Side Story: The Misaligned Rods of Love

Unlike Clara and her partner, who had reached a happy ending, Liz had been troubled by a significant concern lately. It was the fact that Liz, her best friend and soon-to-be family member through paperwork, seemed to have a secret.

Clara had noticed Liz hastily hiding a letter last time and realized something was up. However, she was waiting for Liz to confess it herself. Liz was aware of this too, but she simply couldn’t bring herself to talk about it.

“Haah.”

How could she even bring it up? 

The truth was, the man Clara almost married—Aiden Sky—had been involved in a major incident with her.

“This is all because of my meddling.”

Yes, she should have ignored it back then. She should have walked away, no matter how teary-eyed Aiden Sky looked while gulping down drinks with a wound on his cheek.

He had confessed that his father had beaten him and that, as if being rejected by the lady he was engaged to wasn’t enough, he had been overshadowed by Baron Lucius.

‘It’s not that I still have feelings for her, but I feel utterly pathetic.’

Liz couldn’t just ignore a man sitting there with such an expression because of her brother. So, she sat down to listen to his complaints and ended up having a few drinks with him. 

The sweet taste appealed to her, and as the alcohol went down, she found herself agreeing with him. Then, at some point, she thought to herself that Aiden wasn’t such a bad guy after all. And before she knew it, they were kissing. 

When she fully sobered up, Liz found herself n*ked in an unfamiliar bed. As her memories of the previous night slowly returned, she realized she had shared a rather intimate history with Aiden and clutched her head in despair.

“I must’ve lost my mind. Completely lost it…”

Liz quickly picked up a pen and replied to the letter he had sent. Ever since she told him to forget about that night, Aiden had been sending her letters, insisting he couldn’t do that. He wanted to take responsibility for what had happened.

[Thank you for your words, but I have no intention of marrying you, Young Master Aiden Sky. This is because you are not my type. So please, stop contacting me.]

Surely, he’d understand now. He was the type of man who would back off when properly rejected, so Liz believed this would be the end of their involvement. 

Indeed, no more letters came from Aiden after that. Liz felt relieved, thinking that in time, she’d be able to laugh about this and confess everything to Clara.

She entertained such happy thoughts—until they were utterly shattered when she saw Aiden Sky sitting in the drawing room with her own two eyes.

When Lucius urgently called for her, she thought he might want advice regarding the wedding. Humming a tune, she entered the drawing room, only to find herself face-to-face with a well-dressed Aiden.

“Uh… uh?”

“It’s been a while, Lady Liz.”

Aiden greeted her calmly, leaving Liz stammering with her mouth agape. 

Why was he here? Why?!

Instinctively, Liz stepped back, but a soft hand suddenly grabbed her shoulder from behind.

“Liz. Just sit down for now.”

The one person Liz most wanted to keep this situation hidden from—Clara—had taken her by the arm and seated her beside Aiden.

‘Damn it.’

Now that things had come to this, no matter what excuses Liz made, Clara wouldn’t believe her. In fact, Clara might even look at her with disappointment, questioning their friendship, and never want to see her again.

Liz glared at Aiden, who sat there with a composed expression. 

Seriously, if a one-night stand partner says no, shouldn’t he know when to give up? Did he think everything would work out if he just pushed forward?

“I never expected to see you, Young Master Aiden, again like this, but anyway…”

It was Lucius who spoke first.

When he heard that the Young Master was visiting the estate, Lucius initially thought Aiden hadn’t given up yet. But then, Aiden dropped a bombshell of a revelation, leaving Lucius utterly stunned. 

He couldn’t believe that Liz, who had once declared she’d sleep with any man she liked, had actually followed through with her words.

‘Of all people, why Aiden?’

With a sigh, Lucius continued.

“Liz, he says you might be pregnant with his child, and he wants to take responsibility.”

“What???”

Liz almost grabbed Aiden by the collar at those words. 

What nonsense was this? Who was pregnant with whose child?!

However, Aiden calmly reinforced Lucius’s statement.

“When we spent the night together, we didn’t use any contraception. You must be carrying my child.”

“Young Master Aiden. Are you insane?”

“It wasn’t just once. I liked you so much that we—”

“Can’t you stop? How can you say such things in front of my brother?!”

