RODH Chapter 11
by Brie11.
“Was I really the Jewel of Kirias?”
For a moment, I almost asked if he truly became a swordmaster at the age of fourteen.
But remembering the events of the party the previous day, his reaction wasn’t all that surprising.
He was clearly someone uninterested in social affairs.
Seor, knowing this well, sneered.
“Looks like the Grand Duke lacks loyal subordinates. If you haven’t even heard such rumors, that must be the case.”
“Northerners don’t cling to such things. Whether I am the Jewel of Kirias or just a pebble, we are all equal before death.”
Oh, that was sharp.
I smirked as I watched Seor fail to come up with a retort.
But then the arrow turned toward me.
“Ian Pearl Ruben. I still haven’t received an answer to my question. Return that cloth to the Grand Duke or discard it here and now.”
“I refuse.”
“And why is that?”
Seor seemed unusually fixated on the reason. Was it just my imagination, or was he being particularly emotional today?
“Returning something that’s been given is improper etiquette. Moreover…”
Seor’s gaze practically said, ‘Go ahead, keep talking.’
Behind him, Bain was frantically gesturing.
It meant the etiquette tutor was nearly here.
I met Seor’s eyes and responded politely, “Discarding the Grand Duke’s belonging here would be deeply disrespectful to him.”
“You’ve got a silver tongue, Ian Pearl Ruben.”
“I hear that often. You know I’m a socialite, after all.”
It wasn’t something I wanted to say in front of the Grand Duke, but I needed Seor’s fondness for me to drop further. The faster that happened, the quicker our engagement could be annulled.
That was my intention, but the conversation took a strange turn.
“You heard that, Grand Duke Kirias? My fiancé loves parties and jewels to an absurd degree. Why else would he go as far as to collect Dragon’s Tears?”
What nonsense was he spouting now?
Grand Duke Kirias didn’t seem remotely interested in the personal gossip.
Fed up, I placed the piece of cloth in Seor’s hand and said, “I have etiquette lessons to attend. I’ll take my leave now. Goodbye, Your Highness.”
“Ian Pearl Ruben.”
“Grand Duke, I hope you enjoy your stay here.”
“Ian!”
Ignoring Seor’s barking, I walked away without looking back.
What was he even trying to accomplish, spouting nonsense like that in front of the Grand Duke?
Whatever it was, it had to be for some ulterior motive—or maybe he just wanted to brag.
As I hurried toward Bain, the March sunlight greeted me warmly, shining brightly on my path.
As Ian predicted, Seor had wanted to boast.
His annoyance at Ian’s refusal to either return or discard the piece of cloth had led to his impulsive remark.
“You heard that, Grand Duke Kirias? My fiancé not only loves parties but is utterly obsessed with jewels. Why else would he go so far as to collect Dragon’s Tears?”
Normally, Seor wouldn’t have said something so absurd, mindful of his dignity.
But he wanted to make one thing very clear:
Ian Pearl Ruben was his fiancé and his omega.
And that was why he had gifted Ian a bounty of Dragon’s Tears—or so he intended to explain.
Instead, Ian cut him off.
“I have etiquette lessons to attend. I’ll take my leave now, Your Highness.”
“Ian Pearl Ruben.”
“Grand Duke, I hope you enjoy your stay here.”
“Ian!”
Damn Ian Pearl Ruben bolted back to the mansion, leaving behind nothing but that useless scrap of cloth.
Seor clenched the cloth in his hand, resisting the urge to throw it to the ground as he felt someone’s gaze on him.
As he gripped the fabric tighter, the faint but unmistakable scent of honey-sweet pheromones wafted through the dominant alpha’s overwhelming odor.
It was Ian’s scent.
Seor shoved the cloth into his pocket and turned to Kirias, who stood there in his torn shirt, utterly unbothered by the situation.
“When do you plan to leave, Grand Duke?”
Kirias, his expression as impassive as ever, replied, “The Duke of Ruben invited me to join him for dinner. I’ll likely stay the night.”
“The night?”
“Yes. Scaling snowy terrain late at night is the height of folly.”
Seor frowned and said sharply, “That manner of speaking.”
“…”
“It’s deeply irritating.”
“I apologize. Northern speech tends to be rough….”
Kirias seemed genuinely unaware that he might have offended Seor.
Though northerners were notoriously hard to read, Seor wasn’t so dull as to miss the Grand Duke’s lack of malice.
“Forget it. My father has always appreciated your honesty, so I suppose it’s not my place to criticize.”
“…”
“I’ll join you for dinner as well.”
One thing was clear to Seor: he needed to stay firmly by Ian Pearl Ruben’s side.
His sharp instincts as a dominant alpha told him as much.
