* * *
The afternoon after the banquet ended.
The visiting nobles had all returned, leaving a calm atmosphere in Delion’s office.
As he mechanically stamped the documents and dealt with the backlog of work, Delion suddenly paused and looked up.
Someone was knocking at the door.
“Come in.”
The door opened only after Delion granted permission.
The visitor was Aelan, with whom he hadn’t had a proper private meeting in years.
They had exchanged brief words during the banquet yesterday, but it was hosted by Bennex, so Aelan had spent more time with him than Delion.
Furthermore, Delion had been tied up with the elders ever since Aelan’s arrival, making this their first true one-on-one meeting.
“Patriarch. You summoned me.”
“…Yes. It’s been a while.”
Delion gazed at Aelan, his eyes filled with complex emotions.
He never imagined he’d see him alive again.
In the long history of Lancaster, it was unheard of for the succession battles to be this peaceful.
His children, in particular, had shown little interest in continuing the family line.
Even so, it was remarkable.
Especially since the firstborn was usually forced into the succession battle if they had dominant traits.
Winning meant survival; losing meant death.
Delion himself had survived by defeating and killing all his siblings to secure his position.
In Lancaster, this was considered ‘normal.’
Looking at his firstborn son, who had survived against such odds, Delion felt emotions he couldn’t quite describe.
And Aelan, too, felt something unfamiliar.
The father who had always looked exhausted and on edge had softened astonishingly over the past few years.
It was strange to see.
The man once rumored to have piled up corpses was now showing signs of age—it was hard not to think so.
After a brief moment of mutual contemplation, Delion spoke first.
“Though you’ve been reinstated as a member of the family, many elders still disapprove of you.”
“I am aware.”
“Therefore, I will assign you duties that will demonstrate your worth and serve the family.”
Delion gestured for him to come closer and handed over a bundle of documents.
Aelan glanced through them and looked back at Delion in mild surprise.
“You’re entrusting me with diplomatic affairs? Are you sure about this? Given my track record, you never know what I might do.”
The documents Delion gave him were full of clauses granting Aelan full authority over negotiations with higher-ranking non-human races.
It wasn’t unusual for an exceptional Omega like Aelan, who possessed a unique trait, to engage in diplomacy, as their abilities often allowed them to influence or manipulate situations to their advantage.
However, Aelan’s abilities were so potent that he could temporarily brainwash even those with strong mental fortitude.
This posed risks—he could sabotage diplomatic relations or cause material damage.
The elders would certainly protest. It was a bold decision.
Delion took a deep breath, his exhale almost carrying a hint of a chuckle.
“If you tried something reckless, your head would roll before you got anywhere. I trust you won’t be that foolish.”
Let’s not forget, Aelan, who had been stripped of his noble title and cast out with nothing, had survived the past five years through sheer grit.
Unlike Leonard, who had Chaeyi by his side, Aelan had no one… and nothing.
Though he had once wished for death out of despair, he was too afraid to take his own life and instead hoped someone would end it for him.
For such a person, would he really throw away the new hope he had found?
Delion, who understood Aelan’s survival instincts—so similar to his own—knew the answer.
“You’ve been given a fair chance. Prove your value so no one can speak against you again.”
With that final word, Delion dismissed him.
It was an awkward, almost clumsy form of encouragement, but it was his way of showing support.
“……”
Aelan bowed deeply without a word.
Given a new goal and motivation to move forward, he felt a renewed sense of purpose.
It was all thanks to Chaeyi. As he was about to leave the office, Aelan paused and added lightly:
“Oh, and… Father.”
“…….”
“Chaeyi is nothing short of my savior. So, if anything happens, I’ll side with Leonard and Chaeyi.”
Aelan gave a small smile and exited the office.
The reason he brought up Chaeyi and tied Leonard into it was simple.
‘He’s figured out their relationship.’
The elders would undoubtedly oppose once they realized the connection between the two, rallying support from the current family members to pressure Leonard and Chaeyi.
