Since that day, Aiden and Julia’s relationship had taken a strange turn. Aiden was no longer suspicious of Julia, but for some reason, he couldn’t stop feeling jealous. What had changed, however, was that now he openly showed his jealousy.
“It seems he has no intention of hiding it anymore.”
Erin had heard that Aiden went to Julia to clear up the misunderstanding. So, she took the opportunity to invite Julia over in an effort to completely resolve their misunderstandings and become friendlier.
But even when the three of them sat down for dinner, the atmosphere was strange. At first, as they sat around the table and made small talk, everything seemed normal.
However, as the conversation continued, the atmosphere seemed to take a turn for the worse.
“Since you came here today, my mother said she wants to invite you next time.”
Julia casually made a promise for the next invitation.
“Of course. Anytime is fine.”
Erin readily replied.
“At that time, I hope you’ll invite me for lunch instead of dinner.”
Aiden carefully expressed his desire to not be disturbed during dinner.
Julia’s eyes narrowed, and she discreetly covered her mouth with a smile.
“Oh, don’t worry, Your Grace. The person Mother invited is for Erin.”
Aiden’s eyebrow raised in surprise.
“How can you freely invite a busy noble like that?”
But even Julia, like Aiden, subtly hinted as she spoke with a bright smile.
Moreover, emphasizing the word “sister” was meaningful.
“Haha, if Erin is going, then of course, I will be there.”
“Is that so?”
Julia asked Erin.
Suddenly, all eyes turned to Erin, who glanced at Aiden and nodded slightly.
“Well, then, it can’t be helped. If it’s for Erin.”
Julia casually lifted the corners of her mouth.
As Aiden and Julia exchanged smiles, a subtle tension arose between them.
“…?”
Then, whenever Erin’s and her eyes met, they suddenly burst into a broad smile.
It was as if the two had made some kind of secret agreement.
“What’s going on? Did something happen between those two?”
Erin looked at the two of them bewilderedly. The subtle tension between the two continued until the end of the meal.
“This was delicious. Please invite me again next time.”
“Is that really necessary? Should we send our chef to serve the Count?”
Erin looked at Aiden in surprise at his abrupt suggestion. Was it really necessary to go to such lengths for just one comment? Julia would never have expected such a thing.
“Oh no, is that even possible? Then I would have another excuse to visit.”
“Of course. Anytime, as much as you’d like.”
Julia smiled at Erin, who responded enthusiastically in kind. As they smiled at each other and seemed to be casually yielding, Erin felt like bursting into laughter while observing their conversation.
“I did say I would send the chef.”
Aiden murmured softly as he licked his lips. Julia was grinning broadly. Strangely, I feel like they both are being childish, or is it just my imagination?
“You’ve eaten so well today. You weren’t staying too late, were you?”
“I can’t believe that. If anything, I might be the one who’s been holding on too tightly.”
“I had a great time.”
Erin and Julia chatted happily.
“You must have enjoyed it. Enjoyment gained at the expense of someone else’s sacrifice.”
Aiden murmured from the side. He seemed to be grumbling childishly, no matter who saw it.
Erin looked at him with a bit of wonder and spoke.
“…Are you two, closer than I thought?”
It was a conclusion she reached after observing them throughout the dinner. However, as soon as she heard Erin’s words, their expressions changed completely.
“Not at all.”
Aiden said firmly.
“There’s no way.”
Julia, in a polite yet firm tone, also denied it.
But the more they denied it, the closer the distance between them seemed to Erin.
Moreover, both Julia and Aiden seemed completely unaware, treating each other naturally. Julia, of course, and Aiden as well, were accepting it as a matter of course.
There were few people other than Erin who could converse with Aiden without any barriers.
Most of them seemed to be intimidated by Aiden as if it were natural and felt uncomfortable around him. Even talkative people became reserved in front of Aiden.
Erin no longer mentioned that the two of them had grown closer. Instead, she suggested having some wine.
Even as they drank wine, the two of them continued their peculiar conversation. While observing them, Erin secretly suppressed a laugh.
