By Zephyria 
Having thought this far, Ariel nonchalantly changed the subject and offered a farewell.
“Alright then, Koi, let’s talk again next time. Even after I go to the West, we can call anytime, so just reach out whenever.”
“Yeah, got it.”
Only after exchanging a few more words, with a lingering sense of regret, did they finally hang up. Koi, who had looked down at his phone for a moment, suddenly thought of Bill’s face. Ever since Bill and Ariel officially decided to date, Bill had always come to the East during the off-season. Thanks to that, Koi had seen his face a few times, but with other friends, exchanging occasional news after the wedding was all they did.
Should we suggest going on vacation too?
His eyes sparkled for a moment at the sudden thought, but it was truly just a moment. Koi soon gave up, thinking, That won’t work. He couldn’t say such a thing to Ashley, who was busy with law firm work all year round. Besides, the kids were still too young. He quickly dismissed the thought and left the room.
To see the little Ashleys waiting for him.
Where are the kids?
As he walked around looking, Koi was reminded once again of the only downside of this magnificent mansion. It was simply too big. It was fine when the kids were running around playing, but when you tried to find them like this, you had no idea where they were. And if they decided to play hide-and-seek, it was literally the worst. Koi had never once managed to find them. The kids seemed to find that aspect fun, but wandering around the house looking for their hiding spots often left him exhausted and ready to collapse.
At least before the kids could walk properly, he spent a lot of time holding them. But once they grew a bit, they would frequently disappear, making it hard to see their faces every day. Moreover, Grayson and Stacy, perhaps because they were twins, especially got along well and stuck together. They were probably playing somewhere again right now…
Just as he thought that.
“Daddy!”
“Daddyyy!”
The kids, who must have been hiding somewhere, suddenly appeared and clung to Koi’s legs. Startled, Koi looked down and then broke into a smile.
“Grayson, Stacy.”
Bending his knees, he picked up one child in each arm, planting kisses on their cheeks alternately.
“Where were you? Were you playing hide-and-seek?”
Instead of answering, Grayson hugged Koi’s neck. It was Stacy who spoke.
“We were waiting to play with Daddy.”
“Oh my, why didn’t you come to the room?”
When Koi asked in surprise, Stacy and Grayson looked at each other.
Koi soon understood the meaning of that gaze. He had heard that Alphas find each other’s pheromones unpleasant. In severe cases, it could even cause disgust and induce vomiting. Both children shared the same traits as Ashley, so they probably didn’t like the scent of his pheromones.
So, Ashley must have sprayed pheromones in the dressing room.
If the kids were this repulsed, he must have left behind a fairly strong scent. It wasn’t yet the time for their traits to fully manifest, so it just seemed to make them somewhat uncomfortable…
Once they grew older, they might have to worry about that problem. Since these children’s traits were determined from birth, their aversion might be even stronger.
After pondering for a moment, Koi pretended nothing was wrong, smiled, and looked at the children alternately.
“Right, then. What should we play now?”
Nathaniel should have been at school, and Grayson and Stacy had just returned. The younger siblings below them were likely napping, so Koi could devote his full time to these two. At Koi’s question, the children answered as if they had been waiting.
“I wanna smell Daddy!”
“Daddy smells good!”
“Uh…”
They were talking about the pheromone scent. Whether it was from a careless slip or something else, he didn’t know, but for some time now, the kids would often cling to Koi to smell his scent. Seeing them sniffing around for it now, it seemed he had hidden it well, but as expected, the two were full of dissatisfaction.
“Grayson, Stacy. You shouldn’t keep smelling Daddy’s pheromones.”
“Why?” “
Why not?”
“Because…”
Because I promised to pour out my pheromones only for Ash.
Koi ignored the answer that immediately came to mind and said something else.
“It’s impolite to smell someone else’s pheromones like this. Even if it’s Daddy, you shouldn’t, okay?”
When he gently admonished them, the twins looked at each other without a word. Tilting their heads as if feeling something strange, Stacy slowly mumbled.
“But… there’s been a scary smell since earlier. They say smelling Daddy’s scent makes you feel better.”
Are they talking about Ashley’s pheromones?
The only pheromone scents one could smell in the mansion were Koi’s and Ashley’s. All the employees were either Betas or Gammas, so they couldn’t emit pheromones. Clearly, the lingering traces of Ashley’s pheromones were the cause. As Koi stood bewildered, Grayson leaned his head against Koi’s chest and spoke in a dejected voice.
“We won’t do it again in the future, but can we just smell it today? We’re so scared…”
Unable to hold out any longer against the child’s pitiful voice, Koi opened his mouth, closed it again, let out a short sigh, and finally spoke.
“Then… next time, really, you mustn’t, okay?”
“Yeah!”
“Yeah, okay! We won’t do it again!”
The twins eagerly nodded their heads in quick succession. Feeling an uncontrollable smile rise at the children’s adorableness, Koi tightly hugged their small bodies. Although they couldn’t smell his scent, seeing them take deep, audible breaths, he knew they were doing it properly.
“It’s a secret from Papa.”
“Yeah, secret.”
“I won’t tell, ever.”
The twins, having made their earnest promise, buried their noses in Koi’s shoulders and chest and took several deep breaths. Only then, seeming satisfied, they relaxed their bodies. As Koi watched them, Stacy, who had just exhaled deeply, asked.
“But Daddy, can you really not smell it?”
It seemed strange to them that while they were suffering from Ashley’s pheromone scent, Koi didn’t even know if that scent was present or not. Feeling somewhat embarrassed, Koi nodded.
“Yeah.”
“You can’t taste it either?”
Grayson chimed in from the side. Koi answered again, “Yeah.”
“It’s not that I can’t feel it at all… I can sense it a little.”
Especially the sweetness, he could feel it faintly. That’s why Ashley always gave instructions to prepare carefully crafted desserts for him.
“I see. Daddy can only taste sweetness.”
“I seeee.”
Grayson and Stacy took turns speaking. Seeing smiles appear on the children’s lips, Koi smiled back without much thought. The twins, as if nothing had happened, buried their noses in Koi’s body again and took deep breaths. For a while, they spent time like that, sitting on the hallway floor.
“Nathaniel came looking for me?”
When he heard the secretary’s report, Ashley frowned and asked again. A visitor other than Koi was utterly unwelcome, but as this was a first, he couldn’t help but pause. The children almost never asked Ashley or Koi for anything. Most things were given before they could even ask, and they had an abundance of things they didn’t even need. But the fact that he came here meant he clearly had some important business.
Koi would worry if he knew.
Sighing, Ashley rubbed his forehead and spoke in an irritated voice.
“Let him in.”
“Understood.”
After the secretary went out, Nathaniel entered. The eldest son, now in 6th grade, had already shot up in height, reaching 180 centimeters. He would probably grow as tall as Ashley, maybe even taller. In the midst of a growth spurt, the slender boy resembled Ashley frighteningly well.
It wasn’t just Nathaniel’s issue. Unfortunately, Ashley’s children, as if formed solely from his genes, all resembled him. The only consolation was the last-born child. Because of this, he couldn’t help but maintain a certain distance from his children. Even that—if it weren’t for Koi, he wouldn’t have tried to form any bond with them at all.
But Koi wasn’t here now. Nathaniel must know that too, so why did he specifically come to the office separately?
“Thank you for making time.”
Standing across the desk, Nathaniel spoke with an expressionless face. With a businesslike attitude, as if speaking to a principal in their office, he continued.
“I won’t take long since you must be busy. Once secondary sexual characteristics appear, that’s when you can suppress pheromones, right? How do you do it?”