* * *
Leonard’s hand, which had been reaching out to grab Chaeyi, faltered.
His thoughts scrambled as he tried to process what he had just heard.
That was when he noticed it—a faint, unfamiliar scent wafting from Chaeyi.
Soft and sweet, almost like vanilla.
It mingled naturally with Chaeyi’s warm, comforting scent.
What was this scent?
Leonard stared blankly at Chaeyi, unable to grasp the situation.
Meanwhile, Chaeyi held out a piece of paper he had brought from somewhere.
It was a scented sheet, dyed in a blend of pink and apricot tones.
“Remember the scented paper you bought when you were a kid? There was one left that I didn’t use. I kept it because it felt too precious to throw away. When I moved into the mansion, I brought it along, thinking I might give it to someone someday… but I didn’t expect I’d end up using it myself. Well, here we are.”
Chaeyi laughed sheepishly.
A few minutes earlier, he had quickly recognized the signs of his manifestation and dashed to his room.
There, in a corner of his storage box, he found the forgotten scented paper.
After confirming his suspicions, he immediately went to find Leonard.
Since this solved the issue that had been troubling them for so long, Chaeyi thought Leonard would be happy.
But contrary to his expectations, Leonard’s reaction was lukewarm.
Feeling self-conscious, Chaeyi began to wonder if he had gotten too excited by himself.
Then Leonard, who had been stepping closer, suddenly collapsed to his knees as if his legs had given out.
He sank to the floor like a puppet with its strings cut.
“Leonard! What’s wrong?”
Chaeyi was startled, thinking something was physically wrong with Leonard.
He hurried to help him up, but Leonard gently pulled Chaeyi’s outstretched arm, guiding him down instead.
Their faces were now inches apart.
Leonard raised his head and pressed his lips to Chaeyi’s.
His heart pounded loudly, mixing with the sweet pheromone scent emanating from Chaeyi, still new and unsteady in its control.
“…Leonard?”
When Leonard let out a sigh and lowered his head, Chaeyi examined him with a worried expression.
He had no idea that Leonard had been consumed by extreme emotions during his brief absence.
“Are you feeling unwell? Is it because of your rut?”
Leonard, still holding Chaeyi’s arm, remained motionless for a while.
Chaeyi crouched down to meet his gaze.
Leonard, now hazy-eyed, suddenly remembered something and looked up.
“Chaeyi, I… I took a suppressant.”
“Huh? You did?”
“Yeah. Suppressants block bonding from happening.”
If he had known this would happen, he would have held out longer.
Just moments ago, the world felt like it was ending, but now that Chaeyi was in front of him, it all seemed insignificant.
Chaeyi, surprised that Leonard had taken suppressants despite looking forward to this day, wasn’t too upset.
Instead, he was somewhat relieved to have more time to mentally prepare.
Although he felt a quiet anticipation, he was also still nervous about the unknown.
“I see. Well, it can’t be helped.”
“…Chaeyi, how did you leave the room earlier?”
“Uh… let’s talk about that back in the room.”
Realizing Leonard had already figured out his escape, Chaeyi racked his brain to come up with a way to keep Silviet out of trouble.
For now, he helped Leonard to his feet.
Exhausted and uncharacteristically docile, Leonard obediently followed Chaeyi.
Later that day, Chaeyi carefully explained the emotions he had felt and his reasons for sneaking out.
Leonard, understanding, apologized and pulled Chaeyi into a hug.
Though Leonard was adjusting himself to Chaeyi’s feelings, all Chaeyi saw was how endearing Leonard seemed.
“Chaeyi… I was worried. You weren’t in the room.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you worry.”
Chaeyi stroked Leonard’s back as he clung to him like a sulking child.
After a moment, Leonard tightened his embrace and kissed Chaeyi’s neck.
Chaeyi flinched from the ticklish sensation, and Leonard turned to look at him.
“Chaeyi, is it still hard to control your pheromones?”
“Why? Does the scent bother you? I honestly don’t know how to control it yet.”
Chaeyi sniffed at himself and tilted his head, confused.
While experienced Alphas and Omegas naturally learned to manage their pheromones, everything felt unfamiliar to Chaeyi.
Leonard couldn’t help but smile at how awkward he seemed.
