* * *
It was none other than Delion.
Although Leonard had been seen returning with Chaeyi, Delion had decided to stop by the Onyx estate to discreetly check in, as Leonard’s condition earlier had seemed far from ordinary.
What he hadn’t planned for, however, was running into Chaeyi like this.
As he ascended the corridor, he hesitated mid-step, startled by the unexpected encounter.
Chaeyi, equally surprised to see Delion suddenly appear, found himself momentarily at a loss for words.
The air between them became awkward in an instant.
Just as both were pondering how to react to the situation, Enoch stepped in and took the lead.
“Well, I’ll be taking my leave now.”
His farewell was perfectly natural.
He bowed to Chaeyi first, then to Delion as he passed by, before disappearing down the hallway.
Left alone, the two remaining men found themselves even more ensnared in awkward silence.
“What brings you here?” Chaeyi eventually broke the ice, addressing the question to Delion.
Now that he’d been confronted, it felt ridiculous to simply leave without saying anything, so Delion, unable to fully hide his unease, stepped closer to Chaeyi.
As he approached, the unfamiliar scent of pheromones wafting from Chaeyi reached him—a signal that things had gone well.
Still, he made no mention of it.
“Ah, I just wanted to check on Leonard’s condition,” Delion said.
“Oh, he’s sleeping right now. Must’ve been tired from work,” Chaeyi replied.
It wasn’t work, though.
The words almost escaped Delion’s lips, but he swallowed them back.
“Good… If he’s fine, that’s all that matters.”
The conversation came to an abrupt halt. But leaving things as they were felt unbearably awkward.
Hoping to extend the dialogue and create a more natural parting, Chaeyi sought something else to say.
Casual small talk seemed like the right choice, yet what slipped from his mouth instead was a thought he’d harbored for a long time.
“When he was young, he could’ve used that kind of attentive care, too. Leonard, I mean.”
The words came out sharp and pointed.
“……”
Delion said nothing—not out of disdain, but because he looked too ashamed to respond.
Perhaps that’s why Chaeyi’s sudden surge of emotion ebbed slightly, like a dam breaking only to let the waters settle.
A silence, brief yet stretching endlessly, filled the space.
Eventually, Delion rubbed the back of his neck, his expression tinged with guilt, and spoke hesitantly.
“You’re right… There’s truth in what you said.”
It was a quiet admission of guilt.
His face, usually impassive, betrayed the weight of his remorse.
The unexpected concession left Chaeyi more confused than anything.
And it made him wonder—what was Delion truly feeling?
“If you were just going to regret it later, why did you do it in the first place?” Chaeyi asked.
Again, Delion fell silent.
He could have easily taken offense, but instead, he looked like a scolded child, lowering his head.
“To tell you the truth…”
After a pause, Delion finally began.
“I didn’t regret it from the start. At the time, I thought it was only natural. I know now it’s something deserving of contempt. I’m not trying to make excuses, but back then… I couldn’t see past my own blinders.”
Seeing that Chaeyi was quietly listening, Delion continued, as if unburdening secrets he’d carried for too long.
“The Lancaster family’s rules were arChaeyic. But as children, we couldn’t escape them. We were raised to accept them, strictly and without question. Those who lost the succession battle were typically killed by the victor, offered up as sacrifices. Others might earn pity and be exiled, or swear lifelong loyalty to the main family as a branch member.”
Delion paused briefly before continuing.
“Things began to change under the previous head of the family—my father. Perhaps he realized change was inevitable as the influence of the branch families grew. He gave me and my siblings the choice to avoid bloodshed in the succession struggle. But by then, it was already too late. Having been raised under such strict conditioning, I, too, ascended to this position by walking over my siblings’ corpses. Rejecting the ‘failures’ was a matter of survival.”
Delion, who had been staring at the ground, raised his head.
“And so… I exiled Leonard. I felt ashamed that a child of our bloodline couldn’t manifest their abilities by the age of nine. I thought he’d eventually drag me down. Bennex… had no choice, because of me and because of Lancaster.”
His voice, steady but laden with sorrow, carried a remorse that reflected in his eyes.
As he spoke, he recalled the image of Bennex suppressing tears when he declared Leonard’s “removal.”
Even now, watching Bennex struggle to interact with Leonard as if their past transgressions were a barrier, Delion felt both regret and guilt.
“When that exiled boy returned as a grown man, I was honestly terrified. He looked as though he could kill me at any moment. And yet, do you know what he said?”
Delion gave a bitter smile, his lips curving faintly upward.
“‘I’m not going to waste my energy on revenge against you.’ And, ‘Be grateful to the one person who kept your necks attached.’ That person must have been you.”
