Episode 58
I worried if they were reluctantly granting my request, but it seemed unfounded.
The atmosphere between the two didn’t seem bad.
No, it wasn’t just not bad, it was actually quite good.
Both of them looked very cheerful and enthusiastic.
I was relieved.
For over an hour, Luke and Ian practiced without rest, fully focused.
Then, leaving Ian alone on the training ground, Luke walked over to me.
“What about Ian?”
I looked at Luke with a puzzled expression.
“He said he wants to practice more on his own.”
“I see.”
Luke plopped down next to me.
“How have you been?”
Then he started poking around, asking about my well-being.
“Um, I’m fine. I’m okay.”
“How’s your health?”
“I’m fine physically. Since getting married, I haven’t had any more episodes of fainting.”
“Really? That’s good. Well, I admitted it back then, but your illness has definitely improved since you got married.”
“Yeah. With the Duke by my side, I don’t feel any anxiety. Especially these days, things are even better. But…”
“Why? What’s wrong?”
As I hesitated to speak, Luke quickly reacted.
“Well, it’s nothing…”
For a moment, I hesitated.
Was it okay to confide in Luke?
Among my family, Luke was the one I felt most comfortable and close with, making him the perfect person to confide in. But even so, it felt awkward to share something like this.
“It’s nothing. I just hope the illness will come sooner rather than later.”
In the end, I swallowed the words I wanted to say and changed the subject.
“It’s a bit bland.”
With a smirk, my brother tousled my hair.
“What’s the one thing you’d most want to do if you got sick?”
“The thing I’d want to do?”
“Yeah. There must be something you want to do.”
At Luke’s question, I paused for a moment, then immediately answered.
“Well, I haven’t really thought about that.”
“What? You haven’t thought about it?”
“Yeah. Besides, I can do anything anyway. So, there’s no need to do only the thing I want to do the most.”
Apart from health, if I had everything else, and even my health improved?
There was nothing in this world I couldn’t do.
“Is that so?”
Luke nodded in agreement.
“Yeah, I guess so.”
We spent some time catching up on conversations we hadn’t had in a while, and before we knew it, it was time to go back.
“I guess we should head back now.”
“Already?”
Luke looked disappointed as if he didn’t want to leave yet.
“Yeah. Since we’ll see each other often now, I’ll head back for today.”
“Okay. I understand.”
As I stood up from the bench to call Ian, I glanced at Luke.
“I feel like I haven’t said something yet.”
“What is it?”
“Thank you, brother, for listening to my request.”
“What?”
“Thank you.”
“What?”
“Oh, come on!”
It seemed like if I didn’t joke around for a day, thorns would grow in my mouth.
I slapped my brother’s shoulder, rolling my eyes.
Luke laughed at my reaction.
“Why do you always have to be so serious when saying thank you?”
“Fine. Fine.”
While still chuckling, he continued to tease.
I looked at him with an incredulous expression, then burst into laughter, finally blurting out what I wanted to say.
“But I still want to thank you till the end. I know you have thoughts about the Blighton family. Despite that, I’m really grateful you listened to my request.”
“Ayla.”
The smile on my brother’s face turned serious.
In response, my expression also became serious.
“I told you I could do anything for my little sister. And about your husband, I mean, the Duke Blighton, I think I’ve been thinking wrong about him all this time. So, you don’t have to worry about that anymore.”
I mulled over my brother’s words, which were rarely weighty.
“Still, thank you.”
“Yeah.”
My brother and I smiled widely at each other.
* * *
After parting ways with Luke, when I returned to the mansion, Lloydin hadn’t returned from the palace yet.
After having dinner with Ian alone, I waited for Lloydin in the study while finishing up some remaining work.
But even when I finished my work and returned to the bedroom, Lloydin was still not there.
Growing tired of waiting for him, I finally fell asleep, only to be jolted awake by a sensation of someone crawling into bed beside me.
“…My lord?”
Still groggy from sleep, I could immediately sense a pleasant fragrance emanating from him.
“My lady.”
As I called for Lloydin, he responded as if echoing my words.
His handsome and neat face came close enough for me to reach if I extended my hand.
He must have just washed up and come straight to the bedroom, as there was moisture at the ends of his hair.
Although his voice sounded weary, as always, his affection was palpable.
“What time is it now?”
I blinked my eyes drowsily and scanned the surroundings.
In the darkness of the room, the moonlight faintly illuminated him.
“It’s just past midnight now.”
“You’ve returned from the palace at this hour?”
“I was a bit delayed due to some work.”
“Ah… Ah, you must be tired. Go to bed quickly.”
I shifted my body slightly to make room for him and lay down again.
Lloydin, who was sitting awkwardly, lay down next to me as if following my lead, and now comfortably held my hand.
As his energy flowed into me, I felt better.
“Have you met the Young master Anaïs well?”
“Yes. It’s been a while since I’ve seen him, but he’s still the same. Ian also follows him well, so it was a good time.”
I told Lloydin everything that happened at the Politz training ground today, from start to finish.
Although I had only recently woken up, I couldn’t fall asleep anymore now that he was by my side.
Instead, I constantly chatted beside him, wanting this time to last longer.
“Thank you for taking care of Ian.”
“Ian is now my brother too.”
“Your brother?”
Lloydin’s voice sounded slightly surprised.
“Yes. Since he’s your brother, he’s also my brother. And since you’re busy, it’s only natural for me to take care of him. So, you don’t have to thank me.”
I replied casually as if it were obvious.
“Well, then…”
“Yes?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
Lloydin closed his mouth, saying it wasn’t a big deal.
Since we weren’t facing each other, I couldn’t tell what his expression was like, but I felt that his voice had slightly softened.
‘Did I feel wrong?’
At my uncertain guess, I decided not to pry further into his seemingly nonchalant words.
“It seems like you’ve been really busy lately. Is there something… no?”
I cautiously asked him, worried that I might inadvertently reveal what I knew.
“I’m still… I’m still okay.”
If he says ‘still’…
His words continued to echo in my mind, leaving me momentarily dazed in the face of an unclear future.
“My lady?”
Lloydin called out to me, suddenly applying pressure to my hand, snapping me out of my thoughts.
“What are you thinking about?”
“Huh? Oh, I wasn’t thinking of anything. It’s late, shall we sleep now?”
“Yes, let’s.”
As I closed my eyes to sleep, Lloydin’s words kept haunting me, and a slight unease crept in.
Feeling like sleep wouldn’t come this way, I turned towards Lloydin.
“My lord…”
I called out to him in a very quiet voice, worried about what if he were asleep.
Fortunately, like me, he hadn’t fallen asleep yet and turned his head towards me.
His handsome face shimmered in the moonlight.
No, maybe it wasn’t because of the moonlight but because he himself was radiant.
From his neat eyebrows to his long, thick eyelashes, and the deep black irises below them, everything about him seemed to glow as if lit up.
Staring at such a man up close, my heart pounded faintly as if I were monopolizing him.
As a result, the anxiety I had just felt vanished without a trace, as if it had never existed in the first place.
“…Is it okay if we fall asleep facing each other like this?”
“Yes. Actually, I wanted to do this too.”
At Lloydin’s words, I smiled widely, feeling like the happiest person in the world.
He, too, showed me a smile more splendid than anyone else’s.
As my heart regained its composure, my eyes gradually closed.
“Goodnight, my lady.”
With Lloydin’s words wishing me good sleep like a warm lullaby, my eyes closed completely, and I fell asleep.
