“Is your place properly loosened now? Isn’t a male omega’s genitalia in the back?”
Because of those words, rather than feeling humiliated like last time, I was angry.
“Come right after receiving the prince’s favor. I want to torment that hateful thing swollen from being overworked by another man. I’ll whip only that place until it turns bright red and torment you. How much—”
“Is that all you have to say?”
The luster flowing in those yellow eyes momentarily faded.
Now that Benedict had power, now he could choose whether to do that act or not. I didn’t want to think about what kind of time he must have shouldered each time the Regent Duke sent an omega when he was powerless.
“How trivial.”
The Regent Duke was jealous of Benedict.
“I was listening thinking it might help with the trial, but it seems that’s all Your Grace can do. And your perfume is too strong. I heard you have it specially blended, but it doesn’t smell like alpha pheromones at all.”
I’m sincerely advising you. I concluded with that.
The ambergris scent the Regent Duke spreads around is an imitation of an alpha’s unique pheromones. Now that I know everything, it’s so obvious I wonder how I didn’t notice. I thought it wasn’t even funny.
The violin performance ended.
“Won’t you spare some time separately?”
After the silence, the Regent Duke’s face as he parted his lips was bleak.
“I refuse.”
“The prince’s precious person desperately wants to meet you.”
At his following words, my face hardened.
“That’s a crime, Your Grace. If you arbitrarily detain a servant from my estate,”
Could it be that Ethan betrayed—
“Don’t jump to conclusions. He merely demands to meet you of his own accord.”
The Regent Duke said it didn’t matter if I didn’t go. As if it made no difference to him, he replied that instead, he would gladly take the life that even its master had abandoned within today.
“I’ll be waiting.”
I asked Sir Lifros and Count Leroy to accompany me.
Normally I would have only taken Sir Lifros, but I thought being careful couldn’t hurt.
Count Leroy showed reluctance since he had attended today as the prince’s attendant, but when Benedict, who had been conversing with priests from the temple, gave him a look, he had no choice but to follow.
The place the Regent Duke mentioned was a small reception room not far from the hall.
“I’m only here to help with the lawsuit. If you make me come and go over trivial matters,”
Count Leroy, who had been saying that, became speechless upon seeing inside the room. His mustache gathered seriously.
Three people were seated inside the room. The Regent Duke’s mistress I had seen earlier wasn’t there.
One person was the Regent Duke, next to him was Rilke.
The last person was—
“—Deina?”
It wasn’t Ethan.
“You’ve brought an interesting guest.”
The Regent Duke pointed at Count Leroy. As if it didn’t matter, he readily invited our party to sit.
Even though I wanted to hide my surprise, I couldn’t take my eyes off Deina.
This was the first time I was properly facing her since that night when Rilke had tried to make me drink the aphrodisiac and shoved her into my room as if passing her off.
Deina, with her shortened reddish-brown hair, had changed a lot.
“I’m very interested in omega bodies.”
At Duke Yorick’s words, Count Leroy’s eyes twitched.
“I had no interest in male omega body structure, but I’ve developed one recently. I’m receiving a lot of help from my new son.”
Rilke’s face turned ashen. That complexion reminded me of the heavily made-up commoner mistress from earlier.
“And my new son gave me a good gift.”
The Regent Duke pointed at Deina.
More precisely, at her swollen belly.
“Just by carrying your child, this woman who isn’t even an omega has become a body worth coveting.”
I simply.
Couldn’t understand what situation this was.
Sir Lifros and Count Leroy seemed the same. However, they both looked back at me.
The two men’s surprised faces passed by like a scene from a comedy.
Deina, who had been silent, drew in a breath.
She said in one breath.
“Yes, it’s Young Master Joachim’s child.”
What,
“—What are you saying, Deina.”
My voice came out trembling like a lie.
“It’s the young master’s child.”
Deina’s voice trembled too. But she said it once more with force, it’s the young master’s child.
“What… Back then, clearly—”
We didn’t do anything.
But my lips wouldn’t part.
I could see Deina’s eyes. Bone-dry with only her belly swollen like a mountain, trembling as if a blade were pressed against her throat right now.
The Regent Duke’s gaze became persistent.
“So something really did happen between you and this woman.”
“Yes, Young Master Joachim’s, hic, child.”
Deina rose to her feet. She came into my arms. I felt my shoulder getting wet.
My head was blank. I wanted to push her away, but the feeling of the swollen belly touching me was so unfamiliar… I placed my hand on her crying shoulder. It was surprisingly thin.
