#40

I couldn’t help but question my own existence. Having the same pheromone as the female protagonist in the original story, where I never appeared, was extraordinary.

“Healing type…”

Zerakiel muttered quietly as he picked me up. As I was placed familiarly on his palm, I glanced at him anxiously.

“Is that why?”

“Pardon?”

“Hmm, it seems a bit different.”

Zerakiel petted me with a thoughtful expression. He seemed to be muttering something to himself, but I was too preoccupied to pay attention.

‘Doesn’t this make me really dangerous?’

Of all unique pheromones, why did I have to have the rare healing type? If this fact were to spread, many would undoubtedly target me.

Ella’s whereabouts were currently unknown. Understanding Tabby’s words that staying in the Jabisi family was the safest, I internally screamed in despair.

‘This isn’t right!’

It seemed I had taken over the role of the female protagonist.

So much for a peaceful life, my life was clearly about survival.

* * *

“How is your condition?”

Zakari shrugged at the question from his personal physician, Duke.

“The usual.”

“The speed of the madness is quite considerable. You are aware of this, aren’t you?”

Duke’s voice was full of concern. The rapid progression of the madness meant Zakari had little time left.

“There are only about five or six petals left now.”

Duke pointed to Zakari’s upper body. On Zakari’s bared chest, the Flower of Frenzy was blooming. Precisely, one petal at a time.

The number of petals matched exactly with the petals falling in the garden of the direct line.

When all the petals in the garden fell, the Flower of Frenzy engraved on the heart would bloom fully, and the thorny vine pattern would spread like poison throughout the body.

There were no exceptions for the direct line. The Flower of Frenzy, once fully bloomed inside the body like poison, would ultimately make them lose their sanity and go berserk.

This was discovered by the Orban family, a branch of Jabisi. Thus, the Orban family traditionally provided the personal physicians for Jabisi.

The Orban family had been researching the madness of the Jabisi line for generations, holding the most information about it. Therefore, the Orban family was the only branch aware of the existence of the Flower of Frenzy.

Even other branches did not know the exact details of the madness. They only knew that the direct line suffered from a hereditary madness.

As Zakari controlled his pheromones, the Flower of Frenzy tattoo on his chest gradually faded.

The Flower of Frenzy tattoo appeared only when pheromones were used. He had been leaking pheromones for the diagnosis.

“Yeah, it’s obvious when I notice my memories disappearing sporadically.”

“The amnesia stage has already begun…”

Duke sighed deeply.

There were stages to the madness.

First, mood swings and becoming a completely different person, a personality disorder.

Second, an obsessive compulsion towards a certain person.

Third, sporadic memory loss, amnesia.

Finally, a destructive instinct to eliminate all pheromones.

In Zakari’s case, the symptoms began the moment Zerakiel was born. It was an early onset, unlike the usual appearance of symptoms after about two petals of the Flower of Frenzy had fallen.

This led to inadequate preparation, and he nearly killed his newborn son with his own hands. Fortunately, his partner, Rachel Han, from the Honey Badger family, saved him.

The Han family, being honey badgers, were known for their strong constitution and formidable strength. Despite having just given birth, Rachel Han managed to knock out Zakari to protect their son.

After regaining his senses, Zakari was in shock. The first experience of the madness happened at the happiest moment, making it even more traumatic.

Everyone knew that Zakari roamed outside the castle until Zerakiel could transform into a human. He isolated himself to prevent accidentally killing his successor due to his changed personality.

He believed that once Zerakiel could transform into a human, he would be able to handle pheromones well enough to protect himself.

But the tragedy did not end there. After Zerakiel transformed into a human, another symptom began.

Obsession. Zakari became excessively obsessed with Rachel, which terrified him.

It progressed faster than with any other family head. It was uncertain when the next symptom would emerge.

Ultimately, the incident where he sent her back to the Han family was a regrettable event.

It was likely due to the influence of the previous generation. Everyone knew that the previous lady of the house had lived practically imprisoned.

“If the third symptom has already appeared, it is indeed very dangerous. You should refrain from using pheromones as much as possible. In your case, the more you use pheromones, the faster the progression seems to be.”

“Nagging again… Just in case, tell Zerakiel to be ready. At this rate, I might not make it through the year.”

Duke sighed softly at Zakari’s nonchalant talk about his own death. Since sending Rachel away, Zakari had led an increasingly reclusive life.

It was as if he considered himself a contagion. As if anyone he approached would catch a disease from him.

He kept wandering outside the castle, never allowing anyone close, all for that reason.

“Master…”

“If it’s him, he can do it without hesitation.”

Zakari gave a bitter smile. Surely, Zerakiel could kill him without any hesitation even now.

Theirs was the worst father-son relationship among the direct line of Jabisi.

A relationship of almost killing and being killed the moment he was born.

Because of that, Zakari avoided Zerakiel excessively, and Zerakiel never approached Zakari first either.

Thus, there was almost no conversation between father and son. Recently, they had been forced to talk more due to the matter of the white weasel.

That was at least a relief. Zerakiel had found someone to rely on, even if it was a weak weasel.

Although he was concerned about the weasel’s frailty, family comes first. At least he didn’t want his son to bear the Flower of Frenzy alone.

This was a separate issue from continuing the family line as the head of Jabisi.

Zakari’s own inadequacies had made his son an outcast.

At an age when he would have missed his mother’s embrace, he drove Rachel away and almost killed him at birth.

He couldn’t help but feel guilty every time he saw Zerakiel seemingly indifferent. That severe obsessive-compulsive disorder might even be post-traumatic stress disorder from such shocking experiences.

When Zerakiel brought back the white weasel, he had no idea things would come to this.

Given the circumstances, he needed to secure Chichi, or rather Cersia’s, position while he was still alive. To ensure she could survive even next to the monstrous Zerakiel.

However, he couldn’t shake the unease. How could that small, delicate creature endure?

Worry gnawed at him as he pondered, and Duke quietly asked,

“Is that why you hurried the young master’s marriage?”

Zakari looked at Duke. His eyes were full of concern, his graying hair a testament to his anguish.

He had been Zakari’s personal physician since the day he was born, and he had seen the rapid progression of Zakari’s madness, much faster than the previous head’s, causing him great concern.

Zakari chuckled and replied playfully,

“It seems your retirement is approaching. My son is already grown, why not pass on the position of personal physician?”

“Master.”

“Why would I worry about my son when my own life is at its end?”

“…”

“I’m most worried about my own life, my life.”