It echoed part of what Chaeyi had once heard from Oscar.
Delion, after regarding Chaeyi with an unreadable expression, returned to his earlier train of thought.
“Not only did Leonard manifest as a dominant Alpha, but he also embodied the virtues of a true successor. He turned from a failure into a victor. Even Ailen, who could have easily been killed, was spared because Leonard refused to follow the old rules. That led to the most peaceful succession in our history. After witnessing that, I began to wonder if I’d been wrong all along.”
“……”
“That’s when the regret set in. For everything I had done—for all the atrocities I committed against Leonard. Admitting my choices were wrong is like denying my very existence, and yet… I’ve come to accept it. Lancaster will be fine under him now.”
Chaeyi had manifested as an Omega, too.
Leonard would shape Lancaster however he desired, and Delion believed he no longer had a place in that vision.
He seemed to regard himself as little more than an outsider.
Sensing that, Chaeyi asked, “Aren’t you going to reconcile with Leonard?”
Delion hesitated, rubbing his forehead in discomfort.
His eventual response was a resigned, “It’s too late.”
The words sounded all too familiar, and Chaeyi let out a dry laugh.
“You sound just like Ailen,” he said, shaking his head. “Like father, like son.”
“What do you mean?”
“Aelan said it himself—he thought it was already too late to reconcile with Leo.”
Delion fell into silent contemplation, his expression deep in thought.
Chaeyi watched him quietly for a moment before adding, “Do you know what I told Aelan back then?”
Delion looked at Chaeyi, his gaze quietly urging him to continue.
With a faint smile, Chaeyi replied,
“‘t’s not too late even now.”
Delion’s pupils quivered slightly as they reflected Chaeyi’s figure.
He clenched his hands and furrowed his brow, as though trying to suppress his emotions.
Once shaped into a monster by the cruel traditions of his family, Delion, at his core, was nothing more than a clumsy, ordinary father.
“Do you think that’s true?”
“If he tries, yes.”
“…I see. Thank you.”
Delion muttered his thanks a few more times under his breath before excusing himself, saying he’d unintentionally taken up too much of Chaeyi’s time.
After seeing him off, Chaeyi returned to his room, feeling unexpectedly relieved.
The next morning.
Chaeyi awoke early, finding himself in the bed he’d shared with Leonard, who was still fast asleep beside him.
Glancing at Leonard, Chaeyi noted how peacefully he slept, aside from a bit of tossing and turning during the night.
Chaeyi carefully tried to slip out of bed to let Leonard sleep a bit longer.
Or so he intended.
As he turned to lower his legs off the bed, Leonard stirred awake and wrapped his arms around Chaeyi’s waist, pulling him back.
“Chaeyi… sneaking off somewhere again?”
Leonard’s voice was heavy with sleep, his words slow and lazy.
His eyes barely opened, but the cheeky tone in his voice made Chaeyi chuckle.
Amused, Chaeyi ruffled Leonard’s messy hair before settling back into the bed.
Ever since Leonard grew up, he hadn’t been this unguarded.
Seeing him like this today felt new.
Perhaps all the unseen stress he’d been carrying had finally eased, leaving him relaxed for once.
“I didn’t want to wake you, so I was trying to get up quietly.”
“When did I even fall asleep?”
“You dozed off while we were talking about pheromone control last night.”
“Ah…”
Leonard mumbled something incoherent, his words lost in drowsiness.
Amused, Chaeyi laughed and placed a gentle kiss on Leonard’s pale forehead.
“Sleep a bit more,” he murmured, patting Leonard’s back.
Leonard, obedient as ever, nodded without complaint.
‘Come to think of it.’
Chaeyi realized something.
He had never said those words to Leonard.
Admittedly, it felt embarrassingly awkward to put them into words, but wasn’t expressing affection important?
And right now, it felt like something he could do.
“Leo.”
“Mhm.”
Chaeyi leaned in close, whispering softly to the half-asleep Leonard.
“I treasure you deeply and love you.”
Leonard blinked, opening his eyes slightly to look up at Chaeyi.
His expression, half-dazed and stunned, was unintentionally comical.
“Say it again.”
“I love you.”
“…One more time.”
“What? I already said it twice.”
“Not enough to wake me up.”
“Go back to sleep, you brat.”
Embarrassed, Chaeyi scolded him lightly.
That’s when Leonard’s eyes, now sparkling with mischief, curved into pretty crescents.
Awake enough to cause trouble, Leonard turned into an impromptu “kiss monster,” assaulting Chaeyi with affection from the early morning.
And so, the two of them continued, their love unwavering—now and always.
-The End
* * *
