CH 8.6

“But what are you going to do with all those little pieces? It’s great that they’re connected, but there’s nothing to do with them.”

Lila, who was rubbing Michael’s arm with oiled hands, responded quickly.

“I’ll show you when it gets here. It’s a fun plaything to build together.”

“A plaything? That’s a toy?”

“Yes, so you have to play with me, Michael, and we’ll make it together.”

Michael looked at Lila, who was speaking with a flush of color, and then looked away.

“Well, if you want… Let me take a moment.”

“You promised!”

“Okay… I got it.”

Lila grinned at Michael, who couldn’t hide his delight at her response.

Lucas, who had already entered the room, spoke up in a blunt tone.

“What could be so fun about.”

She hadn’t noticed his entrance at all. He resented being in their two-person world.

Lucas sometimes wondered if she had made a promise of marriage to Michael and not to him.

Even though he knew it was a thought that didn’t make sense, he was secretly jealous.

He was flattered that Lila seemed so unaffected after such a hot night together.

And seeing her so tender with his nephew made him feel unnecessarily grumpy.

At first, he didn’t recognize his feelings and just felt uncomfortable, but lately, he’s definitely noticed them.

He was jealous of his own nephew.

“Hello?”

Lila, still clutching Michael’s arm, greeted him with a wide smile. That alone made Lucas feel much better, so he casually sat down next to her.

“What are you doing now?”

“This?”

Lila, who moved her hand back to his leg as she applied her oil, replied brightly.

“Yeah, that. Why are you doing that?”

“It’s good for the skin because it helps with circulation. It helps you recover from fatigue, and it’s good for your health. Oh, and it’s also good for development.”

“I thought massages were only for women… I don’t know if young Michael can get one.”

“Of course, a massage has no age or gender restrictions.”

“Well, then, I guess I can have one. But I’ve been a little busy lately.”

It was a job he’d been doing for a long time, so there was no reason to feel particularly tired.

Lucas had helped with the family business while attending the academy. He worked on top of his studies, so while he might have accumulated some fatigue, it didn’t bother him.

But what Lila was doing to Michael was a little too tempting. The thought of her white, smooth hands touching his skin made one corner of his mouth twitch.

Ever since the day he couldn’t control himself, Lucas had often thought or dreamed of that night’s event.

He’d kept it to himself, quietly, because Lila had suffered from nightmares.

But a massage would be different.

Lila’s cheeks flushed as Lucas looked at her expectantly.

It reminded her of the night they’d lusted after each other’s bodies.

Noticing the strange mood between them, Michael pushed himself to his feet and spoke.

“I want something sweet.”

“Michael, you have another class coming up, and it’s not good to eat too much before class.”

“…So, I’ll just have some fruit and tea. Is that okay, Uncle?”

“I’ve heard that moderate sugar helps you study. Don’t you think that’s okay?”

Lila, who was unusually sensitive about what Michael ate, chimed in, and Lucas nodded gratefully.

“Thanks, Uncle.”

With a face that went from sullen to bright in an instant, Michael rang the bell and lay back down.

“And where did my lady hear such things?”

From massages to allergies to sugar.

As he wondering if there’s a specialized book for that, Lila chimed in.

“I heard about it when I was a kid. I think maybe… I remember my mom telling me about it…”

One corner of Lucas’s mouth quirked up as he watched Lila raise her eyes to the upper left.

It was a habit she didn’t recognize, but one that came out when she was lying. He’d seen it so many times that it was easy to recognize.

But he didn’t dare bring it up. He didn’t care if she was lying.

Lucas already liked Lila, and he had no intention of letting her go, so it didn’t matter to him if she lied for some reason.

“You have a very wise mother indeed.”

“Mmm… Yeah, my father missed her a lot.”

Seeing her wince as she thought more of her father than her faceless mother, Michael said.

“Uncle, why do you ask such things, Lila is so smart, that’s why she knows so many things. You wonder where she learned them from, couldn’t she just know or something? Adults always ask for proof.”

Lila’s mouth dropped open, and Lucas couldn’t believe his ears.

“The reason adults like evidence, you will naturally understand it when you grow up.”

Michael rolled his eyes, not liking the way Lucas spoke with a small chuckle, and Jessie burst into the room.

“Did you call, my lady!”

She had been waiting for Lila to call her, and she responded to the call very quickly.

“Jessie, can you bring me some fruit and tea?”

“Yes, my lady.”

