The Original Work Got Ruined After I Quit Being the Sub Male 20

Chapter 20

“Aren’t you going to rest?”

When I looked back with eyes asking why he was being like this, Cedric drooped his eyebrows while making a face that looked pitifully alone in the world.

“Does being with me mean you can’t rest?”

…That’s not it.

“Just play with me a little longer. I’m bored.”

When Cedric grabbed me and plopped down on the bed, my wrist was pulled and my waist bent forward.

I opened my eyes drowsily and glared, but in the end I couldn’t resist his whining and decided to humor him a little longer.

“Fine. What should we play?”

I plopped down next to Cedric. For a moment, a familiar scent flowed from Cedric, so I turned to look. The scent quickly faded as if it had just been contained.

Cedric, who had been stroking the bridge of his nose, said.

“I just want to talk with you.”

And I… looking at him acting sulky saying he wanted to talk with me, I unconsciously thought he was cute.

I’d been like this often recently.

This version of myself felt a bit unfamiliar.

Looking back, we… had really become much closer.

Since Cedric generally acted similarly to before, the fact that our relationship had changed this much was entirely due to my change in behavior.

‘What a new feeling.’

How long have we spent time together… yet only now do I feel like I’ve gained a real friend. We could have been like this long ago, but because of me we took a roundabout path to get here.

I fidgeted with my interlaced fingers and opened my mouth.

“Um. Is it okay to ask about this kind of thing?”

“What kind of thing? Ask anything.”

“Ah, well. I remembered what you and Ret talked about in the carriage last time. I was wondering if rut is okay. I don’t really know what that’s like… do you have to take medicine in advance?”

It was a trivial curiosity, but also one I would never have had before. Cedric smiled slightly with curved eyes.

“No, you don’t do that. Usually you take it after rut or heat breaks out and before the symptoms get worse. Taking it in advance has no effect.”

“I see. Do you know the timing by feeling?”

“Yeah, you know instinctively. Around that time pheromone control becomes difficult too… it’s a bit like that even now. But it’s still okay for now.”

“It must be inconvenient having to take medicine according to timing.”

“That’s why sometimes I envy betas.”

“Don’t go around saying that. You’ll get cursed at.”

He who had taken a more comfortable position with his hands behind his back let out a chuckle, then casually asked me.

“If you could become a secondary gender like alpha or omega, would you want to?”

Secondary gender, huh.

It’s not that I haven’t thought about it.

There aren’t that many inconvenient things about not being a secondary gender, but… there are differences in social status like with titles.

When marriage talk comes up, there’s also prioritizing secondary genders.

“Yeah. If I could become one, I’d want to.”

“……”

“But a dominant one, not recessive.”

But even with someone’s help, you could never have dominant traits.

To become a dominant secondary gender, you’d have to be reborn. All acquired secondary genders only manifest as recessive.

“You… wouldn’t want to become a recessive secondary gender?”

“Huh? No, it’s not that I dislike it, but I wouldn’t want it enough to put in the effort. If my future partner is a secondary gender and wants me to change, then I’d naturally consider it.”

Secondary genders with dominant traits can cause changes in their partner’s secondary gender, unlike recessive secondary genders.

If you’re stimulated by a dominant secondary gender’s pheromones for a long time, even betas have the possibility of changing into recessive secondary genders.

Of course, it’s just that dominant secondary genders can accomplish what’s completely impossible for betas or recessive secondary genders, not that they definitely change secondary genders…

But that possibility is what’s important.

I could see Cedric’s slightly tense brow slowly relaxing.

Cedric’s profile looking into space was like a painting, so my gaze naturally went there. I don’t want to stare intensely, but my eyes keep going there unconsciously.

I barely managed to look away.

“You’re lucky. You’re in a position where you can have anything you want.”

The young master of the empire’s top grand duke family, handsome, and even a dominant secondary gender, so I know the family had high expectations from a young age.

In reality, Cedric grew up splendidly.

Plus, though I’ve only met Cedric’s father once directly, his mother seemed kind and clearly loved Cedric very much.

