-08-

The second morning he woke up in an unfamiliar room. Today’s wake-up time was 11 o’clock.

Yeon-ho, checking the clock that Tony had left next to the bed last night, raised his hands and rubbed his face roughly.

Did a real sleep demon possess him?

It was better than the first day, but it certainly couldn’t be considered diligent.

What do the people in this house think of me? …No. Why should I care about that? It’s a relief that it’s not afternoon.

As on the previous day, Yeon-ho finished getting ready on his own without calling Tony and quietly left the room.

There was still no one on the second floor, but as he reached the bottom of the stairs, he was able to spot a familiar face.

“Good morning.”

At the greeting he offered first, Tony, who had been hurrying somewhere, immediately stopped and quickly turned around.

“Ah! Good morning.”

The greeting that came back was the same, but there was a brighter smile on his wrinkled mouth and around his eyes than yesterday.

It couldn’t be that he was happy that he woke up just a few hours earlier… There was only one reason he could guess.

100,000 euros.

It was the effect of the money he had told Tony to give. He didn’t know if that amount would actually go into Tony’s pocket or not, but the important thing was the action.

It would be embarrassing to get a real power of attorney and find the money, and he didn’t feel like simply increasing Marteo’s account balance. So, wouldn’t it be a rational consumption to buy goodwill?

Humans are inherently weak to the kindness shown to them, especially when it’s in the form of cash, the effect is doubled.

Yeon-ho, confirming that the seeds he had sown were steadily sprouting, raised his lips in a smile towards Tony, who had come up to him.

“Where were you going? You seem busy.”

“Ah, it’s nothing much, I was just going to check if the garden was being taken care of properly. Are you hungry? A meal can be prepared right away.”

“No. I’m not thinking about food yet… More than that, what garden care are you talking about?”

The garden he had seen during his walk last night was excellent without any need for further work. At the question mixed with doubt, Tony furrowed his brow.

“Well, this morning, the young master ordered all the overgrown grass to be cut down.”

“The grass?”

“He always has it trimmed to a certain height, but this time he ordered almost everything to be cut off, so I even called a contractor.”

“……”

He felt like he was about to get a sense of something. Yeon-ho, burying that feeling with ‘No way,’ trailed off vaguely with ‘I see…’

“Oh, right! And a pest control company will be coming in the afternoon. I was going to ask for your understanding on this matter when you woke up, Yeon-ho… It’s good timing.”

Pest…control company?

“Why is that…?”

“He said that bugs might get in soon because it’s almost summer, so he wants to spray everywhere. It might smell for a few hours, so if you’re uncomfortable, we’ll take you outside during that time.”

“Did…Theon order this too?”

“Yes. He usually leaves everything to me, but I don’t know what came over him all of a sudden. I wonder if there were mosquitoes in your room.”

At the end, there was a slight grumble as a bonus.

He couldn’t pass it off as ‘No way’ anymore.

Cutting all the grass in the garden and calling a pest control company into the house…

The reason was too obvious.

“I’m…sorry.”

“Yes?”

“Ah, no. I just feel like I’m adding to your burden when you’re already busy. I… I don’t have to go outside later.”

“Don’t say that. You don’t have to worry about it. More than that… If you don’t like the meal, should I prepare some light refreshments?”

He seemed to want to do anything for him.

Right. 100,000 euros isn’t a small amount…

Yeon-ho, hiding a bitter smile, didn’t refuse and followed Tony’s guidance into the drawing room. Tony, after asking his preference, soon brought out some caffeine-free tea and a few snacks.

Yeon-ho, who quenched his thirst with refreshing lemon tea, opened his mouth again after a long time.

“The…Theon seems to have gone to work, as expected.”

“Yes. He left quite early today.”

“Today…?”

Yeon-ho raised his voice at the end of his sentence, noticing the simple but strangely caught word. Tony, realizing his mistake, cleared his throat and skillfully changed the subject.

“He usually leaves around 7:30, but today he left an hour earlier than that.”

It was true. Yesterday, he had resisted even when he was pushed to go, but today, for some reason, Marteo had only left a string of instructions like before and rushed off to work.

While he was thinking about it, Yeon-ho tilted his head.

“Then, Antonio, were you awake at that time too?”

“Of course.”

“What time do you usually wake up?”

“I always wake up before five.”

This person is the rooster? Do Metz Rats not sleep in?

Yeon-ho scanned Tony with surprised eyes, and he blinked as if asking why.

“No. I just thought you were very diligent…”

“It’s not. Compared to the young master, I’m nothing. …In fact, the young master is probably the last to sleep and the first to wake up in this house. That’s how he got to where he is.”

This position… On the face that added the afterthought, there was a slight hint of pride and pity at the same time. Yeon-ho, who didn’t miss it, hesitated and carefully opened his mouth.

“Was…was his position in the house very weak?”

“Yes?”

“I… I heard that there’s talk about succession. And that he has different siblings and a different mother.”

Tony paused. But when he thought about it, it wasn’t a story he needed to hide.

The youngest son who was sent to a foreign country at a young age.

Until a few years ago, most people whispered that he was just a nominal heir.

Tony straightened his posture.

“As you said, he had a different mother, and there was a considerable age difference with his siblings. He certainly had some difficulties when he was young.”

“……”

“But that’s all in the past. How can innate ability be hidden? Whether it’s his intelligence, his sports skills, his appearance, or his cultivation, it’s hard to find anything lacking in our young master. And what about his business acumen? It’s just talk, but our young master started by acquiring a failing company without the owner’s help when he was only twenty years old…”

What followed was closer to boasting than explanation. How old he was when he bought the company and how he grew it. How he was recognized for his abilities…

However, the implications buried within the story meant that Marteo would have had a hard time surviving if he hadn’t done all that.

Unlike him, who had lived comfortably behind his sister, doing everything he wanted.

As he listened, his mouth became bitter. In the meantime,

“Antonio.”

Someone was looking for Tony. It was one of the maids in the house. Judging by the gesture and expression pointing outside, something seemed to be happening in the garden. Yeon-ho gestured first.

“Don’t worry about me and go take care of your work.”

“Still……”

“It’s really okay. I’m just going to finish this and go up.”

Tony, who hesitated for a few more seconds, finally bowed his head and hurriedly followed the maid. Only after the sound of his footsteps had completely faded away did Yeon-ho let out a small sigh and rummage through his pockets instead of the cup he had been holding.

“……”

A new cell phone that he had received yesterday and never turned on.

When he pressed the power button, the screen soon lit up with an unfamiliar logo.

When he went to the contact list, he saw the two numbers that Tony had told him were saved.

[M]

His finger stopped in front of the name with only one capital letter written on it.

‘If I call… will he answer?’

‘…But, what am I going to say?’

He didn’t have any particular business, and he didn’t have anything to say. But he didn’t feel like turning off the screen.

He turned the fading screen back on again and again… Quite a long time had passed.

Thump, thump. The sound of footsteps quickly approaching from the hallway beyond the drawing room split his ears.

‘Theon…?’

Even though he thought it couldn’t be, the first face that came to mind made him stand up from his seat without realizing it. His heart was pounding unnecessarily.

The footsteps, which were getting closer and closer, finally entered the drawing room. At the same time, a sigh fell into Yeon-ho’s throat.

A tall figure that stood out a lot. A face that was extremely superior even from a distance. But it wasn’t Marteo.

However, the face, which had a strangely similar aspect to Marteo, seemed to know who he was. The other person seemed to feel the same way.

The man, who had stopped in his tracks for a moment when he met Yeon-ho’s eyes, raised the corners of his lips without any sign of surprise.

“Permesso. May I intrude for a moment?”

Averto’s bloodline. Another Eagle.

♥ ♥ ♥

The form was permission, but perhaps he had no intention of hearing an answer from the start. Before he could even open his mouth, the man, who had quickly closed the remaining distance, readily took a seat in front of Yeon-ho.

Neat yet assertive features. From his carefully styled hair to his crossed toes. The sleek man, who looked like he had spent a lot of time on himself at a glance, was clearly from the same bloodline as Marteo.

But ironically, that’s why his admiration was halved.

If he were an independent model, he would highly value his own charm… But since he already knew the higher version, why would he be surprised to see the entry-level version?

‘Four stars. 8.2 in points?’

It was when Yeon-ho, who had habitually tapped the calculator, scanned the man again. Perhaps he felt something in Yeon-ho’s quickly becoming indifferent gaze, or perhaps he was bothered by the condescending gaze, he frowned.

“Are you going to keep standing?”

“……?”

“Why don’t you sit down first?”

It was Italian, so he didn’t know what he was saying, but the short sentence, the expression, and the intonation didn’t seem to be polite.

‘7.8. He doesn’t have any grace.’

Yeon-ho immediately corrected the score and then sat back down in the seat he had stood up from. Of course, Yeon-ho had no reason to stand any longer, but the other person seemed to think that he had followed his words and showed a fairly satisfied expression.

‘Judging by his appearance, he’s about the same age as me. Well… I heard there’s quite an age difference with his brothers.’

Even though it wasn’t expressed on his face, the calculator continued to be tapped in his head. In the meantime, the man, who was also scanning Yeon-ho, opened his mouth again.

“KL Food, aren’t you the third son there? Your name is Do…Yeono…?”

Even though the pronunciation was clumsy, he could understand his own name well enough. But Yeon-ho, who intentionally ignored it, picked up the teacup that he hadn’t emptied. He deliberately made a noise and drank the cooled tea, and the man’s face, which had paused, was noticeably distorted.

“Hey. Are you ignoring me? Do you know who I am?”

That’s right. Why is a guy who doesn’t even reveal his own identity asking about someone else’s personal details?

Even if the words didn’t get through, there was an atmosphere.

Yeon-ho, who had miraculously understood the man’s accusation, widened his eyes after a long time.

“Are you, by any chance, talking to me right now?”

“……What?”

“I don’t know your language. If you want to talk, speak in Korean or English.”

A look of disbelief briefly crossed the man’s face. Then he frowned again.

“You… you really can’t speak Italian? Not even a word?”

The words that came out were in English. Heh. Yeon-ho swallowed a secret laugh. The most important thing when facing anyone is who draws the other person into their own pace first.

As if rewarding the man for faithfully following his lead, Yeon-ho put down the teacup and finally straightened his posture.

“You’re from Averto, right? I know you’re Marteo’s brother… Are you the first or second?”

“Huh? You don’t even know that?”

With an expression that said, ‘How did you even get here with that?’ Yeon-ho just blinked. It seemed that he thought he would naturally know him.

‘Is he overly self-conscious? Or am I too indifferent?’

Yeon-ho hadn’t even known what ‘Marteo,’ the person he was supposed to meet, looked like. If it weren’t for work, he wouldn’t have even considered going on the blind date.

In that situation, why would he bother looking up his brothers? Being dragged to Italy was also as sudden as roasting beans in a flash of lightning.

When Yeon-ho continued to look blank, the man scoffed in disbelief once more and began to speak rapidly, as if interrogating him.

“Fabio Averto. Shouldn’t you have known that much already?”

“Hmph…. Fabio. So? Is he the first or the second?”

“The second, of course! My brother is almost in his late thirties!”

His voice grew louder.

This guy has no sense of atmosphere, is impatient, and even prickly?

Yeon-ho thought there was something similar between him and Marteo, but that initial impression quickly faded as he continued to look at him.

Yeon-ho, who had scanned the man, no, Fabio, once more, shrugged indifferently with a face that had completely lost interest.

“Anyway, what brings you here? Your brother is at work.”

“I know that much! No, more importantly, who are you calling my brother?”

Of the continuous rebuttals, the latter was particularly annoying. But Yeon-ho figured he’d get a similar reaction even if he said the same thing to Marteo.

Yeon-ho relaxed his raised eyebrows.

“Then it’s even stranger. Isn’t it rude to visit someone else’s house without notice, as you said?”

Even as he said that, he didn’t forget to be slightly sarcastic.

As expected, Fabio, caught in his own words, twitched his cheek.

The remark about coming without notice was just a shot in the dark, but he had somewhat expected it. Tony, who reported everything about the people working at the house, hadn’t said a word about him.

As he was connecting his thoughts, Fabio let out a scoff, similar to but also different from before.

“That bastard, he picked up something quite interesting?”

This time, it was in Italian. It probably wasn’t a compliment? Even as he guessed, Yeon-ho feigned ignorance.

In that instant, Fabio’s eyes slowly began to change.

