8

"It's so beautiful..."

Silas glanced at the man, signaling with his eyes that he didn't know his name.

As if reading his thoughts, the man quickly introduced himself. "Freud. I've been the gardener at Wittenheim mansion since young master Herman and Alric were children."

Young master Herman? That was an unexpected name to hear. Silas knew that Herman had been the grand duke's eldest son, who had died in the war.

"Young master Herman and Young master Alric used to love playing here. They would run out of the forest after hunting birds and rest in the greenhouse to drink warm tea. Young master Alric wasn't as cold back then as he is now."

There was a mix of nostalgia and sadness in Freud's voice, but his expression remained warm.

"Really? They must have been very close brothers," Silas smiled, trying to lighten the mood.

Silas had never been skilled in conversation. He was often scolded by his teachers for speaking impolitely, saying things he shouldn't, or for his blunt way of talking. It was a habit that was hard to break. Perhaps it was because he didn't have noble blood, which made it difficult for him to adapt to the niceties of polite conversation with other nobles. As a result, Silas often chose to stay silent and stand in a corner when required to attend gatherings with the nobility.

Even now, hearing the word 'master' come from the gardener's mouth made him feel uncomfortable. It would be better if he just called him by his name, but of course, the gardener wouldn't do that.

Freud blinked, scratching his cheek awkwardly. "Well, to be honest, young master wasn't exactly what you'd call 'sweet,' but at least he wasn't as cold as he is now... ha, and his attitude worsened after his older brother's death."

"....."

"..... I'm sorry if I'm being a bit blunt, but honestly, I was shocked when I found out that young master agreed to make an omega his consort."

If any noble heard this, they'd likely be offended and scold the gardener. But knowing that Freud said it with the tone of a father surprised by something unexpected from his child made Silas feel warmth in his chest. Freud had been around since the time of young master Herman and Alric, so he must have witnessed many things between the two brothers.

Freud's gaze softened as he looked at the two-toned roses. He picked up his pruning shears and carefully trimmed the withered leaves, handling the flowers with great tenderness.

"I didn't expect Alric to choose me either."

"I didn't mean it like that." A slight panic flashed across his face. Freud continued, "My shock wasn't negative, master."

"Haha, I know."

"You know how he is. Young master Alric hated omegas, at least that's what I saw back then... But it seems like he likes you."

"..... Huh? Haha, that's a nice joke, Freud."

"I'm not joking, Master Silas. The first time I heard that young master Alric chose an omega as his consort, I thought, 'Ah, poor omega, young master will surely ignore him.' But what I feared turned out to be completely wrong...."

Silas blinked, his hand, which had been playing with a leaf, froze.

"This rose wasn't as abundant before, but after he agreed to have a consort, he immediately ordered me to plant a lot of double delight roses."

"..."

"He said master Silas really liked these type of roses."

"....."

Huh? That's strange. He was sure no one knew that he liked double delight roses. Back at his father— Baron Conrad's mansion, he never interfered with the garden's plant selections, so no one would have known his preference for flowers. Or maybe Alric knew because he often sat near the roses back at the dorm? It could be. But the idea that Alric paid attention to him when they were at the same school seemed impossible.

Alric hated omegas, so he avoided places where many omegas gathered. It was rare, almost never, for Silas to encounter him in the back garden of the dorm where the roses were.

Furrowing his brows, Silas asked, "Are you sure he said that? Maybe he's just too embarrassed to admit that he likes the roses, so he used me as an excuse. Sometimes, Alphas have such strange pride..."

That was the most plausible explanation he could think of for someone like Alric.

"Ah!" Freud clapped his hands, as if that was a theory he hadn't considered before. But a few seconds later, his expression shifted with a frown. "...Hm, that could be it, but Young Master isn't really the shy type. I've never once seen him act that way."

Freud might have known Alric since childhood, but people can change at any time. Deciding not to pursue that line of thought, Silas approached Freud. Their conversation shifted to the various kinds of flowers in the greenhouse, how to take care of them, how to regulate the temperature, and Freud also explained areas that Silas had yet to explore.

He mentioned that deep in the forest, there was a river teeming with fish, and sometimes Alric liked to fish there. Upon hearing this, Silas couldn't help but imagine Alric's blank expression as he stared at his fishing rod, waiting for the fish to bite. Silas laughed at his own imagination.

There were so many things he didn't know about Alric. It made sense since they never really had a conversation like friends would, and the man had said just yesterday that he wanted to start their relationship as friends.

Silas was his consort—wasn't he supposed to sleep with him? Instead, Alric suggested friendship, which was kind of funny because Silas never expected that.

At first, Silas knew that Alric wouldn't sleep with an omega. Their marriage contract was based on pheromone therapy, where the omega's pheromones were needed to stabilize the Alpha who had a condition caused by pheromone abnormalities. On top of that, Alric was a dominant Alpha, and suppressants wouldn't just stabilize his scent glands that easily.

But that was the agreement Alric knew about—there was another agreement hidden from him, one given by the Grand Duke, telling them not to reveal it.

'To bear two sons.'

Ugh, his head throbbed. It would take forever for Alric to want to sleep with him, and even if it did happen, Silas would never be mentally prepared for it.

Seeing Silas's sudden pale face, Freud immediately became concerned. "Master Silas, are you tired from walking around with me? Let's head back to the house."

"Ah, I think I'm just a little sleepy. You don't need to worry, Freud."

"Then I'll accompany you back to the house."

As much as he didn't want to overthink it, he couldn't push it from his mind. It was too difficult to process. He felt like screaming, running away from this place, giving up, and telling himself it couldn't happen—bearing two sons? Giving birth? It was a nightmare for him.

If he successfully bore two sons, they would immediately be brought into the Wittenheim family, and, of course, he would be cast aside since he was just a consort. Even though he would be free to sever ties with Alric and still receive wealth afterward, the thought of abandoning the children he bore made his chest ache.

If he could, he would want to avoid that agreement altogether.