* * *
Just as Henry was about to glare at him, Edwin moved quickly, coming close behind him and whispering in his ear.
“What kind of friends kiss every night, hmm?”
Henry bit his lip. He had completely misread Edwin’s state.
He thought Edwin was acting out of anxiety about being apart, so he had brought him a pouch filled with pheromones.
Worried that Edwin might notice the pheromones on him, he had even washed them off before coming.
But the pouch, which contained a ring, had been tossed aside without even being looked at.
It now teetered precariously on the edge of the table, while Kayla’s box sat proudly in the center.
Ever since Edwin threw the pouch away so carelessly, Henry had been in a bad mood.
He hadn’t expected Edwin to treasure it, but seeing it treated so much worse than Kayla’s gift upset him.
And now, Edwin had changed the mood in a completely unexpected way, catching Henry off guard.
Henry turned to face Edwin, pressing his back against the wall.
Trapped between the wall and Edwin, he couldn’t move much, but he refused to back down, glaring at him defiantly.
“Get your words straight. We only kissed because of my attacks. It wasn’t a cure, but a temporary solution to ease the symptoms. That’s all it was.”
“So you’re saying you could show your attacks to someone else? You’d ask them to help you?”
“Of course. If necessary, I’d kiss Kayla, or even Sir Teher.”
Henry’s words were more stubborn than resolute.
Though nothing had happened yet, it wasn’t hard to imagine. Edwin pictured Henry nestled in Sir Teher’s arms, kissing him.
With a face flushed red, Henry would desperately search for water, but really be craving Sir Teher’s lips.
Like a baby bird with its mouth open, he might start sucking on Sir Teher’s lips as if trying to feed himself.
What Henry was saying was clear: he could show someone else everything he once did with Edwin.
The deeper Edwin sank into that thought, the more his pheromones surged like a storm.
Henry, noticing Edwin’s rising discomfort, held his breath before covering Edwin’s nose and mouth with his arm.
But even then, the pheromones clinging to his body made Henry’s skin tingle.
‘Can you control your pheromones already?’
Henry cursed inwardly.
Because of Edwin’s stubborn refusal to listen to anyone else, Henry wanted to leave the room immediately.
He reached for the doorknob, but it wouldn’t open.
Looking down, he realized a hand was stopping him.
“…Why have you changed?”
“What are you talking about? Let go. I’m leaving.”
“Didn’t you like me? So why have you changed all of a sudden?”
Henry’s hand weakened on the doorknob.
‘Why did I change? Is this really the time to ask that while you’re releasing so much pheromone?’
“Did you ever even look at me, knowing I liked you?”
If he had, Henry in the original story wouldn’t have withered away like that.
He tried to tell himself it wasn’t Edwin’s fault, but a surge of emotion still welled up inside him.
After all, here he was suffering through this even during a trip.
“Admit it. You found me annoying and bothersome.”
“You’re really saying that in front of me?”
Despite Henry’s sarcastic tone, Edwin remained calm. His whirlwind of pheromones was another matter entirely.
But Edwin had something to say too.
Slowly, he retraced his steps with Henry like stepping stones.
“Everything went wrong from the moment you decided to take this trip without me. I was curious about what you thought, and what you might do to me. As I spent more time calming your attacks and observing you, my thoughts started to change.”
“You…”
Henry, sensing the confusion in Edwin’s words, tried to cut him off. But Edwin didn’t move according to Henry’s wishes.
“Your changed behavior… I couldn’t tell if you were trying to get my attention or if it was real. You kept confusing me.”
By now, Edwin’s words had turned into a monologue.
After returning from the cave, he had been trying to define his feelings.
Why had Henry gotten under his skin so much?
Why did he keep wishing to see him, even by chance? He wanted to know.
“Am I crazy for wishing that wonderful scent you give off was pheromone?”
An extreme alpha who had never felt pheromones before.
He couldn’t distinguish between mere smells and pheromones, but he had unconsciously started to think the scent he associated with Henry was the latter.
“Kayla…”
At that moment, an unexpected name slipped from Henry’s mouth, and Edwin’s eyes narrowed.
Up until this moment, he still thought Henry was playing some kind of joke.
