No Regression for the Victor - Chapter 27

At this rate, it really was… like some benevolent master pretending not to notice his servant’s shameless loyalty (or rather, oblivious infatuation).

That the Imperial Prince was behaving this way was shocking enough, but the fact that his counterpart was the very traitor who had once tried to assassinate him made it all the more preposterous.

This… This was not something to simply watch unfold.

That night, with a grim expression as he imagined the worst possible scenario, Marcel asked Mikhail,

“Your Highness, forgive me for bringing this up, but you do know that the Duke is an alpha, correct?”

To Marcel’s question, Mikhail answered innocently.

“I don’t think I’m so naïve as not to know that. You can tell just from the pheromones.”

Relieved at Mikhail’s bright expression, Marcel let out a sigh and pressed his hand to his forehead.

“I’m glad you know. For a moment I feared that perhaps you might—”

But Mikhail, having predicted where that sentence would go, flushed bright red and waved his hands.

“W-What kind of weird imagination is that! It’s absolutely not like that! It’s just… He’s such a dignified person that I respect him regardless of background or status, that’s all. Marcel, are you actually crazy?”

At that moment, seeing the prince’s earlobes turn as red as a ripe Osbrandt cherry, Marcel was certain: This is really bad.

Taking Marcel’s words as nonsense, the prince punched him in embarrassment. Marcel, accepting the feeble blows with a dazed look, forced himself to focus.

Think, Marcel Humphries. The prince doesn’t realize what he’s doing right now. He’s talking about ‘respect’ with a face that, to anyone, is clearly that of someone who’s fallen in love.

Would you still talk about ‘respect’ if the Duke stripped naked and said, ‘Come here and eat me up?’ In a moment like that, what the prince would be raising wouldn’t be his pride but… something else.

If Marcel blurted out such a crude question, the prince would realize it himself, but what mattered now was that the prince still didn’t know his own feelings. If he wanted to bring the prince to his senses, this was his only chance.

“From here on, listen to me carefully, Your Highness. Everything I say is for your sake.”

He couldn’t beat the prince with brute strength. That was just a fact. But at least in terms of wiles and life experience, he still had the upper hand.

All of this, Marcel convinced himself, was for the sake of the imperial family and the prince. For what he believed to be right, Marcel could tell any lie.

“Yesterday, while investigating the underground storage, I discovered a magical artifact the Duke had stored away. It appears to be a simple antique on the outside, but inside, it’s inscribed with a curse spell. It’s now so depleted of magic it’s nothing but a useless trinket, but if the Central Government decides to make an issue of it, they could easily frame it as evidence he’s preparing another rebellion. There are more than a few who regret not executing him immediately.”

At Marcel’s grave confession, the prince’s pretty face instantly drained of color in shock. Marcel felt as if his conscience was being stabbed with thorns at the sight of a prince so pale he looked ready to faint—a look he’d never seen before—but he justified it all as being for the prince’s own good.

“I know Your Highness pities the Duke. So I’ll let it go this time, just between us. But you must not associate with him as you are now any longer. You have to draw a firm line, so the imperial family takes no further interest in him.”

If he wanted to stop the prince, this was the only way. With his palms slick with cold sweat, Marcel pressed on.

“We’ll depart for the palace tomorrow morning. We leave at 10AM.”

After this, the prince would never set foot in this place of exile again. The Emperor would never permit it. Without Marcel’s help, there was no way the prince could leave the palace so easily.

At Marcel’s words, Mikhail’s face went from shock to resignation. Having to part from the Duke so suddenly, without even preparing himself, hurt somewhere deep inside his chest. But if that was what was needed to protect the Duke, then there was no helping it.

The prince fell silent for a moment, then nodded.