The premium dormitory, which looked like a magnificent and antique mansion scaled down for one person to live in, had a small garden in front and even its own front gate, making it a place where just anyone couldn’t enter.
And there was a dedicated butler for the premium dormitory—in Cesare’s case, it was Old Man Chad brought from the Yanox household. He was originally a butler who served the ducal family, they said.
“Excuse me, Mellans-kun?”
“Yesh.”
“You’ve been staggering since earlier, are you all right?”
Old Man Chad asked about my condition while opening the door. Old Man Chad, who I was acquainted with, was an elderly man with a warm impression who always wore proper attire, making him like a textbook example of butlers.
“I’m fiiine. Hehe.”
Actually, I’m not fine at all. Rossi’s glasses had way too high of a prescription. As soon as I put them on, my vision got blurry as a matter of course, and everything doubled or tripled, swaying back and forth.
If it were just my vision, maybe, but since everything kept spinning round and round before my eyes, my stomach was churning too, making it feel just like motion sickness.
“Did Mellans-kun originally… wear glasses?”
“Horn-rimmed glasses are trendy these days. Fashion.”
I’m screwed. My mind was all fuzzy and I felt like I was about to throw up any second, so my tongue was loose too.
“Is that so. Haha. I can’t keep up with young people these days. You certainly look cuter.”
“Really?”
When I looked in the mirror earlier, I looked like a total nerd, but I guess in adults’ eyes that looks cute. Well, Rossi did receive a lot of affection from the professors too. I was inwardly nodding at this plausible hypothesis when Old Man Chad guided me to my seat.
“Actually, I was so happy when I heard Mellans-kun was coming to have breakfast together today. The young master has never invited anyone to a meal before.”
The interior of the truly magnificent premium dormitory was amazing, but the walls and ceiling all appeared in three splits, driving me crazy.
“It’s not that his relationships with friends are bad, but I was a bit worried, so when Mellans-kun came visiting with a gift like this, this old man got excited for no reason. The young master also talked about Mellans-kun a lot, and today he even personally selected the dishes for the chef to…”
Chef or whatever, right now food isn’t the problem. I can’t hear a single thing Old Man Chad is saying. Still, when I sat down in the chair, I felt my stomach settle down a little.
“The young master will be here soon. I hope you have a pleasant meal.”
“Yesh. Thank you.”
“I’m over here though?”
I bowed my head toward Old Man Chad, but I seemed to have gotten the direction wrong. I quickly bowed my head again toward where the sound was coming from.
“Lionel, you’re here?”
At that moment, as Cesare walked out from the side, every cell in my body went wild doing the happy blues saying they were glad. Forgetting my dizziness, an excited voice a tone higher popped out.
“Cesare! Good morning!”
I can see three Cesares in front of me. Looking cool today too—well, he probably is cool. Actually, it’s too blurry so I can’t see well.
But it’s genius. With this, I’m confident I won’t fall for his brainwashing. My eyes can’t see in the first place, so how could he cast magic on me.
“What. You’re even wearing glasses?”
“Yeah. I wear glasses sometimes. Horn-rimmed. They’re cool, right. Don’t you think?”
I grinned while pointing at the glasses. Then my head tilted to one side without me realizing it as my vision got dizzy again. Somehow he seems a bit flustered.
‘As expected. He’s surprised because I can’t focus. He’s flustered because it seems like his magic won’t work! Perfect, genius, me!’
“Is it weird? Old Man Chad said they were cute.”
I asked as if probing, feeling like I’d landed a blow.
“…Don’t act cute. You’re not cute. It’s weird, so take them off.”
As Cesare sat across from me, Old Man Chad brought food on a tray and said.
“Since it’s his first visit, it seems Mellans-kun paid attention to his appearance, so please go easy on him, young master. Isn’t he cute?”
“No, Old Man. Absolutely. Definitely. I swear, he’s not cute at all. He looks ugly.”
“……”
Hearing Cesare call me ugly suddenly made me deflate completely.
I mean, I know that I look like a total nerd wearing these glasses! But it’s not so terrible that you have to attach every single modifier like that. The base face is decent, so it can’t be that weird!
The glasses might look nerdy, but still, I was excited about having breakfast together so I got up at dawn and paid a ton of attention to my outfit and hair. Unlike usual, I even combed my side hair with a bit of pomade!
This is the sadness of those who like the same sex. No matter how hard I try to look good, it doesn’t come across to the other person as sexual attraction, which really hits home now.
‘As expected, my efforts aren’t even visible to Cesare… Bad bastard. When he’s with the female lead, he was always smooth saying she’s pretty.’
