Chapter 34 - Are You Okay?

Laila was a woman he couldn’t define with words even after spending almost an entire day with her. At first, it was sympathy that drew him close to her. She was naive and cute.

‘It’s not like my perception about her has changed, but it’s hard to describe it.’

Venio summed up his thoughts by thinking that Laila was a very unique person. It didn’t cross his mind that what has changed was his own feelings.

“We’re here. I’ll wait for you outside.”

The day’s schedule was almost coming to an end. After she packed up her belongings from the Estevan’s, they would move into the Grand Duke’s residence.

“Then…” she said.

“Go ahead. Call me if you need me, okay?”

“Yes, I will.”

It was just one day, but something had already changed.

Laila felt like it had been a while since she walked by herself, so she took a couple of steps in the same spot, then glanced at the handsome man who was smiling at her from behind. She then went inside her dwelling, looking a little bit relieved.

Venio’s smile dimmed as he watched her back as she went into her old dwelling. He pressed his lips together as if he was holding back something badly. He felt the urge to go in with her because of something else he couldn’t tell Laila.

Laila encountered her brothers in her old dwelling.

* * *

It was a coincidence that they were all waiting for Laila at her dwelling. Rakiel, the second brother, was here first. For some reason, Rakiel had come to Laila’s place with a grimace on his face.

‘Just you come back and see what I’ll do!’ Rakiel had said as he was waiting, but he wasn’t quite sure what he was going to say when Laila actually came back.

Laos had been looking out the window more often today than any other day, and especially in the direction of Laila’s dwelling. He then spotted Rakiel walking around in front of her place, looking mad.

“…”

When Laos first noticed him, his facial expression couldn’t be described with words. He felt as if he had discovered a stalker.

So, he headed to Laila’s place to fetch his pathetic brother. He really didn’t want to, but he thought this was getting a little bit too much.

He was just a little bit annoyed.

“What are you doing, Rakiel?”

“Brother?”

“Are you waiting for her? Why?”

“…”

Rakiel couldn’t say anything. He looked at his brother, who was watching him as if he saw some sort of a pervert or something. But suddenly, Rakiel was shouting at Laos, seemingly angry.

“I just—! Just—!”

Laos let out a soft sigh, then started dragging his brother by the ear with an indifferent expression.

“Ahh! Ahhh! Let me go! Brother! Let me go!!”

“…”

“I was going to give the beggar some advice!”

Laos stopped, tilted his head, and asked, “What advice?”

Blushingly, Rakiel responded, “Grand Duke Arsen, huh? He’s terrible! I know a bit about him and I don’t think he’s normal.”

Laos looked at Rakiel with an unreadable expression as he listened to his nonsense. But he understood that Rakiel hated the Grand Duke.

Venio’s sword skills were beyond human level, and that drove Rakiel, who was passionate about swordsmanship, insane. Also, the Grand Duke’s unique authoritative and imposing aura was the opposite of Rakiel’s.

‘But still, it’s unbelievable that he hates the Grand Duke so much that he thinks he’s not normal.’

As Laos looked at him strangely, Rakiel collected his breath and recalled what happened in the past. When the Grand Duke was at the Estevan’s, he had thrown the stone Rakiel had thrown at him, back at Rakiel so easily as if he were breathing.

“He’s someone who can turn a stone into a murder weapon.”

“He is the Grand Duke, Rakiel.”

“Ah, anyway, he couldn’t possibly be taking the beggar because he’s in love with her, right?”

“What else, then?”

When Rakiel felt Laos was actually listening to him, he grew excited and said, “He’s planning to eat her up.”

“You are unbelievably idiotic.”

“Argh!”

In Rakiel’s mind, the Grand Duke was the Evil Duke. Laos found it hard to believe that Rakiel, who was no longer a child, had such thoughts. But it had been a strange day for Laos as well.

“…”

It was unusual, but Laos realized he agreed with something Rakiel said. He couldn’t say anything to Laila, but there was one thing he kept wanting to say to her. It was really not like him to think this way.

‘Are you okay? Just wondering,’ Laos thought.

He just simply wanted to say that to her.