85 – Cypress Mosaic

Despite ​having ​drunk ​the ​tea, his voice ​remained ​parched.

Dr. ​Carver ​nodded ​slowly with a cautious ​demeanor.

“I ​cannot say for ​certain due to ​the ​lack ​of ​data, ​but ​I suspect there ​is ​a ​special pheromone interaction ​between the two of ​you.”

“A special ​interaction?”

Lorenz asked ​back, his ​eyes narrowing ​as ​his ​voice rose at ​the end.

“Similar ​occurrences occasionally happen between ​an Alpha and an ​Omega whose pheromone reactivity ​to one ​another ​is excessively high. Of course, it ​is not common. My ​guess ​is ​that ​Mr. ​Bellotti’s heat cycle ​coincided, and ​in ​that state, spending ​more ​time together than usual allowed ​your pheromones, ​Mr. ​Lorenz, to gradually ​stimulate ​him.”

Lorenz ​searched ​his ​memory.

Elian had ​certainly ​said the ​chills began while they were in the ​forest.

Usually, they saw ​each other for ​at least thirty minutes ​every day ​because of Lucas, ​but ​this was [unauthorized copy]the ​first time they ​had been ​together ​for several ​hours. ​Spending [visit our site]the ​entire ​morning roaming ​the ​forest, ​having lunch together… ​during ​that time, ​the ​heat ​had ​been slowly beginning.

“It seems certain that the pheromone reactivity between you two is outstanding.”

At Dr. Carver’s voice, Lorenz stopped his thoughts and looked at him.

“It is not just that Mr. Bellotti acts as an antidote for you as a Cypress Mosaic.”

“What does that mean?”

“Your pheromones also have a strong influence on Mr. Bellotti. More so than a typical Alpha.”

“How can you know that? Simply because I triggered his heat?”

Dr. Carter kept his mouth shut and let out a heavy sigh. It seemed clear there was some clue that led him to that conclusion, but he appeared hesitant to speak.

“What are you hesitating for? Tell me everything,” Lorenz urged. His exhausted eyes gleamed sharply. For a moment, they looked like the keen edge of a blade.

“He is a Cypress Mosaic. For the sake of my illness, I must know everything about him.”

The young Lockhart clearly visit our sitebelieved, with all his heart, that he had the right stolen contentto know anything concerning Elian.

“But, a patient’s privacy…”

Lorenz snorted, mocking the doctor’s conscience.

“The moment you decided to become the PDD physician for the Lockhart family, I assume you gave up that level of professional ethics.”

With a deep sigh, Dr. Carver revealed what he had discovered, as if he had no other choice.

“Mr. Bellotti is a patient with Pheromone Dependency Syndrome.”

“……”

“Furthermore, his condition was quite severe.”

The doctor’s explanation began from a place entirely unexpected.

Lorenz remained silent for a while.

Elian had Pheromone Dependency Syndrome…

He recalled everything he knew about that disease.

A rare pheromone disorder where the autonomic nervous system becomes unstable if one is not periodically exposed to the pheromones of the opposite gender. Because normal life was deemed impossible without the pheromones of the opposite gender, patients of this disease were often burdened with prejudices, being labeled as sex addicts or animals in heat.

“Signs of the disease were discovered during the process of analyzing Mr. Bellotti’s pheromones. Just in case, I accessed the medical network and found his records. He was diagnosed three years ago and has been taking stabilizers since then.”

“The stabilizers for that disorder definitely… have the side effect of reducing the sense of smell.”

The doctor nodded heavily.

“That is correct. Unfortunately, in Mr. Bellotti’s case, the degree was quite severe.”

Lorenz’s brow furrowed deeply.

“How severe is ‘severe’?”

“His olfactory function was severely impaired. He likely couldn’t smell most everyday scents.”

Lorenz kept biting his chapped lips. He repeatedly crushed his lower jaw with his hand.

“Most scents?”

“Yes. To the point where he couldn’t even detect strong foul odors. Therefore, he likely couldn’t taste most of his food. While there may be no direct physical pain, it is a considerably agonizing symptom. Many patients with the same condition complain of deep depression. Because the world feels colorless and odorless. It is frightening and lonely.”

A few scenes flashed through Lorenz’s mind.

The dinner they had together in the mansion’s dining room after he had rejected him several times. If so, Elian would have been unable to taste much then as well.

