* * *

Chirp. Chirp.

The cicadas sang their summer chorus.

On such a familiar summer day, Remy was leisurely spending his time at the well-maintained garden pool, indulging in refreshing water play.

“Ah, nothing beats the pool. Summer is all about swimming. Feels like all my worries just washed away.”

He submerged himself fully under the cold water, staying deathly still for a while before bursting back up to the surface with a loud exhale.

Remy, showing off the swimming skills he had honed since childhood, began to swim confidently.

But for some reason, he barely managed to cover even a fraction of the usual distance before panting and coming to a halt.

Clearly, the problem lay with his pitifully weak body, cursed with abysmal stamina.

“Ugh, what the hell is this? I barely got from here to there, and I’m already this exhausted? What a joke. How is this body so useless? Sure, I’m supposed to be a frail character, but this is taking it too far!”

In his previous life, Remy had prided himself on being adept at physical activities.

Now, confined to this feeble frame, he was on the brink of losing his mind.

This body seemed incapable of possessing even a scrap of endurance.

He was amazed he hadn’t already collapsed from mere swimming—collapsing seemed to be this body’s main hobby.

“Ugh. Seriously. How am I supposed to play a proper villain with a body like this?”

Thinking over his plight, Remy resolved to start exercising immediately.

Sure, he might never see this body again once he returned to the real world, but he still needed at least a basic level of fitness to get through the current situation.

Luckily, this estate had all sorts of fitness equipment and facilities: not only a pool but also gear for fencing, mini-golf, tennis, horseback riding—virtually every sport imaginable.

“Maybe I should practice horseback riding while I’m at it? Who knows when I might need to ride again? Better to be prepared than regret it later.”

Ever since almost embarrassing himself at the Ailsford summer villa ball, Remy had been painfully aware of the value of preparation.

“Right. If I recall correctly, the next episode involves a hunting trip. There’s bound to be horseback riding. If I screw up again, I won’t be able to recover.”

No novel ever livestreamed every second of the protagonist’s day.

Much less for someone like Remy, who wasn’t even the protagonist.

Even though he’d read the original work, predicting what his character did in-between scenes or what future episodes held was almost impossible.

Thorough preparation was essential.

“Living as a minor side character is seriously tough.”

Sighing at his predicament, Remy smacked his lips.

Still, what choice did he have?

Now that things were like this, all he could do was push forward with everything he had.

Resolving to give it another shot, Remy dunked his face back into the pool.

Beneath the blazing sun, he soaked in the cool water, waiting until he felt the urge to surface.

With a powerful splash, he broke through to the air above—

“Enjoying your swim?”

“Gah!”

Startled by the unexpected voice, Remy recoiled so violently he nearly fell backward.

Thankfully, being in the pool saved him from complete humiliation—he only flailed and stumbled a few steps in the water.

“Holy crap, you scared me! What’s wrong with you?!”

Regaining his composure, Remy looked up to see Ashton standing at the edge of the pool, gazing down at him.

Ashton, clad in a breezy summer shirt, exuded an effortless charm.

His face, annoyingly handsome as ever, sparkled in the sunlight.

“I’ve been calling you for a while. What were you so lost in thought about that you didn’t hear me?”

“…Was I?”

“Yes.”

“Well, I mean…that happens sometimes. Wait, no! Who just shows up unannounced like that?”

“Unannounced? Are we the kind of people who schedule appointments to meet?”

“Well…no, but still…”

Flustered, Remy fumbled for a retort but came up empty.

“When did you get here?”

“Huh?”

“The swimming.”

“Oh, not long ago.”

“Is that so?”

Ashton stroked his jaw thoughtfully, then suddenly grinned, loosening his posture.

While Remy watched with growing suspicion, Ashton began unbuttoning his shirt.

“Hey, what are you doing?!”

Broad daylight.

A garden open on all sides.

Watching Ashton casually peel off his shirt, Remy panicked.

“What does it look like?”

“Why are you taking your shirt off?!”

“To join you for a swim.”

“W-What?”

“I’ll need something to wear when I head back, won’t I?”

With that, Ashton undid the last button and shrugged off his shirt entirely.

