PT | Chapter 7.2

Even if he met Madeleine, he had no idea what to say. And if the conversation went well, the problem was that if he ended up getting involved with her, it would be a huge issue. He definitely didn’t want to marry her. He sighed deeply.

Then, it suddenly occurred to him that while he heard the person coming in, they hadn’t left yet. Aubrey turned around and saw Lennock standing at the bathroom door.

“…”

Aubrey froze as he saw Lennock standing there, completely unexpected. He couldn’t react immediately. Lennock, seeing Aubrey’s frozen state, casually spoke.

“I came in since you told me to, but why the reaction?”

“…It’s you. You crazy bastard!”

Aubrey, shocked, hurriedly stood up from the bathtub.

While still startled by the fact that Lennock was standing there, Aubrey realized he was naked. Although he had covered himself with a towel, he really didn’t want to show himself to Lennock like this.

His mind raced, but his body wouldn’t move as quickly as he wanted. The tub’s bottom was slippery. As Aubrey half-stood, he lost his balance and fell forward.

When he saw the bathroom tiles rushing toward him, Aubrey shut his eyes tightly and turned his head away.

Damn, my nose is going to hit the floor!

At that moment, Lennock moved forward and caught Aubrey in his arms, cradling his chest with one arm and holding the back of his neck with the other. Aubrey, not hitting the floor, ended up bent awkwardly in Lennock’s embrace.

It was a relief that he wasn’t injured, but Aubrey, feeling embarrassed by his position, pushed Lennock away with one arm.

“Get off me!”

“…”

Lennock didn’t pull his hands away but slowly let his body retreat while still holding Aubrey’s neck. Aubrey, now raising his elbow, considered hitting Lennock in the chest. But then he hesitated, knowing that without Lennock’s support, he would’ve face-planted directly into the tile floor.

Then Lennock pushed Aubrey back into the bathtub with his other arm. Aubrey sat back down, and once Lennock’s arm left him, he quickly brought his knees together, pressing them against his chest.

“I won’t expect a thank you, since you were probably shocked.”

“…What?”

Aubrey, who was still processing what had just happened, raised his head.

He looked up at Lennock, who was staring down at him.

“…”

Why did it feel like Lennock’s eyes were roaming over his body? Aubrey felt as if an invisible hand was running down his neck, back, waist, hips, and even reaching his thighs. He suddenly realized how he was feeling. He pressed his knees closer to his body and turned his head to mutter, “What kind of manners are these, barging in while I’m bathing? Get out right now.”

Despite the sharp words, Aubrey’s arms, which were holding his knees, were tense with anger. Lennock stared down at him, even more plainly than before.

Aubrey’s wet hair clung to his smooth skin, and the black strands trickled down, following the curve of his back, deepening the lines of his collarbone and chest. The skin on his knees was so pale it had a light pink hue. Lennock thought about how a grown man’s knees should never be that color. As he looked back at Aubrey’s face, he noticed his cheeks and earlobes were also a light pink, as if they had been flushed.

“…”

Lennock could never have imagined Aubrey acting like this when he was fully dressed. He had never expected him to look like this just because he was missing one layer of clothing.

Or maybe it was just because of the sudden visit while Aubrey was in the bath. He probably wasn’t used to reacting in situations like this without any clothes on. Still, it was surprising.

Seeing Aubrey, who had always been so cold, flushed and at a loss like this—it was unlike anything Lennock had ever seen.

Knowing who Aubrey was, Lennock suddenly became curious.

What would happen if he got even closer now? How would Aubrey react?

Lennock bent down over the tub, grabbing the edges with both hands. As he lowered his head, Aubrey looked up in shock.

From under his wet hair, Lennock’s face was now right in front of Aubrey’s.

“…”

Aubrey’s eyes were wide with shock, his lips parted, and the hot breath between them brushed against Lennock’s chin. At that moment, Lennock felt a rush of warmth spread through his lower abdomen.

He leaned even closer, but before he could move any further, Aubrey grabbed the bathwater and splashed it at him.

“You’re too close!”

SPLASH.

The water hit Lennock’s face, and he closed his eyes, turning his head away. The lukewarm water was enough to snap him back to reality.

Raising one hand to push his wet hair back, Lennock turned and looked at Aubrey, who had backed away to the opposite side of the tub.

