The Reason Jean Chose Me

The Reason Jean Chose Me
"I once had a friend whom I considered my confidant. He died while trying to protect me from a southern attack when Father Leonard was still in office. At that time, I was still too young, and he protected me like a big brother. Before he died, he told me about his sister named Camilla, who was still studying medicine in school. When he died, I looked for Camilla and took her east," Jean said honestly.
We are now staring at the ceiling of the room while talking, postponing our recent passionate activity with our bodies already half-open.
"When I found Camilla, she looked so devastated by her brother's death. Her eyes were empty, her cheeks full of tear tracks. Suddenly, I found myself positioning myself as Arthur, Camilla's brother, who couldn't bear to leave his sister alone without parental figures because both of their parents were gone. I took her everyplace and introduced her to many people, as if I were Arthur's replacement for her. Some people might misunderstand our relationship, but I truly only consider her a younger sister."
"So you two are very close, huh?" I'm sure; it seems like Camilla is also the first woman Jean has introduced to his mother.
"You could say that, and you could also say no. When Camilla was brought northeast, her incredible healing talent proved to be of immense help to us. She started getting busy with her work, and I with mine," said Jean.
"Have you ever seen her as a woman?" Jean suddenly turned toward me.
"Should I be honest or lie?" Jean's question seemed to be hiding something, as if something had briefly grown in his heart for Camilla. And that made my heart race with fear.
"Be honest; I'd rather you be honest even if it's bitter," I said, but Jean smiled as if he knew the bitterness when I said it.
"Alright, I'll be honest; I hope my honesty meets your expectations." Hearing that, I swallowed with difficulty. Jean actually made the atmosphere even more tense by not saying it directly.
"Just say it! Don't keep me in suspense!" Without realizing it, my voice rose, and Jean just laughed at hearing it.
"Jean!"
"Okay, I'll tell you now." Jean was still laughing as he said this, so annoying. He made it seem unimportant, even though I was dying of curiosity.
"The answer is never." I furrowed my brows when Jean said that.
"Liar, you must be lying to protect my feelings, right?" I urged Jean to tell the truth. I'm sure he's lying.
"I'm not lying, Rein." Honestly, I won't be angry. I'm annoyed because Jean won't be honest.
"I've been honest, my dear." And I still can't believe it.
"Honestly, Camilla's beauty, elegance, and abilities are hard for any man to resist. If I were a man, I might fall in love with her too." I kept urging Jean to be honest.
"No, Rein. I might be the only man who won't love her," Jean revealed.
"Why?"
"Because I'm Arthur's replacement for her," Jean said.
"What if you don't need to replace her brother? Or what if her brother were still alive? Would you feel the same?" I kept interrogating Jean, looking for the point where Jean was lying to me.
"If her brother were still alive, I wouldn't have sought out and gotten to know Camilla." That was Jean's short answer, and it left me speechless, unable to corner him again.
"From the beginning until now, I've only considered Camilla my sister. The more she grows, the more proud I feel, as if it were my own sister developing her abilities." Jean's words left me speechless, silent since the beginning, just listening to him.
"Besides, don't you have a mirror at home? You're beautiful, Reinhardt. You have a strong aura and leadership spirit. I'm sure all men like you, but they're too afraid and feel they're not worthy of you as a Western leader. And look how Leonard and I chased you like crazy," Jean said, this time making me click my tongue in disbelief.
"You know I'm short? Look at Camilla and Veronica, who have long legs."
"That doesn't diminish the quality of a Reinhardt. Your light is even too bright just the way you are. And if you say Camilla is smart with her amazing healing abilities, you are far more talented than her. You just don't know that she doesn't know any martial arts, even though I once gave her a coach," Jean revealed.
"Really?" I asked in surprise, and Jean just nodded his head in response.
"Everyone has their own expertise in their respective fields. What's easy for us isn't necessarily easy for others, and vice versa." Jean snapped his fingers as a sign that he agreed with what I said.
"That's right. Now do you know why I love you?" Jean asked.
"Because I can defend myself?" I answered innocently, causing Jean to reflexively slap his forehead.
"Because you are beautiful, because you are wise, because you have high empathy even though you are the mafia boss from the West. Also because you have a myriad of talents: the talent to manage a group, run a business, use weapons, do martial arts, and solve a major problem as the group leader, and finally, because it turns out you're also good at cooking." I don't know if that last comment was a compliment or not, because I only know how to cook one dish, which I just served at the dinner table: pasta with cheese sauce, cooked as usual.
"I'm not good at cooking; I can only make that one pasta dish," I admitted honestly.
"And that's already great. You are the leader of a group, but you can still do women's work in general. That's an amazing thing to know." Jean's praise made me embarrassed; even though I was being prepared as the future leader of the West, my father still taught me as he would a woman in general.
"Are you finished with your questions? Can I start eating you now?" And Jean teased me, making my cheeks even redder. Before I could answer, Jean had already pounced on me, resuming our interrupted passionate activity.