* * *

Lucian’s whisper felt almost seductive.

Swayed by it, Etienne blinked slowly, taking a step closer to the Alpha’s embrace.

“I wanted to stay with you until you woke up, but I’m sorry I had to leave you alone.”

“No, why are you apologizing? What you should be sorry about is the imprint…”

He came to his senses and tried to scold Lucian, but he soon became intoxicated by the alluring scent and instinctively burrowed into the Alpha’s embrace.

“The imprint…”

The pheromones surrounding him felt both familiar and slightly different.

He always knew it smelled good, but had it always been this good?

It was a cozy and snug scent that made him want to relax and rest. It was different from the seductive pheromones he felt during physical intimacy.

It was a warm, soothing, and comforting feeling.

Was it because something had changed due to the imprint?

Etienne unconsciously pressed himself closer to Lucian, burying his face in the folds of his uniform, loosening the cumbersome buttons.

At this, Lucian, as if he couldn’t resist any longer, hugged Etienne tightly.

His hands, wrapped around Etienne’s waist and shoulders, exuded deep affection.

Letting Lucian hug him as tightly as he wanted, Etienne murmured absentmindedly in a voice that sounded detached from reality.

“The imprint… What are you going to do about it, really?”

“I’m sorry.”

It was an insincere, perfunctory apology.

Lucian pulled Etienne closer, trapping him in his embrace, whispering an obvious lie into his ear.

“I think my judgment was clouded by either the alcohol or the pheromones.”

“Oh, really…”

“I’m sorry, Etienne.”

Etienne accepted Lucian’s embrace without realizing anything was amiss.

Simply being in the same space with him brought him peace of mind.

The headache that had been bothering him just moments ago vanihed completely.

It was like stepping into a clear summer forest.

Instinctively, Etienne reached out and lightly held Lucian’s waist.

Burying his face in the Alpha’s chest and breathing heavily, he looked incredibly cute and lovable, making Lucian’s heart ache.

Looking down at Etienne, who resembled a small, precious squirrel, Lucian wrapped his arms around his round shoulders and spoke.

“There are benefits, too.”

“Benefits? What do you mean…”

“For one, you won’t be swayed by other Alphas’ pheromones like you were at the last ball.”

With a leisurely and charming smile, he released more of his pheromones.

“Doesn’t the scent seem more alluring?”

Etienne, almost enchanted, nodded, then suddenly widened his eyes as he remembered something.

“The ball!”

He then puhed Lucian away and looked up.

The greedy Alpha, displeased by the sudden separation, frowned slightly.

“What is it?”

“What do you mean what? The incident at the ball!”

Etienne shouted, panting with frustration.

“That could have been considered treason if it went wrong!”

A silence fell between them. Lucian hadn’t expected this situation.

But it was only momentary. Soon, he furrowed his brow and spoke.

“Who told you that?”

When Lucian asked with a frown, Etienne’s brows also furrowed.

“Was it Ferden?”

“Is that important right now?”

Etienne raised his voice, not that it made him look the least bit threatening.

“What if the Emperor takes offense? I don’t want to see your head rolling, Duke!”

“I won’t get into trouble. Even if I truly committed treason, he would let it slide once.”

“But still…!”

“And you wanted to see it, right? How pheromones work.”

“Oh, but I didn’t want to see the Duke get into trouble!”

Somewhat as Ferden had hoped, Etienne retorted boldly to Lucian.

Although he was obsessed with his experiments, he wasn’t so far gone that he didn’t care if he was mistakenly labeled a traitor and beheaded.

“Please, if I make an unreasonable request, just tell me. I don’t really know much about… well, the upper class.”

“Were you worried about me?”

“Of course! You’re the light and salt of my life, Duke.”

But despite Etienne’s scolding, a faint smile spread across Lucian’s lips.

Aside from being annoyed that Etienne knew unnecessary things, he didn’t mind that the omega in front of him was concerned for him.

“And anyway, what good is it not being swayed by others’ pheromones? It interferes with research!”

“That’s something you can handle with the help of other omegas, isn’t it?”

“That’s too inhumane! If you mess with someone else’s body without permission…”

But Lucian’s good mood lasted only briefly.

