Chapter 81
“Ah, yes. I’m handling the mana core exercises. But did I mention that to you?”
“You did, didn’t you?”
“I must have. Lately my mind’s been all over the place.”
I lied boldly, and Eden simply accepted it with an “I see.”
I’d been worried he might press me, so I was relieved.
“Anyway, doesn’t that mean you have to interact with Alferen often? I heard you two haven’t even run into each other…”
At that moment, Eden’s expression darkened. He rubbed his forehead as if facing a thorny problem and vented.
“I’m already dying over that exact issue. The tower lord refuses to meet Miss Summer in person. So I’ve ended up as the go-between. I have no idea why his misanthropy suddenly flared up again.”
As expected. He’s deliberately avoiding her.
With my hypothesis confirmed, I found Alferen even more incomprehensible.
I slapped my forehead and sighed inwardly.
‘What on earth is this brother thinking?’
How could he dodge the very partner I’d practically handed him for romance?
* * *
At last, the long-awaited day arrived.
The night of the crown prince’s birthday banquet—the starting point of the original story.
‘Nothing ever goes according to plan, as expected.’
A few days earlier, while Alferen was avoiding Summer, I learned that Adrian and Summer had already met. The news left me utterly drained.
‘How do I even clean this up? Is it even possible?’
I’d been wracking my brain over it so much that I couldn’t think of anything else.
I had just finished preparing and was standing in front of the carriage when—
“Hello?”
Alferen greeted me as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Originally, Adrian was supposed to be my partner.
Dressed to perfection, he was absolutely dazzling.
And the way his outfit seemed coordinated with the color of my dress made my eyes narrow instinctively.
It was as if he’d known exactly what I would wear.
A sinister premonition struck me: the one who’d told him couldn’t possibly be my own brother.
The moment he saw me, Alferen smiled brightly and extended his hand.
A natural offer to escort me.
I took a step back and regarded him warily.
“Why is Brother Ren here?”
It felt like I was being maneuvered in some scheme I hadn’t been told about.
His appearance seemed too perfectly orchestrated.
“Adrian said something came up.”
“Our brother?”
Haha. Of course the culprit is that brother of mine.
I felt hollow, as if I’d been soundly punched, but Alferen guided me forward.
“I thought you’d know. I did tell you last time—see you again.”
So that parting line hadn’t been mere courtesy after all.
Caught off guard, I ended up taking his hand and boarding the carriage, my mind a tangle.
If that was the case, he must have planned this even before our encounter at the clubhouse.
The situation felt eerily familiar. Remembering how Alferen had once replaced Adrian in a similar way, my eyes sharpened.
Keeping a proper distance, I spoke.
“Don’t tell me you pulled the same thing before.”
“The same thing?”
“Didn’t you and our brother conspire to set this up on purpose?”
At my abrupt accusation, Alferen gave a soft chuckle.
He crossed his legs with leisurely confidence.
“I have no idea what you mean.”
“Don’t play innocent. Our brother would never refuse to be my partner without a reason.”
Exactly. Our brother was a severe siscon.
He must have already sensed the chill between Alferen and me.
And yet he’d deliberately created this uncomfortable situation?
It didn’t quite add up for a decision from Adrian—something felt off, like a missing screw.
Of course, I couldn’t be certain Alferen had masterminded everything.
If—by some slim chance—it was all coincidence, he’d have every right to feel wronged.
With only circumstantial suspicion, I wavered, but Alferen answered.
“It really was an emergency request. Adrian had to escort someone else.”
His sullen murmur softened my heart despite myself.
“Someone… else?”
It couldn’t be Summer, could it?
The memory of her blushing the other day only heightened my unease.
Sure enough, the expected name slipped from his lips.
“Summer Clopen—the academy professor who came for the magic tower collaboration.”
‘This brother of mine!’
Only then did I grasp the reason behind all this chaos.
Adrian had clearly fallen hard for Summer.
In the original story, he’d been struck by her at first sight and charged ahead like a bulldozer, earning readers’ cheers for his single-minded pursuit.
For me—who’d ended up sidelined and imprisoned because of it—the situation was deeply unpleasant.
‘Isn’t this just too much? He used to say I should never marry and just live with him forever.’
I trembled with betrayal just as Alferen slid closer and gently tucked a stray lock of hair behind my ear.
The touch scattered my thoughts; I froze, blinking rapidly.
Come to think of it, it had been a long time since we’d been alone like this.
Alferen gazed down at me and whispered tenderly.
“You look beautiful tonight.”
The words felt laden with genuine affection.
I lowered my eyes and murmured softly.
“Ah… You look handsome too, today.”
“Really? I’m glad.”
“…”
“I wanted to look good for you.”
He smiled shyly and touched his lips.
Seeing him embarrassed made me feel inexplicably shy as well.
He always knew how to say the sweetest things, then and now.
‘But then what happens now?’
To sum it up: Adrian had fallen for Summer and abandoned me to Alferen.
He probably didn’t even know Alferen and I had broken up, so he’d asked without hesitation.
Perhaps he thought we’d simply quarreled and saw this as a chance for reconciliation—a considerate gesture in his own way. The thought left me flustered.
‘Alferen must feel awkward too.’
Adrian, blinded by Summer, wouldn’t have considered the consequences.
Being roped into escorting his unintentional ex-girlfriend couldn’t be easy for Alferen either.
“I’m sorry. He put you in an awkward position for no reason.”
“Not at all. I actually thought it was fortunate.”
“Huh?”
“I can’t bear seeing you with another man beside you.”
His smiling mouth contrasted with eyes that were deep and possessive.
An uncharacteristic gloom emanated from him; rather than purity, a decadent aura enveloped him.
His words were easy to misinterpret.
The way he spoke—as if this place beside me had always belonged to him.
Heat rushed to my face. Unsure what to say, I rolled my eyes in confusion just as—
“I heard from Eden. He said he made an unnecessary request of you.”
“Ah. Don’t be too hard on Eden. I pressed him until he told me.”
“Why?”
“Huh? Well, because I wanted to help you…”
The unexpected question left me dazed. He brushed my cheek and whispered low.
“Our contract is over—we’re practically strangers now. You won’t even see me, yet you tried to help with my father behind my back?”
The words pierced straight to my core.
From his perspective, it must have seemed absurd: the one who unilaterally ended our fake romance now wanting to help Lord Deven.
Even I could see the contradiction; bitterness welled up.
He had no idea I liked him, so it must have been even more baffling.
Unable to meet his eyes, my head drooped. My palms, clasped in his, grew clammy with cold sweat.
“We were lovers, even if only briefly. I wanted to do my utmost for anything I could still help with—out of a sense of duty.”
“Is that really all?”
“…”
“Delly, look at me.”
Alferen gently cupped my cheeks.
My lowered head lifted, and our eyes met.
His gaze was even tenderer than I’d anticipated.
Why was he looking at me like that?
I couldn’t decipher it. Those affectionate eyes held a joy that hadn’t been there before.
As if he’d finally found a vital clue.
As if he desperately wanted to seize it and never let go.
