* * *

‘The same Chaeyi that I know?’

“Pardon?” Chaeyi was caught off guard by the unexpected question, prompting a reflexive response.

Yosin, thinking he’d upset Chaeyi, shrank back in terror, clenching his hands and tightly closing his eyes.

“I’m sorry! It’s just… you feel like someone different. I’m sorry!”

“No, no, it’s fine,” Chaeyi said, waving his hands to reassure Yosin.

Lost in thought for a moment, he let out a small laugh.

‘You feel like someone different,’ Yosin had said.

Just hearing that made Chaeyi feel strangely lighter.

“Is that so? Then let’s say I’ve changed.”

At Chaeyi’s reply, Yosin slowly raised his eyes.

Although the person before him had the same face as the Chaeyi he knew, Yosin couldn’t shake the feeling that he was different.

Perhaps it was the gentle and polite tone or the warm, sunlit presence.

For the first time, Yosin didn’t find Chaeyi’s existence terrifying.

A few days later, Yosin left the Lancaster estate with his newly issued identification.

Having lived as a slave for so long, it was uncertain how he would manage on his own, but Lancaster had pledged to provide occasional support, easing concerns.

Chaeyi felt both grateful and guilty toward Leonard for helping so readily.

Though Leonard’s motives were partly rooted in his dislike of Yosin lingering in Chaeyi’s mind, he genuinely wanted to protect Chaeyi.

As for Venyaks, he had abruptly returned to the Conner estate after confessing to Chaeyi, without offering any explanation.

Even Ferdinand had been curious about the sudden departure but received no insights from Chaeyi, who simply pondered how to refuse Venyaks more gently next time.

After Venyaks and Ferdinand left, a calm returned to Chaeyi’s life.

“Chaeyi, is something troubling you?” Enoch asked one peaceful day, noticing Chaeyi sigh again.

They were enjoying tea together, a rare moment when Enoch had Chaeyi all to himself.

Chaeyi, absently tracing the teacup’s handle with his thumb, glanced at Enoch.

Deciding against sharing anything about Venyaks, he shook his head.

It wasn’t worth discussing, as rejecting him felt like the obvious choice.

“It’s nothing.”

“You’ve got that look, though—the one you have when something’s on your mind.”

“Do I?” Chaeyi replied with a shrug and a small laugh.

At that moment, a familiar voice interrupted.

“Chaeyi.”

It was Leonard’s voice, always pleasant to hear.

Chaeyi turned toward him with a smile, glad to see him.

Leonard was holding something as he approached—not just here to visit, but to deliver something.

“What’s that?”

“An invitation addressed to you. And this… is from Ferdinand.”

Leonard handed over two envelopes, his expression slightly disgruntled as he glanced at Ferdinand’s letter. Chaeyi opened the invitation first.

It was a formal request from the Ludvis family, inviting him to a banquet promoting harmony within the Astarius Empire.

The event also served as a celebration of the resolution of issues involving the World Tree.

“A banquet invitation from the Ludvis family?” Enoch peeked over curiously, his eyes widening.

The personal delivery of such an invitation meant that Chaeyi, a Beta, was being treated as an honorary noble.

Next, Chaeyi opened Ferdinand’s letter, which was much shorter than his previous ones.

Its message was simple: an invitation to visit.

As Chaeyi read, Leonard, who had been waiting patiently, spoke.

“Ferdinand’s probably curious about who’s caught his attention. But there’s no pressure to attend, Chaeyi. If you don’t go, I won’t either—it’s a long trip, and I’d rather not deal with the hassle.”

It was a statement subtly implying, ‘Let’s not go.’

Chaeyi wasn’t pleased with the idea of catching the attention of Ludvis III and the Empress.

In the decentralized Astarius Empire, the Emperor’s authority was largely nominal, so even he couldn’t force nobles to attend a banquet.

Simply declining with a reason was enough.

Although Chaeyi sensed Leonard’s reluctance, he hesitated, torn by one lingering thought.

“This banquet… all the other nobles will be attending, right? Like the Conerer family?”

“They should be. Invitations were sent to all five grand ducal families of Astarius.”

At Chaeyi’s question, Leonard nodded.

The “five grand ducal families” referred to the foundational pillars of the Astarius Empire, each holding the power of prince-electors.

