Episode 29. Try Seducing Him Properly
And so Knox was now here, in front of the west wing garden.
When he called out, "Adel," the woman who turned around was, as expected, completely soaked.
Why the hell does she always walk around like this?
Irritation furrowed his brows.
"Lord Knox?"
Standing blankly from afar, Adel just stared at Knox under the umbrella.
Neither approached the other. They both knew they shouldn't.
Seeing Knox frozen in place, Adel turned first. But Knox grabbed her ankle again.
"Adel."
And foolishly, Adel got caught once more.
"Follow me."
Knox walked ahead somewhere with the umbrella. Adel blankly watched him.
The man's frame under the umbrella stood tall and imposing. Knox wore a red cloak draped like a toga over his white uniform. The formal attire made his masculine appearance even more sturdy.
It looked good on him. Adel's nose tingled for no reason.
I knew he'd grow up well.
Confirming no one was still around, she cautiously took a step.
"Hold this."
Even in the deserted back lot, at the eaves between buildings. Knox, who had entered under the small roof, folded the umbrella he'd been using and handed it to Adel.
"No need. I'm already soaked."
"I know. That's why just take it."
"Just? Just hold it? Are you making me run errands right now?"
"Argh, damn it. What are you talking about? Why hold the umbrella? Use it."
Knox pulled Adel, who was still half-exposed and getting rained on, inside. He forced the umbrella into her soaked hand.
But her hand was too small.
Back when she handed him an umbrella, her hand had been much larger than his.
Summer's hand was always this small, huh.
"Then how are you going to go?"
Adel tucked the umbrella Knox handed her under her arm and removed her glasses. She roughly wiped the rain from the lenses on her wet dress.
"Your clothes are soaked too—will that clean it?"
"What can I do? I can't see."
Adel squinted slightly and looked up at Knox. Her near-fluorescent pink eyes seemed subdued by the damp weather.
Knox chewed his lower lip. It had been a long time since he'd seen Summer's eyes.
As a child, Knox had loved those eyes.
Of course he did. They were the only warm light in the world he could rely on, the only one he had to rely on.
"Why not rinse them in water and wipe off the moisture?"
"What are you saying."
Knox let out a small sigh and removed his cloak. He wrapped it tightly around Adel's dress, now nearly dark gray from being so soaked. He didn't forget to tie a firm knot at the neck.
Just like that blanket from childhood, wrapped tightly around his neck so it wouldn't fall off even if he ran around like a rebellious frog.
Adel asked, stunned.
"...What are you doing."
Knox didn't answer. Instead, he snatched her glasses and wiped them with the hem of his uniform jacket.
"You finally did it."
"Did what?"
"Don't play dumb. I saw you laughing to yourself like a madwoman earlier. You beat Mensha in the end."
Knox placed the cleaned glasses back on Adel. Despite his irritated tone, he positioned them gently in place.
As they silently stared at each other, the world filled again with the roar of heavy rain.
After a long while, Knox spoke.
"Adel."
Whenever they met until now, they'd been busy sniping at each other. So this was the first time Knox had called her so seriously.
Maybe that's why. It felt like whatever came from those lips wouldn't be ordinary. Adel fidgeted with the cloak hem.
"What."
"Hey. Can't we just... live comfortably now?"
Knox was always one to tense his body and expression, reminding others of his position. This was a hollow voice, as if his stubbornness and will had vanished somewhere.
"I get it after what happened to Autumn. I know how you feel, sis. But hey. Can't we let go of Autumn now?"
"Knox."
"Please, Adel. Live comfortably for yourself now."
Knox gripped both her shoulders firmly.
Like a crack forming in the protective shield he'd wrapped tightly to protect himself, a small fissure appeared in Knox's eyes, revealing old wounds.
"Can't you give up those weird plans? The Valonecks aren't that easy."
"What?"
"You're doing so well. Everyone praises Adel Nora as amazing. You deserve to live comfortably. You're finally someone who can. So please... stop with the background checks or revenge, those grubby things. Just live comfortably?"
Contrary to Knox's plea, Adel's eyes hardened further.
"Winter! How can you say that to me? You know I'm not working hard to look good to others. I'm not asking for your help. Go your own way. Do whatever you want."
"How can I do what I want when you're diving so deep into the Valoneck family?! I'm one of them now!"
