Martius bit his lip hard as he stomped toward the bedroom.
Seeing his brother still unconscious made his breath hitch.
Why… why won’t he wake up?
He’d been fine—talking normally all the way back to the estate after being rescued from the kidnappers.
But after being hastily cleaned up by the servants and put to bed, a full week had passed without him regaining consciousness.
Huff.
“You okay?”
The voice followed him as he flung open the bedroom door and slumped onto the sofa.
Martius glared up.
“Yuri… Go home.”
“My parents gave permission for me to stay at the ducal residence.”
The words “Then why aren’t you in your own room?” rose to the tip of his tongue.
Why is he clinging so hard lately?
His head was already a mess over his brother—he didn’t need Yuri pestering him nonstop on top of it.
If he had to compare it, it was like what his senior knights described: a big dog waiting at the door, licking your face, bumping against you, and sticking to you until you fall asleep.
‘First he calls my brother a dog, now he’s acting like one himself?’
Scrubbing a hand through his hair roughly, Martius dismissed the ridiculous thought.
“Two is better than one, right?”
“I prefer being alone.”
He had always been alone.
As he grew older, the time he could spend with his brother dwindled.
Since childhood, he’d been told endlessly that he had to join the knight’s order to support the family.
Becoming a magistrate required elite tutors from a young age—something their baronial house couldn’t afford.
His parents had abandoned that path early, insisting he become an exceptional knight instead.
No money for the academy meant only one option: passing the royal knight’s entrance exam.
Endless training left no time for friends—no time for anything.
“Then try being with me. I’ll stay.”
Martius sighed at Yuri’s bright smile. Such carefree nonsense.
Too drained to argue, he turned his head away sharply.
“Marty.”
“Don’t call me that!”
Everyone who used that nickname was gone.
His mother was trapped in that damned ducal mine, and his brother wouldn’t wake up.
The heat rushed to his scalp as he tried to steady his breathing.
“Why you?! Why are you calling me that?! What are we to each other?! Weren’t you in love with my brother just yesterday?!”
“M-Martius, it’s not—I just thought, if you weren’t so upset—”
“So what? Why do you care?”
‘Is it because my brother’s out of reach? Are you shifting your attention to me now?’
Martius didn’t hide the disgust in his glare.
“That’s—ugh.”
Yuri exhaled deeply after a long stare, scrubbing his face.
No, that’s not it. It’s just—
“I’ve let go of my feelings for Sir Sylvan. You know that.”
“…….”
“And I don’t see you as a replacement, either. Sir Sylvan is beautiful—how could you even compare?”
The mocking tone—“You think I’d confuse you two? Have some conscience.”—cooled his head slightly.
His brother was far more beautiful.
Delicate features, a small face with striking symmetry, slender limbs—short from malnutrition but elegantly proportioned.
“W-well, yeah. I’m just average-looking.”
Wait, that’s not what I—
Yuri watched Martius concede too quickly and ruffled his own hair in frustration.
‘I don’t even know what I want.’
But he couldn’t just leave Martius slumped like flat beer.
‘He helped me when I was struggling. Isn’t that reason enough?’
“You helped me when I was down. Consider this payback.”
“You’re not helping.”
“Pretend I am. Want me to do what your family used to?”
Martius scowled and tried to squirm away as Yuri grinned, but that only made him playfully persistent.
“You are feeling a little better, though, right?”
“Is that why you’ve been holed up in your room?”
“Heartbreak’s rough, okay? You got me through mine, so now I’m returning the favor. Just accept this big brother’s kindness.”
Ignoring Martius’ scoff, Yuri swiftly hooked an arm around him.
“Ghk—Let go!”
“Stay still.”
Pat, pat.
Trapped against Yuri’s chest, Martius twisted briefly—but the steady rhythm of a hand patting his back and the chin resting on his shoulder soon calmed him.
“…What if he never wakes up?”
“Sir Sylvan’s strong. That won’t happen, idiot.”
“You’re the idiot.”
Martius grumbled but didn’t push him away.
The warmth of the larger body was… stabilizing.
He hadn’t been held like this since childhood.
The rhythmic pats and the heat slowly eased his tension.
“Marty, it’ll be okay. This is a special spell passed down in my family—I’m sharing it just with you.”
Yuri’s laughter rang in his ears.
Loud-mouthed brat.
Puppy. Little shit.
The curses piled up, but he couldn’t voice them.
…Guess this muscle-headed idiot has his uses.
Stiffly, Martius let his head drop onto Yuri’s shoulder.
If hyung doesn’t wake up, I’ll truly be alone.
No one would call me by the nickname “Marty” anymore.
No one left who knew my secrets.
“It’s okay. Everything will be fine.”
The hand patting his back made his heart lurch again and again.
“What if it doesn’t get okay?”
Nothing had ever been okay to begin with.
A damp sigh spilled from his lips.
Was I even allowed to feel like this?
Could things really be okay?
He was deceiving everyone.
His pheromones had started to emerge, but there was still no sign of a rut.
Ever since his hair thickened, he’d lost confidence in everything.
‘I keep overthinking useless things.’
It felt easier if he imagined himself as a giant stuffed doll.
He didn’t like how sluggish his movements were, but it was bearable.
“Huu.”
He flinched.
“What?”
“Ah, nothing.”
When he turned his head slightly, his faint golden skin seemed to darken a shade.
“Uncomfortable?”
Sitting face-to-face on the sofa while being pulled into a hug—of course it was uncomfortable.
When he shifted slightly to adjust his waist, Yuri let out a pained sound.
“Stay still.”
His voice sounded oddly strained, but Martius buried his face against Yuri’s shoulder as the other’s hand pressed against the back of his head.
“If hyung wakes up, I’ll have to return to the imperial palace.”
“If Lord Sylvian wakes up, you should stay by his side. Where else would you go?”
“If I stay at the ducal estate too long…”
He might pretend not to know and just let himself be happy. His marriage was already ruined, and even if he inherited the title, the viscounty would end with his generation.
“Stop overthinking and rest properly. When Lord Sylvian wakes up, you’ll need to show him your face in good shape.”
He let out a soft laugh at the resumed patting.
“…Thanks.”
“What?!”
“If you didn’t hear it, forget it.”
Martius had no intention of repeating himself and pushed away Yuri’s face, which was demanding he say it again.
“Your pheromones… they’re really warm. Like Lord Sylvian’s.”
Whoosh!
“Me? Right now?”
He thought he had it under control, barely any scent leaking out.
But at Yuri’s sudden comment about his pheromones, Martius shot up from his seat.
“Get out.”
“What’s the big deal about smelling your pheromones? But seriously, they’re nice.”
Martius was speechless at Yuri’s grinning face as he inhaled deeply.
Is he really an omega?
‘Or are my pheromones just that unimpressive?’
“Why are you standing there like an idiot? I was close to your neck, so of course I could smell it.”
“You know I’m an alpha, right?”
“Yeah, I know.”
That casual tone inexplicably made heat flare inside him.
‘ Ah, so he knew, and he still sat there sniffing my pheromones?’
“You don’t seem the least bit concerned about how dangerous that is?”
“Why would you be dangerous?”
Does he not know how terrifying alphas can be?
