought, Kesenor pressed on.
“Perhaps they harbor some other intention. They may approach in a most subtle manner, intending to manipulate Agnes as they see fit.”
“Your speaking in such terms—does that mean you suspect something in particular?”
At that, Kesenor fell silent. Agnes smiled slightly.
“It seems there are things you cannot say.”
Having drawn her own conclusion, Agnes’s expression hardened, her eyes brightening with resolve.
“Then all the more reason I must go to House Valdemar.”
“If you are determined, I shall accompany you.”
“No. If your suspicion is correct, I must go alone. That way it will be easier to discern their true intentions.”
“Are you certain?”
Agnes nodded.
“Yes. There’s something I wish to confirm myself.”
Whatever trouble had existed between her father and Count Valdemar.
Not long ago, a box nestled within a drawer that her father had opened with an intricate mechanism had weighed on her mind.
Why would a man living in an ordinary rural fiefdom require such a device?
“So I’ll go alone. Besides, with so many eyes watching, they wouldn’t dare kill me or poison me, would they?”
Kesenor, who seemed to hesitate briefly, finally nodded.
Agnes offered him a reassuring smile.

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