While they were vassals to the Emperor, they also governed vast territories with many subordinate nobles—essentially rulers of their own independent states.

Now that Chaeyi thought about it, the Conerer family was one of these five grand ducal families.

Incidentally, the Rolaise family, to which Clemant and Selion belonged, the Stefon family, and the Ludvis family—currently holding the imperial throne—were also among them.

After pondering for a moment, Chaeyi made his decision.

“I’ll go.”

Since it had come to this, he decided to use the banquet as an opportunity to meet Bennax in person.

He’d make things clear and reject him outright.

Prolonging this would do no good, and there was no telling when he might get another chance to meet Bennax again.

He didn’t explain his reasoning in detail to Leonard.

Even so, Leonard sighed softly, as if resigned, and nodded.

“All right. If you’re going, we’ll need to leave tomorrow since it’s quite far. Make sure you’re prepared.”

“You don’t have to push yourself if you’re tired. You don’t need to come along just because of me—”

“I don’t like the idea of letting you go alone even more. I’ll just think of it as a long-overdue date.”

Leonard leaned down and placed a light kiss on Chaeyi’s forehead.

The soft sensation sent Chaeyi’s heart fluttering inexplicably.

When Chaeyi looked up at him, his face slightly flushed, Leonard smiled faintly before turning to Enoch.

“Enoch, help him prepare.”

“Yes, sir!”

“I’ve still got work to finish, so I’ll head out now. See you later.”

“Okay. Don’t overdo it.”

Chaeyi gave Leonard’s waist a gentle pat and watched quietly as he left for work again.

Enoch, who had been observing their warm exchange, eventually broke into a sly smile and lowered his voice.

“Lord Chaeyi, Lord Chaeyi.”

Enoch’s eyes sparkled with curiosity as he looked at Chaeyi.

“How have things been going with Lord Leonard lately?”

It’s said that one of the most entertaining stories in the world is a tale of romance.

The fact that Enoch had restrained himself from asking until now was impressive in itself.

He was dying of curiosity about how the relationship between the two, which seemed to have settled into a steady rhythm, was progressing—and just how far it had gone.

As someone who witnessed their dynamic up close, he couldn’t help it.

But Chaeyi, not quite understanding the intent behind the question, responded honestly.

“Huh? We’re doing fine, just as usual.”

“By ‘fine as usual,’ do you mean… have you two, uh, shared a bed?”

Enoch’s voice lowered shyly as he posed the question, but Chaeyi, still clueless about Enoch’s implications, answered matter-of-factly.

“Fairly often. Leo likes it a lot.”

Just last night, Leonard had insisted on sleeping pressed right up against him, saying, ‘Being next to you helps me relax.’

What Chaeyi meant by “Leo likes it a lot” was simply that Leonard enjoyed staying close.

But Enoch, interpreting it differently, blushed deeply and cupped his cheeks with both hands.

“Oh my! Really? And what about you, Lord Chaeyi? Are you okay with it? I mean, being a Beta… wasn’t it difficult?”

Male Omegas had bodies adapted to accept their partners more easily, naturally becoming softer and producing lubrication, which minimized pain and heightened pleasure.

Betas, however, didn’t have such advantages.

While Chaeyi had never outwardly shown it, Enoch couldn’t help but imagine there must’ve been struggles.

While Enoch was lost in his thoughts, Chaeyi tilted his head slightly, puzzled, but continued answering.

“I don’t mind it. Difficult? Hmm, well, I guess with his size, it’s a bit…”

Chaeyi was referring to the fact that, no matter how big the bed was, Leonard’s broad frame made sharing it slightly uncomfortable.

He found Enoch’s sudden mention of Betas puzzling but chose to let it slide.

“His… size must be… impressive,” Enoch murmured, his face growing even redder.

“Huh?”

“As expected of Lord Leonard.”

“What?”

Despite their entirely different trains of thought, the conversation somehow continued.

Then, as if struck by a surge of energy, Enoch jumped up and declared enthusiastically,

“Well then, let’s start packing, Lord Chaeyi! You’ll tell me more on the way, won’t you?”

“Uh… sure.”

Chaeyi wondered what more there was to say about sleeping together.

It wasn’t until several days later, while traveling in a carriage, that Chaeyi finally realized what Enoch had actually meant by sharing a bed.

* * *