Chapter 50
Vivian and Rita returned from the meeting just a little past lunchtime.
Rita looked utterly drained, as if her soul had been sucked out by the elders of the Black Dragon clan she’d met for the first time. Vivian didn’t seem much better off — convincing those elders must’ve taken every ounce of her effort.
Since there was no time to relax, the two quickly filled their stomachs with a simple meal before preparing to leave again.
“Jay.”
Vivian called out softly, her voice filled with worry, to Jayus, who had just mounted his horse.
He pulled back the hood that had covered him down to his eyebrows and looked down at her.
“I know you’re not a child anymore… but don’t cause any trouble, all right?”
“Yes.”
“And don’t forget — you must return within two weeks.”
“I understand. It’s colder than usual today, so please, go back inside.”
It was such a touching sight — enough to bring tears to anyone’s eyes.
Hale, watching the moving scene, stifled a small yawn as if he couldn’t care less.
‘Who was it that called me a doting fool again?’
When Vivian finished talking to her son, she turned toward Hale and Rita, who stood waiting nearby.
Because the clan elders had come with her to see Jayus off, she lowered her voice when she spoke.
Hale tilted his head slightly, signaling her to speak her mind.
“Please… take good care of my Jayus.”
Hale could understand her feelings all too well — he had a child of his own. If their positions were reversed, he would have said the same thing.
That was why he kept his tone steady, trying to ease her worry as much as possible.
“Your son’s strong enough.”
“I know, but still…”
“There won’t be any danger. I promise.”
“…Thank you, Hale.”
“If anything, I owe you more. I’m the one in your debt.”
Vivian’s eyes welled up as she stepped back.
Seeing her cry for the first time left Hale a little stunned.
‘I thought she was always so strong…’
But before he could dwell on that thought, Rita quietly called his name, urging him to get moving.
Hale gave a small shake of his head, as if to clear it, and pulled on the reins.
The white horse he rode galloped off, followed by two others, growing smaller and smaller in the distance until the Black Dragon estate faded behind them.
“Then, Jay… please come back safely.”
Vivian stood there until they were nothing but dots on the horizon.
“Ugh…!”
No matter how hard I tried to hold it in, a pained groan slipped through my lips. The blanket covering me was soaked with sweat, smeared with the marks of my trembling hands.
Yesterday, I’d managed to get by thanks to the pheromones Angela infused into me — but since dawn, the pain had begun to tear through my entire body.
“Young lady!”
Joshua was near tears as he paced helplessly beside me.
He looked frustrated, as though he hated the fact that there was nothing he could do to ease my suffering.
“Haa… An…gela…?”
“She went to make some fever medicine. She’ll be back soon!”
“Okay…”
I knew the medicine wouldn’t do much good. It was my body — I could tell.
Angela surely knew that too, but there was nothing else to try. Even a master healer had limits.
The medicine would bring my fever down a little, maybe, but it couldn’t quell the burning fire raging inside me.
I wanted to throw myself into ice-cold water — even though I already knew it wouldn’t help. The thought wouldn’t stop haunting me.
‘Someone… please, just cool my body down…!’
Realizing that there was no one who could help me brought tears to my eyes.
“Shushu… when’s… Dad coming?”
“The Master said he left around lunchtime, so he should be here soon!”
I turned my head weakly toward the clock. The hands had only just reached six in the evening.
The Black Dragon domain was more than half a day’s journey away — which meant Dad wouldn’t arrive until after midnight.
My head was spinning, my stomach churning, my body shaking. I felt like vomiting. How was I supposed to endure this until midnight? I almost wished I’d just pass out.
“You can’t sleep, young lady!”
Angela had told Joshua not to let me fall asleep before Hale arrived, so he kept waking me every time my eyelids drooped.
“Urgh!”
My heartbeat pounded violently in my ears — so fast it felt like it could burst at any moment.
“Please…”
“Senika!”
At that moment, I heard a familiar voice not far away. Maybe because I was so hypersensitive, I could clearly sense the new pheromones entering the mansion.
Bang!
The door slammed open, and three figures appeared — Hale, Rita, and… someone I never expected to see.
Among them, one stood out with his black hair — the only dark spot in the room — rushing toward me and pushing Joshua aside.
“…Jayus?”
“Your hand.”
“Huh?”
My feverish mind couldn’t comprehend why Jayus was here or what he meant, so I dumbly repeated him.
“You can’t even think straight from the fever.”
His large, cool hand pressed against my forehead, while the other reached down to grasp mine — entwining our fingers completely, one by one.
“W–what are you—”
“You’ll feel much better soon.”
The hand on my forehead slid down gently, covering my eyes.
“I’ll stay by your side. Rest easy, Senika.”
