CHAPTER 100……………………………..
Unlike my mother, who was brimming with curiosity about what kind of conversation we would have, my father’s expression was still not good.
Come to think of it, Lancelot, standing there expressionless, also seemed a little angry.
Mother, who had slapped the stiff arms of the Theodore father and son, spoke.
“Instead of just standing there, why don’t you come inside? We’ve prepared a dinner.”
“But first, I’ve prepared a gift and I hope you’ll accept it.”
At Cassius’ gesture, the lined-up knights opened the lids of the wrapped gifts.
Inside were items such as necklaces with matching earrings, as well as holy crystals that could be used in various ways.
Fire-element crystals could light lamps or start fires without fuel. Wind-element crystals could lift heavy objects for easier transportation. Water elements could produce cool water even in midsummer, and earth elements were useful for gardening.
Holy crystals like these made life more convenient, but they were expensive, and ordinary people could hardly afford them.
Seeing a collection of holy crystals, arranged by type, Mother covered her open mouth with one hand.
“Why did you go to all this trouble?”
“They’re people we’ll be seeing often in the future. Could we really come empty-handed?”
“…Often?”
Father, who had been quiet, reacted to that.
Mother nudged him with her elbow and gave me a knowing look.
Hm. Even if Father and Lancelot were hesitant, Mother seemed ready to approve the marriage without a second thought.
After this lighthearted exchange, we headed to the dining hall that had been prepared.
Since becoming a priest, this was my second visit to the Theodore Count’s mansion.
Last time, I had stayed for several days.
But the familiar mansion now looked different.
The dining hall was decorated extravagantly, starting with banners embroidered with the family crest, almost as if a coronation were about to take place.
The stately decorations seemed to reflect Father’s taste.
‘He said he didn’t want to, but he really went all out.’
Cassius had announced his visit just this morning.
To have prepared all this in such a short time, he must have worked diligently.
As I was thinking that, the dishes were prepared alongside the silverware.
On a pristine white tablecloth, candles were lit, and a tower of colorful fruits, roasted vegetables, and a turkey stuffed with various ingredients were laid out, along with many other dishes.
Seeing the food made me smile.
There were many dishes I liked.
Cassius spoke.
“If it’s alright, I’d like to serve the wine I prepared. It’s wine I selected especially for the Count.”
Although the mansion’s owner was Father, he still kept his mouth tightly shut.
Mother nudged Father’s side with her elbow, speaking on his behalf.
“Oh my, how did you know he enjoys wine?”
“Sonia told me. That the Count enjoys wine.”
At those words, Father’s previously stern mouth relaxed slightly.
“Very well, then.”
I felt as though we had passed the first hurdle.
Not long after, the wine Cassius had prepared appeared.
The bottle bore a crest indicating it was produced in the Holy Kingdom. Mother noticed its significance and remarked.
“Wine from the Holy Kingdom!”
“Yes. I instructed them to prepare it this morning, and fortunately, they managed to deliver it on time.”
Both Mother and I were astonished by his words.
‘When did he even go…?’
This meant the wine had been ordered in the morning and delivered from the Holy Kingdom to the Empire.
‘…He must have used the Wind Priests.’
It seemed they had used a warp created by the priests to transport the wine.
Moving items this quickly was something even the Emperor of the Empire couldn’t achieve.
The mansion’s servants uncorked the wine and poured it into glasses.
It had a fresh red hue, reminiscent of ripe raspberries.
Father, holding the glass, finally spoke.
“I’m not sure if you’ve heard, but when it comes to wine, I have very particular standards.”
That confident declaration was essentially a warning: most wines would not pass his test.
“I hope it pleases you.”
Father swirled the wine in his glass, inhaled its aroma, and took a sip.
His surprised expression lingered as he stared at the wine.
Judging by the faint smile that appeared, he seemed quite pleased.
Finally, making eye contact with Cassius, Father cleared his throat.
“It’s better than I expected. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to try such fine wine.”
“If you like it, I’d like to gift it to you.”
Father once again kept his mouth firmly shut. He seemed reluctant to receive anything from Cassius.
Mother, now firmly on our side, took a sip and chimed in.
