By Zephyria 
Nathaniel didn’t answer and simply tried to turn away. Seeing this, the host hurriedly blocked his path and rushed to continue speaking.
“What are you doing right now? Are you really leaving? What about your pheromones? You haven’t even been coming to the parties lately. Miller, Miller!”
The host, who quickly grabbed Nathaniel as he tried to leave without a word, asked with an awkward smile.
“What don’t you like? Tell me, I’ll do my best to accommodate you. Ah, that’s right. A pretty decent Omega just came in. They’re still new, so you can be the first to taste them. How about it? I was saving them… Hey, Miller! Miller!”
He blocked Nathaniel again as he tried to step aside and leave. At the sight of Nathaniel’s brow furrowing in irritation, the host flinched, then placed a hand on his forehead and let out a deep sigh.
“Just tell me why you’re acting like this. That way I can prepare something for next time, or do something. What on earth is the problem!”
Nathaniel looked down at the man, whose voice was growing louder in frustration, with a still-scowling face. He seemed to take a short breath, then deepened the crease between his brows and opened his mouth.
“…The smell.”
“What?”
The host frowned and asked again at the voice, which was lower than usual. With an irritated expression, Nathaniel carelessly swept back his neatly groomed hair and spat out.
“The smell is disgusting, damn it! Do you not understand what I’m saying? The smell coming from you, the smell of the Omegas—it’s all nauseating, so get out of my way.”
This time, the man could only blink, unable to even ask back. What on earth did this mean—that Omega pheromones were disgusting? To an Alpha, an Omega’s pheromones were no different from a heat-inducing drug. Because of this, it was only natural that the parties primarily selected Omegas with particularly strong pheromone scents, which is why the scent of Omegas always permeated the air. Nathaniel himself had come to the parties and released his pheromones without any complaints, so what kind of nonsense was he talking about now?
But this was no time to dwell on his thoughts. Nathaniel had already pushed him aside and strode far away. Coming to his senses late, the host hurriedly chased after him and spoke.
“Miller, wait! Just wait a second, have you stopped liking Omegas? Or is there something wrong with the pheromones… Ah, fine. Forget that, then do you want an injection? Should I call someone? Anyway, you came here to release your pheromones. As long as the result is good, isn’t that all that matters? Right?”
He smiled as if he had offered the best possible solution, but Nathaniel’s only response was a short click of his tongue in disbelief. Using an injection to remove pheromones was a last resort and unnecessary for most. Who would want to get such a thing when the side effect could be the arm rotting and needing to be amputated? It was much easier and simpler to just put it in and ejaculate. That was the kind of thing his idiot brother would do.
“Forget it, I’ll do it next time.”
“Miller, what on earth does that…”
The host eventually chased him all the way to the entrance, but Nathaniel didn’t even look at him and walked straight down the stairs. The bodyguards waiting outside were surprised to see their employer and hurriedly approached from all directions, contacting one another.
“Are you leaving already?”
The security team leader approached and asked with a surprised expression. Usually, when he came to a pheromone party, he stayed for three or four hours, but this time it hadn’t even been ten minutes. At his action of nodding dismissively and putting a cigarette in his mouth, the watching host also gnashed his teeth with a fed-up expression.
“Fine, do whatever you want. I don’t care if you go crazy and die!”
He had done enough. With a curse, the man turned around and walked quickly back into the mansion, leaving only Nathaniel and his bodyguards. Ignoring their instructions to bring the car around immediately, Nathaniel slowly inhaled the cigarette smoke while leaning on his cane with one hand. He had only been inside for a short while, but the scent of pheromones had already clung to his entire body. He felt a surge of irritation at the faint scent of Omega lingering on him, but instead of gagging, he inhaled the acrid smoke to mask the scent.
It’s fine if I don’t rush to release them.
A short while later, after getting into the prepared car, Nathaniel thought while looking out the window. If it were truly urgent, he would have reacted to the Omega pheromones. That was an instinct of the trait that could not be controlled by one’s own will.
But right now, far from reacting to an Omega, he found it repulsive. That meant his pheromone levels were likely not yet at a dangerous level. If that were the case, there was no need to endure such unpleasantness to do that act. Having reached that conclusion, Nathaniel sank deep into his seat and closed his eyes.
Yes, I can do it at the next party.
Pheromone parties were held frequently. There was nothing to worry about. Not at all, absolutely not. There was no rush.
His levels weren’t dangerous yet. He could release the pheromones next time. Since he had just left the party, this would likely reach Ashley Miller’s ears soon, but it didn’t matter. He could just manage it before it became a nuisance.
He felt a subtle sense of fatigue. He had recently learned that this sensation was called ‘fatigue.’ He thought it was probably a side effect of not releasing his pheromones on time, but since it didn’t interfere with his daily life, it was fine. He would feel better soon after returning home and resting for a bit.
…Home.
Suddenly, the crease in his brow vanished, and instead, the corners of his mouth curled up slightly. He probably couldn’t expect any ‘events’ today. Since the ankle had become like that.
The fact that Chrissy’s body, which perfectly suited his tastes, had become like that was somewhat regrettable, but thanks to that, Chrissy couldn’t go anywhere, so the result wasn’t bad. Imagining Chrissy waiting for Nathaniel in bed, fuming quietly, made his expression soften.
Not bad.
Nathaniel continued his thoughts. Since he probably couldn’t have a proper meal, should he order something for him?
If it was a simple dish, he could make it himself. Or he could contact the desk and tell them to make something. Either way was fine. He should check the state of Chrissy’s ankle while having a late dinner. He wouldn’t be able to move for at least three or four days, so there was plenty of time.
…That should be the case.
However, upon arriving home, Nathaniel noticed something was wrong. The house was empty.
Chrissy was nowhere to be seen.
4 |
…What?
Nathaniel entered the house through the entrance as usual. Since a previous experience, he had developed a habit of looking up, and this time as well, he first looked up and, after confirming no one was there, gave a short chuckle and headed straight for the second floor. Thinking of ‘him’ who must have been lying in bed all day waiting only for him, Nathaniel opened the bedroom door, but paused as he tried to enter. The bed was empty.
After standing still for a moment staring at the bed, his gaze shifted to the side. Nathaniel then went to the connected bathroom and opened the door, but the result was the same. The bathroom, the dressing room—the result was the same everywhere. With his brow furrowed, he left the bedroom with steps slower than usual and stood in the hallway.
The house was excessively quiet. It was a familiar silence, but strangely, it felt unfamiliar.
Strange.
Nathaniel thought so as he continued to walk. He searched the entire second floor, but Chrissy was nowhere to be found. He eventually came down to the first floor. His steps, which had been slow as he leaned on his cane, gradually quickened to the point where his body swayed, but he continued to walk regardless.
“Prosecutor.”
As he called out loud, Nathaniel’s voice echoed far into the quiet interior. As expected, there was no answer. After opening and closing the door to the game room, he irritably swept back his hair and bit his lower lip.
“Chrissy Jin, stop hiding and come out now.”
Surely he hadn’t run away. Chrissy still had things he wanted from Nathaniel. To just give up and run away after having that pretty ankle made into such a state? That was nonsense.
“Chrissy, I said come out. I’m tired right now; I’m in no mood to play hide-and-seek with you.”
His voice rang out sharply. Pressuring someone with such a harsh tone was absolutely not his style. Until now, Nathaniel Miller had been overflowing with composure and had never once become anxious, so he had never spat out harsh words or had his voice break violently. He might have been bewildered by this first-time experience, but the bigger problem was the fact that such a thing was currently no issue for Nathaniel. There was only one problem now.
Where had Chrissy Jin disappeared to?