* * *

He began to suspect that the reaction might be due to the pheromones.

If he was hiding the manifestation from everyone?

To uncover the truth, Sir Teher gradually released his pheromones.

The dense alpha pheromones subtly approached Henry.

Like the wind or still air, these pheromones wrapped around Henry’s body.

The pheromones settled heavily on his shoulders, then lightly brushed his back, continuously enticing Henry’s body.

Sir Teher spread all his pheromones, awaiting Henry’s reaction, ensuring he could not ignore them.

Meanwhile, Henry, who was at his peak of dissatisfaction, suddenly began to tremble at the waist.

His legs seemed to lose strength, and he was on the verge of bursting out the breath he had barely been holding.

His heart raced wildly, and his hand gripping the sword trembled.

Henry could not have missed such a reaction. He was visibly anxious, as if struggling to endure, with his pale lips biting down hard.

Sir Teher, with a heavier gaze than before, intensified the release of his pheromones.

If Henry’s reaction was due to sensing his pheromones, he decided to push a little harder and took a step closer to Henry.

In the end, Henry, unable to endure any longer, raised his head towards Sir Teher.

“Why?”

“…Did you, by any chance, feel it?”

Sir Teher posed a peculiar question to Henry, who was on the verge of exploding.

If Henry’s reaction was due to sensing his pheromones.

But Henry responded with a derisive laugh and glared at Sir Teher.

“Please remove that look… I haven’t collapsed yet.”

Henry shook his head, emphasizing that he had not fallen over, and responded with displeasure.

“Even though you’re a teacher, your gaze towards the noble is disrespectful.”

“What about my gaze?”

“The look that seems to say I’m about to collapse any moment, that’s how it is… Hmph.”

Henry, breathless and pausing intermittently, still managed to articulate his thoughts clearly without trailing off.

Though his nature was to speak clearly when expressing his opinions, Sir Teher did not find this unusual, as Henry himself had the same tendency.

“…Is that all?”

Seeing that Henry was pretending not to notice the pheromones, Sir Teher poked him to see if he would react.

Sir Teher scrutinized Henry’s expression closely, as if to say, “Is that all you’ve got?” and released his pheromones again with even more intensity.

It seemed as though he was challenging Henry to speak up, and Henry, as if waiting for this moment, finally opened his mouth.

“If tomorrow’s class is going to be like this…”

Instead of responding with a threat, Henry gritted his teeth.

Sir Teher let out a dismayed sigh at Henry’s reaction. I

t was astonishing to see his stubbornness to maintain his pride despite being unable to feel Sir Teher’s pheromones.

Sir Teher realized that Henry must be a Beta after all, and he was truly impressed by the strength of his mental resolve. At this point, Sir Teher decided to offer some consideration for Henry.

“The amount of time you’ve endured is impressive even among the apprentice knights. Especially compared to those who find it challenging even with daily practice, you’ve held out this well on your first try. It’s quite remarkable.”

“That’s… quite a relief.”

Sir Teher, who had pretended not to notice Henry’s resentment about being made to do this on his first attempt, looked over Henry’s clothes.

Although they were dark-colored and not overly adorned, the lace was truly lacking.

While it wasn’t unusual for an aristocratic man to have lace on his clothing, to Sir Teher, who had lived a life completely indifferent to fashion, it was simply an unnecessary decoration.

“From tomorrow, you’ll be learning how to wield a sword. Therefore, more simple clothing would be preferable. While your current attire isn’t bad, the lace on the sleeves is somewhat bothersome.”

This was intended as a compliment for Henry’s efforts today and an encouragement for a better atmosphere in the lessons tomorrow.

As the anticipation for what Henry would show the next day began to rise, Henry was deeply unsettled by the mention of lace.

His eyes widened in shock, and his lips fell open weakly as the sword dropped from his hand. With his legs going limp, Henry collapsed to the floor and bowed his head deeply, unable to rise.

“Are you alright?”

Sir Teher, concerned, approached Henry closely, but Henry seemed oblivious, staring blankly at his clothes.

Specifically, at the sleeves.

He had been unaware that his clothes, which had been chosen by the servants for learning swordsmanship, were so uncomfortable.

It was only now that he realized all his clothes were like this.

