Chapter 13….
Sensitive Titles
She had no idea when he’d come in or how much he’d heard, but when Aileen looked up at Lloyd in shock, he casually lowered his hand. She was sure she had heard him laugh, yet his expression was as calm and unreadable as ever. Lloyd’s eyes swept through the room with an inscrutable gaze, and when they met Aileen’s, he gave her a faint, passing smile.
“How could you say something like that—about being embarrassed by your brother?”
“What? I never said I was embarrassed.”
“I heard everything.”
Lloyd made it blatantly obvious that he’d been listening. Aileen couldn’t help thinking that normal people either make their presence known or at least pretend not to hear—but instead, he was acting so shameless that she was at a loss for words.
Well, it’s not like she didn’t already know how brazen he was.
…She did.
Aileen’s face gradually stiffened.
[You had a scowl plastered all over your face.]
[Isn’t that guy always doing whatever he wants?]
[Well, he does think the world revolves around him. Humility probably isn’t his thing.]
“……”
They’d been talking about the Grand Duke. Surely he hadn’t heard that part too…?
“From where did you hear us?”
“The conversation between the two of you?”
“Yes.”
“Pretty much all of it.”
Did that mean he heard nearly everything, or almost nothing? Aileen hesitated, thinking that asking might just make things worse, when—
“What brings you here?”
Ethan, who had been watching, stepped forward and asked.
Ah, right. Aileen’s expression brightened at once. If she just asked why he came and sent him off quickly, that would be best. She looked at Lloyd eagerly, wanting to get rid of him as fast as possible. Lloyd accepted the intense gaze from the siblings without a flicker of discomfort.
“Count Claudia is leaving.”
“Ah…”
He didn’t have to say, “Aren’t you going too?” Everyone understood the implication. Aileen turned to Ethan, her eyes full of regret.
“Brother…”
“I guess I’ll see you next at the wedding.”
“Yeah.”
“You’re not embarrassed of me, are you?”
Ethan tried to cheer up the gloomy Aileen with a playful comment. Her face flushed red in an instant as she shouted,
“Of course not! It’s because you’re too handsome that I’m worried. I can’t protect you.”
“You’re going to protect me?”
“Of course. I don’t want to lose you.”
Aileen said this with a sorrowful look, speaking from the heart. She could still clearly remember Ethan lying pale in his coffin, eyes closed. That image made her want to protect him even more. She didn’t want to lose him again, even if it meant staking her once-in-a-lifetime marriage on it. That was how desperately Aileen didn’t want to see her brother die.
“Anyone would think you were sending him off to war.”
Lloyd, who’d been listening to the siblings’ exchange, leaned closer to Aileen and spoke. His proximity made her shrink back. She tried not to be conscious of it, but she couldn’t ignore the warmth steadily spreading across her back.
“It’s a big event, so I was just worried.”
“Sure. Let’s go with that.”
“It’s not ‘let’s go with that,’ it’s the truth.”
Annoyed at Lloyd twisting her words, Aileen shot him a sidelong glare before turning to Ethan.
“Ethan?”
She turned to finish their goodbyes, but froze. Ethan’s expression—until now quiet—looked odd.
“What’s wrong?”
“Uh… nothing.”
His face said he had a lot on his mind, but his words said it was nothing. Aileen asked again, but got no answer.
“Brother.”
“You seem like you’ll be fine. I was worried for nothing.”
“See you at the wedding, Aileen.”
Ethan waved to Lloyd, then walked down the corridor.
I’ll see him again at the wedding. Please, let nothing happen to him…
As soon as her brother was gone, Aileen became acutely aware of the presence behind her. She debated whether to turn and acknowledge him, then squeezed her eyes shut.
If I just ignore him, maybe he’ll leave on his own…
Wishful thinking. It didn’t work.
Aileen cautiously cracked one eye open—then startled and opened both wide. A hand had suddenly appeared in front of her, imposing as if to engulf her face. Lloyd’s outstretched hand reached right up to her head and landed there.
What on earth is he doing?
Aileen stared blankly as Lloyd narrowed his eyes and smiled.
