WMPW chapter 10

“Just for a moment, let me lean on you, Duke.”

While the Duke Leondine, known for his unparalleled self-control, struggled to calm his agitated mind and body, the audacious Omega, whose innocence or cunning was unclear, firmly seated himself next to the Alpha.

He gently rested his small head on Lucian’s broad shoulder, letting out a deep sigh.

“Haa…”

Every time Etienne exhaled, the carriage filled with a sweet scent that was almost intoxicating.

Unaware that Lucian’s body tensed involuntarily at the scent, Etienne buried his face deeper into the Duke’s shoulder, snuggling closer.

“Ah, I feel a bit more alive…”

While Etienne’s scent was a torment to Lucian, Lucian’s scent served as an excellent tranquilizer for Etienne.

Lucian could control his scent with ease, but Etienne could not. As a result, only Lucian suffered in silence.

“Traveling forward is definitely better than backward.”

“…I should have been more considerate when we first got on.”

Lucian’s long, soft chestnut hair lightly tickled the Alpha.

Irritated, Lucian involuntarily glanced at the delicate features beneath the chestnut hair—sharp nose, clear skin, and dense, thick eyelashes.

Mesmerized by the Omega for a moment, Lucian almost buried his face into the exposed white neck.

It seemed this damn trait overwhelmed even the respect for brilliant intellect with sheer lust.

…so thought Lucian. At least up to this point.

“You stay here. I’ll move to the other side.”

“Ah, just stay here.”

Etienne replied, rubbing his face so close to Lucian’s neck that their lips nearly touched.

“Your scent is nice.”

To Etienne, Duke Leondine, who wielded power that could bring down birds from the sky, was merely a convenient portable tranquilizer.

It was just unfortunate for Lucian that the pheromone glands, treated like a tranquilizer pocket, were located on his neck.

“Harrington, you…”

“Hmm… just call me Etienne. Casually.”

Where in this situation could he find any comfort? Lucian fell into a deep contemplation.

“Aren’t you sticking too close?”

“So what? We’re both men.”

Etienne nonchalantly responded to Lucian’s remark with a mindset typical of 21st-century South Korea.

Of course, this answer didn’t fit in this world, but Etienne hadn’t been here long enough for habitual thinking to change.

“…haven’t you learned how to manage your scent?”

“Ah, no.”

Etienne nodded at Lucian’s question. Then, in a voice filled with pure curiosity, he asked back.

“Is it bothering you?”

“A little.”

“That’s strange. I like your scent, so why is that?”

Lucian touched his forehead, feeling another headache coming on.

To hear an Omega say an Alpha’s scent is bothersome, and to say an Alpha’s scent is good without any ulterior motive—this Omega was truly astonishing.

And this astonishing trait was indeed pleasing… but how to deal with the beastly Alpha instincts that were also satisfied was a different matter.

“Well, since Alphas and Omegas perceive each other’s scents differently… it’s possible your scent feels unpleasant to me.”

“It’s not unpleasant, but…”

“Why is that? Could it be related to receptors? You know, like how people have different reactions to cucumbers.”

Lucian was momentarily speechless at Etienne’s chatter, then sighed and gave up.

“…never mind.”

Etienne didn’t know, but it was indeed a remarkable achievement. He had made the Duke Leondine give up the conversation first.

But only for a moment, as Lucian, who was clearly not normal, initiated the conversation again.

“But what are receptors?”

“Ah, receptors are… well, it’s a bit long to explain.”

“This research journal has many unfamiliar terms. Did you coin them yourself?”

At Lucian’s question, it was Etienne’s turn to flinch.

It couldn’t be helped, as to Etienne, the greatest crimes a scientist could commit were firstly, falsification, and secondly, stealing others’ credit.

Digging up graves and stealing corpses was acceptable, and experimenting on one’s own body was tolerable, but stealing others’ achievements was an unforgivable crime.

However, he couldn’t reveal that he was from another world…

“Well, sort of!”

Etienne quickly compromised with reality.

“Really? Impressive.”

“Haha…”

“But what is this chromosome thing that appears several times?”

“Ah, chromosomes carry genetic information…”

Etienne began explaining enthusiastically, like a fan praising their favorite. It was a detailed explanation with little consideration for the listener, but fortunately, Lucian followed along well.

“Do you understand?”

“Mostly.”

Unfortunately, this led to further questions.

“But how do you know such things?”

“Pardon? Ah, well…”

At Lucian’s sharp question, Etienne’s pupils quivered. Rarely flustered, Etienne racked his small brain desperately before blurting out anything that came to mind.

