RODH Chapter 67

67.

Then was the matter with Count Gillat purely luck?

Ian felt grateful that Tristan had turned out to be dumber than expected.

“Then is there another artifact similar to Dragon’s Tear?”

“Yes, there is, but…”

Alvis trailed off at the end.

Ian spoke firmly.

“Whatever the side effects are, I don’t care. I can even pay you well above its value.”

If there was one thing Ian had learned after several regressions, it was that he had to achieve his goals by any means necessary.

Of course, that only applied to the people he needed to protect.

Interfering with anything beyond that would be arrogance.

Alvis waved his hands in protest.

“I could never accept money from you, Lord Ian.”

“If you don’t want money, I’ll give you jewels instead.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

Lucian, seeming frustrated, stepped in.

He gently took Ian’s hand and explained.

“You know that’s not what he means. Alvis is too purehearted to accept money or jewels from you.”

“What does being purehearted have to do with fair compensation?”

Lucian let out a short sigh.

“It’s frustrating, but it’s you, Ian, so I’ll let it slide. It’s part of your charm in a way.”

The cringe-worthy comment made Ian pull his hand away.

Lucian, pouting slightly, gave Alvis a look, urging him to answer.

“There is a top-tier artifact that reveals a person’s true thoughts, similar to Dragon’s Tear.”

“What is it?”

“The Eye That Sees Truth.”

The artifact known as ‘The Eye That Sees Truth.’

According to Alvis, as long as the target wasn’t a mana master, the artifact wouldn’t be detected.

“But…”

“Does it have side effects?”

“Immediately after use, it causes severe dizziness. And since it’s a powerful artifact, it’s not easy to remove afterward.”

Since this was coming from Alvis, a mana master, it couldn’t be dismissed.

Ian asked if there were any other options.

“There is one artifact that has more restrictive conditions, but almost no side effects.”

That caught Ian’s attention.

The next morning.

Seor came looking for Ian’s room.

It was because Ian had skipped dinner the night before, using a cold as an excuse.

But Bain, standing guard at the door, said,

“My lord went out for a walk early this morning.”

“At this hour?”

Seor glanced up at the sky, which had only just begun to brighten.

Bain nodded.

Thinking it might be an excuse, Seor glanced around the room, but Ian was truly nowhere to be seen.

“If he gets sicker in this cold, then what?”

Clicking his tongue, Seor headed for the garden.

Finding his way wasn’t hard.

It was only a count’s estate—barely a fraction of a fraction of the imperial palace’s size.

Still, wanting to see Ian quickly, Seor ran, breath slightly ragged.

“Ian!”

He called his name and scanned the surroundings.

Just then, he spotted Ian in the distance, cloaked in silver fox fur.

“Ian.”

Relieved, he was about to run over—until he saw Ian speaking with someone.

Or rather, not speaking. He was being one-sidedly insulted.

The other man, whom Seor recognized, sneered as he spoke.

“I heard you’ve been marked more than three times. Planning to keep refusing to choose a mate and just bleed alphas dry?”

“That wasn’t my choice.”

At Ian’s reply, the man responded with disgust.

“Then you’re saying it was all one-sided?”

“Well, that’s partly true… More importantly, you seem awfully interested in my personal life.”

“I was simply preparing to serve the future Crown Princess. Had I known it was someone like this, I wouldn’t have bothered.”

“Yes, yes.”

Seor’s face flushed red as he inadvertently eavesdropped.

Who the hell does he think he’s talking to like that?

He recognized the arrogant voice as belonging to Alex El Hubert.

A mere second son of a count—insulting someone who once held the title of Crown Princess?

Seor was about to intervene, but paused at Ian’s words.

“Return the ring.”

“Here it is. Hardly a gem befitting House Ruben.”

“Uncut stones don’t shine right away.”

“And sometimes it’s better they stay uncut.”

“Then I’ll be going now.”

A ring?

Seor’s eyes briefly fixed on Ian’s ring.

Was it a gift from someone?

But then Alex’s voice set his blood boiling again.

“Cheap little omega.”

He wanted nothing more than to shut that bastard’s mouth right then and there, but his status as Crown Prince held him back.

His father was already on edge due to the recent bombing—he couldn’t afford to cause further trouble.

So instead, he went to find Peter.

After hearing the story, Peter also flushed with anger and summoned his younger brother, Alex, to his room.

When Peter asked him if it was true, Alex nodded without resistance.

