* * *
Henry glared at Edwin, silently demanding that he agree.
But Edwin wasn’t one to give in.
And he wasn’t leaving the carriage or even sitting farther away.
Henry sighed in frustration.
“Tell me the truth. Do you like me? Do you want to be around me? Do you only see me?”
Henry asked sarcastically, as if daring Edwin to think hard about his answer.
After all, it had been five years since they’d imprinted, and in all that time, Edwin had never once shown any warmth.
Now, he wanted to say something like this?
Edwin, seemingly pondering Henry’s words, fell silent.
The quiet between them lingered as Henry waited for his answer.
“If you’re asking if I desire you like a madman, then no, I don’t.”
“…When did I ever ask if you were madly in love with me?”
Henry felt like his question had been completely misunderstood and was about to correct him, but Edwin continued without caring.
“However, if you’re asking whether I want to be around you all the time, I wouldn’t say it’s a bad idea.”
“…Are you insane?”
“Why do you think of it that way?”
Henry, now desperate to stop the conversation, reached out to cover Edwin’s mouth.
He extended his hand just as Edwin leaned slightly backward, moving his face out of reach.
Henry followed, determined to silence him.
Just as Henry’s hand was about to touch Edwin’s lips, Edwin caught it, as if drawing it into his own grasp.
“I get anxious when you’re not around. At first, I followed you to keep an eye on what you’d do. But now, it’s like you’re constantly on my mind. How is that not a result of the imprint?”
“You… you…”
Staring at Edwin, Henry knew there was no way to get to him.
He could feel his own face heating up.
‘Why does he say things like this with such a calm face?’
“The seizures have completely stopped now, I see.”
Edwin pulled Henry’s hand towards him and wrapped his arm around his waist.
Even though Henry had become more accustomed to such contact, he was still startled, pushing Edwin’s chest and shoulders away with both hands.
As Edwin said, the seizures had disappeared after the heat cycle, but now Edwin was touching him even more.
‘At least it’s not his lips,’ Henry thought, somewhat relieved.
“Get your hand off my waist.”
“If I do, you’ll just push me away. Why bother?”
Edwin nonchalantly brushed off Henry’s irritation, causing Henry to struggle even more frantically in his arms.
“You’re really…!”
“Young master.”
Just as Henry was about to retaliate and perhaps even pull Edwin’s hair, he froze.
Forcing his head to turn, he saw Sir Teher clearing his throat, slightly averting his gaze as he reported.
“We’ll soon be entering the capital.”
“Oh…”
In the midst of bickering with Edwin, Henry hadn’t even realized they were almost home.
As Henry and Edwin stepped out one by one, Crown Prince William, who had been observing, smiled lightly.
Ignoring the look that seemed to suggest bringing Edwin along had been a good decision, Henry spoke up.
“Once we enter the palace, it’ll be hard to see you for a while.”
“Indeed. There’s a lot of work piled up, and I have to wrap up this matter too.”
Crown Prince William looked back at the road they’d taken with a hint of regret.
Even though he hadn’t obtained the treasure, the mere chance to go out for an extended period left him feeling bittersweet.
After a moment, the prince gave Henry a knowing smile.
“Take your time and enjoy yourself. I won’t be calling for you for a while. The young lord of the Lorenz family won’t be called either, so you can relax.”
‘He’s obviously teasing me,’ Henry thought.
‘Why call him by his last name all of a sudden?’
It had to be a joke. Henry’s smile cracked slightly, especially since he’d already felt awkward from being caught by Sir Teher in that strange position with Edwin earlier.
“This trip will be an unforgettable memory,” William remarked.
“It’s good that we at least gained a memory, considering we didn’t get anything else.”
Henry’s sarcastic reply threw cold water on the prince’s reflection.
William shot him a look, as if to say, ‘How could you?’
Henry just returned a pure, innocent smile.
‘The most useless man I’ve ever met.’
That’s how Henry summed up his opinion of the Crown Prince.
If it weren’t for him, he could’ve easily left Edwin behind and obtained the pheromone stone.
Because of Edwin, Henry had seizures, experienced a heat cycle, and still hadn’t retrieved the pheromone stone.
And who was to blame for it all?
‘That prince.’
‘Just wait and see,’ Henry vowed to himself.
He smiled brightly as he saw the Crown Prince off, but William, feeling an odd chill down his spine, glanced around nervously.
Was there something left unresolved, or was it the hook he’d let slip coming back to haunt him?
Unable to pinpoint anything strange, William returned to the palace.
Henry, now left alone with Edwin, turned to face him.
He was eager to part ways, but seeing Edwin staring at him, he couldn’t just ignore him.
“Goodbye.”
Once Edwin returned home, Henry wouldn’t see him for a while.
Though he wasn’t as busy as the prince, Edwin had his responsibilities as the heir to a ducal family.
He’d be tied to the estate for some time.
Henry, content with his lack of official duties, turned to leave.
“Sir Teher, let’s go.”
“Understood.”
Just as Henry was about to board the carriage, he sensed someone approaching from behind.
He turned, startled, and didn’t stop the person from grabbing his hand.
“Edwin?”
He thought Sir Teher had come to close the door, but it was Edwin.
Not only did Edwin hold his hand, but he also climbed into the carriage himself and closed the door.
Henry could vaguely hear Sir Teher rushing towards them from outside, but the door shut before he could see him.
“Why did you come in?”
“I remembered I hadn’t given you something yet.”
Edwin opened Henry’s hand and placed something in it.
A small box.
Recognizing it as the box containing the pheromone stone, Henry grabbed it with his other hand.
“You’re really giving it to me, right? No taking it back later.”
‘I can’t believe he’s handing it over so easily,’ Henry thought, pulling his hand from Edwin’s grip and clutching the box with both hands.
He turned it over, inspecting it thoroughly before opening the lid.
“…What the—?”
Henry muttered in disappointment, finding only a letter inside.
Realizing that Edwin had tricked him, Henry glared at him.
“Where’s the pheromone stone?”
“I’ll think about it and decide later.”
Though Edwin didn’t say much, Henry understood.
Edwin was offering him a deal. Henry, sensing what Edwin wanted, hesitated.
Edwin wanted to stay close, whether by Henry’s side or following him from behind.
The unspoken demand was clear: don’t push me away.
Henry had to make a choice—accept Edwin’s terms or forget about the pheromone stone entirely.
‘Honestly, I’d love to act like none of this matters,’ Henry thought, ‘but after everything I’ve been through, I really want that stone.’
Silently, Henry sat down. Edwin, taking that as an answer, sat across from him.
“The Duke of Lorenz sure has his hands full,” Henry grumbled, still unable to let go of his frustration.
“With his son constantly running around outside, who knows when he’ll be able to see him?”
“That’s not something you need to worry about.”
“I’m not worried, it’s just…”
“He cut me out of his life after being disappointed in me. I doubt he cares anymore.”
“Oh…”
Henry was left speechless by Edwin’s casual response.
He regretted bringing up the Duke of Lorenz.
He should have remembered the original story—how Edwin’s father had been disappointed in him for manifesting as a half-alpha and stopped looking back at him.
Feeling guilty, Henry watched Edwin closely.
Edwin seemed unfazed, but the shaking of the carriage kept Henry on edge, making him glance back at Edwin.
“I didn’t bring it up to make you feel guilty.”
“As if that’ll make me feel better.”
Edwin’s indifferent tone made Henry take a deep breath before blurting out,
“Here, you can have this back.”
Like a child reluctantly handing over a cherished candy, Henry offered Edwin the box again.
“I’m fine. You take it.”
* * *
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Hello. Thanks for the tranlate