By Zephyria 
The reason his son had come to him was clear. Ashley replied in a slow drawl.
“Get a girlfriend, or find a partner at a club or something.”
“Again?”
Seeing the blatant look of annoyance on his son’s face, Ashley added indifferently.
“Going to a Pheromone party is the easiest way.”
“Then I will do that.”
Nathaniel reached a conclusion without a hint of hesitation. Ashley, who had been staring at him with narrowed eyes, reached out and picked up his phone. After waiting a moment, he spoke and gave an instruction.
“Bernice, check when and where the next Pheromone party is being held. And tell them to put Nathaniel on the list. Yes, for the earliest possible date.”
After hanging up, Ashley spoke in the same flat tone.
“Bernice will contact you.”
“Thank you.”
With those words, Nathaniel attempted to leave the office. However, Ashley still had a lingering question.
“Why did you bother coming all the way here?”
At his father’s question, the son stopped in his tracks and looked back. Staring into deep purple eyes just like his own, he answered.
“Because when you return home, you’ll want to be alone with Daddy, and he wouldn’t like it if I took up your time.”
Ashley gave no reaction. Turning away from his still expressionless father, the son strode out of the office. Once the door closed and Ashley was left alone, he could finally smell a faint scent of Pheromones. He clicked his tongue shortly, as if baffled by the scent his son had left behind—a scent that was not his own.
Koi, our attempt at raising children has completely failed.
Thinking this, he picked up his phone again. As the secretary’s voice answered immediately, Ashley gave an order.
“Look into boarding schools. Yes, a school suitable for Nathaniel.”
“Understood. Should I look for one close to your residence?”
“No.”
Ashley immediately denied the secretary’s suggestion.
“He won’t want to come anyway, so the distance doesn’t matter.”
Ashley returned home an hour earlier than the previous day. Passing through the entrance and walking up the stairs, he headed straight for the youngest’s room.
As expected, Koi was there. Ashley stood in the open doorway, gazing down at him as he sat on the carpet playing with the child. Seeing his face, smiling continuously and showering the baby with hugs and kisses, instantly dissolved the fatigue that had accumulated throughout the day.
Koi was the first to notice Ashley. Feeling a gaze upon him, he turned his head and stood up in surprise.
“Ash! When did you get here?”
Facing the welcoming Koi, Ashley finally smiled and opened his arms. As Koi jumped into his embrace as if he had been waiting, Ashley held him tight and inhaled his scent without hesitation. Thanks to being quite well-trained now, Koi only released his Pheromone scent when he was with Ashley. When others were around, he was capable of emitting it so weakly that one would have to rub their nose against his skin this closely to notice it. Of course, this too was a privilege granted only to Ashley. After all, there was no suicide-seeker in the world who would dare bury their nose in Koi’s body and inhale his scent while Ashley was present.
However, since the child was born, Koi often made mistakes. Just like right now.
“Koi, dial back the scent.”
“Ah, sorry.”
At the gentle correction, Koi apologized in a start. He had let his guard down because only the baby, Bliss, was around them, but whenever the scent became noticeably strong like this, Ashley would warn him.
“Even if it’s in front of the child, wouldn’t it be better to reduce the Pheromones? If you don’t make it a habit, you might not be able to control it outside.”
Since Koi could not smell it himself, such a thing was entirely possible. Because he couldn’t control it unless Ashley told him, Koi agreed with the statement.
If the amount of Pheromones increases, it could be troublesome…
Having seen with his own eyes two huge men faint because of Angel’s Pheromones, Koi had no choice but to be careful. Considering that Ashley had suffered shock and memory loss because of that incident, he had to be especially cautious. Above all, Ashley’s brain was extremely sensitive to Pheromones.
However, Ashley’s intention was entirely different. Unfortunately, all three children shared the same trait as himself. There was no telling how these little devils would transform if they smelled Koi’s Pheromones. They were still young, so they wouldn’t be affected immediately, but no one could guarantee when a problem might arise. Since Koi firmly believed his children would never be like that, it was for everyone’s sake that Ashley remained cautious in advance.
He, too, did not want his children to be broken to that extent.
Meanwhile, Koi felt a sense of guilt as he recalled the events of the day. Should I tell Ash? The thought crossed his mind, but he soon dismissed it. He could just make sure it didn’t happen again. Besides, the twins were children not yet ten years old.
“Are you okay now?”
When he asked cautiously, Ashley took a deep breath and answered satisfactorily while burying his nose in Koi’s neck.
“Perfect.”
“I’m glad.”
As Koi sighed in relief, Ashley lifted his head and spoke seriously.
“Keep this in mind, Koi. You must not release your Pheromone scent unless you are with me.”
“Yeah, when other people are around, I’ll keep it weak so only you can smell it,” Koi added.
Ashley smiled as if satisfied and kissed Koi’s neck softly.
“That’s right, Koi. What a good boy.”
Koi flinched reflexively at the sensation of teeth lightly grazing his skin. His skin quickly heated up and his face flushed. When he looked up with inadvertently feverish eyes, Ashley took Koi’s hand and pressed his lips to the palm.
“Shall we wash together, Koi?”
His face turned bright red at the secret temptation. As Ashley began to carry Koi toward the room as if it were the most natural thing in the world, Koi spoke hurriedly, as if remembering something late.
“Ah, wait. Bliss is…”
The child was still sitting on the floor. Ashley glanced at Bliss, who continued stacking blocks as if he had already lost interest in them, and then turned his attention back to Koi.
“I have to wash before I touch the child. He’ll play well on his own in the meantime.”
Furthermore, there were numerous employees in the mansion. As if hearing Ashley’s words, a maid appeared just in time and entered Bliss’s room; only then did Koi feel relieved and lean his head on Ashley’s shoulder.
After finishing the shower and dinner, Ashley watched the children while Koi washed. This was the time when Ashley had the children all to himself. In other words, it was the only time he could separate Koi from the children. After confirming that the twins were getting ready for bed, he headed to Nathaniel’s room.
After a short knock, he opened the door, and Nathaniel, who had been sitting at his desk doing assignments, looked up. Ashley intentionally closed the door behind him and stood there before speaking.
“I heard the party is this weekend. You were contacted by Bernice, right?”
“Yes.”
Nathaniel turned toward Ashley while remaining seated and answered.
“I was. I’ve adjusted my schedule.”
It wouldn’t have mattered if he just turned around and left, but Ashley decided to play it safe in case word reached Koi.
“Is there anything else you need? Since it’s your first party, if you want me to go with you…”
“I’m fine.”
Nathaniel rejected his offer without hesitation.
“I’ve received sufficient sex education. It shouldn’t be that difficult.”
More accurately, you learned about contraception, Ashley thought, but he didn’t bother to point it out. It wasn’t a wrong statement. And if the purpose was simply to discharge Pheromones, that alone was sufficient. Nathaniel added in an extremely business-like tone.
“I can manage fine on my own, so don’t worry about it. You don’t need to feel responsible.”
His attitude was firm, as if he already knew Ashley was reluctant. Since that was the truth, Ashley didn’t bother to deny it. However, it was surprising that he had no aversion to sex at all. Especially since he had never done it before and would have to engage in a relationship with a complete stranger.
He’ll gain experience if he does it a few times.