* * *
Lowell leaned back in his chair with an air of ease.
At this moment, only one thing was on his mind.
‘He’s still staring at me.’
From the moment he entered, he had felt an intense gaze fixed on him.
It made sense to some degree—after all, he was one of the main figures of the banquet.
‘But I doubt he’s looking at me out of curiosity or admiration.’
Even while glaring at Lowell, the man would steal glances at Felix, his face turning red.
‘So, he has a crush on Felix. Now, that’s new.’
Details that weren’t in the novel kept popping up.
Lowell had never thought Felix would suddenly take an interest in someone he had previously ignored, let alone cheat.
But even knowing that, he couldn’t help but be annoyed.
A rare sense of irritation tightened in his chest.
That tension only grew when, after their dance, Pierre finally approached.
He had seemed content to simply watch from afar, but now he mingled with the other guests making their introductions and stepped forward.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Yes. I’m Lowell.”
Rather than introducing himself as Lowell Clarke, as he normally would, he only mentioned his first name—as if wanting to hint at the fact that his surname would soon change upon marriage.
‘What kind of childish behavior is this?’
Lowell instantly regretted it.
He never expected himself to feel such ridiculous jealousy, and the realization doubled his self-reproach.
“I-I’m Pierre. You’re even m-more beautiful than I’d heard.”
Seeing Lowell up close only made Pierre more nervous, and his words came out awkward and inappropriate.
Felix standing right beside him clearly didn’t help.
Pierre was painfully aware that he sounded like an idiot, but there was no taking back what he had already said.
“You flatter me. Hearing that from you, Sir Pierre, is quite embarrassing.”
Despite his words, Lowell’s face showed not a single trace of embarrassment. Instead, he responded with gentle politeness.
“It’s been a while since we last met, Your Grace.”
Pierre suddenly realized he had addressed Lowell before Felix and hurriedly corrected himself.
Felix, always expressionless, looked unusually displeased.
He was holding back a frown, but the effort only made him seem more intimidating.
When no response came, Pierre wanted nothing more than to disappear.
“It seems Sir Felix is so pleased to see you that he’s taking his time choosing his words.”
Lowell interjected smoothly in an adult-like tone.
Felix had been about to deny it, but seeing Lowell’s gentle expression, he muttered a low “Yeah.”
“It’s good to see you, Sir Pierre.”
That was as much as telling him to leave, immediately.
Pierre had enough awareness to pick up on it, but his legs had already locked up in place.
Seeing this, Felix lost patience and added another comment.
“Are you planning to just stand there all night?”
“Ah, n-no. I’ll take my leave now.”
“It would be best if you stopped looking at someone who is already taken with such improper eyes.”
Pierre stiffened, as did Lowell, who hadn’t expected such a firm statement.
“I-I apologize.”
Lowell suddenly felt sorry for the young man.
In hindsight, it might have been better to clear up the misunderstanding.
Pierre was clearly young and inexperienced.
“Then, I’ll be going now.”
Even as he retreated, his voice trembled.
Watching him leave, Felix clicked his tongue.
“What? Did you like him?”
“…Excuse me?”
Lowell blinked at the displeased tone in Felix’s voice.
“He was clearly smitten with you. Honestly, it feels like everyone who enters this castle ends up falling for you.”
“What?”
Lowell’s jaw dropped.
“What are you talking about? He was interested in you, Felix.”
Felix hesitated at Lowell’s protest, replaying Pierre’s actions in his mind.
“He looked completely mesmerized by you.”
Still, Felix refused to change his mind, his response laced with doubt.
Lowell wanted to grab his chest in frustration.
How could Felix not see the way Pierre had looked at him?
‘He’s so sharp about everything else, but when it comes to me, he’s completely oblivious. Wait—has he never noticed anyone openly flirting with me before?’
Lowell wasn’t sure whether to be pleased or annoyed.
“He blushed every time he looked at you, Felix. He couldn’t even meet your eyes.”
“But he couldn’t take his eyes off you for a single second. And did you not hear him? He called you beautiful the moment he met you. It’s obvious he was completely captivated.”
“No, logically, he’s an Omega. If he were to like someone, of course, it would be you, Felix.”
Neither of them noticed the people around them starting to pay attention to their conversation.
“Was he an Omega?”
Felix muttered, sounding surprised.
He clearly hadn’t even registered the faint pheromones Pierre had let slip by accident.
“Yes. Now, do you see that I was right?”
Lowell declared, triumphant.
But Felix still wasn’t convinced.
“And why does that matter?”
“…Pardon?”
“You defy common sense in every way. Why would someone’s secondary gender make a difference? Whether they’re an Alpha, Beta, or Omega, it wouldn’t be strange for them to fall for you.”
Felix said this so matter-of-factly that Lowell’s face instantly heated up.
“A-Anyway, regardless of that, he definitely likes you. There’s no doubt about it.”
“Then why were you staring at him so much?”
“Obviously, because I was curious about the person who likes you!”
Lowell whispered fiercely, yet his voice was firm.
“Then that’s fine.”
Felix, looking satisfied, turned his head forward.
He seemed completely uninterested in Pierre’s supposed feelings for him.
“That’s it?”
Lowell couldn’t hold back his disbelief.
“What more is there?”
“Well, he did show interest in you…”
“His taste is peculiar, but that’s not my concern. You don’t expect me to react, do you?”
Felix’s response was so cold it was almost freezing.
It was certainly the attitude of someone already committed to a lover, but combined with his naturally intimidating expression, it made him seem completely unapproachable.
“…No.”
“You should be the same. If someone likes you, don’t acknowledge them. You have a partner, so that’s the right thing to do.”
Felix spoke with the gravity of someone discussing a sacred law.
Lowell could only nod in response.
As they continued their trivial argument, the banquet carried on, reaching its peak.
The guests, who had been sneaking glances at Felix’s rare affection for Lowell, were now enjoying themselves.
‘Finally, I can breathe.’
Even though he told himself not to be tense, it wasn’t that easy.
The food was excellent, but honestly, Lowell never really understood what was so enjoyable about banquets.
‘I suppose I appreciate the fact that this was all arranged for me.’
He subtly glanced around.
No one seemed particularly concerned about where the castle’s master went.
‘Looks like I can slip away soon.’
Using the excuse of checking out the people visiting the greenhouse, Lowell stood up, intending to get some fresh air.
Felix instinctively rose with him and offered his arm.
Linking arms naturally, Lowell held back a chuckle.
“Where are you going?”
“The greenhouse. It seems quite a few people have gone to see it, so I thought we should take a look too.”
“Alright.”
Without a word of complaint, Felix followed Lowell out of the castle.
* * *
