“Didn’t you already know? That Georgina and Charlotte visited the estate and played with Angela before they left.”
Had the butler not told him?
Even if it wasn’t mentioned at the time, with Charlotte suddenly showing up and trying to harm Yu-jin, the incident surely would’ve been relayed afterward. As Yu-jin silently questioned it, Winston didn’t bother hiding his displeasure, his face twisting with irritation.
“I knew.”
“Then what’s with that reaction?”
This time, it was Yu-jin who frowned. Winston stared at him in silence for a while before slowly opening his mouth.
“I just found it odd that you were close enough to exchange private messages with Georgina. Especially when Charlotte wasn’t around.”
There was something strange in his tone. Yu-jin blinked several times before the implication finally hit him.
“Don’t tell me… You’re suspicious about me and Charlotte?”
His voice jumped an octave in shock. He was so dumbfounded that words barely came out. But Winston, completely unfazed, responded flatly.
“There are women who prefer male Omegas, you know. Since there’s no physical evidence left behind.”
“Ha.”
Yu-jin let out a sharp, audible scoff. So now this man was accusing him of having an affair with his sister-in-law?
“So insulting me isn’t enough for you anymore?”
He bit back sarcastically, but instead of backing down, Winston scowled and threw the question right back at him.
“Why are you defending the woman who tried to kill you?”
The way he said it made it sound even more suspicious. At this point, Yu-jin wasn’t even angry anymore.
“You really are beyond saving, Winston Campbell.”
Without pausing, he continued in a cold tone.
“You never believe anyone, yet when it comes to rumors about my so-called promiscuity, you’re quick to accept them?”
Now he was genuinely curious—what exactly had the butler said to twist the story this way? If Winston had come to such a conclusion with absolutely no evidence, then maybe it was time to seriously consider the man was delusional.
“No matter how you slice it, you’re the one at a disadvantage.”
“What?”
Winston immediately furrowed his brow, but Yu-jin didn’t back down. He threw the cold, hard truth right in his face.
“You remember the will, don’t you? My chastity wasn’t mentioned anywhere in it.”
For a moment, Winston visibly froze. Seeing that reaction, Yu-jin felt, for the first time, that he actually liked the contents of that will.
“Meaning, it doesn’t matter who I sleep with, how, or how often. Unlike you.”
He deliberately emphasized each word, enunciating them with slow, sharp clarity. Repeating Winston’s own words back at him, he watched as the man’s eyes darkened with rage.
“Don’t talk bullshit!”
What had looked almost black like the night sky suddenly began to shimmer with gold. His eyes changing like that was a sign of just how furious he truly was. It reminded Yu-jin of the raw anger Winston had shown when Charlotte had tried to kill him. But this time, that fury was pointed in an entirely different direction.
The sheer intensity of Winston’s fury sent a chill racing down Yu-jin’s spine, his whole body breaking out in goosebumps. Yet, oddly enough, there wasn’t even a trace of pheromone scent in the air. That gave him a new sense of courage. And unlike before, Winston was rooted to the spot, unmoving.
Somehow, Yu-jin felt certain—this man wouldn’t lay a single finger on him. With that confidence bolstering him, he lifted his head and stared Winston straight in the eyes.
“If you really think about the will, the one who deserves criticism right now isn’t me—it’s you.”
“Don’t talk nonsense…”
“You think I wouldn’t notice you went to that party? You reeked of Omega pheromones.”
The words came without hesitation, striking with brutal clarity. Winston clamped his mouth shut. His expression didn’t change, but Yu-jin could feel it—he had flinched. He hadn’t expected that attack. But Yu-jin continued nonchalantly.
“You were explicitly forbidden from attending pheromone parties, weren’t you? And yet you went, broke the clause outright, and acted like it didn’t matter. If you want to be that shameless, then you’ve got no right to go spouting off things about me. It’s your weakness. Not mine.”
He even smiled at the end, a soft, knowing curl of the lips. As he spoke, so many tangled emotions inside him began to settle. In the end, that man was no different from the one he claimed to hate so much—Harold.
