* * *

Valentin fidgeted restlessly in the carriage the whole time, like someone with a bug on them. To that extent, he had returned home in fear, but it was futile as the family members were all out.

“Thank goodness…!”

Valentin alternately looked at the empty mansion lobby and the sky, offering a prayer of gratitude alone.

He had adamantly refused the offer to be taken all the way home, in case the alpha pheromones got on him again. He had washed thoroughly to commit a perfect crime, but if he were to kiss him again while taking him back and even a little pheromone leaked out and lingered on his body…!

It would have been truly terrible. If that had happened, this time he would have definitely been grounded.

An omega son who stayed out overnight returning with an alpha’s sexual pheromones on him…! This was no different from blabbing about what had happened the night before.

He had thoroughly refused the farewell and parting kiss to prevent such a thing from happening and returned.

‘But there was no need for that either.’

Valentin recalled Reynard’s last expression, frowning with displeasure as he sent him off alone in the carriage. Wasn’t it kind of like the expression of a sulky child whose favorite toy had been taken away?

‘He has a cute side to him too.’

If Reynard found out, he would probably snort and pinch his nose, asking who was really cute to say such impudent and cute things, and if his aide Shane found out, he would scream and run away while shaking. He was someone who had never even dreamed of thinking that his superior could look cute to someone. And that applied to anyone, not just Shane. Even Reynard’s father, the Duke of Dennox, hadn’t thought that way even once since his son turned five years old.

To that extent, the word “cute” and Reynard could not coexist together like magnets of the same pole.

Except for one person in this world, Valentin.

Well, the eye only sees what it wants to see.

However, he was completely unaware of his own state. Valentin eventually let out a sigh of relief, and in a good mood, he hopped back to his room with a light step, making his knees come up at right angles.

He thought this time too, like last time, he would be severely grabbed by the ear and made to confess in detail where he had been and what he had been doing, or else his mother would step in and say she would thoroughly spank his frolicking butt, but fortunately, no one was there.

‘I survived….’

He was satisfied with having avoided the immediate crisis, although he didn’t know what would be said later. It was literally the sight of a rabbit sticking its head in its burrow with its butt sticking out and feeling relieved that it had escaped the predator.

Valentin asked Dawson, who was helping him unbutton the complicated cuffs of the shirt he was wearing.

“Where did everyone go?”

Dawson calmly lowered his eyes and opened his mouth while helping Valentin undress.

“Mr. Dalton went to work and the Viscount went to the imperial palace urgently.”

Oh no, today was a weekday! No wonder…!

Sighing with relief once again, he stroked his chest.

“What about Mother?”

“Madam went to a social gathering. As far as I know, she went to help prepare for Countess Teneban’s regular charity performance, would you like me to find out more?”

“No. That’s enough.”

He replied in a bright voice.

Countess Teneban particularly liked and trusted his mother, asking her about everything from one to ten. Valentin imagined Countess Teneban asking his mother about not only the order of the performance but also the color of the napkins to be used for entertaining guests and the number of chairs.

‘She’ll definitely come back late.’

Dawson stared intently at Valentin, who was changing into light indoor clothes with that reassurance, with narrowed eyes.

Although he didn’t say it out loud, that was definitely the gaze of looking at a fool.

A gaze full of suspicion and distrust, utterly disrespectful for a servant looking at his master. Unable to let that go, Valentin looked at Dawson with the same half-closed eyes. It was natural to ask a question about Dawson’s face full of distrust.

“What’s with that look, Dawson?”

A question asking why he was making a disrespectful gaze unlike himself.

In fact, despite knowing the answer, it was a question to avoid the blaming gaze that looked at him like a criminal. An artificial question asked by the guilty party to make excuses comfortably.

That was exactly it.

Of course, the one who did wrong here was Valentin, and the one making a bigger fuss was also Valentin. Dawson had only stared at the criminal. Although there was a lot of meaning contained in that gaze.

As expected, since his status was like a gangster, Dawson avoided his eyes.

