* * *

Henry’s curiosity only lasted a moment before he nodded.

Judging by the atmosphere, it seemed clear that Kayla was asking about his own secondary gender.

“Did it manifest when you imprinted?”

“Yes, five years ago…”

“And until now, did no one know you were an Omega?”

After the earlier chaos, Kayla had overheard the buzz among the people.

More than being shocked that Henry had bonded with Edwin, they were astonished that Henry wasn’t a Beta but an Omega.

It implied that very few knew Henry’s true nature.

Wondering if even those close to him had been aware, Kayla asked, but Henry shook his head.

“Edwin only found out recently, and after today, everyone will know.”

Was he upset that being an Omega had been exposed?

Not really.

Since the moment the bond broke, everyone would have found out he was an Omega anyway.

It just bothered him that it happened sooner than he had anticipated.

As Henry casually shared what had happened to him, Kayla reached out and held his hand.

“It must have been tough hiding that you’re an Omega, not even being able to speak about it.”

“It wasn’t that difficult…”

Even as an Omega, his body hadn’t been much different from a Beta’s.

He didn’t release pheromones or experience cycles.

It was only after being around Edwin and responding to his pheromones that things had escalated, and even that was relatively recent.

So, Henry began to deny it, but Kayla’s compassionate gaze made him fall silent.

“Your secondary gender is like your birth gender. We don’t get to choose it, right? Just as you can’t decide how you’re born, you can’t choose what you become. Living as an Omega means dealing with pheromones affecting you, enduring cycles… but life itself doesn’t have to be bad.”

Kayla’s gentle words made Henry roll his eyes before giving a small nod.

Although he couldn’t sense other Alphas’ pheromones, Edwin’s had affected him, and he had experienced a cycle once, so he understood.

Whether life as an Omega was good or bad, he still wasn’t sure.

Henry glanced at Kayla’s hand, which was gently covering his.

It felt almost absurd to be comforted by the very person who was supposed to be Edwin’s match.

“Kayla.”

Henry lifted his gaze from their hands, meeting Kayla’s warm eyes.

“Do you… resent me?”

Kayla looked at Henry with a puzzled expression.

“If you had feelings for Edwin, this situation couldn’t be very pleasant for you.”

Henry tried to phrase it carefully, but his point was simple.

He knew Kayla liked Edwin, yet he was stuck in the middle, blocking the way.

So why did Kayla still treat him so kindly?

“Seems like you’re the one misunderstanding something about me, Henry.”

Misunderstanding?

Henry leaned in slightly, trying to figure out where he’d gone wrong.

Kayla squeezed his hand tighter.

“The person I care about isn’t Edwin. It’s you, Henry.”

“…Kayla?”

“I like you. It’s not an overwhelming love, but it’s there.”

Kayla added with a smile, perhaps to ease any burden Henry might feel.

“Not Edwin… but me?”

“I don’t know why you thought it was Edwin. Did I make things that confusing? I’ve only ever had eyes for you.”

Henry struggled to hide his shock at Kayla’s confession.

To say, “Why me?” would only be rude, but he couldn’t stop the bewildered expression from crossing his face.

And by the time he started hesitating, it was clear that Kayla had seen right through him.

“The one who bothers me, if I had to say, would be Edwin. Acting as if he has every right to stay by your side as a friend… it always annoyed me. And now that he’s bonded with you, he must feel so triumphant.”

Kayla sighed, grumbling about how seeing that smug look would ruin his mood.

Even if his words sounded playful, Henry couldn’t tell if there was a hidden truth behind them.

But the unwavering grip on his hand and the warmth in Kayla’s eyes made Henry realize that everything he was saying was genuine.

The person Kayla liked wasn’t Edwin—it was him?

---

“I didn’t expect you to come find me.”

“My mind’s all over the place.”

At Count Ariat’s question, Henry answered indifferently.

He had impulsively come to the Count’s mansion, but fortunately, a guard had escorted him inside.

And then, with the door to the Count’s office opened for him, he had easily gained entry.

“Thank you for accommodating me on such short notice.”

Henry bowed politely.

Watching him, Count Ariat gestured toward the chair in front of his desk, suggesting he take a seat, and stood up.

Once Henry had sunk wearily into the chair, the Count sat across from him, his gaze never leaving Henry.

