When he was young, that vast, ancient castle had been nothing but terrifying. The rows of suits of armor displayed along the empty corridors had been especially frightening. Whenever he passed through at night, he would always run with all his strength, convinced they might suddenly come to life. Thinking about it now, it was nothing but absurd.
The imagination of a child.
He let out a small laugh as he weaved through the cars and drove along the road. The number of vehicles around him gradually thinned. By the time he turned onto the road leading to the ancestral castle, a sigh of relief slipped from Cassian Strickland’s lips on its own.
At last, it felt real that vacation had begun. After being tormented all semester by reports, assignments, and exams, the sense of freedom was indescribable. Even the aria playing on the radio, which he normally disliked, was something he could listen to generously now. One could say he was in the best possible mood.
Driving along with one hand on the steering wheel and the other arm resting on the window frame of his sports car, he wore dark sunglasses and whistled intermittently. Anyone could see how completely at ease he was.
This vacation, I’ll enjoy myself to the fullest.
He would rest as much as he pleased. Since it was his first break after entering university, he intended to do everything, as if he might never get another chance in his life. The car roared loudly as it sped down the empty road, but he paid it no mind. After driving for roughly thirty more minutes, an enormous castle finally came into view in the distance.
Finally.
The Strickland fortress, composed of four large and small castles, had three of them open to the public, excluding the main castle. Anyone could enter as long as they paid the admission fee. Passing the line of cars waiting for entry, Cassian headed toward a separate private gate and slowed down in front of the guardhouse. A servant who recognized his car from afar hurried out of the post and greeted him.
“Welcome, young master.”
Cassian smiled and nodded in response before accelerating again. People inside the cars lined up for inspection eagerly took photos and videos with their phones, but he was gone in an instant. Still whistling in a good mood, he finally reached the main castle, where servants who had been notified in advance were waiting.
“You must have had a long journey, young master.”
Cassian gave a brief acknowledging glance to the servant who greeted him politely, stepped out of the car, and handed over the keys. Leaving the servants behind as they immediately opened the trunk and began unloading his luggage, he entered the castle with steps lighter than ever.
By now, his mother must have already heard that he had arrived. Even during the semester, whenever he had time, he would stop by the main house, and each time, his mother would run all the way to the entrance to greet him. Since he had informed her in advance that he would come today, she must surely know.
Yet strangely, the Duchess was nowhere to be seen. He found it odd for a moment, but soon decided it did not matter and went straight up the stairs toward his mother’s room.
Knock, knock.
When he knocked, a voice came from inside. After a brief pause, he opened the door, and as expected, his mother was sitting at the tea table, drinking tea.
“Cassian.”
“Mother.”
Calling her son’s name warmly, she rose from her seat and spread her arms wide. Cassian willingly walked over and embraced her.
“Mother, have you been well?”
“Yes, and you look well too.”
The Duchess gently patted his back before pulling away and smiling brightly. Her warm eyes, always directed at him, were the same as ever, yet for some reason Cassian felt something strange.
“You seem to be in a very good mood.”
At his words, the Duchess smiled even wider.
“Of course. You’ve come, haven’t you?”
“Y-yes….”
Cassian smiled awkwardly, but the uneasy feeling did not fade. What is this? I keep having a bad feeling about something.
“Cassian.”
Lost in thought for a moment, he snapped back at her call. Looking down, he saw his mother gazing up at him with a puzzled expression. He quickly brushed it off and changed the subject.
“What time is dinner? Will Father be late today?”
At the ordinary question, his mother answered readily.
“I was thinking of seven. Would that be alright? If you want to rest, eight would be fine as well.”
She added briefly,
“He said he would be back before seven. Rest in your room, and come out to greet him at dinner.”
“Understood. Then… let’s make it eight.”
Cassian checked his wristwatch before deciding. After all, he had been covered in dust the entire way here, and he wanted to take his time washing up.
“Then I’ll see you later. You’ve worked hard coming all this way, my dear.”
The Duchess kissed his cheek and smiled. Cassian returned her smile, then turned and left the room.
His room was at the far end of the opposite corridor. Walking leisurely, he passed the empty hallway lined with the suits of armor that had once terrified him so much as a child. Come to think of it, he did feel a bit tired. Rubbing the back of his neck as he walked, he soon reached his room. Opening the door without hesitation, he saw it neatly arranged inside.
Since he had said he was coming, the servants must have been busy since early morning cleaning the room that had been left empty. Imagining his mother bustling about, giving orders here and there, made his lips relax into a faint smile along with a sense of gratitude. It truly felt like he had come home, and at the same time, the tension in his whole body seemed to melt away, leaving him pleasantly drowsy.
Wanting to wash off the dust with hot water as soon as possible, Cassian crossed the room and carelessly tossed the clothes he had been wearing onto the sofa in the adjoining sitting room. Naturally, his next destination was the bathroom. He opened the connected door, stepped inside, and immediately began to shower.
“Haa…”
Under the hot water, Cassian let out a satisfied sigh. It felt as if all the accumulated stress and fatigue had been washed away at once. Thinking that there truly was no place better than home, he thoroughly lathered himself and rinsed away the dust. There was plenty of time. As he washed at a leisurely pace, his thoughts turned to what lay ahead.
Vacation had just begun. To fully enjoy his first break after entering university, he had devoted himself entirely to his studies during the semester like a madman. This vacation, he intended to do all sorts of reckless things he had never done before. Things like diving naked into a lake, drinking all night and falling asleep wherever he pleased, or spending a night with someone he fancied.
Until now, he had lived what could be called a perfectly “exemplary” life. Even in his relationships, he had carried himself flawlessly as the heir to the Strickland ducal house. He had always had girlfriends, but he kept proper boundaries and did his best to end things cleanly without leaving any room for gossip.
Having recently broken up, he was currently single, but he would likely have a new lover soon. That was also one of the reasons he had chosen this vacation as a time for “deviation.” After all, once he entered a new relationship, he would naturally have to be faithful to his partner, and he would no longer be able to indulge in such freedom.
Living recklessly once in a lifetime is enough.
And he had chosen this vacation as that opportunity. In society, the reputation of “Cassian Strickland” was nothing short of excellent. The fact that he was a beta was not an issue. He was the sole heir of the ducal family, and in many ways—appearance included—he was outstanding enough to be mistaken for an alpha. In fact, some even said he surpassed trait holders altogether. They dressed it up in various ways, but in the end, going through a heat cycle was no different from being an animal. Even extreme alphas were nothing special, no matter how much they tried to control themselves. It was something that could be handled simply with a condom.
If pheromones built up and caused memory loss, they could not even control themselves anyway, so what was the point?
Cassian let out a faint laugh and turned off the water. Stepping out of the shower, he picked up a large, neatly folded towel and began drying his soaked body, lost in thought. Having endured and lived diligently all this time, he was determined that this vacation would be different—he would try everything without regret.