Instead of his childishly arrogant attitude, a stinging gaze that seemed to be appraising Yeon-ho as if he were an emotion.

He was definitely an Eagle. Was this the sorrow of the prey Tony had mentioned?

Yeon-ho, who desperately ignored the way his fingertips were curling inward against his will, met his gaze with an even more brazen and nonchalant expression.

After some time, Fabio unfolded his crossed legs. The answer he had postponed to the question came after that.

“The reason I came here… is obviously to see you.”

“…Me? Why me?”

“I heard that workaholic suddenly took a vacation? And then he brought one of his blind date partners home out of the blue. How could I not be curious? I just wanted to see who he brought.”

“…….”

He was calling it ‘seeing’ while having the person right in front of him, so nonchalantly. But Yeon-ho himself was no better, evaluating people and scoring them, so he had no intention of pointing it out.

As he always said, knowing his place was Yeon-ho’s strength.

Instead, Yeon-ho crossed his legs as if to show off. Then, with the same languid blink he used to make countless sponsors cry and appease, he changed his expression.

The face that had been nothing but blunt changed into something strangely alluring in an instant. Fabio’s shoulders flinched at the sudden change in expression, and Yeon-ho drawled out his voice.

“So… what’s your impression after seeing me? Do I seem useful?”

His breath touched his cheek, and the air became viscous in an instant. It was as if something sticky and lukewarm had stuck to him, and it was difficult to open his mouth. The eyes focused on Yeon-ho were the same.

His first impression was a handsome man with masculine features. But now, he looked like a bewitching beauty no matter how you looked at him.

‘Is this guy really a chicken? Isn’t he a peacock or a bird of paradise? Where did that bastard pick up something like this?’

He felt strangely anxious. The son of an unremarkable food company in Korea. And a chicken at that. He was fully prepared to sneer that he was a match for his level… but his mouth was dry for no reason.

Fabio swallowed hard and turned his head with difficulty after a long time.

“…My impression shouldn’t matter, right?”

“……?”

“The one you need to impress is that bastard, isn’t it? That’s why you followed him all the way here. I hope you can make it to the wedding.”

The words he added bluntly followed.

But it was at this point that Yeon-ho’s expression, which he had been deliberately putting on, cracked.

‘Hope… I can make it?’

To be honest, he had guessed from the beginning that he had come to spy on him. As such, these words were very unexpected.

It wasn’t just a sarcastic remark, but a strange sincerity could be felt.

Wasn’t he just trying to find fault? Not some genre like a wicked mother-in-law?

His mind raced quickly. And after a while, ah… a groan broke out in his mouth.

‘I see….’

Brothers who don’t even acknowledge each other. There’s no one who wants their partner to be outstanding.

In other words, he was just a candidate with such conditions, an unremarkable opponent that there was no need to be wary of. Even if he got married, he wouldn’t be a support for Marteo.

Yeon-ho’s face, who had noticed Fabio’s intentions with a single word, began to harden.

He should be feeling insulted, but instead, he felt strangely hollow. Uncomfortable and unpleasant. It was as if he had become a burden that was holding Theon back.

On the other hand, Fabio, who was glancing at Yeon-ho out of the corner of his eye even though he had turned his head, raised his eyebrows.

He had been blunt, but not to this extent… Yeon-ho’s face, which had lost its expression in an instant, even looked pale.

It was so different from the alluring face he had witnessed a moment ago that the difference was even more obvious.

Fabio, who had turned his head with difficulty, turned it back to the front and blurted out in a unconsciously flustered voice.

“What, what’s wrong all of a sudden?”

“…….”

“Are you feeling unwell somewhere?”

“…….”

“Hey!”

It was when he reached out his hand towards Yeon-ho without realizing it.

A hurried voice was heard from outside the drawing room. Italian words that were quickly rambling on, it was Tony’s voice.

Fabio paused and soon clicked his tongue. He had come while Marteo was away, and luckily, Tony wasn’t there either. From what he could see, the garden was noisy, so it seemed like something busy was going on.

Fabio, who had told the employees not to tell him that he had come, was able to easily meet Yeon-ho thanks to that.

But it seemed that he couldn’t drag out the time for long. Someone must have disobeyed his words and reported it.

Fabio, who thought of an old Metz Rat, frowned and turned back to Yeon-ho.

Yeon-ho’s complexion was still not good. It seemed that even the sounds coming from outside were not reaching his ears.

‘Well, what does Tony matter?’

Fabio, who had made up his mind to ignore it, raised his voice again, saying, “Hey,” and finally touched Yeon-ho’s shoulder.

In that instant, thud, the drawing room without a door. A chilling and sharp air, as if a door had been violently thrown open, covered the room.

‘What, what is it…?’

It was a pheromone that could never be felt from a Metz Rat. At the sign of a predator far superior to him, Fabio’s fingertips, which had just touched Yeon-ho, curled up sharply.

And it was almost at the same time.

“…What are you doing now.”

A heavy voice, as suffocating as the threatening pheromone, cut through the drawing room.

Fabio’s fingertips, which were already curled up, froze completely. Goosebumps even rose on the nape of his neck, where the hairs were standing on end.

He couldn’t move carelessly. If he was careless, sharp claws would pluck out his eyeballs first….

On the other hand, it was Yeon-ho who belatedly came to his senses. His heart was pounding no differently from Fabio, but the fighting cock was brave.

Yeon-ho slowly turned his head. A familiar face was coldly staring at him with an expressionless face…

It wasn’t a mistake, nor was it someone who looked alike, this time it was the real Marteo.

‘Ah… not all Eagles are the same. The difference in class is real….’

Even in the midst of all this, such a ridiculous thought flashed through his mind.

Even if he was only half-blooded, brothers were brothers after all. Just like Fabio had done, Marteo, who had immediately closed the remaining distance before he could even open his mouth, grabbed and tore off the hand that was occupying Yeon-ho’s shoulder.

“Ugh!”

Fabio, whose arm had been mercilessly thrown aside, grimaced with a groan. But even as he did so, what he reflexively looked at was Yeon-ho’s expression, not his brother’s. The heat that was smeared over his raised cheekbones seemed closer to humiliation than anger.

Marteo’s eyebrows, which hadn’t missed it, twitched once more.

“…Antonio.”

“Yes!”

Tony, who hadn’t even been able to enter the drawing room and had been anxiously shrinking near the doorway, hurriedly ran to his side at the low call.

Marteo, who glared at Fabio instead of Tony, twisted his remaining lips.

“I told you to call the pest control company today.”

“…Yes?”

“Then why are there still bugs in the house?”

Tony’s heart sank when he heard the last words, only after wondering what he was saying in this atmosphere. Yeon-ho turned to look at Fabio as well. Even someone without a sense of what was going on could sense that the Italian words Marteo had uttered were not meant in a good way.

As expected. Fabio’s face, on whom everyone’s gaze was focused, flushed even redder. This time, it was definite anger.

“Bugs? Are you saying that for me to hear?”

Fabio, who had kicked the chair away in an instant, rushed at Marteo.

However, his posture, as if he was going to grab him by the collar, ended in a futile gesture. Marteo, who ignored Fabio as if he were a real bug, turned his feet and sat down in the empty seat.

The place where Fabio had gotten up a moment ago, right across from Yeon-ho.

The anger that had lost its direction. Fabio, who had been angry, hurriedly looked around the table with a flustered face.

It was Marteo’s house anyway, so he couldn’t claim it as his seat. There was no way the guy who was sitting with his legs crossed as if to show off would follow his words to get up.

In the worst case, he would have been able to suppress him with the age difference when he was young, but seeing that the wrist that had been grabbed by Marteo a moment ago was still throbbing, physical force was by no means advantageous to him.

Fabio, who couldn’t do this or that, only gnashed his innocent teeth.

“You, you bastard…….”

Then Tony, who was standing behind him, called Fabio in a small voice.

“Um….”

“What!!”

Fabio, who vented his anger on someone for no reason, glared at him.

The old Metz Rat with a small heart flinched and bounced his shoulders. However, no matter how fierce the threat was, it was no match for his young master he had witnessed a moment ago.

Tony, who had quickly gathered his pounding heart, bowed his head politely.

“It’s been a long time. Fabio. I’m sorry I couldn’t greet you properly since you came without notice.”

“Ha! Do I look like I’m in a position to receive such greetings right now?”

“Of course not. So please calm down and take a seat…. Ah, now that I think about it, there’s no seat for you. Um… should I bring another chair?”

Tony, who was asking about his intentions, turned to look at the sofa placed in the corner of the tearoom. There was an ottoman in front of it. In other words… a footrest to put your feet on.

Fabio, who had been following Tony’s gaze, widened his eyes again. He seemed so speechless that he couldn’t even shout, but Tony’s face was quite sincere.

At this point, Fabio was starting to be pitied.

Treated like a bug by Marteo, treated like a shoe by Tony….

He thought he was a rude and ill-mannered character who looked down on his half-brother… but now it seemed to be the opposite.

Yeon-ho, who had figured out the perfectly matched master and servant with his intuition without even thinking about the fact that he had fed Fabio, finally let out a small sigh.

“There’s no need for that.”

“…Yes?”

“If you’re offering him a seat, there’s no need to. The business must be over.”

Following Tony’s question, the gazes of the two Averto brothers flew straight towards Yeon-ho.

‘Why are you answering on Fabio’s behalf?’

‘Why are you deciding that?’

The eyes of the two birds of prey, gleaming in pairs, were truly unpleasant.

Anyway, those who don’t know the sorrow of the prey. Yeon-ho, who had narrowed his brows, turned to look at Fabio before Marteo.

“You’ve seen everything you wanted to see, right? If you have anything left to say between brothers, I’ll give you some space.”

He didn’t like that he was talking to Fabio, but the gesture of actually getting up from his seat bothered him even more. Marteo, who immediately reached out his hand, grabbed Yeon-ho’s wrist.

“There’s nothing to say. We’re not brothers.”

Yeon-ho’s eyebrows, who had paused, rose. And then, in the next moment, a burst of laughter leaked out without him realizing it.

‘Look. I knew you’d say the same thing?’

It was fleeting, but the two brothers looked at Yeon-ho’s smile in the same way this time as well. But unlike before, Yeon-ho’s gaze was only directed at Marteo. Fabio, who felt his mood sour for no reason, bit his lip and burst out in anger.

“Who would say that! I wouldn’t stay even if you told me to!”

“Ah, then should I see you off……?”

It seemed that the saying that the sister-in-law who stops you is more annoying than the mother-in-law who hits you was made for Tony.

Was he being perceptive or not? As soon as he finished speaking, Fabio glared at Tony, who had repeatedly intervened at the right time, with boiling eyes.

But. Why are you doing that? The old man, who was blinking his clear eyes, was clearly only pretending to be scary on the outside.

‘Like master, like servant!’

He felt like he was going to burst with frustration if he stayed any longer.

“I don’t need it! A send-off that’s not from the heart.”

Fabio, who had shouted repeatedly, turned his feet as if to show off. As he had guessed, no one got up from their seats. Even Tony bowed his waist in his place as he was told.

Fabio, who was speechless, took even rougher steps with a thud.

But just before leaving the drawing room, thud- his feet stopped again without him realizing it.

It was because Yeon-ho’s face, who had looked back at him with something expectant when he first entered this place, suddenly came to his mind.

‘Maybe… what he was waiting for at that time… was Marteo?’

At the same time as the thought, his head turned back on its own. Tony, who was just about to straighten his posture and was bowing his head again, and the man who still wasn’t even giving him a glance.

Instead, Marteo rolled his eyes. His expressionless face clearly showed what he was thinking. A face that said why are you lingering without leaving. Fabio, who was frustrated in many ways, twisted his lips.

“Now that I think about it, what about your company? Why are you home at this hour? I thought it was strange that you suddenly took a vacation. Why? Are you starting to lack the ability to do your company work?”

Even so, Marteo’s expression remained the same.

“It’s also an ability to have good subordinates. It’s different from someone who can’t produce a decent result even if they’re always stuck at the company.”

“What… did you say?”

“Why don’t you take a vacation this time? It would be better if you weren’t stuck at the company.”

It was a quarrel that didn’t even get its money’s worth. He was really annoying no matter how many times he looked at him!

But it didn’t seem to be this bad when he was young….

Of course, his calm and composed attitude was the same then and now, but at least in his childhood, Marteo tended to allocate that composure to patience.

