DSB 42

“Do you know what a suppressant is?”

“……”

“Ah, yes. You do not know. You have never experienced heat either.”

As Lebel remained silent, Mark nodded repeatedly as if he understood. His face looked pale.

“Now that I can control pheromones, is that not enough?”

“No, it is not. What matters more than pheromones is the heat. You must be more careful since you are an omega.”

Mark, who had been startled, held Lebel for a long time and advised him in what sounded almost like nagging.

His ears hurt, but he was well aware that he lacked knowledge about those with special traits, so he attentively listened.

“Spending the rut together with Young Master Yutis was reckless. Your body is not normal yet. That time, the pheromones must have appeared because you were affected by Young Master Yutis’s pheromones.”

“That is not it. I felt his pheromones, but I released mine of my own will. I released them myself and told him to embrace me if he wanted to. I only asked you because I could not quite grasp the feeling.”

He told him to embrace him if he wanted to. The young madam, contrary to appearances, had a bold nature.

When Mark looked flustered, Lebel spoke calmly.

“To calm the rut, one must soothe it with pheromones, right?”

“That is true, but only when you can endure it. Moreover, Young Master Yutis loses reason during the rut. Releasing pheromones for someone who acts purely by instinct only provokes him further.”

“Well done. Sometimes it is better to stop trying to hold onto reason awkwardly and instead follow what the body wants.”

“The result of that is your current condition.”

“What about my condition?”

Mark grew frustrated as Lebel did not seem to take his words seriously.

This person had no idea that his life had been in danger.

Right after spending the rut with Yutis, Lebel’s body had been covered with marks like those made by a beast’s claws. If he had eyes to see them, he would have known, yet he still looked so calm, which was astonishing.

“Young Madam, an omega must never approach an alpha in rut. And you even tried to entice him with pheromones.”

“He is my husband. If a wife does not entice his husband, should he entice another man?”

Mark’s mouth fell open.

“Do not worry. I have no thought of doing that with anyone else.”

Mark could not tell whether he should feel relieved as he looked at Lebel, who said flatly that it would never happen with anyone but Yutis.

Mark exhaled several heavy sighs and spoke again.

“The opposite case also worries me.”

“The opposite case?”

“I mean when your own heat comes. Because a dominant omega is rare, alphas will not be able to resist the pheromones of a dominant omega. Alphas in rut might attack you.”

Mark spoke with a frightened look, but Lebel snorted.

“Me? Only those who are not afraid of death would dare. But that will not happen.”

Mark felt as if his chest would explode as he watched the calm Lebel. Since he had just awakened to pheromones, he did not understand the power they held.

Lebel did not understand Mark’s worry.

Even if he had become a weak human, he would never allow anyone to attack him.

Since his body had recovered enough to emit pheromones, he could also use demonic energy again.

The power was weaker than when he had been a demon, but it was still strong enough to kill a human.

“Never, never reveal your pheromones to anyone. Even during heat, judge the situation carefully.”

“Are you saying I should hide my pheromones even from my husband? I heard pheromones are essential for calming the rut. Am I mistaken?”

“That, that is…”

Lebel had little knowledge about the rut or about those with traits. To be exact, he was closer to ignorant.

Mark hesitated as he thought of how to explain.

“So… pheromones are a kind of emotional exchange. They are indeed necessary, but…”

“What I did was right then.”

“E- Even between a married couple, any act done without consent is improper. Young Master Yutis probably did not intend to spend his rut in that way.”

His voice grew smaller near the end, almost like the sound of an ant crawling.

During his rut, Yutis had taken medicine every time to control himself, to keep from losing reason or being ruled by instincts.

But Lebel had shattered that restraint.

Mark could not tell whether that was good or bad. As proof, Yutis’s body had been fine, but he was mentally exhausted.

“Ah, so you mean I should have asked first?”

Then was that time close to something I forced? From what he said, it means I was the one who provoked Yutis, who had been trying to suppress his instincts, with pheromones.

