We’re in a Contract Marriage, But I’ve Imprinted - Chapter 220

The head butler, who had been waiting silently behind, deeply bowed and greeted me.

“I apologize, but I will be attending to you today.”

“…It seems Ian is out.”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Hmm, I see. For now, it’s fine for us to be alone. Could you please leave the room?”

“If you need anything, please ring the bell. I will be waiting outside.”

“Yes, I will.”

Though I didn’t harbor any ill feelings toward him, I couldn’t fully rid myself of my wariness. Once the head butler left, I was able to relax and gently set Adella down from my arms.

“Della!”

“Baa! Baa!”

“Hehe, are you calling me ‘brother’?”

“Dia, aren’t you missing mom now? That’s a bit sad.”

“No! Dia loves Mom as much as Della!”

“Really? Then, can I get a kiss?”

“Yes!”

After receiving a kiss from Diers, I nervously kissed the child’s cheek while subtly transferring my pheromones onto him. Diers’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Huh?”

“Hmm? What’s wrong, Dia?”

Even though I knew, I pretended not to notice, spreading my pheromones across Diers’s body. Flustered, the child spun around, chasing the scent. It was so adorable that I couldn’t help but smile. I then slowly released the pheromones I had been holding back.

“…Wow!”

Without needing words, Diers seemed to recognize whose pheromones were now filling the air. The child, nestled in my arms, sniffed and murmured.

“This is Mom’s scent…”

“…Dia.”

Once again, I felt overwhelmed with emotion and pulled Diers tightly into my arms. The child’s heartbeat seemed to echo in mine. With trembling hands, I lightly patted his back and said,

“This must be the first time you’ve felt it since you grew up… Yes, the pheromones flowing now are Mom’s.”

“It’s so good.”

“Abu!”

Meanwhile, Adella, who had come closer, was happily clapping the floor with her hands as if thrilled by something. I smiled and laughed joyfully, holding both children in my arms.

Though I felt a bit of regret that Ian was not there, I consciously pushed that emotion away, overshadowed by the worry about the imprint that still occupied a corner of my heart.

After drinking the elixir, I didn’t feel any significant changes immediately. Apart from the much deeper and more abundant pheromones, nothing else seemed to have changed, which was almost unsettling.

That made me more anxious. Was the imprint I received from him truly gone, or was it just temporarily hidden due to the malfunction of the pheromone gland? Since I didn’t even know my own condition, I couldn’t bring myself to face him.

No, I was so tense that I felt like my heart might leap out of my chest.

The three of us shared similar heartbeats. As we exchanged pheromones freely, it was a moment that, for any ordinary family, would have felt entirely natural.

But for me, it was an irreplaceable, precious time.

* * *

It had already been three days since Ian hadn’t shown up. I had thought he was simply busy with official duties and couldn’t find time for us over the past two days. However, the things Ian had shown during this time still weighed on my mind.

No matter how busy he was, Ian never missed time with the children. When he couldn’t find time, he would even bring his documents and work while making sure we had some moments together.

I felt strange. Honestly, I was starting to get anxious. After fixing the pheromone gland, I was both fearful and worried about seeing him, but strangely, not being able to see him made me feel odd.

“Della, come here!”

Thud, thud, thud—Diers ran off in one direction, and Della started crawling to follow him. The lively laughter of the children should have made me smile, but my mind kept drifting elsewhere.

“……”

“Kyahaha!”

“Abu, abu!”

“Hehe, over here!”

“Woo woo!”

As I stared blankly at Diers and Adella, who were running around wildly, I shook the silver bell on the table. With a knock, the head butler quickly entered.

“You called?”

I briefly looked at the head butler, then slowly spoke.

“Please call Ian for me.”

“……I’m sorry, but he is not currently in the mansion.”

It was the expected answer, so I nodded, but I noticed the head butler’s eyes wavered as he spoke. He hid his expression skillfully, but his gaze betrayed him.

“Hmm, if there’s a reason for this, please just tell me directly.”

“Yes? What do you mean…”

“If Ian is avoiding me and my daughter on purpose, just say it. I don’t want to waste any more time on unnecessary matters.”

At my cold words, the head butler jumped in alarm, trying to stop me.

“No! That’s not it!”

“Then why are you lying to me?”

At my next question, he paled, his face turning even more blue as he replied.

“Why, why would I lie to you, Madam?”

“……Don’t call me ‘madam’.”

I didn’t want to hear that title from the head butler while everything was still uncertain. Although bringing Adella every day had become an unspoken agreement, I couldn’t ignore the unpleasant feeling I had, especially since I had intended to speak with Ian again.

As I slowly began to realize the source of this discomfort, the head butler clenched his eyes shut and answered, almost shouting.

“The, the Duke is currently… undergoing a rut cycle.”

His words, initially spoken with force, gradually quieted down, almost as if he were hiding from something. As if he had broken the Duke’s order of complete obedience, he sighed deeply and added,

“He’s staying in the annex right now.”

“……A rut cycle?”

“Yes, today marks the third day.”

“……”

When I had first learned that I am an extremely recessive omega, the heat cycles were almost nonexistent and irregular due to the pheromone influence. After the pheromone gland broke, I hadn’t had a heat cycle at all, so I had almost forgotten about it.