Chapter 37
The carriage carrying Alperen rolled leisurely down the tree-lined avenue.
From a distance, he spotted Rodelia strolling through the garden and immediately ordered the coachman to stop.
“Wait here.”
Remaining at a distance, Alperen quietly watched her.
Rodelia walked alone, twirling her white lace parasol as if she were simply out for a casual stroll. But the way she kept drifting toward the entrance told him the truth: she was pretending to wander while secretly preparing to meet him, away from her family’s watchful eyes.
Ever since the public announcement of their “relationship,” the Ferris family’s supervision had become stricter than ever.
Her outfit today was lighter, fitting for summer.
That dress… I’ve never seen it before. It suits her so well.
The thought that she’d chosen something new for their first date filled his chest with a deep, heavy warmth.
But what thrilled him most of all was the pink diamond ring glimmering on her finger.
A satisfied smile spread across his lips.
Just then, a strong gust of wind caught her parasol.
“Ah!”
Rodelia reached out, but it had already flown high into the air.
Alperen used telekinesis to draw it toward him.
He was standing with the sun at his back, so when she squinted against the glare and raised her hand to shield her eyes, she called out:
“Who’s there?”
Using the parasol to cover his face, he walked lightly toward her, not wanting her to see the excitement shining in his eyes.
When he reached her, he held the parasol up, shading her from the harsh sun.
Rodelia blinked up at him, finally realizing who it was—and her face showed unguarded surprise.
That morning, I woke up unusually early.
“The breeze feels so fresh.”
I washed, dressed carefully, and even joined the family for breakfast for the first time in ages.
“Where are you going?”
Adrian’s voice came suddenly at my ear, like he was conducting a surprise inspection.
“Ack! What are you doing? You scared me! Gross!”
I rubbed my arms against the goosebumps, frowning. But then I noticed the dark shadows under his eyes and froze.
“Wait… you didn’t stay up all night, did you?”
“Couldn’t sleep. So I kept watch instead.”
What are we, in wartime? Standing guard in the middle of the night?!
Obviously, he’d spent the night patrolling near my room in case Alperen showed up.
Not that he’d even noticed when the Winder had flown in with a letter.
Adrian’s tired eyes swept me up and down.
“That’s a new dress. Where are you off to? Somewhere nice? Don’t tell me you’re going to see him?”
“Wow… you sound just like a bitter ex-boyfriend right now.”
“Ex-boyfriend? I don’t know what that means, but I do regret it. If only I hadn’t brought Alperen home that day…”
He muttered gloomily, then groaned.
“He’s completely lost it…”
I ignored him and sat down at the table.
I tried to greet Father brightly, since he was reading his newspaper.
“Good morning, Daddy!”
But the look he raised to me with—his eyes red-rimmed and damp—made me falter.
“Don’t tell me… you stayed up all night too?”
“Of course not. I just… found myself looking at your childhood portraits. I guess I’m not ready to let you go yet. Brought tears to my eyes…”
So he’d been pretending to read the paper to hide the fact he’d cried all night?!
Why is everyone acting insane over my love life?!
First Adrian, now Father… I was ready to crawl under the table.
Just then, salvation appeared.
“Good morning!”
Mother—fresh from a jog and glowing—breezed in cheerfully, completely unfazed by the gloomy atmosphere.
“Deli, you must be going on a date today?”
The moment that cursed word date left her mouth, both Father and Adrian froze, their eyes gleaming like hyenas.
“A date?”
“N-no! Not a date! I just woke up early, that’s all!”
“You know what they say—denial is confirmation. Our daughter, are you hiding something from Daddy?”
“Nope! Nothing! Let’s all just eat, okay? Hurry up!”
So much for salvation. Mother had just friendly-fired me right into their suspicions.
By the end of breakfast, Adrian still hadn’t left his seat. Normally he would’ve gone ages ago.
“Don’t you have work today, oppa?”
“…”
“Didn’t you say there was an important meeting with the Order?”
“…I was going to go.”
He looked exactly like someone caught planning to skip work.
I had my doubts, but at least he eventually trudged off.
Or so I thought.
“Mei. What are you doing there?”
“Eh? Y-you saw me?”
“Did you really think hiding behind a leaf would make you invisible?”
“Ahaha… oops.”
Mei tossed the leaf away with a sheepish grin.
Of course. Adrian had bribed her to spy on me.
“Traitor.”
I glared at her with betrayal burning in my eyes.
She waved her hands frantically.
“Not a traitor! I swear! I just couldn’t refuse after the young master gave me this ruby ring!”
He bribed you too?!
Crossing my arms, I leaned in dangerously.
“Alright, you snake. Spill everything.”
“Eep! I don’t know anything! I really didn’t know that the young master bribed the coachman and the gatekeeper, or that he set up that cursed sign banning the Duke of Ainruk from entering the estate!”
…This brother of mine.
At least Mei’s loose lips had saved me some effort.
Checking the clock, I realized it was nearly the time Alperen had promised to come.
“I’m going for a walk alone. And Mei, if you follow me, that’s real betrayal. I’ll smash that ruby ring to pieces.”
The threat made her shudder.
“Cruel mistress! Mei will retreat and guard her precious ring. Farewell!”
She scampered away, guilty expression plain as day.
That only confirmed it—meeting Alperen the normal way was impossible.
I headed into the garden toward the entrance.
Bribing Mei too? That brother of mine is really out of control.
Between his crying like Father and his bribery, it was becoming unbearable.
Would it be easier to just tell them the truth—that this was all a fake relationship?
I was still mulling it over when a sudden gust of wind made me lose hold of my parasol.
And the one who caught it was…
“Huh? Oppa? How did you get inside? I thought Adrian barred you at the gate.”
I had expected him to be stuck outside—but here Alperen was, standing inside the estate grounds.
“They just let me in.”
That couldn’t be right. No way.
As I tilted my head in confusion, Alperen tilted the parasol over me, smiling calmly.
“You look lovely today. That’s a new dress, isn’t it?”
“Oh, um… all my other clothes were in the wash!”
Of course, it was really because I’d dressed up for the date. But I wasn’t about to admit that to him.
Even at my lame excuse, his smile only deepened.
“Shall we go?”
Without hesitation, Alperen took my hand.
I thought it was just an escort’s gesture—until I realized our fingers were laced together.
“Uh…”
The natural way he held me, like breathing, made my heart stutter.
“What’s wrong?”
His calm tone, like it was the most natural thing in the world, left me with no choice but to shake my head.
Right. I agreed to play his girlfriend. Holding hands is nothing.
I’d linked arms plenty of times before under the excuse of “escorting.”
So why does it feel so hot today?
Maybe it was just the summer heat.
I was nervous, worried my palm would start sweating—when Alperen murmured,
“The weather’s nice.”
“Yeah, it is. Perfect day for a… date, right?”
I hadn’t meant to say it, but the word slipped out.
Alperen’s eyes met mine, intense.
“Were you looking forward to it?”
“Eh? N-no, I just—”
“I was.”
“…”
Is this man secretly a player…?
