Chapter 51 Translation
“Delly?”
Whether Alperen was calling my name in confusion or not, I continued listing the charms of Summer Cloppen in detail.
“And the most important thing is that she’s practical, cheerful, and understands my brother’s heart well!”
Right. Summer suits Alperen perfectly.
Sorry, but that’s none of my business.
As I swallowed the words that might upset Adrian if he heard them, I couldn’t help but chuckle quietly.
Alperen tilted his head, asking, “Delly, did you understand correctly?”
“Of course.”
In the end, my brother’s preference is Summer, right?
Hmm, hmm.
I guess now that Nanael is out of the picture, it’s naturally leading to Summer.
Maybe I should step aside in advance.
Alperen, who had been watching me with a strange look, seemed more confused as he spoke again, “You don’t look like you understood.”
“I’m all for it. A green-eyed girl is a perfect match for my brother. What about blonde hair? Since my brother has silver hair, they would look like a heavenly couple standing together.”
“…….”
“I think my brother suits gold and green. I saw it in an astrology chart yesterday. It said he has a good match with gold and green.”
“……Now you’re suggesting blonde hair?”
Alperen let out a hollow laugh.
It seemed like he was remembering the brainwashing about “beware of red hair” that I had given him before.
Just as I was about to list more of Summer’s good points, he lightly brushed my eye and said, “But the green eyes are right.”
His intense gaze made me feel like he was staring into my soul.
“That’s exactly what you said,” he added.
With that, Alperen walked away, his face looking unusually bitter. I couldn’t say anything else about Summer now.
‘Hmm. What’s going on?’
I felt weird about what just happened.
It felt like I made a huge mistake.
Just as the awkward silence hung in the air, Alperen casually started speaking.
“I think we need to formalize our contract a bit more.”
With a light smile, Alperen grabbed my hand. His fingers intertwined with mine firmly, almost as if he was making sure I couldn’t escape.
Looking down at our locked fingers, I hesitantly glanced at him.
“How?”
“We should become good practice partners for each other,” he explained.
“Practice partners?”
What do we need to practice?
Seeing my confused expression, Alperen calmly continued, “Neither you nor Nana have been in a relationship before. So we’re helping each other so we don’t act awkwardly when someone we actually like shows up.”
His smooth words left me mesmerized for a moment. I muttered without thinking.
“So you want to do a dating simulation?”
“Yeah. Just like the real thing.”
Alperen smiled and stepped closer. His fingers gently held my chin, and my lips parted instinctively.
“We’ll practice everything couples do.”
When his forehead gently touched mine, the distance between us closed in an instant.
I realized what he meant by “everything couples do.”
My face instantly turned red.
Looking at me with playful eyes, Alperen pressed his thumb gently on my lips, then pulled away.
“Of course, no pressure. You can set the frequency, but I’ll always be your practice partner when you want.”
I was frozen.
‘Is this how contract dating works?’
Wasn’t Alperen supposed to be the pure, stubborn guy who had always struggled between love and friendship, choosing friendship in the end?
I was at a loss for words, when Alperen stood up. Without realizing it, I grabbed his arm.
“How far are we going with this practice?”
Alperen chuckled softly at my question.
“Are you nervous?”
“Kind of.”
With the fake relationship making things awkwardly close, it was hard to refuse what Alperen said. In fact, I didn’t really want to refuse.
He gently detached my hand from his sleeve and intertwined it again.
“We’ve already held hands, and we’ve hugged before. The only thing left is…”
He pressed his lips to the back of my hand, his gaze now fixed on my lips.
“It’s probably the kiss.”
“…….”
“Don’t you wonder? How couples kiss?”
The teasing question almost made me say yes.
‘D-did I just think that?’
I quickly bit my lower lip, trying to avoid giving anything away.
“I-I’m not curious at all.”
Did I say that with a disappointed look?
Alperen murmured meaningfully.
“Really?”
“…….”
“I’m curious.”
That moment, his words echoed in my ears.
I’m curious.
I’m curious.
I’m curious…
If Summer heard this, it’d be a huge problem. Alperen quietly withdrew his hand from mine.
Pfft—
It felt like my head was overheating with steam coming out.
I rubbed my hand where his lips had just touched it, and Alperen smiled at me.
“I’m always ready, Delly.”
***
Magia Club Visit to the Tower
On the day of the visit to the Tower, the Magia Club members’ eyes sparkled as they arrived in the lobby.
After a while, when the entrance pass was handed over, Sierra exclaimed in excitement, “Glaster, can I pinch your cheek?”
“Huh? Ugh… ow!”
Glaster responded in a daze, his eyes filling with tears.
Realizing that it wasn’t a dream but real, Sierra grabbed my hand.
“Miss, I mean, Rodelia! Is this really happening? To see magical plants and creatures at the Tower… it’s like a dream!”
“They said we can only look, not touch or feed them.”
I had to remind them, thanks to Eden’s strict warnings.
Sierra and Glaster were practically in another world, their excitement contagious. Lottie was quietly standing by, while Edwin was munching on some leaves in his pockets.
Just then, Eden, with a protective hood, said, “Those leaves are confiscated.”
Edwin spat out the leaves, embarrassed by Eden’s stern command.
“Tch. You’re so annoying.”
Eden then pointed at his pockets, “Let me see what’s in there.”
“Ugh. So picky,” Edwin mumbled as he reluctantly removed leaves from his pockets.
I was curious about what he had been hiding, so I asked Eden, “What are those?”
“Magical plants that magical creatures love. Like catnip for cats,” Eden explained.
I shot a glare at Edwin.
“What did you steal?”
Not meeting my gaze, he muttered defensively, “I just… wanted to keep it.”
No way! His excuse sounded just like a thief caught in the act.
After making sure there was nothing else that could disturb the magical creatures, we boarded the elevator.
As Glaster played with the hood, he said, “This magic is so intricate. It feels like my presence has completely disappeared.”
“Good. This hood has special magic that blocks sounds and smells,” Eden explained.
“Magical creatures are very sensitive to their surroundings. If there are too many visitors, they get stressed out,” Sierra added.
Eden looked impressed by their insight, “When you said you were visiting the Tower, I thought it was just a joke, but you guys are serious.”
Eden’s blunt honesty caught me off guard.
Sierra, though, wasn’t bothered. She smiled confidently, “Our club may be new, but we’ll be famous soon.”
She said it with such certainty, as if she had a hidden agenda.
