There was nothing he could do except lie there and let time pass. If he had possessed even a little more strength, he might have tried to busy himself with something, anything—but he had no will left.
Staring blankly at the needlessly high ceiling, Haejin traced the intricate patterns carved into it with his eyes. It would have been better if he had managed to persuade them to let him stay outside the estate. Of course, he understood the conditions Lyle had nailed down as threats.
At the very least, if he had been assigned his old room, it would have been more comfortable. Perhaps it was because this new room was too vast, but Haejin could not shake the feeling that he himself was shrinking smaller and smaller within it.
His former room had been closer to the path leading outside the mansion. That had been preferable. A new room was nothing but trouble. Even if he had no immediate intention of trying anything, being placed this deep inside the estate was inconvenient.
Still lying down, Haejin moved only his hand and dug deep into the mattress. His fingers caught on a wallet tucked inside. Pulling it out, he checked the contents. The last family photograph he had, and a small amount of cash.
“……”
He hid it back in place as though nothing had happened and fell into thought. He had no credit card to begin with, but even if he did, he would not have been able to use it. The recent incident had likely been discovered because he used an ATM.
That meant this cash would be his final opportunity. Naturally, he did not expect anything from the “material compensation” Lyle had said he would provide.
The best outcome would be to endure three more months. If he did, Lyle would expel him on his own. Then he could walk out without much struggle.
But if that plan collapsed—
Imagining that scenario, Haejin slowly shook his head. There was no need to worry ahead of time.
“Ha……”
He recalled Lyle’s recent strange behavior without meaning to, then simply sighed and lay back down. In a situation no different from being imprisoned, not falling apart was the best he could manage. Anything beyond that was still too much.
If he needed him, he would call.
As he traced the ceiling patterns again, a knock reached his ears. Haejin stiffened reflexively, then decided to ignore it. If it was Lyle summoning him, the door would be forced open whether he answered or not.
As expected, the one who opened the door without permission was the butler. For some reason, he was personally pushing a tray of food.
“Mr. Bright. Your meal.”
“……”
Haejin frowned faintly. The fact that the butler had come himself, and that he had entered without waiting for a response, both irritated him.
Every encounter with the butler in this estate was unpleasant. And seeing him walk into the room now with a strained smile plastered on his face was even more distasteful.
“I heard you have not been eating much. I prepared some dishes from your hometown, just in case. What do you think?”
‘For a lowly Omega, you speak too much. The master ordered that you be stripped and tied properly.’
“……”
Steam rose from the dishes the butler lifted with a broad smile. Despite his black hair, Haejin had been born and raised here. He had no idea what the food was supposed to be.
“If there is anything else you would prefer—”
“Butler.”
No matter how unpleasant it was, Haejin had always endured it. When sorrow surged up, he swallowed hard. When tears threatened to spill, he muffled himself in the blanket to silence the sound. What he smothered along with it was his heart and his pride.
But now, there was no reason to go that far. More than anything, he did not have the strength left to endure that sorrow again. If he did not draw a line, he might feel the urge to run from this estate immediately.
Even if it meant resorting to something drastic.
“Yes, Mr. Bright.”
“Please leave.”
“Well, previously—”
“Please leave.”
With a calm, drained expression, Haejin repeated the same words like a parrot. He knew what the butler wanted. He wanted assurance that Haejin would not tell Lyle about his previous mistake.
Surely he was not worried that Lyle would punish him over Haejin’s words. It was simply that the matter was tied to the contract. Haejin had no obligation to consider the circumstances of someone scrambling to cover his own fault.
No one in this estate had ever considered his.
“…Understood.”
The butler withdrew, his face flushed with humiliation. The door shut somewhat harder than necessary. Haejin found it strange. He had not insulted him, nor tried to strip him. Yet the man felt such deep humiliation.
An unpleasant smell wafted from the food left behind. The dishes appeared to have nothing to do with the roots his adoptive parents had once searched for. And he had no intention of eating something he did not recognize while also inhaling the butler’s lingering, cloying pheromones.
