RODH Chapter 87

87.

Ian didn’t know.

On a snow-covered mountain, no matter how softly you whispered, your words carried far.

Nevan pulled Ian’s scarf snugly around him and said,

“Anytime.”

“Truly?”

Ian’s voice was filled with expectation.

The corners of Nevan’s lips twitched.

“You just smiled, didn’t you?”

“Yes, I did.”

“May I ask why…?”

“Because you’re lovely.”

Cough, cough!

Suddenly, the knights nearby began clearing their throats and quickly withdrew from the area.

Ian looked at Nevan with anxious eyes.

“Could they have heard everything?”

Nevan lied.

“They won’t have.”

“But if they did…”

In response to Ian’s worry, Nevan stroked his cheek with his hand and added,

“Northerners are tight-lipped.”

Ian gave a small smile and answered,

“Then I’ll trust you.”

“Yes.”

Nevan waited until Ian was securely seated on his saddle before mounting his own horse.

The pace they set was neither fast nor slow.

For some reason, though, Lucian and Alvis held back, keeping a little distance.

Ian worried they might be falling behind, but Lucian called out, “Go on ahead!” and he relaxed.

Meanwhile, the two were communicating through Alvis’s magic.

—He said “because you’re lovely,” and he likes it!

—Indeed. I cannot believe Lord Ian would favor such lecherous words from him.

—It seems we’ll need to take special measures.

Alvis glanced at Lucian’s gleaming violet eyes and asked,

—What kind of measures?

—What else? We’ll show Ian that man’s true nature!

Lucian intended to prove that all dominant alphas were the same beasts in the end.

—Once Ian sees the grand duke’s animalistic side, he’ll think twice. I’ve already told the crown prince, so all we need to do is set the stage.

—You mean to make Lord Ian disappointed in him?

—Exactly. That’s it.

Lucian hummed a tune as he tugged at his reins.

* * *

The monuments Anna Tuhatla had spoken of were all smeared with traces of slime, and beneath them were magic circles carved to disrupt the flow of mana.

When the monuments were completely cleansed, Anna Tuhatla’s body shone with light, and she became a fully grown adult.

“Well done, Grand Duke.”

“It was nothing.”

Nevan knelt on one knee before Anna Tuhatla.

The others followed suit.

Anna Tuhatla raised her hand, forming a cluster of light.

From within the light, small bursts of laughter could be heard.

Other spirits had gathered.

“To the loyal, I shall grant proper rewards.”

The tinkling laughter scattered above Nevan and his companions.

It was Anna Tuhatla’s blessing.

“But to outsiders who must live beyond, I will not bestow it.”

Lucian and Alvis both nodded.

“Then I will open the way for your safe return.”

Through the darkening forest, a glowing path appeared.

“Thank you.”

Anna Tuhatla danced through the sky with the other spirits and soon vanished.

Following the shining path, they returned quickly to the grand duke’s estate.

Nevan dismissed all retainers except for Luke and Klain.

“You’ve all done well.”

“It was nothing, Your Grace.”

“Go and rest.”

Ian was waiting for Bain to come meet him.

At that moment, Lucian sidled up to him and said,

“Now you can finally rest. It must have been hard, Ian.”

“I’m fine.”

“Hmm, but the shadows under your eyes are dark.”

At Lucian’s words, Nevan turned his head.

He strode over and checked Ian’s complexion.

“You…”

Lucian muttered some protest at being pushed aside, but Nevan ignored him.

“I’ll call for Chloe. Please return to your room at once.”

“I’m not that tired.”

“In the North, even a small cold is hard to cure.”

With a serious expression, Nevan instructed Luke to escort Ian.

Lucian quickly latched onto Ian again like a shadow, and Alvis followed suit.

Nevan sighed as he watched them go.

Then Klain called to him.

“Your Grace.”

“Speak.”

“Do you truly find that man lovely?”

Nevan answered without even a moment’s hesitation.

“I do.”

“Since when?”

Klain, who had practically raised Nevan since childhood, felt as though something precious had been taken from him.

“Does the timing matter?”

“Then what does?”

“The reason matters.”

“Why him? Why Lord Ian Ruben, of all people?”

Of all people.

Nevan himself had never imagined he would fall in love with someone entangled with the crown prince, the dragon prince, and even the Tower Lord.

