By Zephyria 
“Um, how high-ranking is a duke? They don’t actually have much real power, right? In England, the king is just a symbolic figure.”
To the cautious question, Ashley answered nonchalantly.
“Think of them as relatives of the royal family. They don’t directly engage in politics, but the Strickland family holds considerable influence both within the UK and internationally, so it’s advantageous to build a connection with them.”
He then added languidly.
“Seeing as they’re bringing their son along, it seems they also intend to build some level of relationship with us.”
“I see, I understand.”
Koi nodded and then looked up at him as if something had just occurred to him.
“How old is their son?”
Wondering if perhaps one of his own children was around the same age, he asked. Ashley narrowed his eyes slightly as if searching his memory for a moment before speaking.
“He’s around Nathaniel’s age. I heard he just started university this time.”
Having said that, he casually changed the subject.
“I’ve organized the necessary documents, so go change your clothes first. It won’t be too late to read them after you’re ready.”
“Ah, okay. Got it.”
Koi nodded hurriedly and was about to head into the bathroom connected to the bedroom when he stopped and turned back to look at him.
“Hey, can you just tell me first what their traits are?”
Koi cannot smell. Therefore, he cannot sense the pheromones of others, nor even his own scent. Because of this, he was always worried that he might accidentally release his scent and be rude. As if understanding his feelings, Ashley answered nonchalantly.
“Beta.”
Then he added, as if to reassure him.
“The duke and duchess, and their son, all of them. So you don’t have to worry about pheromones. And….”
At his trailing, strangely fading words, Koi looked up. As if waiting for it, Ashley kissed him. When Koi’s eyes widened at the light touch of his lips, Ashley smiled as if he found the sight amusing.
“If your scent starts to flow or anything, I’ll let you know right away, so don’t worry.”
That was such an obvious thing to say. The mere thought of anyone other than himself smelling Koi’s pheromone scent made Ashley feel like his blood was boiling. Whether he knew his thoughts or not, Koi blushed as if embarrassed and nodded, saying, “Okay.”
“I’ll be right out.”
As Koi waved with a smile and quickly went into the bathroom, Ashley, left alone, headed for the dressing room. While leisurely choosing clothes for Koi to wear, his mind, on the contrary, became filled with images of taking them off.
The car that had left the road continued driving for a long while. Just as the continuous forest scenery on both sides of the road was becoming tedious, the duke, who had been silent until then, spoke.
“It’s quite far.”
It was a short remark, but it was enough to convey his mood. As if to soothe her husband who seemed to be getting a bit weary, the duchess sitting beside him spoke up.
“Mr. Miller has six children, right? How blessed and lovely.”
“Yes, and all the children are trait bearers as well.”
The duke nodded readily and continued.
“For a trait to be passed down from the previous generation to the present, that alone is quite special, wouldn’t you say?”
Alphas or Omegas constitute a minority of the total population. Among them, Dominant Alphas and Dominant Omegas were even rarer. Unlike Dominant Alphas, whose physical characteristics are distinct and recognizable at a glance, Dominant Omegas can conceal their pheromones even without suppressants and test as Beta in trait examinations, making them extremely difficult to discover. A Dominant Omega, said to be seen perhaps once in a lifetime if one is incredibly lucky, was at the place they were heading to now.
Conor Niles.
He was that rare Dominant Omega, who had borne six children with Ashley Miller, a Dominant Alpha. Thanks to this, each of their children inherited his special trait.
“Since they share the same trait, there must be many good points. I heard the eldest is a genius, especially.”
“Could just be clever.”
The duke spoke with distance. He thought it was still too early to judge. Cunning and intelligence are often confused.
“Well, that’s true. There’s not much to say about the youngest’s trait yet. He’s probably too young for manifestation, right?”
To the duchess’s words, the duke answered nonchalantly.
“I heard some of the children in that family were trait bearers from birth, but I understand that child hasn’t manifested yet. Let’s go and see for ourselves.”
“I heard he’s a very cute child.”
As if suddenly remembering, the duchess added. The duke looked at her. The duchess continued speaking.
“All of the Millers are Dominant Alphas, right? Naturally, they all have good looks. But I’ve heard the youngest is not only still young and pre-manifestation, but also exceptionally cute. We’ll get to see him today, right? I’m really looking forward to it.”
“Hmm….”
The duke let out a peculiar sigh and stroked his beard. The only child between them was Cassian, sitting in the seat opposite the couple. The duchess had wanted a daughter, but due to poor health, they could not have more children. Therefore, she often showed unconditional fondness for households with children. In that sense, today’s visit must have excited her greatly.
“I’m also looking forward to it. To be described as that cute.”
Seeing his wife like that, the duke gently responded. The duchess nodded, saying “Yes,” and then, as if suddenly remembering something, turned to her son and asked.
“Cassian, you went to that party yesterday too, right? Did you happen to see anything?”
The bespectacled man, who had been silent without a word until then, slowly opened his mouth.
“No, not at all.”
He smiled at his mother and said.
“I didn’t see anything.”
\ \ *
“Sniff.”
Meanwhile, Bliss, left alone, sniffled audibly and then took a deep breath. If he kept crying, his eyes would just get more swollen.
“Huuup.”
After taking another big gulp of air, he suddenly noticed the small wrapper lying on the sheet. It was from the caramel he had just eaten.
He wanted more.
But that was out of the question. Koi was always affectionate, but when he said ‘no,’ he never relented. Moreover, because his baby teeth were loose and wobbly lately, snacks were being even more strictly limited.
“Mean.”
Bliss pouted and grumbled. Just as he was fiddling with the wrapper, feeling regretful, a sound suddenly came from outside.
What’s that?
Bliss immediately jumped off the bed and ran to the window. Standing on a chair and looking down, he saw the servants all gathered in front of the mansion. Tilting his head in puzzlement, he then saw several cars driving across the garden.
Huh?
Startled, Bliss pressed himself against the window, straining to see below. The cars driving in a line looked far from ordinary even to a child not yet ten years old.
Are those the guests?
Normally, he would have joined in the greetings, but today was different. Daddy had said it was because of his eyes, but maybe it was also because a mere six-year-old child had no place there. It didn’t matter. They’d probably just talk a bunch of boring, uninteresting stuff anyway. The important thing was that now, including Papa and Daddy, the adults in the house had absolutely no time to spare for Bliss.
“Tch.”
Bliss, who had pouted his lips slightly, was about to get down from the chair when he stopped. Oh, wait a minute. In that case…
A brilliant idea suddenly popped into his head. Surely, the kitchen must be empty right now. Papa and Daddy would be busy welcoming the guests, and the servants would be too. Wasn’t this the perfect timing to turn the fantasy he’d always had into reality?
After a brief moment of hesitation, he steeled his resolve.
Action, immediately!
No sooner had the thought crossed his mind than Bliss jumped down from the chair and immediately dashed across the room. Even if he got his bottom smacked by Daddy later, that was a problem for future Bliss. Right now, making his present self happy was the priority.
Off to the sweet caramel…!
Or so he intended, but even with his resolve firm, he had to take a deep breath after grabbing the doorknob. Hoo, after exhaling a short breath, Bliss opened the door and peeked just his face out, carefully scanning the long corridor left and right.