The Affairs of Those Noble Brothers Chapter 20

Irodel ground his teeth as he dragged his cotton-soaked body, heavy as water, out through the ventilation window. He had almost been trapped. He was on the verge of being imprisoned inside his own perfectly fine home. The culprit was obvious. He was a bastard, a savage, a lunatic.

“Mr. Irodel?”

“What are you doing? Don’t just stand there watching, help me!”

As Irodel wrapped a bedsheet around himself and scrambled out of the small ventilation window of the annex, the guards who usually hid their presence appeared and blinked blankly. They were personnel added after the “kidnapping and running away incident” of his childhood days, but as far as he was concerned, they were completely useless. And this time, they truly hit the peak of being unnecessary. He wanted to rage at them, asking what on earth they were doing coming out now, but he was so exhausted that words wouldn’t even come out properly. Dragging himself out with their help, Irodel glared at the guard, panting heavily, and gave an impulsive command.

“Bring the car around. I’m going out.”

“…”

The guards exchanged glances among themselves. It was a subtle expression.

“Why?”

“No. Where are you going?”

“I haven’t decided yet. Bring it here quickly.”

“…Understood.”

The guard nodded with a reluctant face and disappeared toward the garage. Soon, a sedan for going out was prepared, and Irodel, who had been scanning his surroundings like a meerkat, hurriedly climbed inside. Then, sitting down after locking the door first, he pondered for a moment.

Things being this way, even the inside of the house was not safe. Where should he go? The academy would be closing soon, and it wasn’t a good place to escape from Tibane. His brother had probably returned to the military base, and his mother Herod was across the sea in the imperial palace. His father Shebon moved around so much that waiting for him to come home was faster than trying to find him. He had no idea where on earth he should go. Then, a place suddenly flashed into his mind.

“Go to the hotel in the commercial district.”

“…”

The guards exchanged glances once more, then looked at Irodel through the rearview mirror. Unwelcome as they already were, why on earth were these fellows acting like this? With his heart racing because he didn’t know when Tibane might show up, Irodel scowled fiercely, and the guy holding the steering wheel hesitated and opened his mouth.

“Do you… really have to go there? If you need a change of scenery, there are other places, but…”

These guys… They wouldn’t dare peep a word in front of his brother or Tibane, yet here they were questioning him, asking if he really had to go there. To think he would be openly ignored like this when he was already at his wit’s end with a throbbing headache. Reaching the peak of stress and half-losing his reason, Irodel lost his patience and shouted.

“Shut up! Just get moving already!”

Unable to withstand Irodel’s prodding, the guard reluctantly started driving. The glances he kept stealing through the rearview mirror somehow seemed to hold pity, but since he didn’t even want to entertain the thought of being pitied by his own guards given his powerless master status, Irodel ignored it. Passing the guarded main gate, the scenery changed rapidly. At the same time peace of mind settled in, anger slowly welled up.

That crazy bastard. What on earth is he trying to pull? If it wasn’t an accident, what, was he suggesting they date or something? Not that he had any such intention, but no matter where you looked, there was no household where brothers dated each other. Furthermore, as an aristocrat who should be a model of good conduct. It was something even savages would be appalled by.

Even without particularly wanting to know what kind of feelings Tibane held for him, he had found out. He wondered why it had to be him out of all the people in the world, but he found out. Tangling bodies together was like that. Feelings would flow in even if you didn’t wonder about them. Even if that weren’t the case, that bastard Tibane seemed to become unnecessarily honest in bed, so he could tell just by listening to him babble.

‘I’m your other half, you know. I only have you, too. Irodel, Irodel…’

A guy like that forcibly pinned down his brother, even knocking him out just to lock him up? A shameless bastard. Irodel slammed his throbbing head against the car window. Lights flickered intermittently on the street. It was the entrance of the commercial district.

