* * *

Watching Crown Prince William swing his sword first, Henry approached the weapon display. Although he saw various weapons, he hesitated to pick one.

‘No guns.’

It was a shame this world didn’t use guns. Shooting was something he excelled at, even earning a reward leave in the military. However, he wasn’t keen on swinging sticks around. If he had known he’d end up in a novel, he would’ve learned kendo, but unfortunately, he was brought here unexpectedly.

Still, he had some experience with taekwondo and judo while dreaming of becoming a bodyguard, though he had no use for those skills now.

‘If I get cut with one of those swords, it’ll be bad.’

He finally picked up a suitable practice wooden sword, which was surprisingly heavy. He swung it experimentally and was surprised at how well his body moved.

‘I thought I’d be weak and frail…’

At least he could swing the wooden sword with ease. His legs remained steady, and his arms handled the weight well.

Pleased with this unexpected outcome, Henry swung the sword more confidently.

The swordsmanship didn’t come naturally as if his soul remembered it, but he was satisfied nonetheless.

As he toyed with the wooden sword, Edwin approached. Edwin too selected a weapon casually.

“You’re acting strange today.”

Henry mentally corrected him. No, I’ve been acting strange since yesterday.

“It’s not like a person can change overnight, so watch and see.”

“Suit yourself.”

Since he had indeed changed overnight, Henry wasn’t worried. While Henry ignored Edwin and continued swinging his wooden sword, Edwin chose a heavy-looking spear and swung it effortlessly.

Hearing the menacing sound it made as it cut through the air, Henry felt a pang of irritation.

Just moments ago, he had been impressed with his own strength, but Edwin had to overshadow that by wielding such an unwieldy weapon with ease.

Henry put some distance between himself and Edwin.

Half of him wanted to avoid the precarious situation of being skewered by Edwin’s spear, and the other half just didn’t want to be near him. It was a natural reaction.

Henry adjusted his stance, spreading his legs a fixed distance apart, bending his knees slightly, and gripping his wooden sword.

Henry pointed his wooden sword at Edwin. Despite Edwin being the ruthless main character, they had known each other since childhood.

Did Edwin really have to push Henry to the brink of death? Henry’s misdeeds were all a desperate attempt to receive Edwin’s love, yet Edwin failed to appreciate his earnest feelings.

As emotions surged within him, Henry’s gaze grew sharper, and the atmosphere around him turned cold.

Sensing the hostility directed at him, Edwin gripped his spear tightly. Who would show such antagonism towards him here?

Was there an assassin hiding in the crown prince’s palace? Edwin, trying not to reveal his presence, carefully scanned his surroundings, alert for any hidden assassin.

Edwin turned his head as soon as he detected the direction of the killing intent, and let out a somewhat baffled breath.

He thought he had located the assassin, but there was only Henry, aiming a wooden sword at him. Edwin quickly dismissed the suspicion—it couldn’t have been Henry.

Someone so clumsy with a wooden sword couldn’t emit such sharp hostility.

Moreover, Henry wasn’t even looking at him. He was awkwardly glancing down at his sleeve, which had caught between his fingers and the wooden sword.

Then who could it be? Excluding Henry, Edwin scanned the surroundings fiercely, but detected no other presence. The crown prince passed by the confused Edwin and chuckled as he observed Henry’s stance.

“It’s a mess. Have you forgotten the basics?”

“I can’t even remember if I ever learned swordsmanship.”

Of course, the current Henry had never properly learned swordsmanship. Responding slyly to William’s remark, Henry suppressed the emotions he had projected onto Edwin.

‘Endure. In some ways, he’s also a victim.’

If Henry hadn’t visited Edwin’s room, Edwin would have perfectly manifested as a super-dominant alpha and followed a stronger path as a successor.

In a world that favored alphas and omegas, a dominant alpha received exceptional treatment. William, the crown prince, was born a dominant alpha and no one opposed his ascension.

In such a scenario, Edwin becoming a super-dominant alpha was a major event that would spread his name across the continent.

However, he ended up being a half-baked super-dominant alpha. It must have felt like a sudden downfall. Thus, blaming everything on Edwin seemed unfair.

‘It’s all the author’s fault.’

The author had given the male protagonist a difficult journey to highlight another protagonist who would endure the hardships together.

Swinging the wooden sword a few times, Henry placed it back on the display stand.

“I’ll just watch.”

“Already done?”

William, who was poised to spar with Edwin, asked with a smirk. Mimicking the clumsy stance Henry had taken earlier, William pointed his sword at Edwin. “Was it like this? So awkward,” he murmured.

“Moving around isn’t my thing.”

Henry raised his hands, showing his sleeves.

The lace-trimmed sleeves were a subtle point of fashion but were cumbersome for wielding a sword.

He had seen the lace in the morning while changing, but had ignored it.

Henry usually wore whatever was at hand, often favoring a simple black shirt and pants, paying little attention to matching colors. Someone always brought clothes to him, so why care about the lace?

Today, however, the lace provided a convenient excuse.

“You didn’t choose that outfit on purpose, did you?”

“Of course not.”

“True, someone who hates sweating wouldn’t wield a sword even in comfortable clothes. Edwin, how about a little wager for our duel?”

Henry, who had been listening to William’s needless words, suddenly found the attention shifting to Edwin. Without waiting for Edwin to prepare, the crown prince swung his sword, proposing they grant the winner a wish.

Edwin quickly blocked with his spear, and William immediately changed his sword’s direction. The relentless attack from William and Edwin’s steadfast defense continued intensely. Forgotten in the corner, Henry sat down.

Under the shade with a cool drink and cookies, Henry relaxed, watching the duel.

