The Original Work Got Ruined After I Quit Being the Sub Male 17

“Gasp.”

Then Laura let out a small sound.

It was a reaction of complete surprise.

I was flustered by the atmosphere that seemed to misunderstand in that direction, but Laura seemed to have already jumped to conclusions hastily.

“So that’s what it was! You two look great together.”

As if she had caught something interesting, her eyes were gleaming like a hyena.

“Miss Laura, that’s not…”

“What do you mean it’s not? We are partners.”

Just stay quiet for a bit.

“Hoho. Well then, my partner is waiting for me, so I’ll be going…”

Laura quickly slipped away. Only my hand waved in the air, unable to catch her in time.

I suppressed a sigh and muttered quietly with irritation.

“Why do you keep saying things that could be misunderstood…”

“What’s wrong with it.”

“What if strange rumors spread because of this.”

“…Strange rumors?”

“What?”

“Is being associated with me such a strange rumor?”

I was momentarily speechless at his reproachful tone.

Since Cedric had turned his body halfway away from me, I couldn’t see what face or expression he was making.

I felt an impulse to tilt my head and see his face up close. On the other hand, I also felt anxiety about not wanting to see it.

Since I couldn’t do either and was hesitating, silence eventually settled between us.

The chattering voices around us felt like a barrier, and it seemed as if particularly quiet stillness had descended only around Cedric and me.

“It’s a joke.”

Cedric was the first to break that silence.

“…Huh?”

“It’s a joke, so don’t take it seriously.”

Only then did Cedric look directly at me. His face wasn’t much different from usual.

I felt… relieved.

I wasn’t exactly sure what I had been worried about or what I was relieved about, but I was feeling that way.

“Gareth!”

Suddenly Riette’s delighted voice was heard. The word ‘Gareth’ stuck in my ears, so I turned my head.

A man was approaching Riette with his arms wide open. His healthy, well-tanned bronze skin was striking and caught the eye.

“Oh, my angel Miss Riette. I missed you.”

…And he seemed quite cheesy.

For some reason I didn’t like him and was staring intently when Gareth, who had been spinning around once while holding Riette’s waist and being lovey-dovey, looked this way.

Riette quickly introduced us.

“Gareth, these are the precious friends I told you about before. This is Cedric and this is Edgar.”

“Nice to meet you. If they’re precious friends to Miss Riette, they’re no different to me, so I hope we can get along well from now on.”

“Yes. Please take care of us.”

I smiled politely and graciously accepted his greeting. Cedric also greeted him lightly.

It was just a formal greeting. Gareth turned back to Riette and began openly expressing his affection.

“My angel. Have you been well?”

“I haven’t been well. Because Gareth wasn’t here.”

“Same here. I thought I’d wither and die without Miss Riette’s love. I was like a living corpse, but from today I’ll live again.”

“Oh my.”

…Are all western men like this?

His eyes looking at Riette were even golden, really like spheres made of honey. When Riette became shy, Cedric made a retching gesture behind them.

I… quietly watched Riette honestly enjoying Gareth’s honeyed expressions.

She looked happy.

And watching that sight wasn’t too bad.

Whatever the case, judging by the quite sweet and blind gaze he sent toward Riette, he didn’t seem to be particularly strange or bad.

It’s honestly hard to say the first impression was good, but if he’s a man Riette likes, that’s enough.

‘Will Cedric be able to compete?’

I unconsciously had such worries. Unlike the passionate Gareth, Cedric wasn’t revealing his feelings at all…

“Miss Riette, since we met after so long, I want to be alone with just you. I need Miss Riette’s attention and love right now. Will you indulge my selfishness?”

Look at that. He’s completely determined to woo her. I could almost see a tail wagging vigorously behind that sturdy man.

“Ah! Sure. We’ll go ahead first, see you later.”

Riette, who had completely fallen for the large dog’s charm, looked at Cedric and me and said. When Cedric nodded, the two left without a moment’s hesitation.

I was left alone with Cedric.

The people gathered around us seemed busy chatting among themselves again, so no one else approached us.

“…Are you jealous?”

Cedric suddenly asked me a question.

I don’t know why he’s asking me that.

“Why would I be. Aren’t you the one who’s jealous?”

When I answered back like that, half to probe his inner thoughts, Cedric laughed like a sigh and moved toward the stairs. It was a meaningful reaction that I couldn’t tell was positive or negative.

‘Hmm.’

I quickly followed behind Cedric. As we left the noisy place where people were gathered, quiet immediately arrived.

Only then, remembering that we were finally alone together, I quietly spoke to Cedric again.

“Cedy.”

At that, Cedric stopped climbing the stairs and turned to look at me. I also stopped my following footsteps and, after confirming there were no listening ears around, asked.

