* * *
‘Love… No, maybe not love, exactly.’
“Ugh… I don’t know…”
I had become aware of my feelings for Raizen, but that was as far as it went.
I never imagined a future where he would fall for me or where we would be together.
Why? …Honestly, I wasn’t sure.
It just felt that way.
Like a future that would never come.
I would inherit my legacy and leave, and Raizen would become the Duke Pantheon and live his life.
That was the best future I could imagine.
I wouldn’t say my unchanging favorability toward him had no influence on that, but even if it hadn’t existed, my thoughts wouldn’t have been much different.
Because, in the end, I just couldn’t picture it.
‘Raizen… liking me.’
The thought alone made me want to curl up in a ball.
I couldn’t even imagine Raizen liking anyone, let alone me.
‘But if all of this is part of divine providence…’
Then maybe… just maybe, it was worth holding onto a little hope.
I wasn’t exactly sure how to go about seducing someone, but still.
I placed my notebook back in the lowest drawer and stood up.
For some reason, the familiar sight of my room looked different today.
A little sharper, perhaps… or maybe just a little more special.
‘Maybe because my mindset has changed?’
Raizen was returning from the Royal Academy tomorrow.
And the day after that was my birthday.
“……”
My heart thumped at the thought, as if in anticipation.
∗ ∗ ∗
Raizen Pantheon had completed all his semesters at the Royal Academy and finally returned to the duchy.
The results of his final exams hadn’t been announced yet, but graduating at the top of his class was a given.
As the carriage carrying Raizen rolled into the duchy’s estate, most of the retainers greeted him with due formality.
He had become the perfect heir.
And, just as the Duchess had predicted, Raizen was welcomed home by an overwhelming number of marriage proposals.
Most were sent directly by family heads, filled with long-winded praises about how their Omega children were wise, lovely, and ideal candidates for the next Duchess.
Of course, matters that needed to be discussed at the family level were handled through different channels.
Among them were passionate love letters from people Raizen had never even met.
He didn’t bother reading those and simply set them aside.
The entire duchy—and even the empire’s social circles—were abuzz with talks of Raizen Pantheon’s impending engagement.
But the person in question had no interest whatsoever.
His attention was focused on one thing and one thing only.
“Have you seen Sean anywhere?”
“Oh, Young Duke! You mean Lord Pantheon? No, I haven’t seen him.”
“When was the last time you did?”
“Uh… I’m sorry. I think Lady Mila would know best.”
“…I see.”
Raizen answered curtly and strode past the maid. It had been two days since he returned home.
And today was Sean’s birthday.
But Sean was nowhere to be found.
He wasn’t in his room, and when Raizen asked Mila, she claimed not to know.
‘Where is he?’
It wasn’t that Sean skipped meals—though he did seem to be avoiding Raizen’s gaze.
He didn’t appear upset, either.
But the moment dinner was over, he would disappear before Raizen even had the chance to speak to him.
‘Did he make himself a hideout somewhere in the estate?’
Growing increasingly frustrated, Raizen loosened the ribbon around his cravat.
He thought of the bracelet he had given Sean as a birthday gift once—but Sean never wore it.
Now that he thought about it, that fact irritated him more than he expected.
‘He seemed happy when I sent the messenger at midnight, though.’
When Sean’s birthday arrived at the stroke of midnight, Raizen had sent a rabbit messenger.
For some reason, Sean had been half-buried under his blanket, but he still responded to every word Raizen said.
His quiet thank you had been so soft, so shy, that Raizen could hear the embarrassment in his voice.
Raizen sharpened his senses, tracking Sean’s pheromones.
They were faint, diluted by the scents of other servants, but still present in the air.
Until now, Raizen had never given much thought to the fact that Sean was a recessive Omega.
But right now, it annoyed him.
‘If I just marked him…’
If he marked Sean, he would always know where he was.
His thoughts crossed a line they shouldn’t have—but Raizen didn’t even realize it.
It wasn’t the first time he had entertained the idea of tying Sean to his side.
Following the faint traces of Sean’s scent, Raizen realized he had wandered quite far from the main estate. With fewer people around, the pheromones were stronger here.
He soon found himself near the woods behind the duchy.
Raizen let out a dry laugh.
‘This is ridiculous.’
