* * *

The sunlight streaming through the window felt particularly warm.

It illuminated Ashton’s jet-black hair, which swayed slightly in the breeze, making him look like a perfectly ripe cluster of grapes on a summer day.

And in that golden light, Ashton’s dark eyes seemed even warmer, filled with quiet amusement as they lingered on Remy.

Despite his tough exterior, Remy unconsciously bit his nails, a childlike gesture of anxiety, which Ashton noted with a faint smile.

“Remy.”

Ashton shifted, crossing his arms on the table and leaning forward.

Resting his chin on his arms, he gazed up at Remy with an expression straight out of a magazine spread.

The sight caused a faint blush to creep up Remy’s cheeks.

“Come on, eat more.”

Ashton reached out, gently wiping some yellow cream from the corner of Remy’s mouth with his finger.

“You like this cake, don’t you?”

He lifted his finger, cream still on it, and smiled sweetly.

“Don’t you?”

Remy, watching him intently, felt his lips grow hot.

His brows furrowed as he tried to suppress his embarrassment.

“I do. I like it… but…”

Remy abruptly stood, looking down at Ashton with a cold glare.

“I’m full. I don’t feel like eating anymore.”

With that, he spun around and headed toward the door.

Earlier, he’d subtly asked a servant about the restroom’s location—it seemed like the perfect excuse to escape.

“Excuse me for a moment.”

As he walked briskly away, Ashton remained seated, staring at the cream on his fingertip.

Slowly, he brought it to his lips, tasting the tangy lemon flavor that spread in his mouth.

“Lemon cake.”

His voice, as sweet as the cake, trailed off.

“…He likes it?”

The lingering sweetness of his tone was tinged with a curious question—a subtle wonder only someone deeply attuned to their companion might notice.

When Remy returned to the room, Ashton stood by the window, gazing out.

His broad shoulders and sharply defined back seemed to fill the entire frame, unmoving as if lost in thought.

To announce his presence, Remy purposefully made noise as he approached the table.

“How are you feeling?”

Hearing him, Ashton turned, walking over to the table. Remy greeted him with his usual scowl.

“Better than yesterday.”

“Good. I was worried when you left so suddenly.”

Despite Ashton’s honeyed words, dripping with concern, Remy maintained his poker face.

“The prince wants us to return to the palace soon. He says we need to finish the conversation we started yesterday.”

“Conversation? What conversation? I don’t remember anything.”

Remy’s troubled expression must have given him away because Ashton kindly clarified.

“We were planning Allen’s birthday party, remember?”

“Oh! Right, the birthday party!”

Remy couldn’t help but glance at Ashton after blurting out his response, worried it might have seemed overly reactive and awkwardly unnatural.

Thankfully, Ashton didn’t seem to think much of it.

“If your body is stable enough, I was hoping we could head to the palace soon…”

“Anytime works for me. As you can see, I’m perfectly fine now.”

“Hmm, is that so?”

Ashton seemed to contemplate for a moment before flashing a warm smile.

“Great. I’ll inform His Highness that we’ll visit tomorrow. With Allen’s birthday coming up soon, the earlier, the better.”

“Do as you wish.”

Remy replied indifferently, picking up the fork he had set down earlier.

He absently poked at the uneaten cake in front of him, as though stirring his thoughts rather than the dessert.

“Remy. You’re staying here for lunch, right? Should I have them prepare something?”

“Oh, sure. Might as well grab lunch while I’m here.”

Ashton nodded, and as he stepped out to call for a servant, Remy shifted his gaze from the mangled cake to the view outside the window.

The garden was stunningly beautiful—just as it had struck him when he first arrived.

He couldn’t even begin to imagine the time and effort it must have taken to craft such a masterpiece.

“This year’s roses have bloomed exceptionally well,” Ashton said as he returned, having given instructions for the meal.

“They have. They’re beautiful.”

“Shall we go for a walk after lunch? Or better yet, how about riding out to the nearby lake?”

