The night passed without incident, and Gillen's party left the lord's castle for the Blake family's villa. True to his word, Yuan didn't mention Gillen's incident to anyone, and Gillen did the same.
The early summer vacation flowed pleasantly. Capelli Island's sea was clear and vibrant blue. Nobles in summer suits and dresses dipped their feet or swam in the water. Since there were no proper swimsuits, everyone wore lightweight casual clothes to enjoy the sea.
Gillen's party was no exception. Cecilia, in a dark green summer dress, jumped into the sea without caring if her clothes got wet. Hexion, worried she might get hurt, followed her anxiously, while Yuan stood at a distance, casting a waterproof spell around Cecilia.
Gillen sat in a small tent set up by the servants, playing chess with his aide.
"Not going for a swim?"
"There's no swimsuit, and I can't exactly strip. What's the fun in swimming like that?"
"Sometimes Your Grace says things that sound a bit perverted."
The word "perverted" instantly brought last night's events to mind. Gillen cleared his throat and moved a chess piece.
"No respect for your superior, huh?"
Nabard chuckled softly at Gillen's reprimand. Just then, Yuan entered the tent.
"Marquis."
Nabard quickly stood and greeted Yuan. Yuan glanced coldly at the chessboard and Gillen before sitting on the daybed. Instead of returning to the chess table, Nabard stood behind Gillen.
"Sit down. I was winning, and now you're forfeiting?"
Gillen asked playfully.
"With the Marquis here, how could I dare sit face-to-face with Your Grace?"
Nabard said stiffly, subtly bristling in case Yuan saw Gillen as a fool lenient with insubordination. Though Gillen was indeed somewhat lenient with insubordination… he wasn't a fool.
"It's fine. My aide is awfully rigid, isn't he?"
"It's merely upholding proper etiquette." Nabard's words indirectly criticized Yuan for plopping onto the daybed without so much as a greeting. Yuan, catching the jab, scoffed.
"Your dog is not only rigid but loyal too, Duke."
"I'd appreciate it if you used the honorific 'Your Grace,' Marquis."
While both duke and marquis were high-ranking nobles, a duke was entitled to a special honorific akin to royalty, marking a significant distinction. Nabard pointed this out with a cold stare.
"Nabard, it's alright."
Gillen calmed his aide. He knew Yuan was already compromising compared to last night's plain "Duke Blake."
"I'd rather you apologize for calling my aide a dog, Hampton."
Gillen maintained a smiling face from the moment Yuan entered, in stark contrast to Nabard's hardened expression. His tone was light and relaxed, with no trace of intimidating pheromones.
Yet, the Blake family servants in the tent could tell Gillen was quite angry. Their master could express anger gently without raising his voice or frowning.
But one person—the very cause of Gillen's anger, Yuan Hampton—not only failed to notice Gillen's ire but wouldn't have cared if he did. Crossing his long legs, Yuan raised one corner of his mouth.
"I can speak as I please, Duke."
Without turning, Gillen could tell Nabard was furious. But for a mere viscount and aide like Nabard to scold or reprimand a marquis was unthinkable. That meant the only person who could express anger here was Gillen.
Instead of shouting, Gillen let out a loud "Ha! Ha! Ha!"
"So, Hampton, you picked a fight with Nabard because you wanted to play chess with me?"
"…What?"
Yuan, who had been sitting arrogantly, faltered. Gillen grinned wider.
"You know, like dogs growling at each other when they cross paths. Were you trying to chase Nabard off so you could sit here? Come, come, take a seat."
"What—"
"It's your fault for wanting to sit here first, so don't blame me."
Yuan, who had never even mentioned wanting to play chess, suddenly found himself Gillen's opponent.
"If this is some kind of scheme—"
"You're not bad at chess, are you? People who lack confidence in games tend to get chatty in front of a chessboard."
"I'm a genius. I could play this trivial game blindfolded."
"Playing blindfolded isn't hard… The question is whether you can win."
"Ha!"
Yuan scoffed, straightened his posture, and sat down. His eyes gleamed as he stared at the chessboard. He moved a white pawn, and Gillen immediately responded.
