Etienne let the smile fade and sank into the sofa with a tired face. He was pretending to be fine on the surface, but he, too, was quite shocked by the state of his body.
Perhaps that was why. Suddenly everything felt exhausting. Feeling a headache climb, Etienne covered his eyes with the crook of his wrist.
“Let’s end this talk here. All right? I’m tired—I need a little sleep.”
“If you’re tired, to the bed, perhaps…”
The moment Ben opened his mouth, someone knocked. A voice followed, announcing the chamberlain’s visit.
“Your Highness the Prince. The chamberlain requests an audience.”
“The chamberlain?”
At the mention that the chamberlain had come, Etienne frowned. He rose and signaled Ben with his eyes.
“His Highness bids you enter.”
No sooner had Ben finished than the door opened. The chamberlain slipped in without a sound and bowed at the waist.
“I greet the Star of the Empire.”
“What brings you all the way here?”
“His Imperial Majesty wishes to hold a dinner this evening. There is a message that Your Highness must attend.”
“His Majesty?”
At the unexpected invitation, Etienne knit his brows. For some reason, he had a bad feeling.
“Who will be attending this dinner?”
“Together with His Grace the Grand Duke of Eckhart, all those of imperial blood are to attend. Invitations have also been sent to the Ten Great Houses, including His Grace Duke Herace and the border Marquess Matias.”
“Haa.”
Why was it that ominous premonitions were never wrong. Irritation welled up at the words coming out of the chamberlain’s mouth. When he did not answer at once, the chamberlain called to him as if to hurry him along.
“Your Highness?”
“I understand. I’ll attend—now you may go.”
“As you wish. I will tell His Imperial Majesty that Your Highness will gladly be present.”
“Very well.”
“Then I shall withdraw.”
Having finished his business, the chamberlain turned without reluctance. The instant he was gone, Etienne sprawled back onto the sofa. Perhaps from the stress, bile surged up; his mouth tasted bitter.
***
I don’t want to go.
With the heart of a prisoner being dragged to jail, Etienne walked toward the hall where the dinner would be held. Ben looked at him with pity, but knowing there was nothing he could do, he followed quietly behind.
Even now, I could say I’m unwell and can’t make it, then run.
Etienne seriously weighed excuses. Just thinking of the power struggle between the Emperor and the Empress made his stomach roil as if he were already dyspeptic. Above all, he did not want to see Rishar. He was walking with a gloomy face when a ringing voice sounded from behind.
“Your Highness the Prince!”
At the vaguely familiar voice, Etienne stopped and turned his head. In that instant a black shadow swept in and wrapped him up.
“It’s been so long! Ha ha!”
“Grand Duchess… of Saxony?”
Etienne’s eyes widened when he saw who was embracing him. The one giving him such a hearty hug was the Emperor’s cousin, the Grand Duchess of Saxony.
“Have you been well? You look thinner than before.”
With a cheerful face, the Grand Duchess of Saxony looked Etienne over. Her crescent-moon eyes flashed keenly.
“I’ve been well. When did you come to the capital? I recall you were on a tour of your domain.”
He drew his body back as he spoke. Being caught in the Grand Duchess’s arms was uncomfortable. Thankfully, she let him go without fuss.
“A few days ago.”
“A few days… then…”
“Ah, I couldn’t attend the triumph banquet. I hadn’t shaken off the travel fatigue.”
Liar. Etienne murmured inwardly at her words. She had likely skipped it on purpose. The Grand Duchess of Saxony loathed Rishar—immensely.
Eris von Saxony.
The Emperor’s cousin, she was the royal with the next claim to the throne after him. She was also a fairly capable knight. Not on Rishar’s level, but as a royal knight she had taken part in several monster subjugations out of duty.
However, unlike Rishar, the Grand Duchess was not spoken of as the next Emperor. Because she was a Beta.
Even among Betas, direct and collateral royals are treated differently.
