Define The Relationship Novel - Chapter 36

[Have you had lunch?]

Karlyle received a text message in the car heading to Bath, where his grandfather, Marquis Arthur Frost, resided. Feeling a little stressed, Karlyle stopped moving his hands on the laptop at the phone’s notification. It was Ash.

Since last weekend, Karlyle had diligently sent texts upon arriving home, as per Ash’s words. As if he had been waiting, Ash replied shortly after. Two messages, including a goodnight greeting, were exchanged.

That alone made him incredibly excited, so Karlyle spent a long time composing each reply. Moreover, if he sent them too quickly, it might seem like he was just waiting for Ash’s texts with nothing else to do. …Of course, that wasn’t entirely untrue.

He thought that day would be the end of it, but Ash started sending texts occasionally from the weekend onwards. Nothing was exchanged too casually, but just enough to ascertain each other’s well-being.

Karlyle’s texts were very brief, with a tone not much different from when he spoke in person. So, reading them, they weren’t particularly interesting. Yet, Ash naturally kept the conversation going. This was how they became a pair who exchanged about four texts a day.

That fact seemed to have made Karlyle slightly flushed for three days straight. Embarrassingly, it was true. Experiencing many new emotions with Ash, he couldn’t quite manage them. Though he didn’t do anything specific or laugh, the time he spent on his private phone increased slightly.

“Is it him?”

And of course, it was Kyle who noticed Karlyle’s change. When not with Nicholas, the family’s current legal advisor, Kyle often accompanied Karlyle or Jonathan, and naturally, Karlyle spent a lot of time with Kyle. It was a pleasant time even for Karlyle, who deeply loved his younger brother.

The young Kyle in his memories had a very hard time dealing with people, but after going to university with Nicholas and becoming a lawyer at a law firm, he became quite skilled at handling employees and pressuring business associates.

His learning speed was, needless to say, very fast, so Karlyle’s role began to be limited to merely introducing Kyle.

“Yes.”

Karlyle briefly turned his gaze to Kyle, then looked back at his phone and replied. He mentally organized what he would reply.

For lunch, he had Japanese food with Kyle. London had many excellent Japanese restaurants, so before departing, they had some simple sashimi, salad, and sushi. It was a place where highly trained, experienced chefs prepared fresh seafood into desired dishes right in front of the reserved guests. His father, Jonathan, liked that place.

[I had Japanese food. Did Mr. Jones have his meal?]

His hand hesitated for a long time before typing “Mr. Jones” but eventually sent the message. Was it Monday? Ash had said something.

‘Mr. Jones’ again? You kept calling me Ash at Natalie’s house.

It wasn’t a scolding, but a light complaint. Because he had attached a smiling emoticon before, it even looked cute. Karlyle was flustered.

Though he didn’t remember it well because it was unconscious, he had probably matched the honorifics that day so it wouldn’t seem strange to Natalie, who thought they were on a date.

But once he became conscious of it, calling Ash by his first name felt a little embarrassing. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to, but it felt overly intimate. He worried that his already fluttering heart would grow even larger, and that concerned him.

While he was thinking, Ash replied again. It took about five minutes. This time, a photo came with it.

[It worked. I’m eating the same thing as Karlyle.]

The photo showed sashimi and salmon sushi in a plastic takeout box. Ash’s neat hand was also slightly visible in the picture. The neatly and beautifully presented food in the photo seemed to resemble Ash’s personality.

The fact that they ate similar menus together didn’t actually mean anything, but it inexplicably made him feel even better.

The food Ash was eating was from a Japanese chain restaurant, also found in Covent Garden. Unlike its past rapid growth, the brand had recently stagnated slightly, which Karlyle had also noticed while observing market trends. The food service industry in London was a very large sector, with significant large-scale investments in various areas.

[I wonder if that much will be enough for you to feel full.]

Karlyle was genuinely concerned. Considering an adult male’s daily metabolic rate and basal metabolic rate based on muscle mass, the contents seemed rather small.

[I don’t usually eat much for lunch, so it’s fine.]

Now, messages were exchanged with almost no gaps. Karlyle unconsciously focused on them, then startled inwardly and blinked. He felt guilty, as if he was wasting time. This was because he had never exchanged so many trivial, everyday messages like this before.

Still, since Ash had sent the first message, he couldn’t end the conversation without Ash replying first. Karlyle tried hard to suppress the urge to say something more and sent a concluding message. His fingers lingered, making his typing slow.

