Young Master, Please Put Some Pants On! - Chapter 107

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 107

People who heard the music gathered in the center in small groups as if they had made a promise.

It seemed Mellis also found the melody familiar.

“Wow, this song is played in the Empire too! Grand Duke, do you know it by any chance?”

“No, it’s the first time I’m hearing this song.”

“I thought so. I’ll teach you!”

Mellis led him, who looked bewildered, toward the center where people had gathered. People’s feet moved dazzlingly to the fast-paced song with a bouncing beat. People paired up in twos, linking arms with each other and spinning in place, tapping their feet back and forth while clapping loudly.

“This is a dance you must do when you come to a tavern like this! I’ll lead, so just follow me!”

Mellis was so excited that she moved her body dazzlingly with a flushed face. However, Kermanomon just stared blankly at her with a dazed expression.

‘…Should I tell her?’

Among the countless crowd, Mellis alone was moving in a different direction, making her body creak awkwardly. She stood out so much by herself that it was noticeable how people around her were stealing glances and holding back laughter while pretending not to notice.

Kermanomon, who had forgotten that his lover was incredibly clumsy, pondered and eventually began to match Mellis’s movements. When Kermanomon followed her lead, Mellis jumped up and down in place with joy.

“That’s right! That’s how you do it!”

At that innocent sight, Kermanomon pressed his lips together tightly, holding back the laughter that seemed ready to burst out at any moment. The music gradually built up, and before he knew it, he too was genuinely enjoying this situation.

The band’s music grew faster and faster, and people’s laughter could be heard continuously from all directions. Strangers whose names they didn’t even know became one and continued the festival.

Mellis, who had grabbed one of his hands, spun around in place. Through her disheveled hair, Mellis, with a completely flushed smile, shouted toward Kermanomon.

“I’m having so much fun right now!”

At the sight of Mellis looking so happy, Kermanomon also smiled along and replied.

“Me too.”

At those words, Mellis became even more excited and quickened her steps. Her body heated up from the fervor, and her breathing gradually became labored. Her hair stuck damply to the sweat beads that formed on her forehead.

Nevertheless, Mellis was so happy in this moment. Since coming to the Ducal Residence, or perhaps for her entire lifetime, this was the first time she had such an enjoyable night.

* * *

After finishing their lively date, the two quietly returned to the Ducal Residence. Under the garden brightly illuminated by moonlight, Kermanomon briefly kissed her cheek.

“Go in safely.”

“Do you really have to go back?”

“I told you. I snuck out. I’ll come back right after the morning schedule ends.”

It was already well past three in the morning. They would see each other again in less than half a day, so why did she hate letting him go so much?

Mellis, trying hard to hide her pouting lips, suddenly burrowed into his embrace.

“I’ll miss you.”

However, knowing that today too he had pushed himself by reducing his sleep time, she couldn’t bring herself to hold him back.

‘Still… I don’t want to part like this.’

With that thought, Mellis put more strength into the arms holding him, trying to remember his warmth. As she took a small breath, feeling his refreshing scent, she heard his low murmur.

“…How far are you planning to make things difficult for me?”

“What?”

Only then did Mellis notice that Kermanomon’s body had heated up, and she hurriedly escaped from his embrace.

“I’m, I’m sorry.”

“There’s nothing to be sorry about…”

An awkward silence flowed between the two people whose faces had turned red. Soon he cleared his throat with a cough.

Mellis, who had regained her usual smile, grasped his hand tightly and said.

“Ah, today was so much fun!”

“I feel the same way. I can’t remember the last time I had such an enjoyable time.”

Today, he felt like he had become an ordinary person rather than Duke Severus. It wasn’t simply because he had changed his appearance and hidden his identity.

It was like returning to his tiger cub days when he ran around the mountains without any worries. He was simply amazed that such a side of him still remained.

With a gentle smile, he brushed her cheek with the back of his hand and said.

“You said thank you for broadening your world, didn’t you? But actually, I’m the one who should be expressing gratitude.”

“Did you really like the pub that much?”

At Mellis’s bright expression, Kermanomon slowly shook his head.

“I’m not just talking about that. Before I met you, each day felt overwhelming to me. I didn’t know how to properly express my emotions, and I always thought it was natural to carry everything alone.”

“…”

“I thought that was for the sake of those around me, but it was the opposite.”

On the battlefield, he thought that sharing difficult and painful things would only multiply the suffering. In situations where everyone was exhausted, deliberately revealing one’s own hardships would only break each other’s morale. Silently enduring and suppressing emotions alone was the way he had lived.

Therefore, Kermanomon thought that if he endured hardship and suffering alone, others wouldn’t have to experience that pain. When he ascended to the position of Grand Duke and felt pressured by the weight of countless territory residents, when he confronted nobles who constantly watched for his weaknesses, when he became the sole person responsible for a young child’s life overnight – he endured it all alone without relying on anyone.

But Mellis was the person who not only comforted wounds he didn’t even know he had, but also showed him that many people were on his side. Only then did he realize that people weren’t just expecting from him, but were waiting for him to lean on them first.

He thought that as the Grand Duke, he had to lead everyone, but in reality, everyone in the Ducal House had been supporting him from behind.

“…Thanks to you, I learned a lot.”

With peace of mind, he began to notice small happinesses that he hadn’t known before. Without realizing it, his laughter increased, and his perspective on the world naturally broadened.

“The reason I was able to love you was probably because you taught me how to love.”

“Grand Duke…”

At those words, Mellis quietly nestled into his embrace. The words Kermanomon had said to her several months ago came to mind.

“But if I open up to you and nothing changes, I’ll just end up having exposed my own shameful parts. Why should I take such a risk?”

At the time, it was difficult to easily understand his sharp attitude, but looking back now, she only felt sorry for him. He simply didn’t know how to lean on someone, and thinking of how he had struggled alone for all those long years made her heart ache painfully.

His chest, which had been breathing softly, rose and fell quietly.

“Just as you made me happy, I want to share this happiness with you too.”

“…”

“I want you to take my affection for granted without doubting it. Even if I can’t bring myself to say I love you out loud, I’ll make you feel loved every single day.”

Mellis noticed that his voice was trembling slightly and gave a bitter smile. She wasn’t the only one afraid that this overwhelming happiness might disappear like a mirage in an instant.

The moment she decided to love him, she had imagined herself being abandoned by him.

‘Perhaps even in the moment of being abandoned, I would still love this person…’

The deeper her affection for him grew, the more she feared the reality she was turning away from.

“I love you.”

The distance between the two gradually closed, and he greedily devoured her lips as if quenching his thirst.

Was this fluttering because of his warm warmth, or because of the anxiety of turning away from reality? Mellis decided not to come to a conclusion. She just wanted to be helplessly intoxicated by the happiness spread before her eyes. Just like when she had decided to love him.

All of this still felt like a sweet dream.

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