* * *
Sylvian blinked his hazy eyes open and looked around.
His sticky body was now clean and fresh, and the bedding had been changed.
“I’m hungry.”
He needed to pull the bell rope, but his exhausted body protested, telling him he had no strength left to move.
From now on, if he ever saw the Crown Prince again, he should just run away.
After being used all night, a clear warning had been etched into his mind: never disobey even the smallest of Zeroth’s commands again.
The lingering soreness below told him just how severely he had been used, to the point that even an omega’s natural healing couldn’t fully recover him.
Throughout their time together, Zeroth’s scent had overwhelmed him, making it so he hardly felt the pain at all during the act.
A wriggle.
“Duchess, you’re awake?!”
Sylvian only blinked at Luaia’s face, which suddenly popped up.
“But at least you woke up after just one day this time.”
One day?
Had he slept for a whole day?
Sylvian looked around, his expression dazed.
It felt like he had only shut his eyes for a half-day nap after seeing the morning sun, but a full day had passed.
He was both incredulous and surprised at how well his body felt.
“How do you feel, Duchess?”
“… Ahem.”
“I’ll get you some water.”
When he coughed lightly, Luaia cautiously brought water to his lips.
“T-thank you.”
“Should I call the doctor?”
“No need, ahem. It’s not that bad.”
“Shall I prepare some food?”
He nodded.
Sylvian lightly expressed his wish and then let himself relax back into the blanket.
The fact that he could even nod was a huge improvement.
When he first came to the duke’s residence, he had been so preoccupied with everyone’s gaze that he would sit alone on the sofa in a quiet room, not daring to even breathe audibly.
Now, it seemed that the servants were noticeably more careful around him, likely due to Zeroth’s newfound interest in him.
The maids who had roughly handled him on his wedding day were nowhere to be seen.
He couldn’t meet just anyone now.
If Zeroth abandoned him quietly, he needed to capture an alpha who could at least become a count.
Dreaming of a happy future where he wouldn’t be brutalized, Sylvian patiently waited for Luaia to bring his meal.
‘Zeroth won’t cling to me, right?’
After finishing the soup and light bread, Sylvian lay back down and resumed his idle thoughts.
In the book, as soon as the main submissive character appears, Zeroth falls in love at first sight.
For some reason, he relentlessly pursues the main submissive.
He had heard that the main character was a treasured child of a wealthy count family.
The storyline suggested that this character hadn’t appeared yet because he was studying abroad at an academy in another country.
Even in a world where omegas’ rights were thoroughly protected, Sylvian wondered why he alone seemed to live without such protection.
Faced with his predicament both here and there, Sylvian sighed deeply.
Of course, Zeroth managed the intensity remarkably well.
Whenever things reached a point where Sylvian felt like he couldn’t breathe out of fear, Zeroth would stop the punishment immediately.
How did he know exactly when to stop?
Could it just be something one sees?
Sylvian lay on his back, recalling the previous night.
‘It seems like he noticed that I hate the stick.’
In truth, he despised hands the most.
His heart would start pounding whenever a large hand hovered above his head.
Back in the Viscount’s household, whenever the Viscount got angry, his hands would be the first to fly, forcing Sylvian to close his eyes.
He had been hit with anything and everything that the Viscount could grab.
Truly, his life was pitiful.
And to think he had to endure beatings here as well.
It’s scary to think about just enduring, isn’t it?
Life in the duke’s residence was comfortable.
If he overlooked Zeroth’s ridiculous lessons, the crude language, and foul words, he could manage to get along with him.
Though he didn’t feel a spark of excitement, anticipating the pleasure that would soon follow made it bearable.
But the pain never became familiar.
Zeroth wouldn’t understand, but it was tough for Sylvian to endure what Zeroth dismissed as minor inconveniences.
Last night, when Zeroth held the stick, Sylvian was genuinely terrified and wanted to run away.
Maybe next time he should break down crying or show how panicked he was.
f only Zeroth would give up the fun of punishing him, Sylvian could keep up with him for as long as he wanted.
However, given the increasing extent of the punishments, that seemed impossible.
“If his curiosity fades, there’s nothing I can do.”
Sylvian had already given up on too many things to rely on Zeroth’s tenuous affection to endure life at the duke’s residence.
There was no need for him to have been born with such a frail body.
He was filled with regret for not escaping from the Viscount’s household and ending up here.
So he should take advantage of any opportunity when it arose.
Surely, there were alphas out there who would desire him, the former duchess.
There had to be an alpha, somewhere, who was not as frightening as Zeroth—someone kind and warm—who was waiting for him.
“How is the Duchess?”
“He has woken up.”
The butler, Kelvin, answered the Duke’s question politely.
“What is he doing?”
“He said he will sleep again after eating.”
Zeroth recalled Sylvian, who had been crying all night.
He probably wouldn’t be able to get out of bed until tomorrow.
Having deliberately released a large amount of pheromones, once his pheromones were absorbed, his body would recover quickly.
“What happened to the Viscount Nertian?”
“He’s placing bets to raise the stakes.”
“Make him write a letter of resignation and a will to transfer his title to his son.”
“Are you planning to hand over the title to the youngest Alpha?”
Kelvin asked back with a surprised look.
“Once the family collapses, there will be talk. We need to keep the Viscount’s family alive.”
Moreover, the youngest son seemed more promising than expected.
Zeroth thought of the blonde hair reminiscent of Sylvian, who had been waiting for him in the capital.
[How is brother doing?]
His face was full of worry and concern.
If he regretted it now, he should have taken better care of him when he was still at home.
Though it was bothersome, Zeroth assured him that his brother was doing well.
Seeing the relief spreading across his face, Zeroth felt that digging further into the youngest might turn out to be interesting.
An Alpha who ignored the abuse of his eldest Omega brother at home.
Of course, the Alpha was still young, having only been knighted a year ago and still not firmly established.
If his intention was to use his Omega brother to cling to the Duke’s family, Zeroth was willing to play along until his true motive became clear.
“When did the second child die?”
“When Lord Sylvian was five years old.”
“The cause of death was a heart attack due to manifestation accident. Isn’t that quite suspicious?”
Kelvin remained silent in response to Zeroth’s words.
* * *