Even looking like this, outside the book, Cesare had the #smooth_male_lead tag. For reference, Cedric had the #sweet_male_lead tag.
“Ahem. Still, it’s not unbearable, Lionel. Don’t make that face.”
“Really?”
At his single word, a ray of sunshine shone brightly into my darkened heart. The corners of my mouth naturally curled up.
It’s really annoying coming from that bastard, but my brain afflicted with addiction seemed to have interpreted it on its own with the algorithm: not unbearable = okay = good = cool.
“The young master usually doesn’t eat breakfast, but today it’s been specially prepared grandly.”
“Cesare, you don’t eat breakfast?!”
Even though I’ve been with him for years, this is the first time I’m learning this fact.
“I do eat it sometimes, but I usually don’t. If my stomach is full, I can’t concentrate on morning classes. Can’t be dozing off all the time like you.”
“Hmm… But I don’t think I doze off because I eat breakfast. I just doze off.”
At my answer, Old Man Chad let out a chuckle.
“That’s something to brag about. Not sleeping at night, what are you doing. I bet it’s not studying.”
I answered absentmindedly while picking up my fork and knife.
“Thinking about you.”
“……!”
At that moment, as the smell of food wafted up from below, the nausea I’d forgotten about started again.
‘Ugh.’
The bowl of vichyssoise placed in front of me began to triple and spin around. Following that, hash browns, eggs, and bacon joined in, and the oily smell rose up revoltingly.
I quickly drank the cranberry juice beside me, suppressing the urge to vomit. I closed my eyes tightly and massaged my temples while shedding tears inside.
‘Damn glasses.’
At this point, I had to admit it. While these would definitely let me escape from his clutches, they lacked practicality.
But my stupid, prideful ego absolutely refused to acknowledge that.
‘It works, you have to say it works. If you hammer in “it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work,” even things that could work won’t work! How are you going to live in this harsh world being so weak?! Huh?!’
Having lived in Hell Joseon, I steeled my brain again while repeating words that sounded like something Line 1 old men would say.
“L-looks delicious. I’ll eat well.”
“Don’t make a fuss like you’ve never eaten specialty cuisine anywhere else, just eat a lot here.”
“After all, the cafeteria food is quite different from the food Mellans-kun ate at his family home, isn’t it?”
A basket full of bread was placed right beside me. Seeing that made me feel like my throat was completely blocked again. I barely held back what was trying to come up from my stomach with an ‘urgh.’
The soft-boiled egg placed on the egg cup seemed to be making my eyeballs spin. Normally, this would be a feast I’d eat with my belt loosened, but right now, nothing could go into my mouth.
I picked up my fork and tried to stab some lettuce that didn’t have much smell, but even that kept losing focus and wouldn’t be picked up properly. In my spinning vision, cold sweat kept flowing from my hands.
“Lionel, about yesterday when you were summoned by Senior Cedric.”
Cedric or whatever, I’m dying here.
“Yeah…”
“When did you meet with Senior Cedric separately?”
“Uh. Fountain pen… at the chapel, I lent him a fountain pen but couldn’t get it back…”
Damn it. Old Man Chad started bringing over a mountain of pancakes. With whipped cream and peanut butter dripping all over them too.
‘Stop wiggling!’
“Lionel. Senior Cedric never keeps people close without a reason.”
“……”
“To say he just took you to discipline Cain seems a bit fishy. It’s not that I don’t trust you. Anyway, since Senior Cedric is the Crown Prince, I honestly wish you’d keep your distance from him on your own. Wait, are you listening to me?”
“Uh-huh. The food is so delicious.”
I answered while forcing hash browns into my mouth. Cesare burst out laughing as if my appearance was funny.
“Is it that good?”
I don’t know, Cesare. I can’t taste a thing. It only tastes like oil. I’m done for. I can’t even enjoy the food you’re giving me, so I’m disqualified as your subordinate. I’ll probably become trash that can’t even be recycled. Sob sob. Idiot Lionel.
I thought that while just nodding my head. Then Cesare suddenly asked in a sunken voice.
“But why aren’t you smiling?”
“What?”
“Why aren’t you grinning like usual and making that dead face?”
Cesare’s face, which seemed somehow angry, overlapped in three layers and floated around, and right beside me, Old Man Chad brought chicken pot pie full of chicken broth smell, so I ended up covering my mouth with a napkin and standing up abruptly.
“Hurk!”
I’m screwed. If this were South Korea, I would’ve posted on an online forum right away.
‘I threw up while eating in front of my crush. What should I do? 50 points for answers. Urgent.’
