* * *
As he recalled the blissful honeymoon from his previous life, that desire only grew stronger.
This time, he was truly pregnant, so he wouldn’t have to fear being cast out like before.
And their child—this time—could grow up as the Imperial Heir, just as fate had originally intended.
The thought of marrying the Crown Prince made Joel’s heart flutter… for just a moment.
But then that flutter quickly died away.
Joel knew he couldn’t hold the Crown Prince’s attention for long.
He was fully aware of his own limits—he didn’t have what it took to keep the Crown Prince interested.
It seemed that the Crown Prince had somehow taken a liking to his body, but beauty never lasts forever.
If he aged or fell ill, if the Crown Prince no longer found him attractive, he might cast Joel aside and crown someone else—someone like Benjamin, who was refined, educated, and everything Joel was not.
So Joel couldn’t simply accept the proposal just because he was happy now.
Or maybe he didn’t even need to look that far ahead, Joel thought bitterly.
Attraction based solely on looks fades fast. Joel knew that better than anyone.
Ever since he debuted in high society, countless alphas had approached him for his appearance alone.
But it never took long for them to be repelled by his sharp tongue and rough temperament.
In the end, they all came to despise him.
Of course, it was also because Joel, who had been hopelessly in love with the Crown Prince, had deliberately chased them away by acting rude.
But even so, the fact that they dropped off so quickly proved that superficial attraction doesn’t last.
Joel forcibly pulled his hand out of the Crown Prince’s grasp.
He had finally heard the confession he’d always longed for, and now he had to reject it — the thought was so upsetting that tears welled in his eyes.
And yet, he couldn’t accept the Crown Prince’s proposal.
After all, that position wasn’t his to claim.
He had already learned the hard way what happened when someone reached for something far beyond their station.
Dying once was more than enough.
He wasn’t about to make the same foolish mistake again.
“It’s fine. You don’t need to take responsibility. I’ll return to the count’s estate.”
Joel said it as coldly and firmly as he could manage.
“Hm. The count probably won’t open the gate for you.”
“Then I’ll just sleep in the carriage.”
“You’re leaving tomorrow for your father’s estate. You’re really going to sleep in a carriage before a long journey?”
“Why not?”
“You’re no sturdy knight. Your body won’t handle it. Stop being stubborn and come with me.”
“I told you, I’m fine. Oh, and forget what I said about accompanying you for the inspection. Please take good care of my father’s case. And be kind to Ben, too.”
As Joel began to insist on something strange and irrational, the Crown Prince let out a long, tired sigh on purpose.
Joel had always folded whenever he sighed like that.
Like at the ball—when Joel tried to offer him a drink, and he sighed that way, Joel immediately pulled the glass back, scared that the Crown Prince might leave him there alone and walk away.
‘But this time, Joel only flinched slightly and didn’t back down.’
At that point, even the Crown Prince had no choice but to admit that Joel wasn’t going to retreat.
However, the Crown Prince still had one effortless way to overpower Joel: pheromones.
And he fully intended to use it without hesitation.
As soon as the Crown Prince released his pheromones onto Joel, the young man, who had been holding his head high and arguing confidently just a moment ago, suddenly fell silent.
The clarity in Joel’s eyes began to fade almost instantly.
“Ah… Ahhk.”
Blindsided by the sudden wave of pheromones, Joel felt the strength drain from his entire body.
He just barely avoided collapsing onto the table, but honestly, he felt like he could pass out at any moment.
Clutching the edge of the table, Joel began to pant heavily.
An Alpha’s pheromones could stir up arousal in an Omega—but they could also, like now, reduce them to a near-unconscious state.
Which of the two outcomes occurred was entirely up to the Alpha’s intent, and no matter how dominant the Omega, resisting an Alpha’s pheromones was impossible.
During rut, if the Omega resisted too hard and their body convulsed from the pain, it could leave permanent damage to the womb.
So evolution had shaped Omegas to respond this way.
