Even with his permission, sleep only drifted farther away. If the ceremony had ended, I ought to have contacted my family. This wasn’t the time to be lying idly in bed after suddenly disappearing.

Sensing my thoughts, Kwon Yido quietly added,

“I’ve already informed your family.”

I turned my eyes to him. His dark gaze was fixed on me without the slightest wavering.

I wondered what exactly he’d told them. Had he explained the incident with Kwon Ijeong in detail, or had he simply said I’d gone home early? Neither sounded like him. Most likely, he’d just told them not to meddle.

I braced one hand on the bed and pushed myself up. My jacket and vest had been removed; I wore only my shirt, with my tie hanging loose. No one else could have undressed me—he must have done it.

“...Thank you for taking care of that.”

I felt dull from sheer exhaustion. Either way, it didn’t matter; I was simply relieved it was over. One blink, and the bothersome business was behind me—not a bad outcome at all.

“Thanks to you, I’ve avoided a mess.”

At that, Yido fell silent. His expression stayed neutral, but his eyes were clouded with something complicated. After parting his lips once or twice without speaking, he finally asked an oddly tentative question.

“...Are you hurt anywhere?”

Considering I’d collapsed in front of him, it wasn’t strange for him to ask. The strange part was the unusually worried look on his face.

“No. I’m fine.”

“No nausea, nothing like that?”

“Yes, perfectly fine.”

I lifted my shoulders in a light shrug to reassure him. In fact, after sleeping so well, I felt better than I had all day. Still, he kept studying my face as if he had something more to say.

“...”

“...”

Silence drifted between us. While I idly toyed with my tie, he said nothing—like someone waiting to hear something, not to say it.

I knew what question should come next. He should be asking what happened with Kwon Ijeong. After all, things had transpired before I’d lost consciousness; my reactions were bound to be limited.

“...Thank you for helping me.”

But there was no need to bring it up. Kwon Ijeong was the second son of Seonho Group; if the matter got out of hand, I’d be the one at a disadvantage. There was no benefit in revisiting an incident that had ended in an “attempt.”

“Did Mr. Lee Taeseong contact you?”

His silence was answer enough. He’d likely been tipped off by Taeseong, who had followed us. If a mere bodyguard had stepped in himself, it would have escalated—so it was a wise move.

“You should give him a bonus.”

“...Is that all you have to say to me?” 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

I glanced aside, buying a moment to collect my thoughts. We were going to leave it as though nothing had happened anyway; I wasn’t sure what else I could say. Unless... maybe this was what he wanted to hear.

“I didn’t follow him into the restroom on purpose.”

The steady flow of pheromones from him cut off abruptly. I couldn’t see his expression, but clearly he’d thought something at my words. Looking down at the wine-stained shirt, I kept my tone even.

“Director Kwon spilled wine on me. I didn’t want to cause a scene, so I...”

“...”

“I have no excuse. I didn’t expect anything so unpleasant to happen.”

It would be a lie to say I hadn’t suspected anything at all, but there was no need to explain in detail. I’d simply been overconfident—assuming that as two men, it would be easy enough to resist. And since he hadn’t actually used force, I had to wonder if it truly counted as unavoidable.

“If this caused you trouble because of me—”

“Let’s stop there.”

His cool voice cut me off just as I was about to apologize or offer to take responsibility. Loosening his tie with one hand, he let out a short sigh.

“One more word and I might take it out on the wrong person.”

It didn’t sound like an empty threat; his expression was genuinely angry. Not the loss of control he’d shown with Ijeong, but a restrained fury that rippled in his eyes—calm, but all the more overwhelming for it.

“I should’ve killed him right there.”

“...”

I flinched. His low voice didn’t sound like a joke.

“...He’s your older brother, isn’t he?”

“Older brother?”

His lips curved faintly, an expression somewhere between a smile and a sneer.

“That thing?”

“...”

“I don’t think I’ve called Kwon Ijeong ‘hyung’ since I was five.”

That surprised me. The Seonho family’s close ties were well known in the media. Even at the engagement dinner, the atmosphere hadn’t seemed particularly bad.

“So... you’re not close.”

I thought back to how freely he’d punched Ijeong. With a dominant alpha’s strength, it wouldn’t be strange if he’d knocked out a few teeth. Maybe he’d taken my side so readily because they weren’t close.

“...I think you misunderstand.”

But he spoke as though I were wrong, his sharp gaze seeming to read me through.

“Even if we were close, I’d have done the same.”

He didn’t look like he was bluffing. While I searched for a reply, he reached slowly toward my face.

“Let me ask again. Are you hurt anywhere?”

Long fingers brushed along my jaw, gently tilting my chin and stroking just behind my ear. It didn’t feel like a question limited to my physical state.

“You seemed to be having a nightmare...”

As I thought, he continued softly. Seeing that concerned look, I remembered the voice I’d heard throughout my dream—the one that had soothed me, told me nothing had happened, stroked my hair again and again. If it had been real, then it really had been him.

“If you think it might leave you with trauma, tell me.”

He nodded slightly, as if to say he’d call a doctor if needed. So that was why he’d asked if I felt unwell—not about my body, but my mind.

“...No, that won’t be necessary.”

It was a thoughtful offer, but the nightmares were nothing new. Long before our engagement, I’d often dreamed of being raped by strangers—memories so vivid they felt more like experiences.

“Nothing happened, anyway...”

“...”

“And even if something had, it’s not like my body would be any worse for wear.”

Whether it was my father’s slap or being raped by Kwon Ijeong, both were violence. Time would heal them. Maybe the degree of humiliation differed, but it wouldn’t be the deep trauma he feared.

