FMY 21

Duke Arthur, in addition to managing his domain, was extremely busy with his duties as the Minister of Finance, so he rarely engaged in social activities unless they were official events held at the royal palace. At best, the entirety of his social life consisted of frequenting salons for Alphas involved in politics and business.

However, just because the head of the house was infrequent in his social activities did not mean that invitations stopped coming in. The name of the Arthur family alone caused countless invitations to pour in, even if they were not wanted. Among them were many gatherings that the spouse of the head of the family should attend.

‘But in our family, there was no one to attend such functions.’

Serge’s mother, the Duchess, had passed away due to the strain on her body from giving birth to his younger siblings, and eight years had passed since then. The position of the lady of the house had been vacant for as long as the twins were old.

Of course, as the eldest son of the family and an Omega, he should have attended social gatherings in place of the lady of the house, but he had been unable to do so thus far. And for good reason—how could a big, pathetic recessive Omega, a person with social anxiety who feared and avoided people, a bookworm who only knew how to study, have handled so many tasks smoothly?

Therefore, the task of sending replies to such invitations that came to the ducal family and attending the events naturally fell to Gabriel, who had become an adult.

Of course, this too was something Gabriel had been enjoying after cunningly and gradually stealing it away from Serge over a long period, like rain soaking clothes without one realizing, in order to take his place, but at the time, Serge had been completely unaware. To the contrary, Serge had felt sorry for Gabriel for going in his place, so brainwashed by Gabriel who would say, “You should know to be grateful that I’m doing this for you.”

Moreover, Gabriel had long strived to make that position seem to suit him well, so as not to appear awkward in the eyes of others. Although he was not the formally adopted son of the Arthur family, he was, after all, a ward of the ducal family, and he had actually lived and been educated alongside the Duke’s children. Under the pretext of being ‘part of the household,’ everyone acknowledged his actions.

And Gabriel had a title to boast of. An Omega, who were fewer in number than Alphas, and among them, the title of a ‘dominant Omega,’ a rare and coveted object of envy. On top of that, he was quite good at social activities, so a considerable amount of time had passed since the Duke had started entrusting the invitations to Gabriel with confidence.

Perhaps that was why he was so arrogant.

‘I’ll have to talk to father and correct this part too.’

Thinking that, it was a relief to have run into him here and now.

Unaware of what thoughts Serge was lost in concerning him, Gabriel pressed the index finger that was poking his chest with more force and continued speaking.

“You… I don’t know what you ate to become so shameless and confident.”

“……”

“But even so, you are still the crybaby Serge. It would be better for you not to presumptuously think of taking my place. You wouldn’t dare be able to handle it anyway. I’m telling you this kindly as your hyung. Do you know how sensitive high society is? A dull kid like you won’t even be able to answer others properly and will just become a laughingstock in no time, you’ll see.”

For a moment, it was so ridiculous that he barely suppressed a burst of laughter.

Who was taking whose things?

It was truly the same old delusion.

In a way, it was quite a talent to act like a superior while looking up at the large-bodied Serge, with a small frame that others would call Omega-like and beautiful.

Serge found his own change surprising as well. To think that that pride and self-esteem, which seemed to pierce the sky, now looked so trivial. He felt a new appreciation for his second life. It was to the point where he couldn’t understand why he had been so scared in his past life. What was so special about this delicate fellow?

“Alright.”

So he just let this little fellow act as he pleased. Wasn’t it quite funny and pathetic to see him swaggering around, thinking he had won against Serge for now, with a glory that would soon disappear?

“Hmph!”

Having gotten the answer he wanted, Gabriel primly spun around and hurried his steps toward his room.

Serge watched his retreating back quietly and fell into thought again.

‘High society…’

In truth, for a top star who had been popular not just nationwide but globally, the high society of these nobles was nothing. Having played in bigger and rougher waters, what was there to fear in this narrow noble society? If Serge put his mind to it, he could easily snatch the queen bee position of the Blanche Kingdom’s high society that Gabriel occupied.

