A maid in a white apron roughly pulled the curtains with a loud “thud”. It was the sound of forcefully removing even the transparent yet white inner curtains that were covering the windows. Valentin was buried under the bed covers, watching that bold action with blank eyes.

Seeing the morning sunlight piercing straight through the windows with both curtains pulled back, the glare naturally made him lift his heavy arms to cover his face.

“Uahhh…”

What is this… A solar flare attack…!?

Seeing another maid walking over heavily, opening both sides of the window to ventilate, was today the day for big cleaning, what the heck…?

“Valentin, please get up now.”

The Viscountess’s voice brought Valentin’s mind that was still blankly wandering in the air with nonsensical thoughts back to its place.

“Mother…?”

The voice approaching with clicking shoe sounds sat down right next to him. Sitting on the edge of the bed, the Viscountess kissed Valentin’s forehead and brushed his hair up like a baby. And she sighed and opened her mouth again.

“What is this. Staying out all night on the day of the ball… And sleeping all day from noon until the next day’s sun is high in the sky…”

“I slept all day?”

“Yes. You slept for nearly 20 hours.”

He went to bed in the afternoon yesterday and it became the next morning just like that.

Perhaps because it was always a diligent household doing business. The mornings of the Wiche Viscount household were much more industrious and earlier than other nobles in Eldon, and that was the same for the Viscountess, his mother. The day dress made of practical piqué, perfectly crisp without wrinkles, seemed to represent her diligent personality.

“Get up quickly. I can’t stand watching you live in bed every day when you’re not really sick anymore.”

Her sigh deepened.

It was her dissatisfaction being voiced again for locking the door the whole time in the name of a plan.

As expected… He thought the house maids were busily moving around entering without permission, but there was an order from his mother. Valentin tried to wake up his mind as his mother requested and raised his body.

“Let’s please start living a healthy life from today. Mom doesn’t want anything else.”

“Yes, Mother…”

“Get yourself together and do the things you should do regularly too.”

Truly wise words.

He lamented his own laziness, recalling he hadn’t even touched a painting since returning.

The Viscountess kissed Valentin’s cheeks, told him to have a vibrant day today as well, had Dawson bring a meal to the room, and left.

Sitting at the small table and chairs in the bedroom and taking a sip of freshly squeezed juice, it felt like he was gaining energy. Valentin stretched pleasantly to wake up his body and mind that were loosened due to excessively long sleep.

Knock knock knock.

Someone knocked on Valentin’s door.

“Valentin, it’s me. May I come in?”

The uncle, who had a relatively free and arbitrary relationship before Valentin became an adult, treated his nephew with care starting from the coming-of-age ceremony. Knocking was part of that. When the two lived together in Sorencia, they were really free without any hesitation, but it completely changed as they were about to return to their homeland. It seemed to be Dalton’s own manners for treating his adult omega nephew.

“Yeah. Come in.”

As the words of permission fell, Dalton opened the door, came in, and sat across the small table where breakfast was set. Somehow there were two sets of tableware, so he must have told in advance.

“Did you rest well yesterday?”

At the words spoken while casually unfolding a napkin, Valentin blew out a puff of air with a sullen look.

“You’re saying that after seeing me get scolded a lot by Father?”

Of course, he slept well like he collapsed after coming to his room and getting nagged a lot like that, but he pouted out of petty resentment towards his uncle who had no intention of stopping or helping him when he was being scolded. He looked just like a sister-in-law, nodding next to Father as if telling him to scold more.

“You deserved to be scolded.”

“Hmph! I’m an adult too.”

As if trying to show his petty anger with his eyes, he unfolded the napkin with a loud sound like wet laundry that needed to be spread out roughly. And Valentin snorted while tucking the napkin that had been roughly tormented into his shirt collar.

Dalton looked at his nephew as if he was absurd but changed the subject without saying more.

No, in fact, this was the core of what he wanted to say to Valentin, and the purpose of this nagging session under the guise of having a meal together today.

“You danced with the Marquis of Valkyries at the ball the other day, right?”

…Gasp!

Valentin quickly swallowed his breath.

Valentin’s blood ran cold at Dalton’s words. Flinching and slipping while scooping butter, the deliberately hardened butter stuck in a strange shape, dangling.

“Wh… Who…?”

He pretended not to know, turning his eyes and acting distracted. As if the subtle grain of the dairy butter currently dangling on the butter knife was very interesting and fascinating.

