Chapter 24
Leon turned toward Lucas, trying to steady his breathing, which had become uneven.
Sniff, sniff. The reason he was feeling feverish had to be the vanilla scent coming from Lucas… But something was strange. If he smelled vanilla, shouldn’t he be getting hungry? Why was his temperature rising instead?
Tilting his head in confusion, he took a deeper breath. Then, suddenly, a lesson from his genetic studies class surfaced in his mind.
“Alphas feel good and experience a rise in body temperature when they inhale an Omega’s scent. And Omegas tend to be quite beautiful.”
No way. That’s impossible. Lucas is the Grand Duke! He’s definitely an Alpha. He’s just pretty because he’s like a fairy, that’s all.
Still, Leon carefully propped himself up and took a closer look at Lucas’s features. Under the moonlight filtering through the window, his pale face gleamed beautifully, his delicate yet defined features forming a perfectly harmonious arrangement.
Leon stared at Lucas’s face, entranced. Before he knew it, his hand reached out on its own, his fingers brushing against the deep red of Lucas’s lips.
The moment his fingertips made contact with the warm breath escaping from between those lips, a fiery sensation shot through him, as if he had been burned.
Startled, Leon quickly withdrew his hand, afraid he might wake Lucas. He cautiously slipped back under the covers.
It was definitely Lucas’s familiar scent, yet it felt… different.
That night, Leon lay wide awake, unable to sleep as his stomach churned from the overwhelming scent of Lucas filling the room. It seemed the real problem was that the fairy was just too beautiful.
The Next Morning
The moment Leon woke up, he washed his face, changed into fresh clothes, and went to find Sion. Lucas had gone to the study, saying he needed to review some documents.
Sion happened to be walking down the corridor, heading toward the training grounds where the knights were practicing.
“Sion! Sion!”
“Yes, Your Highness. What is it?”
“Mm, I have something to ask you.”
“…Honestly, Your Highness, you are always full of questions.”
Sion’s response was gruff, but Leon had come to understand that he was naturally curt and prickly, so he didn’t take offense.
“Say, don’t you smell something sweet from Lucas? Like vanilla?”
“Vanilla scent? Ah.”
Sion nodded as if he understood what Leon meant.
“I heard His Grace applies a soothing fragrance regularly to control his curse. That must be the vanilla scent.”
“No, I mean… It smells like it’s coming from him directly.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. An Alpha emitting a vanilla scent? That doesn’t make any sense.”
Sion’s tone was so firm that Leon’s voice gradually faded.
“But he doesn’t feel like an Alpha… Oh? I can smell it again.”
Just imagining Lucas made the scent drift into his nose. He had thought it was his imagination, but as he sniffed the air and turned his head in the direction of the scent, he found Lucas standing at a distance, watching them.
“See? I can smell it even from far away.”
Sion shook his head, looking utterly exasperated. Then, glancing toward Lucas, he added,
“I don’t smell a thing. And look at him—His Grace is just as broad-shouldered and well-built as any of the knights. How could someone like that not be an Alpha? It’s absurd.”
Leon blinked, looking between Lucas and the knights.
But no matter how he looked at it, he couldn’t agree with Sion’s words.
The knights were bulky and rough-looking, but Lucas was just… beautiful. Even compared to a delicate flower, Lucas was more pristine and elegant.
It was clear—Sion’s eyes must be broken.
With that conclusion, Leon ignored Sion and ran straight toward Lucas.
“Lucas! Lucas!”
“You were here, Your Highness.”
“Mm-hm! You told me that if you weren’t around, I should stay with Sion. So I did!”
Lucas gave a faint smile.
“Well done. You haven’t suddenly transformed again, have you?”
“Nope, not at all.”
Even as Leon spoke, he kept sniffing at the air. The scent was so strong just standing near Lucas—how could Sion not notice it? The only explanation was that Sion never got close enough to tell.
“Are we going to the greenhouse today?”
Lucas hesitated for a moment, looking at Leon thoughtfully. He had just been on his way from the study, contemplating the matter of Leon’s training.
The two of them had tested a theory: that Lucas played a role in helping Leon return to human form. They had deliberately spent several days apart.
And on the first day without Lucas, Leon had transformed into a tiger.
