Chapter 26
Adrian leaned his head on his clasped hands and said,
“I only just found out too. I thought the only thing Deli ever cared about was dessert.”
When they were children, Rodelia had loved swordsmanship.
Her favorite thing was to spar with Adrian.
But at some point, she stopped picking up the sword and instead spent more and more time sitting at her desk.
‘Deli, let’s duel!’
‘I don’t use swords anymore.’
‘Why not?’
‘Just… it’s boring now.’
Even so, she still loved collecting real swords.
According to May, there were even times Rodelia secretly practiced on her own.
“…I think maybe Deli lost interest in swordsmanship because of me,” Adrian admitted.
“Wouldn’t be surprising. If you’ve got an overwhelming sibling, it kind of kills the will to compete,” Julia agreed, pointing at Aslan.
“Every time I see that monster’s stamina, I get annoyed too.”
“What are you talking about? You’re always calling me a noodle-brain with nothing but pasta stuffed in my head.”
“Because it’s true. Honestly, if it weren’t for that monster stamina of yours, you’d be nothing more than dead weight to our family.”
“You little—!”
Aslan puffed up in anger, while Julia stuck out her tongue to tease him further.
That was when Adrian spoke again.
“Still, I’m glad she’s found something new to be interested in. I just hope she makes lots of friends too.”
“I’m curious about her myself. I’ve only heard things secondhand. Maybe I should drop by your house to meet her?”
Aslan leaned back lazily on the sofa as he asked.
But both Alperen and Adrian cut him off at the same time.
“You’re absolutely not allowed.”
“Stay away from Deli, you devil!”
Adrian even threw his poker cards at Aslan like he was performing an exorcism.
Aslan dodged, protesting loudly.
“Why?! How come Alperen can see her but I can’t? It’s not like looking at her face will wear it out! What, you think I’m asking to marry your sister or something—”
Thud!
Alperen slammed a chess piece down onto the board so hard it split in two with a crack.
Everyone’s eyes swung toward him.
Aslan muttered, glancing at the board,
“…Hey, why are you the one getting mad?”
“I’m not angry.”
Alperen calmly repaired the board with magic, as if nothing had happened.
Breaking it, then fixing it himself.
Aslan stared, baffled, and turned to Julia.
“…Shouldn’t we hear the chessboard’s opinion on this one, sis?”
“You’re right,” Julia murmured, sneaking a look at Alperen in surprise.
Ever since Aslan had shown interest in Adrian’s sister, Alperen’s expression had hardened.
Oh-ho.
Julia’s eyes gleamed with sudden realization.
Then Adrian shouted again, puffing up his chest.
“Anyway—you’re absolutely not allowed! My precious Deli is far, far too good for the likes of you! If you even get within a hundred meters of her, I won’t let you off!”
“Excuse me?! I’m a pretty good catch myself, you know! She’s already debuted, so we’re bound to run into each other at parties. Why are you guarding her like this?”
Unusually, Aslan’s protest was logical.
Adrian frowned deeply and answered seriously,
“This isn’t being overprotective. It’s legitimate care.”
“Care? Please. Doesn’t your sister hate you doing this? You’re not seriously planning to stalk her to every party and scare away her partners, are you?”
“Of course I am. Any scoundrel who dares approach my Deli—I’ll dig up their whole family and ruin them.”
Adrian muttered darkly, sending Aslan recoiling in alarm.
“…Are you sure this guy’s alright? He’s way over the line,” Aslan whispered, hoping Alperen would agree.
But instead—
“He’s doing very well.”
Alperen, face unreadable, sided with Adrian.
Two peas in a pod. What a terrifying duo.
With Alperen backing him up, Adrian doubled down, glaring at Aslan.
“In short, don’t you dare get interested in my sister. That’s a warning.”
Julia, who had been watching quietly until now, suddenly cut in.
“Hmm. Then what about Alperen?”
Her abrupt question made Adrian blink.
“Think about it. He’s been close with your sister since childhood. If the two of them started dating, would you allow it?”
Her tone was playful, but her eyes gleamed with mischief.
Unlike when Aslan was mentioned, Adrian didn’t reject it immediately.
He thought for a moment, then answered breezily,
“Oh, that’s no worry. Deli’s not interested in Alperen. She probably only thinks of him as, like, a second older brother.”
“….”
“Oh, really? What a shame.”
Julia glanced at Alperen, who had gone stiff as a board.
Not hostility like with Aslan—worse. Complete lack of concern. That would sting far more.
And sure enough, as Adrian stood up to fetch more wine, his foot “accidentally” caught on Alperen’s leg.
Crash!
“Ugh—hey!”
“Oops. My mistake.”
Alperen smiled politely and offered his hand.
“You alright?”
“You bastard, you did that on purpose, didn’t you?!”
“Guess I forgot how long my legs were. Why’d you walk there?”
“You little—!”
While Adrian and Alperen growled at each other, Julia’s suspicions only grew stronger.
How fascinating. Alperen, of all people, throwing petty tantrums like this?
Normally, he was expressionless—the perfect noble, the flawless model student.
But now? Acting childishly over his friend’s little sister.
I’ve read plenty of romance novels where this is exactly how it starts…
And now that he was freshly broken off from Nanael? Who knew how things would develop.
This year’s social season is going to be fun.
Adrian’s careless words had hit Alperen harder than anyone realized.
“Deli’s not interested in Alperen.”
Hearing that had unsettled him more than he could admit.
She must have heard the news of my annulment by now, he thought.
She was probably at that dessert café in the capital today, dealing with nosy questions.
No doubt she was pretending indifference while secretly overjoyed. Just imagining her bright expression made him smile faintly.
The gathering wrapped up soon after.
Suddenly, Adrian went pale and groaned.
“Ugh…”
Something was clearly wrong.
“What’s the matter?” Alperen asked.
“I think something I ate isn’t sitting well… ngh. And I was supposed to pick up Deli soon. I—ah! Bathroom, first…”
Adrian staggered to his feet, clutching his stomach.
Aslan clapped him hard on the back.
“Hey, did you check the rowing match lineup for next week?”
“Argh!!”
Adrian collapsed, looking worse than ever.
Clearly, this wasn’t just a quick bathroom trip—he was in no shape to fetch Rodelia.
He looked pitifully at Alperen.
“…Alperen, can I ask you a favor?”
Alperen already knew what the request would be.
“…Fine. I’ll go.”
He had been wondering how to get himself invited along anyway. No need to hesitate.
Adrian bolted to the washroom while Alperen headed for the estate.
“If Oppa ever actually tried, there wouldn’t be a single woman he couldn’t charm.”
That was what Rodelia had once said.
Glancing at his own clothes, Alperen decided they weren’t nearly good enough to greet her with.
So he dressed himself up in formal finery before heading to the capital.
When he stepped into the dessert café, everyone’s eyes turned toward him at once.
Everyone’s—except Rodelia’s.
She was utterly absorbed in the cake in front of her.
Deli’s not interested in Alperen…
Not interested…
Not interested…
Adrian’s words echoed in his ears like a curse.