“Don’t pretend you don’t know. The Marquis of Valkyries, Colonel Dennox.”

The desperate and ridiculous acting was seen through by Dalton’s eyes in an instant… Was it impossible to fool Uncle even though he could deceive his parents’ eyes after all…? Valentin smiled embarrassedly and spread the dangling butter on soft, white bread. The desire to somehow pass it off with a smile was hidden until the end.

“Your brother and sister-in-law don’t know. They were in the next hall at that time because of people swarming like a swarm of bees, saying there was a good business plan.”

It couldn’t be anything but fortunate, so Valentin unknowingly let out a sigh of relief.

“Uncle, you saw me?”

“Yes. If I had been close, I wouldn’t have even let you exchange greetings. By the time I noticed, you were already dancing with him.”

It was a tone that he would have already stopped it if he could, but he endured because of people’s eyes.

“I didn’t see you after that, could it be that you left together with that person…”

Dalton asked, narrowing his eyes and distractedly stabbing the thinly sliced cured ham with a fork.

It was an expression of ‘It couldn’t possibly be that kind of unfaithful and terrible thing I’m thinking of, right?’

“Ah… No…! I met a friend after a long time…! So I went out…”

For some reason, he had a feeling that if caught, he would be screwed. Valentin hurriedly made excuses while busily messing up the mushrooms in the innocent omelet, and Dalton’s eyes narrowed even more.

“You had friends here…?”

“I… I do…! Do you think I’m a loner without friends, Uncle…!? I do have some kids I used to hang out with back then…!”

The fierce self-denial of a loner who got worked up continued.

A ‘friend’ to Valentin in Eldon…

There were some, but most of them lost contact after studying abroad. Especially beta or omega male guys he could hang out with at night like this were almost nonexistent.

But even at the clumsy excuse, Dalton seemed to think he couldn’t touch his nephew’s sore spot anymore, so he let it slide even while still looking suspicious.

“Anyway, it’s better not to get involved with that person anymore. Make sure not to dance together if you meet him next time.”

It was an assertive tone unlike Dalton. It was unlike him who always acted as Valentin’s biggest ally, friend, and self-proclaimed protector, yet always yielded softly.

Valentin felt his throat scratchy for some reason while listening to those words. He picked up the glass of grapefruit juice, took a sip, and carefully opened his mouth again.

“Is there a reason I shouldn’t get involved with that person…?”

We’re already involved, no, involved to the point of sharing a lot of intimacy… He doesn’t have any strange diseases or anything, right…?

Dalton slightly frowned at that question. And he opened his mouth while wrapping capers in smoked salmon and rolling it up.

“The rumors are too bad after all.”

“Dalton! Rumors…! Are you judging a person based on rumors in front of me…?”

A sharp voice unintentionally spat out.

Saying that when you know how much I suffered because of rumors…!

Valentin couldn’t believe Dalton judged a person definitively based on unverified stories like ‘rumors’ in front of him.

Seeing his nephew who was momentarily shocked, Dalton immediately corrected his words.

“…I apologize for unintentionally using the expression ‘rumors’.”

“……”

“But I expressed it that way because I didn’t experience that person directly, it’s not a story I’m telling based only on the contents I heard delivered from mouth to mouth, ear to ear.”

Dalton put down his fork and knife, showing his palms to prove his innocence and at the same time calmed his nephew whose breathing had become a bit rough from excitement.

Seeing that, Valentin calmed his breath and quietly lowered his eyes. He tried to focus on the food again, but it seemed Dalton’s words were just beginning. He didn’t pick up the silverware he put down again and opened his mouth while drinking coffee.

“Objectively looking at only the revealed facts, it’s true that he’s an excessively dangerous person.”

“Huh?”

“And he’s also an absurdly big shot.”

Valentin also knew he was a great person.

But Dalton’s words implied there was something more beyond the facts Valentin superficially knew.

“Brother always made sure to have us accompany him to various business-related occasions or imperial events.”

“Right. He always took us with him even when he regularly went to the palace for imperial-related business.”

Valentin also nodded at Dalton’s words, smiling as if remembering old times. Various occasions disguised as social gatherings flashed through his memory.

Because Father always took Dalton and himself to various occasions, they naturally became familiar with the faces of not only high-ranking nobles but also imperial family members and interacted with them appropriately.

“I know that from a young age, you naturally accepted even high-ranking nobles as if they were just an uncle next door. Especially you, because of your trait, you took people’s favor and kindness for granted.”