* * *
Lowell deliberately avoided meeting Zephyros by taking his meals in his room.
Observing Felix’s sharp reaction during a training session made him want to steer clear of unnecessary confrontations.
Though Felix seemed to try masking his irritation, his acting wasn’t good enough to fool Lowell.
Felix’s displeasure stemmed partly from Zephyros carelessly leaking pheromones after a grueling sparring session.
Even so, Lowell had no desire to create situations that would upset the person he liked.
‘It doesn’t seem like he suspects anything. He just instinctively dislikes it, right?’
After finishing his meal, Lowell strolled through the gardens with Tia, his knight.
Although “with” wasn’t entirely accurate—Tia trailed a step behind, guarding him from a respectful distance.
“Hello there.”
“Oh, Young Master.”
A gardener pruning a tree bowed awkwardly in response to Lowell’s greeting.
‘I should gradually close the distance with the staff.’
The recent incident had instilled strict discipline in the castle, but the atmosphere still felt overly rigid.
Additionally, rumors spread by former staff members who had left the estate painted Felix in a bad light.
To rectify misunderstandings and build trust, Lowell planned to foster a closer rapport with the remaining servants.
“Greetings again, Young Master.”
‘But for that to happen, he needs to leave first.’
Lowell sighed inwardly as Zephyros appeared before him.
Despite his efforts to avoid the man, they’d crossed paths during his walk.
He had let his guard down, assuming Zephyros would be too busy sparring to wander the grounds.
“Greetings to Zephyros of Maia.”
Lowell greeted him politely, but Zephyros waved it off with exaggerated enthusiasm.
“No need for such formality. Please, feel free to speak casually with me.”
‘Why would I ever feel the need to be casual with you?’ Lowell thought, though he maintained a courteous smile.
“I couldn’t possibly do that with an honored guest. I apologize if I’ve interrupted your stroll.”
This was a polite way of saying, ‘Let’s part ways as soon as possible,’ but the ever-oblivious Zephyros failed to catch the subtext.
“You’re not interrupting at all. In fact, I was hoping we could have a conversation. Would you spare me a moment?”
Glancing at Tia standing behind Lowell, Zephyros’s intent was obvious—he wanted to talk without the knight present.
Naturally, Lowell had no intention of accommodating that.
‘I wonder if he’s truly oblivious or just pretending.’
There was no strict rule that an Alpha and Omega had to maintain distance, but Felix had subtly warned Zephyros to leave Lowell alone.
Ignoring that and approaching Lowell now was suspicious at best.
“I’m sorry, but I’m not feeling well enough for a long conversation.”
Lowell deliberately rubbed his stomach and spoke in a strained tone.
Whatever Zephyros interpreted from this, he frowned sympathetically and leaned in as if to share a secret.
“Are you being monitored, even in your conversations with outsiders?”
The question was so absurd that Lowell was left speechless.
‘What nonsense is he imagining now?’
Tia, evidently thinking Zephyros was crossing a line, stepped forward protectively, placing herself between them.
“You may not come any closer without permission.”
Zephyros, seemingly resolute, declared, “I’ll come back to visit you again soon.”
The naive prince appeared to have solidified his misguided assumptions.
As Zephyros departed, Lowell muttered under his breath that such a visit was unnecessary, but the man left as if he already knew better.
Gripping his head, Lowell sighed. He could already feel the headache brewing.
“Did something happen?”
Back in the study, Felix eventually broke his silence.
Lowell had been staring at the same page in his book for some time, lost in thought about what trouble Zephyros might stir up next.
Startled, Lowell flinched.
“Oh, it’s nothing.”
Not wanting to give Felix a bad impression of Zephyros and risk creating discord, Lowell brushed it off with a light smile.
‘There’s no point in ruining relations with a guest staying at Nix unless I can uncover his intentions or connect him to the Emperor.’
“I heard that brat spoke to you again today.”
Felix referred to Zephyros as “that brat” without hesitation. Lowell instinctively glanced at Tia.
Reporting to Felix was natural, so he didn’t blame Tia, but the reaction was automatic.
Tia, sensing this, gave an apologetic nod.
Lowell chuckled softly and let it go.
“Yes, but it wasn’t anything important.”
This was a polite way of saying there was nothing worth reporting—Felix would likely have heard enough from Tia anyway.
“If he’s ever rude to you, let me know.”
“And what would you do, Your Grace? Punish him?”
Unable to resist, Lowell teased Felix.
But Felix took the question seriously, his expression firm as he nodded.
“If he’s an insolent guest, he needs to be warned.”
Felix’s resolute gaze made Lowell’s lips quiver.
He tried to keep his teasing smirk but failed, his expression softening instead.
Felix’s actions and demeanor, all so protective of Lowell, made him feel adored all over again.
“It hasn’t come to that yet. If it does, I’ll ask for your help. Is that alright?”
“Of course.”
Felix’s response was curt, but Lowell thought he detected a hint of embarrassment in his tone.
“Thank you for saying that—for me.”
Felix cleared his throat, his ears and nape noticeably flushed by Lowell’s candid confession.
“It seemed like you wanted to go for a walk. Shall we go together?”
“Yes.”
In truth, Lowell was nearly drained from his daytime outing, but he didn’t want to upset Felix by refusing his offer.
Besides, he genuinely wanted to take a walk with him, so he agreed readily.
“They say walking is good for pregnant people. Walking in water is supposed to be even better, but it’s impossible to enter the sea or rivers here in Nix.”
Felix seemed eager to explain that the walk was necessary, adding his thoughts with a slight awkwardness.
“Surely, being outdoors is better than lying around all the time.”
The crunch of snow underfoot sounded unusually loud.
As a mage and knight, Felix had a habit of moving almost silently, so the sound must have been coming from Lowell.
Even with little conversation, a peaceful atmosphere surrounded them.
“If you ever want to be in the water, I can arrange something underground. You’ve seen the bathhouse, so you know it’s possible to keep it warm using fire-attribute mana stones.”
After a long silence, Felix suddenly blurted out the suggestion, as though his mind had wandered.
‘Does he think I want to walk in water?’
Lowell didn’t respond immediately, tracing Felix’s thought process instead.
Reflecting on their previous conversations, it was clear Felix was worried about whether Lowell could adapt to Nix.
‘He might be worried I’ll miss the capital if I start longing for swimming. Or maybe he just wants to do something good for my health.’
Despite Lowell repeatedly insisting he had no attachment to the capital, Felix’s doubt still lingered.
Considering this, Lowell decided on a response that would address both concerns.
“Just walking like this with you is enough for me. I rarely ever swam in the sea or rivers, even in the capital.”
Lowell had enjoyed swimming in his previous body, but he wasn’t fond enough to justify asking Felix to build a pool.
“Alright.”
Felix grumbled quietly, clearly dissatisfied, but soon fell silent.
Then, Lowell stumbled over a tree root hidden by the snow.
“Lowell!”
* * *
