* * *

The elders’ eyes turned toward him. Glancing around, Elder Yuzakas continued.

“Instead of persuading Leonard, why not call out the beta and persuade him? Leonard seems so thoroughly bewitched by that commoner that no words are getting through to him.”

“Oh, you may be right. It’s quite possible that commoner deceived innocent Leonard into this situation.”

As Austin agreed, the other branch elders nodded.

Once the situation seemed to be somewhat sorted out, the usually quiet and stoic Elder Blake gestured into the air and spoke.

“Come here.”

A man emerged stealthily from the shadows and bowed respectfully.

His name was Mikael, a “hunter” hired specifically by the branch family.

“Mikael. I have a task for you.”

“Understood.”

“You’ve heard, haven’t you? Bring us the rat lurking in this mansion. You’ll find him at the Onyx Estate. He has curly brown hair and golden eyes.”

“Alive, I presume?”

“Yes.”

“Understood.”

Mikael bowed, accepting the command.

He appeared calm and collected, which satisfied the elders, though inwardly, he was breathing a sigh of relief.

He was glad that he wouldn’t be facing Leonard.

“Whew… Thank goodness.”

Recalling the scene from just before, Mikael shivered, his skin crawling.

Leonard’s pheromones had been so overpowering that he almost lost his composure.

‘I’ve heard stories about the young master, but who knew he was this monstrous.’

Mikael had encountered plenty of dominant alphas in his time, all formidable in their own right, but the Lancaster heir was on another level entirely.

He had prepared himself to flee if he’d been ordered to deal with Leonard.

Thankfully, that wasn’t the case.

“Besides, I’m only facing a beta this time.”

Compared to the monstrous dominant alpha, dealing with a beta should be a walk in the park, practically effortless.

After all, few could stand up to a hunter trained to the limit, and most people were powerless against him.

“Well, then, I’ll be off to work. By the way, I’ll be using ‘Bibi’ for communication. I’ll send a message in the usual code.”

As Mikael left the roundtable room, the elders exchanged glances before they, too, slowly began to depart. Silence soon filled the now-empty room.

---

A day after Leonard was called by the elders and endured a confrontation, word of it finally reached Chaeyi.

He heard it while sharing an early afternoon tea with Oscar.

No wonder Leonard hadn’t seemed in the best mood during dinner last night.

Chaeyi felt uneasy, realizing that Leonard was facing trouble because of his presence.

It seemed likely Leonard hadn’t mentioned anything last night because he didn’t want Chaeyi to worry, which only added to Chaeyi’s discomfort.

Seeing Chaeyi’s troubled expression, Oscar took a sip of tea and spoke calmly.

“Master Chaeyi, please don’t worry. It’s especially in times like these that you need to remain steadfast. I’m sure Leonard hopes for the same.”

“Hmm.”

“Besides, you’re the only one here who can match Leonard’s spirit. Whether or not you regain your powers, he’ll keep doing exactly as he pleases.”

Well, that was probably true.

Leonard might seem gentle, but he had a stubborn streak.

Chaeyi gave a small smile, feeling reassured by Oscar’s words.

“Oscar.”

Just then, the head butler appeared and called for Oscar.

It seemed some urgent matter had arisen in the department she managed.

With their tea time cut short, Chaeyi saw her off, then returned to the Onyx Estate.

It was then, as he walked down the corridor toward his room, that he heard it.

Footsteps.

For a moment, another set of footsteps echoed in the otherwise empty hall.

Catching this unfamiliar presence, Chaeyi glanced back over his shoulder.

‘Could I be… followed?’

Why else would someone follow him so discreetly?

To enter the estate, evading both servants and guards, who must have stepped out momentarily.

To gain more insight into his stalker’s intentions, Chaeyi continued forward as though unaware, allowing the pursuer to draw closer, reaching out a hand toward him.

When a hostile individual approaches, they almost always give themselves away before they act.

Sensing the timing, Chaeyi caught the outstretched hand, twisted it backward, and turned to face the intruder—a rugged man with a scruffy beard whom he didn’t recognize.

“Ow, ow! How strong…! Ouch!”

“Who are you, and what are you doing here?”

“Wait, wait! Brother, please, a moment!”

The man, startled and in pain, struggled before finally meeting Chaeyi’s gaze with wide eyes.

“Are you… could you be Chaeyi? The one who used to work as a hunter?”

“…Yes, but how do you know that?”

Chaeyi released his grip, and the man, looking somewhat embarrassed, rubbed the back of his head, a grin spreading across his face like a child in front of a celebrity.

“Ah! Of course, I know! Every hunter knows you, Chaeyi. If a hunter didn’t know your name, they’d be a spy! Haha! I’d only ever seen your portraits, but seeing you in person, I didn’t recognize you at first.”

Mikael, who had just been planning to abduct Chaeyi, now stood awestruck, recognizing him.

He hadn’t known the name of the beta mentioned at the roundtable, nor had he imagined it would be Chaeyi.

Reflecting on the words he’d overheard, he murmured in awe.

“To think… that the rumored beta who caught the eye of Lancaster’s terrifying heir would turn out to be Chaeyi himself.”

“…”

“Impressive as always, Mr. Chaeyi. Not only are you unafraid of that terrifying dominant alpha, but you even keep him close! Truly remarkable!”

With a loud, hearty laugh, Mikael beamed at Chaeyi, who could only blink back, struggling to keep up with his tempo.

Judging from his speech, Mikael seemed to be a hunter, but… what exactly was he here for?

Just then, mid-laughter, Mikael scratched his cheek awkwardly, as if suddenly remembering something.

“Ah, but, Mr. Chaeyi… could you, well, come with me for a bit?”

“And why should I?”

“Well, you see, the elders of the Lancaster family ordered me to bring you to them. Since I’m just someone working under their payroll, I have no choice but to follow orders.”

“So, you’re asking me to come quietly?”

Mikael cast a cautious glance at Chaeyi, knowing full well that Chaeyi wasn’t obligated to comply with his request.

Still, Chaeyi considered that it might be better to just follow along.

Refusing here would only lead them to attempt another tactic—and probably a messier one at that.

If they resorted to something more devious and forceful, it would only cause more headaches.

At least the positive side of this situation was that Mikael’s orders didn’t include an “assassination.”

It meant they wanted to resolve things through dialogue.

“What exactly do they want to discuss?”

Well… he had some guesses.

“Fine. Lead the way.”

“Ah…! Thank you.”

Mikael’s face lit up as he nodded.

He led Chaeyi out of the mansion to the back garden, where he retrieved a bird called Bibinoo.

Murmuring a few codes, he sent the bird flying into the distance.

“Oh, by the way, my name’s Mikael.”

“Nice to meet you, Mikael.”

“Hehe. If anything goes wrong, I’ll back you up, so don’t worry. Now, let’s proceed to the Round Table room!”

The Round Table room… Chaeyi remembered Leo mentioning that he’d clashed with the elders there yesterday.

Outsiders weren’t supposed to enter that room, but it seemed the elders were exploiting loopholes for their own ends.

“Better stay on guard—who knows what they’re planning.”

Mikael led Chaeyi through an isolated path to the main estate, cautioning him to stay silent.

Eventually, they reached the Round Table room, only to find it empty.

Passing time with Mikael, Chaeyi soon sensed footsteps at the entrance.

Chaeyi looked up.

“They’re here.”

The elders quietly entered the room.

* * *