He had long known Ian wasn’t ordinary, but the feelings beyond that only came with time.

No one would believe it, but at first, Ian was simply a good friend.

Then, when he realized he wanted to protect him—that was the moment Ian became someone precious.

And it was Ian himself who taught him what that meant: that it was love.

The letters, their conversations, their kisses—he wanted them all “just once more.”

Above all, there was an ownership in him he hadn’t even realized before.

There were too many alphas crowding near Ian.

If it were up to him, he would have banished them all at once.

But doing that would have only made things harder for Ian.

And besides, the crown prince was not someone who could simply be banished.

“Your Grace.”

At Klain’s quiet call, Nevan set time in motion again.

“I will protect him.”

“…”

“Is that reason enough?”

“Yes.”

Klain nodded, meaning he would no longer interfere.

Though the rumors weren’t favorable, Ian was nonetheless a noble of considerable standing.

Perhaps, Klain thought, this marriage might even be advantageous for the Grand Duke.

Being Northern to the bone, Klain could only consider the benefit of the North when it came to marriage.

Given the previous grand duke and duchess, it was natural.

Still, the one concern remained—the Imperial Family.

“Be wary of the Emperor.”

“The North is full of shadows. Do not worry, Klain.”

After those brief words, the two returned indoors.

* * *

Meanwhile, Lucian was preparing for the boldest scheme of his life.

He knocked at Ian’s door while Ian was bathing, luring Bain out.

The moment Bain saw him, he snorted.

“What brings you he—”

Thud!

Before he could finish, Bain collapsed.

“Sorry, Bain. Nothing personal.”

Lucian handed the unconscious servant to Alvis and strode into the room.

From the bath came the fragrance of scented oils, mingled with the sweet trail of pheromones.

He swallowed hard, but he was aiming for a greater strike.

Looking around, he stole the entire laundry basket.

Then, as if nothing had happened, he laid Bain gently on the sofa.

“You erased his memory, didn’t you?”

He asked Alvis, who nodded.

“It was such a short time, he won’t remember. I also placed a suggestion.”

“Good. Now let’s go with the crown prince.”

Lucian whistled and strode like a conquering general.

It wasn’t hard to bring out the beastly side of an alpha.

All it took was an omega’s pheromones.

Lucian’s plan was to expose Nevan, stripped of self-control, before Ian’s very eyes.

“Do you truly think Ian will come to despise the grand duke if we do this?”

Seor doubted the plan, but Lucian was certain.

“An alpha must always be perfect. The moment that perfection crumbles, it’s over. Love affairs might be fun, but marriage is another matter entirely.”

Seor and Alvis both nodded.

With Alvis’s power, even the knight Klain had been sent away.

Nevan was alone in his office.

Lucian handed masks to Seor and Alvis.

“What are these for?”

“We’re going to use a drug to thicken the scent. We can’t afford to be affected ourselves.”

The three alphas donned their masks.

Lucian told Alvis,

“Bring Ian now.”

“Understood.”

Alvis triggered the suggestion he had placed on Bain.

Carrying tea, Bain went straight to Ian and relayed the message: that the grand duke requested his presence.

“Lord Ian will be here shortly.”

Everything was going smoothly.

Lucian knocked on the office door.

When Nevan permitted entry, the three burst in.

Nevan asked,

“What brings you here at this hour?”

“There’s something we need you to confirm.”

“…”

Seeing the masked men, Nevan immediately searched for a way to escape.

But Lucian was quicker.

He tossed Ian’s clothes, soaked with pheromones, into the air.

Seor and Alvis gasped.

“Hff.”

Ian’s pheromones—an irresistible, sweet scent—flooded the entire room.

It took them a long while to regain composure.

And then—

“You summoned me?”

At last, Ian arrived.

He frowned at the familiar pheromone filling the office.

Then he saw someone clutching his clothes and writhing on the floor.

Lucian seized the moment and shouted,

“It’s the Grand Duke! The Grand Duke was like this!”

“That’s right, hiding in here like this.”

“Y-yes, exactly.”

As Seor, Lucian, and Alvis stammered under the pheromone’s sway, Ian rushed straight to Nevan.

“Nevan! Nevan! Please, get ahold of your—”

But Ian couldn’t finish his words.

Nevan was clutching Ian’s clothes to his chest, and he was crying.