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

“Do you dislike me that much, Sir Enoch? Even though we see each other so often? I thought we had grown quite familiar. My request is not so difficult in the first place, is it? Is it truly so hard to visit often as a friend and keep me company?”

“……”

“I believe your expression tells me enough. It seems you truly dislike me a great deal.”

Adelio raised his fine brows at an angle.

“……”

Enoch looked at him as if to ask why he bothered when he already knew. Adelio lowered the corners of his mouth and sealed his lips.

‘…Why is he suddenly acting like this?’

The silence filled Enoch with a strange unease, but he dismissed it. Adelio’s moods changed in an instant as a matter of course.

Besides, what could Enoch do even if he discovered the reason? Adelio was a Grand Duke, one of only three in the Empire.

The late Emperor had dearly cherished Adelio, the youngest son born to him late in life. And that was not all. By nature, the present Emperor should have hated him, yet for some reason, he too had bestowed the title of Grand Duke upon his youngest half-brother.

It was truly unexpected. Most of the Emperor’s other half siblings had either died by his hand or been exiled to domains on the Empire’s distant frontiers.

That had led people to say all manner of things about the Emperor. The most plausible explanation was that the Grand Duke’s birth mother had saved the life of the Emperor—when he was still the Crown Prince back then—and lost her hearing from her grave injuries.

‘Of course, that isn’t all.’

The Grand Duke was extraordinarily skilled with a sword. Not only had he entered the academy for knights at the top of his class, but he had graduated first as well. He was even accomplished in letters.

Rumor claimed he never forgot a text after seeing it once. Of course, Enoch had heard all this from Dale, his personal servant.

Enoch snorted inwardly. Some of it had surely been exaggerated. He hadn’t witnessed any of it himself, so he did not believe every rumor.

In any event, the Emperor had granted Adelio the western domain of Chezaser together with the title of Grand Duke. It was not as dangerous as the northern border defended by Grand Duke Pibona, whose house was famed for producing generals, but the west was also a perilous region where many monsters appeared.

Yet after Grand Duke Chezaser went there, the number of people killed by monsters in the west reportedly dwindled to almost nothing. Danger remained danger, of course, so the Emperor, who cared a great deal for his half-brother, repeatedly tried to summon him back to the capital. Every attempt failed.

That made Adelio’s journey to the capital on this occasion highly unusual. Enoch narrowed his eyes.

‘What in the world is the Grand Duke thinking?’

But Enoch soon shook his head. To repeat the point, whatever the man thought had nothing to do with him.

In any case, Grand Duke Chezaser was famous in many respects. At the same time, he was merely an extra in 〈The Tyrant’s Hidden Blade〉.

One might call him the least important of minor characters. Aside from appearing briefly near the beginning at the Crown Prince’s birthday banquet, he scarcely appeared at all.

His name simply surfaced once in a while, literally just when the reader was about to forget him. Of course, even in the novel, the Grand Duke and the commanders of his escort were described as exceedingly attractive men.

So Enoch knew very well that Adelio was handsome enough to make anyone’s eyes widen. That much did not require the novel’s description.

No one could see him once and simply pass him by. Enoch couldn’t deny it.

But no matter how handsome he was… Enoch could never tolerate some of Adelio’s behavior.

‘Your cheeks look remarkably soft, Sir Enoch. I imagine they would feel pleasant to touch.’

‘…I would appreciate it if you refrained from saying such things.’

‘Why? Does hearing it repeatedly make your heart race?’

‘…Lunatic.’

At the time, the curse had escaped the instant Adelio’s words registered in his mind. He did not think. It had simply been impossible not to swear!

Fortunately, Grand Duke Chezaser had let the insolence pass without comment. Afterward, however, he pursued Enoch even more persistently, like the male lead in a drama declaring, ‘You’re the first person ever to treat me this way!’

“And so… Are you listening to me?”

“…Pardon?”

Adelio narrowed his eyes. Then he looked at Enoch with an expression that was almost, but not quite, a smile.

“Sir Enoch, you appear to be thinking I am a nuisance.”

“…No. Of course not.”

What an observant man. Enoch grumbled inwardly.

“You are a poor liar. I like that as well.”

“……”

Please stop liking things about me! Enoch vigorously cursed the ridiculous man. The Grand Duke crossed his legs, rested a hand atop them, and moved his fingers as though playing the piano.