“Yuri, are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine.”
Sylvian, visiting from the Duke’s estate, asked in surprise upon seeing Yuri’s face.
His eyes were ringed with bluish bruises.
Yuri claimed he got hurt during training, but no matter how you looked at it, those were marks from being punched.
“Is someone bullying you?”
Sylvian leaned down and whispered.
Yuri gave the faintest nod, and Sylvian’s green eyes wavered in distress.
‘Who dares to mess with my protagonist, Yuri?!’
“Who is it? I’ll punish them!”
“R-Really?”
Tears welled up in Yuri’s eyes as he tilted his head, clinging to Sylvian with a desperate look.
“You’re the only one who cares about me, Lord Sylvian.”
Thud.
“Ow! Lord Sylvian!”
Ah… that’s my little brother, huh?
Martius roughly kicked Yuri away as he clung to Sylvian with teary eyes.
“Marti, you’ll hurt him doing that.”
“He deserves it.”
“You two are just close, right?”
Kids grow up fighting, after all. Sylvian chuckled and looked at the two with tired eyes.
“You two are actually dating, right?”
“Yes!”
“No way!”
Two completely different answers to one question.
Sylvian blinked.
‘So… that wasn’t just a joke back then?’
His expression turned serious.
“Yuri, are you really serious about Martius?”
“Yes. I’ve already gotten my parents’ blessing for marriage.”
Gasp.
Sylvian inhaled sharply, overwhelmed by Yuri’s decisiveness.
“Count Holt gave permission?”
“Yes. I’m the youngest anyway—if I don’t marry an Alpha who’ll inherit the title or a trading company, I’d end up as a commoner.”
“Well, that’s true, but… there are other people you could—”
“I only want Martius.”
Yuri’s bright smile left Sylvian speechless.
“You do know there’s a lot of talk about the House of Nertian, right?”
His parents had defaulted on their debts and disappeared.
Investors filed lawsuits under the Nertian name, even reaching the imperial court.
Fortunately, since the contracts weren’t signed in the family’s official name, the Nertians avoided legal charges, but Martius took moral responsibility.
He used money his parents secretly sent to pay off some debt.
Martius himself even contributed part of his salary.
“I know. We can pay it back together.”
“Who… said I’d marry you?”
Yuri’s cheerful face froze at Martius’s cold reply.
“I told you not to spout nonsense in front of my brother.”
The cutting remark made Sylvian’s eyes widen.
Martius had never sounded so harsh before.
The furrowed brows, the scornful, belittling gaze—it was oddly… attractive.
“Martius really looks good no matter what he does.”
“Lord Sylvian, are you seriously impressed by that?”
“But Yuri, look. Even with that scowling face, how many people can still look that handsome?”
‘All the rare good-looking ones are around me’, Sylvian thought.
Zeroth, Yuri, the Crown Prince, Karl, even Martius.
Maybe it’s a protagonist thing.
“Martius is handsome.”
Yuri nodded sincerely, making Sylvian’s grin grow wider.
“Stop it, both of you.”
Martius, now flustered by his own anger, raised a hand to hide his face.
“Anyway, the Holt family is fully on board with the marriage.”
“We… need some time to think, okay? It’s not that you’re a bad person, Yuri, but the situation’s complicated.”
“Hyung. That’s not the problem here.”
Martius sighed deeply, clearly exhausted from trying to stop the two of them during this visit with Yuri.
“What’s the big deal? Yuri’s an Omega, Martius is an Alpha.”
Seeing Martius hesitate, Sylvian seized the opportunity to push further.
After Martius shared his pheromones with him, his condition stabilized.
Genetically, there was no issue.
If they married, there’d be no obstacles…
But, wait… who’s on top?
Sylvian suddenly paused, glancing between the two.
Yuri was all smiles.
Martius looked thoroughly annoyed.
‘Is… is it okay if the Omega tops?’
“A-Are you two going to adopt?”
“Hyung!”
“Hahahaha!”
Martius looked horrified by Sylvian’s awkward, flustered question, while Yuri burst into laughter.
“Don’t worry, hehe… hahahaha…”
“Hyung, I’m living alone! The Nertian line ends with me!”
Thud.
“Don’t say that. It’s still your legacy. Martius, you shouldn’t say things like that.”
Martius fell silent as his brother lightly flicked his forehead and gently scolded him.
His pouting lips looked just like Sylvian’s.
“If Martius is okay with it… I want to get married the day he receives his title.”
Yuri cautiously glanced at Martius before opening his mouth to speak.
Everything was already prepared at the Count’s estate.
