* * *

“Careful. Don’t trip and start whining again.”

“I don’t whine. I’m not a kid.”

“I’ve told you before, even kids these days aren’t like you.”

“…Shut up.”

Leaning on Ashton for support, Remy safely made it out of the water.

Ashton casually peeled off his soaked shirt, wrung it out, and hung it on a branch to dry.

Remi, standing awkwardly, found himself wringing out his shirt while his gaze unintentionally wandered to Ashton.

His sharp V-shaped back was perfectly sculpted, leaving Remy staring for a moment before he shook his head, telling himself to snap out of it.

If he ever reincarnated again, he swore to never end up in a role that required dealing with such annoyingly handsome alphas.

“Remy.”

Lost in his spiraling thoughts, Remy jolted when Ashton called his name.

“W-what?”

“What are you doing? Take your shirt off.”

“Me? Take it off?”

“Don’t you want to dry it? Or are you just going to wear it like that?”

“I mean, no, but…”

Remi racked his brain.

Could he really strip in front of that alpha?

The answer was a resounding no.

For one, he didn’t like the idea of undressing in front of anyone.

But more importantly… he couldn’t bear to compare his scrawny body to Ashton’s impressive physique.

‘We’re both men, but still. I hate feeling inferior.’

“No, it’s fine. It’ll dry quickly in this heat.”

“Won’t it feel uncomfortable being wet?”

“Not at all. Totally fine.”

“Suit yourself.”

Ashton didn’t press further. Instead, he sat beside Remy, pulling out a towel he’d set aside earlier.

“Come here. I’ll dry your hair.”

Remi blinked in surprise but obediently sat down, looking up at Ashton.

A soft towel landed on his platinum-blonde hair, and Ashton gently began drying it.

‘Hmm. This feels nice… Why does this feel so nice?’

Was it because he was exhausted from swimming?

Sitting in the cool breeze while Ashton dried his hair felt incredibly soothing.

Before he knew it, Remy found himself leaning into the touch like a cat seeking affection.

“Feels good?”

“Huh?”

“Me drying your hair. You like it?”

“Well… I wouldn’t say that…”

Struggling to come up with a denial, Remy fell silent.

“Your hair is so soft. Even wet, it slips right through my fingers.”

Remy flushed.

Compliments about his hair were a first and felt oddly embarrassing.

“Maybe I should thank your mother, the countess, for giving you this.”

“Why would you thank my mom for my hair?”

“Because I’m the one enjoying it now.”

“…”

“So, I hope it’s always me. The only one who gets to touch your hair.”

Remy pouted but couldn’t stop his heart from racing.

Surely he was coming down with some sort of illness.

How else could he explain this reaction?

His heart always went haywire whenever he was around Ashton.

“Whatever…”

Remy tried his best to hide his flushed face, though he wasn’t very successful.

“Remi.”

Ashton’s warm, tender voice struck a nerve in his already frazzled heart.

“Yeah?”

Reluctantly, Remy looked up, his face still burning.

Ashton had just finished drying his hair, the towel slipping away from Remy’s head.

“I…”

Ashton’s expression was serious, making Remy’s heart pound even harder.

The atmosphere felt strange—too intense.

Then, to make things worse, Ashton leaned closer.

Remy froze, his pulse hammering in his ears.

Sweet, intoxicating alpha pheromones carried by the breeze only added to his panic.

Ashton’s face was so close now.

Too close.

Remy thought he might actually die from the tension.

Should he turn away? Or firmly reject him?

But he couldn’t move.

This was too dangerous. Too much…

“Ah! Look over there!”

However, Ashton, who had been approaching, suddenly changed course and stood up.

Caught off guard, Remy followed his gaze.

And then, something unbelievable reflected in his eyes.

“Gasp…! No way.”

Where Ashton was looking, there stood a massive deer.

Not just any deer, but one with golden fur and enormous antlers.

“That’s… no way…”

“The Golden Stag.”

“Ashton…”

“It’s the Golden Stag. With golden fur and antlers. The legendary…”

Indeed, it was.

The deer, with antlers far larger than any ordinary one, was golden in color.

Its shimmering fur and antlers sparkled so brightly that both Remy and Ashton were left speechless.

They had thought such a creature existed only in legends, never imagining they’d see it with their own eyes…

“…”

Faced with the legendary creature, neither of them could speak.

The silence lingered for a long while, lasting until the majestic animal, out for what seemed to be a casual stroll, completely disappeared from sight.

Even though the Golden Stag had vanished, its lingering presence left a profound impact.

Both Remy and Ashton were unable to move for some time.

“It was really magnificent, wasn’t it…?”

It was Ashton who finally broke the silence. Remy, snapping out of his daze, turned to look at him.

“Yeah. It really was.”

Nodding in agreement, Remy shared Ashton’s sentiment.

The brief encounter with the Golden Stag felt like a dream, an almost surreal moment suspended in time.

“Your clothes are pretty dry now, huh?”

“Yeah.”

“Shall we head down?”

“Sounds good.”

Remy took Ashton’s outstretched hand and stood up.

While dusting off the dirt on his pants, Ashton grabbed the shirt he’d hung on a tree and slipped it on.

“Let’s go, Remy.”

Fully dressed, Ashton slung two hunting rifles over his shoulder.

As they began walking, Ashton casually draped an arm over Remy’s shoulders.

Though Remy frowned slightly, he didn’t push it away.

His heart thumped faintly, though not as frantically as before.

---

Unlike last time, the two managed to return to camp at the same time as the others without getting lost.

The central square was unusually loud compared to its usual bustling state.

“Just coming down now?”

Right on cue, Rex, who had been waiting for Ashton, approached.

Allen followed close behind him.

“Yeah. But what’s all the commotion about?”

“They say someone spotted the Golden Stag today.”

“What?”

“Looks like the winning family for this year’s competition has already been decided.”

For a moment, Ashton and Remy turned to look at each other, almost instinctively.

The beautiful deer they had seen earlier had apparently been hunted by someone.

“That’s ridiculous!”

Remy exclaimed, rushing toward the square.

The sight of the Golden Stag had overwhelmed him, filling his heart with awe and reverence for such a radiant, rare creature.

To think that it had been mercilessly hunted and dragged here…!

‘No. Not the Golden Stag. This can’t be happening!’

Ashton immediately followed close behind Remy, intent on comforting him if needed.

Together, they pushed through the crowd that had gathered in the square, making their way to the central platform.

“Ah…?”

Upon seeing the “Golden Stag” on display, Remy froze in place.

“That’s… supposed to be the Golden Stag?”

His disbelief was palpable. Ashton, equally stunned, halted beside him and stared up at the platform.

Lying there was a deer—its antlers large, and its fur a lighter shade of brown than usual.

But it was far from the legendary creature they had seen.

“Hah.”

Ashton let out a breath, almost like a scoff.

This deer didn’t even come close to being a Golden Stag.

To those who had never seen the real thing, it might seem convincing.

But to Remy and Ashton, who had witnessed the genuine article, it was nothing more than an ordinary deer.

“Pfft.”

* * *