Even though it was still early, Vincent had been away for quite some time, busy welcoming the guests who had been waiting at the mansion’s entrance.
As time passed, the central garden of the mansion gradually filled with unfamiliar figures instead of the usual attendants, and the sweet melody welcoming the guests resonated throughout the estate.
Watching the scene unfold beyond the wide-open window, I absentmindedly fiddled with the pocket where I had tucked away the permit. My thoughts kept drifting toward it.
With this, I could go anywhere in the mansion. That thought kept looping in my head.
Glancing back briefly, I stepped down from the windowsill and quietly made my way toward the door.
I carefully cracked it open and peered outside—there were no guards stationed there, even though they always stood watch whenever he was away. Pushing the door fully open, I stepped out and looked around. But, as expected, there were no guards in sight.
‘Where did they all go?’
The moment I realized I was completely alone, the idea of leaving this place flashed through my mind. Who knows? Se-yul and Han Jae-hoon might already be here.
With that thought, I slipped into the corridor, heading toward the banquet hall. His bedroom was tucked away in the farthest corner of the mansion, meaning no one else was wandering about except for me.
‘Just a little farther.’
The distant music grew clearer. I was getting closer to the banquet hall when, from the opposite side, I heard unfamiliar voices approaching.
Panic surged through me—could it be the guards returning to their post outside his bedroom? Heart pounding, I frantically looked around and managed to wedge myself between the walls, hiding in the shadows.
I only stepped out again once the voices had completely faded.
I should have brought something to cover my face. Should I go back? As I hesitated, contemplating whether to turn around, I noticed a door left wide open.
‘There might be something in there.’
After quickly scanning my surroundings to make sure no one was coming, I slipped inside.
Pressing myself against the wall, I cautiously surveyed the room. Fortunately, it turned out to be a storage space filled with clothing worn by the attendants.
Without hesitation, I grabbed an outfit that seemed to fit and changed into it, crumpling up my original clothes and shoving them deep into a pile of laundry.
Facing the mirror, I pulled my hat lower over my face. As long as I kept my striking black hair hidden, it wouldn’t be easy for anyone to recognize me. I was satisfied with my disguise.
‘Now I can go.’
Stepping out of the room, I moved naturally, mimicking the demeanor of an attendant. Whenever I passed a guest, I bowed deeply to avoid drawing attention and continued to move discreetly.
I successfully reached the banquet hall without being noticed, but as soon as I arrived, the sheer number of people suddenly overwhelmed me, throwing off my sense of direction.
Not knowing where to go, I stumbled around in confusion until someone suddenly grabbed my arm. Startled, I whipped around—thankfully, it was an attendant I had never seen before.
“Why are you wandering around here? Aren’t you supposed to be working?”
“Ah… I’m sorry.”
At least they didn’t see through my disguise, though it seemed like they mistook me for someone slacking off. The attendant eyed me suspiciously for a moment before grabbing my wrist and tugging me along.
Before I knew it, I had been dragged into the kitchen. Chefs were busy preparing food for the banquet, and attendants bustled about, carrying completed dishes. While I stood there awkwardly, the attendant handed me a task.
“Take this over there and come right back!”
“O-Okay…”
They must have been worried I’d run off because they repeated the instructions multiple times before finally leaving to handle their own duties.
I glanced down at the silver tray piled high with finger foods. With no other choice, I lifted it and started toward the banquet hall.
‘Damn, this is heavy.’
A fully grown man might have been able to carry this with ease, but the problem was that I was Han Seo-yul—fragile as a damn glass fish. I had barely taken a few steps before my arms started shaking, and my steps wobbled precariously.
I gritted my teeth and tried to hold on a little longer, but when I glanced ahead, I realized the banquet hall was still a long way off. Despair set in. How the hell was I supposed to make it all the way there?
Before I could think of a solution, my unstable footing gave way, and my body lurched forward.
“Aah!”
CRASH!
The tray flew from my hands, clattering loudly against the floor. Food scattered everywhere, completely wrecking the passageway.
I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing for the impact of hitting the ground—but oddly, I felt no pain.
Slowly, I peeked my eyes open and found myself suspended in midair. More precisely, someone had caught me just before I could crash onto the floor.