But after returning to his home country from Korea, where he had been chased away, his half-brother had changed somewhere.

Unlike how he used to pretend to be uninterested even when he was being harassed or when he was being treated unfairly, he no longer allowed anyone to invade his territory, and he did not condone the breaking of his dignity.

And when he suddenly came to his senses, the young Eagle with unfried wings and tender claws was gone, and only the appearance of a perfect predator that overwhelmed his surroundings remained.

As if that was the power and position that the Averto direct line originally possessed.

He felt like he had been reminded of that anew in front of others, and his pride was crushed more severely than usual. Fabio, who was trembling with shame, clenched his fist. And then, a story he had no intention of telling popped out of his mouth without him realizing it.

“Ha! You’re so great. You’re so full of composure.”

“…….”Then enjoy this with ease as well. The homecoming gift that my brother and I prepared will arrive soon. I hope you think of it as brotherly affection.”

Marteo’s eyebrows were slightly raised for the first time, as if asking what he was talking about. Fabio finally let out a harsh scoff as if he was feeling a little relieved.

After some time. Just as Fabio’s presence, who had left the drawing room, could hardly be heard, Tony straightened his posture. And then, he bowed his waist twice as deeply as he had done to Fabio.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know you would come so suddenly… It’s my fault.”

There was no need to say anything. But first of all, the other problem was more urgent.

Marteo, who barely looked at Tony’s head that was buried down, immediately turned his gaze towards Yeon-ho.

“What happened.”

“…….”

“When did Fabio…. No, why was that bastard touching Do Yeon-ho’s shoulder?”

Even when his brother was around, he had a composed look, but in the meantime, his expression was all twisted. Yeon-ho, who also looked back at Marteo, swallowed a bitter smile. Anyone would think he had the plague.

“I don’t know. Maybe I got some dust on it.”

“Do Yeon-ho.”

“More than that, how did you two come in together?”

Yeon-ho, who naturally changed the subject, glanced at Tony this time. He didn’t point it out, but Tony, who was still bending over to his young master who hadn’t said it was okay, hesitated and barely raised his head.

“Well… I saw him in front of the entrance.”

“The entrance?”

“That’s…”

To summarize the situation, it was like this. There was a small difference of opinion among the employees in the garden where they were told to cut the grass. What to do with the flowers while cutting the grass.

If it were just weeds that flew in on their own and sprouted as they pleased, they wouldn’t have worried, but the ones that formed a pretty cluster were precious varieties of roses.

Tony, who was dragged to the back of the garden by the maid, also couldn’t easily decide to cut them in front of the splendid flowers.

In the meantime, another maid hurriedly ran out of the mansion. Fabio had visited. He told her not to tell the butler, but seeing that he was looking for a guest in the house, she thought he should go…

The maid who delivered the message also seemed out of her mind, as if she had just heard the news. Of course, Tony was the same.

Who opened the gate in the first place, why didn’t they report as soon as a guest entered, giving warnings and reprimands came later. Tony, who heard the message, kicked his legs right away, forgetting about the flowers and dignity.

But, at the threshold of the mansion he reached in a hurry, an unexpected sight came into view just before the entrance.

A Maybach running towards this side from a distance. Without checking twice, it was the very car that Marteo had taken this morning.

As he hesitated in embarrassment, the car stopped right in front of him. Marteo, who opened the door himself and stepped out, recognized Tony and looked puzzled.

‘What is it? Did you know I was coming?’

Of course, it didn’t take long for that face to harden more fiercely than anyone else’s.

Behind Marteo, who was running to the drawing room as if flying, Tony also heard the sound of his salary flying away.

After arriving at the drawing room, it was as the situation was before….

Still, the only hope is that Yeon-ho’s attitude towards the unexpected uninvited guest is not much different from what it was a dozen minutes ago.

Besides, Yeon-ho had a sense of what was going on. Yeon-ho, who nodded lightly at Tony’s short explanation, pushed the completely cold teacup forward.

“Anyway, the situation is like this, so I couldn’t drink my tea properly… Can I ask for another cup?”

It was clear that he intended to save him, who was still anxiously looking at Marteo. Yeon-ho’s favorability rating rose vertically once again in Tony’s mind.

“Of course. I’ll prepare it right away.”

Tony, who immediately took the cold teacup, bowed even more politely and hurried out of the drawing room.

Marteo guessed Tony’s speed and Yeon-ho’s speed, but it wasn’t bad for him either.

Finally, a space left alone. As if it was a good thing, Marteo even leaned his upper body forward.

“Good. Let’s put the shoulder aside, what were you talking about with Fabio?”

“Not really… we didn’t say much.”

“But you two were even dropping honorifics.”

“I can’t speak Korean here, and he can’t speak Korean. What can I do? Where is honorifics in English?”

“Why isn’t there? At least it’s not that informal.”

“He dropped it first.”

“So, you just let it go?”

“It’s not my loss anyway.”

“Ha. You don’t seem to know… Fabio is younger than you.”

“…What?”

This was a bit unexpected. I thought he was about the same age, but I thought he would be older. I wasn’t the one who was being rude, but I was being treated rudely?

But after hesitating for a moment, I thought it was an opportunity. Yeon-ho, who collected his surprised expression, pulled the chair forward with a gleaming eye.

“How old, how much younger? Maybe… is he not married yet?”

“What…?”

“Antonio said that your second brother lives at the main house. So he lives with his parents now, right?”

“…So?”

“So, he’s not married yet. He’s younger than me, right?”

“……”

“Why…? Is he married after all?”

As the questions continued, Marteo’s expression, which wasn’t good to begin with, became bleak. But Yeon-ho had no time to care about other people’s expressions.

He said he didn’t say much to Fabio, but he actually heard bullshit.

Don’t do well with Marteo.

This meant that he looked down on me as a marriage partner for his younger brother, and of course, I couldn’t feel good. But at this point, when the anger has subsided, there was something more annoying than the deeply dented pride.

What kind of person is Fabio’s partner?

Did he marry into a family so great that he looks down on me?

If the in-laws of the brothers are so powerful, it won’t be good for this guy….

Since ancient times, the factional strife between brothers-in-law is no less than the strife between brothers. In short, the current question is a kind of power analysis and concern for Marteo.

But Marteo couldn’t have known Yeon-ho’s admirable (?) intentions.

Rather, Yeon-ho, who was deeply immersed in other thoughts, was reminded of the words Yeon-ho had said on the day of the blind date.

He said that even if he gets divorced, he will meet a guy who can give him a lot of alimony and change his goal to live a comfortable life. That’s why he chose Averto.

‘But… when you think about it, I’m not the only “Averto” who meets that condition, am I?’

Fabio’s appearance of putting his hand on Yeon-ho’s shoulder a while ago suddenly came to mind. Yeon-ho’s appearance of not shaking him off on purpose.

When his thoughts reached this point, his stomach churned. Marteo, who bit his teeth, now openly began to glare at Yeon-ho.

“Why are you curious about that? What does it matter to you whether Fabio is married or not?”

“Can’t I be a little curious?”

“No, but Fabio already has a fiancé!”

Oh, my god. No, if he has one, he has one, why is he shouting… Wait? More than that, fiancé?

“So, anyway, he’s not married yet, right?”

“It’s as good as marriage. He’s too good for that idiot. If he has any brains, he’ll definitely get married!”

“Well… you never know.”

“…What?”

“That’s right. People break up even while living together, who knows until they enter the wedding hall. More than that… is he really that good in your eyes?”

“……”

“How’s the relationship between the two of you? How long have you been engaged? If it’s been a long time, you might get tired of it. Is there really no chance of breaking up?”

His upper body was leaning forward much more than before. The questions he poured out like a machine gun without breathing were fast.

What kind of answer does he want to hear that his eyes are shining so brightly?

Watching and enduring was more difficult than this. Marteo, who couldn’t stand it anymore, slammed the table as if hitting it!

“So, why do you want to know that! Really… does anyone care if he’s an Averto?”

“…What?”

“Are you interested in Fabio!”

Blank. When he raised his voice a while ago, he at least had time to be surprised. This time, even that was impossible.

Marteo’s eyes, which were constantly glaring at me while breathing roughly and uncharacteristically, were unstable somewhere at the end of his voice.

Suddenly, I felt a sense of déjà vu. Wasn’t his expression on the day of the blind date, when he asked if he had cleared up his new sponsor, exactly like this?

I think he cornered me with this voice back then?

‘……Wait. Then the talk about interest…?’

The realization was instantaneous. At the same time, absurdity ran away far away, and instead, a lump of anger soared to the top of my head.

Just like Marteo, Yeon-ho also slammed the table with a fierce hand! It wasn’t enough, so he kicked the chair back as a bonus.

“What do you think I am… hey! Do you think my taste is that bad?”

“…What…did you say?”

“I told you. A man has to be either handsome or delicious! Where does that guy look delicious! Even if I choose a sponsor, I haven’t dated anyone below 7 points!”

“What…is that…”

“Second so-and-so. This kind of thing is a promotion that’s not even used in the entertainment industry! What’s there to see about that guy, except that he looks a bit like you? Frankly, if you were me, would you be interested in a fake when you have the real thing next to you? Are my eyes just decorations?”

“……!”

A loud voice that vibrated the air. Yeon-ho’s face, which was shooting with all his might, was red and blue. On the other hand, Marteo’s eyelids, which were out of his mind, repeatedly widened.

After a while. Marteo suddenly grabbed Yeon-ho’s wrist, which he had quickly grabbed.

“So… what you’re saying now is that I’m the real thing and Fabio is the fake?”

“What?”

“You just said that if I’m next to you, would you be interested in that guy. That means I’m better than that guy, right?”

Honestly, it’s not a compliment to call a person a real or fake thing. Still, I didn’t care about being treated like an object.

The anger that had been filled with displeasure subsided as quickly as it was ridiculous.

On the other hand, Yeon-ho belatedly realized. Marteo’s eyes, which were staring at me with the same intensity, had a different kind of heat.

The blue color finally disappeared from Yeon-ho’s red and blue face. It was a reaction more certain than an answer.

Marteo, who made an effort to control his lips that were rising on their own, paused and then frowned again.

“Then… why are you asking about Fabio? Why did you leave your hand on his shoulder?”

“Haa. No, did I have time to get rid of it? You grabbed it without giving me time!”

“Then what about the words? Why did you two talk so comfortably?”

“Ah, I’ve said it several times. He dropped the honorifics first? Then what, should I interrupt him and say, ‘Excuse me, how old are you? Why are you talking informally?’ You have to match this kind of thing to the atmosphere!”

“In that case… can I also talk informally?”

“…What?”

“I always used honorifics when I had sex with you. But you never told me to drop the honorifics… Frankly, if you’re going to talk about the atmosphere, shouldn’t I be the first? How many times have we slept together so far?”

“……!”

It was a sudden and unexpected point and complaint. It was also a complaint that seemed to have some grumbling in it.

The hand that was holding Yeon-ho was getting stronger. Yeon-ho, who was embarrassed, was about to turn the subject by saying to let go of this first.

That was the moment.

Clang! A loud noise rang out not far away.

The paused gazes of the two immediately turned to the same place. Then, they ended up making eye contact with a man who was much more startled than them.

“Ah, uh….”

Birds hear the day’s words, and rats hear the night’s words….

A set of two teapots. It was Metz Rat who brought the cart.

Tony, who was rolling his eyes here and there with his eyes wide open under the arched door frame, as if he had hurriedly stopped his feet when he entered the drawing room, belatedly bowed his head.

“…I, I’m sorry.”

Damn it. There was no need to ask what kind of rudeness he had committed.

This is… he heard everything.

Yeon-ho, who bit his tongue in his mouth, glared at Marteo with resentful eyes. Tony, who was holding the cart, was backing away in the meantime. But the movement didn’t last long.

“Where are you going.”

Because Marteo, who shrugged his shoulders casually even with glaring eyes, opened his mouth.

“Didn’t you bring the tea?”

Just listening to his voice, it was as if he was asking what I had said. Tony, who stopped his feet in place again, turned to this side hesitantly.

To be exact, to Yeon-ho’s hand, which was still being held by Marteo.

Marteo, pretending not to know even though he knew, now looked up at Yeon-ho.

“Aren’t you going to sit down? You said you were going to drink tea.”

Tony and Yeon-ho had nothing to say.

Yeah. There’s no match for shamelessness!

Tony, who changed direction, brought the cart with a rattle. Yeon-ho, whose hand was barely released, had no choice but to slump down on the chair with a limp body.