"Why are you Valoneck? You're Gregory. Count Gregory's son. So you get out of the Valonecks first!"
Knox realized he couldn't get through to Adel. He'd thought if he spoke seriously, begging her to just stop and be happy, she might listen. But it was wishful thinking.
Adel hadn't changed.
Willful, stubborn... still biased.
"Summer, am I not your brother?"
"What are you talking about?"
"I'm your brother too. Why am I always pushed aside? Why do you only care about Autumn?!"
"Winter."
It had always been like that. Autumn got sick often, and Summer always tended to her first. Always hugged her first, comforted her not to hurt, cried with her.
He was always treated like the unwanted child, always second.
Knox gripped her shoulders tighter.
Now I can keep you from getting cold....
I can make you happy.
So please, finally look at me first, not dead Autumn.
Me too, I... wanted you to hold me all night!
"Fine, then like you said, let's do revenge together. Let's devour the Valonecks. I'll use Scati to devour Hudson, and you devour Gray. How's that?"
Adel's eyes flashed open.
"What nonsense is that?"
"Don't pretend you didn't hear. You have ears. The rumors that Gray cherishes his great aide so much he loves her. So properly seduce Gray. That's how we devour the Valonecks. That's revenge, right?"
"Are you sane?"
Adel shoved Knox away. Knox grabbed her shoulders again, staring straight down into her eyes.
"Yes. Perfectly sane. I heard something secretly from a Valoneck—they say Gray actually hates women's bodies a lot. To the point of disgust. But look. He's always stuck to you. Weird, right? Even when we ran into each other a few days ago..."
Adel finally couldn't hold back and slapped Knox's cheek.
"Snap out of it, Winter!"
Knox stopped talking, his head turned. A faint handprint lingered on his tanned, firm cheek.
"......"
"......"
The roar of rain echoed again like thunder.
Adel's trembling hand from excitement gradually calmed, and she panicked seeing Knox unmoving with his head still turned.
"So why say such nonsense. Are you... okay?"
Knox let out a hollow breath. His briefly raised voice turned frighteningly cold again.
"Yeah. I'm talking nonsense, and you're smart-assing."
Adel's hand hovered near Knox's lowered head, by his cheek.
Then a sound other than rain intruded from somewhere. The squelch of footsteps on wet dirt.
Both turned their heads toward the alley entrance simultaneously. Someone was approaching.
Adel hurriedly lowered her hand. In the hazy downpour, a figure with a large umbrella drew closer bit by bit.
Surprisingly, it was Gray.
His slightly staggering walk, as if still hungover, was unmistakably him. In his hand not holding the umbrella was another rolled-up one.
Gray, who hadn't taken his eyes off Adel and Knox the whole way, finally stopped before them. And smiled faintly.
"Hello, Knox?"
"Hello, Young Master Gray."
Gray turned his eyes to Adel. But he didn't greet her. He just silently took in her thoroughly soaked state from head to toe, the red cloak wrapped around her small body, and the man's umbrella in her hand.
Gray furrowed his brows slightly. Knox and Adel tensed.
As if mocking their tension, Gray smiled faintly again.
"Hello, Adel?"
"Hello, Young Master. Are you still hungover by any chance?"
"No. I'm fine? Do I look hungover?"
He'd apparently been out late with friends again yesterday. Adel answered firmly.
"Yes."
"I'm not. Didn't you see me walk straight just now?"
Gray shrugged lightly. Adel forgot her brief tension and snorted.
Gray's lips curved wider. He seemed to have noticed that the usually expressionless Adel had stiffened slightly before but was relaxed now.
Of course, his satisfied smile soured a bit at Knox's following solemn voice.
"Young Master Gray, what brings you here?"
"Oh, me? Obviously..."
Gray stepped forward between them. His large umbrella folded, sending thick droplets pattering down.
Gray shook the water from his white hand.
"I came to pick up Adel. Heard she left without an umbrella."
Gray answered as if it was the most obvious thing.
As Adel stared blankly with a 'What are you saying?' expression, Gray smiled amiably again. And finally openly looked back and forth between Knox and Adel.
"Did I time it wrong?"
As Adel and Knox had expected. Gray wasn't one to just let this slide. He was straightforward as always.
"What were you two doing here secretly, away from prying eyes?"
