Chapter 33…………………………………………….
I hesitated over whether or not to tell Cassius the truth.
In the end, I decided it was better not to tell him.
I even held my breath, afraid that if I started talking, everything might spill out.
“If there is anything I can do to help, please tell me.”
He said that much—should I just bare my heart?
I hesitated for only a moment.
Then the herald loudly announced a name.
“Entering now: the Shield of the Empire, Guardian of the North—His Grace Duke Schwarz Valkyrie Lyndmere!”
I turned toward the entrance of the ballroom.
Schwarz strode in with his long black hair flowing, his expression utterly indifferent. He was the kind of man whose mere presence seemed to weigh down the air around him.
The lively music that had heated the ballroom came to an abrupt halt. Some frightened musicians even dropped their instruments.
At the sight of Schwarz, most of the nobles wore wary expressions.
The herald hurriedly called another name.
It seemed he had an entourage.
“Entering as well: Viscount Lancelot Theodore!”
“…What?”
I stepped forward to confirm it myself.
It really was Lancelot.
He entered the ballroom behind Schwarz, looking perfectly neat and uninjured.
I let out a long breath.
“I don’t know what happened, but thank goodness.”
In the original story, Lancelot was dragged into Schwarz’s lair and imprisoned for over ten days.
Seeing him standing beside Schwarz in such a normal state, it didn’t seem like he had been confined.
“I’ll ask him later.”
He looked fine on the outside, but there was no way to know what had happened. I absolutely had to talk to him.
Standing near the entrance, Schwarz scanned the ballroom as if searching for someone.
Then his eyes met mine.
“…Huh?”
He immediately started walking toward me at a fast pace.
“W-why is he coming this way?”
The Emperor and the Crown Prince were both present, yet Schwarz’s hawk-like eyes were fixed solely on me.
Cassius stepped in front of me, blocking Schwarz.
“Duke Lyndmere, for what reason are you approaching a priest of the Holy Kingdom?”
I don’t know if it was only me, but he seemed to emphasize the words ‘a priest of the Holy Kingdom.’
Schwarz lifted his chin.
“Move.”
In the sudden silence, his voice rang out clearly across the hall.
Everyone looked shocked.
The Holy Sovereign stood on equal footing with the Emperor.
Schwarz’s blatant rudeness toward Cassius was beyond imagination.
“Truly fitting for a degenerate who couldn’t even show respect to his own father.”
In the novel, Schwarz treated even the Emperor like a household dog.
And yet the Emperor still doted on him because he was his son.
The Emperor hurried forward to smooth things over.
“Your Holiness, please do not take offense.”
Seeing the ruler of a nation placate Cassius in front of the nobles was excessive.
The Holy Kingdom’s influence as the birthplace of the Empire’s state religion was immense—but this was still too much.
Cassius spoke calmly.
“It’s fine. I’ve grown accustomed to the Duke’s behavior.”
The Emperor looked even more uncomfortable.
After all, Schwarz had been sent to the Holy Kingdom to apologize—twice—and had behaved disgracefully both times.
Cassius continued,
“I would prefer not to ruin the mood of the party. Please, carry on.”
“Very well. Resume the music!”
At the Emperor’s command, the musicians began to play again.
The nobles, eager to avoid entanglement with Schwarz, deliberately looked away and sought dance partners.
Those who did not dance gathered in small groups to chat.
The icy tension in the ballroom slowly melted away under the cheerful music.
Then Lancelot, who had entered after Schwarz, approached.
“I greet the master of the Holy Kingdom. I am Lancelot Theodore.”
I had wanted to see his condition anyway, so I carefully examined him from head to toe.
Up close, there wasn’t even a scratch.
“That’s strange.”
And yet, something about him felt unfamiliar.
I soon realized why.
Lancelot usually preferred light-colored clothing to match his silver hair.
But the uniform he wore now was pitch-black.
It even gave off a threatening aura reminiscent of Schwarz.
Feeling my gaze, Lancelot called out,
“Sister Sonia.”
“….”
“You look beautiful. It took me a while to recognize you.”
Hearing his voice reassured me that he was fine—and at the same time, it made me angry.
“Lancelot! You said you left the estate early—why are you only arriving now?”
“It’s a long explanation.”
He glanced around.
“This isn’t the right place to talk.”
Do you know how worried I was, you idiot—and now you won’t even explain?
