I froze after hearing that.
"…Jealous?"
The moment those two words reached my ears, my face flushed.
My heart pounded so hard it felt like it was about to jump out of my chest.
Instinctively, I wanted to deny it, but when I met Jing Yuan's deep gaze, my throat tightened.
"…I'm not."
My voice was so soft I could hardly believe it myself.
Jing Yuan looked at me for a few seconds.
Then his lips slowly curved into a smile.
"Not?"
He leaned down slightly, so close that I could clearly see his long eyelashes.
"Then why did you stare at me all afternoon, young master?"
"…!"
I choked.
"And you cried until your eyes were red just because you saw me standing next to someone else."
His voice grew lower and lower.
"Isn't that considered jealousy?"
I was speechless, unable to retort, and finally just blushed and turned away.
"…You're so annoying."
Jing Yuan chuckled softly.
The hand around my waist tightened slightly, as if to prevent me from escaping.
"But I like it very much."
I froze.
Instinctively, I turned my head to look at him.
And at that moment… I suddenly saw Jing Yuan's eyes.
No longer the gentle look from before.
Instead, there was a very strange feeling.
So deep it made me uneasy.
But it was fleeting, so quick that I thought I was seeing things.
Jing Yuan lowered his head, resting his chin on my hair, his voice still soft and gentle.
"Young master."
"If in the future you don't like anyone getting close to me…"
"Then I will stay away from them."
Hearing that, my heart finally calmed down.
I asked softly.
"…Really?"
"Yes."
He answered very quickly.
Without hesitation.
But what Jing Yuan didn't say was... He didn't care about those people at all.
What interested him... was the young master's reaction.
He liked seeing Yun Xiang sad because of him.
He liked seeing the boy's eyes redden with jealousy.
He liked the feeling that if he was even slightly cold, the other boy would immediately become anxious and run to cling to him.
That feeling satisfied his possessive desires in a distorted way.
Jing Yuan had never thought he would love anyone.
He didn't believe in anything called love.
From childhood to adulthood, he had been used to using everything that benefited him.
People were merely pawns to him.
Including the young master.
Initially, he approached Yun Xiang only because the boy's status had exploitable value.
A spoiled young master, naive and innocent.
Just a little gentleness and he would obediently rely on him.
Too easy to control...Too easy to manipulate.
But now… Jing Yuan lowered his eyes to look at the person in his arms whose eyes were red with tears because of him.
His fingers unconsciously wiped away the tear from the corner of the other's eye.
The gesture was so gentle that even he paused for a moment.
"…How troublesome."
He murmured softly.
I looked up, bewildered.
"Huh?"
Jing Yuan looked at me for a few seconds, then smiled faintly.
"Nothing."
It was just the first time… He realized he was starting to feel a little reluctant… to take advantage of this person anymore.
I completely ignored the unusual look in his eyes.
It was only because of Jing Yuan's words that my heart softened little by little.
"…Then you mustn't be like this again in the future."
I murmured softly.
"You mustn't let others follow you…"
"And you mustn't smile at them either."
By the end of the sentence, my voice grew softer and softer.
Anyway, it sounded too much like jealousy. I was so embarrassed.
But Jing Yuan didn't tease me like before.
He just silently looked at me.
Then he very softly replied,
"...Okay."
My heart skipped a beat again.
Jing Yuan was truly terrifying when he was gentle.
Just a slight softening of his voice was enough to make people lose control and fall for him.
I pursed my lips slightly, and finally asked in a low voice,
"So... am I important in your eyes?"
As soon as the question came out, I wanted to bite my tongue.
It sounded too much like I was demanding affection.
I quickly lowered my head and nervously explained,
"It's not what you think. You don't have to answer if you don't want to..."
Even though I said that, my heart longed to hear his answer.
"Important."
Jing Yuan's voice rang out quickly.
Without hesitation.
I was stunned.
And he was now looking down at me.
His gaze was so deep it was impossible to distinguish between truth and falsehood.
"Young master is the most special person."
"I won't let anyone bully you."
"I will always stand by your side."
Every word was so gentle it melted my heart.
I had no idea… Jing Yuan was so good at lying.
Or rather… He was too good at hiding his true feelings.
To him, a few words of comfort were nothing.
If those words could earn the young master's absolute trust… Then it was too much.
But strangely… When he saw Yun Xiang's eyes gradually brightening, a very unpleasant feeling arose in his heart.
It was like he was deceiving someone too pure.
Too naive.
So naive that if he just reached out his hand, the boy would grab it without any hesitation.
Jing Yuan should have found it funny.
But this time, he couldn't laugh.
"…Young master."
"Hmm?"
"If one day you discover I'm not as good as you think…"
His voice lowered.
"…What would you do?"
I blinked in confusion.
"Not good? What do you mean?"
Kình Uyên was silent for a few seconds, then chuckled softly.
"What if I'm deceiving you?"
I was stunned.
Then, almost without thinking, I answered immediately.
"You wouldn't."
The answer was so quick that it left me speechless.Kình Uyên's gaze froze.
I lowered my head again, my voice still maintaining a smile,
"…I believe you."
At that moment…Kình Uyên's hand, which was around my waist, suddenly tightened.
His deep eyes darkened.
For the first time, a feeling of losing control arose in my heart.
Because he knew better than anyone else.
From beginning to end…The person deceiving the young master the most.
It was him.