Smack!

Peter immediately struck Alex across the face with his fist.

Alex staggered, and his shadow followed his swaying frame.

Peter spoke in a cold, firm voice.

“Stand up straight. You’re going to apologize to Lord Ruben.”

“…Understood, brother.”

* * *

I’m not used to being insulted.

Even in the ducal estate, no one ever dared to speak so openly against me.

So this situation felt incredibly unfamiliar.

The second son of House Hubert, Alex El Hubert, said,

“I heard you’ve been marked more than three times. You must be planning to wear out alphas without ever choosing a mate.”

So what if I’ve been marked more than three times?

That was all those damn alphas acting on their own.

Well—except for Alvis.

He had asked for my consent during my heat.

I responded in protest.

“That wasn’t my choice.”

Anyway, hand over the ring, you bastard.

I had learned the day before that Alex usually took morning walks in the garden.

The servants in this house had no loyalty. The moment Bain slipped them a gold coin, they happily spilled everything.

From how the second young master loathed the youngest to how the anniversary of Peter’s father’s death was coming up.

I had heard so much, my head was spinning, but I focused on just one thing.

Alex El Hubert.

All I had to do was read his thoughts through the ring.

But unlike his older brother, Alex was incredibly talkative.

“Then you’re saying all your markings were one-sided?”

“Well, that too… But more importantly, you seem very interested in my private life, sir.”

“I was preparing to serve the former Crown Princess. If I had known this was the kind of person you were, I wouldn’t have bothered.”

“Yes, yes.”

Not the former Crown Princess—more like the Emperor’s spy, you bastard.

I swallowed the curse that was about to burst from my throat.

“Return the ring, please.”

“Here it is. A gem that hardly suits House Ruben.”

“Uncut stones don’t shine right away.”

“I wish the stone had remained uncut.”

“Then I’ll be going now.”

Leaving the ever-rambling Alex behind, I carefully took the ring and returned to my room.

Then I ordered Bain,

“Bain, secure the door tightly. If anyone comes, tell them I’m sleeping because of my cold.”

“Yes, my lord. But… that artifact—is it safe?”

“It’s supposed to show a lot in a short time. I need to focus.”

“Got it. I’ll make sure no one gets in.”

Just in case, I went into the bathroom, shut the door, and sank into the tub.

Then I slipped on the artifact called “Flashback.”

The moment I put it on, incomprehensible scenes began flicking rapidly before my eyes.

For a moment, I felt like vomiting from the rush of new information cramming into my head—but I focused on Alex’s words.

—I understand, Your Majesty. If Lord Ruben shows any suspicious signs, I’ll kill him.

—Good. We’ll say he tried to poison the Crown Prince.

—Brilliant, as always.

What the hell?

Then in my second life, it was the Emperor who had me killed?

I cursed both the Emperor and Alex in my head.

Who the hell were they to decide whether I lived or died?

As I stewed in anger over their arrogance, the scene changed—to the North.

Alex was watching Sid Ferost from afar using a telescope.

Then he gave orders to masked men.

—Failure is not an option. Make it succeed no matter what.

—Yes, sir!

And then—back to the present.

“Gasp!”

I pulled off the ring and tried to steady my breathing.

It felt like I’d just been yanked out of deep water—not a pleasant sensation—but I’d learned a lot.

First, that the Emperor had been watching me so closely he eventually ordered my assassination.

Second, that the man behind the Sid Ferost bombing was Alex El Hubert.

But the motive was unclear, and I didn’t have solid evidence.

What could I even do with just an emblem?

I was startled by a ‘bang bang!’ on the door.

When I stepped out of the bathroom, I saw Seor, Peter, and Alex—whose cheek was swollen red—standing outside.

“What’s going on?”

I asked, and Seor cleared his throat.

Then Peter calmly explained.

“My younger brother has wronged you, and we’ve come to formally apologize.”

“Was anyone else present?”

I turned to look at Seor. His cheeks had taken on a peachy hue.

It was you.

“His Imperial Highness said he overheard during his morning walk.”

“I see.”

“Alex, apologize to Lord Ruben.”

Pushed forward, Alex bowed his head and apologized.

“Please forgive my rudeness, Lord Ruben. I will accept whatever punishment you deem fit.”

Oh?

‘Whatever’ punishment?

I smiled as pleasantly as possible.

“Would it be alright if I hit you just once?”

You bastard.