How an Omega Villain Survive chapter 75

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By the time Henry reached the office, there was no need to open the door himself.

“What brings you here, when you should be at the Imperial Palace?”

It was Herze.

“I came to pick up the item I requested…”

Though Henry’s reply was vague, Herze understood what he meant and opened the door widely.

“I haven’t officially set up a shop yet.”

Henry explained that, as they hadn’t yet established a formal store, this residence functioned as a workshop for the merchants.

Since he’d purchased a large enough house, he could at least partially separate living quarters from workspaces, a detail Edwin observed with quiet eyes.

Henry allowed Edwin to look around freely.

Today, he’d brought Edwin here, but in the future, he planned to let him come whenever he needed to.

Shortly after, another figure joined them, the head of the merchant guild, Violet.

Now, four people gathered in the office.

“Sorry to come at such a late hour.”

“It’s fine.”

Violet shook her head at Henry’s apology.

As merchants sensitive to information, they already knew Henry had visited the palace on the Emperor’s invitation.

Although initially surprised by his appearance here, Violet quickly adapted.

Violet set a case on the table, saying, “I was wondering when to deliver what you’d requested.”

Henry had asked for a set of rings to be made as gifts for his family, and it had taken over two weeks.

Though it seemed like a long time, considering the craftsmanship required for a pair of rings, it wasn’t excessive.

“You finished it rather quickly.”

“It wasn’t too difficult, as I only added some intricate details to existing gems.”

Violet shyly smiled at Henry’s compliment, though she ignored Herze’s muttered “Liar.”

Henry looked down at the two velvet cases he’d placed side by side.

He picked up the purple case on the left first and shot Edwin a look, signaling for him to guess what it might be.

Since he realized they were at a merchant-related place, Edwin had shown little emotion.

He simply waited for Henry to explain why they’d come here.

“While traveling recently, I forgot to bring a gift for my family, so I requested these. Take a look.”

Without waiting for Edwin’s response, Henry opened the lid.

Inside was a pair of rings, finely crafted but more elegant than flashy.

Edwin carefully examined the rings, meeting Henry’s gaze.

“Do you have an idea of what these are?”

“It reminds me of something similar I received once.”

Edwin murmured, recalling a ring Henry had once cleverly hidden in a pouch.

Though he’d returned it back then, he recognized the same feeling here.

“Yes, it’s a ring that can contain pheromones.”

Henry explained straightforwardly.

Since they’d been traveling together, Edwin had watched him manage the merchant guild, so it wasn’t hard for Henry to reveal the items they’d be selling.

Of course, he had a deeper motive behind his actions.

“You can place your pheromones in it and pass it to a bonded partner.”

Henry piqued Edwin’s interest, explaining how the ring’s gem color would change when imbued with pheromones and that each ring design was purposefully distinct.

“Originally, I intended one for Hena…”

Henry set down the purple velvet case and picked up a white one.

“But Hena doesn’t seem to need it right now, so I’ll give it to you.”

As Henry readily offered the case, Edwin’s expression shifted.

Though he accepted it, he didn’t fully understand why Henry would hand it to him, saying it was unnecessary for Hena.

Henry had given him a ring once before, but he couldn’t interpret this gesture in the same way.

Passing a ring while bonded?

Henry certainly knew the implications of giving a ring, and Edwin tried to gauge his intentions.

Momentarily resembling a proposal, Violet and Herze watched with bated breath.

Edwin continued to look down at the case before opening the lid.

Inside were, once again, a pair of rings, their arc-shaped curves half-hidden by the blue velvet, simpler in design than the first pair Henry had shown him.

Yet they had the same embedded gemstone, though designed to sit slightly recessed, giving them a distinct look.

“This is…”

“Give it to your parents.”

Henry deliberately cut him off.

He tapped Edwin’s hand subtly, indicating that they weren’t alone.

While Violet and Herze were trustworthy, he hadn’t disclosed his full secret to them.

Edwin’s secrets, intertwined with his own, made it impossible to fully open up.

So, he’d cut Edwin off before he could say anything more, and thankfully, Edwin understood and kept quiet.

Though he was silently dissatisfied that the proposal-like gesture had turned out to be a misunderstanding.

“If you can’t deliver it directly, have your butler give it to them on your behalf. I don’t mind if they know it’s from me.”