The light fabric fluttered in the breeze, revealing a torso Remy had never seen before.

His eyes widened in disbelief.

‘What the hell… That chest…’

The expanse of Ashton’s broad, muscular chest was enough to leave anyone speechless.

His pecs were massive—larger than Remy’s outstretched hand could cover.

His six-pack was flawlessly defined, like something straight out of Men’s Health Korea.

And his skin—taut, golden-brown, and glistening in the sunlight—emphasized every curve and line of his physique.

‘The veins on his obliques… Are you kidding me? Can a guy’s body actually be this sexy?’

Remy swallowed involuntarily.

He hadn’t realized he could feel this way, let alone while looking at another man’s bare torso.

Then he felt it.

A signal from down there.

Remy froze in horror at his body’s involuntary reaction, mentally screaming at the absurdity of the situation.

“Remy?”

Ashton’s puzzled voice snapped him out of his internal chaos.

It took a herculean effort for Remy to regain his composure.

‘Calm down. Calm down. It’s just this omega body. It’s nothing. Totally normal.’

Remy’s adaptability shone through as he forced himself to rationalize.

“Ashton, maybe you should keep the shirt on?”

“Why? Is there a problem?”

“Uh… You can borrow one of mine to go home later, right?”

“You think your clothes will fit me?”

“If not, I’ll have a servant fetch you something. Just keep it on.”

It was a flimsy excuse, but Remy couldn’t risk any more exposure to Ashton’s bare body.

He didn’t trust himself not to do something reckless.

“Fine, whatever.”

To Remy’s immense relief, Ashton complied.

He rebuttoned his shirt, the light silk fabric once again concealing his chiseled physique.

Ashton dove gracefully into the pool.

But when he resurfaced, his wet shirt clinging to every contour of his muscular frame, it was somehow even worse.

‘Oh, crap.’

Remy thought to himself.

This time, it really felt like he had messed up.

It seemed undeniable that he was the one at fault.

“Ah, seriously, what the hell is wrong with me? How am I supposed to just casually play in the water after seeing him like that? I should’ve just told him to take it off if it’s going to be like this… This is a total disaster.”

Whether Ashton was aware of Remy’s internal torment or not, he continued to flaunt his well-toned body, swimming around with carefree splashes.

Watching Ashton cut through the water like a dolphin, Remy couldn’t help but spiral further into his thoughts.

“No, get a grip, you idiot body. Seriously, calm down! It’s not like he’s got anything I don’t have—we both have the same equipment down there, for crying out loud. Why are you overreacting? It’s just another guy’s body. Not that different from my own. What kind of ridiculous reaction is this?”

After repeating this mantra to himself several times, Remy’s rebellious body finally began to calm down, much to his relief.

The brief moment of triumph was short-lived, though, as Ashton completed a lap around the pool and returned to where Remy stood.

“Why?” Ashton asked, noticing Remy staring at him.

Caught off guard, Remy jumped as if shocked, his face flushing as red as a tomato.

“N-No reason. You’re just… really good at swimming.”

Remy was convinced it was the most plausible response he had ever given to one of Ashton’s questions.

He soon realized how wrong he was.

“Want me to teach you?”

“W-What?”

“You can’t swim, right? I’ll teach you.”

“Wh-Who said I can’t?”

To be fair, under normal circumstances, Remy would’ve had no trouble swimming laps around this pool.

Of course, that would be assuming his frail body wasn’t acting up again.

“Come on, you can’t swim. Right?” Ashton pressed.

“It’s not that I can’t swim! I just… don’t need to. Who cares about swimming anyway? It’s not like it’s a necessary life skill.”

It was true, after all.

Nowhere in the original storyline had it been mentioned that swimming was a requisite skill for a noble like him.

“Really?”

Ashton looked at him thoughtfully for a moment before speaking with a strangely serious expression.

“What if you fall into the sea while vacationing this summer?”

“I’ll just avoid the sea.”

“What if you fall into a stream while hiking in the mountains?”

“I won’t go near any streams.”

“What about playing by the river—”

“Enough already!”

Is this guy joking with me right now?

Remy cut him off sharply, refusing to indulge Ashton’s childish antics.

* * *