RODH Chapter 69

69.

I shot up from bed.

But a wave of bitterness immediately forced me to lie back down.

Knock knock—

“Lord Ian.”

That gentle voice calling my name felt cruel.

I stuffed a pillow over both ears and curled up for a long while.

How much time passed?

Eventually, even the knocking and the presence outside faded away.

Had he really left?

Cautiously, I sat up and tiptoed to the door.

Not even breathing, I reached for the doorknob.

Creak—

The turning of the knob sounded ridiculously loud tonight.

Worried Nevan might still be nearby in the hallway, I slowly cracked the door open.

And then—

“Ahhh!”

Nevan was standing right there, expressionless, right in front of me.

He looked a little startled by the noise.

Trying to calm my racing heart, I stammered,

“Wh-what brings you here?”

“There’s something I need to say.”

“At this hour?”

At my words, Nevan glanced toward the far-off window.

Judging time by the sky as if it were perfectly normal, he said,

“It’s still evening.”

“It’s late evening.”

“I see. But…”

“Come back tomorrow.”

Not that I’d be here tomorrow anyway.

I hated myself for choosing avoidance to express that I didn’t want to see him for a while—but I’d been hurt more than a little.

Why the hell had he handed me a rose with the meaning of ‘Love’, then?

My insides boiled with anger.

I tried to shut the door, but it wouldn’t budge.

Looking down, I saw Nevan’s foot was wedged in the gap.

I glared at him as sharply as I could and snapped coldly,

“What do you think you’re doing?”

“It’s something I have to say tonight.”

“There’s no such thing.”

“My instinct tells me otherwise, Lord Ian.”

Nevan replied with a sorrowful expression.

His unusually pale face and the way his red eyes shone beneath those silk-fine lashes—tonight, it was unfair.

To say he had something important to tell me while looking like that—it was cheating.

I gave in with a resigned tone.

Though, truthfully, I was already halfway swayed.

“Then speak.”

“Not out here…”

“What is it you want to say so badly?”

“I like you.”

“…What?!”

I couldn’t make sense of his intentions, so I asked,

“Why now? Why say that now, in the middle of the night?”

A faint blush colored both his cheeks.

The tips of his ears were already a deep red.

“Am I not allowed to?”

Nevan asked if this broke any southern etiquette.

I shook my head. That wasn’t the issue.

“Then why…”

He looked genuinely disappointed that I didn’t accept his feelings.

But I was the one who was upset.

In the morning, he’d been laughing and exchanging flowers with some random omega—and now he says he likes me?

“You seem like someone who keeps… multiple lovers, Lord Nevan.”

Nevan’s brow furrowed slightly.

Seeing such a delicate face crease like that made me want to smooth it out with my own hands.

But no—I needed to make this clear.

I’m possessive.

I have no interest in an alpha who drags lovers around like goldfish on a leash.

After a short silence, Nevan opened his mouth.

“I have… a lover.”

I heard something drop in my chest with a thud.

So it really was Mikael?

The anger I’d been holding back since earlier surged forward in a rush.

Calm down. Hold it in.

Just like my sisters always said—there’s no such thing as a good alpha. Nevan was no exception.

The heart that had once swelled with expectation now burned with anger as its fuel.

At that moment, a bouquet of roses appeared before my eyes.

The same roses I’d seen in the garden.

“I don’t know what misunderstanding you’ve had, but…”

“……”

“Northerners are like wolves.”

Nevan calmly began trying to clear up the misunderstanding.

His words were short and disjointed, but if I pieced them together like a puzzle, they amounted to this:

‘You’re my only lover.’

I couldn’t make sense of it and asked,

“But you were with Lord Mikael in the garden…”

“Ah, so you saw that.”

I lowered my head and muttered,

“I wasn’t trying to spy on purpose.”

“I know.”

“Then what was that…?”

“I heard that you like flowers…”

So Nevan had simply asked Mikael’s permission to take a few roses.

He spoke as if he didn’t care how far my misunderstanding had gone.

“Do you know the meaning of this flower?”

“…Love.”

“It’s a lovely flower.”

Nevan took my hand and placed the bouquet in it.

He stared at me for a long moment, like a cat studying a mouse.

It felt like cold sweat was running down my back.

Only when I escaped the grip of those red eyes could I finally exhale.

“Lord Ian.”

“Y-yes.”

“You suit roses well.”

“…Right.”

“Then, I’ll be going.”

Nevan said something vague and then disappeared.