Remy visibly flinched.

“R-Riding…?”

“Why are you so startled? Is something wrong?”

“No, nothing’s wrong… It’s just…”

“You love horseback riding. Let’s just go as far as Layton Lake.”

“Uh… um, well…”

The truth was, Remy had only ever seen horses in movies or dramas.

He had never encountered one in real life, let alone ridden one.

His mind raced.

What could he say to decline without seeming suspicious?

What excuse would work?

“Oh, right! My body’s still not fully recovered…”

“Didn’t you just say you were fine?”

“I am fine! It’s just… I get motion sickness from riding horses. I’m not well enough to deal with that yet.”

‘What kind of nonsense am I spouting…?’

Even as he said it, Remy cringed internally.

Motion sickness from horseback riding?

What kind of absurd excuse was that?

“Ah, I see,” Ashton said, his grin widening as if amused.

“So, you’re fine otherwise, but you just can’t handle the motion sickness that comes with horseback riding?”

The teasing lilt in Ashton’s voice made it clear he wasn’t buying it.

Embarrassment flooded through Remy.

“Well, fine. The weather’s nice. Let’s just take a walk and admire the roses.”

“Yeah, let’s do that. A walk sounds good.”

“Shame, though. I was looking forward to riding again. Let’s go for a ride when you’re feeling better. By the way, it’s been a while since I’ve seen your horse. What was its name again?”

“Uh… huh?”

Wait, what? Did Remy’s character even own a horse?

He racked his brain, but the name of this supposed horse wasn’t anywhere to be found in the original story.

“Oh, right. Harrington. It was Harrington, wasn’t it?”

“Y-Yeah! That’s it. Harrington.”

As Remy forced a smile, Ashton’s lips quirked into a subtle smirk.

Why?

Why was he looking at him like that?

Did he sense something was off?

Uneasy, Remy worried he might have slipped up, but Ashton soon turned away as if nothing was amiss.

“I heard we’re having venison for lunch today.”

“Is that so?”

“You like the way Emily prepares venison, don’t you? She made it specially after hearing about your Omega manifestation.”

Remy quickly deduced that Emily was either a servant or a cook in this household.

“Oh, really? That’s thoughtful of her.”

Ashton nodded approvingly.

“Shall we head to the dining room?”

“Sure.”

Ashton extended a hand to help Remy up.

The idea of taking another man’s hand felt awkward and uncomfortable, but not knowing how his character would typically react, Remy took it and stood.

Thankfully, Ashton released his hand immediately afterward.

With that devilishly handsome smile of his, he led the way toward the door.

Remy hurried to follow, taking shorter steps to keep pace with Ashton’s deliberately slowed stride.

“I was genuinely surprised when I heard about your Omega manifestation,” Ashton began as they walked down the long, carpeted corridor toward the dining room.

“Really?”

“Yes. I always thought you’d remain a Beta. Though, you did wish to manifest as an Omega, didn’t you?”

“Does it bother you?”

“No, not at all. Whether you’re a Beta or an Omega, you’ll always be my friend. That won’t change.”

As he spoke, Ashton turned to look at Remy, his lips curling into a gentle smile that accentuated his refined features.

“Thanks. I appreciate that.”

Remy fell into thought.

In the original story, Remy had grown jealous of Allen because he harbored unspoken feelings for Ashton.

The three of them had been childhood friends, but when Allen manifested as an Omega, it naturally led to a closer bond with Ashton, an Alpha.

Left behind as a Beta, Remy had felt increasingly isolated.

His descent into becoming a villain had been almost inevitable.

Losing Ashton to Allen and watching other Alphas shower Allen with attention must have been unbearably painful.

Now, as an Omega himself, Remy wondered if other Alphas might start to notice him too.

That thought alone was alarming.

For the original Remy, it might have been a positive turn of events, but for someone who needed to return to reality, it was far from ideal.

* * *