It was an absurd and disrespectful thing to do that did not follow proper procedures.

However, Valentin was completely cornered.

He had strived for a full 5 years to avoid the catastrophic ending of the original story. But after realizing that his efforts had not solved the problem at all, he became quite reckless and did not consider the consequences.

‘To prevent my death and the downfall of my family, everything else is a secondary issue.’

In any case, he was already rumored to be a scoundrel-like little devil. Even if he committed a bit more discourtesy here and gained another rumor, not much would change. If things went badly, he would just completely leave high society and travel while abandoning his family name.

‘Yes. Wasn’t that the life I truly wanted?’

Valentin closed his eyes and imagined a life of free days.

A life of traveling around the world, painting freely and living while traveling.

A life of leaving the stuffy high society, hiding his status and interacting with many people from various classes, being able to leave for anywhere at any time, like a bird flying freely in the wide sky.

‘If I can prevent the beginning of the disastrous ending of the engagement even by doing this, nothing else matters.’

That’s how Valentin had rationalized his own actions.

So I’m not afraid of anything right now.

He had already caused an incident in the first place. He could endure a brief moment of humiliation and embarrassment. Even fearing people’s gazes and gossip until now, it wasn’t because he was afraid of those things themselves. It was because he feared the ending of the original story that would gradually follow. So it’s all fine.

As long as he could completely nullify this engagement. So that he could avoid the route of the original story.

“Young master, I heard the bath preparations are all done.”

At Dawson’s words that the maids had finished preparing his bath, Valentin abruptly woke up from his cave of contemplation.

“I’ll go soon.”

While thinking with his eyes closed, he left the letter with the completely dried sealing on the desk and stood up.

“…What is this…?”

The reflection in the bathroom mirror was quite a sight.

Valentin was startled to see his body covered in red and purple marks like someone with a skin disease. His skin was already very white, so the blood spots did not fade well…

This body was like… At one point, it was like seeing Titian’s dirty palette, where he had squeezed out purple and reddish warm-colored paints in large quantities to paint a sunset. Valentin suddenly frowned at his poor body that had become similar to the palette of his atelier colleague who must be doing well in Sorrento.

Yesterday, he had been so tormented by Reynard Dennox, who seemed to be crazy about colors, at the colonel’s residence that he had no time to examine his body, but now that he had come home and took a proper look, it was quite a spectacle. Some parts were even dark red and on the verge of turning purple from how much they had been sucked on.

“Was this person very hungry…?”

Well… He had lived on the battlefield for several years… There couldn’t have been any omegas in such a place… It may be natural since he hadn’t returned long ago.

Perhaps it was fortunate for him to be able to pick out such a person right away.

‘If he wasn’t someone urgent enough to make an omega like this overnight, he might not have followed me so easily from the ballroom to the garden. I should think positively….’

Valentin turned his positive circuit to the fullest, utilizing his strengths.

The soft steam rose from the bathtub made of delicately carved tiles and filled the bathroom, swirling around.

Soaking in the hot water made his whole body feel supple, and the feeling of his entire body relaxing like a cat sprawled out comfortably in front of a warm stove was superb. He stretched out his arms and legs, pouring the water with his favorite rose-scented bath salts here and there. Indeed, he was young to recover after sleeping for a day.

‘Fortunately, I haven’t neglected my health care.’

Even the fact that he had been consistently doing calisthenics indoors was a source of pride and satisfaction in his well-prepared self for the future, and it felt like a good sign and positive signal that greatly supported his current health.

Somehow, it seemed like everything was going well.

“I want to move in secret from the other family members.”

At his words spoken with a face as clear as a baby after washing up squeaky clean, Dawson nodded while attending to his attire.

“If they ask, I will tell them you went out to a suitable place.”

“Good. It would be better to say I went to visit a gallery.”

Since it hadn’t been long since he had come up to the capital, and he had made excuses about being ill and hadn’t gone out for a while, it seemed his family would easily accept and overlook his gallery tour. Above all, his family members were the ones who knew best about Valentin’s passion for paintings.

“Yes…”

Somehow the trailing words seemed unusual, so Valentin looked at Dawson’s face while putting his arm through the silk almond-colored vest.

“Is there a problem?”

“You’re not thinking of staying out overnight again today, are you?”

Seeing Dawson’s eyes narrowing irreverently, Valentin bounced around.

“Didn’t you see me getting caught by my father yesterday when I came back? There’s no way I’d do such a stupid thing again. I’m not an idiot.”

* * *

Well… Here’s the idiot.

Auntie, add one more idiot here…!

As he opened his eyes on the clean bedding of a room that was somehow bigger and more spacious than the Wiche family home, looking as time-honored as the imperial palace, Valentin muttered nonsense to himself.