I stood there, watching him walk down the hallway in his nightclothes, then finally shut the door.

My heart felt like it was going to explode—I couldn’t breathe properly.

‘I heard you like flowers, Lord Ian…’

The way he said that, blushing slightly—damn it. He was way too cute.

“Aaagh!”

I dove into my bed like I was jumping into a pool, flailing my legs.

I coughed a bit from the dust but felt light, like I was floating.

As I stared at the thornless, perfectly trimmed roses, I felt ashamed of my trashy misunderstanding.

Nevan wasn’t that kind of person—so why had I assumed the worst?

Apparently, it’s not just alphas who go blind with jealousy.

The way I, an omega, was reacting to another omega felt strange—unfamiliar.

At the same time, my emotions swung between heaven and hell.

“So this is what love feels like…”

Muttering like a fool, I put the roses into a vase.

I’d take them home tomorrow.

Or so I thought— but by morning, the roses had completely withered for some unknown reason.

* * *

The previous evening.

“Ahhh!”

At Ian’s scream, Seor was the first to fling open his door.

But before he could even step outside, Grand Duke Kirias’s voice reached his ears.

“There’s something I need to say.”

‘Something to say?’

Seor, who had thrown the door wide open, paused at the threshold to listen.

“I like you.”

‘What?’

Just as Seor was about to storm out and demand what right Nevan had to say such a thing, hands grabbed him from both sides.

It was none other than Lucian and Alvis.

“What do you two think you’re—mmph!”

“Shh, Your Highness. Let’s hear what that northern savage has to say.”

“Agreed. His intentions toward Lord Ian seem… highly questionable.”

And so, the three of them agreed to cooperate for the time being.

“Let’s just listen for now.”

Ian’s voice, which had started out sharp and defensive, gradually softened over time.

They were all curious—what was it that this northern savage, Nevan, had said to win over someone as prickly as Ian?

“I heard Lord Ian likes flowers…”

“How the hell did he know Ian likes flowers?” Lucian muttered, peering out through the door with a flash of suspicion in his eyes.

“Does Lord Ian actually like flowers?” Alvis belatedly asked.

But Lucian simply gnawed at his fingernail like a man robbed of precious intelligence.

Seor, meanwhile, resolved to start sending Ian bouquets daily starting tomorrow.

As each of them pursued their own conflicting intentions, the sound of footsteps signaled the end of the conversation.

“Close the door!”

Alvis quickly shut it with a silent spell.

The three of them held their breath until Nevan had entered his room and disappeared.

Once he was gone, they all exhaled in relief.

“Another rival has entered the fray.”

“We shouldn’t have underestimated that northern savage…”

“Exactly. But why did Lord Ian soften toward him?”

Each of them pondered the question in their own way.

Seor spoke first.

“It must be his strength—something that rivals even the admirals of the South.”

Lucian disagreed.

“Ian’s just fallen for his face.”

Alvis offered another theory.

“He must’ve used some strange northern spell.”

No one had a clear answer, but then Lucian suggested,

“How about we form a temporary alliance?”

“Alliance?”

“You’re saying… to drive out Grand Duke Kirias?”

“Yeah. He’s a strong opponent. We’ll need to work together.”

“Hah. I’m not making any damn alliance with the likes of you.”

At Seor’s scoff, Lucian smirked mockingly.

“Does the Crown Prince even realize he’s the least likely one to win Ian over?”

“What nonsense is that!”

“It’s true. Every time you open your mouth, Lord Ian’s expression turns ice cold.”

“…Is that really true?”

“Of course it’s true. So what’s your plan—join us, or go solo?”

“Damn it…”

And so, Seor, Lucian, and Alvis reluctantly joined forces to drive out Grand Duke Kirias.

Lucian used a portal spell to wilt the bouquet Nevan had given Ian.

Seor ordered Peter to take the Grand Duke on a sightseeing trip to the lake near the estate early the next morning.

And Alvis desperately tried to break whatever strange northern magic had taken hold of Ian’s heart.

Meanwhile, Ian, disappointed by the wilted flowers, still took them with him when he left for home.

That was the moment when the trio’s prediction—that Ian would stay longer at the count’s estate—was completely proven wrong.

“He left? Why?”

“He said he wasn’t feeling well.”

“What?!”

Ian’s health immediately became a topic of major interest to all three of them.

To them, Ian being sick was an opportunity.

After all, when someone is unwell, they tend to be drawn to whoever treats them kindly.

‘Now’s the time to make an impression.’