RHFTY chapter 19

At that moment, Leonard felt his heart sink with an inexplicable sense of dread.

‘What is this?’

Lawrence had never been this flustered before. Leonard desperately hoped that whatever the bad news was, it wasn’t related to Chaeyi. But then…

“Mister Chaeyi has suddenly disappeared somewhere…!”

His hopes were cruelly shattered.

“What do you mean?”

“It’s been over an hour since he was last seen, and he still hasn’t returned! He’s not inside, so he might have left the estate grounds….”

An hour ago.

That was around the time Lawrence had visited Leonard’s office to deliver a letter.

Suddenly, Leonard felt dizzy.

The blood circulating through his body turned cold, and his stomach churned.

His heart felt like it was about to leap out of his chest, forcing Leonard to hold his breath.

It was a dreadful feeling.

His pheromones, which were uncontrollably unleashed, surged violently, reflecting his emotions.

“What was the butler doing…?”

The butler was in charge of overseeing everyone entering and leaving the estate.

Normally, the mansion gates were closed, and anyone who wanted to enter or leave without prior notice had to get the butler’s permission.

Leonard had specifically instructed the butler that if Chaeyi ever wanted to leave the estate, he was to be granted permission but also assigned a watch, and a report was to be made to Leonard.

So why hadn’t he been informed?

What was that man doing until things reached this point?

As his uncontrollable rage grew, his pheromones became even more violent.

Lawrence, who was fully exposed to those pheromones, trembled in fear, struggling to maintain his composure.

The pheromones of a dominant alpha stimulated the “primal instincts” of subservient alphas far more deeply.

It wasn’t uncommon for even those with average willpower to wet themselves or faint in such a situation.

The only reason Lawrence could maintain his sanity was that he was a subservient alpha with a particularly strong mind.

“T-Today, of all days, the heads of the neighboring families were gathering… The gates were open since early morning. The butler was probably too preoccupied with that….”

Leonard, feeling an involuntary sense of despair, rubbed his forehead with a deep sigh.

If Chaeyi didn’t intend this, then it was truly a damned timing. …No.

Was it really unintentional? If by any chance he had deliberately waited for the opportunity to escape.

If he was planning to cut off contact again and run away like before.

‘What if he leaves the estate this time?’

His growing anxiety and nervousness gnawed at his body.

The shock and betrayal of that time when he suddenly disappeared, leaving behind only a single letter…

The days of despair and disappointment, when he regretted not keeping his by his side…

The days of desperately searching for his like a madman, driven by the intensifying, desire that he couldn’t control…

All these memories flooded back, bringing him unbearable pain.

‘Chaeyi….’

Leonard buried his face in his hands. He could almost see his soft, fluffy brown hair and golden eyes shining through.

His straight back, his firm shoulders, the somewhat sturdy build of his body… All the things that tightened his heart, like his calling his name in a voice as gentle as warm tea.

‘How hard I worked to find you again.’

Was it because he was afraid he might be disgusted by his true nature and distance himself?

Afraid he would run away again?

Was it because he had been too lenient, not wanting to shatter his bright, sun-like demeanor?

Should he have broken those maddeningly free legs of hiss, which he couldn’t bring himself to restrain?

Everything seemed to turn red before his eyes.

If a day came when Chaeyi, for whatever reason, tried to leave him… Leonard feared he didn’t know what he might do.

That terrified him even more.

Afraid that he might do something irreversible.

So, he prayed… that this wasn’t his answer to the freedom he had sought.

‘I have to find his immediately.’

Lost in his thoughts, Leonard, who had hidden his face in his hands, suddenly lifted his eyes, now calm.

“Mobilize the knights immediately. Find out where Chaeyi went. It’s unlikely he has left the estate yet, but… just in case, notify the gatekeepers at the borders.”

“Yes, sir.”

With an expression like a predator eyeing its prey, Leonard’s fierce gaze made Lawrence, who had been tense, dash out of the office as soon as he received the order.

Ever since Chaeyi had come into the mansion, Leonard’s once frigid atmosphere had noticeably softened.

But now, it felt as if he had reverted to his old self.

‘Normally, moving the knights without the head of the household’s final approval would be quite risky….’

But if he didn’t do as ordered, something much worse might happen.

Leonard was fully capable of making it happen.

He was one of the few dominant alphas in the world with an exceptionally powerful supernatural pheromone.

