* * *
“With… effort, Sylvian might… er, hmm, yes, possibly become as healthy as Young Lord Holt.”
“That’s right! You can do it, Duchess! It took me a long time too!”
Yuri eagerly agreed.
Of course, the fastest method would be for Sylvian to be reborn, but he didn’t want to see the duchess disappointed just as he was beginning to blossom.
“Can I train with the knights too?”
“Absolutely not—uh, I mean… Of course, my wife. You absolutely can.”
Zeroth had been ready to vehemently refuse, but the hopeful gleam in Sylvian’s eyes made him change his tune.
If his stamina improved, he’d last longer at night too.
The reports said that the potions he’d been secretly mixing into Sylvian’s food were gradually improving his body.
It would be fine.
It was better to run in the training grounds than to look at those damned muscles.
“Let’s do it. After all, isn’t it true that a healthy mind resides in a healthy body, Madam?”
At Zeroth’s sarcastic remark, spoken as if it were obvious, Sylvian’s expression brightened.
“Oh my, Lord Sylvian! This is wonderful news!”
Countess Holt dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief.
No matter how much rigorous training he endured, the Duchess would never turn into her son.
And the Duke wouldn’t just sit back and allow it.
The thought of the Duchess transforming into a graceful yet strong beauty made the Countess’s heart race with excitement.
“I was able to gather the courage thanks to Countess Holt.”
“Oh, don’t say such things. It’s simply the heart of a wife who loves her husband.”
…Why was that even relevant?
Sylvian forced a smile, trying to hide the way his eyelids trembled.
Damn it.
He had to start training—by force if necessary.
If only to build enough stamina to run away.
He was doomed.
Completely, utterly doomed.
Yuri and Zeroth were not getting together.
Sylvian, who had been anticipating this moment more than anyone, had no choice but to scrap Plan A.
A-1: Play Cupid, push the two together, then quietly step back.
A-2, A-3, A-4… Z-127.
What was the point of any of it now?
Sylvian struggled to keep his expression from crumbling.
Hoo… He had to stop jumping to conclusions.
Maybe the two of them just hadn’t realized their feelings for each other yet.
‘No, no! It was over!’
No matter how much he tried to console himself throughout the conversation, his sinking mood refused to lift.
By the time they moved to the dining hall, his emotions were still in disarray.
“May I visit the Duke’s estate often? I’d love to be of help to the Madam.”
“Of course!”
Sylvian answered faster than Zeroth, who had been about to say no.
He would allow it—every day, if necessary.
How else would they have more chances to fall for each other?
He had no idea why Yuri kept blushing whenever their eyes met, but Sylvian shoved down his unease and quickly nodded.
Zeroth had already approved!
Now, all he needed was a little kindness from Yuri and for the original story to unfold as it was meant to.
“I never expected you to like Yuri so much.”
The Countess studied the Duchess, who seemed utterly smitten with her son, then turned her anxious gaze toward the Duke.
It was probably just admiration, but… the Duke’s face looked extremely displeased.
She hadn’t expected him to be jealous over something like this.
As she watched her son grinding his teeth at the Duke, she had a sinking feeling that something was going to go wrong at the Duke’s estate.
And sure enough, it did.
“I’m really glad he has a friend around his age. Plus, I’m curious about how Yuri became so healthy.”
“Oh, it was actually quite simple.”
The Countess smiled as she twirled her pasta and took a sip of wine.
“Ever since he was young, I fed him everything that was supposedly good for the body.”
“Pardon? You mean potions?”
Sylvian blinked in disbelief.
The Countess simply smiled.
She had spent a fortune on potions and restorative foods.
Every time the Viscountess Nertian spoke as if her son was on the brink of death, Yuri’s potion intake increased.
Every time she was seized by the fear that her healthy son might suddenly drop dead, the Countess poured potions down his throat.
“Yes, much like how the Duke is currently doing the same for you, Lord Sylvian.”
The Countess laughed softly, assuring him that he would recover in no time.
After all, Omega regeneration was the best.
Studies showed that those born male often struggled with physical balance, leading to an inherent frailty.
She had placed her trust in those findings.
So, preparing for the worst, she had stuffed Yuri with potions until, at some point, he passed a threshold and started growing stronger.
While Zeroth nodded at the explanation, Sylvian’s mouth fell open.
‘Wait… Is this why Yuri turned out different from the original story?’
He swallowed hard as he saw Zeroth glaring at Yuri’s muscles like he wanted to kill them.
“S-So, originally, Yuri was weak like me?”
“Well, not quite as much.”
The Countess shook her head at Sylvian’s question.
No matter how frail her son had been, he was never as delicate as the Duchess.
“I was just a little sickly. I still trained with my brothers and studied as usual.”
“Wow, so lucky, so envious.”
Sylvian gripped his fork tightly.
His throat felt constricted, and he struggled to swallow his food.
“Why don’t you train with me, then?”
“The Duke’s estate has its own knights. There’s no need to go all the way to the royal palace.”
Their ongoing stare-down made everything even more frustrating.
Why couldn’t they just admit they liked each other already?
No matter how you looked at it, this wasn’t a love-struck atmosphere.
It wasn’t even the kind of love where they were in denial about their feelings.
They were just… glaring at each other like they wanted to kill.
Sylvian wanted to cry.
A whole year—no, twenty-five years of effort had gone to waste.
Of course, he couldn’t even call it effort back at the Viscount’s house.
There, all he had to do was suppress his temper and endure the beatings.
If he had known things would turn out like this, he would have shown his true colors from the start.
He should’ve let his temper loose and made his presence known.
He had spent too many years living as a fake version of Sylvian.
And now, all that time felt wasted.
What had he even done all this for?
The realization made his insides churn.
“I really do want to train. The royal knights’ training was so impressive last time.”
He refused to let things deviate from the original story.
Even if it was irrational, he refused to let his past efforts crumble in vain.
Some say people never change.
And sometimes, the wisdom of old was more accurate than modern science or humanities.
Zeroth wasn’t going to change for his sake.
Even now, wasn’t he itching to grab him?
A wicked thought crept into his mind.
“That determination is what’s most important.”
* * *
