“Didn’t you know? Georgina and Charlotte visited the mansion and played with Angela.”
Had the butler not told him? Even if he hadn’t said anything at the time, the fact that Charlotte had suddenly come looking to harm Yujin would have been relayed belatedly. Internally puzzled, Yujin noticed Winston’s face twist with undisguised displeasure.
“I knew.”
“Then what’s with that reaction?”
This time it was Yujin who frowned. Winston stared at him silently for a moment before slowly speaking.
“I wondered if you were close enough to Georgina to be in contact, even without Charlotte around.”
There was a strange nuance in his words. Yujin blinked several times before finally realizing.
“Could it be that you suspected something between Charlotte and me?”
His voice rose higher than usual in shock. It was so absurd he could hardly speak. But Winston said calmly.
“I’ve heard some women prefer male omegas. Because there’s no proof of denial left.”
“Hah.”
Yujin sighed aloud. So this man was basically saying that his sister-in-law and he had an affair?
“Insulting me isn’t enough now?”
Trying to be sarcastic, Winston instead frowned and asked back.
“Why are you defending the woman who tried to kill you?”
His tone sounded even more suspicious. Yujin was no longer angry.
“You’re hopeless, Winston Campbell.”
He added without pause.
“You say you don’t believe anyone, but you sure believe the rumors about my debauchery.”
At this point, Yujin wondered how the butler had relayed such talk. If Winston had such thoughts without evidence, maybe he truly had delusions and needed serious help.
“Even if you argue about right and wrong, you’re the one at a disadvantage.”
“What?”
Winston frowned immediately, and Yujin coldly laid out the facts.
“You surely remember the will’s contents. My chastity was not mentioned in the will.”
Winston visibly froze for a moment. Seeing that reaction, Yujin thought for the first time that the will’s contents pleased him.
“It basically says it doesn’t matter who I’ve been with, how, or how often. Unlike you.”
He deliberately enunciated the last sentence clearly and slowly. Returning Winston’s own words to him, his eyes darkened with anger.
“Don’t talk nonsense!”
His eyes, which had turned as black as night, gradually filled with gold. It was as if Yujin could see exactly how furious Winston was. It felt like witnessing again the rage Winston showed when Charlotte tried to kill Yujin, though this time the target was different.
Despite the overwhelming anger directed at him, Yujin felt a chill down his spine and goosebumps all over but strangely detected no pheromone scent. That gave him courage. Moreover, unlike before, Winston stood frozen in place without moving a muscle. Somehow, Yujin felt certain Winston wouldn’t lay a finger on him. Emboldened, he lifted his head and stared Winston down directly.
“Considering the will, you’re the one who should be scolded, not me.”
“Talk nonsense...”
“Did you think I didn’t know you went to the party? The scent of omega pheromones was overwhelming.”
Caught off guard, Winston shut his mouth. His expression did not change, but Yujin felt as if Winston hesitated. Had this attack caught him unprepared? Yujin casually continued.
“You were forbidden to go to pheromone parties, right? You probably thought you could break the rule without consequence. If you want to be so shameless, you shouldn’t talk crap about me. That’s your weakness, but not mine.”
He even smiled faintly at the end. While speaking, many emotions and thoughts settled inside him. In the end, this man was following the same path as Harold, whom he so hated.
Harold must have known Winston went to pheromone parties. Nothing could have happened there without consequences. Yujin also knew what that meant. Harold had attended pheromone parties in his lifetime, despite having a wife who was a beta.
“You’ll live like your father anyway.”
The words left a bitter taste, but Winston instead asked casually.
“Got a problem?”
It was a question full of mixed meanings. Somewhat self-deprecating.
Did Yujin really need to think about that?
He shrugged and changed the subject.
“Anyway, that’s how it is. Now that I’m much better, let me go out.”
Yujin’s calm, businesslike tone met only silence from Winston, who watched him quietly without speaking.
Phew.
Looking at the finalized manuscript, Yujin took a [N O V E L I G H T] deep breath in and slowly exhaled. It had taken two whole days from the moment the idea came to completion. Most of the time while Winston was at work, he spent a few hours in the study writing, which he judged a pretty decent pace. When he finally received confirmation from the editor that the email had arrived safely, he was stunned.
Is my book really going to be published?
Still feeling like he was dreaming, he left the study. The editor’s last words echoed in his mind.
“Let’s release it in time for the Christmas season. It’s the perfect picture book to give children. We’ll focus heavily on marketing.”
Christmas wasn’t far off now. Yujin had made plans with Georgina under the pretext of buying Christmas presents but hadn’t fixed the exact schedule yet.
I guess I can go out now.
Winston didn’t say anything more that day. Yujin thought he was avoiding the issue. After all, without Winston’s permission, he couldn’t leave the mansion. Though the injury still ached if he let his guard down, careful movement made everyday life manageable.
If this doesn’t work, I’ll go to plan B.
Determined, Yujin headed straight to Angela’s room. He felt guilty for not paying attention to her over the past two days while working on the manuscript. Today, he planned to play the pretend tea party Angela liked.
Suddenly, he heard a sound. It came from beyond the open door. Was Angela playing and talking alone? As he was about to enter, he stopped abruptly. Through the open door, he saw an unexpected man.
Winston.
At this hour? Suddenly?
He instinctively hid behind the door. His heart pounded as he thought how close he’d come to being caught using the computer. Trying to recall if he had properly erased the evidence, he took a deep breath to calm down. As his mind grew clearer, a question arose.
What the hell is he doing?
Peeking through the crack in the door, the first thing to catch his eye was Winston’s large back, crouched on the floor. Only then did Yujin realize the voices he’d heard were Winston’s and Angela’s.
Normally Winston would be at work at this time, so why was he there behaving like that? His question soon turned to shock. Winston was pretending to pour tea into a teacup, saying:
“Princess, how do you like the scent of lavender tea?”
Yujin hastily covered his widely opened mouth with his hand. He barely held back a startled scream. Winston was playing house. With Angela. Imitating the butler’s manner of speech.
At that moment, Yujin instinctively took out his phone and started recording this rare scene. He quickly snapped several photos, but of course they didn’t notice. Angela was wearing a newly bought dress with a hairstyle Yujin had never seen before. That morning, Yujin hadn’t had time to fix her hair and she’d just worn a headband. Now, her braided hair was gathered high like a princess’s. Who had done that? He wondered, but capturing the cute moment came first. Yujin hurriedly took picture after picture.
