* * *

Even with mental preparation, the venison was as revolting as Remy feared.

It was unbearably gamey and tough, worse than he remembered.

Maybe the cook had botched the preparation, though Remy couldn’t imagine how.

He actually missed Emily’s cooking, as mediocre as it was.

This was utterly inedible.

“How is it, Remy? Do you like the taste of venison?” the Count asked with a friendly smile.

Remy chewed halfheartedly before swallowing the rubbery meat whole.

More chewing wouldn’t help, and at this point, his stomach would have to do the heavy lifting.

“Oh… Yes… It’s delicious, Count…”

“Good, good. It’s nice to see you enjoy it. Go ahead and have more.”

“…What?”

‘I really wish they’d stop paying attention to me.’

But the Count of Aylesford’s interest in Remy showed no signs of waning.

‘Fine. If sacrificing myself can bring an end to this situation…’

Even that, however, was easier said than done.

No, Ashton’s goodwill had been rejected, and Hayward’s jealousy seemed to have been quelled—or so Remy thought!

What nonsense! Instead, Ashton’s concerned gaze burned even hotter, and Hayward now looked at him with eyes that screamed, “I could die from how adorable you are.”

This wasn’t right.

None of this was in the plan.

He had even choked down that damned venison! How could this happen?

Wasn’t this just too cruel?

“Hurry up. Come on, another bite.”

Was this man the ambassador of venison? Or the reigning king of venison for the month?

At the Count of Aylesford’s persistent urging, Remy reluctantly brought another piece to his mouth, fighting the urge to weep.

The venison was unbearably dry, absurdly tough, and so overpoweringly gamey that he began to question if it was fit for human consumption at all.

Yet he chewed and chewed, forcing it down like someone gnawing on pre-chewed gum.

The stress was too much.

And finally, pushed beyond his limits, Remy…

“Remy!!”

…collapsed, for real this time—not just as an act.

The dark night descended over the Count of Aylesford’s summer villa.

On the second evening of their stay, Remy remained unconscious, lying in bed, still not having stirred.

Ashton was the only one left by his side, with Hayward having just left moments before.

“Hmm…”

Watching Remy sleep soundly, eyes closed in peaceful slumber, Ashton was lost in thought.

Lately, Remy often felt like someone unfamiliar, not the Remy he used to know.

Ashton tried to brush it off, thinking it might just be due to the changes some omegas experience after presenting.

‘It’s probably just because of his presentation,’ he told himself.

He wanted to believe that was all it was.

But something didn’t sit right.

“No, it’s not that simple. There’s something more. Something about him feels different—something I never noticed in the Remy I knew.”

Ashton had been with Remy for years.

Of course, another childhood friend, Allen, had also been a constant presence since their youth.

But Allen and Remy were very different.

Perhaps because Allen presented as an omega early on, he felt more like an “acquaintance who happened to be an omega” rather than a true friend.

On the other hand, Remy, as a beta, had always felt like a genuine friend.

He was the kind of friend Ashton could share anything with, openly and without reservation.

That relationship had shifted, however, when Remy started feeling like someone foreign, someone unfamiliar.

Sure enough, Remy had changed.

Behaviors Ashton used to try to understand and excuse because they were “just part of being close friends” were now nowhere to be found.

In truth, Remy hadn’t always been this way.

As a child, he’d been kinder, even sweeter than Allen.

But as Ashton presented as an alpha and Allen as an omega, Remy began to change—perhaps out of insecurity from being the only one left unpresented.

Ashton had made an effort not to see this change in a negative light.

When others mocked and criticized Remy, Ashton had tried even harder to understand and protect him.

But now, after presenting, Remy started acting differently.

He went out of his way to eat food he didn’t like just because a servant had made it especially for him.

He brushed off injuries—even when he sported a lump on his head the size of Ashton’s fist—and even reassured others that he was fine.

It wasn’t just his actions that had changed.

Somehow, everything he did had become a little… endearing.

His sharp tone of voice felt different now, almost like a small, powerless animal puffing itself up to look intimidating.

Like a tiny, adorable creature trying its best to protect itself from predators by making itself seem bigger.

Even though it was no threat at all, it acted tough, oblivious to how endearing it looked.

Thinking about it, this image fit the current Remy perfectly.

Sickly to the point of fainting at the slightest provocation, but still full of fiery defiance—it was unbearably cute.

Remy was small and fragile, with little physical strength.

This only made Ashton want to protect him even more, stirring an almost paternal instinct.

As these thoughts crossed his mind, a smile spread across Ashton’s face.

Somewhere along the way, just thinking about Remy—even when he was alone—had started making him smile.

Though he didn’t know what had caused this transformation in Remy, he found that he didn’t mind it at all.

No, to be perfectly honest…

The current Remy was…

“…so lovable.”

Ashton liked this version of Remy far more than he ever had before, even more than as a mere friend.

“I like you much more like this, Remy.”

And so, Ashton whispered quietly to himself, where no one could hear.

Reaching out, he brushed aside the hair covering Remy’s forehead, leaned in, and placed a gentle kiss on it.

“Good night, Remy.”

He murmured his final goodnight before standing and leaving the room.

The fragrant pheromones that had filled the space lingered as he closed the door behind him.

As Ashton walked down the dimly lit corridor, illuminated faintly by the occasional candle, someone watched him from the shadows.

Hidden in the darkness, Allen glared at Remy’s closed door, his expression starkly different from his usual demeanor.

His face twisted with frustration as the memory of the evening replayed vividly in his mind.

The way Ashton and Hayward had seemingly competed for Remy’s attention.

And the pheromones now wafting from behind the closed door—a scent so fragrant it could only belong to an alpha holding their mate, their omega.

Allen seethed.

He had thought Ashton liked him.

“What the hell, Ashton… You don’t like me?”

In the brief moment his guard was down, Ashton’s gaze had shifted to Remy.

Not just Ashton—Hayward, too.

During dinner, Hayward’s hostility toward Ashton had been all too clear.

It was obvious now: Hayward was interested in Remy.

They were all captivated by Remy—the beta who had only just presented as an omega.

“This can’t be happening. Them? Falling for Remy? All of them?”

Allen couldn’t understand it.

Even if noble-born omegas were rare, how could alphas who had paid Remy no attention as a beta suddenly act like this?

He burned with anger.

He wasn’t sure if he was more enraged by Ashton’s sudden interest in Remy or by Hayward’s focus on him. Either way, his fury was uncontrollable.

He couldn’t let it happen. Ashton and Hayward—he couldn’t lose either of them to Remy.

“Thank goodness Rex is still normal. For now.”

Allen muttered bitterly, letting out a self-deprecating laugh.

But a thought struck him: he couldn’t let things continue like this.

During the day, he had told Remy to try getting closer to Ashton.

But that was only because he had believed Ashton liked him.

Ashton, Hayward—both of them had to be his.

And Rex, too. The three most sought-after dominant alphas of the empire—they all had to belong to him.

“I won’t let this slide. I’ll do whatever it takes.”

With that resolve, Allen turned sharply in the dark corridor.

Though the hallway was now empty, the sweet, lingering scent of pheromones hung thick in the air, refusing to dissipate.

* * *