[I have work, so I’ll wrap this up now.]

A business-like sentence was completed. Karlyle quietly looked down at it, then, bothered, added one more sentence.

[If it’s alright, may I text you again this evening?]

Karlyle pondered for a long time, looking at the two sentences he had finally completed. He didn’t know if Ash would like it or dislike it. His hesitant finger finally pressed the send button. His breath caught in his throat.

The reply didn’t come as quickly as before, taking over ten minutes. Karlyle put his phone down and tried to look at the laptop material he had been reviewing, but he couldn’t concentrate at all.

Concentration is both an innate gift and the result of training. His long-honed concentration crumbled with a single text from Ash.

Karlyle tried hard to endure his gaze constantly drifting towards his phone. Their destination was just ahead, and not a single mistake was tolerated in front of his grandfather, so he had no time for this.

Although he already knew it, Karlyle, not being a dominant Alpha, should disappoint his grandfather even less. Therefore, he needed to report perfectly.

But as soon as the phone vibrated, Karlyle couldn’t resist checking the message. He felt Kyle’s gaze. He felt a momentary heaviness in his heart, as if he was showing a bad example in front of his younger brother.

[I was getting a report, so my reply was late. Shall we, Karlyle? Then work well, and see you this evening. I’ll be waiting.]

However, his heavy heart melted away without a trace at Ash’s gentle reply. His heart pounded fiercely. He worried that the throbbing pulse beneath his suppressed breath might be heard outside.

He hadn’t known that the words “I’ll be waiting” could sound so exciting. Karlyle, whose every minute and second had been assigned duties and values, for the first time wished for time to pass quickly.

His expressionless face softened gently. And Kyle, who was watching Karlyle’s transformation, blinked as he witnessed a faint smile appear in his only brother’s eyes. It was surprising for Kyle.

Because Karlyle’s smile was a very rare sight, one that even Kyle, his younger brother, hadn’t seen often since childhood.

“Karlyle.”

At Kyle’s call, Karlyle turned his head. Thanks to ending the text well, he could fully focus on Kyle.

“Can I ask you something?”

“I’m listening.”

“The painting you’re looking for… is it because of Ash Jones?”

Since Nicholas was the one who introduced Ash, Kyle naturally knew Ash. He had probably met him once.

Karlyle knew that the two didn’t think well of each other. Karlyle hesitated. But he couldn’t lie to Kyle.

“Yes, if I find it, that is.”

Kyle slightly furrowed his fair, delicate brow, gazing at Karlyle. His faintly revealed expression seemed to dislike the current situation.

Finding it cute, Karlyle reached out to Kyle. As he gently stroked his cheek, Kyle’s expression softened slightly. Kyle, who had been silent for a few seconds, opened his mouth again.

“…I think I can find it. The region where it was sold has been narrowed down.”

For the past few weeks, Philip Whitewood’s painting, which Karlyle had begun investigating outside of work hours, could not be found online, just as Ash had said.

The painting, drawn long ago, was only photographed by someone and then sold through a gallery, but after its first sale, its whereabouts became unknown as its ownership changed twice.

The difficulty was considerable as the investigation had to proceed purely by name. It took some time, not just money. However, this was also expected.

Many people around Karlyle bought paintings as a hobby, and there were several families whose history of this hobby had been passed down through generations. This was because the paintings they owned were an important means of enhancing the owner’s prestige.

Of course, besides that, many people also collected various things because they loved art, so Karlyle mobilized his connections.

In that process, it seemed some information had leaked. People who wanted something contacted him in exchange for information. Since Kyle helped with this when Karlyle was busy, Kyle also knew about this matter.

“Good work, Kyle.”

“…Yeah.”

Kyle smiled quietly. Karlyle watched his red lips curve beautifully, then turned his gaze forward. The car stopped.

The ornate main gate, designed in classical style, slowly opened. The vast garden, almost like a field, visible as the gate opened, signified one thing.

They had arrived at the Frost family’s historic main residence.

The size of a mansion was proof of wealth. It had always been so. The paintings, sculptures, and all other collections seen traversing the corridors incurred enormous maintenance costs. The same applied to maintaining the entire mansion and managing employees.

Thus, many people, despite being of noble blood, sold off inherited mansions because they couldn’t manage them. Mostly, they were lower-ranking nobles who were already in decline, but even counts or higher-ranking nobles who failed to manage their assets properly often experienced such cases.

