* * *

The events of last night flickered faintly in Remy’s memory.

Like a messy oil painting, everything was blurry and unclear, but one thing stood out—how utterly intoxicated he had been.

Drenched in sweat, he remembered taking the alpha’s fingers into his mouth, sucking on them.

He had reached his peak like that, just from—fingers.

“…Oh my God!”

Remy’s face turned an even deeper shade of red. In all his fretting over Allen, he had nearly forgotten the real issue—Hayward.

That’s who had witnessed his shameful behavior.

“I’m losing it. What do I do now?”

Sucking on another man’s fingers?

Could a person even do that while in their right mind?

It was mortifying enough to make him want to bury his face in a bowl of water and never come up for air.

“How am I supposed to face Hayward now? He probably thinks I’m completely deranged. I’m losing my mind.”

Remy clutched his head in despair.

The thought of returning to reality, of continuing to exist in this world, seemed unbearable.

No matter how much he Remynded himself it was just a novel, he couldn’t forgive his own actions.

And this wasn’t even the worst of it.

“Ugh… Forget it…”

In the end, Remy gave up on mentally replaying his humiliation.

He flopped onto the bed, burying his face into a soft pillow, surrendering to his shame.

Knock, knock.

Just as he tried to calm down, a knock at the door pulled him back.

Face still buried in the pillow, he groaned and lifted his head slightly.

Today was the last day at the summer villa; maybe it was a servant coming to help pack.

“Come in.”

He managed a confident tone, adopting the casual arrogance expected of a noble.

“Hmm?”

But his confidence plummeted the moment the door opened, revealing the last person he wanted to see.

“Allen…”

Looking as stunning as ever, Allen stepped in, his soft brown hair shimmering in the sunlight.

Normally, Remy might’ve been captivated, but now his face hardened.

After all, this was the man who had shoved him down the stairs.

“Mind if I come in?”

Allen asked casually, as if he hadn’t just forced his way in.

Remy was too stunned to respond.

When he’d said “come in,” he’d been expecting a servant, not Allen.

The guy knew that, didn’t he? Was he doing this on purpose?

“What do you want? It’s too early for this.”

Remy sat up, his face still pale from exhaustion.

Allen perched on the console table beside the bed, his lips curling in that familiar, infuriating smirk.

“Early? It’s noon. The sun’s already high.”

“…Is it?”

“You must’ve been really worn out. I heard you were sick all night. His Highness stayed by your side the whole time.”

Now that Allen mentioned it, this scene felt familiar.

The last time something like this happened was after he’d been knocked out during a game.

Hayward had watched over him, and the next day, Allen had dropped by for a chat.

‘Was that why?’

Remy wondered.

‘Even though I told him nothing happened with His Highness, Allen still didn’t trust me? Is that why he pushed me?’

“Why’d you do it?”

Remy’s sudden question made Allen blink, tilting his head in feigned confusion.

“Why did you do it? Why’d you push me down the stairs?”

Allen’s eyes widened slightly, as if only just recalling the incident.

“Oh, that?”

He rose from his seat and turned to face Remy, a smile playing on his lips.

“I figured you’d misunderstand. I wasn’t trying to push you. I just wanted to hold your waist as we went down the stairs, but something went wrong.”

“What?”

Remy was dumbfounded.

Did he take him for a fool?

He had clearly been pushed.

Now he was claiming it wasn’t intentional?

“Then what about what you said yesterday?”

“What? What did I say?”

“You told me you were sorry. That I shouldn’t mention it to anyone else.”

“Ah, that.”

Allen smiled again, his annoyingly perfect face remaining unbothered.

“You’ve been dwelling on that? Sorry. That wasn’t something I should’ve brought up then.”

He leaned in toward Remy, meeting his slightly narrowed eyes without a blink. His voice was calm and precise.

“We talked about our prince before, remember? I felt bad about bringing that up. I was asking you not to tell anyone. Not that anyone would believe you, but still—keep quiet.”

Allen straightened back up, flashing that insufferable smile.

“Feeling better? Misunderstanding cleared up?”

Standing slightly askew, arms crossed, Allen asked smugly.

Remy, finally piecing it all together, had an epiphany.

For some reason, this Allen wasn’t like the Allen from the original story.

That angelic, sweet boy? It had all been a delusion.

‘Hah. So this is how you’re playing it, Allen? Fine. If I want to stick to the script for now, I’ll play dumb.’

Quick to adapt, Remy decided to feign ignorance.

For now, sticking to the original storyline seemed like the best course of action.

“Yeah, sure. I get it now.”

“…?”

“Nothing. Just saying I get what you mean.”

Remy mirrored Allen’s grin. An eye for an eye. If Allen smiled smugly, so would he.

Predictably, Allen was thrown off by Remy’s unsettling smile, looking baffled.

This wasn’t the Remy he knew—the meek boy who’d cower and fall silent at the slightest provocation.