‘But I wasn’t planning on doing that…’

Everything changed when he took Raphael’s hand.

From now on, he would have to go out into high society and face him head-on. With that dominant Omega Gabriel, the object of everyone’s envy, who was disappearing with brisk little steps.

‘This is getting interesting.’

Serge smiled brightly at Gabriel’s retreating back, his white teeth showing.

⚭

In his previous life, Serge, through the power of Duke Arthur, had eventually reached the point of being just short of getting engaged to the Crown Prince.

The Queen, who had been contemplating who to place by her eldest son’s side by inviting young people to her salon, had ultimately acknowledged the influence of the Arthur family and chosen Serge.

The news of their engagement was quickly announced in high society, the preparations for the upcoming engagement ceremony were in their final stages, and even the daily papers printed with crude presses celebrated their engagement.

However, just the week before Serge was scheduled to have his engagement ceremony with the Crown Prince.

At a hunting competition held by the royal family, Serge caused a firearm misfire accident. He still does not know why the spare shotgun, which had been hanging properly by the saddle, had suddenly fired so erratically. Moreover, from a firearm that hadn’t even been loaded with bullets, how could it have… He only later suspected that Gabriel might have had a hand in it. He had certainly discovered suspicious circumstances.

The problem was that the misfire had injured those who were nearby.

In particular, Duke Arthur’s horse, which was hit squarely by the fragmenting bullets, thrashed violently and threw its rider off. From that fall, the Duke severely injured his spine and nervous system.

Serge quietly recalled the past image of his father lying in bed with a dark expression, paralyzed from the neck down. His father, who had always been full of physical vitality and energetically handled all matters, befitting a dominant Alpha, and who had been brimming with pride as an Alpha. The sight of such a man, after becoming a quadriplegic, helplessly having his life force drained away on his sickbed…

Because of that incident, Serge was stripped of his position as the Crown Princess Consort.

It was because Gabriel, who had been right next to him that day, testified that Serge was the cause of the entire accident. The Crown Prince, whose unofficial lover he was, also supported his words, and the followers in high society who adored the angelic dominant Omega all believed Gabriel’s words, not the pathetic Serge’s, adding strength to his false claims.

Thus, thanks to Gabriel’s all-too-successful manipulation of public opinion, no one acknowledged the fact that it was an accidental incident and that Serge was just an unfortunate victim.

‘That’s how the exaggerated rumor spread that I was a patricide who shot my own father.’

The aftermath was uncontrollable. With his social anxiety worsening and even developing a panic disorder due to the rumors and people’s criticism, Serge was eventually rumored to be a madman and was completely exiled from high society. It was obvious who had let the situation flow that way.

Furthermore, the problem did not end there.

With public opinion turning that way and Serge ultimately stepping down from the position of Crown Princess Consort, did he feel he could not lose that position even while ill? Duke Arthur legally adopted Gabriel. And in place of his son, he placed his adopted son in the position of Crown Princess Consort. That was probably the last time he exerted his power. After that incident, the Duke began to weaken rapidly.

The packs of wolves who had been jealous of the Arthur family’s glory began to cunningly tear the family apart and devour it, taking advantage of the Duke’s weakness.

The Duke, confined to his bed and unable to move, the eldest son, exiled from high society and confined, and the young twins.

The entire family was scattered by the influence of Gabriel, who had become the Crown Princess Consort.

In front of the Duke’s office, Serge gently pressed a hand to the area of his heart, which was beating faster from recalling the nightmare of the past. The sound of his deep breaths to calm his turbulent heartbeat was ragged.

‘Nothing has happened yet.’

The situation now is different from back then.

He now possessed the fortitude and wisdom to not fall for Gabriel’s schemes.

If he started to manage and sort out his surroundings one by one from now on, the same things as in his past life would not happen, and taking revenge on Gabriel would be a piece of cake.