“I appreciate your concern, but I’m really fine.”

He didn’t reply right away. His lashes lowered, still and ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) composed, before he finally raised his eyes to ask in a flat tone,

“Are you not even angry?”

It wasn’t an accusation, more like genuine curiosity—like asking whether I’d eaten lunch.

“...I don’t know.”

It struck me how pure it seemed, not realizing how much power there was in being honest with your own feelings.

“Getting angry is a kind of right, you know.”

“...”

“If nothing’s going to change, what’s the point of wasting the energy?”

It wasn’t just about this incident. Anger took stamina. If you raged at every injustice, you’d burn out faster than anyone. It wasn’t goodness—it was weariness. Not an absence of anger, but resignation.

That was why Minjae lived so recklessly, chasing whatever he wanted. With no responsibilities and no expectations to meet, there was no need to restrain himself—yet he clammed up completely in front of Yido.

“I told you before. Just take the rights you want.”

His tone didn’t change. He seemed to have accepted my words, but there was still something he couldn’t quite understand.

“If you’d just say the word, I’d take care of it. Do you really not want anything?”

“...”

It was a dangerously sweet offer—just like when he’d said I didn’t have to attend the ceremony.

“...You came to help me, even when you were busy.”

But the anger he’d shown Ijeong was enough. I didn’t expect more drastic measures, and I didn’t need them. He’d done the minimum as my fiancé; asking for more would be greedy.

“You even brought me here yourself...”

“...”

“That’s enough. That’s all I need from you.”

Nothing was more pointless than expecting things from people. No matter how tempting his words, I had to keep my own value in mind.

“All I want is to stop talking about this... Will you at least grant me that?”

I smiled faintly, and he let out a quiet sigh, heavy with meaning. Then, as if agreeing, he shifted the topic.

“If you’re not going back to sleep, at least eat something. You’ve probably gone all day without. I’ll have something light sent up.”

He rose from the bed, likely to call for room service, and without thinking, I caught his arm. He froze, turning back slowly.

“...I do have one question.”

I had nothing in particular to say, but there were countless things I could ask him. What slipped out was something more like a childish whim.

“Why are you so good to me?”

Honestly, I half-expected him to say, Because I like you. The fury he’d shown Ijeong, the concern in his eyes—they all pointed to one answer.

But instead, he gave me a strangely ambiguous reply.

“I need to win your favor.”

“...My favor?”

He sat back down, taking my left hand in his. His thumb traced the faint ring mark on my fourth finger before his fingers intertwined with mine. As a ticklish warmth bloomed in my chest, his elegant voice brushed my ear.

“So that even if I do something truly awful later... you’ll still take my side.”

Something awful. It was a phrase that didn’t seem to fit him—at least, not toward me.

“I don’t think you’re the type.”

“We’ll see...”

I teased, and he winked with a sly smile, repeating something I’d heard from him before.

“I have a policy of not letting anyone take what’s mine.”

I didn’t understand it, or how it connected to winning my favor. But I understood one thing clearly—what he wanted from me.

“Then let’s do this.”

“This?”

Our eyes met in the air. He stilled his fidgeting hand, watching me quietly. When I tightened my grip, his neat brows twitched faintly.

“You helped me today, so next time, no matter what happens, I’ll take your side.”

I smiled out of habit. It wasn’t a hard promise to keep; I was bound to him anyway.

“We’re engaged, after all, you and I.”

Even if it was contractual, I could afford that much shamelessness. He stared at me for a moment, then chuckled, his expression softening.

“Can you promise that?”

“Well... should we seal it with a pinky swear?”

I echoed something he’d once said, but he drew my left hand to his lips instead, pressing a kiss to the ring mark on my finger. The soft curve of his mouth lingered there.

“Let’s seal it like this.”

The gesture tickled. I wriggled my fingers instinctively, but he pinned our joined hands to the bed and touched my cheek with his free one.

“You’re not going back to sleep...”

“...”

“And you don’t seem hungry.”

His face drew closer, palm sliding to cradle the back of my head, his pinky grazing the nape of my neck. Tilting his head, he murmured from close range,

“Is there something else you’d like to do?”

The pheromones in the air were impossible to miss. I knew what he wanted, what he was asking, and what I was meant to answer.

“...”

I closed my eyes without a word. Whether it was his lingering touch or the rich weight of his pheromones, my body felt alight even without a heat cycle. I wanted to feel him closer, skin to skin.

Instead of asking again, he leaned in slowly. The light touch of his lips lingered without weight, sending a sharp jolt through me like static.

“Do you know... how good your pheromones are?”

“...”

“They’re... really something.”

I whispered against his lips, as he had to me, teasing the back of his hand with my fingers. Through half-lidded eyes, I saw his dark irises deepen with excitement.

When I blinked, he pressed his mouth to mine again. His breath, laced with pheromones, slipped between my lips, and as my throat moved, his soft tongue slid gently inside.

It was a quiet kiss. Even as arousal built, it stayed unhurried, like he was waiting for the right moment. The heavy scent of rain-soaked wood curled around my nose.

He pulled back just enough to brush his lips along my jaw, leaving behind the warmth of his skin. With his hand still cradling my head, he buried his nose against my neck, the bridge pressing into the steady beat there.

“You’re wearing the cologne I gave you.”

“Hh—”

The touch of his breath there was unbearably ticklish. My toes curled, my stomach heated. I couldn’t decide whether to push him away or let him do as he pleased.

“The scent lingers faintly, it seems.”

He even had the leisure to comment on it. Then he bit lightly at my neck, teeth scraping the skin before his tongue smoothed over it.

“Anyone who was near you today must’ve caught it too.”