The tent grew quiet. The two men, focused on chess, silently calculated their next moves, while Nabard and the servants stood still to avoid disturbing them.
He's actually pretty good.'
Gillen was inwardly surprised. Yuan seemed to plan several moves ahead, cautious yet strikingly bold when attacking. Truly a battle mage who had achieved great feats in war.
"Check."
Yuan was the first to attack Gillen's king. But Gillen, a modern man who had filled his dopamine cravings with chess whenever he missed his smartphone in this world, was a pro. His skill was masterful.
"Check."
Responding to Yuan's check with one of his own, Gillen engaged in a fierce exchange before saying softly.
"Checkmate."
The game ended with Gillen's victory. Yuan stared at the board in disbelief before finally looking up. Gillen grinned.
"You lost."
"…One more game."
"Well, I'm getting hungry, so I should get going."
Gillen stood without hesitation. Yuan followed suit.
"Then play another game after eating."
"That could work, but…"
Gillen was starting to get a read on Yuan. Initially, he thought Yuan was an unpredictable lunatic, but now his intentions were becoming clearer.
"What if you get offended by my suggestive stares while we're sitting across from each other? Let's end it with this game. I don't want you to dislike me."
Gillen laughed heartily and signaled Nabard with a glance. He and Nabard left the tent, followed by the rest of the Blake family servants.
Left alone, Yuan stared at the chessboard, still showing his defeat, before scoffing as if realizing something.
"He's dodging another game because he's afraid of losing."
How shameless to gloat after a lucky win.
He's definitely an unlikeable guy. Yuan muttered sulkily and returned to the daybed. With Gillen, his annoying aide, and the noisy laughter of Hexion and Cecilia gone, he felt at ease.
"…"
But no matter how he thought about it, it was hard to accept that he, the greatest genius of the Moore Empire, lost at chess. Yuan stood again, sat at the chess table, and began replaying the game backward, determined to win next time.
After that day, Yuan frequently appeared before Gillen. Not just appeared—he was blatant. At the beach, he sat under a parasol playing chess with a servant. In town, he sat at an open-air café, sipping coffee and reading a chess manual. When visiting the villa to see Cecilia, he always carried a chessboard under his arm, setting it up to play alone whenever he had a chance.
It was so obvious it was laughable. Even a bit cute. Gillen consistently ignored Yuan. Not only because of the contract but because Yuan's indignant glares when ignored were highly amusing.
Today, Yuan was in the drawing room playing chess alone when Hexion caught him. Leaving Yuan, who had reluctantly become Hexion's opponent, Gillen chuckled, prompting a worried question from Nabard.
"Ten-Bird has been showing up too often lately, and the way he looks at Your Grace is unsettling. Is it alright to leave him be?"
Using the codename, Nabard's face was clouded with concern. He seemed to think Yuan was targeting Cecilia and wary of Hexion.
But Gillen saw it differently. Yuan was just a kid sulking over losing and pretending otherwise.
"No need to worry. It's really fine now."
He declared confidently.
"If Your Grace says so…"
Nabard nodded reluctantly. Gillen patted his loyal aide's shoulder, about to explain Yuan's recent behavior, when the butler approached.
"Your Grace, the High Priest has arrived."
"The High Priest?"
Gillen asked, puzzled. Nabard furrowed his brow. For someone of the High Priest's stature to suddenly visit, not in the capital but at their Capelli Island villa?
"He was at the temple and heard Your Highness and Your Grace were here, so he stopped by to pay his respects."
"Hmm…"
That wasn't unusual for a sudden visit. The problem was that the High Priest was another secondary male lead in the original story.
"Where's Cecil now?"
"Lady Cecilia is napping. Should I wake her?"
"No! Absolutely don't wake her! Keep her asleep. No one goes near her room."
Gillen turned to Nabard with a grave expression.
"Nabard, yellow alert."
"But Ten-Bird is—"
"The one we need to guard against isn't Ten-Bird right now, it's the High Priest. We might need a codename for him later. For now, keep him from meeting Cecil. Understood?"
"Understood."
"Move out."
"Yes."
Nabard swiftly headed toward Cecilia's room. Their rule was simple: if a threat appeared, Gillen would handle it, and Nabard would protect Cecilia.