Until he met Lucas again, he had been unable to return to his human form.
When Lucas had finally reunited with him, the tiger had immediately lunged at him, forcing Lucas to calm him down by scratching at his soft, white belly until Leon shifted back.
At that point, Lucas had no choice but to admit—Leon’s words were true.
Miraculously, Lucas was the cure.
How or why that was the case remained a mystery, but for now, ensuring Leon’s stability took priority.
If Lucas was necessary for Leon to control his curse, they also needed to test how much physical contact influenced it.
Though he had improved, Lucas still harbored a deep-seated discomfort toward physical contact. But if they were to confirm this theory, he would have to find a way to increase their interactions.
“Lucas? What’s wrong?”
“…It’s nothing. The greenhouse is the safest place for now, so you should go ahead first. I’ll check on the knights’ training and join you shortly.”
“Okay!”
Leon cheerfully responded and skipped toward the greenhouse.
Lucas watched his retreating figure, a faint smile forming on his lips.
“Gather up!”
The moment Leon arrived at the greenhouse, he raised his voice.
“Everyone, gather up!”
At his call, Jerry, Lulu, and the rest of the animals quickly surrounded him. They chattered excitedly, each making noises of their own.
“What’s happening today?”
“Ever since Leon arrived, the greenhouse has been so much fun!”
Lucas’s theory—that Leon’s abilities might help him communicate with animals—was proven correct.
After training with Lucas, Leon had realized he could understand the animals’ words. Since then, he had frequently visited the greenhouse while Lucas was busy, practicing his newfound skill. As a result, conversations like this had become second nature.
“Quiet, quiet!”
The moment Leon pressed a finger to his lips, the noisy animals immediately fell silent.
“I have a question.”
“What is it?”
“Ask anything!”
“Animals have a stronger sense of smell, right? I can clearly smell something sweet and delicious from Lucas, but Sion says he doesn’t. It’s confusing me.”
At that, Jerry flapped his wings as if he had something to say.
“I can smell it! A sweet scent! It’s definitely there!”
Lulu nodded in agreement, and soon, the other animals followed suit.
So it wasn’t just his imagination…
Could it really be as Sion said, that Lucas was simply wearing vanilla-scented perfume? But something about the scent felt different from ordinary fragrance…
While pondering this, Leon suddenly heard the sound of Lucas’s footsteps approaching the greenhouse. He quickly waved his hands in a signal, and the animals scattered back to their respective places.
“Lucas!”
Lucas stepped into the greenhouse, striding toward him. At his arrival, the animals rustled and scurried away into hiding.
Leon rushed up to him, face slightly flushed, and grabbed his hand.
Lucas instinctively tried to pull away, but Leon interlocked their fingers tightly.
Since arriving in the North, Leon had been growing at an astonishing rate. When had his grip gotten so strong?
“Lucas! Come with me for a moment.”
His voice was so loud that it practically echoed through the greenhouse. Was this the strength of an Extreme Alpha child?
Still, he had a long way to go before he could match Lucas. Remaining firm in his place, Lucas asked calmly,
“What is this about? It’s safer to train in the greenhouse.”
“Hurry, hurry!”
But Leon was insistent. He tugged at Lucas’s hand with so much force that his body nearly tipped over.
Concerned that he might hurt himself, Lucas eventually gave in and followed along.
“Walk slowly, or you’ll fall.”
Despite the warning, Leon didn’t slow down.
The place Leon led him to was their shared bedroom.
The sun was still high outside. Did he want to take a nap?
Just as Lucas was wondering, Leon shut the door and turned to face him.
“What is this about?”
“Well, um…”
Leon hesitated, then, as if making up his mind, he met Lucas’s eyes head-on.
“Lucas, are you really an Alpha?”
“……!”
Lucas instinctively loosened his grip and took a step back.
No one had ever asked him that question before.
There had never been an opportunity for anyone to notice his scent up close. Even if they had, the strong energy he gave off masked any traces of it, ensuring he was never suspected.
Of course, Michelle had known since childhood. But even as a Dominant Alpha, she had barely been able to detect his scent—it was that faint.
Had he let his guard down because Leon was young?
The oppressive scent of Leon’s Extreme Alpha pheromones filled the air, tightening around Lucas’s throat.
