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Chapter – 13
While digging at the floor with his toes, Rochester muttered,
“After promising to marry your brother… Your brother still isn’t ready to let you go, Reina.”
“What are you even talking about! Since when are we still talking about that? And who said I was getting married?”
Rochester’s eyes went round. Then he went back to scraping at the floor with his toes. The perfectly fine rug was getting mashed under his feet. With that big body of his, it was a miracle he hadn’t worn a hole in it yet.
Sigh.
“If you’ve got something to say, then say it, oppa.”
“So you’re not getting married, right? That was a really good decision. But those guys — the rumors about them aren’t great. Can’t you just not meet them?”
Oh, seriously. I clenched my teeth. Rochester hunched his broad shoulders and blinked like a cow. Then he gave a sheepish smile and pleaded with me.
“Let’s hang out this weekend instead, yeah?”
…Seeking a woman to date my brother.
Please. Anyone!!
Somebody, please marry my brother!!
＊ ＊ ＊
Peeling Rochester off me and calming him down was exhausting work. Every single day, right up until the weekend.
He went on and on about why Dawson and Tiers were bad news.
I’ll decide! I’m an adult, okay? I’ll meet them and decide for myself whether they’re bad or not!
Later, he started saying they picked their noses, farted during meals, or stuck their hands down their underwear to scratch their butts. He nitpicked every ridiculous thing imaginable. I thought I was going to develop a nervous disorder. I nearly yelled that I wouldn’t meet them out of pure annoyance.
Actually — I almost did.
And besides, the date was already set!
And it was kind of exciting — my first real date ever. But my so-called brother… ugh.
In spite of all his meddling, today was finally the day I was going boating with Dawson. Luckily, it wasn’t raining. The weather was bright and beautiful, as if the heavens themselves were blessing our outing.
Of course, one particular person refused to bless it and was glooming up the sky from behind.
“Are you really going?”
Rochester leaned his chin on the second-floor railing, whining like a child. I ground my teeth in irritation. What on earth should I do with him? He was definitely the final boss villain of this novel — the kind who sucks the life right out of you.
I couldn’t hold back anymore and screamed up at him before leaving. Please, please!
“Go meet a woman yourself! Date someone! Go on a date!”
Rochester’s expression crumpled. I could almost see droopy puppy ears hanging over his head. He mumbled,
“Reina. You’re telling this big brother to just let you leave…?”
“Aaagh!”
He shriveled up. Across both my past and current lives, he was the only brother I’d ever had — but is that what brothers are normally like? I’m genuinely curious. I’m going crazy!
Maybe Reina had run away because she couldn’t stand Rochester anymore. And I had unknowingly taken her place. Even in the memories of Reina that seeped into me, Rochester was always like this. Clinging. Following after her.
When he had a crush on Cesar, he even followed Cesar around together with Reina.
Fortunately, Dawson arrived before I suffocated to death from Rochester’s whining.
I hurried outside before he could come in. If Dawson came inside, Rochester might follow us all the way to the date. In the novel he was supposed to be cold-blooded. Clearly the narrator was wrong. How could this molten-hearted human be a cold person? Ugh.
As I sighed in frustration, Dawson called out,
“Reina?”
I quickly relaxed my face. I wasn’t going to let Rochester ruin today. I forced an awkward smile and offered an excuse.
“…Haha, I’ve been looking forward to this. It’s my first time going boating like this, so I was too excited to sleep. Maybe that’s why I’m a little tired.”
Dawson replied cheerfully,
“The sun is dazzling today. Did you dress up like this for me? You’re beautiful.”
He beamed at me, his eyes sparkling. He was calling me beautiful — yet somehow, I just felt confused.
Once the date was actually happening, I started noticing things I hadn’t before. I had thought Dawson seemed nice. I liked that he approached me first, and I thought his smile was charming.
But now… not so much.
His overly deep double eyelids, almost greasy-looking. His buck teeth showing when he smiled. His slightly hunched posture. His crooked nose. The bit of nose hair peeking out.
And that strangely sleazy smile.
Those were the only things I could see.
All because of Rochester.
For the past few days he’d gone on and on about Dawson and Tiers — their looks, their personalities, every rumor he could dig up. When someone lists nothing but flaws, how are you supposed to see any good?
There was no need to read gossip magazines or ask around about them. Why bother? Rochester already knew everything.
Sigh.
I could almost hear his voice shouting from behind me:
Reina! Those guys are no good! Would you be happy if your kid had buck teeth and nose hair sticking out? Or if he turned out as clueless as Dawson? Or rude like Tiers?!
And how did he even find out I’d agreed to dates with both of them? I’d made sure not to tell him. I hadn’t even told my parents. It wasn’t that big a deal.
There were only a few people who knew about this. And among them, only one who might cross paths with Rochester…
Cesar?
No, that couldn’t be. They weren’t even close — especially because of me.
Maybe rumors had just spread.
Whatever the case…
This date was doomed. I could feel it before it even began. All I could think was that I wanted to trim that nose hair.
＊ ＊ ＊
Last weekend.
Oddly enough, the more he tried to distance himself, the more he ran into her: Rochester saw Reina both Saturday and Sunday. More accurately — he saw Reina on dates with other men.
On Saturday, at an outdoor social gathering near the lake, where he attended with his mother. On Sunday, at the premiere of an opera where he appeared representing the imperial household.
Saturday, she was with Walter Dawson. Sunday, with Gelston Tiers.
In the end, she had gone out with both men.
What was Lord Regifield doing?
When Cesar mentioned Reina seemed likely to meet both of them, Rochester had looked as if he might kill them on the spot.
But in the end, all that fury amounted to nothing.
As a friend, Cesar couldn’t help but worry about Reina.
Why those two of all people?
He frowned. There were far better matches. She was Rochester’s sister, had a long history with Cesar, and was the precious daughter of House Regifield — a family at the center of power. The duke wielded all military authority as the Commander of the Imperial Knights, the emperor’s closest ally.
And Rochester himself, as the likely next commander, was counted among the crown prince’s closest confidants. You couldn’t discuss politics without mentioning House Regifield. At that level, it wouldn’t be strange for her to marry one of the finest men in the Empire.
If the crown prince had been unmarried, she might even have been considered for crown princess.
So why?
Why those fools?
