A colorful world hidden by the old showcase, now covered in green patina, was revealed behind the worn-out signboard. Candies of various colors in cute glass jars and taffy that looked soft… Oh my, this is heaven. Valentin was convinced he had found the right place.

Glass jars were densely packed on the old wooden shelves. Valentin carefully looked at the small pieces of paper with writing on those shelves. Detailed descriptions of names and flavors were written.

“Orange flavor… This is cherry.”

“Hmm…”

“This one is grape flavor, but it says it’s aged in rum…”

As Valentin was muttering with his nose almost stuck to the shelf, reading the descriptions, Reynard came closer. It was an extremely faithful posture like a slave who couldn’t miss even a trivial word from his husband, but it wasn’t very welcome to the one agonizing over the purchase.

‘Annoying… Terribly annoying…’

He’s clinging too much when I have to carefully think and diligently choose. Valentin requested, elbowing Reynard who was sticking to him almost like gum, making it uncomfortable to move while putting his hand on his shoulder.

“I want to choose comfortably.”

Eyes sternly wide open looked up at his husband who was making a fuss.

“What’s there to worry about? Just buy one of each.”

It was truly the words of someone who had lived as a high-ranking aristocrat all his life without the joy of choosing things. What’s there to worry about? Just buy everything. Not even “Give me everything from this shelf to that shelf.” Give me everything in this store. How convenient and nice. But it wasn’t like that for Valentin.

“If you buy a lot of food, it’ll go bad or melt and become a mess.”

Valentin pointed his finger beyond the window, asking if he couldn’t see the hot weather outside. The late summer sun was scorching.

“It’s a waste. It’s creating garbage. I can’t tolerate easily buying and discarding things like that. And you know there’s meaning in personally choosing even small things.”

The rabbit teacher’s hand that had been pointing outside now pointed to the cameo brooch he was wearing. On a light brown background, Île Saint-Pierre was carved in white and delicate detail. Just yesterday, Reynard had discovered a craftsman’s shop while walking and gifted it to Valentin.

It was an item too cheap for their wealth. However, it was a priceless gift that couldn’t be calculated in monetary value, containing the sincerity of personally choosing it and memories of their honeymoon.

“So for me to choose comfortably, you go to the back and pick just 3 jars of candy that look delicious. I’ll pick the taffy.”

At the mission given by Valentin, Reynard nodded with a stiff face and turned around to move away towards the shelf on the opposite side.

Valentin, who had been agonizing for a while, imagining family members taking out and eating one piece each, spoke to a young female employee passing by in fluent Blanchean.

“Excuse me.”

“Yes, how may I assist you?”

The voluptuous employee answered with a friendly smile. She exuded the aura of a master accustomed to serving customers.

“How long can these taffies be stored?”

“Oh my, is it your first time trying our taffy?”

“Yes. I’m a tourist.”

She seemed to have thought Valentin was a local due to his fluent pronunciation. As if she couldn’t miss this opportunity, she began to proudly boast about the taffy.

“Then try this.”

She was very quick to bring a plate with sample pieces of taffy. As Valentin picked up and ate a yellow taffy from the plate, she eagerly began to explain.

“All of our store’s taffies are made with seawater from this ocean. It’s a specialty that can only be tasted in this region. Plus, we flavor them with various fresh fruits, so there are types that contain natural fruit juice.”

Valentin nodded as he listened to her spewing explanations with a proud face. Indeed, the chewiness was superb. Not to mention the rich lemon flavor spreading in the mouth.

As soon as he heard that the storage period was long enough not to spoil right away, Valentin chose five or six types of taffy. And to pay, he looked towards Reynard who was selecting candies.

“Is he your companion?”

The employee asked as if she knew who Valentin was looking for. She had a slightly embarrassed expression, flushed and excited. Valentin knew exactly what this face meant. This was undoubtedly interest in the opposite sex. Or love at first sight.

‘Well, he has an excessively handsome and manly appearance.’

Valentin answered while suppressing something unknown that was welling up inside him.

“Yes. That’s right.”

“Oh my. Then may I get an introduction?”

Valentin opened his mouth wide in absurdity.

‘Did we not look like a couple at all…?’

“Your friend is so cool. To be honest, he’s the coolest person I’ve ever seen in my life.”

“Ah…”

Listening to her fast whisper in an excited voice, a little realization came to Valentin.

Here, they were dressed in clothes no different from commoners. At most, their attire looked like they had some money, not even reaching the middle class. Thanks to that, they blended in with the locals of this small city without any sense of displacement.