If this weren’t a ballroom, I would have grabbed him by the hair and shaken him.
But I had to hear his explanation.
Cassius leaned toward me.
“I will handle things here. Sonia, please go somewhere quiet with the viscount.”
“Thank you.”
I shot Lancelot a glare—follow me quietly.
He understood and obediently followed.
Leaving the ballroom, I searched for a place where we could talk in peace.
From behind me, Lancelot gave advice.
“Turn left there.”
“If you know, lead.”
“Yes, Sister.”
I followed Lancelot down the palace corridor.
That was when we encountered a small group.
Three women.
The one in the center walked with a jeweled cane, limping slightly.
Two women dressed as attendants supported her on either side.
Lancelot recognized her immediately.
“I greet the Empire’s Little Moon.”
The Imperial Princess?
I remembered then—Princess Sertina had injured her legs.
Following Lancelot’s lead, I bowed politely.
“I greet the Empire’s Little Moon.”
Her black hair cascaded elegantly, and her amethyst-colored eyes gleamed.
She was Sertina, the Empire’s only princess.
Lancelot had once been considered a candidate for her guard.
Having met him several times, she recognized him at once.
“Lancelot, it’s good to see you. And who is this?”
Unlike them, this was my first meeting with the princess.
“She might become Lancelot’s lifeline!”
I had to make a good impression.
I bowed even more formally.
“It is an honor to meet you, Your Highness. I am Sonia Theodore.”
Sertina’s expression stiffened instantly.
I was inwardly flustered but maintained a polite face.
“A priest of the Holy Kingdom?”
“Yes. I was recently promoted to a full priest.”
“So priests wear dresses these days?”
“Yes—this is a special allowance for today—”
“That’s enough. Let us return to the ballroom.”
She glared at me once, then turned and left.
“…Did I just earn the princess’s hatred?”
All I did was greet her.
What did I even do wrong?
***
With Sonia gone, the ballroom became a silent standoff between Schwarz and Cassius.
Schwarz studied Cassius quietly.
“Do you have something to say to me, Duke?”
To others, it looked like a simple stare.
But Cassius could feel it clearly.
Schwarz was continuously releasing alpha pheromones.
An attempt to dominate through aggression—but to Cassius, it was laughable.
“Are you bothered because my attire matches Sonia’s dress?”
Schwarz’s eyes twitched.
“You’re right to be concerned. I was Sonia’s first dance partner.”
“……”
“And we danced a second time immediately after.”
No matter how disconnected Schwarz was from high society, he knew the meaning of a second dance.
He imagined Sonia dancing twice with the same man.
His mood plummeted.
Anger boiled up inside him.
He didn’t understand why he felt this way—but one thing was clear.
Schwarz knew, from faint exposure in the Holy Kingdom, that Cassius was an alpha.
And he hated the idea of Sonia being with another alpha.
“I don’t see why you’re explaining this to me.”
Cassius didn’t need to use his ability—Schwarz’s thoughts were painfully obvious.
He truly didn’t understand his own feelings.
Approaching Sonia without knowing what he felt was laughable.
Cassius smiled casually and dropped all pretense of formality.
“I thought you were irritated by the fact that my pheromone scent is on Sonia.”
Only then did Schwarz realize why he felt so displeased.
The unfamiliar alpha scent clinging to Sonia repulsed him.
Having his sensitive point struck, his patience snapped.
He released all the alpha pheromones he had been holding back.
“Ghk—! I can’t—breathe—!”
“Ugh…!”
Even betas—who couldn’t smell pheromones—were affected by the killing intent embedded within them.
Cassius frowned slightly.
“What a disgusting scent.”
It was more repulsive than any omega he’d encountered before.
He glanced around.
Prince Shane, also an alpha, was glaring at Schwarz, teeth grinding.
Being crushed by another alpha’s pheromones was humiliating.
“So he can’t even endure this much.”
The Crown Prince’s abilities seemed mediocre at best.
The remaining betas trembled in suffocating fear.
“Good thing Sonia isn’t here.”
If she were, her omega nature would have made this unbearable.
Even betas could be harmed by prolonged exposure to such intense emotions.
Cassius released his own restrained pheromones and walked slowly toward Schwarz.
The wild pheromones scattering around were easily neutralized.
He stopped directly in front of Schwarz.
Then, looking at Schwarz’s bloodshot eyes, he gave a short laugh.
“This is how pheromones are meant to be used.”
