* * *
Instead of moving forward, his body suddenly began to collapse.
The patterns on the floor seemed to twist, and just before he hit the ground, a large hand appeared.
That hand steadied Henry’s chest and gently supported his body, preventing him from falling. It all happened in an instant.
“Why… is this happening?”
Henry rubbed his head, which was spinning with dizziness.
He was just thirsty, so why was he collapsing like this?
Henry didn’t realize that it was due to prolonged exposure to Edwin’s pheromones, compounded by standing at the window where the pheromones gathered.
Leaning against Edwin until the dizziness subsided, Henry slowly regained his strength.
“I’m okay now.”
Henry pushed himself away from Edwin’s chest. Then, he walked straight to the table and grabbed a glass of water.
After gulping down the entire glass, he brushed back his hair, which was sticking to his forehead from sweat.
The sweat on his forehead made his hair cling to his skin, an indication that what had just happened wasn’t normal. Feeling somewhat relieved after quenching his thirst, Henry slumped into a chair.
“It was just a brief spell of dizziness.”
Henry waved his hand at Edwin, who was still standing there, staring at him. Though he said he was fine, Edwin’s gaze didn’t waver.
“I’m really okay, unless…”
Henry remembered how Edwin had previously asked if he had a chronic illness, so he quickly cut him off before he could speak.
“I told you, I don’t have any illnesses. If you’re just going to keep staring, then leave.”
“You shouldn’t dismiss this so lightly.”
Edwin wasn’t satisfied with Henry’s casual response. If he hadn’t caught him just now, Henry would have collapsed.
But now, here he was, calmly drinking water and sitting down, which only made things seem stranger.
Henry, annoyed by Edwin’s suspicion, replied bluntly.
“It’s just a moment of dizziness. I’ve probably worn myself out from all the stress.”
“A brief spell of dizziness?”
“As you can see, I was raised in luxury.”
Henry shrugged as he looked at his sleeve. If there were lace on it, he would have shown it off.
He had lived his life without any discomfort, emphasizing how pampered he had been, from head to toe.
“If you’re just going to keep staring, should I leave?”
Henry pointed firmly at the door, more determined to end any further discussion about his condition. Edwin, after studying Henry’s expression for a moment, finally returned to his seat.
“My apologies for being late.”
The atmosphere shifted as Violet entered the room with a knock.
“It’s fine. Come, have a seat.”
Still feeling a lingering thirst, Henry motioned for Violet to take a seat.
Sir Teher, who had been keeping watch to ensure no one approached the room, turned his head at the sound of footsteps.
A man was leaving the room, but it wasn’t the person he was guarding, so Sir Teher simply nodded in acknowledgment before resuming his post.
“Henry’s health seems quite frail.”
“The long journey has taken a toll on him.”
“He almost collapsed just now. There’s no guarantee it won’t happen again. Do you have a solution?”
Sir Teher lowered his head silently in response to Edwin’s concern for Henry’s health.
It wasn’t pleasant to hear that the young master he served was weak, but it was indeed his responsibility to care for him.
“I’ll keep a close eye on him myself for the time being.”
“That’s my duty. So…”
“It would be better to speak after you’ve done it properly.”
Edwin cut Sir Teher off with a cold tone.
There had been several instances where Henry showed signs of unusual symptoms.
Edwin couldn’t rely on Sir Teher alone.
“When Henry goes somewhere, make sure to call me. I’m not asking you to reveal all his secrets, but if there’s a place you can’t accompany him, don’t hesitate to find me.”
Edwin walked past Sir Teher after finishing his words.
Meanwhile, inside the room, Violet pointed to Edwin, who had just left.
“That person earlier…”
“Don’t worry about him,” Henry said without even glancing in the direction Edwin had gone.
Violet had merely asked what he planned to do next, and Edwin had clearly lost interest and left immediately.
If that was the case, he shouldn’t have come in the first place.
Henry clicked his tongue softly at Edwin’s fickleness and shifted his focus away from Violet.
he had brought a detailed report outlining his plan to establish a merchant group.
As Henry flipped through the pages, he absentmindedly asked, “It’s best to set up the group in the safest place. Are you still attached to the Cairo estate?”
“No, I’m not,” Violet replied, as if it didn’t matter where the group was established.
“But I do have specific items in mind that I want to handle.”
Her insistence on certain items piqued Henry’s curiosity.
Violet placed an item he had prepared on the table.
It was a small case, typically used by women to store jewelry.
Henry opened the lid and found a small, circular ring partially buried in velvet, with a delicately crafted gem emitting a subtle glow.
It was just a ring, no matter how you looked at it.
“Do you want to sell jewelry?”
“No, this is a ring that can store pheromones.”
“Pheromones?”
Henry tilted his head in surprise at his unexpected explanation.
“When it’s imprinted, if you’re far away from your partner, it can cause psychological anxiety,” Violet began explaining the ring, while Henry leaned back in his chair, signaling his to continue.
Violet turned the ring towards Henry so he could see it better.
“To alleviate that anxiety, you can either shower your partner with pheromones or continuously inject pheromones over a certain period. This ring was designed with that in mind. It can store pheromones. While pheromones on the body fade over time, this ring can retain them for up to a year.”
