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“Brother!”
Lucas burst open the door to Izmel’s office and ran in.
“Luke, what did I say?”
“Knock when I enter the office…”
“You know very well. Go out and come back in.”
Without taking his eyes off the papers, Izmel pointed out Lucas’ behavior. He pursed his lips and trudged out of the room.
Knock, knock, knock.
Izmel’s mouth drew a long arc at the sound of knocking at his waist level. He asked, pretending not to know.
“Who is it?”
“Luke…”
Lucas’ voice sounded from outside the door.
“Come in.”
Izmel’s gaze, which had been on the papers the whole time, shifted to his brother’s youthful face.
“Did you have a good class today? Did you study hard?”
“Yeah. But that’s not important at all.”
If the guy who went to study said that it’s not important, then what’s important…
Izmel let out a small laugh as if it were absurd.
“Then what is important?”
“We have a big problem, Brother. It’s a really big problem.”
“What big problem.”
“Teacher and Demian’s older brother might be something serious.”
“Kaidel?”
Yes, sometimes there can be more important things than studies.
Izmel, somewhat approving of Lucas’ words, reached his hand toward the teacup. The topic of Eleanor always intrigued him. Lately, he had been so focused on getting to know Eleanor personally that he hadn’t paid much attention to the love triangle.
“Why did you think so?”
It felt like his throat was burning somehow. Izmel took a sip of the cooled tea.
“Demian said he slept with the Duke and Teacher.”
Lucas opened his mouth. The back and forth explanations were easily skipped over.
The bomb that Demian lightly put down was thrown straight through Lucas’s mouth to Izmel.
Ptooey.
Izmel spat out the tea from the cup he had been holding. He coughed and asked in disbelief.
“What…?”
“Demian said so. If Brother won’t eat it, can I take this?”
Lucas, completely oblivious to what a huge misunderstanding he has just created, giggled as he stretched out his hand for the refreshments. Either way, Izmel just stared at Lucas’s face with blank eyes.
“I told you already, so you take care of the rest.”
With both hands full of sweet treats, Lucas left his seat. Sienna said that if he wasn’t an idiot he could come up with a way to do something.
‘He’s smart, so he’ll take care of himself!’
On the other hand, Izmel’s smart brain was completely dark. He thought so much that he couldn’t think of anything.
Duke, Teacher, slept.
His head pounded at the three powerful words. Judging from Lucas’ usual language habits, he must have cut out the context and spat out only the words he liked. Yeah, it’s originally like that.
For a very brief moment, the unholy imagination unconsciously passed through his mind.
Izmel took out a handkerchief and tidied up the surroundings, trying to get the unpleasant scene out of his mind. The air around Izmel grew chilly as his mood hit rock bottom. His face, which always had a smooth smile that never faded, was frighteningly expressionless.
It was something he was watching with interest. His cousin, who had been acting like a wooden stone all along, did something that wasn’t like me, so he secretly teased him from the side.
Eleanor Everett.
News of Eleanor always amused Izmel. She was pleasant to be together with, and every word with her was pleasant. He thought she was a good person. It’s true that he was very interested in it.
But he thought it was just there. A good person, someone who makes him feel good. Of course, a person whom he favors.
‘But why am I in such a bad mood?’
There is a mountain of work to do, so much that it’s endless in his eyes.
Izmel, feeling frustrated inside, roughly loosened his cravat. He couldn’t understand himself at all.
Life as the Crown Prince who has to walk only the right way without making the slightest mistake. Izmel wore a good-natured smile and joked as if it was his armor. Ironically, Izmel realized early on that the slightly pitiful appearance was the most effective protection for him.
Intriguing thing. Interesting news. Something new.
Moments of preoccupation with such things were like a kind of breathing space for Izmel. It was a bit eccentric, but it was also a way for him to feel temporarily relieved of the sense of obligation surrounding him.
That’s how his interest in Eleanor began. He read the articles and heard the rumors. He couldn’t be satisfied with that and met her in person. However, his curiosity towards her didn’t stop.
He suddenly thought of her while working, while walking on the street, and while trying to sleep. He thought of what kind of joke to blush Eleanor’s cheeks next time he saw her, and it made him giggle.
Izmel realized that his interest in Eleanor wasn’t a passing wind.
He wanted to get to know more about the person she was. Human to human, as a good friend.
When he was with her, he laughed heartily, and the silly jokes he threw out because he wanted to see her smile were even sweet to the end.
He thought it was a short break to safely endure his daily life. Yet at this moment, Izmel couldn’t even get his hands on the papers, with her in his thoughts. It should’ve been just a host-guest situation.
“It shouldn’t be anything.”
Izmel wiped his face nervously.
He just has to smile and pass by as usual. He heard an interesting story, but he should have fun for a while.
Oddly enough, it wasn’t enjoyable at all. He didn’t laugh at all. No, his stomach was boiling.