Count Ariat was well aware of what had happened to Henry.

In fact, he had some inkling of it from the hints Edwin had dropped.

“If it’s because of the mark, there are more suitable people to consult than me, aren’t there?”

He was implying that Edwin would be a better person to discuss the issue with.

However, Henry shook his head.

“If that were my only problem, it might still be manageable, but there’s a lot tangled up together.”

From the pheromone stone that Edwin had left him, to Kayla’s feelings—everything had come crashing down at once, with no clear resolution to any of it.

And so, Henry felt even more lost about where to go.

Originally, Henry hadn’t intended to visit Count Ariat.

But if he went home, he’d have to explain everything to his family, and meeting Edwin would mean deciding right away whether to break the mark or not.

With nothing sitting well with him, Henry found himself unable to pick a destination, and the Count had come to mind.

Seeing the complicated expression on Henry’s face, Count Ariat called for a servant and ordered some tea.

Soon enough, a refreshing aroma wafted through the air, and a cup of tea was placed in front of Henry.

“It’s better to talk things over while having some tea, isn’t it?”

Count Ariat suggested with a gesture, inviting Henry to drink.

Without refusal, Henry picked up the cup.

The cool temperature of the cup surprised him, and tasting the tea gave him an unexpected feeling.

“It’s cold.”

In a world where tea was generally brewed hot, the chance to drink cold tea was a novelty.

“Sometimes, something cool is better than something hot.”

Hearing the Count’s words, Henry found himself agreeing.

Like drinking a refreshing glass of cold water, he kept bringing the cup to his lips, and the Count smiled as he sipped his own tea.

“Think it over as you drink.”

Henry looked up at Count Ariat, still holding his cup mid-drink.

The Count tapped his own cup lightly with a finger as he continued.

“Not every problem has only one right answer. Just like how something can be hot or cold, don’t think you have to settle for just one way. If you do, you might find the answer more easily than you thought.”

Though Count Ariat hadn’t heard Henry’s troubles, he spoke as if he could see right through him.

Yet… Henry couldn’t deny that it was the most fitting advice he could have received.

---

One day, a new merchant guild set up shop in a residential area.

To be exact, rumors quietly spread that merchants were preparing to open for business from one of the houses.

People found it strange to see merchants bustling around a residence rather than a proper shop.

Curiosity mounted when someone claimed to have seen Young Master Henry Timothy visiting the place.

What on earth could they be selling?

As time passed, curiosity only grew, and eventually, people even began peeking around the house.

Then, the guild opened.

Called “Reve,” it launched to an eager crowd.

People gathered outside the ordinary-looking house, an odd sight that drew even more attention from passersby.

Since there was a limit to how many could be let inside, the merchants brought out tables and set up chairs outside, cradling only stacks of paper in their arms.

“Why isn’t there anything here?”

When someone asked, a merchant just smiled gently and told them to wait.

Before long, the front door of the house opened, and a woman stepped out.

She placed small boxes, one by one, in front of each merchant.

From the deference shown to her, it was clear she held a significant rank.

After setting the boxes, the woman returned to stand at the center.

“I am Violet, the resident of the Reve Trading Company,” she introduced herself calmly, bowing gracefully.

Her youth surprised the crowd, who watched her with interest.

“We offer just one product.”

She raised her hand, revealing one of the small boxes.

From the velvet wrapping, it looked like a jewelry case.

Violet opened the box to reveal its contents with a click, and disappointed murmurs rippled through the crowd.

“Just a ring?”

“I waited all this time for that?”

“So it’s a jewelry store, huh.”

“And here I thought… what a letdown.”

The greater the anticipation, the harsher the disappointment.

Seeing an ordinary ring, the crowd voiced their dissatisfaction.

Had the guild announced themselves as jewelers from the start, this backlash might have been avoided.

But the merchants had only urged patience, never revealing what they dealt in.

“So they came all this way to the capital, and they couldn’t even open a decent store.”

“And all that about Young Master Henry Timothy was just a load of nonsense.”

“Nothing more to see here. Let’s go.”

Violet listened to the crowd’s complaints without a change in demeanor, her eyes following the people who were leaving.

It seemed like the moment to try to hold onto them, but Violet simply watched them, calm and composed.

* * *