Harold must’ve known Winston was attending those pheromone parties. It was impossible to go and not end up entangled in something. Yu-jin knew what those places were like. Harold had gone to them too, back when he was alive. Even though he had a wife—just because she was a Beta.
“In the end, you’ll live just like your father.”
The thought left a bitter taste in his mouth, but Winston just shrugged it off and asked with unsettling ease,
“Is that a problem?”
It was a loaded question, layered with meaning. There was a note of bitter self-derision behind it.
Do I even need to think about that?
Yu-jin simply shrugged and changed the subject.
“Anyway, that’s that. I’m doing a lot better now, so let me go out.”
His voice came out calm, almost businesslike. Winston said nothing, only watching him in silence.
***
Hoo…
Finally done reviewing the edits, Yu-jin drew in a deep breath and exhaled slowly.
From the moment the idea came to him to actually finishing the manuscript had taken two full days. Most of that time, he’d spent holed up in the study, writing for hours while Winston was out at work. All things considered, he thought he’d made pretty decent progress. After receiving confirmation from the editor that the email had gone through safely, it finally started to hit him.
Is my book really getting published?
The feeling was still surreal as he stepped out of the study. One line from the editor kept looping in his head:
“Let’s release it during the Christmas season. It’s the perfect kind of fairy tale to gift to children. We’ll focus all our marketing around that.”
Christmas wasn’t far off now. Yu-jin had made plans to meet up with Georgina under the pretext of shopping for Christmas gifts, but they still hadn’t finalized a date.
It should be okay to go out now…
Winston hadn’t said a single word that day after their conversation. To Yu-jin, it felt like he was simply avoiding the issue. Regardless, unless Winston gave his permission, Yu-jin wouldn’t be able to step foot outside the estate. The wounds still throbbed if he let his guard down, but as long as he moved carefully, day-to-day life wasn’t too difficult.
If this doesn’t work, I’ll have to go with Plan B.
Resolving himself, Yu-jin headed straight to Angela’s room. He hadn’t paid much attention to her over the past two days while working on the manuscript, and guilt weighed on him. I’ll play house with her today—she loves that, he thought.
Just then, he heard a sound. It came from beyond the open door to the child’s room. Was Angela talking to herself while playing alone? Thinking that, Yu-jin approached the doorway—but suddenly froze.
Through the open door, he caught sight of an unexpected figure.
Winston.
At this hour? Out of nowhere?
Instinctively, Yu-jin ducked behind the wall beside the door. His heart pounded—he was hit with a rush of panic at the thought Winston might’ve caught him using the computer. He quickly ran through his memory, trying to recall whether he’d erased all traces of his use. Taking a deep breath, he tried to calm himself.
Once his mind had cooled a bit, another question arose.
What the hell is he doing in there?
He cautiously peeked through the crack in the door. The first thing he saw was the broad back of a man crouched down on the floor. That’s when Yu-jin realized the voices he’d heard were Winston’s and Angela’s.
It’s during work hours… why is he here, doing that?
His confusion quickly turned into pure shock.
Winston was holding a tiny teapot, pretending to pour tea into an equally tiny teacup, and said,
“Your Highness, how do you find the scent of the lavender tea?”
Yu-jin clamped a hand over his mouth to stop himself from screaming. His eyes were already wide, but now his jaw had dropped open too.
Winston is… playing house.
With Angela. And even mimicking the butler’s voice while he did it.
Almost without thinking, Yu-jin pulled out his phone and snapped a few photos of the surreal scene.
They didn’t notice a thing.
Angela was wearing a brand-new dress, one he hadn’t seen before, and her hair was styled in a way he didn’t recognize either. That morning, he hadn’t had time to do anything but slip on a headband for her. But now, her hair was braided and pinned high like a real princess.
Who did that for her?
He wasn’t sure, but capturing her adorable appearance took priority. Yu-jin quickly began tapping away, taking as many photos as he could.