His mouth felt parched. If Sean had been far away, maybe it would have been fine.
But having him this close and still being unable to see him?
That was its own kind of torment.
Raizen clenched and unclenched his fists several times.
‘He doesn’t even hold my hand anymore…’
Was he not worried about him anymore?
Had he grown too reliant on the Divine Relic?
Of course, Sean’s divine power had grown immensely in recent days.
Not just in quantity, but in quality.
Honestly… at this point, the Divine Relic alone could probably sustain him for half a year.
But Raizen had no intention of telling him that.
He wanted Sean to keep worrying about him. To keep holding his hand.
‘This place…’
As he walked, he arrived at a small cabin at the edge of the forest.
He knew that the estate’s gardeners and servants sometimes used it as a resting place.
Since it was far from both the main mansion and the annex, it was rarely occupied these days—just occasionally maintained.
Sean’s scent was coming from inside.
‘He’s in there?’
Raizen pressed his fingers to his temple, suppressing a laugh.
He didn’t even know what to think anymore.
The thought of Sean discovering this place on his own was… kind of cute.
But if he had come here just to avoid him—now that was annoying.
‘Surely he didn’t come all the way here just to hide from me.’
Before stepping inside, Raizen strayghtened the cravat he had loosened earlier.
Then he approached the door.
He raised a hand to knock—then hesitated.
‘…Will he hate this?’
Would he be horrified that Raizen had hunted him down even after he tried to hide?
Would he feel suffocated?
At that moment, the door slammed open.
“Hy- Hyung!”
“Sei.”
Sean stood in the doorway, his face full of surprise.
Raizen glanced past him into the cabin.
There was no one else inside.
His gaze returned to Sean.
“H-how did you find me?”
Sean’s face was flushed red.
Had he been exercising?
No… that wasn’t quite it.
Raizen scrutinized him carefully.
Sean, uncomfortable under the intense gaze, instinctively took a step back.
“…You weren’t anywhere to be found.”
Raizen deliberately lowered his gaze, his voice weak.
“You don’t even hold my hand anymore.”
Even to his own ears, his voice sounded unbearably pathetic.
But before he could say anything more, Sean grabbed his hand.
Without hesitation, he channeled divine power into it.
“Are you okay now?”
A worried gaze lands on him.
Raizen responds with a gentle smile, his eyes curving.
“Yeah. I think I’m fine.”
“…Sorry. I just—”
Sean suddenly stops speaking and lets go of Raizen’s hand.
Raizen is just as surprised and instinctively studies Sean’s face.
Though he deliberately turns his head halfway, his already flushed face darkens even more.
“Sei?”
“I mean, uh, I mean…”
“…Ha, this is driving me crazy,” Sean mutters under his breath.
His blue eyes glance sideways at Raizen, unusually bright.
It’s midwinter, and today isn’t particularly sunny.
Yet, Sean’s eyes shine more than usual.
“……”
That’s not all.
The already crisp scent of mint deepens.
Normally, Sean’s pheromones settle calmly in Raizen’s presence, but right now, they seem to bubble up, unable to hide the trembling he feels.
“…Anyway, I’m sorry. I didn’t do it on purpose. I was just… a bit out of it.”
“…Did Karon Luavis contact you?”
Raizen doesn’t know why his thoughts suddenly jump to that.
But at his question, Sean furrows his brows slightly in distaste.
“Why would you bring up his name here?”
“You said you were out of it.”
Besides that bastard, who else could throw Sean off balance?
Raizen’s certainty makes Sean let out a small sigh.
“He did send a letter.”
“What did it say?”
“He asked to be invited to my birthday party.”
“And?”
“I turned him down. Very politely. Said it’s a gathering just for ‘family,’ so there was no choice.”
Sean clicks his tongue, folding his arms.
“But I’ll have to meet with him at some point. I need to figure out what he’s thinking.”
“That…”
‘I don’t want you to do that.’
Raizen barely stops himself from saying it.
The sooner he gets rid of that nuisance, the better.
“But… I’ll tell you before I meet him, so don’t worry.”
Like a lie, his irritation melts away at those words.
Raizen smiles silently.
“Alright. So… what exactly were you doing here in the cabin?”
“…Huh?”
Caught off guard, Sean blinks rapidly.
* * *