Henry nodded and looked at the ring again, intrigued by the idea that it wasn’t just a simple piece of jewelry.
“How can you tell if it contains pheromones?”
“When pheromones are stored in the ring, the gem’s color gradually becomes transparent. The stronger the pheromones, the more transparent the gem becomes. If it returns to its original color, that means the pheromones are gone.”
“Has anything like this existed before?”
“Not that I know of, in terms of processed items.”
“Then how was it made?”
“The material of the ring itself attracts pheromones, and the small gem inside the ring is designed to hold the pheromones for a long time.”
If it worked as intended, this item could definitely help establish the group.
Seeing that Violet had brought an item ready for sale, Henry felt that he had thoroughly prepared to reestablish the group.
He was pleased with the solid plan.
“That’s fascinating. How did you come up with the idea?”
“My parents were imprinted. My mother struggled a lot with my father’s long absences.”
Given that a merchant group frequently travels between estates, it’s understandable that they could be away for days at a time.
“My father created this item after seeing my mother grow weaker by the day.”
“Oh…”
Understanding the context, Henry looked back at the ring.
Now that he knew the story, the ring felt like a token of a proposal, offered to someone special.
“Have you ever shown this to anyone?”
Violet shook his head.
“I’ve never shown it, but the Reve Trading Company collapsed because of it. Other groups coveted it once they learned of its existence.”
“That’s unfortunate.”
“That’s why I want to showcase it even more.”
Violet’s determination was clear. She was determined to launch this item from the group she created, as it was like a piece of his parents.
“That’s fortunate.”
“Pardon?”
Violet looked puzzled, but Henry silently stroked the ring’s case. He had briefly wondered if reestablishing the group was the right thing to do.
They had blocked the Crown Prince’s path, claiming it was unjust.
But now that the situation had unfolded, although he felt he’d made the right decision, there was still a lingering sense of unease—one that had now disappeared entirely.
Henry changed the subject by examining the ring more closely.
Now that he knew its function, it seemed even more beautiful than before.
“So, how do you use it?”
Publicly, Henry was known as a Beta. Violet explained it to him step by step.
“Hold the ring and infuse it with pheromones as if you were performing a pheromone shower. Pheromones can be transferred to another’s body based on their will. This ring simply changes the focus to the ring itself.”
“I see…”
With the detailed explanation, Henry looked at the ring again. Until now, he had only been aware of Edwin’s pheromones, but this was something new.
Edwin had never intended to spread his pheromones to anyone, so they naturally extended in all directions.
Now he realized they could be concentrated in one place.
After examining the ring for a moment, Henry suddenly thought of his own situation.
‘Can I put mine in too?’
But then he quickly shook his head.
Living as a Beta, Henry had never felt his own pheromones. How could he infuse something he couldn’t even feel?
“…Hm?”
Henry suddenly sensed something odd and looked up.
He glanced around and noticed that Violet seemed unaffected, but Henry’s expression grew serious.
“Is something wrong?” he asked.
“Don’t you smell something?”
Concentrating on his sense of smell, Violet slowly shook her head. She didn’t notice anything different from before. Henry, after assessing his reaction, gestured towards the door.
“You should go now.”
“Understood. Please call me again if needed.”
As Violet discreetly left, Henry continued to look down at the ring he had been holding. The gem’s color had subtly changed, unlike when he first saw it.
“Could it be…”
Henry’s expression hardened as he looked at the ring. The once brilliant red gem had faded slightly, and its sparkle had intensified, making it noticeably different from before.
Half-jokingly, he had tried infusing his own pheromones into the ring, thinking it wouldn’t work—but it had clearly reacted.
Moreover, there was a strange scent that Violet hadn’t noticed, which only added to Henry’s confusion.
“Is this really my pheromone?” he wondered.
Henry looked at the window, wondering if the scent had come in through the open window, left open because of Edwin. But deep down, he knew it was an excuse to avoid facing the situation.
The scent now surrounding him was undeniably his own. Pheromones were said to manifest like a scent, and his sense of smell had been the first to respond.
Henry closed his eyes for a moment, trying to sense his own pheromones. While Edwin’s pheromones felt heavy, his own had a fresh, crisp scent—like that of a freshly picked apple.
“Does even the scent reflect the person?”
A deeper, richer scent would have been preferable. But since pheromones were beyond one’s control, Henry quickly resigned himself. This wasn’t the time to dwell on whether he liked his scent or not.
“Why is my pheromone, which has been blocked until now, suddenly coming out?”
Was it because of the incomplete imprint?
“Let’s think about this positively. It’s not like I was someone without pheromones anyway. So maybe it was just a temporary break, and now they’re back… Oh.”
Henry tried to hypnotize himself but failed. It was as if he had suddenly caught a whiff of his own armpit smell—though it was far better than that, he felt the same discomfort.
Henry grabbed his head.
“Where did it go wrong?”
Then, a thought flashed through his mind.
“Could it be that the imprint has faded?”
* * *
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I’m excited
Faded?? I think, it’s the opposite since Edwin is so keen in drowning, bombing, and suffocating you with his pheromones that is only exclusive for you. You might become a dominant omega at this rate or ‘worst’ you might go back to your estate pregnant at this rate.
Thanks
what happened?
Nah its really impossible to fade
Good luck baby