“Well, it’s not certain! I just formed a hypothesis. I made up the names too, haha…”

“But it’s quite specific. What phenomenon led you to this hypothesis?”

“Um… that… peas!”

“Peas?”

Sorry, Mendel.

I’ll be taking credit for your achievements.

Thank you and I’m sorry…

“Yes. When you crossbreed peas, you can observe traits being inherited, and I built theories from that.”

“Interesting.”

Lucian’s lips curled into a satisfied smile. Then, forgetting the earlier discomfort caused by the Omega’s boldness, he reached out and gently cupped Etienne’s cheek.

“You are indeed brilliant.”

His intense gaze pierced into the clear green eyes, as if to devour and capture them.

Just as Etienne’s pure thirst for knowledge was intense, Lucian’s desire for Etienne was equally fierce.

“You’re different from the other idiots.”

Though it was more provocative than necessary, Etienne was indeed the most special being Lucian had ever seen.

“I want to take you to my mansion as soon as possible. There’s so much I want to show you.”

“Show me things?”

“Yes. I’ve been conducting research on my own, but even with the data, it’s been hard to interpret… I’m sure you’ll be able to help.”

Lucian’s eyes glinted as he spoke.

“Can I expect great things?”

“Of course! Absolutely! Just trust me!”

At the confident reply, the young, violet eyes burned even more intensely.

“I’ll make sure to uncover everything you’re curious about, Duke!”

“Yes.”

It was a desire and obsession solely directed at Etienne, and it would remain that way.

“From this moment on, I will trust only you.”

* * *

After several days of traveling by carriage, Etienne arrived at the Duke’s mansion and immediately began to explore, wide-eyed.

Was it because of the mansion’s grand and antique appearance? No.

Because of the jewels and expensive artworks filling the mansion? That wasn’t it either.

Because of the numerous servants lined up to greet them? Definitely not.

“The room you’ll stay in is next to mine…”

“Oh, I don’t mind sleeping in the barn. Can I see the laboratory first?”

What surprised Etienne was the largest room in the mansion. A room equipped with various tools, including microscopes.

In other words, the mansion’s laboratory.

“This is insane…!”

The moment he saw the laboratory, Etienne’s eyes lit up, and he rushed in.

By modern standards, it was an old-fashioned laboratory, but considering the era, it was like something out of a sci-fi movie.

The more he looked around, the more he felt like crying from the overwhelming happiness.

Not only was it a fully equipped laboratory, but in one corner, there were stacks of research notes…

“This, this! These drawings! Duke, what did you observe to draw these?”

The contents exceeded his expectations.

“I observed those through a microscope. I didn’t know what it was, but it was unique, so I recorded it.”

“These are chromosomes! As I mentioned on the way here!”

“These?”

“Yes! This drawing by you is exactly the process of cell division!”

Etienne, red-faced and spitting in excitement, marveled aloud.

“Incredible, incredible! You observed this with modern technology?”

This was truly beyond imagination. The laboratory was filled with unpolished gems. If the data Lucian couldn’t interpret were correctly analyzed, it would lead to a significant leap in the history of science.

And Etienne could certainly do the interpretation.

“Well, it would be hard to reproduce my results elsewhere. There isn’t another microscope with the resolution and magnification of the one I made…”

“A microscope you made yourself?”

Etienne’s eyes widened. Lucian thought he looked just like a small squirrel.

Then, with a smirk and a hint of arrogance, Lucian spoke.

“Every piece of equipment in this laboratory was made by me.”

“Incredible…!”

Etienne’s mouth dropped open.

If what he said was true, Lucian was a true genius.

Etienne had the advantage of modern knowledge, but Lucian had none of that.

At that moment, one of the titles of Duke Leondine that Etienne had completely forgotten came to mind.

“The Empire’s Greatest Genius.”

“Unfortunately, my talent lies in handling machines and developing new research methods. I can obtain data, but I can’t derive meaningful interpretations from it.”

A halo seemed to shine around him. The arrogant violet eyes looked more captivating than ever. Etienne slowly became immersed in a sense of ecstasy.

It was the joy of a researcher who had found a capable talent.

“And from now on, you will interpret those… ugh!”

“Duke!”

Etienne flung himself into Lucian’s arms with a loud thud. If he hadn’t been a robust Alpha, he might have lost his balance and fallen.

The bold Omega wrapped his arms around the Alpha’s waist, looking up with a beaming smile.

With the height difference, his face was buried in Lucian’s chest.

The sudden hug was quite surprising, but it was nothing compared to the next words.

“I love you.”