Chapter 26
Adrian propped his head up with his interlaced fingers as he spoke.
“I only just found out myself this time around. I thought she only cared about desserts and nothing else.”
As a child, Rodellia had been utterly fascinated by swordsmanship.
She’d loved nothing more than sparring with him as a way to play.
But at some point, she stopped picking up the sword and spent more and more time seated at her desk.
‘Delly, let’s spar!’
‘I’m done with swords.’
‘Why?’
‘Just… It’s gotten boring.’
Even as she said that, Rodellia still loved collecting real blades.
According to Mae, she’d even secretly trained in swordplay on her own a few times, so perhaps…
“I have a feeling Delly lost interest in swordsmanship because of me.”
“Well, yeah. When you’ve got a brother who’s leagues ahead, it kills any drive to compete.”
Julia nodded in agreement, jabbing a finger toward Aslan.
“I get pissed off every time I see that freakish stamina of his.”
“What’s that supposed to mean? You’re always teasing me, calling me an idiot whose head’s stuffed with nothing but pasta noodles.”
“It’s the truth, isn’t it? Honestly, without that monster endurance of yours, you’d be no different from one of our family’s foot soldiers.”
“You done talking?!”
As Aslan bristled, Julia flicked her tongue out teasingly to egg him on.
That was when Adrian cut in.
“Still, it’s good she’s found something she’s into. She should make some friends while she’s at it.”
“I’m disappointed too. I’ve only ever heard about it secondhand, so I was dying to know what it’s like. Hey, should I swing by your place sometime?”
As Aslan leaned forward on the sofa with his question, Alferen and Adrian blocked him in unison.
“You’re absolutely not.”
“Stay away from Delly, you devil!”
Adrian actually hurled the poker cards he’d been holding at Aslan, striking an exorcist’s pose.
Aslan dodged the cards with a nimble twist and protested.
“Hey, come on! Why’s Alferen allowed and not me? It’s not like looking at my face wears it out—what’s with the unfair treatment? I’m not even asking to steal your sister or anything…”
Thud!
Alferen slammed the chess piece he’d been holding down onto the board with force.
The board cracked in two with a sharp splintering sound, drawing every eye to him.
Aslan glanced at the wreckage and muttered.
“Dude, why’re you the one getting mad?”
“I’m not mad.”
Alferen used a quick spell to mend the split as if nothing had happened.
Aslan shot Julia a look of utter bewilderment at the sight of him breaking and fixing it all by himself.
“Don’t you think we should hear the chessboard’s side of the story here? What do you say, sis?”
“Totally.”
Julia stole a surprised glance at Alferen.
It was because his expression had hardened the moment Aslan showed interest in Adrian’s little sister.
Oh ho.
The sudden hypothesis made Julia’s eyes sparkle.
That was when Adrian shouted.
“Anyway, you’re not allowed! It’d be such a waste for our sweet little Delly—she’d be too good for you! Just try approaching within a hundred meters; I won’t let you off easy.”
“Huh? Hey! I’m a pretty decent guy, you know? She’s already made her debutante ball anyway, so we’re bound to cross paths now and then—why go all guard dog on me?”
His unusually logical rebuttal made Adrian furrow his brow, responding with dead seriousness.
“No. This is just proper sibling care.”
“Sibling care, my ass. Doesn’t your sister hate when you pull this crap? Hey, you’re not planning to tail her to every party and sabotage things, are you?”
“Of course I am. I’ll sniff out every thief who dares approach our Delly and make their whole family pay for it.”
Adrian muttered darkly, and Aslan recoiled.
He didn’t look remotely sane, even at a glance.
Aslan turned to Alferen.
“Dude, is he really okay? This is way over the top.”
He’d hoped for some agreement, but—
“He’s doing great. What’s the problem?”
Alferen took Adrian’s side with a straight face.
Just like true best friends, they were making a joint fuss of it.
