Chapter 81
“Ah, yes. I’m in charge of the mana core exercises. But… did I ever tell you that?”
“Yeah, I’m pretty sure you did?”
“I guess I must’ve. My memory’s been all over the place lately.”
I lied with confidence — and Eden actually bought it.
Thank goodness. I was worried he’d start asking questions.
“Anyway, in that case, shouldn’t you be seeing Alperen often? I heard you two haven’t even run into each other…”
At that, Eden’s expression darkened. He rubbed his forehead as if already exhausted by the mere topic.
“Don’t even get me started. I’m the one suffering the most from that situation. The Tower Master refuses to meet Miss Summer in person. So now I’m acting as the middleman between them. I have no idea why his social anxiety suddenly flared up again.”
I knew it. He was avoiding her on purpose.
That confirmed my theory — but made it even harder to understand him.
I slapped my forehead in frustration.
‘What on earth is going on in that man’s head?’
I literally set him up with a perfect match — and he’s avoiding her? How does that make any sense?
***
Finally, the long-awaited day arrived.
The Crown Prince’s birthday banquet — the night when the original story began.
‘Of course, nothing ever goes according to plan.’
Just a few days earlier, I’d found out that while Alperen was busy dodging Summer, Adrian had met her instead.
The news had completely drained my energy.
‘How am I supposed to fix this? Can it even be fixed?’
I’d been so preoccupied with that thought that I could hardly focus on anything else.
By the time I finished getting ready and stood in front of the carriage, someone called out—
“Hey.”
Alperen greeted me as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Wait. What?
Originally, Adrian was supposed to escort me tonight.
And yet, here was Alperen — perfectly dressed, dazzling even, in a way that matched my gown’s colors exactly.
It was as if he already knew what I’d wear.
And something told me the person who leaked that information was… my dear brother.
Alperen smiled brightly and offered his hand.
A perfect gentleman, as always.
But I instinctively stepped back, narrowing my eyes in suspicion.
“Why are you here, Alperen?”
Something about this felt too deliberate — like a setup.
“Adrian said something came up, so he asked me to take his place.”
“My brother did?”
Ha. Of course. It was him.
I felt a wave of disbelief wash over me.
While I was still processing it, Alperen gently guided me toward the carriage.
“I thought you already knew. I told you last time, remember? That we’d see each other again.”
So that hadn’t just been a polite goodbye after all.
Before I knew it, I was in the carriage with him, my mind a tangled mess.
That meant he’d been planning this meeting since before the day we ran into each other at the clubhouse.
The situation felt eerily familiar. It reminded me of the time he had once taken Adrian’s place for something similar.
Keeping my distance, I asked bluntly,
“So… this isn’t the first time you’ve filled in for him, is it?”
“What do you mean by that?”
“You and my brother didn’t plan this together, did you?”
At my direct accusation, Alperen chuckled softly.
He crossed one leg over the other, utterly unbothered.
“I honestly have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t play dumb. My brother wouldn’t just ditch me without a good reason.”
Because my brother, Adrian, was an incurable sister-complex case.
He knew things were awkward between me and Alperen — and yet he’d still set this up?
That wasn’t like him at all.
Unless…
Unless Alperen had orchestrated this whole thing.
I couldn’t be sure — maybe it really was coincidence — but I still didn’t trust it.
Then Alperen said quietly,
“He really did have something come up. He asked me as a favor. Apparently, he’s escorting someone else tonight.”
“Someone… else?”
No. Please don’t tell me—
As soon as his next words came out, my worst fear was confirmed.
“Summer Klophen — the academy professor working with the Tower.”
‘Unbelievable!’
And just like that, everything clicked.
So Adrian had already fallen for Summer.
Of course he had. In the original story, he’d fallen for her at first sight — head over heels like some lovestruck fool. Readers had loved him for that.
But for me, the one who’d been tossed aside because of it…
This was beyond frustrating.
‘Seriously? This is too much. Didn’t he once say he’d never let me marry and wanted me to stay with him forever?!’
I trembled with pure betrayal.
And that was when Alperen, who had quietly moved closer, reached out and tucked a stray lock of my hair behind my ear.
I froze, blinking up at him, completely dazed.
It had been so long since we’d been alone like this.
Alperen gazed down at me, his voice soft and warm.
“You look beautiful tonight.”
His tone carried such gentle affection that my heart skipped.
I glanced away quickly, murmuring under my breath,
“Ah… you look great too, today.”
“Really? I’m glad.”
“…”
“I wanted to look good for you.”
He smiled shyly, rubbing the corner of his lips.
That embarrassed little gesture made me blush too.
He’d always been effortlessly kind with his words.
‘But what does this mean now?’
Let’s see…
Adrian had ditched me to escort Summer — and Alperen had taken his place.
My brother probably didn’t even know we’d broken up.
He must’ve thought we’d just had a fight and figured this would help us make up.
‘Then Alperen must’ve been caught off guard too.’
Neither of them probably expected this arrangement to be awkward.
“Sorry,” I said quietly. “My brother must’ve inconvenienced you with his request.”
“Not at all. Actually, I’m glad.”
“…Glad?”
“I can’t stand seeing you next to any man but me.”
His lips curved in a small smile — but his eyes were dark, intense.
There was something possessive in that gaze, something dangerously deep.
It wasn’t the gentle Alperen I knew.
It was almost… seductive.
His words could easily be misunderstood — they sounded almost like a claim.
Heat rushed to my face. I didn’t know how to respond and looked away quickly.
Then, as if remembering something, he said quietly,
“Eden told me. That he asked you for a favor he shouldn’t have.”
“Ah. Please don’t be hard on him. I was the one who insisted on asking about it.”
“Why?”
“Why? Because… I wanted to help you.”
His question caught me off guard.
He brushed my cheek lightly as he whispered,
“We’re not in a contract anymore. We’re practically strangers now. You won’t even see me — and yet you were trying to help my father behind my back?”
That one sentence hit straight through me.
He wasn’t wrong to feel frustrated.
After all, I was the one who’d ended things — and now I was secretly helping his family.
Even I had to admit it sounded ridiculous.
Unable to face him, I lowered my head. My hands, still joined with his, were clammy with sweat.
“I just thought… even if our relationship was short, I wanted to do the right thing. I wanted to help however I could.”
“Is that really the only reason?”
“…”
“Rodelia, look at me.”
Alperen gently cupped my face, lifting my chin.
Our eyes met — and what I saw there stole my breath.
His gaze was warm. Tender.
Why was he looking at me like that?
There was affection in his eyes — and something new. Something bright, like realization.
Like a man who had just found the answer to a question he’d been asking for a long time… and was afraid to lose it again.