“He seemed to be blaming himself, thinking it was his fault. That is why he has been wandering around without showing his face to me.”

“……”

Mark answered only with silence.

Then my wounds are the result of my own actions. But why is he running away like he is the one who sinned? Did he dislike that I forced it? Was it different from what he expected?

He remembered a demon who had once seen him, who had grown disappointed and turned away after seeing Lebel living powerlessly in the castle, unlike before.

“Is Yutis disappointed in me?”

“…What?”

Mark raised his head in surprise.

“I forced my way into his room without his consent and spent the rut with him, so I wonder if he came to dislike me.”

“How could that be? It is not true. Please, do not even think such a thing.”

It did not sound like something that required such a startled reaction, yet Lebel strangely felt a sense of relief from Mark’s response.

Even so, Yutis still did not appear before Lebel. When he could not even catch sight of a single strand of hair, his patience began to reach its limit.

Yutis had accomplished what neither the Demon God nor Karon could do.

If he wished to ignore someone, he could do it easily.

Even if he did not take a single step from the bed, no one nagged him. In the Demon Realm, he had slept out of boredom, but now he could not fall asleep.

When he sensed Yutis’s presence nearby, he wanted to immediately jumped out of bed.

And finally, after his convalescence, Lebel received permission to take a short walk.

Lebel immediately stood up to his feet.

Mahan, seeing him rise so quickly, hurried to prepare to go out.

Fortunately, because he knew that Lebel had long wanted to leave the bed, he did not stop him.

“Would you like to walk in the garden? How do you feel? Does it not feel good to get some air? It is important to spend time outside under the sunlight.”

For a while, Mahan had prevented him from moving because his condition was poor, but originally it was Mahan who worried that Lebel never moved at all.

Mahan suggested walking in the garden, but Lebel already had a destination in mind.

Lebel walked toward the place where he could feel Yutis’s energy. Mahan followed and asked where he was going, even as he trailed behind.

He could tell he was angry from the way Lebel walked with forceful steps, and Mahan could roughly guess who that anger was directed toward.

The problem was that Yutis, as if sensing Lebel’s approach like a ghost, avoided him each time.

A chase began and Lebel ran as he pursued him.

Yet in the end, he did not even see a strand of hair.

“Young Madam, where in the world are you going?”

“Hah.”

“Walking is fine, but please refrain from running. You will collapse again.”

Mahan, following behind, spoke in a worried tone. Lebel clicked his tongue.

It was ridiculous to be struggling like this in the cold weather. He had only run a little, but his head began to ache.

“Oh? Is that not the young madam? I heard that your health has improved.”

Someone approached Lebel then. The one smiling brightly at him in greeting was Bron.

Lebel tilted his head.

Since when did that man like me so much? Yutis’s subordinates had always made it clear that they disliked me.

Bron, despite his easy smile, had once been wary of Lebel.

“You have recovered enough to come outside now. Everyone was very worried about you.”

“You too?”

“Of course.”

When he saw Lebel’s unenthusiastic reaction, Bron’s expression turned awkward as he realized something and he spoke again in a serious tone.

“I know that my attitude toward you was inappropriate. I sincerely apologize. Everyone feels sorry toward you.”

Everyone? Had I done something recently to change their opinion of me?

“If you could spare a moment someday, we would all like to offer a formal apology together. Could you please give us a chance to be forgiven?”

“There is no need to apologize.”

Whether Yutis’s subordinates liked him or not made no difference to Lebel.

“That cannot be. Please, I beg you to accept it.”

Bron grew flustered when his sincerity was not recognized, and Lebel nodded to show that he understood.

This time, Bron’s face brightened with genuine relief.

“Thank you for forgiving us with such generosity. I swear that I will serve you with all my devotion from now on.”

“There is no need for that.”

Just as Lebel was about to refuse, Bron continued in a sly tone that suddenly replaced his earlier seriousness.

“Through this recent matter, we have all come to see you in a new light.”

This recent matter?

Lebel tilted his head again, unable to guess what he meant, and Bron’s smile grew larger.