Tony, who carefully placed the teacups in front of Yeon-ho and Marteo, soon skillfully filled the cups.

“It’s chamomile.”

The subtle scent of tea comforted his mind and body a little. Yeon-ho readily reached out to the cup. No, he was about to. If it weren’t for the evil voice that broke the peace, he would have taken the lead.

“Anyway, let’s finish the story we were talking about.”

Wince. Not only Yeon-ho, but even Tony’s shoulders, who was just wiping the spout of the pot with linen, bounced.

Of the two people who looked at each other without realizing it, Tony was the first to lower his gaze. But he couldn’t hide the slightly twitching eyes.

Yeon-ho, who couldn’t know what it meant, finally raised his voice at the end of his embarrassment.

“Okay! I know what you’re trying to say, so stop it!”

But Marteo still raised his eyebrows.

“…Really, do you know?”

Yeah! You have no shame. Yeon-ho pressed down on what he really wanted to say and squeezed out an indirect compromise.

“From now on, I’ll tell your brother to always use honorifics.”

“……”

“Ah, I won’t talk informally either! Is that okay?”

“No.”

Why again! Are you really not going to stop? Are you finally going to bring up the night thing here?

It was when Yeon-ho’s face was terribly distorted. Marteo, who had been leaning against the armrest diagonally, straightened his back. Unlike before, it was after he firmly cut off the words with a face that had no playfulness at all.

“There is no next time. Something like today. There won’t be a second time.”

…What?

“So, whatever that guy said or whatever he heard, forget everything about today.”

It was a completely different sound from what I expected. Yeon-ho paused.

He doesn’t even know what kind of story I and Fabio shared… He clearly doesn’t know how I felt, but he tells me to forget everything….

But… the uncomfortable resentment that remained in my heart gradually began to crumble at the words that were emphasized one by one.

It felt like my chest was itching for no reason.

Yeon-ho turned his head so that he wouldn’t be caught. Then, he shot words as if he was sulking for no reason.

“Oh, come on. Is that something you can do as you please? Frankly, if a winged guy wants to come, he’ll come if he wants to. It’s not like there’s a gate in the sky….”

But even after a few seconds, there was no unexpected response.

I thought he would frown and ask if he would do this?

Just as he was tilting his head, cough! Tony coughed lightly instead of Marteo.

“Excuse me, but you don’t have to worry about that part. Fabio will never fly to this house, even if he breaks down the gate.”

“…Yes?”

“Actually, he did something like what Yeon-ho said just once….”

Tony, who had said this far, looked at Marteo. Then, he quickly continued the remaining words.

“He almost got shot by young master.”

…What?

“Coincidentally, it was the hunting season at that time… He almost got stuffed on the wall. After that, no Golden Eagle-Rons ever appear in the skies above here.”

“……”

If Morpheus cause an accident while releasing Anima, the law showed some recognition to the perpetrator. In a sense, it’s a mutual fault.

But… I can’t believe the expression “coincidentally” at all.

‘Who hunts in the yard of the house… More than anything, Eagle, isn’t it a protected species?’

The resentment that had been crumbling was now almost reduced to dust.

It doesn’t make sense to worry about a guy who shoots at his own blood. It’s not a strife between brothers, it’s just a brother hunting….

Yeon-ho looked back at Marteo with listless eyes. Marteo pretends to listen to other people’s stories and sips his tea.

Yeon-ho shook his head, but then frowned again after some time had passed.

“But… why did you really come home? Are you off work already?”

“I wish I was… I have to go out again.”

“Then why….”

“Well, to have lunch?”

“What?”

“Yes?”

Tony was the same, his voice unconsciously raised. Marteo, who frowned for a moment at the same expressions of the two, soon shrugged his shoulders.

“Didn’t we promise? To make time after the meal.”

“No, that’s naturally about dinner….”

“Twice a day would be better. I have to hear about Gyerim too.”

Tony still had a clueless face, but Yeon-ho was even more dumbfounded. No matter how much, who comes home from work to have lunch….

Wait. Could it be that this is… the promise is an excuse… didn’t you learn this from seeing me ditching work in Korea?

It was when I had deep suspicions.

“Have you already had your meal?”

Marteo frowned again. Yeon-ho unconsciously opened his mouth.

“It’s not like that, but….”

“But?”

“Even if I try to explain, there has to be something, right? I haven’t received the data yet?”

Marteo’s movements stopped at these words. It was after that that he lengthened his voice with a face more dumbfounded than Yeon-ho.

“I thought I sent it…?”

“Huh?”

“The Gyerim data. Do Seo-jin said he sent it by email this morning…. Could it be that you didn’t receive the message?”

Yeon-ho’s eyelids fluttered up and down. After some time, a sound, “Uh,” was followed by, “Ack!” with an added “G” sound.

Because he realized that since arriving in Italy, he hadn’t contacted home even once, let alone received a call.

Ah…. It seemed he would be killed by his own family first.

♥ ♥ ♥

He got an earful of curses before lunch.

What were you doing to call only now? Do you even have a brain, or not? I thought even your finger was broken. No, even if your finger is shattered, what are you doing with your toes!

Seo-jin’s roaring, which threatened to pierce his eardrums, had lingering aftereffects even after he hung up.

Fabio, Marteo, and even Do Seo-jin….

Is this what they call bad luck? This is exactly what it is.

As he rubbed his temples, his head throbbing, Marteo cautiously spoke to him.

‘Are you alright…?’

It was clearly a worried tone, but that made him feel even more wronged.

Do I look alright to you? If you had just taken care of my phone properly, none of this would have happened!

His eyes rolled wildly, filled with resentment. Marteo, clearing his throat, quickly changed the subject.

‘Anyway… let’s eat first….’

‘I’ll prepare it right away.’

Tony, sensing the young master’s crisis, also quickly assisted Marteo.

However, this was already an hour and a half ago.

Tony had left to deal with the pest control workers who had arrived, and Yeon-ho and Marteo were left alone again.

He hadn’t even opened the data Seo-jin sent, so he couldn’t bring up company matters…. Yeon-ho, who had been circling the teacup he had received several times today, finally managed to utter a word after a long time.

“Ahem. Is there traffic here?”

“……?”

“No, I was wondering when you were going to leave. You said you had to go back to the company.”

“There’s still time.”

“Aren’t you busy? I thought you were since you left so early….”

Marteo, scanning Yeon-ho, raised his eyebrows with a slight smile.

“Are you worried about me now?”

“What?”

“If that’s the case, I’ll get up now.”

“…….”

He had thought about it before, but this guy really had a knack for leaving people speechless. If he said he wasn’t worried, he would stay put, and if he said he was worried, he would feel like he was losing.

As he glared without choosing an answer, Marteo smiled again. Then, he followed up with a question in return.

“What will you do if I leave? Do you have other plans today?”

It was obvious he was talking about the casino. Yeon-ho, who was already pouting, repeatedly stuck out his lips and sniffed.

Yesterday, he had spent the entire afternoon going to the casino, but there was nothing to do in a strange neighborhood with no connections.

“What would I do? I’ll have to look at the data my sister sent.”

“That can wait.”

“Do you really have so much time to spare? You said you came to lunch on purpose to hear that story, right?”

“That’s… obviously an excuse.”

“What?”

“Are you really asking because you don’t know why I came?”

It was fortunate that Tony wasn’t here. Yeon-ho’s prim expression instantly softened, and a small sound even came from inside his chest.

At the same time, a memory passed through his mind.

─I thought you might not know my contact information. And I also wanted to see you quickly as an excuse.

He wondered if he had learned to play hooky from him, but Yeon-ho knew that didn’t make sense.

Above all, from the moment Yeon-ho got angry at the question of whether he was interested in Fabio, there was a definite change in Marteo’s attitude.

The sharp demeanor he had shown so far was gone without a trace, and he had returned to his familiar self, which made him even worse.

This was more stressful on his heart than when he was being prickly.

Yeon-ho, unable to find a response each time, pretended to drink tea. It was then.

A ringtone cut through the subtle air that had been floating between them.

It was Marteo’s phone.

The man’s expression twisted as he checked the caller. The ringtone continued to sound. Before long, Marteo finally answered the phone.

“Parla.”

The businesslike and stiff tone was in Italian. The few words he added afterward were also in Italian, so he couldn’t understand the content, but he could read the atmosphere.

Soon, Marteo finished the call and, as expected, let out a small sigh.

“I should get going now.”

“Is it the company…?”

“Something like that.”

His shrugged face showed quite a bit of fatigue.

“I’ll be going.”

Yeon-ho also awkwardly got up, following Marteo. And the next moment, words popped out without him realizing it.

“From tomorrow… don’t do this.”

Marteo, who was heading towards the door, stopped and slowly turned around. His eyes were narrowed as if asking what he meant. He wondered if he had said something unnecessary, and a moment of regret flashed through his mind, but his mouth was still moving on its own.

“You’re busy, right? So what are you doing coming all the way here during lunchtime?”

“…I’ll take care of it myself.”

“So, instead of taking care of it yourself, listen to me!”

“…Do Yeon-ho…ssi?”

“What if I oversleep? Are you just going to come and waste your time? Instead of wasting time going back and forth, just do your work properly. That way… you can leave on time. Or are you just going to see my face briefly in the evening too?”

Marteo’s eyes widened little by little, and eventually, they widened greatly. On the other hand, Yeon-ho sank back into his seat as if to hide his belatedly flushed cheeks.

“If you understand, hurry up and go.”

In that instant, Marteo changed direction and quickly approached Yeon-ho. Suddenly! His large hands wrapped around Yeon-ho’s cheeks, which had turned to the side.

“Hey!”

“…….”

Marteo’s eyes, which were forcibly lifted and met his, were clearly surprised. Yeon-ho, hesitant, dried his throat.

“Why, why are you doing this…?”

“No… I just didn’t expect to hear these words from you.”

“…….”

“How… could the words ‘do your work properly’ come out of Do Yeon-ho’s mouth….”

“…Wh, what??”

“Did you not sleep well yesterday? Are you not feeling well?”

Crash. A quick shadow fell over Yeon-ho’s tense face.

He wondered what he was talking about…!

“Are you picking a fight right now…? Are you trying to start something?”

His 100% sincere protest followed. However, Marteo finally burst out laughing at Yeon-ho, who was baring his teeth after a time lag. Marteo repeatedly tightened his grip on his hands, not caring that Yeon-ho was shaking his head.

And the next moment, his tilted face, his approaching lips, fell onto Yeon-ho’s forehead.

“I’ll come early. …So don’t go anywhere and wait for me.”

The sensation tickling his skin and the sweeter voice than that.

He wanted to shout, “Why are you messing with my lips? We’re not like that anymore,” but his constricted throat was hot, and he couldn’t open his mouth.

In the meantime, Marteo, who had barely released his cheeks, looked into Yeon-ho’s eyes again.

A myriad of emotions, like expectation, excitement, or even anxiety. He couldn’t read all of it in the two eyes of different colors, but he seemed to know one thing.

He was waiting for an answer.

At the same time, Yeon-ho realized one more thing.

The words he often said to him when he was in Korea. On the other hand, the words I had never said. What was the real thing I wanted to say to Marteo, who had turned around?

His throat was still hot. But the words that had been gathering at the tip of his tongue finally fell out because of Marteo’s hotter gaze.

“Have a… good trip….”

Marteo’s laughter, which was no longer teasing or surprised, shattered repeatedly.

Indeed… he was bad news. His heart was indescribably turbulent.

♥ ♥ ♥

From the day Fabio came, the air between Marteo and Yeon-ho changed.

Even though he couldn’t pinpoint it exactly, the string that had been stretched taut and seemed about to break had become as soft as a rubber band. It was like a feeling of subtle ticklishness added to the tension.

Tony, who always took care of this kind of mood, couldn’t help but notice.

Of course, his young master had been very concerned about the ‘guest’ since the first day of his return. But Yeon-ho had been somewhat indifferent….

Tony, glancing at Yeon-ho who had come down to the first floor early in the morning, moved the teacup onto the table and parted his lips.

“You’re getting up early these days.”

“Yes?”

“Are you having trouble sleeping?”

“Ah…. I’m just getting used to the time difference.”

“That’s a relief, but…. Come to think of it, the young master has also been getting up quite early. He went to work before six o’clock today.”

“Before six… o’clock?”

