Leave the Villainous Second Male Lead Alone - Chapter 5.17

Callisto set me down gently and began scanning the area, his behavior oddly suspicious. I decided to let it slide for now since there was something I wanted to show him.

The ground was damp, and small tunnels branched off from the main shaft. These side passages had been dug to explore and survey the area further.

“Calli, did you bring your dagger? Let me borrow it for a moment.”

“It’s dangerous. I’ll do it. What do you need to be done?”

“No, it’s fine. I just want to dig a little. It’ll only take a second.”

Though he looked reluctant, Callisto handed me the dagger from his belt. Using the sheathed blade, I gently scraped at the wet earth below.

It didn’t take long for a small, clear object to glint through the dirt. The faint golden shimmer of the piece was unmistakable—gemstone or not, it was something precious.

‘Found it.’

It was exactly as described in the original story. The gems weren’t near the mountainside but buried deep underground here.

The best part was that the gemstones were mixed into the soil, making them easy to extract without needing heavy machinery or explosives. In the original tale, the Harrington family poured a fortune into discovering this mine but reaped tremendous rewards once they began mining.

However, verifying the story’s accuracy wasn’t why I’d brought Callisto down here.

I held the golden gem between my fingers and turned to Callisto. His golden eyes, so similar to the stone in my hand, widened as he stared at me.

I placed the gem in his palm and smiled.

“Here, this is for you, Calli.”

Callisto’s eyes grew even wider, his expression unreadable. I continued with a soft laugh.

“So… marry me.”

I had wanted to propose here, deep underground, with a gift as special as a violet ring or fireflies. I never expected my proposal would lead to this outcome.

“…Calli?”

Callisto lowered his head, trying to hide his face, but since he was a head taller than me, I could still see everything. His clear, porcelain-like cheeks were streaked with tears.

Droplets, brimming in his reddened eyes, spilled over and fell, landing softly on the muddy ground below.

“Why are you crying? Huh?”

Panicking, I cupped his damp cheeks, wiping at the tears with my thumbs. But no matter how much I tried, the tears wouldn’t stop. Frantic to console him, I blurted out,

“Is this that shocking? We’re already engaged. Getting married was a given.”

When we’d first gotten engaged, I thought we might call it off someday. But things had changed. I’d confessed, and there was no longer any reason to hesitate. Besides, Callisto had been glued to me throughout this journey, tormenting our subordinates by sitting by my side in every carriage. Why was he suddenly bawling over a proposal?

Had it moved him that much?

The thought made me feel oddly pleased. Finding this golden gem, so similar to his eyes, had been a gamble, but it paid off. In the original story, the first gem discovered from this mine was also golden. Hoping for the same luck, I’d planned this underground proposal—and it had worked perfectly.

Feeling a swell of pride, I kissed Callisto’s trembling lower lip. It tasted salty from his tears.

“Were you that moved?”

However, the response I received was far from what I had expected. Callisto, his voice cracking, adamantly denied it.

“No, that’s not it.”

“…”

I thought it was a pretty heartfelt proposal—why was he rejecting it so firmly?

Feeling a bit disgruntled, I narrowed my eyes at him. Callisto, his voice hoarse with emotion, continued speaking.

“I thought… maybe all this time, you were just humoring me, pretending to care so I wouldn’t feel bad.”

“…”

What?

Here I was, having gone through all the trouble of coming down dozens of meters underground for a once-in-a-lifetime proposal, only to be accused of pitying him. I was utterly speechless.

While I stood there, dumbfounded, Callisto seemed eager to pour out all his pent-up feelings.

“You’ve always seen me as a younger brother. That night, there was a storm raging, so I thought you just felt sorry for me and went along with it to comfort me.”

“You think I kissed you out of pity?”

“Well… you might. You’re not exactly the most self-aware person.”

Did I have that little credibility? At this point, I couldn’t blame Callisto—I felt like this was entirely my fault.

Feeling slightly disheartened, I pursed my lips and gently patted Callisto’s cheek.

He glanced up at me, his wet eyelashes clumped together and fluttering lightly. The soft quiver of his lashes seemed to ripple through my heart as well, leaving it ticklish.

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