Izmel had to admit. The more he tried to deny it, the more he tried to ignore it, it only made him look more ridiculous. Izmel didn’t want Eleanor as ‘a human being’ or ‘a good friend’.
He was helplessly drawn to her.
In the most visceral and emotional way that doesn’t suit him at all.
***
Could this be an overly experimental attempt? What if it’s messed up?
Contrary to Eleanor’s concerns, as soon as the newspaper article about her appeared, applications for experience poured in from the next day. She doesn’t know what percentage of those who applied for the free trial will lead to payment, but it was half the success.
“Rian, how many copies are left in stock now?”
“Thirty copies are all for emergencies.”
“We’ll have to get that out first.”
Eleanor, who sat opposite Adrian in the drawing room, said, rubbing her aching shoulders. Her mind was almost bewildered by the sudden rush of work, but she felt more refreshed than usual.
“Father said that we should print one more time.”
“Should we? Ah, I really have no idea.”
“You’re doing great. I think you need to do some interviews starting next week.”
“Interview? Ugh…”
It was a complete delusion to think that they would only print a little more of what she had made and not have much to worry about. Eleanor admitted that she took business too lightly. Her body didn’t have to move, and she only had to make decisions both big and small.
“Ellen, you don’t look good. Should I bring you something to drink?”
“Yeah, just water, please.”
Eleanor answered in a weary voice. Adrian headed to the kitchen with his familiarity, and returned with water and a light snack from the maid.
“El…”
Adrian, who was about to call Eleanor out of habit, bit his mouth shut. She was dozing off.
‘How tired she must have been.’
He made Eleanor lie down with a careful touch and gently covered her with his outer garment.
“Good night.”
Adrian whispered silently. He sat in front of Eleanor, resting his chin on his hand, staring at her sleeping face.
It was the same face as when she was young, yet his heart looking at her face wasn’t the same at all.
[Whoa, you really look like an angel. Just like a magazine model.]
[What’sh that…?]
[You don’t have to know. You just have to grow up just the way you are, okay? Are you going to marry Sister when you grow up well?]
(fyi ‘sister’ refers to eleanor, who might be older than adrian)
Suddenly recalling the day he and Eleanor first met, Adrian let out a silent laugh.
She was an eccentric girl. At times, he felt a sense of distance because she wasn’t quite like their peers.
Until they were seven years old, he was tricked into calling Eleanor ‘sister’ by how much she told him that she was born only a month earlier.
Just like that, when you grow up, marry this Sister. Drink a lot of milk, go to bed early. That’s how you need to grow up.
Every time they met, she said that like a joke. He remembered the times when he ran away from her eagerly, afraid to hear her words again.
“At that time, we should have put a stamp on it. You swindler girl.”
That’s what he said, yet in fact, the one he resented the most was himself. Somewhere between friendship and love, he was always cowardly.
He doesn’t know how hard he tried to give up his feelings towards Eleanor. He even impulsively climbed into the carriage, wondering if being far away from her would make him clear his mind. Adrian thought he had cleared his mind, yet when he returned and saw Eleanor, he realized he had been completely mistaken.
“I hope it’s not too late.”
Adrian suddenly remembered a conversation he had with Sienna a few days ago.
[Uncle, Demian and the Duke slept over at Teacher’s house.]
It’s nothing important. With her personality, she couldn’t have sent back a child who was surprised.
Thinking so, Adrian soothed Sienna with a calm tone, but his insides burned black every minute. It bothered him because the Duke and Eleanor seemed to be getting closer these days.
A burdensomely handsome look. Unsociable and blunt personality. The fate of the family to stand in the lead unconditionally in the event of a war.
He tried hard to catch his flaws and calm his anxiety, yet he failed every time.
A good appearance was simply a good thing, whether it was terribly good or horribly good. Didn’t Eleanor say that it’s the face for men?
Come to think of it, on the other side of his sociable and blunt personality, it means that he’s a person who is faithful only to his own person without looking away. Although he was blunt, looking at him these days, he was dealing with Eleanor with a mushy face like an idiot like never before. If he had a tail, it would probably be wagging vigorously without a moment’s rest.
The last downside pointed out was, in fact, almost forced. First, it’s meaningless in the first place if there is no war, and second, it means that he’s a strong and capable man.
Adrian grinded his teeth.
‘You have eyes that uselessly catch sight of people for nothing.’
Sleeping Eleanor’s cheek was pressed against the desk and her mouth opened slightly. Adrian, who was staring at Eleanor, who was soundly asleep, let out a dejected laugh. His mind is so complicated, yet her face is just peaceful.
Adrian lazily tilted his head and whispered softly.
“Ellen, I like you for being tactless, and I hate it too.”
Sometimes I hate you, and then I just like you. If you smile while looking at me, I will laugh along without thinking about it again. What a fool.
“I wish I was the only one who could see you asleep like this.”