“Last time, what did you talk about with His Highness the Prince?”

“……”

“You seemed a bit down after that.”

“……”

Cedric didn’t react. He stood there as if lost in thought for a moment, then leaned against the stair railing and slowly opened his mouth.

“Eddie. Don’t get close to the Second Prince.”

“Huh?”

“That person is only approaching you because he covets the divine artifact in the ancient temple that your family has gained, so don’t get too close to him.”

Ah. So that’s what it was.

He had a purpose from the beginning, which is why he acted so flirtatiously and pestered me despite meeting for the first time.

I thought something was a bit strange.

“I see. But why did you look so upset about it? You even fought with His Highness the Prince.”

“……”

“Were you worried I’d get hurt?”

I was saying it jokingly and laughing when…

“Listen, Eddie.”

“Yeah?”

“I actually have someone I like.”

“……?”

That was really something I never dreamed of… a rather unexpected statement. After being momentarily flustered, I subtly probed his feelings.

“…Are you talking about Ret?”

However, the answer that came back was quite firm.

“No.”

From then on, I became confused for different reasons.

“You don’t like Ret…? Really?”

“Right.”

“……”

“Eddie. I have someone else I like.”

My mind went blank.

I couldn’t believe that the person Cedric liked wasn’t Ret.

Even though he pretended otherwise, I still thought he liked Riette. To hear such shocking news that he doesn’t just ‘not have’ someone he likes, but has someone ‘else’…

Isn’t this too different a path from the original work?

“Since when exactly? Who is the person you like?”

So I found myself interrogating him without realizing it.

How did he manage to hide it until now when his social circle isn’t that wide?

…Come to think of it, I don’t properly know anything about his romantic preferences.

What style he prefers, what kind of person he likes, whether secondary gender or the other person’s gender matters to him.

I’m curious…

Cedric only gave vague hints.

“There is such a person. Someone terribly oblivious.”

When I listened silently, Cedric continued speaking gently.

“I decided not to be greedy, but the closer we get, the more greedy I become. But that person doesn’t seem to have any interest in me in that way… so I’m just being tortured with hope.”

“……”

“When I think about it, the reason we could get so close was probably because they have no interest in me in that way. I know that… but it’s still difficult.”

“……”

“Since the possibility of it working out is low anyway, I think about just confessing and getting rejected… but then I’m scared I’ll lose even our current connection.”

“…Cedy. You’re not joking right now, are you?”

“I’m serious.”

Cedric, who had been muttering emotionally like a soliloquy, responded in a sulky voice. I looked at him suspiciously.

“But what does that have to do with the conversation we were having earlier?”

“That’s…”

Soon Cedric straightened his back.

Then,

“Figure it out yourself.”

He threw me a riddle I had to solve myself and left.

After staring at Cedric’s retreating back in vain, I finally came to my senses and trudged to my assigned room.

Even while washing, organizing my luggage, and lying on the bed, the riddle Cedric left kept circling in my mind.

〈Last time, what did you talk about with His Highness the Prince?〉

〈Were you worried I’d get hurt?〉

I definitely asked like that…

〈I actually have someone I like.〉

That was Cedric’s answer.

‘What does that have to do with… oh.’

Suddenly, one thought struck my mind intensely.

‘Could it be?’

I opened my eyes wide instead of going to sleep.

‘Does that guy… like His Highness the Prince?!’

〈I decided not to be greedy, but the closer we get, the more greedy I become. But that person doesn’t seem to have any interest in me in that way… so I’m just being tortured with hope.〉

His Highness the Prince didn’t seem to have that kind of interest in him… rather, he was more clingy with me.

Even though he said with his own mouth that his reason for approaching me wasn’t because he really liked me but had bad intentions, from Cedric’s perspective of liking the prince, either way would have been unpleasant.

Maybe at the training ground, the two of them had some kind of love and conflict… something like that behind Riette’s and my backs.

‘So that’s why he suddenly told me that story…’

〈There is such a person. Someone terribly oblivious.〉

The picture is perfectly clear.

While sparring and talking, Cedric must have revealed his jealousy and Castian didn’t notice Cedric’s feelings, causing emotions to explode.

Wasn’t he venting his frustration about how he could be so indifferent to him? The words about not getting close to the Second Prince must have been jealousy.

“This can’t be…”

They say reality is more dramatic, but this isn’t some commoner’s novel. My head is spinning on this sleepless night.

‘So this is that, right? Now Cedy is in a similar position to the original me, and I’m with Ret… and His Highness the Prince is in a similar position to Cedy.’

In the midst of all this, Riette has already given her heart to a different man, not Cedric.

…Why is this love triangle so tangled up?

‘I think the original work is ruined?’

Sigh. What should I do about this situation…