* * *
At first, Sylvian had been so startled by the smallest things, unsure of how to react.
Now, he had reached the point where he could regret the things he had missed.
Zeroth was glad to see this change, yet he disliked the way Sylvian’s face fell.
“But instead, Sylvian, you met me.”
His face flushed at those words, and it was utterly adorable.
“When Yuri arrives, I can be friends with him, right?”
“Whatever you want, Sylvian.”
How generous.
The words—wasn’t it a good thing that you met me?—almost made him tear up out of sheer frustration.
Fine.
It was still better than being thrown into the hands of some creepy alpha because of his marquis father.
This guy was weird, too, but at least he had ended up in the hands of a decent lunatic.
Besides, it was true that he had lived comfortably in the duke’s household for the past year.
As an obstacle to the main characters, it was only right for him to disappear.
Judging by Zeroth’s reaction, he might have avoided the death ending.
Sylvian grinned and gulped down the wine Zeroth handed him.
He failed to notice the way Zeroth’s gaze darkened as he watched him, only focused on how delicious the wine was, his lips curling into a satisfied smile.
“Sir Sylvian, are you all right?”
“Ugh…”
‘I need hangover soup.’
Sylvian shook his head at Penny’s question.
He couldn’t remember when he returned to the ducal estate.
He distinctly recalled having dinner and excitedly boarding a ship, but after that, everything went black.
At least he was relieved that no matter how drunk he got, he wouldn’t have blurted out nonsense.
If he lost consciousness, he simply became Sylvian himself.
“When did I come back?”
“You returned early in the morning.”
“I don’t remember yesterday. I drank some really delicious wine…”
Penny chuckled at the sight of the duchess burying his face in the blanket and mumbling.
“I really need to rest. I’m doing nothing today but sleeping.”
“Would you like some hangover soup?”
“That, I’ll have.”
At her words, Sylvian groggily lifted himself up.
“Gasp.”
The marks left by Zeroth were clearly visible beneath his nightwear.
His body was covered in splotches, and Sylvian hurriedly clutched at his clothes, awkwardly glancing at Penny.
Of course, he wouldn’t have been left alone while drunk.
Penny, unfazed, simply helped him change his clothes.
“What about Ruai?”
“The Duke said it seemed you didn’t have enough clothes and ordered Madam to have more tailored for you.”
“…Huh?”
There were already plenty of clothes he hadn’t even worn yet.
Sylvian gaped at Penny’s words.
“No, that won’t do!”
On top of that, his mother was visiting Madam’s boutique today.
As Sylvian tried to move hastily, he staggered, and Penny quickly supported him.
“Don’t worry. The Duchy won’t go bankrupt over this.”
Thinking Sylvian was concerned about the estate’s finances, Penny reassured him confidently.
The Duke may have had a nasty temper, but he was rich.
The only reason she hadn’t quit working in this terrifying ducal household was that as long as she kept her mouth shut, she could earn several times more than anywhere else.
And ever since Sylvian arrived, the ducal estate had softened considerably.
Naturally, the Duchess had every right to enjoy all of its luxuries.
It made sense why the Duke hadn’t entrusted him with any domestic affairs—who would want their sweet, adorable spouse working right after marriage?
Especially when he spent more time lying down with his husband than sitting up.
It was a misunderstanding on Penny’s part, but an entirely reasonable one.
“Still, I already have so many clothes… Just tell Ruai to come back…”
“If he does, he’ll be executed for defying the Duke’s orders—”
“E-Executed?!”
Beheaded? Right, beheaded.
Sylvian reached up to feel his neck.
After the wedding, there had been a servant who was executed.
A male Omega from a viscount’s household, he couldn’t accept that Sylvian had become the duchess.
He had subtly belittled him and looked down on him.
Within a few days, Zeroth found out and took care of it—swiftly and cleanly.
Having witnessed that firsthand, Sylvian had sworn never to defy Zeroth.
Lately, though, he found himself whining at him more and more.
