Chapter 42
Lysei’s eyes widened at the sight of Trey and Theor, who had suddenly appeared at the Rose Palace.
“Am I in danger?” She’d been with Edin during his rut, so she’d assumed the Empress wouldn’t leave her alone. Lysei was unaware that Edin had sent her to the Rose Palace precisely because he planned to spend his rut with her. She mistakenly believed he’d sent her there for her safety, anticipating the danger she’d be in if she remained at his side.
“Don’t worry, I’ll be right beside you,” Theor said, flashing a sly grin.
“We’ll be waiting outside, Lady Lysei.” Trey emphasized the word “outside” while glancing at Theor. He’d been ordered by Edin to keep Theor and Lysei apart as much as possible.
Annoyed by Trey’s constant vigilance, Theor chuckled and turned to Lysei. “Don’t we have something to discuss privately?” He, too, emphasized “privately,” causing both Trey and Lysei to frown simultaneously.
“Let’s skip the privately bit. And why do you keep using informal speech with me? Do you want me to do the same?” Lysei grumbled, clearly displeased. Theor, seemingly amused, replied, “Yes, you should.”
“Duke, it would be best to re-check the security at the front and rear gates.” Trey addressed Theor, determined to carry out Edin’s orders.
Theor’s lips curled into a smirk. “Didn’t you hear? Lady Lysei and I have things to discuss, and privately at that. Go on ahead.”
“….”
“His Majesty seems to have ordered you to keep me away from Lady Lysei.”
“…!”
“But we have things to discuss, so please excuse yourself this once.”
“….”
“Of course, we’ll keep it a secret from His Majesty.”
“…I cannot keep secrets from His Majesty.”
“Then keep your mouth shut instead of secrets.”
“….”
“Now, shall you go and re-check the security at the front and rear gates, Sir Trey?”
“…I cannot leave for long.”
“I knew you were a reasonable man, Sir Trey.”
Watching Trey bow his head and leave, Lysei thought about how irritating these matters of rank could be.
“So, how have you been?”
“Are you going to continue using informal speech?”
“Yes, you should.”
“What kind of Nyxna uses informal speech with a Duke of the Empire?”
“Lysei Orphe.”
“….”
Hearing Theor say her name sent a faint flutter through her heart. This man… not only was he ridiculously handsome, but he also had an unnecessarily captivating voice.
“I know I’m handsome, but staring so intently is a little embarrassing, you know?” He said this with a completely straight face, prompting Lysei to sigh in exasperation. She then began the conversation she needed to have with him.
“I told you becoming a Nyxna wasn’t my choice, right?”
Theor nodded.
“My father made me do it.”
“I had a hunch. Poison?”
“No, black magic.”
Theor’s eyes widened slightly at the mention of black magic.
“…Ha. The forbidden power of the Empire’s heretics has reached even a Baron?”
“I don’t know the details, but it wasn’t… well, my raccoon of a father acting alone. He doesn’t have the ability. It’s probably connected to the House of Benneretti.”
This had been briefly mentioned in the original novel, so she didn’t know much. However, two sentences that had suddenly come to mind made her realize Baron Orphe had been able to use black magic because he was acting on behalf of Marquis Benneretti.
Of course, the Baron had also separately colluded with a heretic and used black magic without the Marquis’s knowledge. Baron Orphe had been so blinded by his lust for power that he’d been willing to use his useless daughter to bear the Emperor’s child, hoping to gain equal footing with Marquis Benneretti.
“So, you became a Beta through black magic?”
“I don’t know exactly how he did it. But what I do know is that he didn’t mask my Omega pheromones with a Beta scent. He temporarily changed my Omega body into a Beta’s.”
“So, you’ll eventually revert back to an Omega.”
“Yes, though I don’t know when.”
“Were you a Beta during your rut with Edin?”
“Yes, that’s why Edin kept falling asleep.”
“The black magic must have been potent. He fell asleep even though his rut had begun.”
“Don’t dominant Alphas have better control?”
“Whether dominant or not, once penetration happens, they all become beasts.”
“…Anyway, Edin doesn’t know.”
“I see.”
“Don’t tell him. I’ll do it.”
She’d planned to bargain with Edin using the whereabouts of the urn he was searching for, even before entering the palace. The current Edin wouldn’t care that she had been an Omega. However, considering the upcoming events in the original story, she would need to bring Luigia to the palace. It would be more appropriate to discuss the urn with both of them together, as Luigia possessed it.
“Fine, do as you please. What do you plan to do after you’re no longer a Nyxna?”
“…Why do you ask?”
“I told you, I want you to be my Nyxna.”
Lysei stared at Theor, who delivered this outrageous statement with a casual expression, a look of utter disgust on her face.
Discussion
0 CommentsReactions
No comments yet.