Baron Aster’s castle was incomparably larger and more magnificent than Sir Bennett’s shabby manor, and his territory appeared to be at least two or three times the size of Bennett’s at a glance.
As they drew closer to the castle, Joel felt himself becoming increasingly intimidated.
Joel was currently traveling toward the Baron’s castle in a mule-drawn cart, accompanied by the siblings.
Over the past day, Becky and Rob had argued fiercely over whether they should go to the Baron’s castle to receive a residence permit or flee once again.
Becky argued that life here would surely be difficult, seeing as the previous tenant had fled and left all their usable household goods behind.
Rob countered that it was dangerous to move through the forest now that food was scarce and the wild beasts were waking up from hibernation to begin their active season.
Listening to Becky and Rob’s opinions, Joel found it difficult to reach a conclusion.
He was anxious that his identity might be discovered, but realistically, the conditions didn’t seem right for traveling.
One saving grace was that, according to the map, Baron Aster’s territory seemed isolated from the outside world.
If things went well, news of his disappearance might not reach this place.
After deep consideration, Joel decided to get the permit and stay here for the time being.
Thus, Joel was heading toward Baron Aster’s castle.
The cart carrying Joel finally arrived at the castle. Joel was guided to the Baron by a butler.
Before the butler knocked on the elegant door, Joel straightened his clothes and adjusted the attire of Becky and Rob, who were following behind him.
When the butler knocked on the door, a low, husky voice drifted from within.
“Come in.”
Joel summoned his courage and stepped inside the room.
It was none other than the Baron’s bedroom.
Although it was approaching noon, the middle-aged Baron Aster was still lying in bed in his pajamas—and he even had a woman tucked under each arm.
The lazy Baron cast a dull gaze at Joel for daring to disturb his rest, but then he gasped in surprise at Joel’s fairy-like appearance.
Meanwhile, Joel was making an arduous effort to hide his disdain in front of the Baron.
Baron Aster was as bloated in stature as the cult leader Demon John, yet every one of the tenants Joel had encountered on the way to the castle had been skin and bones.
After wetting his throat with wine, the Baron asked Joel, “So, you are the Robert who has come to live in Woodcutter Paul’s house?”
“Yes, My Lord. I apologize for not visiting sooner. The hut was so remote that I thought it was just a squatter’s home.”
“Well, Paul’s hut is quite a distance from the castle. That could happen.”
Nodding his head, the Baron’s previous air of annoyance vanished completely.
He began to pry into Joel’s life, asking for his name, his origin, and the reason he had left his original residence.
“I was working as a tutor for a Baron’s family in a small village called Bertha, far from here. However, the child I was teaching grew up and left the manor, so I was wandering in search of a place to settle down.”
Joel was flustered that the Baron was showing more interest in him than expected, but he answered calmly without letting it show on the outside.
“If you were a tutor, were you originally a noble?”
“Yes. However, my family was very humble and has long since been bankrupt, so My Lord likely wouldn’t know the name even if I told you.”
“I see.”
Even after Joel’s introduction was over, the Baron continued to stare at him with an unpleasant gaze for a long time.
That greasy look reminded him of Becky’s father.
Recalling how he had almost been sold as a male prostitute, Joel’s shoulders stiffened.
He wanted to run home immediately and scrub his body where the Baron’s filthy gaze had touched, but he had to endure it for the sake of Becky and Rob.
After staring at Joel with a mocking gaze for a while, the Baron finally spoke.
“Fine, I will accept you as a resident. My servant will issue the permit, so you may leave. I assume you brought the silver coins?”
“…Um, My Lord.”
As Joel opened his mouth hesitantly, the Baron’s greedy eyes narrowed, as if he had already guessed what was coming.
“I am truly sorry, but since I have been wandering for so long, I cannot pay that much money right now. Would it be possible for me to pay after the harvest?”
Joel said this with the intention of saving money.
It wasn’t that he absolutely couldn’t pay ten silver coins, but he had no intention of easily letting the greedy Baron fleece him.
The Baron, who had briefly shown a favorable attitude toward Joel’s beautiful appearance, immediately revealed his displeasure the moment Joel said he couldn’t pay.
Like a moneylender, the Baron asked, “Well… do you have the ability to pay the interest?”
Joel nodded without a moment’s hesitation.
Since he would be leaving for the Kingdom of Palain before the crops were even harvested anyway, he didn’t care how much interest the Baron added.
“Yes. If you don’t trust me, I will cover part of the interest with forced labor.”
“Labor? Well, I don’t need a tutor. And looking at you, you seem to be an Omega; what could you possibly do in your pregnant state?”
The Baron’s expression became even more reluctant.
Joel quickly pointed to Rob and said, “Do you perhaps need a stable hand or a shepherd? My servant worked as a shepherd for four years, so he is quite good at tending to livestock.”
The quick-witted Rob stepped forward, saying, “I will work hard at whatever task you give me.”
After finishing the calculations in his head, the Baron scanned Rob up and down before speaking.
“…Well, they did say they were short-handed at the barn. Hey, take him and see if he’s useful.”
At the Baron’s command, the butler led Rob out of the bedroom.
This was as good as permission, and Joel, who had been tense wondering if the Baron would make some strange demand of him, breathed a sigh of relief.
“Thank you for your generosity in accepting us.”
“It’s nothing. But you’d better hope your servant is worth ten silver coins. If he can’t take good care of the barn, you might have to perform that ‘labor’ yourself.”
The Baron blathered as if it were a joke while tilting his wine glass.
This was an overt flirtation, and Joel’s face turned red when he understood the Baron’s meaning.
It wasn’t out of shame, but because his blood was boiling with rage.
If it were his original temperament, he would have grabbed the Baron by the collar and barked, “Are you crazy?” regardless of the escape, but thinking of Becky, Rob, and the child in his womb, he couldn’t act so recklessly.
Joel managed to pull up the corners of his mouth and expressed a subtle rejection by saying, “I’m not sure what you mean.”
Fortunately, the Baron did not hold Joel any longer, and after leaving the bedroom, Joel headed to the cart with Becky.
While they were waiting in the cart, it wasn’t long before Rob came toward them from the barn with a joyful face.
“Rob, how did it go?”
“Luckily, the butler liked me. I’m to come to the Baron’s castle every other day to look after the herd of goats.”
“…That’s a relief. I’ll be counting on you.”
Despite saving ten silver coins as planned, Joel couldn’t bring himself to be fully happy.
It was because of that sticky gaze that had been glued to the back of his head until he left the bedroom.
After experiencing the near-sale as a male prostitute by Becky’s father, Joel was keenly feeling that living as an Omega was no easy task.
Judging by the fact that no pheromones could be felt from him, Baron Aster was clearly a Beta.
Usually, Betas do not show interest in pederasty or males, but unfortunately, the Baron was showing interest in Joel himself.
If the Baron had been an Alpha instead, the situation would have been better, as it would have been possible to suppress him with Dominant pheromones.
In general, an Omega was supposed to be swayed by an Alpha’s pheromones, but since Joel was of a Dominant trait, Alphas who were not Dominant could not handle his pheromones, and Joel could have used them to ensure his own safety.
However, since the Baron was a Beta who existed outside the influence of pheromones, Joel was currently in a state where he had virtually no means of protecting himself.
Should he abandon the home he had worked so hard to build and leave?
Or should he reveal his identity even now and return to the Crown Prince’s protection?
Joel started the carriage with a face full of worry.