His mother, too, had high expectations, saying that Martius would make an excellent husband, and that a child born between the two of them would be absolutely adorable.
“Looks like Martius isn’t ready to accept it yet.”
“I’m fine. I’ll do whatever Martius wants.”
At Yuri’s words, Martius fell silent.
So, he wasn’t just treating this as a momentary mistake?
Martius shot a sideways glance at Yuri, his brows furrowing again.
“If you frown like that, you’ll get wrinkles.”
Poke.
Yuri jabbed his finger at Martius’s forehead.
Let go of me! Martius, clearly irritated, tried to push him away, but Yuri, determined to smooth out his frown, started rubbing his forehead.
The commotion quickly filled the room.
“How lively.”
“Would it be alright if Yuri became the viscount’s wife?”
Zeroth had entered the room without them noticing, watching the two quarrel as he turned to Sylvian with the question.
“Honestly, I’d love that. We’d really be family then.”
“Right?! I knew you’d like the idea!”
Yuri, momentarily pausing in his forehead-smoothing efforts, beamed brightly at Sylvian’s words.
Martius’s neck was still caught in Yuri’s arms.
Let me go!
Martius tried to pry Yuri’s arms off, but Yuri’s strength—fueled by sheer determination—won out.
“Ah, youth is a wonderful thing.”
Zeroth chuckled as he peeled off the clinging Yuri like stubborn gum.
Sylvian was exasperated, but in the end, this too was a kind of happy ending.
Yuri had finally found a partner—though not Zeroth—and the Crown Prince still had his fiancée.
Karl’s situation was a bit ambiguous… or rather, Charlian’s, no, let’s just call them Lady Charlian.
Charlian was happy now, and in the end, everyone got their happy ending.
“If you marry Holt’s heir, I’ll set aside part of my estate for you.”
“No need! I already have land of my own. I can give him that instead!”
Even with strong refusal, Karl insisted on passing part of his assets to Sylvian.
Later, they heard that Charlian had laughed gleefully, saying she’d take care of him financially.
“Why are you two giving away land when I’m the one getting married?”
Martius, resigned to everything, shook his head at their words.
But Yuri wasn’t going to back off just because he didn’t react.
“Because I want to give you everything.”
“Don’t refuse our sincerity.”
Zeroth chuckled, watching Yuri, who couldn’t take his eyes off Martius.
The way Martius’s ears flushed red… good news would surely follow soon.
“Ahem… Thank you for coming.”
The Marquis of Rooster’s estate was decorated entirely in flowers.
Karl, dressed in a crisp white suit, stood welcoming guests.
Sylvian, dressed formally, entered on Zeroth’s arm, and Karl bowed to greet them.
His silver hair was neatly brushed back, and his face was pale as a ghost.
“Karl, are you nervous?”
“Wh-what? N-no, I’m fine.”
Karl shook his head at Sylvian’s question, but his queasy stomach had been acting up all morning.
“If it’s too much, maybe take some medicine?”
“A man should endure at least this much.”
Zeroth teased him, noticing Karl’s pale face.
It seemed reality had finally sunk in, with his wedding to Charlian mere moments away.
That fool probably hadn’t even realized he’d been carrying feelings for someone since childhood.
Zeroth couldn’t help but tease him further, watching the cold sweat bead on Karl’s forehead.
“You’ll understand plenty once you get married yourself.”
Zeroth patted Karl’s shoulder—a gesture meaning, ‘prepare to die.’
Knowing Charlian’s fiery personality, Karl might literally want to throw himself off a ledge.
Zeroth couldn’t stop smiling, imagining how Karl would handle it.
“Zeroth, you’re being mean.”
“That idiot deserves it.”
With a snort, Zeroth pulled Sylvian toward the bridal waiting room.
Sylvian, knowing Charlian’s secret and meeting him properly for the first time, was a little nervous.
Who would’ve thought someone so beautiful… was a man?
Sylvian took a deep breath, standing before the ornate, white door.
“The Duke and Duchess of Graham are here.”
“Let them in.”
The voice inside was as confident as ever.
“…!”
“How is it?”
Charlian’s gentle smile froze Sylvian in place.
How could Karl have been so blind with someone this beautiful standing right there?
The dress Charlian wore was especially stunning today.
It bared his slender upper body, the voluminous gown cascading around him in dazzling detail.
“You’re truly beautiful.”
Sylvian couldn’t take his eyes off him, prompting a quiet laugh from Charlian.
“Charlian… are you happy?”
“Of course!”
Sylvian asked one last time, just in case he was being forced into a marriage he didn’t want.
“Sylvian, I’m the happiest I’ve ever been.”