Then, I felt something warm and damp brush against the back of my hand — followed by the soft rhythm of breathing. I realized it was his lips.
But I couldn’t push him away — not when the pheromones flowing through that touch began to sink into me.
The fire that had been raging inside me instantly began to die down, my body feeling lighter, calmer. My eyelids fluttered slower and slower beneath his hand.
My mind grew hazy as sleep pulled me under. Perhaps… I had fallen under the sweet intoxication of his pheromones.
Everyone in the room could feel it — Senika’s pheromones were stabilizing after receiving Jayus’s.
Even though they saw it with their own eyes, it was hard to believe. None of them had imagined it would be this easy.
As soon as her pheromones settled, Senika slipped into a deep sleep. Likely, her half-human, half-dragon body couldn’t handle the surge and release of such fiery energy any longer.
Hearing her soft, steady breaths, Jayus finally lifted his lips from her hand.
“Rita.”
At Hale’s call, Rita hurried to Senika’s bedside to examine her.
“My lord, you can rest assured now. The young lady is asleep. Her fever has dropped significantly.”
Hale felt his own pounding heartbeat begin to settle.
“Good.”
He didn’t step closer, but he murmured softly from where he stood.
Even now, he couldn’t shake the image of Senika writhing in agony — the sounds of her pain, the chaotic surge of pheromones filling the air. It would likely haunt him for quite some time.
While everyone else relaxed, Joshua alone kept glaring in one direction.
‘Is the lord really not bothered by this?’
Jayus was still holding Senika’s hand tightly, even though his task was done. Joshua’s lips twisted in displeasure.
“You can let go of her hand now, can’t you?”
At Joshua’s curt tone, Jayus glanced at him, then slowly released her hand.
He stood, facing the three other dragon heirs.
A strange, unspoken tension passed between them.
“Young lady!”
The moment Angela burst into the room, the air between them dissipated instantly.
Surely, she must have sensed that odd tension too, but she said nothing — instead rushing to Senika’s side to check her condition.
“…How did you do this?”
Her voice trembled with confusion.
Angela couldn’t believe it. No matter what she’d tried, Senika’s heat had never cooled like this — and yet, somehow, Jayus had done it with ease.
‘I can still sense the pheromones in her body… but it doesn’t feel like magic.’
If she knew something — anything — she could make sense of it, but with no clue to go on, she was left completely baffled.
Rita, suddenly recalling something, quickly added, “Now that I think about it… how did you even know how to do that? You didn’t discuss anything with us.”
Only then did Hale realize something odd.
The reason they’d brought Jayus from the northern territory was to stabilize Senika’s pheromones. But before they’d even had the chance to explain, he’d already done it.
‘Did he know from the start? Is that why he insisted on coming himself?’
It was a reasonable suspicion — but Hale shook his head.
If Jayus had known, he would’ve said something to Senika earlier. Since he hadn’t, it was clear he didn’t know the method beforehand.
Then why had it seemed so natural when he did it?
“…Looks like we need an explanation.”
Jayus nodded calmly, as if he had nothing to hide.
“We should talk somewhere else.”
“Agreed.”
“Everyone except the heir of the Violet line stays here and watches over Senika.”
Hale led Jayus out of the room.
Once in the study, Hale sat on the sofa. Jayus took the seat opposite him and spoke first.
“I just… felt like I had to do it.”
The short answer left Hale momentarily speechless.
He’d been expecting something like ‘I knew the method beforehand’ — he’d even prepared responses for that.
“But that’s all I can say,” Jayus continued. “The moment I saw her, my body just moved on its own.”
There wasn’t a trace of deceit in his tone — only pure honesty. Hale couldn’t argue with that, especially considering who his mother was.
Jayus himself looked frustrated that he couldn’t explain it better, but it was the truth.
His body had simply… been drawn to Senika, like a magnet. Before he even realized what he was doing, he’d touched her and pressed his lips to her hand.
“Well, considering she’s better now, it seems your instinct wasn’t wrong.”
Hale reluctantly agreed. At this point, Jayus’s pheromones seemed to be the only thing capable of calming Senika’s unstable condition — at least until she reached full maturity.
Still, he couldn’t help the uneasy feeling in his chest.
No, uneasy wasn’t the right word — it was irritation. The thought of a young man’s body touching hers, even for healing purposes, grated on him.
‘And of all people, it had to be that black-hearted Black Dragon brat.’
Worse yet, Jayus hadn’t just held her hand — he’d kissed it. That alone was enough to make Hale see him as a thorn in his eye.
“…Are you planning to keep doing that from now on?”
“For now, my pheromones are the only effective remedy. There’s no choice.”
“Not that…!”
Hale couldn’t bring himself to say the word “kiss,” his face twisting in embarrassment as he clenched his eyes shut.