The car stopped in front of the flashiest hotel within the commercial district. The bustling street was quiet with the coming of darkness. If not for the sparse lights, it would have felt quite eerie. It felt unreal to be in a place like this at this hour.

He had somehow managed to get here, but not daring to go in, he was blankly staring at the unfamiliar scenery when someone approached from the outside and a click sound rang out. It was the sound of someone trying to open the door, only to fail because it was locked. Startled, Irodel shifted away from the door. After a short delay, this time an unfamiliar hand knocked twice sharply on the car window. Under the dim light, the identity was revealed. He didn’t know his name, but it was a familiar face. Logan’s subordinate.

“Mr. Irodel, please open the door.”

Why is this person here? Last time he suddenly appeared and offered umbrella service, a man who popped up here and there. Blinking stupidly, Irodel hesitated as he reached to unlock the mechanism. His heart beat anxiously. Why on earth is this person here? The question repeated itself once more. Perhaps due to his wariness reaching its limit. It felt ominous. For some reason he couldn’t explain, it felt like he shouldn’t open this. Slowly moving away from the door, Irodel peered out the window and ordered the guard.

“Drive off. Go somewhere else.”

“…”

There was no answer. Growing anxious, Irodel urged them one more time.

“What are you doing? I said drive off.”

“I’m sorry. I cannot do that.”

“What?”

What nonsense is this right now? No matter how lacking in power or authority his position was, to be ignored to this extent? At the exact moment Irodel turned around in sheer disbelief, with a click sound, the lock released. It had been unlocked from the driver’s seat.

“W-what? What are you doing?”

“I’m sorry.”

Is sorry going to cut it when you’ve already unlocked it?! Utterly terrified, Irodel clung to the handle to prevent the door from opening. Logan’s subordinate, who was trying to open the door from the outside, wore a slightly troubled expression as he felt the resistance. If he used force to open it, his boss’s younger brother and the emperor’s nephew might tumble out. It was an opportunity. Taking advantage of that gap, Irodel hurriedly pushed open the opposite car door and bolted out. The feeling that the night breeze was chilly lasted only a moment. Irodel was caught and embraced as if crashing into something.

“I’ve been waiting, Irodel.”

Even under the faint streetlamp, those blue, twinkling eyes curved softly. It was his brother, Logan.

“…”

So this is what it meant when they said they couldn’t drive off. Seeing Logan, who was unusually dressed in civilian clothes, and his subordinates following him standing in a circle surrounding the car, Irodel closed his eyes in a daze.

Inside the hotel, it was strangely dark and quiet. Feeling as though he had come to some secret ancient castle was likely due to the antique interior decorations. While passing through the lobby and corridors, not a single guest or staff member was visible, and instead, soldiers in uniform stood strict guard everywhere. Could they perhaps be in the middle of some mission? Irodel alternated his gaze between Logan, who was carrying him while walking and demanding an explanation, but not a single person opened their mouth.

The elevator reached the top floor, and the soldiers waiting in front opened the guest room door. It was the exact same room he had been in just yesterday, but the feeling was considerably different. Logan’s subordinates even came inside the room and stood. Passing the subordinates who offered a salute, Logan set Irodel down on the bed from his arms. His movements were careful so that the bedsheet wrapped around his bare body wouldn’t slip off.

“Brother…?”

Irodel, who just rolled his eyes as he was laid down, met Logan’s gaze as if hypnotized. Sitting on the edge of the bed, Logan tilted his head slightly. It was a gaze with the usual affectionate smile, but the anxiety did not fade. Irodel swallowed hard so it wouldn’t be noticed.

“W-why are you here? Weren’t you supposed to have returned to the military base?”

“…”

“What did you mean when you said you were waiting for me? I, why I came here was—”

It had been purely by coincidence. He tried to say that, then briefly became confused. Was it really a coincidence? Yes, it was a coincidence. Starting from stealing the glass bottle from Orbon, to causing an accident with Tibane because the bottle broke, and running away all the way here—it was all a coincidence.