The family atmosphere would be harmonious too.

Of course, our family is harmonious too, but… anyway, I used to envy the things Cedric had that I didn’t.

“…That’s not true.”

Cedric, who had been quietly listening to me, denied it. At first I thought it was modesty, but seeing his darkened expression, it didn’t seem like that.

“There was a time when I had that kind of confidence…”

“……”

“But in the end, I couldn’t get what I wanted most.”

…Come to think of it, this guy said he was having unrequited love.

It seems like he’s talking about that.

“That person you said you like?”

Instead of answering, Cedric nodded slightly. So that’s it. With the somber atmosphere, my heart became unsettled too.

After hesitating, I patted Cedric’s shoulder.

“Cheer up. That person will open their heart to you someday.”

“…Will they?”

“Yeah. You said the possibility of you and that person working out is low, but I don’t think so. Where would you be inferior to anyone? Where else would you find someone as good as you…”

Suddenly Cedric, who had been gloomy, made a “pfft” sound and soon began laughing while shaking his shoulders.

Why is he suddenly laughing?

‘Was there something funny in what I said?’

That’s strange. I was being serious.

“Eddie, want to play chess together for the first time in a while?”

The guy asked with a face that had become very pleased. I don’t know why he suddenly became happy, but…

“Sure, let’s do that.”

I nodded as Cedric suggested. I could only guess that he laughed because he felt good hearing embarrassing praise.

We took out a box from the bookshelf.

It was a game box provided in each room by type for the young people participating in this New Year’s ball.

There was chess inside, so we took it out.

I placed the chess board on the table in front of the fireplace and sat facing each other after setting it up with Cedric.

And since it had been a while, I thought it would be good to take this opportunity to ask about things I was curious about, things I wanted to know about Cedric.

“You know, Cedy.”

“Yeah.”

“Let’s spend today asking each other questions.”

“What kind of questions should we ask?”

“Just things we’ve wanted to know about each other?”

“I barely know anything I don’t know about you.”

“…Liar.”

Last time I let it pass because it was a situation where I was admitting I’d been too indifferent, but he’s definitely exaggerating. I glared with drowsy eyes, but Cedric was firm.

“It’s true. Should I recite everything I know right here?”

Then he really seemed ready to rattle everything off, so I just waved my hand and quickly handed him the white chess pieces.

“You go first.”

Cedric held the white pieces and grinned.

“I’ll ask if I think of something.”

“Okay, then… I’ll go first.”

“Yeah.”

“How did you… get to know Ret?”

I knew that the two of them had been acquainted before Riette introduced Cedric to me, but I didn’t know the details of how they met.

This was something I’d been mildly curious about, but until now it hadn’t been a situation where I could ask, so it was a question I’d kept in my heart.

“Like how you first met Ret, our family adults already knew each other and my mother introduced me to Ret, so that’s how we first became acquainted.”

“Ah, really? That’s all?”

“Yeah.”

I wondered if the adults hadn’t initially planned to arrange an engagement between the two of them. Of course, Cedric might not know, or he might know but not be talking about it.

The neatly arranged chess pieces on both sides began moving one by one. I stared at the chess board and continued.

“Weren’t there other friends introduced to you like that? Is Ret your oldest friend? I honestly… thought at first that you’d know many other people besides us.”

“There were some, but you two are the only ones who became friends.”

Friends…

I glanced at Cedric then looked down at the chess board again. There was something else I really wanted to ask, but I couldn’t readily open my mouth.

“Why did you act that way toward Miss Viola last time?”

So I was throwing out another side question when…

“Is that all you have?”

“…Huh?”

Cedric had stopped moving his chess piece and was pouting. When I opened my eyes wide in confusion at his thoroughly sulky expression…

He rolled a chess piece in his hand.

“Isn’t this time for asking questions about me?”

“Oh, that’s right…”

“But why does it seem like most of it is about Ret or other women… Can’t you focus on me, at least at times like this?”

Author: Hyacinthus B

Hyacinthus