* * *
“Yesterday, a group managed to acquire a treasure.”
“So the Grand Mage’s hidden cache was real after all?”
Henry sipped his tea, pretending not to notice Edwin’s gaze.
He had no intention of revealing to William that he had the pheromone stone, so it was only natural for him to feign ignorance.
“But no one knows what that treasure actually is.”
“Why is that?”
“Because the ones who found it collapsed. It seems they opened the treasure inside the cave, but no one knows why they fainted.”
“Are they alright?”
“They’re still unconscious. They keep mumbling about traps, but can you really trust the words of someone who’s out of their mind?”
“I see.”
Henry responded nonchalantly as he inhaled the soothing scent of the tea.
After spending so much time in the cold wind, even just the warmth of the tea was enough to make him feel drowsy.
He debated whether to soak in hot water or head straight to bed once he returned to his room.
“And some of them even claim the trap was set by someone with bright hair—blonde? Platinum? In any case, it’s hard to say how much of it is believable.”
Henry’s hand, which had paused momentarily while holding the cup, resumed its motion as if nothing had happened.
His earlier musings about a bath or sleep were completely forgotten as he carefully set the teacup down.
“Guess we’ll have to wait until they come to their senses to know what really happened. Still, it’s unfortunate they collapsed after claiming the treasure.”
Henry clicked his tongue in feigned disappointment while the crown prince’s gaze lingered on his hair.
“You have quite light hair yourself.”
“As do you, Your Highness.”
“Ah, right. And so does Kayla. Ha, ha. If we keep this up, we’ll start doubting everyone, won’t we?”
William apologized for the unwarranted suspicion, and Henry reassured him it was fine.
In the peaceful atmosphere that followed, Edwin, who had been sitting silently, let his gaze rest on Henry’s hair.
That hair—they really did see it, didn’t they?
“I waited for you because I have a favor to ask.”
William’s words sharpened Henry’s focus.
He had suspected as much when the prince had so easily shared information about the treasure.
Normally, William would expect something in return or at least ask where Henry and Edwin had been, but he hadn’t done so, which seemed suspicious.
“I’m planning to deal with the treasure hunters who’ve gathered, but there’s a problem. Hook came up with an idea, but it’s a bit tricky.”
“In what way?”
“The story isn’t solid enough to convince everyone.”
William explained the details of his and Hook’s conversation, revealing their plan to spread a rumor to quell the chaos at the entrance.
The idea of using a rumor was clever enough.
After all, the prince didn’t want to take direct action, as it would likely be perceived as oppressive.
“You’re not planning to scapegoat those who collapsed after finding the treasure, are you?”
“If we pinned all the blame on them, it would only make things more dangerous.”
“That’s true.”
Henry hadn’t expected the prince to make use of those three fallen men anyway.
In that case, they’d need a backup plan.
A believable story, huh…
“So, they claim to have seen someone?”
“Exactly. While they keep repeating that the hair color is light, the key point is that they’re mumbling about someone arriving before them.”
“Then use that to your advantage. Tell them that someone with truly light hair took it.”
At Henry’s suggestion, both Crown Prince William and Edwin turned to look at him.
The Crown Prince was curious about how to use this idea, but Edwin’s gaze was different.
So, you’re saying I should spread a rumor that I took it, even though it’s true?
“They say the Grand Mage left behind a substantial record of his pheromone research. Why not use that? We could hint that the treasure he left behind is related to pheromones, and claim that the three people who found it were led into a trap.”
Henry spun his tale effortlessly, and Crown Prince William nodded eagerly, clearly intrigued.
Edwin, on the other hand, didn’t show any outward reaction, but his pheromones were growing stronger.
Unable to bear it any longer, Henry shot Edwin a warning look.
“Tone down the pheromones.”
“Aren’t you being a bit shameless?”
Edwin responded with his own silent retort.
“What did I do?”
“It’s all true.”
The fact that Henry was spinning this as if he’d just come up with it on the spot was laughable to Edwin, who knew the full story.
As Edwin’s pheromones shifted to reflect his feelings, Henry glanced at the air in frustration before letting out a small chuckle.
