* * *
It was then that Chaeyi noticed a faint sound near the door.
Pausing mid-sigh, he turned his head, listening closely.
The occasional clink suggested Leonard had left a guard stationed outside.
“Excuse me,” Chaeyi called out, leaning against the door.
As expected, there was no response.
The guard was likely tense, having been ordered by Leonard not to open the door under any circumstances.
“What happens if I break this door down?”
“W-What?!”
The startled voice on the other side betrayed the guard’s panic before quickly muffling itself.
Chaeyi could almost picture the poor soldier outside, fidgeting nervously.
“I’m asking, what happens if I force my way out?”
“P-Please don’t… I’m begging you…”
It seems Leonard had issued some rather intimidating warnings.
‘Really now.’
Chaeyi couldn’t bring himself to act recklessly and risk the guard getting into trouble.
After all, this was an issue between him and Leonard.
The guard was just an unwitting pawn caught in the middle.
Still, Chaeyi didn’t realize Leonard might have done this deliberately, using the guard as a buffer.
“Hm.”
Returning to the bed, Chaeyi crossed his arms and mulled over his options.
Truthfully, acting without thinking would’ve been easier on his conscience.
That’s how he’d always operated when he was alone.
But this wasn’t just about him anymore—it was about Leonard too. Leonard, who had a tendency to charge ahead without brakes.
Someone needed to keep their head straight, and it seemed that responsibility fell to Chaeyi.
‘The elders are already looking for any excuse to interfere, watching us like hawks.’
Bonding now, under these circumstances, would only fuel their scrutiny.
‘I need to calm Leo down first.’
But how?
With himself locked in, there wasn’t much he could do except wait.
And trying to reason with Leonard after he returned was a fool’s errand.
Chaeyi knew better than anyone that once Leonard’s mind was set, persuasion was pointless.
As Chaeyi pondered, an idea struck him.
‘Wait…’
Rising, he approached the window and slid it open.
Cool night air rushed in, carrying with it a faint sense of liberation.
The window was large enough for an adult male to squeeze through, though the drop below was steep.
“……”
Surveying the surroundings, Chaeyi retrieved something from a drawer: a resonance flute given to him by Silviet during their battles with the elves.
Silviet had told him to use it whenever he needed help, and Chaeyi had kept it safe ever since.
‘Maybe I can quietly summon Silvie.’
The plan was simple: call Silvie, escape the mansion with their help, and avoid Leonard altogether.
Risky, but the darkness of night offered some cover.
After a brief hesitation, Chaeyi brought the flute to his lips.
Partly out of defiance toward Leonard’s high-handedness, he blew into it with determination.
Whoooosh.
When the flute was played, the same clear and refreshing sound as before resonated in the air.
It felt like several tens of minutes passed as Chaeyi sat there, waiting in silence.
Eventually, a question arose in his mind: Could the sound of the flute reach Silviet’s house from here?
He was likely at his home now, and Chaeyi doubted the sound would carry that far.
Last time, when Chaeyi visited Silviet’s family lair, he realized how far it was from Combest.
Of course, the return trip didn’t take long, thanks to Silviet flying him back.
‘Maybe he didn’t hear it? Even if he did, it might take him a while to get here.’
If he couldn’t come on time, it couldn’t be helped.
‘Should I try tearing down the curtains and tying them together to make a rope?’
Chaeyi wasn’t sure how long the curtain scraps could hold my weight, but as long as he landed properly, he might avoid serious injury.
Just as Chaeyi seriously contemplated this and gazed out the window, it happened.
Knock, knock.
The sound of someone tapping on the window, which Chaeyi had slid upward to look outside, startled him.
His head whipped around, and Chaeyi locked eyes with a pair of yellow ones, belonging to something hanging upside down.
Upon closer inspection, it was Silviet.
“Silvi…!”
“Chaeyi, are you okay?”
When Chaeyi stepped back to let him in, Silviet spun gracefully and landed on the windowsill before slipping inside.