“It’s really good. And it has exactly the aroma you’d like.”
Then she gently nudged Father, who had been motionless. Finally, he spoke.
“I will accept it with gratitude.”
With Father’s approval, Cassius instructed the knights behind him to deliver the gifts.
Watching this, Father spoke slowly.
“It seems you’ve prepared quite a lot of wine.”
“Yes. I thought you might enjoy it, so I prepared it in advance.”
“Hmm. Well, it’s not exactly to my taste… but I will accept the gesture.”
In truth, it wasn’t just a lot; the entire vineyard was essentially a gift.
But Father seemed to think it was just a few aged oak barrels. He would surely be shocked when he learned the truth.
Still…
‘What a liar.’
He had smiled at the very first sip.
Perhaps it wasn’t the wine he disliked—it might have been Cassius himself.
I sipped the prepared wine and glanced at Lancelot sitting across from me.
‘Why is he acting like that?’
Father, whom I considered the highest wall to overcome, was more reasonable than I expected.
But Lancelot, whom I hadn’t anticipated, had not said a word since earlier.
While he remained silent, my parents began asking questions about the Holy Kingdom, and Cassius answered politely.
Lancelot merely cast glances at Cassius with a defiant expression, without uttering a single word.
In this subtle atmosphere, the meal ended.
The main discussion was to take place in the sitting room after the meal.
Father excused himself to prepare and went to the sitting room.
Lancelot returned to his room as well.
Mother, who stayed until the very end, came closer and spoke.
“Honestly, when Sonia said she was becoming a priest, I thought she would live alone forever. But I’m surprised she brought such a fine person along.”
“You flatter me, Madam.”
“Hehe, I thought the Holy Kingdom was full of rigid people, but that wasn’t the case. Sonia seems to be doing well, so I feel confident entrusting her to the Kingdom.”
“Yes, I will protect Sonia to the very end, so do not worry.”
“I’m reassured by Your Grace’s words. Please take good care of Sonia.”
Mother, who had always liked Cassius, was easily won over.
The real challenge was Father, and unexpectedly, Lancelot.
On the way to the sitting room with Cassius, I remembered my younger sibling, who had only been glaring.
“It seems Lancelot dislikes Cassius.”
“Yes, I think so too.”
“Ugh… I expected Father to be strict, but I didn’t think my sibling would dislike him.”
I frequently corresponded with Lancelot. Unlike my parents, he didn’t dislike the Holy Kingdom, so I never thought much of it. Yet now, he acted this way.
“…Perhaps he glared at him because I’m an Alpha.”
“Huh?”
“As Sonia said, he gives off an Omega pheromone scent.”
I had told Cassius that this world was like a book I had read in a past life.
I had also explained that Lancelot gave off a scent similar to Omega pheromones.
“It’s definitely similar to Omega pheromones, but… there’s something different. I saw a few Omegas before the fever epidemic, and his scent feels unique.”
Come to think of it, Cassius was an Alpha, which was not mentioned in the original story.
He had no connection with Lancelot in the original Holy Kingdom storyline.
Yet Cassius could detect Lancelot’s pheromone scent.
Unlike the obsessive Alpha characters in the original story, I didn’t worry about Cassius falling head over heels for Lancelot.
Still, something was unsettling.
“So, how does Lancelot’s scent feel?”
“It seems mixed with another kind of scent… The longer I smelled it, the more unpleasant it became, so I unconsciously used warning pheromones.”
“Warning pheromones too?”
It seemed he targeted Lancelot specifically, because I couldn’t detect his pheromones.
“It felt as if he were challenging me to a duel, so I reacted. But he himself seems unaware of it.”
“Hm, perhaps Lancelot unconsciously infused his pheromones with emotion?”
Seeing his expression, it seemed he might have conveyed negative feelings unconsciously.
“No. It felt as if two people had attacked me, but it wasn’t from him.”
Hearing Cassius’ explanation gave me a strange feeling.
‘Why on earth does Lancelot have a pheromone scent?’
Most of the mysteries from the original story had been solved.
But Lancelot’s secret remained unknown.
In the original, he was simply described as a peculiar Beta.
Until now, I hadn’t thought much of it, but something felt off.
