Now You’re Obsessed - Chapter 28

“Are you really that scared of dogs?”

“It’s not that I’m scared! It’s just….”

He just found the hunting dogs’ rough play unpleasant. The large dogs drooling and approaching with hot breath, knocking him over and treating him like a toy made him feel humiliated. But to his father, even that seemed like an excuse.

“You’re lucky you were born the second son.”

The Duke of Frenderick treated his two sons fairly in public, but privately, he subtly favored Rayon. It was his way of maintaining balance.

Both his first and second sons were born as exceptional gems, but the second son, Lionel, was particularly special. The Duke believed that if everyone focused too much on Lionel, it would undermine Rayon’s authority and dignity, which could be dangerous.

In fact, the Frenderick family had a history of fraternal strife in previous generations. Even in his father’s time, there had been such incidents.

Thus, the Duke of Frenderick subtly tried to discipline Lionel from a young age, ensuring he wouldn’t covet his elder brother’s position or plot against him.

“I’ll leave the dogs to Rayon, whom I can trust.”

“…Understood.”

“I’ll also distribute the gifts we received to Rayon.”

“Father!”

“By the way, I heard the Count of Celon is interested in Lionel. Arrange a meeting with Rayon, Butler.”

There were many instances where the Duke sided with Rayon within the family.

While his decisions might have had reasons as the head of the family, they did not positively impact young Lionel’s emotions.

‘In the end, everything will go to Rayon.’

Despite this, Lionel tried to act maturely. He thought his father might like him more if he behaved childishly and threw tantrums, but he couldn’t bring himself to do so.

He didn’t feel like mingling with kids his age either. To his young eyes, they were no different from the panting hunting dogs—annoying and curious about him, regardless of gender.

‘Annoying and foolish.’

Whenever he tried to make friends, it always led to connections with Rayon. The same went for meetings with young ladies. They initially approached him, attracted by his mature demeanor, but if he didn’t respond, they would run to the more amiable Rayon.

As a result, he distanced himself from the bothersome children, acting aloof like a solitary crane. Since the other kids found him difficult to approach, it wasn’t hard for him to maintain his solitude. If things continued like this, Lionel could preserve his alone time.

But that would have been the case if not for the girl who appeared like a thunderbolt when he was seven.

“I want to marry Lionel.”

Her words were the same as other girls, her clothes were the same, and her eyes sparkled at him like he was a prized catch.

Though he found it tiresome, Lionel couldn’t take his eyes off her. Her dark hair stood out compared to other girls. Despite the calm and composed demeanor her hair color suggested, Ariel Tenia was anything but.

“Come with me, Lionel!”

Even the way she mimicked his speech annoyed him. She was a bothersome girl who always clung to him and never left him alone.

‘You’ll eventually….’

He was sure she would eventually get bored and leave for someone who played with her better, like Rayon. Most kids who approached Lionel had done so.

“Lionel! You’re reading a difficult book! Let me read it with you!”

“Wow, you want to be a holy knight? You must be good at swordsmanship!”

“Let’s have tea together, Lionel!”

But Ariel Tenia was an enthusiastic girl. Even Lionel, who remained indifferent to anyone approaching him, had to get up and leave whenever he heard her coming.

‘So annoying.’

Even after years, she never gave up. No matter how well he hid, she always found him without much effort.

Lionel could now easily recognize Ariel’s black hair. Though black hair was common in the Holy Kingdom and not particularly eye-catching, Ariel’s dark blue-black hair stood out to Lionel.

‘When will she give up?’

His feelings gradually turned into anxiety and unease. He wished she would just leave him alone, keep her distance, and play with some other boy she found interesting.

“…….”

Thinking that far, Lionel was surprised at how unpleasant his own imagination felt. He tried to forget that feeling.

‘I must be thinking this way because I haven’t had enough alone time.’

So, one day, Lionel suggested playing hide-and-seek with her. He thought he could sort out his thoughts and feel more at ease if he were alone.

“Lionel! Where are you hiding? Lionel!”

“Haa.”

He felt good walking alone in the pasture after losing Ariel.

“Woof, woof!”

He heard the distant barking of hunting dogs carried by the wind mixed with the scent of grass. The sound grew closer as the dogs ran fiercely.

“…Hah.”

He had just escaped from Ariel, and now it was the dogs.

Lionel climbed up the large tree he used to enjoy. The dogs, perhaps annoyed or angry that he didn’t play with them, fiercely charged at the tree.

“Go play with Rayon!”

“Woof!”

No matter how many times he shouted, the dogs kept circling the tree. Just looking at their drooling mouths and sharp teeth made him feel disgusted.

‘Why are the dogs out here?’

And where was their owner, Rayon? It was probably his negligence again, but their father would overlook it as usual. Or he might scold Rayon and then find fault with Lionel too.

“Hah.”

Feeling tired of it all, Lionel leaned against the tree and sighed.

“Lionel!”

“…Ariel?”

Once again, Ariel was running toward him from a distance, having somehow found him. Lionel’s face went blank for a moment before freezing.

‘Our family’s hunting dogs.’

Even if they didn’t bite him or Rayon, other people…

What if Ariel got bitten?

Lionel’s mind went blank. Ariel, instead of running away, swung a branch and shouted fiercely.

“Hiya!”

Her foolish appearance left Lionel momentarily dazed. She believed Lionel was in danger, even though she was the one actually at risk.

And she tried to protect Lionel. Meanwhile, Lionel just watched her.

He couldn’t properly protect her.

That thought kept rippling through Lionel. It was a more instrinsic disturbance than the idea that a man should protect a lady.

“…Johnny only barks loudly but doesn’t actually bite people. I would’ve been fine too.”

The words came out in a rush. Ariel should have been worried about her own safety, but thinking about how she charged in to save him made his heart flutter unpleasantly.

When he saw Rayon comforting and helping her up, that flutter turned into discomfort. He felt like he was about to throw up.

“I know you’re not fond of hunting dogs. You don’t like the noise they make either.”

“What do you….”

What do you know about me?

“Every time Rayen takes the dogs for a walk or when they bark loudly… your eyebrows knit slightly.”

“…….”

Hearing that, the fluttering in Lionel’s heart intensified. Although her next words were completely off the mark.

“Oh, I get it. You’re actually scared of big dogs, aren’t you?”

See? You’re judging me on your own. I’m not scared of dogs. They’re just annoying. You’re just like other girls.

But… but the one who understood me even a little.

‘The one who ran to protect me….’

Lionel suppressed and pushed down the words swirling inside him, speaking gruffly.

“…Don’t try to protect me on your own.”

“…….”

“I mean, take care of yourself and your future first.”

After that, something changed. Ariel’s presence didn’t bother him as much as before. The sense of crisis he felt from her disappeared.

* * *

At some point, Ariel began to appear in Lionel’s dreams during his adolescence. She had appeared before, but not like this.

‘Lionel.’

Sixteen-year-old Ariel had already begun to exude the aura of a mature woman, though she seemed unaware of it. Her once round face had become more defined, her fair cheeks glowed as if sprinkled with stardust, and her body….

“Huff.”

Every time he woke up at that moment, he felt strange. When Ariel casually hugged or held his hand, he felt extremely awkward.

‘This is weird.’

The more frequent the contact, the closer the Ariel in his dreams became. Lionel instinctively felt that something significant would happen if dream Ariel touched him.

“Lionel….”

“Stop it!”

That was when he began to push her away. The moment her hand touched him, he felt certain he would get hard in front of others, including her. His adolescent body was uncontrollable.

Even after shoving Ariel away, Lionel clenched his trembling hand into a fist to hide it.