* * *

After a brief yet seemingly endless wrestling match with Jurgen, Hernan shifted locations at Anton’s request, letting out a faint sigh as he took a moment to gather himself.

Watching Jurgen confess how relentlessly he’d been thinking about him felt like trying to keep a cork from popping out of a bottle under too much pressure.

“…….”

As soon as Hernan stepped out of the dressing room, his earlobes flushed crimson as if he’d barely managed to contain himself.

Anton turned his head as though he’d witnessed something he shouldn’t have.

“Shall I have a servant bring you some cold water?”

Irina’s casual suggestion caused Hernan to hide his face with the back of his hand, unable to lift his head as he asked:

“Do I really look that awful?”

To such an obvious question, Anton let out a short laugh and replied.

“Yes.”

Then, with a disapproving click of his tongue, he shook his head as if lamenting Hernan’s pitiful state, delivering a final blow.

“Very much so.”

Of course, objectively speaking, Hernan hardly looked unpleasant.

While his competence as a superior might be up for debate, his unparalleled appearance alone was enough to make people line up just to witness the sight of him blushing and flustered.

But that was merely an outsider’s perspective.

From the standpoint of a subordinate responsible for getting their commander back on the field, it was simply an eyesore.

‘Who could have imagined that doll-like Grand Duke would make such an expression?’

Anton, who had remained at the front lines even after Hernan returned to the Yudenet estate, had first dismissed the soldiers’ irreverent rumors as nonsense.

Hernan, who withstood temperatures cold enough to cause frostbite without flinching and returned alone after destroying a monster’s nest amid a blizzard, was nothing short of a legend to those stationed with him.

The myth that the blood of dragons ran through the Yudenet family was well-known to anyone from Velon, but witnessing the terrifying power of their descendant was another matter entirely.

Could that really be possible?

How does he not freeze to death?

His inhuman endurance and monstrous stamina after days without rest confirmed that Hernan was anything but ordinary.

‘Maybe he’s a frost fairy who melts in the sun.’

‘What kind of nonsense is that?’

‘Think about it—how could anyone stand guard alone for a week and remain fine?’

Though most dismissed it as a joke, it seemed more plausible than believing such an ethereal and unflinching beauty was an ordinary human.

When rumors spread that Hernan had someone waiting for him in another region, the entire unit was thrown into chaos.

Was it a misunderstanding?

Or just a desperate attempt to humanize someone so far from ordinary?

Amid the speculation, someone boldly confessed: they had dared to profess their feelings to him and received a direct response.

Opinions ranged from, “How could you risk confessing to your superior?” to, “Well, with that face, it’s understandable.”

Meanwhile, Anton found himself wondering practically: if Hernan truly had someone in mind, just how beautiful must they be to catch the eye of someone who looks in the mirror and sees perfection?

Considering Hernan’s status as an Alpha, it wasn’t impossible that his partner was a male Omega.

Either way, how stunning must they be to capture the heart of someone like him?

Anton’s curiosity only grew, but his questions remained unanswered even after Hernan returned to the Yudenet estate and assumed his position as Grand Duke.

When Anton finally received orders to join the estate, he eagerly questioned Irina, who had already been living there.

Her description was cryptic.

“They seemed upright. If I had to choose between beautiful and manly, I’d lean toward the latter.”

So, what’s their gender?

Was it a man, based on the “manly” comment?

At Anton’s overly inquisitive question, Irina nodded slowly.

“A man? Then, an Omega?”

Just as there were female Alphas like Irina, male Omegas existed as well.

Though they were rarer than their female counterparts, it wasn’t uncommon enough to be surprising.

Anton’s theory, however, was quickly debunked.

“No. He’s a Beta.”

Irina seemed unwilling to gossip further, her brief explanation leaving Anton puzzled.

A Beta?

A man with a ruggedly masculine appearance?

Did this mean his Alpha superior had fallen for someone, setting aside the primal instincts of an Alpha?

Anton’s confusion deepened as he prepared to move to the estate.

The moment he met the rumored partner, his expectations of a burly macho man were dashed.

The person before him was strikingly handsome but in a completely unexpected way.

“Jurgen Nil Everdeen, huh.”

With a curt introduction, the man adjusted his glasses and returned his attention to his documents.

He was indeed handsome, though leaning more toward “sharp and refined” than “rugged.”

“He’s handsome, but…”

Anton had envisioned a more rough-and-tumble type.

Instead, Jurgen was meticulous, prickly, and oddly entertaining to tease.

What surprised Anton most was Hernan’s transformation around him.

Typically reserved and humorless, Hernan became playful, mischievous, and even teased Jurgen to the point of visible irritation.

Irina’s words hadn’t been a lie.

Witnessing Hernan blushing like a bashful young man after interacting with Jurgen was enough to make Anton question everything he thought he knew.

“Everdeen’s heir… He might seem mild-mannered, but seeing how he treats the Grand Duke, he’s clearly no ordinary man.”

What began as a reluctant duty to observe turned into a series of revelations, each one leaving Anton more bewildered than the last.

“Why does this man keep causing so much trouble…?”

Though Jurgen was a well-known businessman in the South, his motives seemed far from purely financial.

Without constant monitoring, he would voluntarily work late into the night

Hearing this alone nearly made Anton cry out in disbelief.

“Is he insane…?”

But Jurgen wasn’t insane.

He was prickly but approachable, meticulous yet genuinely thoughtful—a nightmare as a direct superior but fascinating as an acquaintance.

As a businessman and a superior, it’s admirable that he takes on difficult tasks himself instead of burdening others.

‘I get it, he’s a good person. But isn’t this a bit much?’

While it might make things easier for those around him, someone like Jurgen, who drives himself to the brink of overwork while being lenient with others, seemed anything but normal to Anton.

It was as though he couldn’t tolerate being idle.

Anton was well aware that some people couldn’t let themselves rest.

Usually, such behavior stems from a clear motivation, but just as Anton’s curiosity about Jurgen began to deepen, his long-time superior exhibited a shockingly unexpected side, leaving Anton momentarily blank with surprise.

“This guy’s not all there either.”

Hernan coughed a few more times to steady himself, then returned to the training ground with a composed expression.

Was he always like this, only appearing like a stoic ice sculpture due to the harsh northern climate?

Or was it that his superior lost his composure only in front of that workaholic?

Anton couldn’t determine the truth, but one thing was clear.

“We found additional traps in a nearby hunting ground. They appear to have been planted by outsiders.”

As soon as Hernan returned to the training ground, a reconnaissance team approached him, uniforms still disheveled, presenting their findings.

The traps were sturdy, designed to lure humans, and crafted in a way that northern hunters typically favored.

The metal snares were far too finely honed to be mere hunting tools for commoners.

The soldiers, upon inspecting them, were certain.

Whatever the motive, forces that had previously ignored Eudene were now revealing their fangs.

* * *