* * *

As Lowell chewed his own meal, he hesitated, wondering if he should remove his plate out of consideration for Felix, but Felix urged him not to worry and to continue eating.

Once the salad entered his mouth, the previously unpleasant fishy taste was gone.

All that remained was a refreshing, aromatic scent of fresh greens that stimulated his appetite, prompting Lowell’s stomach to demand more.

Despite knowing he should feel guilty watching the person across from him struggle, Lowell’s hands didn’t stop.

His body seemed thrilled by the prospect of food other than the usual apple pie for the first time in a while.

“This is a soup dish with apples,” the servant announced.

Felix rejected this dish as well.

While Lowell enjoyed the light apple aroma paired with the corn and kept stealing glances at Felix, it became obvious: Felix’s morning sickness was real.

‘Felix didn’t eat with me when I was dealing with morning sickness. Is it okay for me to eat this?’

Even as he worried, Lowell couldn’t stop scooping food into his mouth.

The perfectly seasoned dishes seemed to compel him to keep eating.

“Are you okay?” Lowell asked, embarrassed, after finishing his bowl.

He looked over at Felix, whose face had turned pale.

“You’re not in great health, so you need to eat well. Eat as much as you want,” Felix insisted, clearly aware of Lowell’s hesitation.

With Felix’s reassurance, Lowell set aside his guilt and took a bite of the grilled fish that followed.

The delicate white flesh, infused with the aroma of herbs, melted in his mouth, leaving a satisfying buttery aftertaste that almost made him hum with delight.

In contrast, Felix seemed distressed by even the smell, drinking water in rapid succession.

Still, seeing Lowell eat heartily brought a faint, relaxed smile to his lips.

Although he found it hard to believe he had bonded with Lowell, Felix was strangely satisfied with the outcome.

Yet, he couldn’t help but wonder: was it really possible to form a bond without being head over heels in love?

“This is steak topped with a honey glaze,” the servant introduced the next dish.

Felix didn’t immediately refuse this time.

Instead, he sniffed at it cautiously before giving permission to place it on the table.

The subtle honey aroma tickled his senses, and he hesitantly took up his knife.

With a bite of the steak, Felix focused solely on the sweetness of the honey.

Thinking about Lowell’s pheromones made the food tolerable.

The idea that Lowell might have also endured his meals by focusing on pheromones made Felix feel unexpectedly better.

“It’s edible,” Felix finally said, continuing to eat the honey-flavored steak while watching Lowell puff his cheeks full of food like a hamster.

Even as nausea loomed, everything felt manageable.

“The chef must be quite skilled. The food is all delicious,” Lowell commented.

“Indeed,” Felix replied, making a mental note to increase the chef’s salary as he finished his meal.

Felix’s breakfast consisted of only three bites of steak and a cup of apple tea with honey.

However, Felix’s strange behavior didn’t stop there.

Although he’d rushed back to the castle urgently the day before, he showed no inclination to return to the village. Instead, he lingered constantly near Lowell.

When Lowell wandered the house to check how well the sunlight streamed in, Felix’s hovering could be explained as protective after yesterday’s dangerous incident.

But now, they were back in the bedroom, with no immediate danger.

Yet Felix sat in a chair by the bed, reading a thick book.

“Aren’t you going somewhere?” Lowell asked.

“No.”

Even when Lowell tried to drop hints, Felix didn’t budge, only glancing at him with a look that seemed to ask why he’d even bring it up.

Felix, engrossed in a massive magical tome thick enough to double as a pillow, would stop reading anytime Lowell shifted even slightly.

“Is something wrong?” he’d ask, prompting Lowell to repeatedly answer, “No, I’m just moving.”

After nearly three hours of this, Lowell’s patience wore thin.

“I’m just going to the bathroom,” Lowell finally declared, trying to get up.

Felix immediately set his book down and stood.

“It’s dangerous; I’ll go with you.”