He caught his breath, which was slightly ragged, and spoke in a lowered voice, as though wary of being overheard.
Silviet had approached as quickly and discreetly as possible, knowing Chaeyi wouldn’t have called him without reason, especially at such a late hour.
Fortunately, dragons were adept at masking their presence, and by taking a roundabout route, no one noticed his arrival.
“Wow, it’s been a while. How’ve you been?”
In contrast, Chaeyi was so happy to see Silviet after a long time that he forgot about being confined and smiled brightly.
Silviet looked even more robust than the last time they met.
When Chaeyi pulled him in for a hug, saying, “Come here, let me hug you,” Silviet looked puzzled but didn’t resist and hugged him back.
“But more importantly, Chaeyi, why did you call me?”
“Ah.”
It wasn’t until then that Chaeyi recalled the current situation, his expression hardening as he raised his head.
Seeing this, Silviet also grew tense and focused.
“To get straight to the point, I had an argument with Leo.”
“What?”
“Let’s get out of here first. I’ll explain everything.”
With that, Chaeyi motioned Silviet to follow him out the window.
Silviet obediently complied but found it hard to believe.
Leo, of all people, argued with Chaeyi?
He’d always seemed like he’d yield no matter what, making it difficult to imagine a fight between them.
However, Silviet’s doubts were soon resolved.
As he carried Chaeyi on his back, flying away from the mansion unnoticed, Chaeyi recounted everything that had happened.
‘So that’s what it was. A lovers’ quarrel.’
Silviet felt his shoulders, tense from the earlier tension, relax.
Still, he couldn’t blame either of them. Leo must have been upset, thinking Chaeyi was avoiding him, while Chaeyi likely felt frustrated that Leo wasn’t being realistic enough.
As they flew far from the mansion, Silviet asked, “Should I deal with those nasty elders for you? Quietly, of course.”
“Silviet.”
“Okay, okay. I’m just an outsider, so it’d be easier for me.”
Chaeyi’s sharp gaze narrowed as he glared at Silviet’s back.
Why was it that both Leo and Silviet defaulted to “Should I just kill them all?” so easily?
Sure, if anyone truly threatened Leo, Chaeyi wouldn’t hesitate to dirty his hands, but that would be the absolute last resort.
For people who didn’t get along, their thought processes were oddly similar.
As Chaeyi mulled over this, Silviet, sensing the glare on his back, gave an awkward laugh and made a wide turn.
“So, Chaeyi, what’s your plan? Are you not going back at all tonight? If you stay away too long, Leo will probably be furious. Knowing him, he’s probably already searching for you.”
“Hmm.”
“If you want, I could come with you and try to persuade him. There might even be a way to increase the chances of reawakening. I could look into relevant documents while I’m at it. Honestly, the most peaceful way to resolve this might be for you to accept being an Omega.”
That made sense.
Silviet was right. Chaeyi let out a small sigh.
If there really was another way to increase the reawakening chances, it would be great.
For now, having Silviet help persuade Leo seemed like a good idea.
“Thanks. How long have we been out?”
“Probably close to two hours.”
“That long already… He’s definitely looking for me. Let’s head back.”
“Got it!”
Silviet nodded and began a wide turn in the sky toward the mansion.
But just then, as if something had occurred to him, he asked, “By the way, Chaeyi, did you eat something sweet today?”
The question was sudden and out of nowhere.
“Huh? No, I didn’t eat anything like that. Why?”
“Really? I’ve been smelling something sweet from you. Like vanilla cookies or something soft and sugary.”
Silviet leaned his head slightly toward Chaeyi, sniffing.
“Yeah, it’s a cozy, sweet scent. Kind of like vanilla.”
How strange.
Even if Chaeyi had eaten a ton of vanilla cookies, it wouldn’t make his body smell like this.
Not unless he’d doused himself in the stuff.
And then, it hit him.
‘Ah.’
A memory of Leo’s first reawakening flashed through Chaeyi’s mind.
‘…Could it be?’
His heart began to race at the thought of a possibility he hadn’t considered before.
* * *