And the hotel buffet restaurant…

He remembered Vincent recommending chicken to Elian.

“Just taste it. It’s really crispy. It’s salty, so it’ll be fine for you to eat.”

Lorenz groaned softly. He had mocked Vincent for recommending something as trivial as chicken. Only now did he realize the true reason.

For someone with a diminished sense of smell, foods with emphasized basic tastes like salt or sweetness are better. The same would apply to a crispy texture.

Lorenz’s jaw muscles twitched from clenching unauthorized copyhis teeth. [stolen content]He put visit our siteimmense strength into his interlaced fingers.

Vincent. That irritating man had known about Elian’s illness as well.

“In a state where the sense of smell is that impaired, receiving the pheromones of the opposite gender does not result in an immediate improvement. Continuous exposure is required.”

Lorenz could guess to some extent what the doctor was trying to say.

“Are you saying my pheromones significantly restored his sense of smell?”

The doctor nodded.

“While we would need to test to see exactly how much his sense of smell has recovered, if the pheromone stability index has returned to this level, there is a high possibility that his olfactory function has also improved significantly. This is a level of recovery impossible with a single pheromone exchange.”

The doctor rotated the monitor toward Lorenz to show him the chart. Elian’s pheromone stability index, which had been far below the normal range, was skyrocketing as of yesterday.

The doctor pushed up his glasses and scanned the chart with an intrigued gaze.

“If it weren’t for the fact that this involves you, Mr. Lorenz, this is a case rare enough that I would want to report it to the academic society.”

“I trust you won’t commit such a reckless act.”

Lorenz’s voice and gaze were as cold as ice.

“Of course. To make an enemy of Mr. Lorenz, I would have to be prepared to write a new will.”

The doctor answered immediately without a trace of a smile. Because it wasn’t a joke.

He took off his glasses to wipe the lenses, organizing his professional opinion.

“While Mr. Bellotti is your Cypress Mosaic, it is also clear that your pheromones have a strong influence on Mr. Bellotti’s symptoms. The pheromone reactivity between you two is remarkably high.”

“……”

“To put it simply, you are highly compatible. Or that your chemistry is great. That sort of thing. And to an exceptionally rare degree.”

Lorenz was already tuning out the doctor’s words. He sat motionless, sinking deep into his thoughts. It was closer to a calculation than a thought.

Elian Bellotti.

Cypress Mosaic.

Pheromone Dependency Syndrome.

Marriage. Heir. PDD.

Elian Bellotti. Cypress Mosaic. Pheromone Dependency Syndrome…

“I did say that there must be someone, somewhere, and that you would find them… but honestly, this is truly like a miracle.”

The doctor’s voice, speaking in a tone of disbelief, pulled Lorenz out of the swamp of his thoughts.

“In any case, it is something to be congratulated on.”

Lorenz lifted his gaze to look at the doctor.

“You mean finding a Cypress Mosaic?”

A dry, raspy voice, sounding as if it had been scratched, flowed out.

“That as well, but you also experienced your first rut.”

“……”

“Is there any clearer evidence to prove a person is an Alpha than having gone through a rut?”

An Alpha who processed an Omega’s pheromones as a foul stench.

A half-baked Alpha who never experienced a rut.

Since the onset of PDD, Lorenz had suffered from that complex. The doctor had spoken because he was well aware of Lorenz’s deficiency.

Congratulations…

However, Lorenz couldn’t tell if those words suited the situation.

He simply momentarily recalled Elian’s face, shedding tears beneath him.

Unable to give any answer to the congratulations, Lorenz simply nodded. Then he stood up. The doctor followed, observing his complexion.

“Are you returning to Mr. Bellotti’s room?”

“I should.”

“You should get some rest as well, Mr. Lorenz.”

“I am fine.”

Knowing Lorenz’s temperament, which particularly detested repeating the same words twice, the doctor gave up and sighed.

It was just as Lorenz reached for the door handle of the office.

“Mr. Lorenz.”

The doctor’s voice called out to him.

It was a voice laced with concern and a hint of anxiety.

“What do you intend to do from now on?”

Lorenz looked back.

“From now on?”

“You’ve found your Cypress Mosaic. I was wondering what your plan is.”

“I must keep him by my side.”

It was a simple answer. It also contained a slight irritation toward the person asking something so obvious. Lorenz added in a calm voice:

“I will keep him by my side, by whatever means necessary.”