‘What’s with that creepy smile? Did this pushover suddenly grow a backbone? It’s unsettling.’

Truthfully, Allen’s influence had turned Remy into the “villain” he was perceived as.

Allen had always known Remy’s true nature—naïve, timid, and incapable of confrontation.

Allen had easily manipulated him into the role of a scapegoat, using light gaslighting and rallying their peers against him.

But now?

That smile was unnerving.

It felt as if Remy was looking down at him from some lofty height.

“Anyway, shouldn’t we be getting ready?”

While Allen stood lost in thought, Remy returned to his usual demeanor, as if nothing had happened.

“Huh? Oh, right. We’re leaving today. I’ll call a servant to help you pack.”

“Thanks.”

Their conversation concluded, Remy stretched and twisted his body before giving Allen an unimpressed look.

“Anything else you want to say?”

“Uh, no?”

“Great. Then could you leave? I need to wash up.”

“Ah… sure.”

Allen, flustered, made for the door.

But before he could leave, Remy called out.

“Oh, Allen?”

“Yes?”

“And lunch, please have it brought to my room.”

“Sure. Why?”

“I’m not feeling great, so I’d rather eat here.”

With that, Remy turned his focus back to stretching, leaving Allen to exit in a haze of irritation.

“Not feeling well, my foot. He looks perfectly fine.”

Annoyed, Allen stomped down the hallway, grumbling about Remy’s unsettling smile and his dubious complaints of illness.

---

Later, after lunch and packing, Remy appeared in the main hall.

Three Alphas waiting there greeted him.

“Remy! How’s your health? I heard you weren’t feeling well yesterday,” Ashton asked kindly.

“Oh, I’m fine now.”

“Still sick after days? Are you sure it’s nothing more serious?”

Rex chimed in, his tone sharp as ever.

Remy found comfort in Rex’s abrasive consistency.

‘Ah, Rex. You’re the only one sticking to the original.’

“Thanks for worrying. I’ll see my physician when I get home.”

As they spoke, a sweet scent wafted in.

Remy turned instinctively and froze.

There stood him—the one Remy least wanted to face.

‘Oh, hell.’

He’d almost forgotten, but now there was no escaping.

How was he supposed to face Hayward, after… that?

“Did you sleep well?” Hayward asked, his melodious voice and radiant appearance sending Remy into a spiral of embarrassment.

“Y-yeah. Slept fine, I guess.”

Like a broken robot, Remy stammered, then turned away abruptly.

He tried to escape, muttering nonsense about the weather, but Hayward followed, unfazed.

“Feeling better? Allen mentioned you weren’t well.”

Hayward closed the distance, causing Remy to flinch visibly.

“Here, give me that. You shouldn’t be carrying something heavy.”

The ever-so-charming prince even took Remy’s bag, ignoring his protests.

“Oh no, it’s fine! A servant can—”

---

“No. I’m doing this because I want to,” he said.

“There’s no need for you to do that,” came the reply.

“Just listen. Don’t be stubborn for no reason.”

“Your Highness?”

At this point, Remy sighed.

What happened yesterday was embarrassing, but now that Hayward was being so kind again, it was hard to keep up the resistance.

Remy clenched his teeth.

“Right. Let’s just forget about yesterday. I was just a little crazy, that’s all. I’ve only recently started experiencing this, so my body just acted up for a moment. That’s over. I need to get back to normal before Hayward gets too pushy.”

“Let me carry this for you!”

Before Hayward could react, Remy suddenly grabbed his hand, which was holding the bag.

Hayward, startled, looked at him with confusion, but before he could say anything, Remy coldly took the bag back.

“Remy?”

“I can carry my own things.”

“But I said I’d carry it.”

“I truly appreciate your kindness, Your Highness, but I’ll accept only your goodwill.”

With that, Remy glanced at Hayward, hoping he’d get the hint.

“Yeah. That should be enough. He’ll probably realize that he has no interest in me. He’ll think I’m not into him. I mean, any intellectual would understand that, right?”

“You’re the first.”

But unfortunately for Remy, his subtle hint was lost on Hayward.

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“You’re the first omega who’s ever turned down my kindness.”

“Wh—what??”

What the hell is he even saying…?

“It’s amazing. I didn’t think an omega like you existed.”

Excuse me, Your Highness.

This isn’t some drama.

This isn’t a romantic comedy.

What are you doing with lines like that from an 80s romance?

Why are you saying this to me?

“Remy, you’re really something. I think you’re quite charming.”

Ah… shit. This is bad.

Seeing Remy frozen in place, Hayward’s face blossomed into a smile as bright as a flower.

In the end, whether Remy liked it or not, his bag was once again in Hayward’s hands.

Soon, the four of them boarded the carriage.

After the Count of Aylesford’s family saw them off, the carriage began to move.

Thus, the first trip from the lavender-filled summer villa came to an end.

On the ride back home, Remy fell into a deep sleep, as if dead to the world.

* * *