“But you said you would never stay out overnight….”

But his mouth was honest.

The level of separation between the eyes and the mouth was so perfect that it was completely in line with the biblical analogy of not letting your left hand know what your right hand has done.

Valentin, who had nothing to say about the thing he had vowed, since he didn’t have two mouths, naturally crawled into bed.

It was the escape of a criminal.

And needless to say, it was the instinct of one soaked in fatigue from staying up all night. Upon arriving in his comfortable room, the fatigue from excessive drinking the day before and being harassed by the alpha suddenly rushed in.

“Young master….”

“Hmm…?”

He had already curled up in the blanket like a hibernating squirrel, using it as a nest. Valentin couldn’t open his closed eyes and barely opened his mouth to answer in a mumble.

“The master said to have a family dinner together this evening.”

“Okay….”

“Are you sure you understood…? You’re not just eagerly answering now, are you?”

“Mm-hmm….”

“Then I will come back to wake you up before the meal…?”

“Uh-huh….”

Looking at the young master who was eagerly answering but had already left for dreamland, Dawson sighed again and quietly closed the door.

Somehow it felt like a déjà vu that similar things had been happening, but the important thing was to let the very tired-looking young master rest as much as he wanted.

* * *

Misconception

* * *

“I knew this would happen.”

It was a family dinner with everyone gathered. Viscount Wiche opened his mouth while looking at the family members who were drinking the apple-scented aperitif.

“What do you mean, Brandon?”

The Viscountess asked the meaning of her husband’s words in a friendly voice. The Viscount looked like he wanted the family members to question and focus on his words more than anyone else before officially starting the conversation.

Knowing her husband’s tendency well, the Viscountess, as the duty of a spouse, took the lead and asked the Viscount who was rubbing his hands together. It was a model of an excellent spouse.

“I’m sure everyone knows that an envoy from the imperial family came urgently early this morning?”

No, in fact, “everyone” didn’t know.

It was something Valentin had no idea about.

However, as if forgetting the fact that he had stayed out without permission, Valentin couldn’t raise his right hand quietly in front of his father, who was about to start focusing and talking, and confess, “Actually, I… I’m the one who doesn’t know.” So he nodded his head vigorously as if he really knew.

Yes. I clearly heard it there, Father. Yup.

The determined expression that appeared on the face of the liar seemed to say that.

‘Naturally… Let’s blend in naturally!’

Fortunately, the family members who were trying to immerse themselves in the story did not notice Valentin’s lie and were fully focused on the words of the head of the family, the Viscount.

“The atmosphere over there has been unusual lately.”

“That’s right, brother.”

Dalton also agreed while unfolding his napkin at the Viscount’ words.

“The fact is, we have been a bit presumptuously strong against Empress Beatrice, who has been actively trying to make the engagement happen since Valentin’s return.”

It was a determined expression.

“We can’t force a marriage that the child dislikes.”

“Yeah. I think so too.”

The Viscount nodded, looking at the Viscountess who gently held her husband’s hand on the table.

“Moreover, what Valentin says is right. How can you live your whole life with someone you don’t love?”

“And formally accepting the engagement now is proof that they look down on our family. Look at what the Third Prince is doing.”

Dalton pointed out the Third Prince’s recent actions that were published in the capital’s daily newspaper.

It was said while accurately recalling how Third Prince Clifton had confidently taken his lover Evener Luwin to a charity event a few days ago. Various daily newspapers and weekly magazines were flooded with articles praising how perfectly the two matched as lovers, how they threw themselves to catch a falling child, how well-suited they looked holding the child, and eventually how promising a harmonious family they would have in the future.

“If the engagement happens, it’s clear that only Valentin will be criticized.”

Dalton frowned his brown eyebrows and emptied the apple sparkling wine in one gulp.

“They don’t change. We can perfectly see how much they look down on us just by their actions of continuously forcing the engagement.”

The Viscountess nodded in agreement with Dalton’s words.