“You need to be more careful. You almost got seriously hurt.”
A warm, gentle voice echoed in my ears.
I hesitated before lifting my head, finally getting a look at the person who had caught me. His face seemed familiar, though his name teetered just out of reach in my memory.
“Han Seo-yul, right?”
“…!”
While I struggled to place him, he had no trouble recognizing me.
The realization jolted me into action. Quickly straightening up, I put some distance between us, fumbling to hide my exposed face. I lifted my hands, hesitated, then yanked my hat down lower.
Watching my panicked floundering, the man chuckled.
“You don’t have to do that. I’m not planning to tell Vincent you’re here.”
His reassurance didn’t do much to ease my nerves, especially when he gently took hold of my hands and pulled them away from my face.
Now facing him directly again, I finally took in his features—his hair, nothing like the red I had expected.
Ah. That’s when it clicked.
“Jeremy…?”
“It’s an honor to be remembered.”
The moment I realized it was Jeremy, I quickly stepped back and covered my nose and mouth with my hand. But something was different this time. The pheromones that had been so overwhelming before were now completely absent.
‘Why can’t I smell his pheromones…?’
Jeremy must have read the confusion in my eyes because he smiled and took a step closer. Even as the distance between us narrowed again, I still couldn’t detect any scent.
Just like an ordinary person.
“I took a suppressant.”
“A suppressant?”
“Yes. I may be an Alpha, but I’m a recessive one. If I take suppressants, my pheromones fade entirely, making me no different from regular people.”
“Wait… does that mean you’re in rut…?”
Since there was no other reason to take a suppressant, I instinctively stepped further away. But Jeremy quickly added, shaking his head,
“No, no. As a recessive Alpha, I don’t go into rut. The District Chief just doesn’t like unnecessary scents mixing in, so I take them for that reason.”
A dark shadow crossed Jeremy’s face. Having to suppress his pheromones just because the District Chief disliked them… For some reason, I felt a pang of sympathy.
I was about to ask if he was okay, but before I could, he suddenly changed expressions and smiled, then pressed a soft kiss to the back of my hand. A shiver ran through me at the unexpected touch, but I forced my face to remain neutral.
“So, why are you dressed like an attendant?”
“That, uh…”
I racked my brain, trying to come up with an excuse that Jeremy would believe, but nothing convincing came to mind. He watched my struggle for a moment before suddenly clapping his hands together as if he had figured something out.
“Are you playing hide-and-seek?”
“…Yes, that’s right!”
Ah, damn it. That was obviously a joke, but in my panic, I blurted out an agreement without thinking.
As the sheer embarrassment set in, my face flamed red. Jeremy, meanwhile, clutched his stomach and burst into laughter.
“We didn’t talk much the last time we met, so I didn’t realize—Han Seo-yul, you’re quite an amusing person.”
“It’s not like that—”
“Hey! What the hell are you doing over there?!”
A loud voice cut me off from a distance.
The attendant who had dragged me into the kitchen stormed over, face red with anger as he took in the mess of food scattered all over the floor. But just as he was about to start scolding me, his eyes widened in shock when he noticed Jeremy standing beside me.
“L-Lord of the District…”
“‘Lord of the District’? Seriously?”
Jeremy let out a small scoff, clearly unimpressed by the title. Then, as if deliberately placing himself between me and the attendant, he blocked their line of sight.
The attendant, now visibly flustered, hesitated before ultimately giving up on reprimanding me. Instead, they dropped to their knees and began cleaning up the mess themselves.
“I-I should—”
Since I was the one who had caused the mess, it was only right that I cleaned it up. But as I made a move to help, Jeremy reached out and stopped me, shaking his head.
“Just stay still for a moment.”
“What?”
Jeremy whispered the words softly before pulling me closer to him.
I instinctively tried to turn my head to follow his gaze, but a firm hand pressed down on the back of my neck, keeping me in place.
“What the hell is this?”
I was about to demand what he was doing when a voice rang out behind me.
Clang—
The sound of a tray being kicked across the floor echoed through the hallway.
Someone was approaching, their footsteps growing louder.
“Joshua,” Jeremy called out as the man came to a stop in front of us.