Unlike ordinary pheromones, which could be detected by anyone, the “supernatural pheromone” of a dominant alpha or omega was close to a supernatural force.

This ability was one of the reasons dominant alphas and omegas sat at the top of the social hierarchy, maintaining their grip on power.

‘I have no choice….’

Sweat formed on Lawrence’s palms as he thought about Leonard’s cold and ruthless nature and the power he wielded.

He immediately mobilized the Pehera knights and began to search the entire estate thoroughly.

‘Hm! That was fun.’

While Lawrence was in the midst of raising a ruckus, as if a war was about to break out….

Chaeyi, who had been too busy wandering around the capital like an excited puppy off its leash, finally regained his senses as the sun began to set.

Indeed, Blentz Square, the bustling heart of Blentz, was just as lively and bustling as its reputation suggested.
He had been too busy looking around to rest his eyes.

Since he was in town, he even stopped by the bank to withdraw some money and bought a gift for Leonard.

Even though it was later than he expected, it had been a very fulfilling day.

‘Maybe it’s time to head back.’

Tucking the gift into his inner pocket, he walked through the alleyways between buildings and turned his steps toward the outskirts of the square.

The atmosphere was somewhat tense, with knights in silver armor searching the shops and patrolling the streets.

However, as they say, the darkest place is under the lamp.

In a situation where an emergency search order had been issued, no one expected that the person being searched for was right in front of them, enjoying himself, so the knights’ vigilance was rather lax.

Thanks to that, Chaeyi managed to slip out of the square unnoticed and jogged lightly toward the Lancaster estate.

The path leading to the Lancaster estate from the outskirts of the square was quiet, as it was the only way up to the entrance of the estate.

As he approached the mansion, the sky was painted with deepening shades of sunset. He noticed a tall figure standing in front of the wide-open mansion gates.

‘Hm?’

Upon closer inspection, he realized it was Leonard.

Why is he outside?

Chaeyi naturally drew closer, wondering why.

Leonard, who had been pacing anxiously, suddenly noticed the approaching presence and quickly lifted his head.

Their eyes met perfectly in mid-air.

“Leo….”

Chaeyi, who was glad to see him because he had something for him, raised his hand to greet him.

But before he could say anything, Leonard, who had quickly closed the distance, grabbed his wrist with a forceful grip, as if to snatch it away.

The strength was almost enough to twist it.

“Ouch! Hey, that hurts.”

Leonard loosened his grip slightly, perhaps because Chaeyi winced in genuine pain and frowned.

However, his hold was still firm enough that Chaeyi couldn’t shake it off.

It was a stark reminder of just how strong dominant alphas were.

Unlike the perfectly innate pheromones, the physical abilities of those with supernatural powers varied greatly depending on how much they trained.

Since returning to his family, Leonard had been steadily honing his abilities, and in terms of physical prowess, he was undoubtedly at the top.

No matter how much Chaeyi struggled, he couldn’t resist if Leonard decided to use his full strength.

“Chaeyi.”

Flustered, Chaeyi gathered his wits and lifted his head.

The strong pheromones of the hyper-dominant Alpha triggered a deep, instinctual fear within his, as if he were about to be devoured.

Added to this was the dark shadow that had settled on Leonard’s face, making the atmosphere so intimidating that Chaeyi flinched involuntarily.

Leonard’s emotions felt much deeper and more intense than the anger he had displayed before in the tavern.

“Where have you been?”

If it had been someone else, they might have crumbled under the question, apologizing or pleading for their life.

However, Chaeyi was very accustomed to life-threatening situations.

With his strong willpower, he also believed that Leonard would not harm his, so the instinctual fear was mitigated.

This allowed Chaeyi to remain calm and recognize that the situation was serious.

Guessing the cause, he furrowed his brow and scolded him.

“Alright, I get it! You’re upset because I didn’t take you along when I went out, right?”

“What?”

“Anyway… I bought you a present, so cheer up.”

“……”

Shaking his head in exasperation, Chaeyi took out the gift he had tucked into his inner pocket.

Inside the envelope was a blue brooch resembling Leonard’s eye color.

He relaxed the frown he had been wearing and smiled as he held the brooch up to his face.

“Isn’t it pretty? I got it because it looks like your eye color. It shouldn’t stand out too much, so it should go well with your uniform.”