“There have been omegas who impregnated women.”
“…Your Grace. I—”
Deina hastily embraced my waist.
“Joachim, please don’t abandon me and the baby!”
She called me like a lover and scattered tears.
The Regent Duke’s lips deepened.
“Isn’t this a beautiful scene? A pregnant wife and the omega who impregnated her.”
He said.
It wasn’t directed at me.
Before I knew it, his gray gaze had stopped behind my back.
Even knowing that looking back would curse me, like someone turned to stone, I slowly turned my head.
Even in that moment, Deina was breathlessly clinging to me like a lifeline.
“I pay my respects to the Empire’s Light.”
Rilke jumped up in surprise and showed courtesy.
What expression that kid had, whether the Regent Duke was smiling, whether others were surprised. I couldn’t see such things.
Only Benedict was visible. He stood tall at the open doorway.
Without looking at me, he fixed his gaze only on Deina’s face, which was embracing me.
‘Young master, please let go now.’
That frail voice from some time ago brushed past my ear like an afterimage.
Benedict had seen me in bed with Deina. And his gaze caught on Deina clearly remembered her.
Stupidly, I traced back the situation from just before.
I thought about how Benedict must have seen it.
A long, long silence passed.
Avoiding my wide-eyed stare, Benedict calmly lifted his gaze and broke the silence.
“What a coincidental sight, Duke Yorick.”
He made a courteous smile.
What should I say.
Should I say it’s not true?
I was lost.
My hand on Deina’s shoulder was frozen solid. As if sensing something, Deina suddenly gripped my shoulder hard.
“Your Highness, I heard you’ve been on friendly terms with House Meyer recently.”
Rilke stepped forward and drew attention.
“It’s an irresponsible family with someone who impregnated a maid and abandoned her. I think House Meyer doesn’t deserve such glory at all.”
That kid was saying Count Leroy was an overly generous attorney for House Meyer, but.
Even shameless Rilke’s voice felt unreal.
I only thought about me, about Benedict.
It’s not true.
I murmured. But even though it’s all true, it sounds surprisingly shabby and like an excuse.
Even melodrama lines wouldn’t be this cliché. That’s why Benedict seemed unable to hear my voice.
Throughout the machinations of Rilke and the Regent Duke, I tried to make eye contact with Benedict but couldn’t. It suddenly felt like a huge river had been placed between him and me.
“Handle the situation.”
Benedict instructed Count Leroy. The count with a hardened face rose from his seat.
Benedict looked at me once. Our eyes met very briefly, and he looked at Deina a little longer than at me.
He showed no change, but I could see the corners of his eyes crumble slightly.
My heart felt like it was crumbling too.
“Your Highness.”
It’s not true, this is all wrong.
“It’s not true,”
Even if it sounded like a lie, I had to say it.
Even if it made the situation worse, I couldn’t just do nothing and let that compassionate prince go like this.
But Benedict didn’t stop. Toward that neatly turned back, that unhesitating figure, I ran. The Regent Duke’s mocking voice, Rilke’s voice pretending to be sympathetic. While being held back by Deina who followed and grabbed me,
“I love you!”
I shouted out of desperation to do something.
“I love you most in this world!!”
Deina tried to keep embracing me until the end.
“Rilke, Rilke!”
At Duke Yorick’s urging, that kid detached Deina from me with a dazed face. ‘It’s Joachim’s child…’ she muttered vacantly until the end. I knew she was being threatened, but I couldn’t help but hate her.
If that moment just now hurt Benedict even a little, I could push her away. In my imagination, I already pushed her away. I wanted to break the hand I had placed on her shoulder.
Count Leroy got me to come outside. Sir Lifros silently followed behind. The door closed.
“I never did anything with Deina.”
As soon as we entered another room, I spat out the words I’d been holding back.
Benedict, who had given some low instruction to Count Leroy, was about to leave. I desperately spoke and grabbed his hand to stop him.
He hasn’t been making eye contact since earlier.
I wanted to embrace him, but I didn’t deserve to. My eyes were hot, but I didn’t deserve to cry either. Everything I do is unjustified. I was just terribly afraid.
‘I love you!’
After shouting that out of the blue,
What made me momentarily so sad was Benedict’s eyes when I said I loved him.
His eyes shook slightly. His trembling pupils were looking at me but seemed like they weren’t seeing me. Like a different person. An expression that felt distant. Our eyes met, but his gaze scattered and didn’t reach me.
It felt like it meant my words of love didn’t fully reach him.
This happened because of me.
