Chapter 4.4

“Stay at least 2 meters, no, at least 5 meters away from my sister.”

“Now? I’ve already visited the Earl’s residence several times.”

“You’re banned from entering now.”

“But your mother invited me?”

“It’s my house too, you know?”

“Isn’t the title under your father’s name?”

“Does the title matter now?”

Listening to Jayden and Ryan’s childish conversation, Lucas felt irritation creeping in. They were wasting someone else’s work time with meaningless banter.

They could either draw a clear line or give permission, a simple decision between the two, but Jayden was wasting time being drawn into Ryan’s antics.

“Hurry up and make a decision. I can’t concentrate on my work.”

Finally, Lucas intervened. If left alone, the sun would set while they engaged in pointless chatter.

“What’s this, Lucas? Listening sneakily?”

“It’s my office too. If you were uncomfortable with me listening, you should have talked elsewhere.”

Lucas pressed his temples. His voice and expression carried a slight irritation. Thanks to this, Jayden made a fairly stern decision.

“I can’t allow it. If you really want to try something with Wendy, end our friendship first.”

“It’s been fun, Jayden.”

“……”

This guy. Shouldn’t he at least pretend to hesitate out of courtesy before mentioning ending our friendship?

Jayden clicked his tongue in displeasure.

“Would you give up a friendship that’s lasted more than half your life because of Wendy?”

“I can’t help it. My entire future life is at stake.”

Jayden and Lucas simultaneously looked at Ryan with incredulous faces.

But Ryan was serious. The playful smile he had while bantering with Jayden was nowhere to be found.

“I’m flustered too, as this is the first time I feel this way. But I have a strong premonition that I’ll regret it for life if I miss this.”

“Over a woman?”

Lucas tilted his head, unable to comprehend.

“Yes. I knew you’d say that, Lucas. I don’t expect you to understand, just don’t interfere.”

“I have no intention of understanding or interfering, so don’t make a fuss. I can’t concentrate on my work.”

It’s annoying too.

Lucas’s brow furrowed in irritation. Knowing Lucas’s disinterest in personal affairs, Ryan raised his hands and closed his mouth.

He had finished the official purpose of his visit and had said what he needed to Jayden. Ryan also had to return to his duties, having taken a brief break during work hours.

“Then I’m off. See you again.”

“Didn’t you hear me say never to see each other again?”

“Oh, maybe the voyage was too long. My hearing’s been off lately.”

“That guy, really.”

As when he entered, Ryan didn’t care about Jayden’s grumbling and laughed mischievously.

Before leaving the office, Ryan picked up a cinnamon stick cookie that Jayden had left as a snack. He waved the cookie gently and left the office with a final farewell.

Despite having stirred up Jayden and Lucas like a storm, Ryan was so carefree that Jayden gave a helpless laugh at the closed door.

“Ha, that guy. Isn’t he really crazy?”

Lucas watched Jayden fume silently, then finally put down his pen. He had been scribbling while Jayden and Ryan talked, but no progress had been made on his work.

In the end, he tried to intervene to stop the noise but got caught up instead, achieving nothing.

“Ryan must have been coming around often?”

“……Yeah.”

Jayden avoided Lucas’s gaze, looking troubled.

Sharing the same office meant Jayden and Lucas inevitably shared personal lives, whether they liked it or not.

However, at some point, Jayden stopped talking much about Wendy. Specifically, since Wendy went down south.

“What’s the point of talking when you’re not interested?”

Jayden brushed off lightly and gathered his papers. He had a crucial report today, momentarily forgotten due to Ryan’s sudden visit.

“I’m going to report.”

“…….”

Lucas watched silently as Jayden gathered his documents and hurried out of the office. It was clear to anyone that he was fleeing in embarrassment, prompting a sigh.

“Not interested?”

He wasn’t uninterested. Wendy was a cherished child, so how could he be?

His wish for her happiness was no less than Jayden’s.

“That little one really makes people worry.”

The image of Wendy, who used to follow him around with a blushing face, was still vivid, yet she had grown up and now caused headaches over men.

Lucas opened his desk drawer and took out a clean sheet of paper. Staring blankly at the blank page, he let out a weary sigh. He had to rewrite the report from the start, but he couldn’t focus.