Buoyed by Alferen’s backup, Adrian warned him all the more boldly.
“So don’t you dare get any ideas about my sister. This is your warning.”
Julia, who had been quietly observing the three men’s exchange all along, tossed out a leading question.
“Hmm. So what about Alferen?”
The abrupt shift in topic made Adrian look at her.
“Honestly, Alferen’s been close to your sister since they were kids. If those two started dating, you’d be okay with that?”
Her question, delivered with a sly, playful expression, dripped with mischief.
Unlike with Aslan, Adrian didn’t shoot it down right away.
He seemed to mull it over for a moment before answering brightly.
“Nah, no worries there. Our Delly’s got zero interest in Alferen anyway. She probably just sees him like a second older brother or something?”
“…”
“Oh? Really? That’s a shame.”
Julia glanced at Alferen, who had frozen in place as if utterly crestfallen.
It had to sting more than Aslan’s overt wariness—not even bothering to guard against him at all.
Sure enough, just then, Adrian—who had stood to fetch more wine—tripped right over Alferen’s foot and went tumbling.
Crash!
“Ow, hey!”
“My bad.”
Alferen extended a hand with his usual impeccable smile.
“You alright?”
“You bastard, that was on purpose!”
“I forgot how long my legs are. Why’d you have to walk right there, anyway?”
“What’d you say, man?”
As Alferen and Adrian growled at each other, Julia’s expression grew all the more convinced.
This is fun. Alferen acting all petty like that.
Alferen, the epitome of an elite noble—expressionless and always following the textbook—having such a childish reaction to his friend’s little sister.
It’s not all that rare for a friend’s kid sister to suddenly start looking like a woman.
In the romance novels she loved, this was usually the setup for them falling for each other.
And with him having just broken off his engagement, who knew how things might unfold between the two from here.
The social season this year is going to be entertaining.
Adrian’s innocent remark had struck Alferen like a mental blow.
Our Delly’s got zero interest in Alferen anyway.
When Adrian said it.
Alferen couldn’t deny it, and the thought left him deeply unsettled.
She’s probably heard about the broken engagement by now.
There was a gathering at that dessert café in the city center today, so she might even be fending off tedious questions about it.
The image of her pretending not to care while secretly thrilled about it brought an involuntary smile to his lips.
It was right around the time the gathering was wrapping up.
Suddenly, Adrian let out a groan, his face draining of color.
“Ugh.”
He looked unwell at a glance, so Alferen reacted.
“What’s wrong?”
“Feels like that stuff I ate earlier’s stuck. Urk. I’m supposed to pick up Delly soon. Hng! Bathroom first…”
Adrian twisted uncomfortably, dragging his feet with effort.
That was when Aslan clapped him hard on the back.
“Hey, you check the rowing match brackets for next week?”
“Gah!”
Adrian toppled over flat, his face going ashen.
The immediate crisis had passed, thank goodness, but this wasn’t the sort of stomachache that’d be over with one trip to the toilet.
In this state, there was no way he could go fetch Rodellia.
Adrian gazed at Alferen with a pitiful pout.
“Alferen, mind doing me a favor?”
Alferen could already guess what he’d ask next, even without hearing it.
“Sure. I’ll go.”
It worked out perfectly—he’d been pondering how to tag along after her anyway, so the decision was easy.
Adrian bolted straight for the bathroom, while Alferen headed back to his estate.
A guy like my brother, if he really puts his mind to dressing up, there’s no woman he couldn’t charm.
The outfit he had on now felt far too rumpled to greet Rodellia in.
Right on schedule, Alferen finished his elaborate primping and set off for the city center.
And just as he stepped into the dessert café.
Even with every eye in the place turning to Alferen, Rodellia remained utterly absorbed in the cake right in front of her.
Our Delly’s got zero interest in Alferen…
Zero interest…
Interest…
In that moment, Adrian’s confident voice echoed in Alferen’s ears like a curse.