To do that, the most important thing right now was to persuade the Duke and bring him completely over to Serge’s side. So that he would have faith in him no matter what happened externally, and so that his father would not make the same fatal mistake as before.

It was not that he did not resent his father from the past, who had coveted the position of the next empire’s ruler’s spouse and had thought him pathetic.

However, one could not call it wrong for a person in power to desire even more power. Besides, Duke Arthur had, up until then, supported his son as a priority to the best of his ability according to the situation. Although he had been short on communication with his son and had not known his inner feelings, thus coercively forcing the position upon him, it could also be seen as a natural course of action for an ambitious high nobleman.

At the time, Serge had been sorrowful and struggled while moving according to the Duke’s will, but thinking back on it now, it was not just a matter of resentment. He was also at fault for the lack of communication.

So, the responsibility lay with both him and the Duke.

In any case, the same thing as the past must absolutely not happen this time.

Serge, having calmed his mind, took a deep breath and knocked on the door of the Duke’s office.

Knock, knock.

The head butler, who opened the door slightly to check the visitor, said in a calm voice.

“Your Grace. The young master has arrived.”

“Come in.”

Upon the old faithful servant’s words, Duke Arthur’s permission was granted immediately. Serge entered through the door he held open and strode forward to stand before his father.

The Duke, a man of large build, took off the glasses he was wearing and set them down. His wrinkled forehead and bloodshot eyes revealed the deep fatigue of a man who shouldered a great family.

However, despite being past middle age, he was a robust and upright figure, showing no signs of being overweight or sagging. Just by his appearance, his father was nothing less than the epitome of a dominant Alpha high nobleman.

In front of this father, who was always like a great wall, massive and solid, and without a single flaw, the Serge of his past life had always been intimidated.

But now, with eyes that could notice his considerably graying hair and heavy shoulders, he knew the truth, however faintly.

That this posture, like a bronze statue that stands tall and does not fall, was because he never let his guard down for a moment and strived to lead the great family. And the reason he had been strict with his eldest son was because his love and expectations for his son were as great as the strictness he imposed upon himself. The roar that often echoed in his office was a trace of the effort from someone responsible for a large family.

Thinking back, the Duke was just the epitome of a quiet and blunt father who did not know how to embrace his children affectionately and tenderly. But just because he had such a personality, just because he did not know how to carefully look after the children he was raising and maintain a relationship, did not mean he was a bad person.

Serge decided to believe in that part.

“What brings you here?”

The Duke said, rising from his seat, as if intending to properly receive his eldest son who had come to see him first for the first time.

“Please remain seated, father.”

“……”

“It won’t take long. Martin, bring a chair here.”

When Serge ordered the head butler with a crisp gesture and voice, he quickly brought over a chair with armrests.

Today, before having a heart-to-heart conversation with his father, Serge intended to please him first. To open the heart of the Duke who would see the image of the son he desired.

For that to happen, several factors needed to be in place. The distance should not be too far, yet it should not seem as if he were trying to be on equal footing with the Duke, who valued etiquette in relationships with people—an appropriate distance.

That is why Serge chose to place a chair opposite his father’s desk and sit down.

He was not a guest like the others who visited the Duke’s office, nor was he his subordinate to stand politely before the office desk and converse.

‘A son.’

He was Duke Arthur’s eldest son and, until the twins were born, his only child.

Although they had an awkward relationship until now, with an overly timid son born to a strict father, he now intended to break that relationship.

The comfortable posture of sitting opposite his father at the desk with his arms resting on the armrests was quite arbitrary and could seem presumptuous, but it was one of the natural rights he could enjoy. It was not against etiquette, but a distance that a father and son with a close relationship could have. A natural position from which it was fine to look at the documents scattered on the desk at any time.

He intended to find that position of a true ‘son.’ Along with a much closer distance than before.

The relationship between a parent and child is also a relationship between people.

For the recovery of a relationship, both sides had to make an ‘effort.’ Crying and throwing a tantrum, asking, “Why don’t you love me blindly, father?” without making any effort is a story that only works in childhood.