By Zephyria 
When he was young, that large, ancient castle was nothing short of terrifying. The suits of knight’s armor lined up in the empty corridors were particular objects of dread; whenever he passed through those halls at night, he would often run with all his might, fearing they might suddenly spring to life. Thinking back on it now, it was simply absurd.
Such are the delusions of a child.
With a smirk, he wove his way through the traffic, and as he drove, the surrounding cars gradually thinned out. As he entered the road leading to the ancestral castle passed down through generations, a sigh of relief escaped Cassian Strickland’s lips instinctively.
He finally felt the reality of vacation. Considering how he had been plagued by reports, assignments, and exams throughout the semester, the sense of liberation was indescribable. He was in such a great mood that he could generously tolerate the arias playing on the radio, which he usually hated. One might call it the peak of euphoria.
Driving with one hand on the steering wheel and the other arm resting on the window frame of the sports car, he whistled sporadically behind dark sunglasses. To anyone watching, he looked the picture of leisure.
I’m going to play my heart out this vacation.
He intended to get plenty of rest as well. Since this was his first break since entering university, he planned to do everything he’d ever wanted—things he might never get to do again in his life. The car racing down the empty road let out a loud engine roar, but he paid it no mind. After driving for about another thirty minutes, a massive ancient castle revealed itself in the distance.
Finally.
The Strickland fortress, consisting of four castles of varying sizes, kept three of them open to the public, meaning anyone could visit as long as they paid an entrance fee. Passing the cars lined up for entry, Cassian headed toward a separate private gate and slowed down in front of the guardhouse. An employee, recognizing Cassian’s car approaching from afar, hurried out of the booth to greet him.
“Welcome, Young Master.”
Cassian nodded with a smile at the welcoming guard and accelerated again. People in the cars waiting in line for inspection scrambled to take photos and videos with their phones, but he vanished from sight in an instant. Whistling happily, he finally reached the main castle, where employees who had been notified by the guardhouse were waiting for him.
“You’ve worked hard on your journey, Young Master.”
Cassian gave a light nod to the employee who greeted him politely, stepped out of the car, and handed over the keys. Leaving the employees behind as they immediately opened the trunk to unload his luggage, his steps toward the castle were lighter than ever.
By now, his mother would have received the report that he had arrived. Even during the semester, he had stopped by the family home whenever he had the time, and each time, his mother would run to the entrance to welcome him. Since he had given her a heads-up that he was coming today, she surely knew.
However, strangely, the Duchess was nowhere to be seen. He felt a brief moment of curiosity, but deciding it didn’t matter, he immediately climbed the stairs and headed toward his mother’s room.
Knock, knock. When he knocked, a voice answered from inside. After a short pause, he opened the door to find his mother, as expected, sitting at a tea table drinking tea.
“Cassian.”
“Mother.”
Calling her son’s name happily, his mother stood up and opened her arms wide. Cassian readily walked toward her and embraced her.
“Mother, have you been well?”
“Yes, and you look wonderful as well.”
The Duchess patted his back affectionately before pulling away with a bright smile. The warm eyes that always looked upon him were the same, but for some reason, Cassian felt a strange sensation.
“You seem to be in a very good mood.”
At Cassian’s words, the Duchess smiled even more brightly and replied.
“Of course, because you’ve arrived.”
“I see…”
Cassian smiled awkwardly, but for some reason, the lingering feeling of unease wouldn’t vanish. What is it? I keep getting a bad feeling.
“Cassian.”
Lost in thought for a moment, Cassian snapped back to attention at the sound of his name. Looking down, he saw his mother looking up at him with a puzzled expression. He quickly changed the subject, pretending nothing was wrong.
“What time is dinner? Is Father arriving late today?”
To the ordinary question, his mother answered readily.
“I was thinking 7 o’clock, would that be alright? If you’d like to rest a bit more, 8 o’clock is fine too.”
She then added briefly.
“He said he would be here before 7. Rest in your room and come out to greet him when it’s time for dinner.”
“Understood. Then… let’s make it 8.”
Cassian checked his wristwatch and set the time. Since he had been covered in dust the entire way here, he wanted to take his time and wash up thoroughly.
“I’ll see you then. You’ve worked hard getting here, my dear.”
The Duchess kissed her son’s cheek and smiled. Cassian smiled back, then turned and left the room.
Cassian’s room was at the opposite end of the corridor. He walked leisurely, passing through the empty hallway where the knights in armor—which he had feared so much as a child—stood in a single line. Come to think of it, he felt a bit tired. Rubbing the back of his neck as he walked, he soon arrived in front of his room. Opening the door and stepping inside, he saw his room, perfectly tidied.
Since he had said he was coming, the employees must have been busy cleaning the vacant room since early morning. Imagining his mother bustling about, giving various instructions and putting in effort, a sense of gratitude washed over him and his lips curled into a soft smile. He truly felt like he was home, and at the same time, he felt languid, as if all the tension in his body had suddenly released.
Wanting to wash away the dust with hot water as soon as possible, Cassian walked across the room and carelessly tossed the clothes he was wearing onto the sofa in the connected living area. His next destination was, naturally, the bathroom. Opening the connecting door and stepping inside, he immediately started his shower.
“Haaa.”
Cassian let out a satisfied sigh under the hot water. It felt as if all the accumulated stress and fatigue were being washed away at once. Recalling the saying that there is no place like home, he lathered every inch of his body and rinsed off the dust. He had plenty of time. As he slowly dried himself, he thought about the future.
Vacation was just beginning. To enjoy his first break since coming to university, he had devoted himself frantically to his studies throughout the semester. This vacation, he intended to try the kind of crazy things he had never done before. Like jumping into a lake naked, drinking all night and falling asleep anywhere, or spending a night with someone he found attractive—utterly insane behavior.
Until now, he had lived a literally ‘exemplary’ life. He could pride himself on having conducted himself perfectly as the heir to the ‘House of Strickland,’ even in his interpersonal relationships. He always had girlfriends, but he always maintained a proper boundary and did his best to ensure there were no lingering rumors when they broke up.
Because of a recent breakup, he was currently single, but he would likely find a new lover soon. This was another reason why he had designated this vacation as a ‘period of deviation.’ Once he started dating someone new, he would naturally have to be faithful to them and would no longer be able to enjoy such deviations.
Living wildly just once in a lifetime is enough.
And he was seizing this vacation as that opportunity. In the eyes of the public, Cassian Strickland’s reputation was nothing short of the best. The fact that he was a Beta was not an issue. He was the sole heir to the ducal house, and he was exceptional not only in appearance—to the point where he was often mistaken for an Alpha—but in various other fields as well. In fact, some even evaluated him as being far superior to trait bearers. Despite the fancy phrasing, wasn’t experiencing a ‘rut’ or ‘heat’ essentially no different from being an animal? Even if Dominant Alphas tried to control their ejaculation, it wasn’t anything special. It was a problem easily solved with a condom.
Anyway, once pheromones build up and cause memory impairment, they can’t even control their ejaculation, so what’s the point?
Cassian smirked and turned off the faucet. Stepping out of the shower, he picked up a large, neatly folded towel and rubbed his soaking wet body, lost in thought. Since he had lived so patiently and diligently until now, he was determined to do everything without regret during this vacation.