Rumors aren’t hard to create. Just mix a bit of truth with a lie, and suddenly, they seem much more credible, less likely to be questioned.
Still holding Edwin’s gaze, Henry added firmly, “You could even say the item containing the pheromones was part of the Grand Mage’s research to release the one he loved.”
Henry couldn’t hold back his laughter at the look of disbelief spreading across Edwin’s face.
Edwin silently cursed, thinking to himself.
So, we’re just going to reveal everything, huh?
Once the Crown Prince took action, everything was resolved quickly.
As the rumors spread at an abnormal speed, those who saw no more benefit began to leave one by one.
While a few doubted the rumors, they were a minority, and in the end, the majority followed along.
Thus, the ‘Grand Mage’s Scheme’—a case that had caused a stir for months—was peacefully concluded.
The return trip was much more peaceful, perhaps because the journey there had been so arduous.
Henry rested his arm on the window frame and leaned his head against the wall, staring absentmindedly outside.
It was nice to take a better, more comfortable route since the Crown Prince hadn’t insisted on following the same path.
But there was another issue.
The Crown Prince’s attitude had changed.
After the trip, he started saying that he had seen a different side of Henry and was looking forward to the future.
He even began asking Henry for his opinion on things whenever an issue arose.
Even when Henry feigned ignorance, they still ended up discussing certain matters together.
Not that the Crown Prince was the main concern…
“Do you have a habit of banging your head against walls?”
A cushion was slipped between Henry’s head and the wall.
Henry, too tired to protest, briefly lifted his head before leaning it back against the cushion.
The new softness was nice, but it didn’t last long.
He frowned when he realized that Edwin, who had given him the cushion, hadn’t moved away.
He was about to wave Edwin off, but before he could even try, his hand was grabbed.
Henry’s lips twisted into a smirk at Edwin’s audacity for grabbing his hand without permission.
“Let go.”
“Why should I? You were obviously going to wave me off.”
“…”
How did he know?
It must have been obvious from his expression.
“You’ve done it so many times, you don’t even remember, do you?”
“Well, now you know why I keep doing it.”
Every time they met, Henry would react to Edwin’s pheromones, growling or snapping at him.
It was no wonder he didn’t want to be around him.
When Henry coldly pushed Edwin’s hand away, Edwin’s frustration manifested in his pheromones once again.
“I told you not to let those pheromones out.”
“I’m only reacting to yours.”
“But I’m not releasing any right now.”
“Then what’s this scent I’m smelling?”
Ever since Henry had become aware of pheromones, he’d been able to immediately recognize even the faintest hint of them.
He had a nose like a bloodhound.
Not wanting to engage any further, Henry turned his head away.
This was what had been bothering him lately—the way Edwin casually mentioned pheromones every time they were alone together.
It made Henry hyper-aware of their bond.
As he stared out the window, Henry searched for something to say to get Edwin to back off.
They had arrived by horseback, so why not leave the same way?
Yet Edwin hadn’t budged from his seat in the carriage, which annoyed Henry to no end.
Taking advantage of a momentary stop, Henry pointed outside.
“That’s your horse, right? Why don’t you ride it back?”
“I’ll decide for myself.”
“This is my carriage.”
Clearly signaling that he didn’t want Edwin around anymore, Henry’s tone finally seemed to irritate him.
Edwin narrowed his eyes in response, but it wasn’t enough to intimidate Henry.
“You know, you’re a peculiar one.”
“If you’re going to spout nonsense, at least preface it with some sort of explanation.”
“I’ve heard that those who are imprinted are supposed to only have eyes for each other for life. So why do you avoid me?”
Henry’s mouth fell open in disbelief.
“Are you seriously asking that? We didn’t complete the imprinting process properly, remember?”
He had explained multiple times that they hadn’t fully imprinted due to the lack of physical contact.
“And you’re the one who kept pushing me away all this time, and now you’re talking about imprinting?”
“If being constantly aware of you is part of the imprint’s effect, then I guess it makes sense.”
“No, it’s not. It can’t be. Because you hardly ever paid attention to me.”
If anything, Edwin had only started hovering around him during this trip.
Before that?
Nothing.
* * *
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Loving it
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