"Well! Okay, then I'll eat like a pig," Kevin teased as he gazed at Leena's pleasant smile. His eyes brimmed with affection for her. He could tell that she was more relaxed now, since she wasn't behaving as formally as she was back at Capital City.
"As long as you're not worried about becoming a real pig, I'll offer as much as I can," Leena said, her eyes lingering on the busy Kevin. She threw herself on the soft bed and took a deep breath. She could smell the light scent of mint on the bed sheets. Leena relaxed, feeling right at home.
"Kiddo, it's impossible to get me fat," Kevin said. He let her unwind and stared at her with a smile. He thought she knew about his job. He did training every day. 'How would I get fat? It's absurd, ' he thought.
"Kevin, can I ask you a personal question?" Leena asked seriously, propping herself up all of a sudden.
"Ask away. What question? I'll tell you everything but the state secrets," Kevin said, turning around and putting his last shirt inside the wardrobe.
"I'm not interested in the state secrets and I'm not a politician, so why would I ask about that? I'm not so bored. I'm just curious... why did you address me by that nickname?" Leena asked, rolling her eyes. She was a simple girl. Political talks were complicated, and she wasn't the right person to ask about it.
"You really want to know the reason?" Kevin asked. He licked his lips, wondering how he should answer her question. He called her by the nickname out of some natural instinct of him. The reason why he suddenly addressed her as that was because it sounded so intimate. He didn't want to go back to calling her by her first name. To him, Nana sounded great.
"Yes. Can you tell me?" Leena asked, her big eyes blinking in expectation. She was flustered. She imagined that it was a way for Kevin to show how much he loved her.
"The reason! The reason is that there's no reason. I just don't want to call you the same way as everyone else does," He blurted out. It wasn't the real reason. For a moment, he didn't understand his feelings, so he gave her a random answer.
"Is that so?" Leena was a little disappointed about his answer. She thought he'd say it was because the nickname sounded more intimate. Why did he give her such a strange answer?
"What else did you expect? Get up! Freshen up and we'll go out for dinner," Kevin said, pulling her out of bed. He didn't feel good seeing the disappointment on Leena's face.
"Nothing. I didn't expect anything. I should have known about that." Leena laughed at herself. 'Am I too greedy? Happiness always seems to pass me by.'
"Leena, the real reason why I call you Nana is because I care about you very much. It's not because I don't want to call you the same as other people. Does this answer make you happy?" Kevin sighed and explained to Leena. He didn't want to see her unhappy.
"What do you think? Don't forget, Daisy and I are both in the army. If I still had feelings for her, I would be exhausted." Kevin felt awkward at the beginning when Daisy had found out he liked her. However, he saw that she didn't act distant from him because of it. She was so calm and mature about it, and Kevin realized he had to be the same.
"What about Daisy? Does she know you like her?" Leena asked cautiously, a little nervous. She didn't know if her question would irk him.
"Um. Not only her, even Edward knows about it. She told me that my feelings for her were just out of sympathy, not real love. What she said has made me think about it a lot, but it seems possible," Kevin said, with a bitter smile on his face. Daisy might be right. How could he get over her so easily otherwise? If it had been love, he should have kept pursuing her until the end of time.
"What? Edward knows it, too? Now I know why he always has a problem with you." Leena hadn't expected this. She thought that Daisy and Edward didn't know about Kevin's unrequited love. No wonder Edward always gave him the cold shoulder. He knew Kevin loved his wife previously but married his beloved sister. Edward probably didn't think Kevin was a responsible man. Leena pictured him being nice to Kevin. That would certainly be strange.
"Yeah, that's why I always endure their standoffish behavior towards me. After all, I'm the guy who made the mistake, right?" Kevin uttered, feeling helpless. If he were Edward, he would have behaved the same way! Judging from what he had done, he himself wouldn't think he was a reliable man.
"What about my brother and the others? Do they know about this?" Leena asked curiously. A far as she knew, Duke wouldn't be this calm about it if he knew Kevin had feelings for Daisy.
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