The Crown Prince effortlessly picked up Joel, who hung limp in his arms, desperately trying not to lose consciousness.
“It’s gotten late. You must be tired. Let’s head to the bedroom.”
“Are you… insane? What… are you doing? Ngh… are you in your right mind?”
Joel barely managed to mutter in a fading voice.
Because of the pregnancy, his body was reacting so hungrily to the Crown Prince’s pheromones, it was like a dry sponge soaking up water.
Even under normal circumstances, resisting a dominant Alpha’s pheromones was near impossible—but now, Joel’s eyes were already starting to flutter shut.
The Crown Prince gently kissed Joel’s forehead as he whispered, “That’s enough now, please stop,” over and over.
But the prince didn’t even pretend to hear the plea.
With a voice dripping with tenderness, he murmured,
“I have some matters left to finish. You sleep first.”
Then he strode off somewhere.
Having lived in the Crown Prince’s palace for a month in his past life, Joel immediately realized he was heading to the hidden passage that led to the bedroom.
Joel knew he couldn’t afford to get swept up in the Crown Prince’s pace like this.
But drunk on the Alpha’s pheromones, Joel finally succumbed and lost consciousness.
Near midnight, Abe, the commander of the Crown Prince’s Fourth Knight Order, had just finished delivering a brief report on the incident in the Bennett estate.
The Fourth Order operated in small numbers and handled covert matters, making them perfect for dealing with the recent cult incident.
As Abe summarized what he had gathered from his informants, the Crown Prince barely seemed to be paying attention.
Abe had served at the Crown Prince’s side for nearly five years now, but this was the first time he’d seen him this distracted.
Once the report was finished, Abe waited quietly for questions.
When none came, he finally asked cautiously:
“Your Highness, you don’t look well. Did things not go smoothly with Lord Joel?”
“…He’s not pregnant.”
“Ah, I see. Then that’s a relief.”
The Crown Prince’s tone was oddly displeased, and soon he was stroking his chin, lost in thought.
Abe stared at him, clearly puzzled.
Whether it was the early morning visits to the Lucas estate two months ago, or now—it was impossible to guess what the Crown Prince was thinking.
“You look… disappointed,” Abe said carefully.
His words carried the implication: shouldn’t you be relieved Joel isn’t pregnant?
After all, Joel, the adopted son of Count Lucas, was completely unfit to become Crown Princess.
At most—if one was being generous—he could maybe pass as a royal consort.
Maybe.
But even that was out of the question unless Joel’s body was fertile again.
‘More accurately, he wasn’t allowed to be—even as a consort.’
Joel himself was a problem, sure. But the real issue was the man standing behind him: Count Lucas.
A master strategist in the political arena, Count Lucas wasn’t someone even the Emperor could afford to underestimate.
If Joel were to give birth to a son, that slippery snake of a Count would stop at nothing to push his grandson onto the throne, orchestrating all kinds of schemes.
That was something they had to prevent—at all costs.
There was no way the Crown Prince didn’t know about Count Lucas’s ambitions.
And let’s not forget: the late Empress had left the Crown Prince with one final wish—
To marry a wise wife and lead the empire well.
Joel was about as far from wise as a person could be.
And yet here the Crown Prince was, disappointed that Joel wasn’t pregnant.
It was absurd.
“You seem disappointed,” Abe repeated.
“Me?”
The Crown Prince tilted his head slightly.
“Surely… You’re not seriously considering making Lord Joel your Crown Princess, are you?”
The Crown Prince didn’t deny it.
Abe, incredulous, asked, “What are you thinking?”
But the Crown Prince didn’t answer that either.
Truthfully, even he wasn’t sure what he wanted to do with Joel.
And yet, somehow, he’d ended up proposing.
Now, the sudden engagement was giving him a major headache.
The one thing he was certain of—was that Joel kept occupying his thoughts.
Sure, that night they spent together had been unexpectedly memorable, but…
That wasn’t the reason he couldn’t stop thinking about him.
Not entirely.
* * *
