“If this confidential information leaks out, it’ll be extremely troublesome, so for the time being, stay here comfortably and prepare yourselves thoroughly for the legal disputes that will follow. Whether it’s logic or anything else, there must not be a single gap.”
At Mihail’s words, spoken with a wicked smile, everyone slumped their shoulders with expressions that clearly said, Of course it’s like this.
“Yes, sir….”
The replies were half-hearted, but Mihail didn’t fault them. He briskly left the conference room. Once the door shut firmly behind him, knights stood guard as tightly as an iron wall.
“Summon Ilya to my office.”
Mihail gave the order to the butler the moment he exited the conference room. The butler nodded and sent a servant. Reaching his office, Mihail sat down, propped his legs up on the desk, and glanced at the clock. He wanted to return to Chaika as soon as possible, but work was work.
Ilya, who clearly hadn’t wanted to be summoned, only entered the office after a long delay. As he approached at a leisurely pace, the scent of women’s perfume wafted thickly from him.
“I’d really like you to leave me out of troublesome things like this.”
Ilya said as he plopped down heavily into a chair some distance away.
“You’re my vassal in name, at least. You still have work to do.”
Mihail replied shamelessly. With a just as I thought expression, Ilya leaned back against the chair and slid down limply.
“So what exactly are you planning to make me do?”
As Mihail said, he was a vassal in name. If ordered, he was supposed to do it.
“Regardless of rank, I want you to identify every noble house in the Empire that cherishes their omega children as much as their alpha children. Houses that were thoroughly prepared and sent their child to an alpha, yet still had that child suffer an injustice. Houses that suffered injustice and couldn’t do anything about it. Houses that might want their own child to be granted property rights, even if it’s just a tiny trigger. I want them all. And detailed information on every one of those families.”
“My god.”
Ilya lamented with a face full of despair.
The Masala Empire wasn’t called an empire for nothing. Its territory was vast, and there were countless noble families ruling large and small domains. Picking out every family that met Mihail’s conditions was no ordinary task.
“This is seriously not a simple job….”
Ilya grumbled, letting out a deep sigh.
“That’s exactly why I’m entrusting it to you. You’ll be digging through noble houses across the entire country, and not a single rumor can be allowed to leak out. You’re the only one I can trust completely.”
Mihail meant it sincerely. Ilya knew that too.
“If you put it that way, I can’t exactly refuse.”
Ilya said, scratching his head irritably. In the end, it meant he’d do it.
Mihail broke into a broad smile. Seeing it, Ilya clicked his tongue, saying it was creepy and terrifying.
“It’s going to cost an insane amount of money.”
Ilya warned him.
This involved ferreting out the private affairs of noble families. Information like that was priceless. Buying intelligence on countless noble houses across the vast empire would require a staggering sum.
“I don’t care. Use as much as you need.”
Mihail replied with a snort of laughter. The Duke of Castiya’s fortune was astronomical to begin with, so no matter how much money Ilya poured into this, it wouldn’t make a dent.
Mihail stood up and walked over to Ilya, who was slumped in his chair. He patted Ilya on the shoulder and said,
“I’m counting on you, big brother.”
At those words, Ilya recoiled and rubbed his own arm with a horrified expression.
“Don’t call me that. It gives me chills.”
Ilya muttered in a dying voice. Mihail cackled, patted his shoulder a few more times, then turned away.
“Hey, Mihail.”
Ilya called out. His expression was serious now, unlike before.
“Why do you think alphas go to such desperate lengths, using laws and everything else, to bind omegas? If things go the way you’re pushing, and omegas gain property rights, Chaika will also have room to become independent. If someday that kid tries to leave you, what are you going to do then?”
Ilya’s blue eyes were fixed intently on Mihail, urging him to think carefully.
Mihail looked at Ilya for a moment, then snorted softly. He let out another scoff.
“That kid? Leave me? He’d never leave. He’s completely head over heels for me.”
Mihail declared with a laugh, then waved his hand and left the office.
“Well… that may be true for now, at least….”
Left alone in the empty office, Ilya muttered to himself. Soon, he remembered the task he had to undertake. Just thinking about it made his head throb.
“Ahh… my miserable fate.”
Ilya slumped in his chair and covered his eyes with his hand.
***
Chaika’s condition, now past one month of pregnancy, was quite stable. A physician and servants attended him around the clock, ensuring not even the slightest discomfort, and Mihail never left his side, using his pheromones to stabilize the pregnancy. In particular, the depressive symptoms Chaika had shown throughout early pregnancy had eased considerably.
To lift Chaika’s spirits, Mihail tried various methods—summoning a jester was one of them. The sharp-tongued dwarf jester, who was wildly popular in the village outside the castle, lived up to Mihail’s expectations and made Chaika laugh to his heart’s content. Eventually, Chaika laughed so hard that he rolled around, clutching his stomach and saying he might die from it, prompting Mihail to hurriedly send the jester away in case the strain affected the baby.