“Being picky and overly neat can be good sometimes.”

Seeing William and Edwin already exhausted, Henry leisurely sipped his drink.

“Why are they fighting so fiercely?”

The duel between William and Edwin was surprisingly intense. It was a real fight with real weapons where someone could get hurt, yet neither hesitated to attack the other. Henry couldn’t recall if it had always been like this.

“Is this because of mutual trust or just recklessness?”

If one of them got seriously hurt, it would be a big problem. Edwin’s spear had just grazed William’s side. It only tore his clothes, but it could have been much worse. One was the crown prince, and the other the duke’s heir.

Henry, curious, asked a nearby guard if this was normal. The guard calmly affirmed it was.

“They’re really crazy.”

Henry muttered, looking at the sky as if wanting to stop watching. Apart from Henry’s relaxed demeanor amidst the fierce duel, it was a relatively ordinary time.

* * *

“It’s the pheromones. The pheromones.”

Henry, entering the mansion, handed his gloves to a servant, muttering. Edwin rarely showed his emotions but always emitted pheromones freely. Perhaps because he thought no one could detect them, he didn’t bother to hide them.

But the problem was they were too strong to ignore. Henry didn’t know how his former self had managed, but he found Edwin’s pheromones overwhelming.

Every time he caught a whiff, his heart felt constricted, as if trapped in a dense, invisible cloud. Henry couldn’t confidently face Edwin with such feelings.

“Oppa.”

At the familiar voice, Henry looked up to see Hena leaning on the railing, looking down at him.

“Back from the palace?”

Henry half-covered his ear and let go. Was it necessary to speak so loudly over just 20 steps? Despite taking etiquette lessons, Hena seemed like a carefree, lively young lady to Henry.

“Yes.”

“I’ll go with you. I have something to tell Edwin oppa…”

Henry had just been to the palace at Crown Prince William’s insistence, so Hena hadn’t crossed his mind.

Worried that Hena might keep shouting, Henry quickly climbed the stairs. Reaching Hena, he placed his hand on her head briefly instead of greeting her.

“Edwin has gone home. If you have something to say, go to his house.”

“Because a natural meeting is better.”

“How is it a natural meeting if you follow me to the palace?”

Henry responded with an incredulous expression. Hena smoothed her hair where Henry’s hand had been and spoke a beat later.

“It would be weird to go to his house and ask if he’s going to propose on my birthday.”

I think it would be fine just to ask…

“You really want to marry him, don’t you?”

Seeing her be so obvious yet wondering how she hides it in front of Edwin, Henry asked. Hena, looking as if it was the most natural thing, answered.

“Not that I want to marry him, but he’s a good match.”

“A good match?”

Henry repeated with a dubious face. Hena, acting as if she hadn’t blushed, put her hands behind her back and lifted her chin proudly.

“Who else in the Empire matches Edwin oppa as well as I do? There’s no princess of marriageable age in the royal family, and there’s no need to look abroad. Plus, I’m an Omega, so I can bear Alpha children if I marry Edwin oppa. It’s unfortunate that he can’t sense my pheromones, though…”

Henry felt a pang at her bitter remark about Edwin never being able to smell her wonderful scent. He had already been troubled by the fact that he could sense Edwin’s pheromones while others couldn’t.

“Well, I can’t sense his pheromones either, so it’s fair.”

…Is that so? Anyway, Edwin can’t sense any pheromones now.

If everyone just considers him Beta, it should be fine…

While Henry was consoling himself, Hena spoke up abruptly.

“Thinking about it, Edwin oppa is quite pitiful. He has everything, but he can’t sense the pheromones of the person he loves.”

Hena’s words felt like daggers piercing Henry’s heart.

“He wasn’t born a Beta, but became an ultra-dominant Alpha who can’t sense pheromones. It’s a sad thing. But it’s okay. He has everything else.”

As Hena continued, Henry’s head lowered more and more. If not for him, Edwin would be a perfect human being without any shortcomings. Unintentionally, Henry had become a hindrance in his life.

“Henry oppa? What’s wrong?”

“…It’s nothing. But Hena.”

“Yes?”

“Do you… love Edwin?”

Henry mumbled with his head down. Her words about a good match made him curious. Hena, leaning closer to hear him, asked back as if she couldn’t believe what she heard.

“Do I love Edwin oppa?”

“Yes.”

“Of course not.”

Hena answered so easily.

“How could I love Edwin oppa when I can’t sense his pheromones? You’re not going to say that old-fashioned thing about marrying for love, are you?”

Love doesn’t give you power, you naive oppa. Hena tapped Henry’s shoulder with a fan as if offering life advice. The dry conversation about a marriage based on conditions made Henry sigh. He felt guilty for making others unable to sense Edwin’s pheromones and disheartened by Hena’s pragmatic view on marriage. It was all a mess.

As long as he didn’t act up and claim Edwin, Hena’s future wouldn’t be ruined. She could accept Edwin’s proposal and be with him, or find a better man.

Henry patted Hena’s head a couple of times. Even if it was a suitable family and a suitable match…

“Still, find someone you like.”

If she loved Edwin and wanted to marry him, he wouldn’t stop her, but she seemed too dry-hearted. So Henry showed a bit of his true feelings. He hoped she would find someone she could live face to face with for life. Slowly, he removed his hand from her head, hoping she understood his sincere words.

“You already have wealth and power. It’s better to find someone who you can love deeply.”

Touched by Henry’s sincere words, Hena smoothed her hair, which still held his warmth. ‘Did oppa just pat my head twice?’ she thought, then looked shocked.

“Are you crazy?”

Henry realized too late that he had gone against his usual character by being kind. He felt he had made a mistake as he grabbed his head.

* * *