* * *

After parting ways with the Crown Prince, Henry naturally boarded the carriage with Edwin, heading toward the Duke Lorenz’s estate.

Having spent the previous day entirely in Edwin’s company, Henry’s lingering closeness seemed perfectly natural.

“Hena mentioned she saw you the other day,” Henry said, idly playing with Edwin’s hand in the carriage.

“She said you suddenly darted into some alley before she could greet you. Do you remember?”

Henry brought it up lightly, without much expectation.

After all, an alley was just another path.

However, Edwin’s reaction caught him off guard—his pheromones wavered briefly.

“So, you do remember,” Henry said, narrowing his eyes.

It wasn’t a trivial event, then.

Curious, he looked at Edwin, who hesitated before quietly murmuring a name.

“Taylor.”

“Taylor? Don’t tell me you caught him?”

Edwin gave a small nod.

“Where? How?”

Henry had been searching for Taylor too, going so far as to expose his secret hideouts, hoping he’d surface.

But Taylor had vanished again, making him impossible to track.

Lost in thought, Henry unconsciously loosened his grip on Edwin’s hand, but Edwin clasped it tighter.

“He confessed to his crimes and was sent straight to prison,” Edwin explained.

“I see… I didn’t even consider prison,” Henry murmured.

He had expected Taylor to keep running, so the thought of him being in custody hadn’t crossed his mind.

Although Henry felt a twinge of regret for not enacting personal revenge, knowing Taylor would face justice was satisfying.

Besides, the ordeal had made Henry realize how much he relied on Edwin, which was a gain in itself.

“Oh? We’ve arrived.”

Henry stood as the carriage came to a stop, seemingly more excited to visit Edwin’s home.

His enthusiasm lifted Edwin’s spirits as well.

Edwin followed Henry out of the carriage, smiling fondly at the back of his head.

“Well… take care,” Henry said abruptly, waving goodbye as soon as they alighted.

“…What?” Edwin frowned, puzzled.

They’d come all this way together, yet Henry was bidding him farewell at the gate.

Sensing Edwin’s confusion, Henry explained, “I’ve got somewhere else to be.”

Edwin raised an eyebrow, displeased.

Yet, despite his reaction, Henry simply waved again before heading in a different direction within the Lorenz estate—not toward Edwin’s residence.

---

In a quiet parlor, Henry sat across from Duke Lorenz, lightly tracing the rim of his teacup with a sly smile.

He hadn’t told Edwin about this meeting, wanting to tease him.

His quick goodbye at the carriage had worked perfectly.

‘He doesn’t even need pheromones to show his emotions now,’ Henry thought, amused by Edwin’s increasingly expressive reactions.

He felt a warm satisfaction seeing how much Edwin had changed—and would likely continue to change.

“I see you accepted my invitation readily,” the Duke remarked.

“Oh, yes. Of course,” Henry replied, a bit flustered but nodding.

The previous evening, after parting with Edwin, a messenger had arrived from the Duke, extending a formal invitation.

The Duke had made it clear that it was entirely Henry’s choice, but Henry hadn’t hesitated for a moment.

“I thought you might feel uneasy about meeting me,” the Duke said, recalling their past conversation.

Henry’s smile faded slightly as he admitted, “To be honest, I don’t find you particularly comfortable, Your Grace.”

There was no helping it.

Henry wasn’t particularly close to Duke Lorenz, and since the man kept Edwin at a distance, he was naturally a difficult figure for Henry to warm up to.

“Still, the more I meet with Duke Lorenz, the less uncomfortable I feel. So I’m planning to visit more often.”

“Heh.”

“If you don’t have any other plans today, would you like to play chess with me?”

Henry took the first step toward building a friendship with Duke Lorenz.

---

“Where’s Henry?”

“He’s still with the Duke.”

Edwin’s discomfort was written all over his face at the knight’s report.

He didn’t like the idea of Henry being monopolized by Duke Lorenz, of all people.

If only it weren’t his father, Edwin could have spent the day with Henry himself.

“I’ll go to him.”

Unable to hold back, Edwin shot to his feet.

Except for the time Henry had asked him to hand over Pheros, he had never sought out his father.

Even though their relationship had somewhat improved, they still kept an invisible line between their worlds.

But with Henry involved, those boundaries no longer mattered.

Edwin marched straight to the Duke’s quarters, ignoring the startled gazes of the servants, and halted before the door.

“I will announce you—”

“No need.”

Edwin waved off the knight and opened the door himself. Under normal circumstances, barging in without warning would have been considered extremely rude.

But Edwin didn’t hesitate.

After all, Duke Lorenz had taken what was his without asking, so he had every right to do the same.

“You’re rather bold.”

Duke Lorenz didn’t seem surprised as Edwin pushed the door open, as if he’d been expecting him.

Henry, seated opposite the Duke, greeted Edwin with a bright smile.

“You’re here?”

“I’m here to take Henry.”

Edwin signaled for Henry to follow while addressing the Duke with a confident air, as if reclaiming what belonged to him.

“Suit yourself.”

Contrary to Edwin’s expectations, the Duke didn’t stop him. If anything, he seemed amused, as though daring Edwin to try.

“Wait, Edwin. I can’t leave right now.”

Caught off guard, Edwin glanced at Henry, who had suddenly stopped him.

Until now, Henry had been focused on the table between him and the Duke.

Now he stood his ground.

“We’re not done yet.”

It was then that Edwin noticed the chessboard and scattered pieces on the table.

“Henry, you can play that with me.”

“No.”

Henry decisively rejected Edwin’s suggestion, as if the thought were unthinkable.

Not until he won, perhaps?

Edwin frowned in confusion, but Henry pointed to a small jewelry box nearby.

“If I win, I get that.”

Win to claim a jewelry box? Did Henry have a thing for such trinkets?

“If it’s jewelry, I can get you some.”

Edwin could easily shower Henry with treasures.

Yet, Henry shook his head without hesitation.

“I want this one.”

Henry’s determination to claim the box left Edwin in an awkward position.

He’d hoped to whisk Henry away for a quiet moment in his quarters, but the situation had taken an unexpected turn.

Edwin’s eyes narrowed as he recognized the jewelry box. Something about it seemed familiar.

“This is…”

“Yes, it holds your portrait.”

Edwin opened the box. Inside were various items bearing portraits of his younger self, crafted into necklaces and other keepsakes.

“The Duke kept all these,” Henry remarked with a grin. “You were adorable as a child.”

“And that’s why I want it,” Henry added, gripping a chess piece with renewed resolve.

“Show me what you’ve got, then,” the Duke said, still indifferent to Edwin.

He seemed to be enjoying his time with Henry, while Edwin, caught between them, struggled to decide how to feel about his father treasuring these keepsakes of him.

* * *