***

Stepping into the hallway, Jayden ruffled his hair wildly. Ryan was one concern, but Lucas was another.

“Honestly, both Karen and Wendy are such nuisances.”

As Lucas had noticed, Jayden consciously avoided mentioning Wendy in front of Lucas.

When Wendy was returning from the South, Jayden received a separate letter from Karen. It was unusual, as she usually sent a general greeting to the family, so he quickly read it, wondering if something had happened.

[Wendy had a tough time in the South trying to give up on Lucas. It seems she’s sorted it out now, but once she’s back in the capital, she’ll inevitably face him again. So I hope you’ll handle it well in the middle.]

No wonder she volunteered to go south so readily.

It seemed she had decided to give up on Lucas from then. It was a welcome piece of news, but he also felt sorry for Wendy.

[Of course, I’m not asking you to suddenly distance yourself from Lucas. He’s like a son to our parents, so that wouldn’t be possible.

Just try not to talk about Lucas in front of Wendy. And don’t bring up Wendy with Lucas. Help Wendy keep a proper distance from Lucas. She’ll naturally return to normal once she meets the man she’ll marry.]

He understood the reason for distancing Wendy from Lucas, but talking about marriage seemed too soon for a girl who had just sorted out her feelings.

Jayden thought so, but figured a woman’s heart is best understood by another woman.

[So cooperate. You didn’t want Wendy to end up with Lucas, did you?]

It wasn’t so much that he didn’t want it as it was uncomfortable. The idea of his friend and sister being lovers or married was unsettling.

Where else could there be such a complex and subtle relationship? For example, if the two were to fight, whose side should he take?

Despite everything, Jayden cherished Wendy greatly and would immediately grab the guy by the collar, but if the opponent was Lucas, it was a different story. Jayden knew Lucas’s thorough personality well. Lucas would never give a reason for a fight, and even if one broke out, the likelihood it was Lucas’s fault was nearly zero. In all aspects, including friendships and work, Lucas had always been that way.

So, no matter how much he thought from Wendy’s perspective, he would conclude that Lucas wasn’t at fault. Therefore, he wouldn’t be able to comfort Wendy, and if she cried, goodness.

Just thinking about it gave him a headache. Jayden wasn’t the type to let emotions cloud his judgment, so he couldn’t blindly take Wendy’s side.

“It’s something that hasn’t even happened, yet here I am seriously imagining it. Really.”

Anyway, Jayden had faithfully followed his Karen’s orders from then until now. He felt a bit sorry for Lucas, but he could easily overlook it. What fun would it be for a grown man to know every detail about someone else’s younger sister?

“With Mother’s determination, a conclusion will come by the first half of next year at the latest. Wendy is proactive too.”

Jayden suddenly frowned slightly. That kid, Wendy, who used to follow him around crying, getting married.

He couldn’t even imagine Wendy living like Karen or their parents, managing a household and raising children, living like an ‘adult.’

***

The annual friendly match between the Army and Navy in the fall only consists of two games: polo and rowing. The Army, familiar with horseback riding, always won the polo match, and the Navy, familiar with water, always won the rowing match. No other games were held to prevent the rivalry from escalating into violence, as it had in the past.

Thus, a hundred years later, it had become a somewhat dull tradition to end in a draw. Nevertheless, it was considered a light festival and picnic rather than a competition between the Army and Navy, a fun day provided by the military for soldiers, their families, friends, and lovers.

“Thankfully, it’s good that you and Ryan aren’t in the same match.”

Wendy, dressed in a bright pale yellow dress, lightly stepped on the grass, which was slowly losing its greenness.

“Even so, I should cheer for Ryan. We came today because of his invitation.”

Until last year, Wendy cheered for the Army, where Jayden and Lucas belonged, and only watched their polo match. But this year was different because Ryan, who had returned from his voyage, was participating in the rowing match for the first time in a while. Moreover, the invitation letter the Countess and Wendy brought today was sent by Ryan.

“Your brother would be upset if he heard that.”

“It’s fine. He should blame himself for not having a girlfriend to cheer for him.”

Wendy chuckled softly.

Regardless of whether Jayden threatened or persuaded her with “I raised you, so you wouldn’t betray your brother, right?” Wendy wasn’t very interested. About a third of the young ladies watching today’s polo match would cheer enthusiastically instead of her.