6

"Alric."

The Grand Duke called his son. Alric glanced at Silas for a moment before stepping toward his father. Silas also moved closer as the older man gestured for him to approach.

The Grand Duke bid them farewell. His sister, Adelina, cast a glance at Silas but said nothing. She simply took her husband's hand and smiled at her father.

This feeling— as he waved at his departing family, Silas fully realized that he was never truly a part of them. Even so, he still smiled and watched as the car slowly disappeared from view.

No one had spoken to him. Not the Grand Duke, not his wife, nor the other members of the Wittenheim family. Only Alric had been acknowledged. They left without a word, abandoning him in the hall with Alric—of course, being a consort was nothing to be proud of.

"Silas."

"Yeah."

"I'll accompany you to your house. It's not far from the mansion, but the walk might tire you out, so maybe we should take a carriage?"

Naturally, consorts did not live in the main mansion. They were given separate residences, while only the wife could, the soon to be Grand Duchess, stay in the Wittenheim mansion.

"Where is it? Maybe you could just point me in the right direction. I'll walk." Silas replied, grateful that his voice didn't waver.

"I knew you'd say that, so I'll walk with you. Besides, it's your first day here. Or … do you feel uncomfortable around an alpha?"

"It's not that."

"Then let's go. Walk with me. We need to know each other too."

Silas had many questions of his own, but he didn't dare voice them. As Alric stepped outside, Silas followed a few paces behind. However, the man stopped and waited until Silas caught up before continuing. Whenever Silas deliberately lagged behind—trying to keep his distance—Alric would pause and glance back at him.

"Walk beside me. How are we supposed to talk if you're so far away?"

It wasn't difficult to follow the soon-to-be Grand Duke's orders, so Silas walked alongside him, though he still kept some distance. Fortunately, Alric didn't complain. As long as they were walking together, it didn't seem to matter.

"I'm sorry about the way my father treated you," Alric began, and Silas wasn't sure how to respond. "He doesn't like omegas, and you already know why he agreed to make you my consort."

"My father told me you have a pheromone disorder … and that, according to your doctor, you need therapy with omega pheromones. It just so happens that I'm an omega."

"Yeah, but I won't force you. So don't let it weigh on you too much."

"...."

It all felt like a dream to Silas—he still couldn't believe any of this was real.

They hadn't been walking for long when he finally caught sight of the house. It was quite large, making Silas wonder if they had taken the wrong path.

"I had originally asked for our meeting to be at lunchtime because, well, what I wanted to show you isn't as visible now that it's nighttime."

Alric turned his gaze toward the vast flower garden, filled with blooming red roses. Even under the dim streetlights, their beauty was undeniable. Silas' eyes widened—it was his favorite type of rose, Double Delight.

Back when he attended Waldtal Academy, there was a garden behind the dormitory, and in a small corner near the gardener's shed, there was a patch dedicated specifically to these roses. Because they were difficult to cultivate, the gardener could only plant a few. Silas used to sit near that patch, waiting for the rare occasions when the flowers would bloom. More often than not, they withered before ever reaching full bloom. At most, two—maybe three—roses had blossomed at a time.

"Freud is a dedicated gardener," Alric remarked.

Silas, who had unknowingly parted his lips in awe, quickly closed his mouth.

"Do you like Double Delight roses too? They're quite difficult to get to bloom."

"I don't like flowers," Alric answered curtly.

Hearing that, Silas was puzzled. If he didn't like them, why put in the effort to care for them? And why show off the gardener's 'work' to him?

"Let's go inside. You must be tired."

Alric climbed the short steps leading up to the entrance but paused when he noticed Silas hadn't followed.

" … Is this the house I'm supposed to live in?"

"Yes, why? Do you not like it? This is actually my house— I spend most of my time here rather than at the main mansion. It's not as grand, but it's comfortable for me—"

"No, that's not what I meant. Isn't this house too big for a consort like me? I mean, you did say you spend most of your time here… wait—does that mean…"

Silas only just realized the weight of his own words. If Alric spent most of his days here, then it was no surprise that the house was so grand and luxurious.

Alric frowned and let out a small scoff. Silas figured that the wisest thing to do at this moment was to keep his mouth shut.

"Let's talk inside," Alric said.

Obediently, Silas followed him.

"Can you stop thinking so little of yourself?"

Alric's words came out of nowhere just as he took his seat, after pulling out a chair for Silas.

"And yeah, you are my consort, but that's just a formality. I need you—my family needs you—so you are an important guest here."

"Me?" Silas pointed at himself in disbelief.

Alric nodded firmly, arms crossed over his chest.

Why did this feel like he was a child being scolded? Silas scratched his cheek—this was awkward.

"And call me by my name."

"Huh?"

"Try calling me by my name. You used to say it so easily back in the dorms, so what's different now?"

The words hit him like a bucket of ice-cold water. Silas froze on the spot.

"…So you remember me?"

Alric's expression shifted, as if the question was completely absurd.

"How could I forget a pretty man with violet eyes like you?"

Silas' pale face, tense with nervousness, instantly flushed red. His eyes widened as he tried to get a clearer look at the man sitting across from him.

Alric von Wittenheim.

Cold-hearted alpha. Never smiles. Rude. Arrogant. And barely speaks more than a few words at a time.

Had his soul been switched with someone else after the war? Silas still couldn't believe what was happening. That Alric—the arrogant alpha—had just said something so… cringe.

"Ah, sorry. Did I make you uncomfortable?"

"Shut up."

Silas straightened his posture instinctively, reacting as if to a natural anomaly. Why was this arrogant man saying things so wildly out of character? It was unsettling. Was the person in front of him some imposter disguised as Alric?

"Who are you…? No, wait… Maybe I'm drunk. Sorry for yelling."

"You haven't even had a drop of alcohol."

"It's like… you're so different from the Alric I knew."

"I'm different?"

Alric's eyes widened slightly. His expression tightened, brows furrowing as if he were frustrated. Silas had no idea what was going through this man's head.

"Yeah. Don't you remember? You hated omegas… You—you called me a 'disgusting omega' back when we were in the dorms. That's not something I can easily forget. Honestly, sorry if this sounds rude, but could you just forget about it? It's not a memory I want to remember."

"…Ah, that time… when you gave me a carrot cake."

"I said don't remember it."

"Silas, I'm sorry. I know this might sound like an excuse, but I really wanted to say this to you. I'm sorry."

Silas sat back down, stunned. The fact that Alric still remembered that incident was shocking—but what sent shivers down his spine was hearing an actual apology come from his lips.