* * *
Yuri, lying on his bed reading a book, laughed and waved lazily.
“What do you think you’re doing lying on someone else’s bed?”
To have to see that face right after work.
Martius ran a rough hand through his hair in frustration.
“Can I sleep here tonight?”
“No.”
Martius glared at Yuri, who had been showing up at the duke’s mansion every day since his brother woke up.
“My brother—”
“Off-limits. That’s not it.”
Martius’s brow furrowed, and Yuri jumped up.
“Don’t wear shoes on someone else’s bed!”
“These are slippers!”
Yuri raised his foot in protest.
“Just go.”
Martius spoke through clenched teeth.
Yuri scoffed and flopped back onto the bed.
“I said get off!”
“Ow! That hurts!”
Martius stormed over and grabbed Yuri’s hair.
“Didn’t I say get off?!”
“Waaah! Hiyah!”
Thud.
“Let go.”
“These muscles aren’t just for show, you know?”
Yuri tugged Martius’s wrist, bringing him down onto the bed.
Straddling him, Yuri grinned victoriously.
“Ah!”
“You don’t have muscles in your head, do you?”
Martius reminded him sternly, still gripping Yuri’s hair, and shook him again.
Flop.
Yuri, who had been perched on top of him, squirmed in pain as if his hair might be pulled out.
“Oww! You pig!”
In retaliation, Martius yanked his hair again, now crushed under Yuri’s full weight.
“Ugh, it hurts! Hah!”
“Hrrgh.”
Yuri pressed down hard.
He grabbed Martius’s hand and managed to peel it off his head.
“Hah… hah…”
“……”
Martius, pinned beneath Yuri, panted, clearly struggling.
“Muscle pig. Get off.”
Their chests were pressed together—it felt gross.
Martius pushed at Yuri’s shoulder, but he didn’t budge.
“I said get off.”
Martius tried to shove him away with his legs but flinched, retreating his hips.
There was nowhere to escape.
“You—!”
“Ah! Wait! Have mercy! It’s because you were squirming down there!”
Martius hit Yuri’s back repeatedly.
Every slap made Yuri flinch and wriggle, making their lower bodies rub together even more naturally.
‘Ah, damn it.’
Their heights were similar, so that… that part lined up too well.
Martius clenched his jaw at the pressure of Yuri’s heavy lower body.
His fists pounded Yuri, but the guy wouldn’t budge.
“This is—this is what they call an act of God.”
Martius yanked Yuri’s hair again, grinding out:
“So what now?”
Every time Yuri’s thing rubbed against his body, Martius flinched involuntarily.
“Get lost. Go take care of it in the bathroom.”
“What about you?”
Martius cursed at Yuri with a glare that said, ‘Why the hell do you care?’, but Yuri only smiled brightly, as if he was amused.
“What’s the big deal between friends? We could even take care of it together.”
“Ugh!”
As soon as Yuri grabbed the waistband of his pants, Martius’s long leg kicked him right off the bed.
Flushed with embarrassment, Martius got up from the bed, stomped on Yuri a few times with his foot, then escaped into the bathroom.
“Hahaha.”
‘Don’t laugh!’
Left alone in the room, Yuri laughed freely at the ridiculousness of the situation, and from the bathroom, a shout came telling him to shut up.
Until a servant came to announce that dinner was ready, the two had to cool off separately.
“Martius? Is something bothering you?”
“…No. Nothing.”
Martius barely managed to lift the corners of his mouth in front of his older brother’s worried gaze.
He couldn’t let that guy be the reason his brother worried.
Even under Martius’s sharp glare, Yuri casually sipped his wine.
“Yuri seems well-rested.”
“Yes. Being with Marti is fun, after all.”
Sylvian, relieved by the healthy glow on Yuri’s face, served meat onto both their plates.
“You’re at the age where you should eat more.”
“You can still grow taller too, Hyung.”
Avoiding Zeroth’s gaze, Martius declined the meat being offered to him.
“Young lord, you should listen to the lady. You’re still growing.”
The duke’s face was full of delight.
“Must be nice to already be done growing.”
“People with my traits grow late. I might still shoot up, who knows?”
With the duke’s face full of smugness, Yuri and Martius began eating the food in front of them like it was a battle.
‘Just because you’re a bit taller…’
‘I’ll catch up. Just wait.’
Of course, Zeroth wasn’t just a bit taller, but the way he looked down at them made both Martius and Yuri burn with competitive fire.
“If Young Lord Holt isn’t planning to return to the academy this year, have him enter the 2nd Knight Order as a squire.”
At the duke’s words—spoken as he wiped sauce from Sylvian’s lips—Yuri froze in place.
“…What?”
“Training with the Imperial Knights is better than training alone at home.”
“…The family knights help me. I’m fine.”
Ever since the Crown Prince advanced to a lower-level Sword Master, their previous training sessions had come to a halt.
Recalling over a month of grueling drills, Yuri grimaced and shook his head.
“Hmm. It’d be best to listen while I’m asking nicely—”
“Okay, I’ll do it!”
Since the duchess returned, the duke had become irritatingly cheerful.
Whatever nerves he used to have were now gone.
He was always smiling and exuded warmth, at least in front of Sylvian.
Shiver.
‘They say people change right before they die. Has he gone mad?’
“Yuri! Perfect! Lady Holt was worried that you were just lounging around all day.”
“Oh, my mother?”
Countess Holt, uneasy over her son seemingly lazing around, had written to Sylvian.
“Please take care of my son.”
Worried that Yuri’s muscles might turn into fat, she’d written an overly sentimental letter, which led Sylvian to request a favor from Zeroth.
“It’ll be fun if you join as a squire.”
At Martius’s bright-eyed comment, Yuri flinched, stopping mid-fork.
“I’m the one going in. Why are you so excited?”
“Because once you’re gone, I’ll be the youngest again.”
“With the familiar youngest back, the knights are bound to treat me well.”
Martius didn’t even bother hiding that he was looking forward to tormenting him.
“You really are kind, Marti.”
At the duchess’s moved voice, Yuri was at a loss for words.
“When the duchess’s health improves, we plan to spend the summer vacation at the duchy.”
Originally, they would have already left the capital at the start of spring.
“Oh, may I come too?”
“Why would you come on their vacation?”
“What would you be doing instead?”
“…I guess I’ll just stay home.”
Martius answered Yuri’s question a bit awkwardly.
His parents were gone, and he had no money, so staying home was the best option.
While living in the duke’s estate meant fewer expenses, once his brother left for the duchy, Martius planned to return home.
All the servants at the viscount estate had already been dismissed, save for one or two.
“I need to repair the house. Can’t just leave it as it is.”
Martius thought of the knight order salary he had saved up.
With it, he could pay the servants without delay and slowly start renovations.
“I’ll handle that. Come along for the summer vacation.”
“It’s alright. You can’t keep worrying about the viscount estate.”
Martius tried to decline, but froze when he saw his brother’s eyes welling with tears.
‘Ah… he brought it up first because of Hyung.’
“Hyung… I can’t keep relying on the duke’s household.”
Martius finally spoke, face flushed with embarrassment.
Even if it had collapsed, the estate was still his family’s.
It was true he hadn’t been able to protect his brother growing up, and their family had never been any help to him.
“I can manage on my own. I’m not a child—”
“You are a child, aren’t you? You’re only twenty-two.”
Yuri interjected with a jab.
“Kuh. He’s right. Twenty-two is still young, even for an alpha.”
“I’m about to inherit my title, though?”
* * *