‘Will I be traveling with lace on my clothes too?’

No matter who picked them out, it wasn’t normal to wear lace even while traveling!

Right now, learning swordsmanship wasn’t the issue. There was something more pressing.

The sword sheath on his waist was so heavy that he was struggling to draw it out and sheathe the sword.

Meanwhile, Sir Teher, who had been staring at Henry, suddenly bowed his head deeply. When Henry looked up, puzzled, Sir Teher immediately confessed what had happened earlier.

“I’ve been disrespectful to you.”

“What do you mean?”

“I tested you, despite being merely a knight. One of the reasons you dropped the sword might have been due to a change in the quality of the material…”

Sir Teher trailed off, but the implication was clear. Henry narrowed his eyes and looked at Sir Teher, realizing that he had been used for an experiment.

“Did you release pheromones as well?”

“I’m sorry.”

Sir Teher immediately bowed his head and apologized.

The act of a knight daring to let pheromones slip in front of the master was something that needed to be strictly addressed.

However, this would only be an issue if someone noticed it. Since Henry hadn’t sensed it, it could have easily been overlooked, but Sir Teher had brought it up with a rigid sense of duty.

‘Why didn’t I think of that? I’m an imperfectly marked one after all.’

According to the setting, it was supposed to be the case that only the marked target could sense the pheromones.

However, Henry was an imperfect mark. It was uncertain whether he might still sense another’s pheromones, especially if exposed to a high concentration like a pheromone shower.

Nevertheless, as an omega, he had to be cautious of alpha pheromones.

‘But I can’t sense them anyway.’

It was a never-ending struggle.

Being an imperfect mark meant uncertainty, but nonetheless, a mark was a mark; it shouldn’t allow the sensing of others’ pheromones.

Lost in thought, Henry stroked his chin and looked back at Sir Teher. His loyalty to the family had already been proven, his skills were good, and he was honest.

Henry quickly composed his expression and decided that Sir Teher was someone very good to have around. He put on a friendly smile and waved his hand toward Sir Teher.

“Oh, just a knight? You’re my teacher, who has given much thought. Isn’t that worth acknowledging?”

At Henry’s refreshing reply, Sir Teher bowed his head in embarrassment.

If Sir Teher were seen as a teacher rather than just a knight, his actions could be somewhat excused.

Yet, Henry’s cheerful acceptance despite personal discomfort made Sir Teher wonder if Henry truly wasn’t bothered.

From the smile on his face, it seemed like it didn’t trouble him at all…

“But even if I understand, experiencing it firsthand makes me worry about one thing.”

Henry wiped the smile from his face and furrowed his brows.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s a beta and pheromones get on me, but still, it doesn’t look very good if I go around with another’s pheromones on me, does it?”

He muttered to himself, noting that while it’s common for individuals of the same type to mark each other with pheromones to display possessiveness, he was not of that type and thus, wondered if it would be agreeable to be marked by someone else.

Seeing Sir Teher close his eyes and nod slightly, Henry confirmed that he was somewhat accepting of the situation and asked subtly.

“So, could you help me out, teacher?”

Sir Teher hesitated in his response. Depending on the interpretation, it could be an easy or difficult request.

Although it wasn’t a problem for him to sense alpha pheromones, it could be challenging if it was someone he couldn’t handle.

However, beyond all that, the mere fact that Henry, a member of the family, was making a request rather than a direct order shook Sir Teher’s heart.

The young master had already graciously overlooked his mistake.

Moreover, the recent display of dedication to the sword and the patience not to crumble had significantly improved Sir Teher’s impression of him.

After organizing his thoughts, Sir Teher gave a solemn nod.

“I will do my best.”

“If someone, like you, were to let pheromones slip around me, please stop them. Can you do that?”

Henry added that if he didn’t want it, it was fine not to do it. Of course, he was assuming that Sir Teher wouldn’t refuse his request.

The reason he chose Sir Teher for this request, rather than anyone else, was simple.

He trusted that someone with such an honest nature would report any issues in any situation. If Sir Teher agreed, Henry would gain an excellent detector.

“I will do my best.”

“Thank you.”

Henry smiled brightly. For once, it was a smile of genuine gratitude, not pretense.

* * *