Zeroth never said much and simply indulged him, making Sylvian push the boundaries little by little.
Not that it mattered. He’d be discarded next week anyway. It was pointless.
“Haa…”
“Where is the Duke?”
“He’s at the Imperial Palace.”
Sylvian silently declared to himself, ‘Today is a day off!’
Then, after eating his special hangover soup, he flopped back into bed.
“Greetings, Duke Zeroth Graham!”
Zeroth was about to ignore the greeting and walk past when he suddenly stopped in his tracks.
Golden wheat-colored hair, confident amber eyes—his lips twisted slightly.
As he frowned, the young man quickly continued speaking.
“My name is Yuri Holt! A student of the Academy’s knight division, recently appointed as a trainee in the 2nd Knight Order for the winter break! It is an honor to meet the esteemed Duke!”
‘So this is the Yuri Holt that my dear wife has been so eager to meet.’
Zeroth’s gaze slowly scanned the young man’s face.
Sharp, intelligent eyes, a firm jawline—he looked nothing like what Zeroth remembered.
Different.
And yet, why did he seem so familiar?
A pale hand extended toward him, accompanied by a bright smile—
The image flashed through his mind, and Zeroth let out a deep sigh, shaking off the thought.
There was something more important at hand.
“The Countess described you as…”
A delicate boy who seemed like he’d be swept away by the wind.
Yet, no matter how he looked at it, the young man before him didn’t match that description at all.
“Are you an imposter?”
Zeroth muttered as he took in the broad shoulders, well-developed chest muscles, and tanned skin.
Or perhaps the Countess simply wished her son looked like this.
Maybe that was why she’d taken a liking to Sylvian.
“Haha! No way! I am indeed Yuri Holt, one of the Empire’s rare male Omegas!”
Yuri let out a hearty laugh as if to prove he wasn’t lying.
Then, as if it were the most natural thing, he shouted, “Hyaaah!” and released his pheromones.
Zeroth scoffed at the ridiculous display.
He thought of Sylvian, who must be eagerly waiting for Yuri.
He’d been so eager to meet him.
The thought of Sylvian watching Yuri with admiration made Zeroth’s blood boil.
He needed to train this boy until every muscle was obliterated.
If his wife so much as showed the slightest hint of admiration or interest, he’d want to kill him on the spot.
It didn’t matter if this boy reminded him of someone from the past.
Now, he had Sylvian.
Zeroth’s eyes burned with determination as he stared at Yuri.
“Guh…! Hngh…!”
“Can’t even handle this properly?”
“S-Sorry…! Hic—!”
Zeroth coldly chastised Yuri, who was trembling and barely holding himself up.
The once-proud young man’s face was now contorted in pain.
“Haa… J-Just a little slower…”
“So, all that talk about being honored to meet me was a lie?”
“N-No, sir!”
Yuri bit down hard on his lower lip at Zeroth’s words.
The sight of his quivering lips brought back yet another forgotten face.
But that person wasn’t Yuri.
And Zeroth had no need to dwell on the past.
Regret and despair were for fools.
There were times when old emotions would resurface upon seeing Yuri.
But that damned muscle-bound body of his quickly snuffed them out.
“Duke Graham, you’re going to kill our trainee at this rate.”
“The Academy wouldn’t send someone so weak that they’d die from this.”
By tomorrow, this brat would be meeting Sylvian.
Zeroth chose to keep their encounter at the palace a secret.
He couldn’t bring himself to say it.
Sylvian had probably believed the Countess’s words without question.
And there was no way he’d let him see this version of Yuri.
Zeroth’s expression remained dark, and Aihin furrowed his brows, wondering what exactly Holt’s young master had done wrong.
While still lacking, Yuri was an exceptional trainee.
Even Omegas could become knights.
‘I’ve never seen a trainee work harder than him. So what’s the problem?’
Aihin pitifully watched Yuri, who had somehow ended up rolling around with them during training.
* * *