In any case, Chaika had returned to a state very close to his usual self. He no longer looked weighed down with worry, sank into gloom, or suddenly welled up with tears. Just one thing—at times, he would stare off alone, lost in thought. In those moments, Chaika’s eyes held a look that made it impossible to guess what he was thinking. Then, when Mihail called out to him, he’d snap back to attention and smile faintly.
As the two of them spent their days sleeping, eating, drinking, walking, laughing, and enjoying themselves together, the people from the conference room remained confined. Ilya, too, had hurriedly left the castle and was gone. While everyone else was busy, only Mihail and Chaika enjoyed a life of leisure—and there was no one who could fault them for it.
Everything seemed perfect like this, but in truth, it wasn’t entirely so.
Stuck to Chaika all day long, Mihail was in a state of pent-up desire. Because the physician had firmly declared that they couldn’t share a bed until the pregnancy stabilized, Mihail couldn’t even attempt anything and was on the verge of exploding as he suppressed himself. Pregnant Chaika was barely emitting pheromones and wasn’t affected, but Mihail couldn’t help wanting to touch him and didn’t know what to do with himself. After all, Mihail had coveted Chaika long before he could even sense his pheromones—so perhaps it was only natural.
“…Lord Mihail.”
Chaika shifted slightly and spoke softly, a note of reproach in his voice. Mihail ignored it and didn’t remove the hand he had slipped inside Chaika’s shirt. Instead, he grew bolder, stroking his lower abdomen and chest, and fiddling with the small nipple that was the only thing his fingers caught on. Each time he touched it, Chaika’s waist twitched faintly. Whenever Mihail rolled it between his fingers, pinched it lightly, or rubbed it with his fingertips, Chaika swallowed his moans deep in his throat. His body might not be able to have sex, but Chaika’s senses were still exquisitely sensitive.
“Please stop.”
Unable to endure it any longer, Chaika forcibly pulled Mihail’s hand away. Mihail reluctantly withdrew, smacking his lips in disappointment. Then, after a moment, he slipped his hand smoothly into Chaika’s pants instead. After pregnancy, Chaika had been well-fed, and his plumpened thighs now felt satisfyingly full to the touch. As Mihail kneaded his thigh and gradually moved his hand between his legs, Chaika shot him a glare. Mihail merely raised his brows as if to say, What did I do wrong? and slid his hand into the underwear, gently caressing the golden thicket.
“…Mmm.”
A sweet moan slipped from Chaika’s lips. The physician, who waited in the bedroom nearly all day, quietly turned his head away. But shameless Mihail didn’t leave the physician alone.
“Hey.”
“…Yes, Your Grace.”
“Sex is off-limits until the pregnancy stabilizes, but it’s fine if Chaika comes, right?”
At the blunt question, Chaika pinched Mihail’s arm. The physician lowered his gaze and nodded.
“Yes…. As long as it’s not excessive and doesn’t sap his strength, a moderate release is fine.”
At that, Mihail leaned close to Chaika’s ear and whispered,
“See? He says it’s fine.”
Then he gestured with his chin, sending the physician out.
Once they were alone in the bedroom, Mihail finally reached properly for Chaika’s cock, which had been lying quietly in the golden thicket.
“Lord Mihail!”
Chaika cried out, but Mihail didn’t care. Instead, he threw back the sheet that covered Chaika’s waist and stripped off his pants and underwear in one swift motion. With his lower body fully exposed in broad daylight, Chaika flinched and hurriedly covered his privates with both hands. Even so, only his cock was barely hidden—the golden thicket remained fully visible.
“Acting shy now, of all times.”
Mihail laughed. Holding Chaika from behind, he began kneading Chaika’s cock with one hand and gripping one nipple with the other.
“Ah! Ah!”
When Mihail squeezed and pressed the nipple while pistoning the cock, a moan burst straight from Chaika’s mouth. Mihail gently rolled the reddened, tightly pinched nipple between his fingers, stimulating it as he stroked the cock. Each slick motion made it grow harder. Chaika covered his mouth with the back of his hand, his waist trembling in small jerks.
“Mmm. Mm. Ahh.”
Each thrust of Mihail’s hand made Chaika’s hips rock in rhythm. At the tip of his cock, cloudy fluid had already pooled. Mihail used his thumb to circle the dented opening, slick with sticky liquid.
“Ah—!”
As the sticky fluid spread and stimulated the sensitive head in slow circles, Chaika jerked violently, his hips bucking. Mihail kept rubbing the head with his thumb and sped up the pistoning motion.
“Ah, ah, ngh, ngh! I—I’m coming! It’s coming!”
Clutching Mihail’s arm tightly, Chaika cried out urgently. His body stiffened taut, right on the brink of climax. Mihail timed it perfectly, gripping Chaika’s nipple hard and twisting it at the very moment Chaika came.
