By Some Unbelievable Twist, I Became the Villainess’s Older Brother

Adelio seemed somewhat appeased by the sight and soon relaxed his gaze. As the ominous air receded, Enoch finally noticed how striking Adelio looked in his impeccably fitted tailcoat.

He certainly was impressive. Enoch looked up at those beautiful features and chewed the inside of his mouth.

“Do you find my words amusing?”

At the sweet voice, Enoch immediately shook his head.

“No.”

“Then why do you behave that way? Can’t you act in a manner that pleases me? Or are you doing this deliberately? Do you want me to come find you myself? Is that it?”

Seeing Adelio’s eyes glitter as he spoke, Enoch shook his head urgently.

“N-no, not at all. Of course not. Absolutely not.”

“What isn’t?”

“…I apologize, Your Highness.”

At times like this, it was far better to apologize meekly. Adelio started to say something more, then pressed his lips shut.

Enoch glanced at him and watched his mood. He knew very well that the more he humbled himself, the more the man’s temper eased.

Relentless, sharp, and excessively sensitive though he was, Adelio had a rather simple side. Before long, a sigh escaped him.

He looked Enoch up and down, then reached out. Startled, Enoch sat up from his awkward reclining position.

Then he reflexively raised a hand. Adelio glanced at him and stroked his head once.

Enoch blinked up at him. Then he carefully lowered the hand he had half raised.

Adelio pushed Enoch aside by the hip and sat beside him.

“You had better come to the grand ducal residence on your own tomorrow, Sir Enoch.”

Enoch shifted his eyes.

“If I have time, I will be certain to go.”

The man laughed quietly.

“Just come. I’m not asking much. I have come to the capital and am surrounded by strangers, so I’m asking you to be my friend… Is that so difficult?”

“Your Highness. But I―”

“Sir Enoch. You should think carefully before you answer. If you continue being this uncooperative, I will abandon this gentlemanly behavior as well. Ah, perhaps it would be better simply to abduct you and tie you up in my mansion. Then we would not need to exhaust ourselves arguing like this. I think I would prefer that. What do you think?”

Enoch immediately answered with a rigid expression.

“On second thought, time seems to be the one thing I have in abundance. I will definitely come.”

Adelio beamed.

“Good. That answer pleases me.”

Watching him smile, Enoch ground his teeth inwardly. Had he acted according to his true nature, he would already have seized Adelio by the collar while cursing him.

He was only another supporting character anyway. Enoch grumbled inwardly. The Emperor’s half-brother, Grand Duke Chezaser, was, like Enoch, not a particularly important person in the novel.

No, it was even worse for him than for Enoch. He was scarcely mentioned in the story.

For that very reason, Enoch knew nothing about what kind of man he was. Moreover, Adelio normally remained in the west and had only recently come to the capital by the Emperor’s order, a few days before the Imperial hunting competition.

Despite that, for reasons Enoch couldn’t fathom, Adelio had shown tremendous interest in him from the moment they met. What had he said? That he wanted to be friends? Enoch could only find it absurd.

‘Friends? What a joke.’

The number of times they had met could literally be counted on one hand. He barely knew Enoch, so what made him think they should be friends?

Enoch let out a deep sigh. All of this was the Crown Prince’s fault.

The Crown Prince was being punished for the riding accident and had said he couldn’t come himself, so he asked his uncle, the Grand Duke, to visit Enoch in his place. Thanks to that, Grand Duke Chezaser had needlessly come to House Laochenes to inquire after Enoch, and this entire mess had begun.

Enoch couldn’t understand the Grand Duke in the first place. What exactly had he taken a liking to? For a day, two days… for a week, he had visited the ducal mansion at least four times.

Enoch had assumed the man’s curiosity would fade after a few meetings and he would stop coming, but nearly a month had already passed. It was enough to drive him mad. At this rate, he felt they truly might become best friends by force.

Moreover, while observing Adelio, Enoch had learned one new fact about him. Though the man now wore a pleasant face and smiled brightly, he was frightening whenever his mood suddenly turned.

Forcing back a curse, Enoch turned his gaze every way he could to avoid meeting Adelio’s eyes.

Adelio, however, had already noticed exactly what Enoch was thinking. The sheer dedication of the effort was almost enough to make him laugh.