“You’ll have to learn quickly, Chaeyi.”
Leonard didn’t want Chaeyi’s scent shared with anyone else.
Oblivious to Leonard’s possessive thoughts, Chaeyi assumed he was apologizing for the strong smell and felt guilty.
“What should I do?”
“Your pheromones are heavily influenced by your emotions… Try to calm your mind.”
Leonard spoke as he flopped onto the bed.
Chaeyi promptly followed his advice, taking deep breaths to steady himself.
As he focused more on his pheromones, he began to sense how to manage them.
He realized he needed to separate his emotions from his pheromones.
Once he got the hang of it, he felt confident that with enough time, he could master it completely.
When Chaeyi finally succeeded in containing his pheromones and turned to Leonard with a satisfied expression, he saw something unexpected.
“…Leo?”
Leonard had fallen asleep at some point.
Thinking he might be faking it, Chaeyi waved a hand in front of his face, but there was no reaction.
His chest rose and fell steadily, and his soft breathing was rhythmic.
He was genuinely asleep. It was a rare, defenseless sight of Leonard.
‘He did say he’s been busy with work. Maybe that’s why he’s so tired.’
Leonard was always beautiful, but seeing him asleep like this, he truly looked like an angel sent from heaven.
He even seemed to still have traces of the adorable boy he once was.
Smiling softly, Chaeyi pulled the blanket over Leonard’s body.
Just then, Enoch peeked his head into the room to check on the situation.
Worried Leonard might wake, Chaeyi quietly got up and stepped out with Enoch.
“Chaeyi! I was so worried when I heard you disappeared all of a sudden…”
Enoch lowered his voice, though he was clearly distressed, his feet fidgeting.
He looked as if he’d aged ten years from worry.
He must have been more concerned than Chaeyi had realized.
“Sorry,” Chaeyi apologized casually, but Enoch’s expression quickly shifted to one of surprise. His eyes grew wider and wider as if they might pop out of his head.
“What?!”
Enoch accidentally let out a loud exclamation before hurriedly clapping his hands over his mouth.
He lowered his voice again but couldn’t hide his excitement.
“Chaeyi! Is that… your pheromones?!”
When Chaeyi nodded in confirmation, Enoch lit up with joy, as if it were his own accomplishment.
He babbled about how perfect the timing was, wondering aloud if the gods themselves had lent their aid.
‘The gods’ help, huh…?’
Chaeyi couldn’t help but agree.
The timing of his manifestation was uncanny.
After all this time with no sign of it, to have it appear at the very moment he needed it most felt like a gift.
— Beloved child of the gods.
He suddenly recalled the words of the World Tree from his dream.
The phrase had felt so profound, yet its true meaning remained a mystery even now.
The World Tree hadn’t appeared again since that dream.
“Do gods… really exist?”
Chaeyi unintentionally voiced his thoughts aloud.
Enoch, interpreting it as a question, blinked in surprise before resting his chin on his hand in thought.
Though Chaeyi didn’t expect an answer, Enoch’s response was unexpected.
“I don’t know if gods are real, but there’s a legend. It’s said the World Tree was the first life the gods created, planting it to take root in this world. Of course, it could just be a story someone made up after seeing an impossibly large tree, or an exaggerated tale passed down by the elves.”
It was an intriguing story, even if, as Enoch suggested, it was likely fabricated or embellished.
“Either way, congratulations, Chaeyi. Now you have nothing to worry about!”
“Thanks.”
Seeing Enoch cheerfully clenching his fists in celebration, Chaeyi smiled faintly.
Reflecting on it, he realized just how much Enoch had helped him up to this point.
Though young and small, Enoch was a reliable and trustworthy friend.
“Thank you for everything, Enoch.”
Chaeyi spoke with genuine sincerity, which made Enoch blush and fidget awkwardly.
“Why are you talking like we’re saying goodbye? I’m staying by your side, no matter what.”
“Did it sound that way? Sorry. I just meant I’ll be counting on you from now on too.”
“Of course! I’ll do my best to support you!”
It was then they heard footsteps approaching from the direction of the stairs.
Both Enoch and Chaeyi paused their conversation and turned toward the sound.
Moments later, someone stepped into the corridor—a figure neither of them had expected to see.
* * *