In that sense, his grandfather, Arthur Frost, was one of the successful mainstream who properly maintained his vested interests. The high title, the connections that came with it, and the Frost name, which had maintained and increased the family’s power by consistently producing dominant Alphas.

All of this combined gave Arthur a presence unlike that of ordinary people. Arthur being a dominant Alpha probably played a part in that too.

“I greet my grandfather.”

Arthur was seated in a chair carved with intricate patterns. Karlyle, standing before him, bowed first. Kyle followed suit.

In the modern era, nobles were merely relics of the past, existing only in novels and dramas, but in Karlyle’s world, it was different. Their unique grammar, tone, way of speaking, and etiquette—all were real.

Karlyle had to learn to employ these early on, while also learning how not to appear too out of place outside. Yet, in front of his grandfather, he had to be a perfect noble.

Karlyle’s mistakes led directly to criticisms of his mother Alice’s immaturity and Jonathan’s commoner lineage, who held no title.

Arthur was drinking tea. Hearing Karlyle’s greeting, Arthur raised his eyes. His keen blue eyes, naturally yet formally swept-back gray hair, and indifferent face scanned Karlyle and Kyle in turn.

Soon, Arthur smiled. It was an excellent smile, despite being artificially created. His face, where wrinkles softly spread, would make one feel he was a benevolent gentleman if seen purely.

“You’ve had a long journey.”

At the command to sit, Karlyle and Kyle found their seats. As they sat in their designated places, a waiting employee poured tea. Even with the fragrant, skillfully brewed black tea, Karlyle felt tense.

A brief silence hung in the air. Arthur casually drank his tea, his eyes unreadable. He opened his mouth just as Karlyle was about to lift his teacup.

“Karlyle.”

A quiet voice called him stiffly. Karlyle withdrew his hand and raised his eyes. His grandfather was looking at him.

“I called you here today because I believe it’s time to discuss your marriage.”

Ah.

His hand, withdrawn from the teacup, paused in mid-air. Karlyle quietly blinked. He felt a stinging sensation beneath his eyelids.

“I’ve been consistently receiving marriage proposals for the past few years, holding them in abeyance while observing the right timing. If there’s anyone you know or like among the names I’ve selected, let me know.”

Arthur spoke in a benevolent voice. It seemed his grandfather knew he was bestowing a favor, giving a choice to his lacking grandson. It was unexpected even for Karlyle.

He had believed that if a fiancée were chosen, his opinion would not be reflected at all.

“Of course, I believe you will handle yourself wisely.”

Therefore, it was right for Karlyle to thank his grandfather for his benevolence and express that gratitude respectfully.

“Since you’ve turned thirty-three this year, I think it’s the perfect time. It’s something to be grateful for that there are families showing interest in someone as lacking as you.”

However, no words came out of Karlyle’s mouth. It was difficult to come up with a reply. In his mind, only the utterly useless thought that his birthday hadn’t passed yet, so he was still thirty-two, lingered.

“I’ll inform your mother, Alice, so discuss it well and make your decision.”

His chest felt stifled. His chest felt tight and painful, as if something was completely filling it.

Only his tie was constricting his neck, but he felt strangely as if his breath was being squeezed, and Karlyle unconsciously almost reached up to touch his neck. He wanted to look down and check. To see if there was a rope around his neck.

“You’re not answering, Karlyle.”

Arthur spoke softly at Karlyle’s rude silence even after his grandfather had finished speaking. His voice, though quiet, resonated clearly with dignity.

Arthur’s pheromones filled the room with displeasure. For Karlyle, an Alpha, the overwhelming aura of a dominant Alpha caused dizziness. Karlyle managed to open his mouth.

“I apologize for my rudeness; I felt a bit unwell on the way here and couldn’t adjust. I’m sorry, Grandfather.”

Still smiling, Arthur quietly watched Karlyle. It was a familiar gaze. He knew it well, as it was the look his grandfather always gave him when his learning was slow. He felt dizzy. Unable to exhale his ragged breath, Karlyle held it instead.

“Thank you for your consideration.”

He shouldn’t turn his eyes away. He shouldn’t avoid those blue eyes that unfiltered disappointment. But Karlyle was afraid. He was afraid of how trivial and inadequate he would appear in his grandfather’s eyes. So he dared not refute.

“I will not forget your grace, Grandfather, and I will certainly…”

Actually, I’ve fallen for someone.

“I will find a suitable partner for myself.”