When Liz exploded in genuine anger, Aiden stopped talking. He seemed to realize he shouldn’t upset her further. Watching all of this, Lucius thought for a moment before speaking again.

“Young Master Aiden, you seem to misunderstand something. Just because you’ve done it multiple times doesn’t mean pregnancy happens immediately. If that were the case, Clara would’ve been pregnant several times over by now.”

“Well, perhaps I’m stronger than you, Baron Lucius. Unlike you, I’ve remained pure and haven’t wasted my precious essence.”

“Hah! Ridiculous. Do you think I’ve been wasting my seed? Let’s see who gets someone pregnant first.”

“Lucius!”

“Young Master Aiden!”

The two women, who had been listening to this absurd conversation, finally called out the names of the two men in disbelief.

“Really, Lucius. Is this the time to compete over who gets pregnant first?”

Clara shook her head and rubbed her temple. Despite being much older than her, this man could sometimes act more immature than a child. Perhaps it was because his opponent was Aiden.

“As the Young Master mentioned earlier, you think of marriage as a union between families. The Earl of Sky wouldn’t approve of a union with the Tempe Barony. He’d be concerned about appearances as well.”

“I’ve already informed him. I told him I’d marry Lady Liz. I also said that if it’s not her, I won’t marry anyone.”

Liz’s eyes widened at his words. At this rate, she really might end up tied to Aiden. She stood up abruptly, grabbing his arm tightly.

“Come with me.”

“I cannot.”

“You’re insane! I told you I didn’t want to get involved with you.”

“We’re already involved. How can we pretend it never happened?”

As their argument escalated, Clara let out a louder sigh. And Lucius, who couldn’t just stand by and watch his future wife suffer, stepped in.

“Enough.”

He intervened and gently instructed Aiden to return home for now. He said he understood Aiden’s intentions and would discuss the matter with Liz before calling him back. 

Though Aiden looked reluctant, he didn’t insist further. He stood up, kissed Liz’s hand, and promised they’d meet again. Liz immediately scrubbed her hand in disgust, her expression openly showing how much she disliked the gesture. 

As soon as Aiden left, Liz was ready to kneel before her brother and Clara to apologize. She planned to say she was sorry for causing such trouble and would talk things over with Aiden, asking them not to worry too much.

“To be honest, I was upset that you hid this from me. But now I understand. It must’ve been awkward to tell me since he and I were once discussed as a match.”

“I was planning to tell you once it was all resolved. Honestly, it was an accident, and I have no intention of being with him.”

“Hmm, but accidents only happen when there are feelings involved.”

“Brother!”

“I think so too. Look at me and Lucius.”

You and my brother are different.

That’s what Liz wanted to say, but the two of them seemed convinced that she had feelings for Aiden. Liz felt so wronged she was about to explode.

“Liz. You don’t need to worry about me. I’ll support you no matter what you do. Just follow your heart.”

“Following my heart means not wanting to get involved with him anymore.”

“He came all the way here, thinking you might be carrying his child. That shows he’s responsible.”

The two of them already seemed to believe Liz and Aiden’s relationship was a done deal. 

Responsibility? What nonsense! He was just a lunatic—a handsome lunatic, but still a lunatic.

Liz couldn’t contain her anger. 

So, this was how he had come to my estate and humiliated me. 

Fine, she thought. If he could do it, so could she. This time, she would visit the Sky Earldom and make sure to humiliate him properly.

***

The next day, Liz went straight to the Sky Estate. Clara, with sparkling eyes, remarked on Liz’s boldness, but Liz wasn’t going there to make things work.

She intended to cause a proper scene so that the Sky family would strongly oppose the marriage. Of course, they would likely oppose it even without her interference, but Liz hoped that if the opposition was strong enough for Aiden to be driven out, he might finally back down.

As soon as she arrived at the estate, Liz began wandering around, looking for Aiden. She felt she wouldn’t be satisfied until she grabbed him by the hair.

“I don’t understand why you have become such an idiot lately, Brother.”

Hearing a man’s voice, Liz stopped in her tracks. Quietly approaching, she saw Aiden talking with another man who seemed to be his older brother.

“How many more times does your face need to get beaten up before you stop talking about marriage? She’s not even really pregnant, and here you are saying you’ll take responsibility because she might be.”