Haejin quietly approached, closed the lids on the dishes, and pushed the tray back outside. Then, heedless of the rain blowing in, he opened the window. A still current of wind flowed into the room.
Watching the rain intrude into the space from his bed was not unpleasant.
***
Walking down the antique corridor, the butler ground his teeth.
That arrogant whore’s bastard—who would have thought he would dare act so boldly in front of him?
When Haejin had just come of age, a little intimidation had been enough to make him obedient. Compared to the other Omegas who had caused trouble in the estate during their contracts with Lyle, he had been an easy guest. To be honest, there had even been a certain private pleasure in stripping and handling a high-end escort that only the master touched.
Admittedly, perhaps he had neglected him a bit too much. Unlike the other servants, the butler knew that Haejin had come here to pay the hospital bills of his adoptive parents, who lay in a coma.
He had even considered showing a bit of sympathy.
And yet the boy had the audacity to behave like that.
He suddenly recalled the face of the brat who had left the estate that day, ignoring his words. Feeling a trace of pity, he had thought to treat him slightly better. But he had quickly begun acting like the other high-nosed Omegas. Considering how Haejin used to be, the butler had assumed a little coaxing would shut his mouth.
It had not gone as planned.
For a mere Recessive Omega to irritate him like this—his phenotype was of little use to the master anyway. And yet he had been given a room far too grand for his station.
Grinding his teeth, the butler scowled. He could not understand why Lyle had brought Haejin back. But if Haejin were to disappear again, it would conveniently bury the butler’s minor mistake as well. That would be the best outcome. Preferably soon. He even convinced himself it would be for his master’s sake.
Before that, however, that insolent attitude needed to be suppressed. In an estate without Lyle present, was it not natural that the butler’s word be obeyed?
If he could find even the slightest pretext, he would do everything possible to make the Omega walk out on his own.
All for the sake of the master of this estate.
***
“Have you been sleeping well?”
“More or less.”
The machines attached to him were removed. Lyle straightened his disordered clothes and sat before his physician.
“No particular sources of stress?”
“You know as well as I do. If I have stress, it’s this damned pheromone.”
Recently, there had been several vague irregularities in his physical condition. That was why Lyle had discreetly visited the hospital. He had come before when unwell, but this was the first time he had sought a doctor because he lacked a headache.
The physician appeared startled but quickly regained composure and began the examination. He was one of the few who knew about Lyle’s pheromone congestion.
Even a minor issue could not be ignored. Especially the fact that his headache had vanished the moment Haejin was brought back to the estate. It was highly unusual. Considering that Lyle had not undergone pheromone discharge since the last Rut period he spent with Haejin, it was even more so.
“Hmm. The pheromone congestion itself has not improved.”
Reviewing the printed results, the physician delivered his assessment. A faint disappointment flickered across Lyle’s expression. For a moment, he had wondered if there might be a way to avoid entangling himself with an Omega’s body altogether. Apparently not.
“Then why is there no headache?”
If the congestion remained, then this apparent improvement was an abnormal reaction. Lyle did not wish to leave even the smallest uncertainty unresolved.
Calmly examining the data, the physician adjusted his glasses.
“It is possible that your headache was temporarily alleviated due to exposure to pheromones from an Omega whose compatibility with you is particularly high.”
“……”
Lyle frowned unconsciously as Haejin came to mind. High compatibility would be inconvenient.
“Of course, this would be minor and temporary. It cannot compare to proper pheromone discharge through intercourse. Have you recently met a Dominant Omega?”
Naturally, simply sitting in the same room was far preferable to enduring the inconvenience of taking an Omega to bed. Even a minor method would have been welcome. Lyle concealed his disappointment.
Fastening the final button of his shirt, he recalled Haejin in a detached manner.
“No. The one under contract is a Recessive Omega.”
But at that, the physician raised his brows in visible confusion.
“Recessive? Hmm… that is unusual.”