Henry’s purpose was simply for Edwin to deliver the gift to the Duke and Duchess Lorenz.

Whether Edwin wanted to do so or not didn’t concern him.

“I’ve mentioned this before.”

Edwin was convinced Duke Lorenz wouldn’t care to look back on him.

Feeling uncomfortable with Henry’s attempt to bridge the distance between himself and the Duke, Edwin placed the case back on the table.

Observing his reaction, Henry smiled subtly.

“I didn’t ask you to give it to the Duke to win his favor.”

Finally, Henry managed to make Edwin show a displeased expression.

Swallowing his thrill at the revenge, he picked up the case again and placed it in Edwin’s hand, curling Edwin’s fingers around it as if urging him to hold it tightly.

“This is only the first request where I’m putting you to use, nothing more than that.”

Put to use? Request?

Watching Henry and Edwin quietly, Violet’s expression shifted.

Henry’s words seemed somewhat contradictory.

But Herze, who understood Henry’s intentions right away, smiled quietly, shrinking further into the background.

Disregarding Violet and Herze’s reactions, Henry began to explain why he had brought Edwin here.

“You know how I came to acquire this merchant group, right? I went for it, but I don’t actually know much about managing one. So you can imagine how uneasy I am about it, right?”

It connected with the story Henry had shared earlier, about the challenges the merchant group was facing.

Soon, they would be selling goods, but there was no store yet, and there was much he didn’t know to establish a place in the Empire…

“So?”

“But you’ve been by my side, observing everything, haven’t you? So, I interpreted it this way: you were watching because you intended to help.”

There was a time when Henry had gotten stern with Edwin for sticking around so much that it became a bother.

Back then, he didn’t realize that Edwin, prompted by the words of an old woman, was hanging around to observe him.

And since Edwin wasn’t backing off, Henry planned to draw him into the merchant group; today was the perfect chance.

“Help me by spreading the word and handling some deliveries.”

After beating around the bush, Henry finally got to the point.

“Can you?”

“You…”

Edwin glanced down at the case, but upon seeing Henry’s exaggerated look of sympathy, let out an incredulous chuckle.

Handing the ring to the Duke Lorenz was likely just a playful gesture, a way to keep a grip on his pheromone stone without giving it away.

Henry’s intention to use him more and more was written all over his face.

Plus, with Violet and Herze present as witnesses, it was clear he was making use of them too.

Henry’s clever scheme was laid bare, leaving only Edwin’s choice.

Even though Henry had dragged him along with the intention of putting him to use, Edwin couldn’t seem to stop himself from smiling.

“Edwin? You look so awkward when you smile, but it’s handsome enough to keep watching. So, will you answer me?”

Will you help me or not?

As Henry’s persistent pressure grew, Edwin wiped away his laughter, adopting a lighter tone as he tucked the case into his pocket.

“Guess I’ll take responsibility for following you around.”

“Even when you put it like that…”

Henry grumbled about the odd nuance in Edwin’s words and glanced at Violet, who handed over another case she had held back earlier and then rose with Herze.

“Feel free to seek Edwin’s help whenever you need.”

“Understood. Master Edwin, I look forward to working with you.”

Realizing their role had ended, Violet and Herze left. Henry stroked the last case he received.

“But… is it okay for you to be away from me for a while?”

At Henry’s question, Edwin’s eyes showed a glint, as if asking what he was getting at without responding.

He’d seen plenty of Henry’s sly behavior by now.

Henry had brought him here solely to make use of him and would undoubtedly say whatever he wanted to say.

“It’s just that, although we’re in a complicated relationship, we did mark each other. Honestly, I gave you the ring pretending it was just a scent pouch because I thought you might get anxious. Since you were always following me, I wondered if you’d feel uneasy if I wasn’t around, so I wanted to try it.”

Henry stroked the case as he continued.

“But I wasn’t sure if you felt it fully…”

Finally, Henry opened the case himself.

Edwin couldn’t see inside because of the lid, but when Henry took something out and showed it, Edwin recognized it.

A thin chain with a small gem dangling in the middle hung from Henry’s long fingers—a necklace, not a ring. Henry clutched it tightly.

He’d had this made especially for Edwin, concealing the sentiment that he’d intentionally made it a necklace to recreate the thrill of receiving a ring.

“I want you to experience it properly this time and let me know.”

With those words, Henry poured his pheromone into the necklace, focusing intently.

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