Wow, he really is a lunatic.

Did he actually say that to his own family?

Liz couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh. 

How had this man, who was so popular among women, fallen to this level? 

Was it possible that being rejected by Clara had caused him such a severe mental breakdown?

“Pregnancy is just an excuse. I simply like Lady Liz.”

“Hah, and this coming from someone who was trying to propose to Lady Clara not long ago.”

“That’s when I realized it. I wasn’t trying to marry Lady Clara because I liked her. It was more about living up to my father’s expectations and protecting my pride.”

Liz, who had been ready to interrupt and cause a big fight, froze in her steps.

What did he just say? That he simply liked me?

“You probably just like her body.”

Despite his brother’s sneer, Aiden remained unfazed. Whether his brother believed him or not, Aiden’s focus was solely on Liz.

“I didn’t expect you to believe me anyway. I’m just being honest about my feelings. Lady Liz taught me something. She said it’s hard to live up to someone else’s expectations and that it’s okay to live the way I want.”

Liz’s jaw dropped.

‘Wait, did I really say that… oh, I did.’

A vague memory surfaced. After news of Clara and Lucius’s engagement spread throughout the capital, she had run into him at another ball.

She had tried to avoid him, but their eyes met, and out of awkwardness, she had babbled on about random things. Feeling sorry for him, she had even given him some advice.

Who would’ve thought those words had stuck with him?

Somehow, Liz’s desire to cause a scene evaporated. She had thought Aiden was just a lunatic, but it turned out he had genuine feelings. And if a few words she barely remembered had given him courage, perhaps he even felt grateful to her.

‘But is this how you express gratitude? Does that even make sense?’  

However, Liz soon gave up thinking about it. Even if she barged in and caused a scene, Aiden wouldn’t easily back down. Even if it meant being kicked out of the house.  

‘It takes two hands to clap. I’m also at fault for enjoying that night with him.’  

If this was karma, shouldn’t I shoulder some of the responsibility?  

‘Not that I’m saying I’ll accept him or anything.’  

It might not even be genuine. His feelings could change someday. Right now, in a state of lowered pride and self-esteem, such advice might resonate, but once her emotions settled, talk of responsibility or marriage could easily vanish.  

Liking someone could simply mean appreciating their good advice. Yeah, this was just overthinking.

Liz kept repeating this to herself as she returned to the mansion.  

“What’s this? You stormed out as if you were going to kill someone, and now you’re back with a flushed face?”  

“What about my face? What’s wrong with it?”  

“…Liz, did you eat something weird?”  

“No? I’m perfectly fine!”  

Blocking her ears as if she didn’t want to hear another word, Liz ran straight to her room.  

‘What’s wrong with my face? Seriously.’  

***

After that, Aiden persistently visited Liz without giving up. The Sky Earldom, seemingly exhausted by his stubbornness, finally gave him permission to do as he pleased. However, Liz continued to treat him coldly. The only noticeable change was that she no longer recoiled at the sight of him.  

“Honestly, you can’t be so fickle. Just a while ago, you were someone else’s fiancé, and now you’re acting like this with me. That’s not right.”  

“Yes, I’m sorry, Lady Liz.”  

“And you don’t even think I’m pretty.”  

“I do think you’re pretty.”  

“Hah, do I look pretty after sleeping with you?”  

“You were pretty even before that. When I first saw you, I thought, ‘Wow, people can look like that.’”  

At those words, Liz’s eyes widened momentarily before narrowing again.  

“So what? You proposed to someone else anyway.”  

“Liz… I’m truly sorry. I should never have gotten involved in the first place.”  

“Oh, no, Clara, that’s not what I meant! I wasn’t talking about you!”  

Watching Liz grumble at Aiden and then quickly apologize to Clara, Lucius shook his head in disbelief.  

Seeing how things were going, it felt like their relationship would progress soon. Aiden’s gaze toward Liz was filled with affectionate smiles, as if even her fiery temperament was endearing to him.  

‘Well, it seems genuine, at least.’  

For now, he decided to let it be.  

The Tempe Barony would probably be noisy for a while.

Lucius thought with a smile.  

If this was happiness, a bit of noise was fine. Yes, as long as everyone could be happy.  

– The End –