Morphs had reigned as the ruling class since the concept of groups emerged in ancient times. Overflowing power, physical strength, excellent intelligence, and superior appearance must have made them the privileged class. The morphs who belonged to the superior class of aristocrats were concentrated in the capital or major cities. But this was a rural city in Blanche…

‘She can’t imagine that a male alpha and omega would be a pair.’

Especially with a pronunciation that fully embodied the accent of this region. From the way of thinking of a native who was born and raised here, it could be seen that way. Just as Valentin was about to carefully explain…

“Oh my, those shoulders and buttocks.”

The employee exclaimed while frowning and sneaking glances at Reynard, who was diligently picking candy jars.

Well, is that the appearance of someone who’s just picking out candy…? Valentin was once again in awe of Reynard’s appearance. Broad shoulders and a height that seemed to reach the ceiling of this old store, a face as handsome as a sculpture like the war god Mars. In his hand, he was ridiculously holding a glass jar with a cute pink ribbon, making it unbelievable how gorgeous and graceful he was.

What did I just hear…? Valentin was now facing a situation where his husband was being visually licked and sexually harassed by a complete stranger. No matter how sexually open the culture was…! Even in a country where grandfathers over sixty breathed out hand kisses and made passes at passing beauties…!

An unnamed, intense, and hot emotion surged up in his small heart.

“I’d have no regrets if I could be held by him just once. By any chance, which lodging are you staying at?”

If he tells her, she seems ready to break in through the door tonight.

“He doesn’t have a wife, right? Originally, isn’t this the charm of traveling?”

She winked at Valentin with an attractive expression. It was also like she was licking her lips a bit…! Although not a wife, your husband is alive right in front of your eyes, staring with both eyes…!

Ding-a-ling!

The store door opened forcefully outward.

It was Valentin who couldn’t stand it anymore and ran out. Leaving behind all the delicious-looking and colorfully pretty candies and taffies, he snatched Reynard’s arm and dragged him out.

‘No. This is really not it.’

No matter how excellent the taste was, or even if it boasted a history of 1,000 years, he didn’t want to stay any longer in a place where someone was targeting his husband.

His pure alpha, who had a body that was flawless to others but in reality was innocent and known only to Valentin, was almost pounced on by that woman. He had a duty to protect his husband.

‘Wait… Is that really all…?’

Valentin stopped his fast-paced walk with a moment of realization.

Did he really… simply out of concern for Reynard… So did he flee from there, dragging him along?

‘If that’s not it…’

Because of this ominously felt unknown emotion…?

So he couldn’t stand being in the same space as that employee and ran out…? Valentin’s mind was in utter confusion. It was because for the first time in his life, he felt strangely on edge, simultaneously getting so angry that his eyeballs felt hot and it was unbearable.

Seeing Valentin standing blankly in the middle of the street, unable to clearly understand his own heart, Reynard, who had been dragged out by the small hand without knowing the reason, urgently opened his mouth.

“Valentin? Are you okay? Are you hurting somewhere?”

He waved his hand in front of Valentin’s face, which looked like his soul had left his body.

“Huh…?”

Seeing Valentin responding with a blank face, Reynard made a serious expression. He must have looked quite stupid. Or as if he had lost his mind.

“Did something happen?”

“…Yes…?”

It seemed like the parrot that only said ‘Yes?’ had made a rare reappearance. Reynard wrapped his arm around Valentin’s waist without hiding his worried face.

“It seems your body has become unwell. Let’s return right away.”

He didn’t ask Valentin why he had run out without properly choosing a gift. He was only concerned about his health.

Like that, Valentin quickly returned to the mansion in Reynard’s embrace.

* * *

As the candle was lit, a round halo of light appeared in the dim room.

“Will you smoke?”

The young butler asked the master sitting in the armchair by the small bookshelf, opening a box of the finest cigars. The scent of Perosan tobacco leaves rose from the luxurious box. It was something that any gentleman who knew how to enjoy leisure and aristocratic pleasure would crave, but it was now a rather meaningless item to Reynard.

“Put it away.”

“It’s unusual.”

“I haven’t smoked since I found out my husband is pregnant.”

Reynard responded as usual, without any displeasure, to the one who made a friendly remark unlike a servant.

“So, where is the telegram that arrived?”

At Reynard’s words, Powell took out a small note from his bosom. His very quick and agile movements were unlike an ordinary employee. It was in contrast to typical butlers who showcased slower, more disciplined, and dignified movements to put their masters at ease.