Yeon-ho widened his eyes. Tony, who had been watching the reaction out of the corner of his eye, shrugged his shoulders.

“Yes. He left at six o’clock yesterday, and twenty minutes earlier today. He’ll probably be like this for a while. I almost missed seeing him off.”

It seemed like a normal explanation, but the auxiliary particle ‘do’ attached after ‘I’ was subtly bothering him.

On the first day he came here, Yeon-ho got up close to two o’clock. It was hard to say that he got up so diligently the next day either.

But as Tony pointed out, Yeon-ho’s mornings had been very early for the past few days.

The reason was…… he didn’t even know himself. No, it was perhaps more accurate to say that he didn’t want to know. He was getting up earlier than usual, wondering if Marteo was still home? Like he was subtly looking around.

In the meantime, Tony, who had finished pouring the pot into Yeon-ho’s teacup, added one more word.

“But thanks to that, he’s leaving work early. He’ll probably be back before 7 o’clock today too.”

The words Marteo had said a few days ago naturally flashed through Yeon-ho’s mind.

─I’ll come early…

Those words he had whispered like a promise.

Yeon-ho, frowning, muttered in a sulky voice.

“…I didn’t ask.”

“Excuse me. I’m just in the habit of reporting things.”

Tony, who was pretending to be innocent─at least that’s how it looked to Yeon-ho─smiled brightly. He couldn’t argue about why he was smiling… and he just felt embarrassed.

Yeon-ho, who hadn’t even touched the tea he had been served, got up from his seat.

“Where are you going?”

“Just. I’m going to go up.”

“What about breakfast…? Are you going to sleep more?”

It was 7:30 in the morning. He didn’t want to admit it, but his eyelids were still heavy, and he had no more business on the first floor.

Yeon-ho, omitting the answer, quickly moved his remaining feet.

Unaware of Tony’s increasingly satisfied smile behind him.

When he woke up again after catching up on his sleep, it was close to 12 o’clock. The sunlight that had seeped deep into the room had already taken over the bed, and the sheets inside were somewhat warm.

It was warm enough for a normal person to feel a little hot. But for Yeon-ho, whose Anima was a chicken, it was a pleasantly comfortable sensation, as if he were in a cozy nest. Yeon-ho, stretching his arms and legs like a bird fluffing its feathers, rolled around on the bed for a while longer and turned towards the bathroom.

Even though he had gotten up early, he had hurriedly left the room in the morning, so he had barely brushed his teeth and washed his face, let alone showered.

Maybe it was fortunate that ‘someone’ had left early….

Of course, he had shown even more disheveled appearances when he was in Korea.

Unlike a few hours ago, when he washed carefully and came back down to the first floor, Tony greeted him with a new welcome.

The late breakfast, or early lunch, was still Italian.

He should have been thinking of Korean food by now, but even though the composition was similar, the types of bread, jam, and soup were different each time, so he didn’t feel tired of it yet.

Around the time all the dishes were cleared, Tony spoke to him as usual.

“What kind of tea would you like for after your meal?”

Hmm…. Yeon-ho unusually dragged out his words. To be honest, he wasn’t thinking of Korean food, but there was one thing he really wanted.

Strongly brewed coffee. Especially iced Americano.

It had been a long time since he had had coffee.

But in the end, his hand went to his stomach. The sound that escaped his mouth was completely different from what he wanted.

“Anything. Something without caffeine.”

Tony nodded. His expression seemed somehow pleased. Come to think of it, he had always been like this.

Whenever he asked him what he wanted to drink, he seemed a little nervous, and when he heard the answer, he seemed subtly relieved.

‘Could it be…… that he noticed my condition?’

He didn’t think so, but his hand reached for his stomach again. And before long, a small sigh parted his lips.

‘My condition…….’

In fact, he didn’t even know his own condition properly.

He knew he was pregnant through the test kit, but he had no way of knowing exactly how many weeks he was, or if the baby was okay.

Pregnancy and childbirth in Morpheus had a variety of variables for each individual species. For example, rodents had a very short gestation period, so they often gave birth before they even realized it, and reptiles had to pay special attention to maintaining their body temperature. And for birds like us… the miscarriage rate was quite high until we reached the stable period.

That’s why there were so few Morpheus.

While he was thinking, Tony, who had placed the teacup in front of Yeon-ho, tilted his head.

“What are you thinking so hard about?”

“…….”

“Yeon-ho-nim. …Yeon-ho-nim?”

Only after repeated calls did Yeon-ho flinch and barely lift his gaze. Tony was already wearing a worried look.

“Are you not feeling well?”

“No. I just have a lot of things to… think about.”

“……?”

“By the way, there’s one thing I’m curious about….”

“Please tell me.”

“Is there a nearby shopping district?”

“A shopping district…?”

“I was wondering if there were any shopping centers, movie theaters, or bookstores….”

Where people gather, there are bound to be hospitals.

Tony narrowed his brow at Yeon-ho, who had asked about something other than what he really wanted to ask. Then, before long, he even wrinkled his nose as if he understood.

“You must be bored. Well, you’ve been at home all day….”

“…….”

“But if you want to see a movie, you can do that here.”

“Here?”

“There’s a cinema room in the basement. It’s hardly ever used, but the equipment is state-of-the-art, so it’s as good as a private one. Of course, there are also quite a few books in the study. However… most of the books are in Italian… I don’t know if there’s anything you’d like to read.”

“Ah….”

A deflated sound leaked from Yeon-ho’s mouth. He had asked without thinking because he was feeling anxious, but it was a valid point.

Even if he went out to the shopping district, Tony would definitely accompany him, and even if he somehow managed to get past his eyes and find a hospital, communication would be a problem.

Yeon-ho, stretching his shoulders, unknowingly muttered bitterly. Whatever he did, the first thing he had to do was…….

“I guess I have to learn the language first.”

It was then. Tony, who had been rubbing his chin, stopped. Then, with widened eyes, a welcome look washed over his face.

“Would you… really? Are you really going to learn our language?”

“No, well… I’m not going to learn it in earnest… just a word or two….”

“What’s important is that you’ve decided to learn something. You’ve made a good decision. Yes! When you think about it, what hobby is more constructive than studying? When I was learning Korean, I didn’t have enough hours in the day. There was no time to be bored. Let’s see. Let’s strike while the iron is hot. How about we start looking for textbooks? Or tutors?”

He must have studied Korean really hard, saying he didn’t have enough hours in the day.

Looking at how well he used proverbs from another country.

Tony, who had unusually interrupted his words, began to openly burn with enthusiasm. It seemed that saying that he had just said it out of frustration wouldn’t work now.

Yeon-ho eventually closed his mouth in front of Tony, who was like a mother who was enthusiastic about private education. Then, suddenly, he remembered something he had forgotten.

“That’s right…. Speaking of which, there’s one more thing I was curious about….”

“……?”

“What does cipolli mean in your language? No, what was it, porchi…? What does that mean?”

“Chi…polli? Onions are cipolla, though.”

“No. I don’t think it’s that?”

“Then… porcini mushrooms?”

“It was three letters. I’m sure it wasn’t something to eat. Um… wait a minute. Not porchi, but polchi…ni? Polchino was closer to that pronunciation….”

“Ah! Maybe pulcino?”

Tony snapped his fingers as he recalled Yeon-ho’s clumsy pronunciation. At the same time, Yeon-ho clapped his hands.

“That’s right, pulcino! What the heck is that?”

Even joy that he had guessed the answer in Yeon-ho’s sparkling eyes. Tony easily opened his mouth with confidence, without any suspicion.

“It’s a baby bird.”

“…Huh? A baby, baby?”

“Ah, excuse me. Not a baby bird, but a baby chick. In other words, a young bird that has just hatched from an egg is called a pulcino. In Korean, it would be a chick.”

“…Ch…ick…?”

“But why are you suddenly asking about this?”

Tony tilted his head after adding a kind explanation.

But Yeon-ho couldn’t answer. He couldn’t.

Because that was what Marteo had muttered the night he had asked Marteo in the garden why he looked so old.

Of course, it was a hundred times better to be treated like a young chick than to be called an old hen… but still. Why a chick to a guy over thirty?

Belatedly, his cheeks flushed. But he knew it himself. That it wasn’t just because he was annoyed and dumbfounded.

Before he knew it, he vividly remembered the expression Marteo had made that day.

For a long while, Yeon-ho’s eyes crinkled, his lips parted softly, and his gaze looked down on him as if he were a child.

He wanted to crawl into an eggshell if he had one.

“Yeon-ho?” Tony’s voice calling him sounded puzzled, as if he had noticed him, making him feel embarrassed in many ways.

It was then.

Brrr, brrr.

A small vibration sound rang out. Tony, who had been watching Yeon-ho, immediately rummaged through his pocket. After checking the caller, he excused himself. He also quickly asked for understanding.

“Yes, young master.”

Was it a tiger, not an Eagle? It was Marteo calling.

Tony, who politely held the phone even though the other person wasn’t there, listened intently before turning back to Yeon-ho.

“No… he’s awake. Yes. He’s here next to me.”

Judging by the atmosphere, he seemed to be asking about him. Yeon-ho straightened his posture, thinking he might hand over the phone.

Then, without realizing it, he even reached out his hand.

“Ah… yes. I understand. Then I’ll tell him that.”

Tony hung up the phone just like that. Yeon-ho’s fingers, which had been half-raised in the air, twitched, losing their direction. In the meantime, Tony finished up the remaining call and turned back to Yeon-ho.

“He said something urgent came up at the company, so he’ll be late today.”

“Late… you mean? How late?”

“He said he won’t be back until at least ten o’clock. He’s moving to the Tuscany region now, so it’ll take quite a while to get there and back. …He asked me to tell you to have dinner first.”

“……”

Even if they didn’t have breakfast together, they had always had dinner together since coming here. That’s why it felt strange.

He seemed to have heard that he was right next to him, so why didn’t he ask to speak to him? Wouldn’t it be faster to ask for understanding directly?

Yeon-ho narrowed his brows and checked his cell phone in his pocket.

He wondered if he had left a message. But the mailbox was empty. Instead, his eyes were drawn to the time displayed on the top bar.

Barely one o’clock… A small sigh was unconsciously swallowed into his mouth.

‘Should I really study something…?’

Even taking two naps wouldn’t be enough until ten o’clock.

♥ ♥ ♥

Contrary to Tony’s expectations, Marteo’s car returned to the mansion after midnight.

Marteo, who found Tony waiting at the entrance, immediately opened his mouth as soon as he got out of the car.

“Where’s Yeon-ho?”

A question that was almost a greeting these days. Tony, who took the briefcase, swallowed a bitter smile and quickly replied.

“He had dinner around 9 o’clock and went up to his room two hours ago. There were no other instructions after that.”

“……”

“He might be asleep by now. It’s late.”

Marteo’s pace, which had been quickly entering the house while asking the question, slowed down slightly at this point.

Tony, who glanced at his young master’s frowning face, added another word.

“Shall I check if he’s awake?”

“…No. It’s okay. More than that, is there anything else?”

He wasn’t asking about the household affairs. They understood each other even without a subject. This time, too, the subject of the question was obviously ‘Yeon-ho’.

“Not really. He was the same as usual. Ah… one thing, he said he wanted to learn our language.”

“What?”

“He asked if there were any shopping streets nearby, as he was bored after lunch. He also asked if there were any movie theaters or bookstores. I told him that reading would be difficult because the language is different, but he said he would have to learn the language first… After that, he actually asked me about our words.”

Marteo’s feet, which had already slowed down, stopped completely in the center of the hall this time. Tony could easily guess the emotion in his widened eyes. It was probably similar to the surprise he had felt a few hours ago.

On his first day here, Yeon-ho had said that he would only stay for a week at most when he asked him how long he would stay. However, if he was only going to stay for a short time, there was no need to learn the language here.

Marteo looked back at the stairs leading to the second floor.

Tony, who had been keeping his distance, cleared his throat and said something similar to what he had said earlier, but different.

“How… shall I tell him that you’re here?”

“No need. I’ll take care of it.”

Yes. Well. I thought you would.

Tony bowed politely, hiding his smile. He no longer followed Marteo. Marteo’s feet, which had been stopped, headed to the second floor as if flying this time.

At the age of 20, as soon as he became an adult who didn’t need parental consent, Marteo invested his seed money and acquired a company that was on the verge of bankruptcy.

The trading company, which was on the verge of being dismantled due to reckless expansion and expensive ship maintenance, seemed to have no value for recovery, but what Marteo was aiming for was the old port rights.