I couldn’t concentrate throughout the entire lesson.
Royal etiquette didn’t matter much to me, as I had no intention of becoming the Crown Princess. Learning the basics was more than enough.
The etiquette tutor, judging by her eager eyes, was probably already plotting to spread rumors about my lackadaisical attitude, but I didn’t care.
Once the dull lesson finally ended, I returned to my room and pulled out both my imperial studies textbook and the Ruben family journal.
The imperial studies textbook was simple enough—just reading and understanding. The journal, however, required me to cross-reference dates with historical records, which made it a more tedious task.
Feeling sluggish, I took out the ruby cufflink I’d stashed in my pocket and began spinning it between my thumb and index finger.
Lucian’s comment echoed in my mind.
“The cut is exquisite. The color, too, is on an entirely different level compared to ordinary gems.”
Of course, it’s artistic—what else would you expect from something produced by my house?
Scoffing to myself, I was startled by a soft knock at the door. It was Bain.
“Young Master, have some snacks while you work.”
“I was just craving pie. Thanks.”
Biting into the sunny yellow lemon pie, the tangy sweetness spread across my mouth.
Feeling lighter, I noticed the sweet scent of my pheromones filling the air.
Not wanting to ruin my mood, Bain opened the window wide to let in the fresh spring air, ventilating the room.
“The weather’s beautiful today,” he remarked.
Turning my chair toward the window, I gazed outside.
“True. The weather’s nice, but…”
“Is something bothering you again?”
“No. Just an annoying incident earlier.”
As my eyes fell on the ruby cufflink, Bain’s widened.
“What’s that gem, Young Master?”
“It’s a gift.”
“Don’t tell me it’s from His Highness Seor….”
“I told you not to mention that bastard in front of me, didn’t I?”
“Gasp! Then someone else gave it to you?”
Bain looked genuinely impressed, inhaling sharply in admiration.
“As expected of our Young Master. His Highness the Crown Prince better start feeling the pressure now!”
Bain had served House Ruben even before I was born, so he knew the darker side of noble society better than I did.
“Even His Majesty the Emperor keeps a mistress. It’s an open secret—why shouldn’t you have one too, Young Master?”
Once, such encouragement might have amused me.
Now, it didn’t bring any joy.
What’s there to boast about having a mistress?
I quickly shut down Bain’s excitement and gave him a stern warning.
“Enough. I’m going to break off the engagement anyway. And Bain…”
“Yes, Young Master?”
“Don’t tell anyone about this cufflink. If you do, I’ll smack your forehead flat with a spoon until it’s completely smooth.”
“Understood, Lord Ruben!”
Imagining being hit with a soup spoon, Bain suddenly became even more respectful.
Breakfast was usually taken individually in our rooms, but dinner was a time I always shared with my parents.
That is, until tonight, when an unwelcome addition intruded on this routine: Seor.
And seated beside him was none other than Grand Duke Kirias.
Having been cooped up studying all day, I hadn’t heard the news until Father informed me over dinner.
“Ian, I’m sorry. You seemed so busy that I didn’t tell you earlier. Grand Duke Kirias will be staying a few more days due to the northern mining negotiations.”
“It’s fine. I’m glad to have the opportunity to share a meal with His Grace,” I replied.
Grand Duke Kirias gave a small nod in acknowledgment.
Then my gaze shifted to Seor.
When I met his eyes with a look that clearly asked, ‘What are you doing here?’ he folded his arms and remarked, “Is dining at my fiancé’s house so unbearable, Ian Pearl Ruben?”
Would ‘you’ enjoy it if the person who once ordered your execution—suggesting it be even crueler to win favor with the emperor—was sitting across from you, eating dinner?
The veins in my clenched fists seemed ready to pop, but I mustered all my patience to respond calmly.
“Of course not. Please, eat plenty.”
‘Stuff yourself, you bastard.’
Ignoring Seor as much as possible, I continued the uncomfortable meal.
Then an idea struck me, and I whispered something to Bain, who stood nearby.
Finally, the awkward dinner ended, and dessert was served.
My future plans involved breaking off the engagement and heading north to start a new business venture.
Wouldn’t this be the perfect opportunity to lay some groundwork?
Like Father, I wanted to make a good impression on Grand Duke Kirias, so I had prepared a special dessert just for him: pudding with compote.
Since it contained less than half the usual amount of sugar, the pudding wasn’t overly sweet, and Grand Duke Kirias polished off every bite.
Feeling inexplicably proud, I asked, “Was the compote dessert to your liking?”
Under the backdrop of the spring evening, a faint smile appeared on Grand Duke Kirias’s lips.
For a moment, he seemed to shine like a red planet, brilliant and serene.