“You’re not going to get mad over a little pat on the head, are you?”
He asked with a deceptively mild expression.
“I’ve always been selfish, you see. I grew up thinking the world revolved around me, so I just do whatever I want. Got a problem with that?”
“……”
Aileen’s lips parted soundlessly. She couldn’t say a word. He’d heard everything—the complaints about him—and was now deliberately bringing it up in his own petty way.
Slowly, she lifted her hand and pulled his off her head. She couldn’t exactly ask why he’d touched her without permission, not when he was referring to the conversation he’d overheard.
“Sorry.”
She glanced up at him nervously. If she’d had bunny ears, they would have drooped pitifully.
“I badmouthed the Grand Duke a little.”
“It wasn’t just a little.”
“My brother was worried because your reputation isn’t exactly good. And when I met you in person… well, it kind of reinforced it…”
She could have lied, but Aileen chose honesty. Lloyd had known she wasn’t the type to mince words, but hearing her say it so bluntly made him let out a short laugh.
She was really that shameless—openly admitting to talking about him.
Lloyd covered his mouth with his hand again, stifling inappropriate laughter. Aileen, misreading his gesture as hurt, hurried to add,
“But I’m not someone who sees the world negatively or lives consumed by jealousy. It’s just… a little bit of gossip about a certain person.”
“Excuses don’t matter.”
Since it really was an excuse, Aileen closed her mouth.
“The wedding.”
“You’re not… going to cancel it, are you? Even if you do, not with my brother!”
Startled, she warned him preemptively. Lloyd opened his mouth to speak, then paused, lost in thought. When he finally spoke again, his words caught her off guard.
“I’ll protect your brother at the wedding.”
She hadn’t expected that at all. Aileen looked up at him in surprise.
“…Really?”
“Yes. I mean, who would dare touch the Grand Duke’s in-law? But that alone isn’t enough. I’ll arrange for knights so no alpha can even approach him.”
Aileen’s face lit up, but then a sudden thought made her expression freeze again.
“But what if one of the guards falls for my brother? For Ethan?”
It was a natural concern, but Lloyd’s eyebrow twitched. He gave her a look that said, you really dote on your brother, and replied,
“I’ll make sure they’re all betas. And if his heat is expected around then, tell me in advance. I have cycle stabilizers ready.”
“You’ll give him cycle stabilizers? Stabilizers?”
“Yes. Stabilizers, not suppressants.”
Aileen covered her mouth to hide the grin threatening to escape.
He’s giving us stabilizers? I can’t believe it…
Regular suppressants merely regulated pheromones. They could help control cycles with consistent use, but were useless once heat actually hit.
But there was one exception: cycle stabilizers. They were potent enough to quell heat almost instantly. The catch? They were nearly impossible to obtain. Only a handful were produced each year, their source kept secret, and only a select few could get their hands on them.
The fact that he was offering something so precious filled Aileen with joy… followed by unease.
“You’re really giving something that valuable to my brother?”
“I wouldn’t offer it if I didn’t know how valuable it was.”
He gave her a look as if to say, well, are you going to refuse? In truth, there was nothing to refuse.
Aileen nodded eagerly—then paused.
“But… why are you being so nice to me?”
Her suspicion came late, after she’d already accepted everything. Lloyd had once asked her a similar question when she’d proposed marriage and offered him everything at once.
Now that the tables were turned, it felt oddly satisfying. Protecting Ethan wasn’t that difficult, and seeing how happy Aileen looked, Lloyd felt he’d made the right decision.
“Do you want something in return?”
“What do you mean? From the start, I promised to protect you and your brother.”
“Oh…”
Aileen belatedly remembered their deal. Back then, he’d asked what she wanted, and she’d requested personal protection.
“That was supposed to be after the divorce, though.”
“Consider this an appetizer. Or stop calling him ‘oppa.’ I must’ve heard that word a thousand times today.”
Lloyd grimaced as if genuinely disgusted.
“I’d love it if you stopped saying ‘oppa.’ How about making that the price?”
“Oppa.”
“I said stop—”
“Lloyd Oppa!”