Marteo boldly reorganized the old ships, leaving only the routes, and reorganized the routes, connecting them directly to emerging markets, leading to a turnaround to profitability. And when he had grown the company to some extent, the first thing he bought was this mansion, Nido d’oro.

Tony followed Marteo, who had left his main house, as if it were natural, and from then on, Tony was entirely responsible for the household chores.

Among them, Tony put a lot of effort into decorating the end room on the second floor, and Marteo, who knew Tony’s intentions, scoffed at him every day.

But these days, the positions of the two had changed 180 degrees.

The first place he looked for as soon as he opened his eyes in the morning was also here.

The place he was constantly worried about and wanted to look into was also here.

His steps, which were drawn as if magnets were connected to the door and his toes, were of a kind that could not be helped by will.

That was no different now.

1:20 a.m.

Even though he thought Yeon-ho might be asleep, Marteo’s feet finally turned the corner and reached the door he had become familiar with recently.

But he couldn’t bring himself to knock. Beyond the door, where there was no sound at all. No light leaked from under the door frame, which was slightly raised from the floor.

‘Is he… asleep after all?’

He had left for work early, and today he had even gone out to inspect the site, which was not scheduled, so he couldn’t even have dinner together.

The fatigue of not seeing Yeon-ho all day was greater than the fatigue of work. Even though Yeon-ho said that he had no ties here, didn’t know the geography, and wouldn’t disappear recklessly, the anxiety of not being able to confirm it with his own eyes followed him.

After a long time of deliberation, Marteo finally reached out to the doorknob instead of knocking.

It was foolish. He knew it was rude, but… he wanted to check his sleeping face, even for a moment. He felt like he wouldn’t be able to sleep otherwise.

It was at that moment.

Click, just as he was about to grab the doorknob, the sound of the latch being released rang out. At the same time, the door opened.

“……!”

“……?!”

A surprised face, just like him. Of course, Yeon-ho was standing right in front of the open door.

Whether he had just woken up from lying down, his top was somewhat wrinkled and his hair was sticking out. Marteo, who had missed the doorknob, couldn’t even take his hand back and scanned Yeon-ho with widened eyes.

Yeon-ho was the first to come to his senses. Yeon-ho frowned, looking down at Marteo’s still awkward hand.

“What are you doing?”

“……?”

“Don’t tell me you were trying to sneak in?”

“Ah, no. I was going to… knock.”

“With your hand on the doorknob?”

His arm was definitely in the wrong position. Only then did Marteo quickly hide his outstretched hand behind his back and cleared his throat over a dry cough.

“You’re not… asleep yet?”

Whether he had woken up from sleep or hadn’t slept at all, his reply was ambiguous. But one thing was certain. Yeon-ho had left the room knowing he was home.

Marteo’s expression, which had been somewhat awkward due to embarrassment and awkwardness, immediately relaxed. Yeon-ho, who glanced at him, now had a sulky look on his face.

“What. Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Because I haven’t seen your face… all day.”

Of course, it didn’t take long for that sulky look to disappear. Yeon-ho, who couldn’t find a response to the honesty that came without warning, fumbled and instead reached for the door handle.

“…Okay, now you’ve seen it. It’s late, go to sleep.”

But the attempt failed.

Was he some kind of pushy salesman? Thwack. Marteo’s foot, which had squeezed in as if being pushed through the narrowing gap in the door. Marteo, who grabbed the closing door again, put strength into his voice as well.

“Just a little more. I haven’t seen enough yet.”

“……”

His gaze, as he claimed, was scrutinizing his face. Yeon-ho’s sulky look, which had disappeared, couldn’t find its place.

Honestly, they had seen everything, good and bad. Why was he feeling embarrassed by just one of these eye contacts?

His fingers kept curling inward. He couldn’t find a response, and his mouth felt dry for no reason. At that moment, Marteo, who had been looking at Yeon-ho for a long time without blinking, opened his mouth.

“I heard you decided to learn our language.”

“…What?”

“Tony told me. That you wanted to learn Italian. …Is that true?”

The main points were correct, but the minor details were different. But he couldn’t explain the circumstances leading up to that statement.

Yeon-ho, who was looking for an excuse, suddenly brightened his eyes.

‘That’s right! I forgot about this?’

“Because you said something I couldn’t understand.”

“…Me?”

“You said something to me in your language in the garden before. I know what that is now.”

“……?”

“Pulcino. You called me a baby bird.”

“…Ah.”

“Who’s calling someone who’s much younger than me… a chick? You are!”

At the stinging words, Marteo finally narrowed his eyes. A slightly playful but still deep gaze. Then, he pulled his lips as if he was smiling.

“No… you still look like a chick to me.”

“What?”

“Look. Your beak is sticking out. Your wings are flapping. And there’s fluff here too.”

Marteo, who had even reached out his hand, touched the back of Yeon-ho’s hair.

At the sudden contact, Yeon-ho, who flinched at the passing skin, immediately lowered his voice as if warning him. But the effect was zero. Marteo showed a deeper smile.

“Anyway… you’re saying you decided to learn because of me.”

“Is that what you’re hearing?”

“I speak Korean pretty well, though?”

“Are you… feeding me now?”

“Feeding you? I didn’t even have dinner with you.”

Every time, Yeon-ho’s mouth opened in disbelief.

Whether it was the employee or the employer. How hard did he study Korean? How could he take this in this way again?

The native speaker was on this side, but he felt like he was losing in the war of words. But the injustice was only temporary. It was because Marteo, who had changed his playful expression, swept back his disheveled hair once more.

“I’m sorry. For coming late. I was wondering if I should call you directly….”

“……?”

“I was afraid I wouldn’t want to work if I heard your voice, so I couldn’t.”

“……!”

The sound of his hair still brushing against his ear. His sticking-out hair must have already been straightened. But his mind was rather disheveled by the low voice that rang out between them.

He didn’t know that the reason he didn’t ask to change the phone was because of this.

Not only his fingers but even his toes on the floor were curling inward. His heart was pounding unnecessarily, and it was no longer possible to hide his constantly flushed face.

He finally grabbed Marteo’s hand, which had reached his earlobe, and tore it away.

“You seem to be talking nonsense because you’re not getting enough sleep.”

“……”

“Stop talking nonsense and go to sleep!”

He pushed Marteo’s shoulders out of the room.

But he didn’t know. That his face, not to mention his hands, was already red.

Marteo, who looked down, smiled shallowly.

His feet, which had been resisting, retreated one or two steps. Just before the door closed, Do Yeon-ho. He called Yeon-ho again.

“Tomorrow… let’s have breakfast together.”

“…What?”

“We have to make up for the dinner we couldn’t have today.”

He seemed to be really worried about it.

Yeon-ho’s eyes flickered slightly. He wondered if his appearance, tossing and turning on the bed until this time, was the same.

Yeon-ho parted his tightly closed lips.

“…I’m not going to wake up early.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“Aren’t you going to work?”

“I can do it after eating.”

“Are you going to be late for work again?”

“I’m not. I’ve already finished my morning work to avoid that.”

“……”

“Just wake up before the sun sets.”

“That’s not morning at all.”

“When Do Yeon-ho wakes up, that’s morning. Isn’t it morning when the rooster crows?”

“…Hey.”

Yeon-ho glared, but Marteo’s eyes curved softly instead.

“Or, should I come wake you up?”

He had a seamless response as if he had prepared for it, and there was no more sulking or words to say. Nevertheless, he couldn’t bring himself to close the door.

His heart… was the same.

♥ ♥ ♥

It wasn’t his intention to keep his word, but he really overslept.

It was because he couldn’t fall asleep last night and wandered around for a long time before finally falling asleep.

Yeon-ho, who checked the time, which was already in the afternoon, immediately scanned his surroundings as soon as he raised his upper body. Then, his brows furrowed again.

The clothes and belongings were in the same position as before he fell asleep.

‘What. He said he was going to wake me up……’

There was no sign that anyone had entered the room.

‘…Maybe this guy is still sleeping?’

Yeon-ho, who finally took off the remaining sheets, went to the bathroom.

As he stood in front of the mirror with a toothbrush in his mouth, his hair, which was sticking out in all directions, came into view.

─You still look like a chick.

The image of Marteo smiling and stroking his hair came to mind.

His mouth was burning because of the toothpaste. His lower ribs were burning for no reason.

His brushing became unnecessarily fast. He washed his face twice as if to cool his cheeks.

Even though he said to wake up before the sun sets, it was more likely that he had already gone to work at this time.

But even with rational thoughts, his feet kept getting faster. Yeon-ho, who wiped his wet hands on his clothes instead of a towel, headed straight for the door as soon as he left the bathroom.

And it was when he slammed the doorknob open.

“……!”

Had time gone back several hours? He immediately made eye contact with the face standing in front of the door.

Marteo, who had stopped his fist in the middle of the door, as if he was really going to knock this time. Yeon-ho’s shoulders bounced back, just like a few hours ago.

But one difference was that Marteo was the one who erased his embarrassment first this time among the two people with widened eyes.

Marteo, who smiled shallowly, shrugged his shoulders while wrinkling his nose.

“Oh… I’m one step late. I was just about to wake you up.”

“……”

“Did you sleep well?”

A voice that was warmer than the afternoon sun resonated somewhere in his stomach.

The first morning greeting from a man he had heard since coming here. He felt strange. It had already been several days since he came here, but it felt like a real ‘day’ had finally begun….

“What’s wrong. Are you still not fully awake?”

“……”

“You haven’t forgotten that you were going to have breakfast with me, have you?”

While he was blinking his eyes with strange emotions, Marteo narrowed the distance.

A good smell wafted from the man, who was polished from head to toe. Yeon-ho, who finally came to his senses, took a half step back.

Marteo quickly grabbed Yeon-ho, who was doing that.

“Why are you going back in? You haven’t forgotten that you were going to have breakfast with me, have you?”

“It’s not that….”

“It’s not?”

“It’s just that, I haven’t changed my clothes yet……”

That was true. Only after seeing the too-clean Marteo did he realize it. The wrinkled shirt he had worn to bed last night was now full of moisture. Marteo also scanned Yeon-ho’s clothes as Yeon-ho looked down at his shirt. Then, he easily opened his mouth with a smile that had returned.

“What does it matter? It’s not like anyone else is going to see it.”

Aren’t you someone else? He wanted to ask, but he didn’t have the chance.

“Just go down. Before the sun really sets.”

Marteo, who put a little more strength, simply pulled his arm.

The two bodies were brought closer together once more. As he was dragged along, Yeon-ho vaguely thought.

It was a relief that he had at least brushed his teeth and washed his face thoroughly….

♥ ♥ ♥

“Do you know how to ride a horse?”

Just as the plates were moderately empty and his stomach was slowly filling up, the man spat out a random question. Thin citron peels that were difficult to pick up with a fork, chopsticks were more convenient for things like this. Yeon-ho, who was having such pointless thoughts, casually asked back, “Horse?”

Marteo, who was smiling and looking down at Yeon-ho’s rarely clumsy hand movements, nodded.

“Yes. I was wondering if you’ve ever ridden a horse.”

“Well… I rode a few times in college.”

“Without an instructor?”

“Without.”

Even if he wasn’t as good as Averto, Yeon-ho was rich enough by general standards. He had been dragged around by his sisters and had dabbled in various things, saying it was a required course. Well, most of it involved being a porter.

Yeon-ho, who recalled the past, gave up on the citron peels that still wouldn’t stick and raised his head with a frown.

“But why are you asking this all of a sudden?”

Marteo, who also took his eyes off Yeon-ho’s hand, raised his lips with a smile.

“There’s a horse farm about an hour away from here where I manage my horses.”

“So?”

“The surrounding scenery is quite worth seeing.”

“…So?”

“Don’t you want to go? There’s one that would suit you.”

Yeon-ho’s frown deepened as the possibility he’d suspected from the start became reality: they were suggesting horseback riding.

He didn’t like Morpheus, but he especially disliked real animals. Their behavior was unpredictable, and they couldn’t understand what you were saying…

More than anything, horseback riding during pregnancy?

Without even considering it, Yeon-ho cut him off.

“No thanks. Just thinking about it makes my butt hurt.”

“But you have riding experience, don’t you?”

“That’s why I’m saying this.”

“…It’s because you’re not used to it. Once you get the hang of it, it’s bearable.”