As Etienne’s words reached his ears, Lucian frowned and spoke again.

“What I meant was finding volunteers to provide blood or fluid samples.”

“What?”

“What on earth were you planning to do to your body?”

Lucian’s gaze turned fierce in an instant.

With a briefly terrifying expression, he crossed his arms and looked down at the clueless omega.

Etienne flinched and looked away without realizing it, but Lucian didn’t let him off easily.

“No, it’s not that I was planning to do anything… It’s just that there might come a time when I need a test subject.”

“Don’t do to your body what you wouldn’t do to others’, Etienne. No matter what it is.”

Lucian spoke firmly. It was a concern that bordered on a cold command.

His serious gaze pierced through Etienne.

Just a moment ago, Etienne had been angry, but now the tables had turned, and he was the one getting scolded.

But I didn’t do anything wrong… Etienne glanced away guiltily, mumbling.

“If I can’t do it to others, I should at least do it to myself…”

Of course, Lucian’s expression turned even more stern at such nonsense.

He rarely spoke in a cold and strict tone as he scolded Etienne.

“Etienne.”

“…”

As Etienne kept avoiding his eyes, Lucian grabbed the reckless omega’s cheeks and firmly demanded an answer.

“Answer me.”

“Okay, okay…”

Only after receiving a response did he let Etienne go.

Although he hadn’t been held for long, the omega’s delicate cheeks had already turned red.

While Etienne grumbled and rubbed his sore cheeks, Lucian spoke incomprehensibly.

“And you’ll be dealing with alphas more frequently from now on, so Imprinting won’t be all bad.”

Etienne, who had lived only in the mansion’s laboratory and vaguely assumed he would continue to do so for the foreseeable future, was baffled by the idea of meeting alphas often.

“Why would I have to interact with alphas?”

Was he planning to take him to another ball?

Thinking only that, Etienne tilted his head in confusion.

Then he heard something beyond his imagination.

“Because from this fall, you’ll be attending university with me.”

“…What?”

For a moment, Etienne wondered if he had heard correctly.

He couldn’t believe his ears and asked again.

“Me, at university?”

“Yes, you and I, together.”

“But I’m an omega… And didn’t you already graduate from university, Duke?”

Known as the empire’s greatest genius, he couldn’t possibly not have graduated from university.

‘Of course, I skipped middle and high school and entered university in my mid-teens, but still…’

Seeing Etienne’s puzzled look, Lucian chuckled and explained.

“I attended a military academy. I have no academic degree, and with the war over, I plan to start studying at university in earnest this year.”

Lucian had attended a military academy.

It wasn’t his own will but rather the will of his now-deceased father.

Which made his genius all the more reImprintable.

Despite lacking formal education, he had abilities and insights far superior to others.

Still amazed by that fact, Etienne continued to ask questions, unable to fully accept the idea.

“But what about me? Why should I go with you…? Not that I wouldn’t be grateful…”

“You need a degree too. That way, you can publish papers under your own name. The reason I met the Emperor today was to ask for your admission permission.”

It was truly unbelievable.

When he first learned about his traits here, he wanted to go to medical school to do research, but after meeting Lucian, he didn’t think that way anymore.

He could conduct research without attending medical school and publish the results under Lucian’s name.

That’s why Lucian’s proposal was even more surprising and unexpected.

And to think he even met the Emperor for this, it was unbelievable the more he thought about it.

Feeling utterly bewildered, Etienne opened his mouth.

“I don’t mind publishing papers under your name, Duke…”

“What are you talking about? How could I take credit for your research?”

Lucian’s words, delivered as if it were obvious, filled Etienne with immense gratitude, making him cover his mouth in emotion.

It was the first time since he had promised research support that he felt such overwhelming gratitude.

“Wow, Duke…”

The next moment, Etienne, with a radiant smile, threw himself into Lucian’s arms.

Not knowing how else to express the infinite happiness and joy welling up inside, Etienne hugged him tightly and said with a giggle.

“I love you. Truly, really.”

As Lucian looked down at Etienne’s smiling, lovely face, he eventually sighed and laughed.

* * *