Delion sighed, already envisioning the uphill battle ahead.
Well, for now, the excuse of “a talented Beta applying as a knight” had worked, keeping the elders from prying too deeply.
There were indeed rare cases of exceptional Betas being selected as knights, so it wasn’t entirely unbelievable.
They wouldn’t be able to contest it easily, given their respect for proven skills.
But how long this charade would hold… that remained to be seen.
‘Now that I think about it…’
“Is there some progress between them?”
Hearing Aelan’s suggestive words, Delion suddenly found himself curious.
In fact, he was hopeful. Ideally, everything would move smoothly before the elders noticed the peculiar relationship between Leonard and Chaeyi, leading to the best-case scenario where Chaeyi could become an Omega.
‘Last time, an incident interrupted our meal together. And yesterday, the timing was off again…’
Delion fell into a brief moment of contemplation before finally summoning the head butler.
Two days had passed since the banquet ended.
In those two days, the physical affection between Chaeyi and Leonard had escalated rapidly, leaving Chaeyi feeling completely overwhelmed.
He had confessed honestly that it still felt awkward since he had always thought of Leonard as family and needed more time to adjust.
“Don’t worry. You’ll get used to it soon.”
Leonard’s response was to wrap his arms around Chaeyi from behind, nuzzle his lips against Chaeyi’s neck, and kiss him.
And whenever the atmosphere became heated, it would inevitably lead to deeper kisses.
It seemed that Leonard’s idea of Chaeyi getting used to it involved immersing him frequently until he was forced to adapt.
As a result, Chaeyi’s heart was in constant turmoil.
Not that Chaeyi minded the intense sensations; on the contrary, if he were honest…
He liked it.
Chaeyi was surprisingly sensitive to stimulation and knew how to crave it.
Perhaps it was because he had lived in a dry, unromantic environment where his primal instincts had been suppressed.
“Mm…”
A muffled sound escaped from between their connected lips.
Leonard, who had been cradling the back of Chaeyi’s head while kissing him, slowly pulled back, causing Chaeyi to open his eyes hazily.
The sweet, enticing scent Leonard gave off seemed to stir Chaeyi’s primal emotions even more.
Chaeyi pressed his forehead with the back of his hand, trying not to be too swayed by the pheromones.
“…You said you were just stopping by. Isn’t it time for you to go?”
“Mm…”
But Leonard held onto Chaeyi as if he couldn’t bear to leave.
Chaeyi felt the same way but couldn’t afford to act like a child at his age, so he patted Leonard gently.
“You’ll end up buried in paperwork if you don’t go.”
“What if I don’t want to go?”
“If you finish quickly, I’ll play with you when you come back.”
“Will you play adult games?”
“W-what?”
In the end, Leonard managed to coax a kiss out of Chaeyi by repeatedly whining, “I don’t want to go,” before finally leaving, looking quite satisfied.
He was such a sly fox.
“Hah…”
Chaeyi slumped into a chair at the table where he usually enjoyed tea time, needing a moment to catch his breath.
It wasn’t even that hot, but his body felt feverish.
‘Will I really be able to get used to this?’
The more time passed, the more sensitive he seemed to become.
He wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination, but he couldn’t help feeling uneasy.
Just then, hurried footsteps approached, and he turned his head.
It was Enoch running toward him.
“Chaeyi!”
Chaeyi straightened up, curious about what was going on.
Enoch caught his breath before delivering the message.
“The head butler sent me… The master wishes to invite you to dinner tonight.”
“…What? All of a sudden?”
Chaeyi raised an eyebrow, feeling just as surprised as when he had been unexpectedly invited to the banquet.
A sudden thought struck him, making his heart sink.
‘Could it be…?’
Did they notice that he had become intimate with Leonard?
Was this one of those moments where they’d offer him a wad of cash to make him leave their son alone?
Chaeyi recalled a scene from a drama he had watched in his past life.
* * *
Like a gangster family.