“Why would I bear it? Is this some kind of endurance training?”

“It’s not that painful if you don’t ride too fast.”

“Then there’s even less reason to ride. Why ride a horse if you’re not going to go fast? I might as well ride a cow.”

“……”

As firm as an impenetrable wall. Yeon-ho could almost hear the sound of the Arabian mare he’d wanted to show off galloping away into the distance.

But he wasn’t ready to give up yet. Regretfully, Marteo quickly presented his second idea.

“Then how about shooting?”

“Shooting…?”

“Clay shooting, or… hunting would be good too. It’ll relieve stress.”

True… but it would stress the baby out.

The noise from firing a gun is louder than a plane taking off. And what about the chemicals in the shell casings?

Even if I can’t have good prenatal care, I should at least avoid killing things.

Yeon-ho shook his head again without hesitation.

“My shoulder hurts. And I don’t like the vibrations.”

“……Then, how about a yacht? It takes less than an hour to get to the middle of the sea from the Ostia marina.”

“Seriously. What would I do in the middle of the ocean? Just smell the fish?”

“If you don’t like the sea, we can do it on the river. The breeze on the Tiber River is nice this time of year. You can see the old city too.”

“I get seasick. Especially on small boats.”

“How about a track day? It’s a machine and track actually used in races. You don’t get carsick… do you?”

“That’s not about carsickness. Who’s responsible if I have an accident? Do you want me to die in some faraway land?”

“……”

Every suggestion was rejected. Of course, Yeon-ho had no choice but to do this. Horseback riding, shooting, yachting, racing. All of them involved risks during pregnancy.

Marteo made a few more suggestions after that, but the rejections, which had started with ‘not really’ and ‘no thanks,’ reached their peak with ‘not interested.’

Finally, Marteo fell silent. After a while, he suddenly asked again in a low voice.

“Perhaps… when you say you’re not interested, you don’t mean the horseback riding or shooting, but me?”

“What?”

“If you’re indirectly telling me you don’t want to do anything with me… you can go with Tony instead of me. Don’t be bored alone.”

His face, which had been smiling at first, was now completely somber. Yeon-ho blinked. Then he finally understood where these absurd suggestions had come from.

─You seem bored.

What Tony had said to him yesterday when he asked about the shopping district. He really did report everything, even this.

Yeon-ho hesitated. If he went along with the misunderstanding, he wouldn’t get any more ‘let’s do this, let’s do that’ suggestions. Then he wouldn’t have to go to the trouble of making up excuses.

But… he couldn’t bear to look at the man’s bitter face for long, and a sigh escaped his lips.

“Hey. Do I… look that nice to you?”

“…What are you talking about?”

“I hate it. Do you think I’m the kind of person who would ‘indirectly’ say something when I could just say ‘I don’t like it’ in two words?”

“……”

Marteo’s face, which had been stiff, began to relax, little by little.

But only for a moment. This time, a faint line appeared on Yeon-ho’s brow. He looked vaguely uneasy. Noticing this, Marteo asked with a questioning look, “What’s wrong?” Yeon-ho said in a sulky voice,

“No. I was just wondering as I listened. Do you… really do that kind of stuff normally?”

“…That kind of stuff?”

“Everything you suggested involves using your body outside. I didn’t know you were so outgoing.”

“This is pretty normal.”

“I… really don’t like hearing that ‘normal’ sound.”

“……”

He was clearly still harboring resentment over the day he’d been accused of being a Morpheus, based on Marteo’s answer. Marteo quickly changed the subject.

“Then what about you? Is there really nothing you like?”

“…Nope.”

“Not even one thing?”

“I hate sweating.”

“Don’t you like any kind of exercise?”

“Exercise is something you watch, not do. …Except for breathing exercises.”

Marteo chuckled at the words that followed his serious expression.

Then he subtly leaned forward. His eyes were quite mischievous.

“Then… what about sex? That’s also a sweaty exercise.”

“That’s not exercise, it’s art.”

Of course, his expression crumbled again at the unyielding reply.

Yeon-ho, who had been glaring sullenly at Marteo as he laughed, spoke again after quite some time.

“You must have been pretty bored in Korea.”

“……?”

“You like outdoor activities so much, but you were stuck at home with me the whole time.”

Perhaps this was what he had wanted to ask from the beginning.

Marteo’s laughter gradually subsided. Instead, the contained laughter filled his eyes.

Looking at Yeon-ho with tender eyes, Marteo caressed him as if licking him.

“Not at all. It was the most fun thing I’ve ever done in my life.”

The intense gaze and voice immediately penetrated Yeon-ho’s core.

The area around his navel tightened all at once, and a tingling sensation ran down his neck.

It was then. Among the employees who were standing by, as if they were the only two there, a small stir arose.

Of the two who couldn’t take their eyes off each other, Yeon-ho was the first to come to his senses.

Turning his head, he saw a maid telling Tony something. Tony’s expression hardened by the second. Then he quickly closed the distance to the table.

“What’s wrong?”

Marteo only moved his lips, still keeping his gaze on Yeon-ho.

“I’m sorry to interrupt your meal, but you need to come out for a moment.”

Marteo finally turned to look at Tony. But Tony was glancing at Yeon-ho. There seemed to be some concern in his anxious eyes. Not missing this, Marteo’s voice became sharp.

“What is it?”

At that moment, Marteo’s phone began to ring. The persistently vibrating number was from the main house.

Tony’s face paled even more as he looked at the screen. And finally, he parted his lips with difficulty.

“There are guests at the front door.”

“……”

“But… it’s not just one person, it’s three people in total.”

“……”

“Angelica of the Corsi family. Lucia of the Riccardi family, and Eleonora of the Albize family. All three of them said they came with a formal invitation from the main house……”

Blue veins stood out on Marteo’s hand as he gripped the phone.

Yeon-ho, who was looking down at him, picked up a glass of water and slowly wet his lips.

An ominous premonition. These things were rarely wrong.

‘I should have woken up earlier today….’

It seemed like they wouldn’t be able to finish their meal.

♥ ♥ ♥

“How long are you going to follow me?”

“Then why don’t you explain what’s going on?”

“…It’s nothing much.”

“Then what is that ‘nothing much’? If it’s nothing much, there’s no reason why you can’t tell me.”

Marteo, who hadn’t answered the phone, remained silent for a long time before getting up from his seat.

‘Have them wait in the garden.’

He ordered Tony. He told Yeon-ho to finish his meal, but… the atmosphere wasn’t right for that, and Yeon-ho wasn’t one to listen anyway.

Yeon-ho, who had followed him all the way to the central hall on the first floor, even grabbed Marteo’s sleeve.

It wasn’t a strong grip, but he couldn’t easily shake it off. Looking down at his fingertips, Yeon-ho threatened him.

“If you don’t tell me, I’m going to keep following you.”

This wasn’t the time for this… A chuckle escaped his lips.

“Why are you laughing?”

Because… when you say that, I really don’t want to tell you.

But if he said that out loud, it would only make him angrier. No matter how he thought about it, there was no way he could beat Do Yeon-ho. Eventually, Marteo, who had been rubbing his eyes, let out a slow sigh.

“Have you ever heard of… Ritus Domus?”

“Ritus… what?”

Ritus Domus. Translated, it means the Rite of the House.

The Averto family has an old tradition related to marriage.

They attach the three most likely candidates to their child who is about to get married, and have them live in the main house or the residence under the person’s jurisdiction for a certain period of time.

During this period, the selected candidates learn the atmosphere of Averto through daily contact, and their speech, posture, and even minor habits are evaluated.

But this custom, which had been maintained for a long time, was discontinued by Marteo’s father, Sergio.

Now that distance was no longer an issue as it had been in the past, and there were far fewer restrictions on meetings. Unnecessary competition and emotional exposure between candidates, and subsequent discord in business, occurred more frequently.

But… today, three women visited the mansion, presenting a formal invitation from the main house.

Even if it was just a simple visit, the number three, the time they came, and even the family names that Tony had recited were all suspicious.

Marteo had a hunch.

─Lorenzo’s movements are somehow unusual. He said he had something to discuss with the master about the young master’s marriage….

─The homecoming gift that my brother and I prepared will arrive soon.

What was the ‘gift’ that Fabio had mentioned? Who had set up this game?

It was a revival of a useless custom.

Marteo, who had finished his explanation, shrugged with a twisted expression.

“It seems… my half-blooded relatives are playing some tricks. And it seems my father is complicit.”

Yeon-ho’s blank expression gradually turned into a frown. Then, before long, a loud snort that sounded like his nose was about to fall off burst out.

“So, this is about premarital cohabitation? And the family is leading it. Wow… I thought it was some great tradition, but now I see that Averto is nothing special?”

“……Pardon?”

“That’s right. At least they should give each of you a separate house. What’s with the group cohabitation…? Is this some kind of dating survival show?”

The family’s rite, which boasted a long history, was mercilessly devalued and thrown to the ground in an instant.

He also criticized it, saying that the plot was old-fashioned and that they should have just done a selection of three.

Marteo’s eyebrows slowly rose. Then, in the end, his face, which had been gloomy, began to light up again.

‘How is it that this person never moves according to my expectations?’

‘How can he bring such a pleasant breeze into my heart every moment?’

He simply found Yeon-ho’s pouting lips adorable. He couldn’t take his eyes off him.

Finally, Yeon-ho, who had been grumbling for a long time, suddenly raised his head.

“So. What are you going to do?”

“……?”

“To summarize, the women outside. They’re the candidates who came here saying they’re going to stay.”

“…I’ll take care of it. You don’t have to worry about it.”

With a firm answer, Marteo finally took Yeon-ho’s hand, which had been holding his clothes, away. So far, so good. But the problem was that he then took that hand and held it the other way around.

“Wh-what is it?”

“What do you mean, what is it? I explained everything you wanted. Now stop following me and go upstairs.”

He was pulling him towards the stairs to the second floor. Yeon-ho, who was helplessly dragged along by the clear difference in strength, belatedly grabbed the railing.

“Hey, I have feet too!”

“I know. That’s why I didn’t pick you up.”

…What?

“Or would you prefer that I carry you?”

He wondered if this was a joke at this moment. But the words he muttered as he looked down at his resisting feet were quite sincere. Marteo’s hand reached for his waist this time. Yeon-ho, who was disgusted and horrified, ran up the remaining stairs.

It was then.

Clang! A loud noise grabbed his ears. Yeon-ho, who had barely turned around and was relieved, and Marteo, who had just stepped on three or four stairs, reflexively turned their heads.

“How long are you going to make us wait? Step aside!”

With a nervous voice, the front door was thrown open.

Ignoring Tony, who was trying to stop her, someone was entering.

The sound of sharp heels echoed through the high-ceilinged hall. As if his eyes had been stabbed by the sound, Yeon-ho’s gaze naturally fixed on one point.

A glamorous beauty….

The woman who had brushed off Tony crossed the hallway as if kicking the floor and entered the hall in an instant.

However, her unstoppable steps only went that far.

Because she met Marteo’s eyes, who was standing like a wall on the stairs leading to the second floor.

The confident expression on the woman’s face disappeared in an instant, replaced by pure embarrassment.

The reason… he could guess without looking.

Even though his back was turned, Marteo’s coldness was conveyed all the way here. The woman’s shoulders, which had flinched, trembled slightly.

At the same time, another presence was heard from the entrance. The footsteps, which were faster than hers, were not just one this time.

Yeon-ho’s gaze turned back to the hallway. Then, ah… he swallowed a small groan.

There was one woman in front of him. And two and three others.

There was no need to ask or confirm.

They were all in their early twenties. Their atmosphere and style were all different, but there was no disagreement that they were all beautiful, and they had one more thing in common.

Whether it was intentional or a mistake, the obvious pheromones were disturbing the air. The Anima that flickered above their bodies were all birds.

The Kestrel who had charged in without looking back.

The swan with an unwavering, upright posture.

And the crow who was taking steps from the very back, as if observing the surroundings….

They were undoubtedly Marteo’s other marriage candidates.

‘Really… he’s gathered all kinds of them. Is this a mess, or a bird mess?’

He was so dumbfounded that he felt like he was going to laugh.

Meanwhile, Marteo, who had only rolled his eyes to a minimum, looked back at them.

“……”

Even the Kestrel, not to mention the others, showed some embarrassment on their faces.

His expression was not welcoming in any way, as if he had come out to greet guests. It was closer to that of a wild beast whose territory had been invaded.