He was in a state where he should paste “idiot” on his forehead.

‘This is why people shouldn’t make promises easily…’

He was very frustrated that he couldn’t hit himself for blabbering with just his mouth alive.

What’s the use of being a reincarnator who remembers his past life…? Whether in his previous life or this life, he was born foolish…

Valentin swallowed the feeling of suffocation and tightness in his chest and closed his eyes tightly before opening them.

No! The tightness in his chest was all because of this heavy arm. Ugh, so annoying. Why is this so heavy?

He glanced with his eyes at Reynard, who was still not awake from deep sleep and hugging him with his bare body.

‘Of course I’m suffocating with such a heavy arm on top of me…!’

Although it seemed the arm would be soft since he was asleep, what kind of unique structure was this arm muscle made of that it was so firm and full of elasticity even when no strength was applied at all…? Moreover, its weight was also very heavy.

Valentin sighed and carefully lifted the arm slightly and pushed it aside. It was easy to say, but that action was like a burglar who had thoroughly robbed a house in the middle of the night trying to slip out without getting caught by the owner of the house. It was a slowness and caution that felt like gathering all the prudence in the world to open the door very slightly. That serious movement was indeed befitting of the notorious klutz of this district.

That’s how much Valentin felt the need to completely reexamine his foolish and idiotic actions of the previous day without being disturbed by anyone at this moment.

They say humans repeat foolish actions…. But it seemed no fool would repeat them in such a short time as himself.

It was just the previous morning when he was lectured by Dalton to be careful not to meet Reynard anymore if he wanted to live quietly and freely like in his dreams…!

‘How the hell did it end up like this again…?’

Valentin struggled to recall yesterday’s events with his hazy, fog-filled brain after waking up.

* * *

One day ago.

He was getting out of the carriage, dressed formally to visit the imperial palace.

After going through various identification procedures, he finally reached the path inside the palace where carriages could not enter, and Valentin moved his steps vigorously with determination.

Excluding the last ball, it was his first time visiting the palace since becoming an adult.

‘Moreover, such a private visit…’

To visit so boldly alone with his opinion held in his heart. Valentin was feeling proud, comforting the letter held in his chest from the outside of his clothes.

‘Yes, I am truly a completely grown adult.’

Not knowing that a truly complete and mature adult never has such thoughts, not even a teaspoon, Valentin smiled proudly at his own drive.

Recalling how Viscount Wiche had done it when he took Valentin to visit the palace as a child, and asking the attendants and staff occasionally passing by, he finally arrived at Empress Beatrice’s palace.

“Wow… It’s so splendid…”

This kind of architectural style seems to have been in vogue hundreds of years ago… Valentin shook his head back and forth, looking at the building filled with splendid decorations gilded like the Palace of Versailles.

Excessive decoration was definitely not to his taste.

Moreover, it was a place overflowing with all sorts of unfamiliar things starting from the garden.

Valentin walked past the perfectly square-cut trees. And after passing an interesting fountain where decorations moved regularly with time differences using the power of water, he was climbing the stairs impressively engraved with the pattern of natural brick cracks when he spotted the face he least wanted to see in the world.

Third Prince Clifton Leopold.

‘Damn… They say you meet your enemy on a narrow bridge.’

Valentin unknowingly turned his head to the side and ground his teeth.

He had no idea why he frequently encountered enemies whenever he went out. He wondered if he was particularly unlucky to often experience such unfortunate events or if it was the damn unknown default value of the original story’s flow that he wanted to know, no, was dying to know…! Either way, it was an equally unpleasant event.

Third Prince Clifton was coming down the stairs from the Empress’s palace.

His large build befitting the protagonist of the novel and his neatly handsome face couldn’t be more unpleasant to see. Even his sun-like red hair, the symbol of the imperial family, just seemed like hellfire to Valentin, making his teeth chatter. It was a very annoying color.

After regaining the memories of his past life, Clifton was one of Valentin’s greatest enemies and worst people.

No matter how much he was said to make the hearts of all the omegas in the capital’s high society flutter, to Valentin, he was no different from the grim reaper who would drag him into hellfire. His sculpture-like, magnificent appearance and personality praised as kind and wise were just well-packaged wrapping paper in Valentin’s eyes.

No matter how sleek and cool-looking the handsome man was, who could possibly be attracted to the grim reaper? Valentin snorted inwardly.

‘Please, I hope that person doesn’t recognize me and passes by…’

Valentin earnestly prayed inwardly, gathering the energy and wishes of the entire universe.

Hoping that he had completely forgotten about him during the 5 years, he awkwardly bowed his head and hurriedly climbed the stairs.