* * *
The next day, the castle became quietly chaotic.
It might sound contradictory, but outwardly, everything seemed the same as usual.
Behind the scenes, however, many things were set in motion.
Felix’s handpicked knights remained on high alert, ensuring that no secrets leaked.
Those assigned to Lowell’s protection were among them.
As a result, Lowell found himself surrounded at all times, unable to take a single step without a guard hovering nearby.
Though it was suffocating, he knew it was Felix’s order, so he didn’t complain.
“I should go see Priest Tacey.”
Instead, he decided to seek out the priest to address a concern.
It was a question he wouldn’t be able to ask with Felix around, so for once, he was glad Felix was busy.
“Are you feeling unwell?”
Caris, momentarily taken aback, almost reached out to examine Lowell on the spot.
He was so caught up in his concern that he failed to notice Tia shooting him a glare, silently telling him to calm down.
“No, it’s not that. I just have something to ask. There’s nothing wrong with my body.”
Surprised by the unexpected reaction, Lowell waved his hand and realized that his explanation had been insufficient.
“That’s a relief, but just in case, I think it would be best to get checked.”
Tia didn’t like how Charis had made such a fuss, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t worried about Lowell all the same.
So, he subtly recommended a check-up.
Since there wasn’t anything particularly concerning, Lowell agreed without hesitation.
With his personal guards closely escorting him, he arrived at prayer room, where the man welcomed him as if he had been expecting him.
“It’s been a while.”
“Even though we live in the same castle, it’s hard to meet unless there’s a reason.”
“Yes. I’m not the type to wander around the castle much.”
Tacey didn’t rush him and patiently waited for Lowell to speak.
Glancing at his escort knights, Lowell could tell from their unwavering stance that they had no intention of leaving, no matter what happened.
In the end, he chose not to hesitate any longer and spoke.
“I have something to ask you.”
“Of course. Ask me anything. Though I can’t guarantee I’ll have an answer.”
Lowell had tried to act nonchalant, but Tacey, noticing his nervousness, responded playfully.
Tapping his nails against his finger, Lowell lowered his voice and asked,
“What happens when you’re far apart while under a unilateral imprint?”
“The distance and the time apart—both matter. Why do you ask all of a sudden?”
Lowell found himself at a crossroads, deciding whether or not to trust Tacey.
He didn’t know much about the man.
Glancing sideways at the knights, he checked for any signs of suspicion, but all three stood firm, exuding unwavering loyalty.
For now, he decided to be as vague as possible while still getting the answer he needed.
“There may come a day when His Grace has to leave Nix. Last time, when he went out to perform the ritual, his pheromones seemed a little unstable. I was just worried.”
Fortunately, the reasoning was convincing.
Tacey didn’t seem inclined to probe further and simply gave him a straightforward answer.
“Hmm, His Highness didn’t mention anything, but it seems like he does react if he’s away from you for too long.”
Flipping through books, Tacey eventually pulled out one with pages stuffed in haphazardly.
“There isn’t a strict consistency in recorded cases of unilateral imprinting. There are some general tendencies, but they don’t always match up perfectly with His Highness’s situation. However, if someone goes more than two months without exposure to their partner’s pheromones, issues will definitely arise. The general threshold seems to be anywhere from one week to two months.”
Two months would be enough time, but there was no guarantee that Felix fell within that range.
‘If it takes about a week, then it should be fine…’
Things rarely went exactly as planned, though. A day or two of deviation was just part of life.
“What kind of issues would arise?”
“At minimum, loss of pheromone regulation. In more severe cases, forced rut cycles or even impairment of one of the five senses. It’s hard to pinpoint an exact outcome.”
The explanation was vague, but Lowell understood that this was likely the best answer Tacey could provide.
“Is there any way to prevent those symptoms?”
“The best option is to give him something heavily infused with pheromones. It’s only a temporary measure, though.”
Even so, just knowing there was something he could do gave Lowell some relief.
“Thank you. If you have any books on this, I’d like to borrow them… The ones you lent me last time weren’t quite enough.”
“Oh, wait a moment.”
Tacey gathered about five books, including the ones he had just tossed aside, and handed them to Lowell.
Of course, the knights beside him immediately took the books off his hands.
“You’ll see as you read, but there isn’t a perfect answer. Still, having the knowledge should bring some peace of mind.”
With a kind smile, Tacey rummaged through another dusty pile and pulled out two more books.
This time, Lowell accepted them himself, declining the knights’ help.
“Thank you. Just hearing this has already helped a lot.”
“You’re very welcome.”
After returning to the study, Lowell immediately began searching for ways to store pheromones.
Fortunately, one of the books Tacey had given him contained the information he needed, so it didn’t take long to find an answer.
‘For short-term strong effects, pheromones should be absorbed into fabric or clothing. For a long-lasting, subtle effect, they should be infused into a gemstone.’
Until now, he had either suppressed his pheromones entirely or let them flow naturally, but actually applying them to an object was a different matter altogether.
He wasn’t sure how to go about it.
‘Is it just me who doesn’t know, or is this actually difficult?’
Unlike the people of this world, Lowell wasn’t particularly familiar with pheromones.
He decided to just give it a try and picked up the blue gemstone ring Felix had given him.
Carefully, he attempted to infuse it with his pheromones.
At first, he wasn’t sure if he was doing it right, but gradually, he started to feel more confident.
‘No need to overcomplicate it. I just need to focus the pheromones into one place.’
Visually, the blue gemstone looked the same, but when he brought it close to his nose, it gave off a faint scent.
Being the source of the pheromones himself, Lowell was too accustomed to them to distinguish the exact fragrance, but he noted that it seemed slightly sweet.
He continued the process for days, until even Tia, who had been watching, was impressed.
“The scent has become really strong. If His Highness carries this around, he might think you’re right beside him.”
“I can’t really tell… Is it that noticeable?”
“Yes. I think it will help a lot.”
At Tia’s reaction, Lowell flinched slightly and made an awkward expression.
He figured Tia was just saying that to reassure him.
“Did I seem that anxious?”
“Not exactly, but it did look like you were very concerned about His Highness. You two are quite devoted to each other, after all.”
Hearing that even a knight could tell, Lowell suddenly wanted to crawl into a hole.
But he quickly decided to take it in stride.
‘If this kind of talk spreads and helps soften Felix’s reputation, that’s for the best.’
With that thought, a little embarrassment was a small price to pay.
Fiddling with the ring, he considered giving it to Felix the next morning in case he returned late again.
* * *
