"Do you know?" Brandon said in a low, hoarse voice. "I've liked Emily since I first saw her on the news. I even gave her a flower on our first day of school." The next second, he chuckled, his head bowed slightly. "Unfortunately, she refused the flower from me. Maybe because I was too young, I wasn't heartbroken at that time. I kept trying to get close to her, until finally, we became friends." Cayden did not reply. Instead, he intertwined his fingers in front of his stomach. His back leaned against the sofa. It was like he was watching an exciting movie. "One day after the holidays, Louis came with bad news. He said, Emily met you. You two promised to meet again in 20 years, and intended to date. That was the first time my heart was broken." "You were very small at that time, but you had thought about love?" Cayden said making Brandon smile wryly. "Have you never watched TV? That was one of my entertainments in the past. From the TV shows, I thought that loving someone wa
"My Prince ...." Emily returned to her room with a cheerful face. She immediately sat next to Cayden, her hands on her lap. "Are you bored of waiting? Sorry, I was also doing other works. So today, I'm not busy anymore. We can relax and chat now. Oh?" Emily's gaze fell on the empty cup on the table. "You drank coffee? Are you that bored that you finished two cups?" Cayden shook his head in amusement. "Not just me. Brandon too." "Brandon?" Emily's eyes widened. She tried to filter out which Brandon Cayden meant. None of the employees had that name. "You mean, Brandon Young?" she asked doubtfully. Getting a nod from Cayden, Emily gasped. Her hand rose to cover her mouth. "Why did he come here? He didn't beat you up, right? Are you okay?" Emily examined Cayden's face from all sides. "But I don't think it's possible for Brandon to beat you. Even though he is a person with a high obsession and passion, he never uses violence. So, what is he doing here?" she continued. Ins
Emily sat with her head bowed, her fingers squeezed together. Cold sweat beaded on the nape of her neck. She regretted having provoked Cayden earlier. Beside Emily, Cayden sat in a similar pose. His gaze dropped. He didn't dare look at Frank or Kara. His forehead felt hot. He could imagine how the eyes of those two people fell on that spot. "Emily," Frank's voice shook Emily's guts, "can you explain what just happened?" Emily peeked out from under her eyebrows. Her face was sad. "Sorry, Dad. Please don't be prejudiced against Cayden. I was the one who kissed—" "Sorry, Sir," Cayden interrupted, making everyone flinch. "Please forgive my carelessness. I admit I shouldn't have done something like that. I should have respected Emily more." "Do you guys do this often?" Emily stared wide-eyed. "D-doing what?" "Putting your lips together like that. How many times have you done that?" Emily's lips pursed, her breath hitched. "Not so often. Only a few times," she answered in a
"That water fountain is fascinating, Emily. Has it been there since your house was built?" Cayden asked as their car entered the gate. Emily, who was daydreaming, spontaneously blinked. "That fountain? My father made it after he married my mother. As a symbol of the beauty that had just come into his life." "Your father is romantic," Cayden whispered. On purpose. He wanted to reduce the tension on Emily's nerves. "And you know what? Your house is like a palace," Cayden continued, not letting Emily muse again. Emily looked out the window. Soon, they would arrive at the front door. She could feel her heart beating more and more violently. However, she was reluctant to show it. "That's what I said when I first came here, Cay. This house was our palace. My father was the king, and my mother was the queen," she said, trying to cover her nervousness. "Then you are everyone's favorite princess?" Emily smiled faintly. "Yeah, and could you guess Louis' role?" Cayden's eye
"Dad? Why—" Frank raised a finger. Emily spontaneously stopped talking. That caused greater anxiety in her heart. "Why did Dad brought that terrifying creature here?" Emily thought. "Did he want to test Cayden? Could it be ...." Emily gasped. She remembered how her great-grandfather finished people who knew about their family's weaknesses. Would Frank also do the same? But Frank was not a violent person. "Dad—" "Sorry, Sir. Why are you serving this menu? Isn't Emily allergic to shrimp?" A huge explosion shook Emily's heart. Her cold sweat rushed out, panic clogging her throat. Meanwhile, Frank smiled crookedly. "You know about my daughter's allergy?" Cayden nodded carefree. "When we were on the plane, Emily panicked because she ate something that looked like shrimp. That's how I knew that she was allergic. Luckily, it was just a vegan food, a fake shrimp." "Did you know it was a secret?" One of Frank's eyebrows rose. Emily subconsciously held her breath. Her nerves
"You can't beat me, huh?" Frank whispered, trying to sway his opponent. Instead of being intimidated, Cayden smiled slightly. "My goal is not to defeat you, Sir, but to show you my strength." Frank laughed lightly. "I won't approve of your relationship if you lose." Cayden nodded. "I know." Suddenly, Frank mustered all his strength. Cayden's hand pushed back. Emily screeched in panic in her seat. "Cayden!" But then, their hands returned to their previous position. Emily was now holding her breath. She hoped Cayden would keep pushing, but he didn't. He just counterbalanced Frank's strength. "Cayden, I said don't give in. Quickly finish the game!" Emily exclaimed loudly. Frank's emotions flared up even more. He tried to increase his strength, but he had already reached his limit. "Exhausted, Sir?" Cayden whispered, looking more relaxed. Frank couldn't answer. He was too focused on catching his breath. Unexpectedly, Cayden began to reduce his strength. Little by lit
"Do you agree with me? Do you also think that my daughter is stupid?" Frank looked at Cayden closely. Cayden shook his head. "No, I don't think Emily is stupid. She's just confused. I've noticed several times that she can't think rationally whenever she worries about the people she loves." "Do you mean Emily loves you?" Cayden nodded with a faint smile. "Yeah, one of them." Frank tilted his head. His eyes narrowed slightly. "Emily is a genius girl. She is good at solving problems and formulating strategic moves. However, every time she is faced with a problem that concerns the safety of the people closest to her, her mind doesn't seem to be working well. She becomes confused, scared, and panicked." As he returned to arranging the chess pieces, Frank laughed sadly. His head shook in disbelief. "Do you know what causes it?" Cayden froze. "What?" "She relies on Louis too often, especially in critical situations. Did you know that they were kidnapped twice when they were l
Before Emily's worries poisoned his mind, Cayden shook his head quickly. He held both of her hands, trying to calm her down. "No, Emily. You're thinking too far. I'm definitely different from a caterpillar. Killing a caterpillar is also different from killing a human. How could they be the same? The sins are different. The burden and pressure are too. Besides ...." Cayden leaned forward a little. Their eyes were closer now. "You're not a plant. How could you possibly compare yourself to a living creature that doesn't have blood or bones?" "That's just an analogy, Cay." "Still, the two things can't be compared. Now don't make it too much of a burden, hmm? I believe your father is not an arbitrary person. He won't kill anyone." Instead of listening, Emily still stuck to her opinion. "But, Cay, we have to prepare for the worst. Anticipation is important." "Princess, have you heard of Stoicism mindset?" Emily's head moved back. "That philosophy of happiness? What do we hav