Jessie replied cheerfully, her face looking much better than before. The cosmetics Lila gave her were the most helpful, and after washing and caring for her face as she instructed, it was bound to improve.

The acne is gone, revealing fair skin beneath. Lila told her that she was lucky not to have any scars, and urged her to be careful.

As if she were going to do it to death, Jessie followed Lila’s advice and took care of her skin.

“Ah, Jessie.”

“Yes, my lord!”

Michael said to Jessie, who was more comfortable than his handmaiden.

“Would you mind stopping by the magic engineer’s office and bringing me the items I left for them when you’re finished?”

“Yes, I understand!”

Jessie immediately left the room, and Lucas asked in a curious tone.

“What did you ask the magic engineers to do for you?”

“You’ll know when you see it, but for your information, Lila asked me to.”

His nephew’s answer made him even more curious, and he looked at her with a look that demanded an answer.

Lila averted her gaze in embarrassment and spoke softly.

“So, Duke, would you like to play?”

“Play?”

“I asked for a plaything.”

“…”

His mint-colored eyes widened a little, as if her words caught him off guard.

* * *

After the massage, Michael blushed as he put on the clothes Lila handed him.

Part of him blushed because she liked it, and part of him did because he didn’t like the outfit.

Lila immediately put the outfit on him that she had customized from Kate’s wardrobe. Lila squealed with delight as she saw him in shorts, socks, and soft leather shoes.

The reaction was enthusiastic, as if she had bumped into her favorite celebrity.

He wore a crisp white shirt, a neat crossover tie, and a pink diamond brooch. The finishing touch was a pair of white suspenders.

“Ah ah, it looks so good on you.”

As she gushed, Lucas watched in disbelief.

Leaning his upper body loosely against the couch, he couldn’t help but feel jealous of the two of them.

They looked like the kind of harmonious family he’d never seen before, not even as a child.

Looking at Michael, whose face resembled his own more than his brother’s, he had the same strange feeling of being rewarded for his childhood.

“I don’t like these childish clothes.”

Michael wore it because Lila liked it, but he didn’t like it.

“No, you don’t look that young. It looks more sophisticated? It’s going to be hard to pull it off like this. As expected, Michael has long arms and legs, so he looks good.”

Lucas said in a slightly blunt tone as he looked at Lila, who had long arms and legs.

“I’d like my wife to choose clothes for me, too.”

At his words, Lila turned her head, her dark blue eyes lazily scanning Lucas.

Lucas felt the hairs on his back stand up on end as she scanned him from head to toe.

It was almost pleasurable just to be under her gaze.

He licked his lips as he caught a whiff of her subtle, seductive scent.

After a moment’s silence, Lila spoke.

“The Duke has such good sense… I don’t think you’ll need my help.”

“Me?”

“Yes. It’s totally my style…”

Lucas’s style today was perfect. He was wearing a poet shirt with his usual frills and a pair of roomy pants with big buttons.

His colors were simple: white shirt and royal blue pants, and as usual, he wore blue sapphire earrings as accents.

Lucas’s mint-colored eyes narrowed as he took in her slurred words.

“I see, and I’m so glad to hear it’s your style.”

He smiled narrowly, making the dark tear mole beneath the corner of his right eye stand out even more.

Lila had been noticing something lately. It was about Lucas’s quirks.

When she first met him, she thought there would be no one so cold as him, but when the coldness disappeared, a charm came in place.

Can a man be bewitching?

The slightly upturned corners of his mouth, his long eyelashes, and his pearly white skin gave off an air of eroticism…

“No… When did I ever say the Duke was my style…”

“Just now, and the other day, too. You have no idea, my lady, how moved I was by your enthusiastic response, which is a pity, indeed.”

“Lila.”

Michael called, grabbing her arm and shaking her as they both fell into the mood. Lila covered her mouth with her hand as she realized that two adorable hands were holding her arm.

“Cute.”

Before, she’d only exclaimed inwardly, but lately, Michael’s cuteness had been explosive, and she couldn’t help it.

“The Duke is mistaken. The person who best fits my ideal type is Michael.”

Mumbling as she hugged Michael tightly, Lila didn’t realize that pink and mint eyes were glaring at each other.

Lucas thought his nephew’s challenge was cheeky and funny, but could not be taken lightly.

He knew this because lately, whenever he’d tried to spend quality time with Lila alone, Michael would come over and interrupt them

“I can’t be pushed around by my nephew.”

Michael stuck his tongue out at his uncle, who mumbled something low and crossed his legs. The child had no intention of being deprived of his infinite source of affection.