Angelica, the Kestrel who was physically closest, swallowed hard and unconsciously took half a step back.

Tony, who had tried to stop her, clicked his tongue with a look that said he knew this would happen.

After a while, Eleonora, the swan, broke through the cold silence and stepped forward. She raised her lips as if to show off, with a face that had erased all of her previous embarrassment.

“It’s been a while, Mr. Marteo.”

“……”

“I heard you were waiting, but I thought it was polite to say ‘hello’ first when I heard you were at home. If I was rude… I apologize.”

The form was an apology, but it was a kind of accusation that he was obviously at home and could he leave people standing outside without saying ‘hello.’

Of course, Marteo understood the words that had been thrown out for him to notice.

And that’s why he was even more dumbfounded. Originally, Marteo was usually at the company at this time every day.

They were obviously targeting the time on purpose, but they were shamelessly talking about manners. He could only imagine how arrogant they would have been if he hadn’t been home.

With their backers and even the cooperation of Averto, Tony’s attempts to stop them would have been a joke.

Instead of answering, Marteo’s eyes became even colder. Thanks to this, Eleonora’s face hardened as well, but the corners of her lips were still pulled up.

She quickly took out the next card she had prepared.

“Oh, by the way, did you get the message?”

“……”

“Thankfully, we were all invited to the banquet hosted by Averto next week.”

It was a superficial and obvious excuse. Whether it was because she was uncomfortable with Eleonora taking the lead when she had been hesitant, Angelica chimed in at the right time.

“Y-yes. It’s a place for preserving the lineage of Morpheus and… um. For coexistence and exchange, right? I’m also very interested in genetic diversity and coexistence with other species, so I’m really looking forward to it.”

Eleonora, who had turned to look at her chattering, swallowed a small snort. Then she cut in again and took back the remaining words.

“I heard the party will be held at the main house in Bracciano, but it will take too long to travel on the day of the event. The house suggested that we discuss the theme of the banquet and come and stay in advance. But I heard the main house is under construction right now?”

“Yes. So Lorenzo said it would be better for us to stay here. Of course, I heard that Mr. Marteo also agreed…?”

The words they were spouting, one after another, were still absurd. Marteo had never even heard of the banquet being held at the main house, let alone agreed to it.

However, he knew something else. Whether he knew or really agreed was irrelevant to them anyway.

Corsi, Riccardi, Albize. Their families were all connected to his older brother, Lorenzo, or his wife, Isabella.

And Lorenzo had sent them to his house out of consideration for them?

If they knew about their relationship, even a dog wouldn’t laugh. There was no way that their fathers wouldn’t know that this didn’t make sense.

Despite all that, he must have calculated the odds.

Humoring Lorenzo was a gain. If, by any chance, this opportunity led to something real between them, that would also be a gain. He wouldn’t be losing out.

Lorenzo felt the same.

Though it would never happen, if one of these women became his partner, Lorenzo would be planting someone within his reach, as his eyes and ears, right by his side.

More than anything, even if he kicked these women out right now, Lorenzo wouldn’t lose out. If he rejected those whom even his father, Sergio, had permitted, and who had even received a formal invitation from the family, it would give him grounds to make a fuss.

Grounds to question whether someone who disregarded the family’s traditions could truly be considered a legitimate heir.

The whole situation was as clear as day. The best course of action right now was to accommodate them and then, when the time was right, get rid of them in an appropriate manner.

But… even knowing all this, he didn’t want to do it. He didn’t have the leeway.

Because even now, all his attention was focused on Yeon-ho, who was standing behind him.

Finally, Marteo turned around.

He probably didn’t understand the Italian the women were spouting, but Yeon-ho’s expression as he looked down at them showed no unease or confusion.

‘He really is… Do Yeon-ho…’

He felt relieved, but at the same time, he felt anxious about what Yeon-ho was thinking. Just then. “Marteo, darling?” Angelica called out to Marteo with a frown. Her whiny tone, as if she were being sent somewhere, was incredibly grating.

An already easy decision solidified even further. Marteo, straightening his posture, parted his lips.

“It seems there’s been some kind of misunderstanding.”

“A mis…understanding?”

“Whether it’s a banquet or whatever, I haven’t heard anything about it.”

“…Oh…”

“Still, it wouldn’t be polite to send you back after you’ve come all this way. …Antonio.”

“Yes?”

“Get these ladies a hotel. Location… Frascati would be good.”

The area where Lorenzo’s mansion was located. Tony’s eyes flickered as he understood, and Marteo twisted up only the corners of his lips as if to show off.

“Since you’re so interested in the banquet, you can discuss it with Lorenzo at your leisure. You’re all closer to Lorenzo than you are to me, so wouldn’t that be more comfortable for everyone?”

Even hearing it again, it was clearly a dismissal. The sarcasm of mentioning Lorenzo wasn’t of good quality either.

Eleonora’s face, which had been smiling somehow, quickly hardened, and Angelica, who had been the first to mention Lorenzo’s name, was at a loss.

But this embarrassment wasn’t just for the women.

“Young Master…”

Tony, calling out to Marteo as if in pain, shook his head slightly with a desperate look. He understood how he felt, but even so, this wasn’t the way to do it. He should reconsider.

Of course, Marteo chose to ignore him.

“What are you doing? These people have come from afar and must be tired.”

Above all, all these words were in English. So that Yeon-ho, whatever he was thinking, wouldn’t feel even a little bit of suspicion or discomfort.

But this consideration brought about an unexpected turn of events.

“Why bother? Like you said, it’s tiring.”

Yeon-ho, who hadn’t moved from the top of the stairs, came down and spoke.

Marteo, as well as Tony and the women, all turned to look at Yeon-ho at once.

Yeon-ho, slowly surveying them, even shrugged his shoulders. His words, like Marteo’s, were in English. Of course, unlike Marteo, who was doing it for Yeon-ho, he was targeting the women.

“Even if you haven’t heard about it, you’ve heard everything now, right? It’s not like we don’t have rooms, and why waste money on nonsense?”

“Do Yeon-ho.”

“Just have them stay here. It seems like they came prepared to do so, so we can’t just tell them to leave like this.”

“Do Yeon-ho!”

Yeon-ho never moved as he expected, but this time it was too much.

Marteo, his eyes narrowed sharply, quickly switched to Korean.

“What are you saying? You want me to bring those women into my house?”

“Isn’t that how it’s usually done? That’s the ritual or whatever, right?”

“Do Yeon-ho!”

“If there was nothing to worry about in the first place, you wouldn’t have had them wait in the garden, you would have kicked them out right outside the gate. But the fact that you didn’t means it’s better not to, situationally, right?”

He was still quick on the uptake. Yeon-ho, glancing at Marteo who was clenching his fist tightly, even let out a small sigh.

“Those women, they’re related to your brother, right?”

“…….”

“If it’s true that your brother set them up as pawns… don’t be soft. In this kind of game, taking someone else’s words is more effective than keeping your own. Or… completely destroy them so they can’t even think about getting back in the game.”

“…….”

“But, why are you letting them off so easily? Maybe… is there someone you like among them?”

“…What did you say?”

“Is there someone who’s going to be so excited being under the same roof that they can’t sleep?”

“Is this a joke to you!”

Marteo, beyond exasperated, raised his voice once more. Even so, Yeon-ho remained calm.

“If not, then it’s fine. You know what they say? Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer. Besides, you said it yourself. Don’t be bored alone. I won’t have to worry about being bored for a while, so what’s the problem?”

“Ha…? Is that what you meant!”

Marteo repeatedly raised his voice. The women were already on edge, sensing the strange atmosphere between the two, which continued in Korean.

Marteo was openly angry at the man. But it was different from the coldness he had shown them. That was strangely unsettling.

After a while, Marteo finally touched his forehead. He really didn’t want to. On the other hand, Yeon-ho, smiling brightly, turned to look at Tony, who was fidgeting instead of Marteo.

“What are you doing?”

“…Yes?”

“You should give those people a room.”

Unlike the women, Tony, who had understood all of their conversation, felt another wave crash into his heart.

Ah. What an intelligent and bold decision!

Of course. To become a member of the Averto family, you must have this much guts.

Even though he didn’t have his Young Master’s permission, Tony bowed sincerely, not caring what others thought.

“As you command.”

He didn’t even bother to think about which room to give the women. After all, the room of the mistress of the house was already occupied by the most suitable person.

His favorability towards Yeon-ho finally hit an all-time high.

♥ ♥ ♥

Were these people here to live for the rest of their lives? Trunks kept pouring out endlessly from the car the women had arrived in.

Marteo, who was leaving the mansion, frowned deeply at the luggage being carried into his house one after another. Tony, glancing at his complexion, quietly parted his lips.

“Yeon-ho’s judgment was accurate.”

“…….”

“If Young Master had kicked the ladies out right away, they would have definitely found fault with it later.”

“…I know.”

“Especially the head of the Albize family is known for holding grudges. Ricardi is also deeply involved in the business that Young Master is currently in charge of.”

“I KNOW, I said!”

“Hmm. You don’t seem to know…….”

Marteo’s sharp eyes glared at Tony at the muttered words.

“Aren’t you busy? Why are you standing here?”

It was just picking a fight, but it was true that the house employees were busy with the sudden guests, three people. However, Tony, who should have been at the forefront, was unexpectedly relaxed.

With a straight face, Tony shrugged his shoulders.

“Well, I’m in charge of Yeon-ho.”

“…What?”

“Yeon-ho went to his room to rest, and the other maids will take care of the ladies. They are not my responsibility.”

“…….”

He seemed to lack tact, but at times like this, he was like a fox. Marteo, speechless, clicked his tongue and continued walking. Tony, who followed behind, spoke again.

“But… I’m the one who’s surprised. That you’re going to work on a day like today. …Are you really okay?”

“I’m not okay, so I’m going to work.”

“…Yes?”

“I received an excessive gift, so I have to repay it.”

“…….”

On the surface, it didn’t show, but there was a knife hidden in his words. When he was trying to kick the women out, I wondered if he was the Young Master I knew, but it seems like it was an unnecessary worry.

Without saying anything more, Tony overtook Marteo and went down the stairs, opening the car door that was waiting in a polite posture.

Marteo, who was about to get inside, suddenly stopped moving. Then, his head turned to the end of the second floor. Towards the window facing the garden. It was Yeon-ho’s room without having to confirm.

‘Should I have… seen his face before coming out?’

But just like the reason why he couldn’t call yesterday, if he saw his face, he knew he wouldn’t be able to leave.

For the sake of the future, the immediate priority was to deal with the trash in front of him.

Marteo, suppressing a sigh, barely took his eyes off the window and turned to look at Tony.

“Tony.”

“Yes, speak.”

“Keep a close watch on those women. Make sure they don’t get close to Yeon-ho.”

He expected an immediate ‘Yes’ in response, but Tony had a strange expression on his face. Then, he coughed softly.

“Excuse me, Young Master. In my humble opinion, even if Yeon-ho and those people meet…… you don’t have to worry about Yeon-ho. Rather…….”

The rest of the words were swallowed, but it was clear what he wanted to say.

However, knowing that made Marteo feel even more twisted inside. Marteo finally vented his frustration.

“So. That’s why I’m telling you not to let them get close!”

“……Yes?”

“Who doesn’t know that Do Yeon-ho is cool? What if they fall in love with him?”

Tony’s eyes widened. Could it be… the reason why he didn’t want the women in the house was… that reason…….

A silent silence passed between the two for a long time. At the end of that, Tony, smoothing out his twitching lips, cleared his throat.

“Recently… there’s a proverb that keeps coming to my mind when I see Young Master.”

“…….”

“Aquila da pollaio. (An eagle in a henhouse)”

Marteo’s eyes narrowed as his eyebrows rose. He thought he was going to get angry at the glaring gaze, but…. The prediction was wrong.

“Just let him in!”

With those words, the car door slammed shut quickly!

Still, Tony had already seen it. The redness on Marteo’s cheekbones, the lips twisted like a child’s.

Tony, blankly watching the Maybach drive away, inadvertently turned back to the second floor. And… this time too, he witnessed it.

The car of Marteo, who was no longer visible. An familiar silhouette was quietly closing the open window, as if waiting for it.

The wind blew from somewhere. Was it the wind that made his skin, his old heart, feel ticklish for no reason?

Something that was like a sigh or a laugh scattered from Tony’s collapsed lips.

The house was still busy taking care of the guests… but what was the point of all that?