Becoming the Terminally-Ill Villain Who Torments His Disciples - Chapter 14.1
Time passed quickly, and the date of Cielo’s coming-of-age ceremony drew near. Dressed up in formal attire, Cielo tied his long hair up into a high ponytail..
“Happy birthday.”
Ryan lightly embraced him, then stepped back and asked, looking him in the eyes,
“Can you smell my pheromones?”
“No.”
“Then anything different from usual? Like feeling feverish or strangely lethargic?”
“No, nothing.”
After collapsing that day, Cielo followed Ryan’s advice and threw away all the suppressants he had been taking. Without the suppressants, he would likely react more sensitively to alpha pheromones, and the heat cycle, which had barely shown signs of coming, would probably appear more clearly.
For now, however, the priority was to avoid putting strain on his heart, so Cielo decided to do as Ryan said.
It had been five months since he stopped the medication.
The heat cycle still had not come, and there was no sign that it would.
According to Ryan, this was likely a result of having taken more suppressants than necessary, which caused his pheromone levels to become unstable.
Because of that, Ryan checked Cielo’s condition every morning, just like today.
Even if his pheromones were carefully suppressed, if Cielo sensed Ryan’s scent even a little, it could mean the heat cycle was approaching.
“Everything feels the same as usual today.”
“That’s a relief. Still, be careful. Since you’ll be meeting a lot of people today, it’s easier to be exposed to other pheromones.”
“Yes, I’ll be careful.”
Even after hearing his answer, Ryan kept warning him to either call for him or quietly step away if he felt any sign of heat during the banquet.
“And also…”
“That’s enough.”
When it looked like Ryan was about to start nagging again, Cielo cut him off firmly. Ryan, who didn’t usually care about other people’s affairs, was overprotective when it came to Cielo.
“…It’s just because I’m worried.”
“There will be many eyes watching. What could possibly happen? Besides, you’ll be by my side, right?”
At Cielo’s words, Ryan’s eyes widened. Then he smiled in satisfaction and replied,
“That’s true.”
“Then, I’ll be off now.”
Cielo turned to Oscar and spoke.
In truth, he had wanted to invite Oscar to the coming-of-age ceremony as well. However, because Oscar was a commoner, he couldn’t attend a noble’s banquet until he received an honorary title after becoming an adult, according to imperial law.
“Please be careful, Master. You’ll probably be tired, so I’ll have everything ready so you can wash up and go straight to bed when you return. A-And also…!”
“…?”
“H-Happy birthday!”
Oscar, his cheeks flushed, spoke with courage.
Seeing him clench his fists as he said it, Cielo approached with wide eyes. Then he bent down, kissed Oscar on the cheek, and replied with a smile,
“Thank you, Oscar. I think this will be the best birthday ever, thanks to you. Alright, I’m really going now.”
Leaving those words behind, Cielo slowly turned.
As he left the room, Oscar stood frozen in place, his face red like a tomato.
* * *
“Wow…”
Cielo lifted his head and looked up at the Esteban mansion.
In the novel, it had been written that “The Esteban estate was second only to the imperial palace in grandeur.” True to those words, it was enormous and vast.
There were even tall spires at both ends of the building, showing just how powerful and prestigious the Esteban family was in the empire.
‘No wonder everyone kept quiet even when the original “Cielo” committed so many wrongdoings.’
As soon as he stepped out of the carriage, the waiting attendants all bowed deeply.
“It is an honor to see you again, young master!”
The loud voices startled Cielo, and he flinched hard.
Had he bullied someone here too? He looked at one of the attendants’ faces, but thankfully there was no sign of fear in their expression.
But why did they seem so nervous?
It didn’t feel like the wariness that came from being in the presence of a noble. There was a subtle, unpleasant tension in the air. Still, there was nothing he could tell just by looking at their faces.
Unlike last time, no memories were coming back to him either…
Cielo turned his gaze again toward the Esteban mansion. For some reason, unlike just moments ago, a heavy feeling settled in his chest.
Maybe there was something about this house that he had hated. Or perhaps something had happened here that he didn’t remember.
“Let’s go, Cielo.”
As he was lost in thought, a gloved white hand suddenly appeared in front of him.
“…Okay.”
Taking Ryan’s hand, Cielo stepped into the mansion. Instantly, countless gazes turned and landed on the two of them.
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