“…What the hell are you trying to do to me?”

Aubrey’s face, pressed up against the tub, was contorted in an expression of disgust as he glared at Lennock.

Lennock calmly responded.

“I’m heading back to the academy today. If I go alone, people will certainly ask what happened to you, so I just came to hear your answer.”

“…”

As Lennock said, if he went back alone, people would definitely ask about Aubrey. He probably came to get an answer before things became complicated. Aubrey understood this, but…

“So, you came in suddenly just to ask me that?”

“…”

“Why not just speak up from the start instead of getting so close with that disgusting face?”

Aubrey, still feeling flustered, grabbed some more water and splashed it at him again. The water hit Lennock’s face again, but this time, he didn’t try to avoid it.

The water from his face dripped down, and Lennock noticed he was fully dressed, seemingly ready to leave for the academy. However, he wasn’t pleased that Aubrey had ruined his outfit by splashing him.

Aubrey, who was clearly uncomfortable with everything, muttered as he avoided his gaze.

“I’ll just tell them I’m delayed because of family matters. No one will ask more than that.”

It was the affairs of the Wiidin marquis’ house, so no one would dare pry too much. They’d just accept it and move on.

“Are you dropping out of the academy to get married?”

“…What?”

Aubrey, who had been wondering what on earth Lennock was talking about, stared at him.

Lennock, noticing the confusion in his expression, calmly continued speaking.

“They’re all saying that you’ll get married before the year ends.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. Who the hell is saying that…?”

“They’re all talking about it in your absence.”

“…….”

Aubrey was taken aback by this.

Although there was an event he was reluctantly attending today, it was nothing more than a few words exchanged with Madeleine. After all, the relationship with Madeleine was inevitably going to be awkward because of Lennock. But marriage? Were these people spreading rumors instead of doing what they were supposed to be doing at the estate? Aubrey clenched his teeth in frustration.

For a moment, he thought of his father, who might have arranged a marriage for him without his knowledge. If his father wanted to tie him down, he’d definitely push a marriage through without hesitation.

Aubrey’s face darkened at Lennock’s words. His eyes narrowed, and a drop of water from his long eyelashes trickled into his eyes as he lowered his gaze. He rubbed under his eyes with a finger before sighing deeply again.

“If you hate it that much, you can just leave everything behind and go.”

“…….”

“I’d say that if I were whipped by my father or sexually harassed by my brother, I wouldn’t be able to tolerate it any longer.”

At those words, Aubrey’s heart sank.

Lennock had hit a nerve. Gray had lusted after Aubrey, even throughout his many regressions. And that was one of the things Aubrey hated the most — more than the constant death.

Even though they were half-brothers, they shared the same blood. But that crazy bastard didn’t know how to give up. He had constantly tried to flip Aubrey over and had been waiting for a chance to take him from behind. His violent lustful tendencies had caused the estate to view Gray and Aubrey as antagonistic, but anyone with good sense could tell that there was more to it than just that.

The butler had long suspected and had desperately tried to separate the two when Aubrey was younger. Thanks to that, Aubrey had avoided several close calls, though he had never been thankful for it. Gray’s desires, and the close call where he almost had Aubrey from behind, were all things he found utterly humiliating.

Even if someone noticed it, he hoped they would never speak of it.

But now, Lennock was bringing it up.

Seeing Lennock’s rigid expression and cold eyes made Aubrey grit his teeth. His stomach churned, and the long-standing hatred and disgust for Lennock rose to the surface. With sharp words, Aubrey spat, “Was Gray the only one who sexually harassed me? You pathetic bastard, what the hell do you know?”

Aubrey grabbed a nearby bath container that held the bath supplies.

“I don’t even want to see your face anymore. Get the hell out. If you don’t…”

Aubrey briefly considered throwing the container, but it felt too weak. If only he had grabbed a sword instead. He then noticed the showerhead mounted on the wall. He thought about ripping it off and throwing it at Lennock’s face as he stood up. Lennock followed his movement and stood up as well.

Once more, Lennock pushed his wet hair back and looked down at Aubrey, who was standing awkwardly near the tub. He spoke with a slight smile, “So, you sent that book because you were worried about your brother, who can’t even masturbate?”

“…….”

Aubrey shut his mouth at Lennock’s question.