The bathroom was right next door, guarded by four additional escorts.

There was no way for Lowell to hurt himself unless he tripped, rolled three times, and fell down the stairs.

“I said I’m going to the bathroom.”

Ignoring Lowell’s protests, Felix scooped him up and buried his nose against Lowell’s neck, sniffing intently.

Question marks floated above Lowell’s head.

Felix’s actions resembled that of a clingy kitten trailing after its mother.

“Don’t come inside with me,” Lowell said firmly, snapping Felix out of his trance.

Felix, slightly deflated, slumped his shoulders.

“Why not?”

“Because it’s embarrassing! Who follows someone into the bathroom?”

“If it’s really that embarrassing, I’ll wait outside,” Felix relented.

The strangest part was Felix’s complete lack of awareness of how odd his behavior was.

Lowell wanted to post about it online but lacked a smartphone or internet access.

Moving as slowly as possible, Lowell washed his hands and cautiously peeked out the door to see Felix waiting right there.

“Come here,” Felix said, opening his arms to pick Lowell up again.

Back in bed, Lowell struggled to adjust to Felix’s new clingy demeanor, which continued until Felix left his side after lunch.

“A guest has arrived. I’ll step out briefly,” Felix finally said, referring to a messenger from a neighboring country.

It took the butler pleading for Felix to attend to convince him to leave.

Seizing the opportunity, Lowell summoned a servant.

“Please fetch Priest Tacey. I need to ask something.”

The servant, who had witnessed over ten staff members being dismissed yesterday, quickly complied.

Tacey arrived within twenty minutes.

“Good morning, my lord. Are you feeling unwell?”

“No, but I do have something to ask.”

“Of course. May I first check the arm you injured last time?”

“Please do.”

After carefully inspecting Lowell’s arm and nodding in approval, Tacey asked, “What’s on your mind?”

“Something’s wrong with the Duke.”

Tacey raised her eyebrows in surprise.

“What do you mean by that?”

“It seemed like he was experiencing morning sickness in my stead, but today, he’s been trying to follow me around all day—almost obsessively so. Do all Alphas act like this to protect their child?”

Lowell couldn’t help but wonder if Felix’s instincts had been triggered by the incident where he was almost injured yesterday.

“No way. Not all Alphas behave like that,” Tacey replied with an incredulous chuckle before adding, “That’s a classic symptom of imprinting. Specifically, one-sided imprinting.”

Lowell’s jaw dropped.

“Imprinting?”

His thoughts raced as he tried to recall the concept.

In the novels he’d read, imprinting was something that happened between the protagonists, typically near the climax, after they’d overcome numerous trials together.

‘Wait… Felix imprinted? On me? And it’s one-sided?’

It made sense in a way. Lowell hadn’t met anyone new lately, and Felix had spent most of his time with him.

The sudden realization left him momentarily disoriented.

“Yes, yesterday, His Grace’s emotions seemed unusually intense, and it appears it culminated in imprinting. Congratulations.”

“Is this something to celebrate?” Lowell murmured, still dazed.

Tacey patted him on the back.

“While His Grace might find it inconvenient, this is actually beneficial for you. During pregnancy, an Alpha’s pheromones are crucial for an Omega. It’s not uncommon for Omegas to instinctively seek out those pheromones during the early stages. That’s why Omegas who give birth without an Alpha often struggle. But with His Grace already following you around, you won’t have to worry about that.”

Even amidst the chaos, Lowell realized the reason he’d been gravitating toward Felix’s room every night.

It was relieving to solve that puzzle, but the implications of this new problem were overwhelming.

“Right after one-sided imprinting, it’s instinctual for the Alpha to want to stay close to their mate. They don’t even perceive it as unusual behavior. Being apart causes extreme anxiety, so they naturally expect to be near their mate. If you leave this room, His Grace will likely feel as though he’s leaving behind a part of himself.”

Lowell’s head spun. He understood how powerful pheromones could be.

* * *