“It’s nice to have a casual dinner like this sometimes.”
“I think I preferred the usual routine.”
Aiden grumbled bluntly, and Erin’s laughter became even more pronounced.
She started to think that perhaps this kind of thing wasn’t so bad after all. As they finished the wine, only the matter of Julia leaving remained.
“I’ll see her off,” Erin deliberately said to Aiden, so that he could have a rest.
“Okay.”
Julia looped her arm through Erin’s and spoke. Aiden’s reaction was too quick for him to even remove his lips.
Aiden frowned slightly and glared at Julia, but she ignored the look and beamed at Erin. “Aiden, I’ll be back soon.”
Aiden restrained himself from saying something in response to Erin’s words.
“Shall we go then? It’s getting late, and I’m worried about the journey back to the Marquis’s estate.”
Leaving Aiden behind, Erin walked alongside Julia. Julia, who had been laughing all along, stopped in front of the carriage.
“Was I too much today?” she asked with a hint of embarrassment.
“No, I had a great time,” Erin replied without hesitation, smiling.
At her response, Julia’s face relaxed completely.
“Me too. I feel even better than usual. Although I’ve been a bit stubborn about the Marquis lately, it’s been quite a struggle,” Julia said, with a mischievous smile as if she were sharing a secret.
“The two of them seem to have gotten really close,” Erin said with a cheerful face.
“No, they haven’t,” Julia replied firmly, unable to be cheerful in any way.
She even emphasized by holding out her hands, in case there were any misunderstandings.
“It just looks more comfortable and less awkward than before,” Erin explained.
“That’s because we’ve been seeing each other more often. It’s just getting familiar.”
“It’s just because I happen to run into Aiden, and we’re not close at all,” Julia reiterated, opening her eyes wide.
Seeing Julia’s determined posture, Erin burst into laughter. She no longer entertained any misconceptions, thinking, ‘It’s just nice to see them getting so close.’
Erin smiled at Julia and nodded her head. “Absolutely no misunderstandings,” she said firmly.
However, even after that, Julia left while repeatedly insisting with a solemn expression.
Erin turned away with a cool expression, watching the carriage gradually disappear.
***
After Julia left, Erin was preparing to go to bed with Aiden. She turned to Aiden and asked, “Aiden, do you dislike Julia?”
Aiden hesitated for a moment but answered honestly, “No, not really.”
However, this only raised more questions for Erin. “Then why?”
Aiden fell silent. In truth, Erin didn’t ask because she believed Aiden disliked Julia.
She was simply curious as to why Aiden seemed to show signs of jealousy towards Julia, despite all the misunderstandings being cleared up.
After a moment of contemplation, Aiden spoke again. “It’s because she’s someone you like, so I can’t help but feel uncomfortable.”
Essentially, for Aiden, there was no specific reason to like or dislike Julia.
His feelings towards her were based on Erin’s perspective. Erin tilted her head slightly, wondering why, despite not disliking Julia, Aiden continued to behave that way.
“Still, I feel jealous when I see you getting close to someone else.”
Aiden was honest. Ultimately, it was jealousy. Understanding the meaning behind Aiden’s words, Erin barely managed to contain her laughter. It seemed that Aiden’s jealousy was a separate emotion from any misunderstandings.
“So, are you going to keep being jealous?” Erin asked.
“Well, I don’t know,” Aiden answered vaguely, averting his gaze.
The misunderstanding that Julia liked Erin wasn’t there, but the emotion of jealousy didn’t stem solely from that.
It still seemed to hold a different meaning.
“Do you dislike it?” Aiden asked, glancing sideways.
Erin’s eyes, which had been silently watching him, narrowed meaningfully and then softened. “No. Keep being jealous. It just shows how much you like me.”
Feeling a bit sorry for Julia, Erin vowed to make up for it by treating Aiden even better. She reached out and embraced Aiden, wrapping her arms around his neck.
In the end, Aiden and Julia’s silly clashes became a routine every time they met.
