"He's just got a cold."
Yujin hurriedly lied.
"It's just that his fever makes the pheromone scent stronger... so don't worry."
All the servants, including the butler, were either betas or gammas, and so far the only special trait they had seen was the extreme alpha. They probably didn't know much about omegas. Watching their reactions nervously, the butler said, "Is that so?" and then added,
"I'll call the attending physician. We can't just give medicine recklessly..."
"I'm fine."
Yujin forced a smile as he felt the heat spreading through him.
"I'll get better soon. There's no need to call a doctor."
"But—"
"I want to rest."
Yujin deliberately cut him off.
"I'll feel better after I sleep. I don't want to be disturbed."
Even to his own ears, his voice was full of fatigue. His cheeks were probably flushed red with a fever. His labored breathing also revealed his troubled condition. Seeing symptoms somewhat resembling a cold, the butler hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
"Understood. Then let's observe your condition a bit longer. Call if you need anything."
After giving his last instructions, he left the room. Finally alone, Yujin let out a sigh of relief.
It had been two days now.
Christmas was just around the corner. Once Christmas passed, it would finally be D-Day. And today was Christmas Eve, of all days. For some reason, Winston had said he would come back early, and tomorrow was a holiday. Having to spend the whole day with him right before D-Day was really unlucky, Yujin thought, but since it was a condition, he had to accept it.
I have to take the suppressant.
The heat cycle was approaching, so he wasn't sure if it would be effective, but that was the only option. He forced his heavy body up, went to the bathroom, took out the suppressant, and swallowed it. It was probably because the heat cycle was near. Otherwise, there was no reason he would suddenly feel the pheromone scent.
Yes, that’s the answer.
Nodding as if to convince himself, Yujin lay back down. Without even realizing he was falling asleep, it was as if he lost consciousness and collapsed into deep sleep. He didn’t wake once until Winston returned.
"A cold?"
Winston, who had just returned as the short winter sun began to set, paused at the butler’s words. The butler nodded and continued his report.
"I was going to call the attending physician, but he said he wanted to rest, so I didn’t."
The butler added with his usual expressionless face,
"Since he’s pregnant, we can’t give him medicine, so we’ve been watching his condition. Should I call the physician now?"
Winston was silent for a moment, seeming to think, then answered, "No," and added quickly,
"Alright, forget that for now. So what is Yujin doing now? Has he gotten up?"
The butler mechanically replied to his master’s question.
"Yes, he’s with Angie in her room. He seems to be feeling better than earlier..."
He trailed off as if worried whether to call a doctor now or if Angela might catch the cold. But Winston said no more and immediately went upstairs.
"Wait."
He stopped the butler who was about to follow.
"I'll bring Angie down soon, so finish up first. Hurry."
"Yes, understood."
The butler had no choice but to stay behind. Following his master’s quick steps up the stairs with anxious impatience, he showed a bewildered expression, but quickly returned to his usual blank face as he glanced around at the busy servants before beginning his tasks.
Winston quickly arrived at Angela’s door. He raised his hand to knock but was suddenly struck by a mischievous curiosity. What were Yujin and Angela doing now? He quietly grasped the door handle and turned it open. Thankfully, the door silently creaked open, revealing the inside. As expected, the scene unfolded as he had imagined. Yujin was sitting on the floor playing house with the child. It was not unlike what he had experienced himself before. The difference was that Angela was holding a baby doll this time.
"Master, I’m worried because the baby isn’t eating well. What could be wrong?"
Angela said as she brought a small toy teacup to the doll’s mouth. Pretending to feed it water, she then put the cup down and said,
"He always wants to eat just soup. Should I spank his bottom?"
Suddenly, Angela flipped the doll over and lifted its skirt. Pretending to spank the doll’s bottom in panties, Yujin gently soothed the child.
"Angie, no. You shouldn’t hit. You have to soothe gently."
"If they don’t listen, you have to spank their cheeks."
"No, you can’t."
Yujin scolded the child with a clearly embarrassed expression.
"Hitting someone or breaking things is very bad. Didn’t I tell you not to do that?"
"Okay."
Angela nodded in reply.
"You shouldn’t break things."
"Right."
Yujin smiled with relief, and Angela added firmly,
"It costs money to buy new things."
"That’s not why."
At that moment, Winston nearly burst out laughing but quickly covered his mouth with one hand to hold it back. Unaware of his reaction, Yujin spoke sternly to the child.
"That’s the same as hitting other people. Acting violently like that is bad. What if you throw things when you’re angry? How do you think your friends would feel? Wouldn’t they be scared?"
Angela tilted her head as if imagining this for a moment. Yujin continued patiently.
"You shouldn’t scare others, Angie. You have to stay calm and talk it out, okay?"
Gently persuading her, Angela nodded after a moment’s pause. Her pursed lips showed she wasn’t entirely convinced, but at least she tried.
"Okay, Angie. Just be careful from now on."
Yujin said and gently stroked Angela’s cheek. That was enough. Angela was much smarter than children her age, so she wouldn’t behave like this again. As he smiled with satisfaction, suddenly a clearing throat sound came from behind. Startled, Yujin and Angela turned to see Winston leaning against the door. Surprised by the unexpected situation, Yujin blinked and asked,
"Uh, when did you get here?"
"Not long ago. Just a little while ago."
Winston deliberately left his answer vague. Yujin’s face suddenly flushed red. The faint pheromone scent seemed to deepen for a moment. Winston fixed his gaze on Angela’s face at that moment. Fortunately, the method worked. Feeling his excitement quickly subside, he let out a small sigh of relief.
"Angie, did you have fun?"
Focusing deliberately on Angela to avoid making mistakes in front of the child, Winston asked. Angela then straightened her posture and looked up at Winston.
"You came early."
"Yeah, it’s Christmas Eve."
Winston said with a smile, but their indifferent reactions dampened his mood. Seeing Yujin and the child’s expression, who seemed to care little, Winston felt bitter. What kind of Christmas had they been spending? Though he had already heard from Angela, seeing such reactions right before him was no comfort.
"Angie, do you want to go see the tree?"
Trying to change the subject with a forced smile, the child fell for it.
"The tree?"
"Yeah."
Angela’s eyes sparkled with excitement. Winston quickly checked the clock on the wall. It must be about time to get ready.
"Shall we go down together?"
Winston said as he naturally picked up the child in one arm. Until then, Yujin had just looked at him with an indifferent expression, thinking it wasn’t his business. Suddenly, Winston looked down at Yujin and said,
"You have to come too, get up."
"Me too?"
Startled by the unexpected words, Yujin asked, and ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) Winston replied,
"Yeah."