“That pheromone… the one you say smells so good, that’s Kayla’s. I’m a beta. How could I have pheromones?”
Henry, pointing out his own nature, dashed Edwin’s expectations.
“So, all this time, you’ve been talking nonsense. I’m leaving.”
Pushing Edwin’s shoulder aside, Henry grabbed the doorknob and quickly pulled it open.
His movements were fast, as if to say, “Don’t hold me back.”
The moment he distanced himself from Edwin, Henry clutched his chest.
“Ugh, cough.”
He had been holding back a cough for so long that his chest felt tight, and his throat was on the verge of bursting.
Every part of him—his eyes, nose—ached.
Knowing it was useless, he still covered his face with his arm in an attempt to block out Edwin’s pheromones.
That was the best he could do without letting Edwin see.
“What nonsense is he spouting all of a sudden?”
Ever since they had returned from the cave, Edwin had been acting strangely, and it was becoming harder for Henry to face him.
It’s just the effect of the imprint.
Henry was craving Edwin’s pheromones as if in a seizure, and Edwin was clearly reacting to him as well.
“Get a grip.”
Henry shook his head violently. He couldn’t let himself be swayed by Edwin’s words.
It would be better to break the imprint sooner rather than later.
Hook wanted to gather his thoughts with Henry’s help, convinced that Henry could provide invaluable assistance.
“Of all people, Henry…”
Recently, surprising things had been happening one after another, yet Crown Prince William didn’t slow his pace as he headed towards the estate.
Hook, skillfully guiding his horse alongside, added his own explanation.
“He answered questions I hadn’t even considered. And he knows quite a lot, too.”
“Henry? I’ve known him since we were kids. How come I never got that impression?”
William tilted his head in confusion.
With Edwin, maybe, but Henry?
To him, Henry had always been like a well-dressed doll.
Soon enough, he let out a small laugh.
What did it matter anyway?
“Well, if it’s Henry, we’ll be able to meet him soon enough.”
It could be because Hook liked him so much. R
egardless, Crown Prince William sped up, eager to get there.
Though the journey back was quicker than expected, his eagerness only made him urge his horse on faster.
Upon arriving at the estate, William immediately asked after Henry.
“He’s not here.”
But instead of Henry, a nervous servant greeted him with news of his absence.
“Gone?”
Just earlier, Henry had acted as though he’d be at the estate.
So where had he disappeared to now?
Turning his back on the estate, Crown Prince William looked toward the mountains.
Surely, he hadn’t gone there?
At that very moment, Henry was rappelling down a rope into the cave where he had once been trapped.
Returning to the cave was inevitable, but there was no way he would fall again like when he rescued Kayla.
So, this time, Henry decided to come in through the entrance.
Luckily, the rope used by the Crown Prince’s group to rescue him that day was still tied there.
He had hesitated multiple times, unsure if he could make it down alone, but eventually, he succeeded.
Shakily crawling forward on trembling arms, Henry finally lay down on the cave floor.
“My heart feels like it’s going to explode.”
Stuck to the cliff, he had descended cautiously, worrying about the rope coming loose or slipping and falling to his death.
As a result, he was completely worn out, his nose and mouth full of dust.
Despite the discomfort, he lacked the strength to move.
“If I go back like this, everyone will freak out.”
Henry began imagining how his attendants, Sir Teher, and even Edwin would react to his current state.
Just thinking about Edwin caused his heavy breathing to slowly ease.
Staring at the ceiling of the cave, Henry replayed the conversation he’d had with Edwin in his mind.
[What kind of friend kisses you every night? Hm?]
[…Why have you changed?]
[Would you call me crazy for hoping that wonderful scent I noticed from you was pheromone?]
The more Henry thought about it, the wider his mouth opened, and his eyebrows drew closer together.
If there had been a mirror reflecting his face, he might have thought he was making a bizarre expression. Edwin’s words just kept feeling strange to him.
“Why do I feel like I’ve been confessed to?”
Surely, Edwin didn’t mean it that way, so why was Henry misunderstanding things?
* * *
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😅
I can’t wait to see when they’ll be lovers 🙈
👋
Love this book 🥰
He loves you bro ahahaha
I know it’s random but I wanna see Kayla and Edwin throw hands
Thanks