Etienne—an incompetent prince with no merits to his name—was still spoken of as the next Emperor for the sole reason that he was the Emperor’s only child, but Eris, being a Beta, was not.
Unless one was an outstanding dominant Alpha like Rishar, there was no way a collateral royal who was a Beta like Eris would be given a chance.
Perhaps for that reason, Eris detested Rishar. By contrast, she was friendly to Etienne—likely out of a sense of kinship as fellow Betas.
But Etienne knew. If Rishar did not exist, Eris would bare her teeth at him. If Rishar vanished, the only one blocking her path would be Etienne.
“Touring one’s lands is a grueling journey. Are you well now?”
“Yes. A good rest put me right.”
“I’m glad.”
Etienne smiled gently at Eris. She did not cooperate with the Empress, but she was not in open opposition either. There was nothing to gain by making an enemy of her; there was no need to ruffle her temper.
“You were on your way to the dining hall, weren’t you? I’m headed there as well—let’s go together.”
“Gladly.”
Etienne gestured for Eris to join him.
“Right—did you hear?”
Matching her steps to his, Eris lowered her voice as if something had occurred to her.
“What do you mean…?”
“Tonight’s dinner. They called even the Ten Great Houses.”
Leaning toward Etienne as if to share a secret, Eris whispered in a hushed tone.
“I hear some houses are bringing one of their Omegas along.”
“What?”
At the unexpected statement, Etienne’s eyes rounded. Eris twisted one corner of her lips as if she had expected that.
“His Grace the Grand Duke of Eckhart is attending, isn’t he. They want to tie their house’s Omega to him somehow.”
“That’s…”
“They’re counting chicks before the eggs have even been laid—never mind who’s baking the bread. Tsk.”
Clicking her tongue with a look of disdain, Eris drew a faint furrow from Etienne’s brow; he sensed something off in her attitude.
“What do you mean? You’re saying the nobles hoping to present their house’s Omega to the Grand Duke of Eckhart are deluding themselves.”
“Huh? You didn’t know?”
Eris looked at Etienne with an exaggerated expression, savoring the superiority of knowing more than he did.
“As far as I know, His Majesty already has someone in mind as the Grand Duke of Eckhart’s match.”
At her next words, Etienne felt his heart slam and plummet to the floor. Striving not to show his agitation, he forced his mouth to move.
“Who… would that be?”
“The border Marquess Matias’s youngest son.”
“The border Marquess’s?”
“I didn’t know, but apparently Marquess Matias’s youngest is a dominant Omega. He’s been frail and has stayed in the domain since childhood, so it hasn’t been known. He’s to make his debutante presentation now, so he’s come up with the Marquess.”
Eris rattled off the information she’d gathered, delighted. The more she spoke, the darker Etienne’s face became.
“A friend of mine who works in the Main Palace says Marquess Matias broached a marriage talk to His Imperial Majesty yesterday. They’ll be sending a formal proposal soon.”
“To His Majesty?”
“Yes. There’s no elder in House Eckhart to handle a marriage, is there. The Grand Duke may be of age, but he’s only twenty-one… still, well, a fledgling.”
Sniping at Rishar as a fledgling, Eris spilled out everything she knew, rapid-fire.
“I hear before coming to the capital, Marquess Matias already brought up marriage to the Grand Duke of Eckhart. And got cut down in one stroke. So he put the match to His Majesty, the Grand Duke’s guardian—asking for help.”
“Ah.”
“Has the Marquess no pride. Anyway, they say he’s an astounding beauty, so aren’t you curious? He’s attending the dinner—let’s have a look together, all right?”
“Ha ha, yes.”
Eris slung an arm around Etienne’s shoulders with a broad grin. He forced himself to smile with her. The corners of his mouth, dragged up by will, trembled.
“All right, enough chatter—let’s go ins—”
“Etienne.”
Just as Eris tugged Etienne by the shoulder, a low voice came from behind. He turned his head by reflex and found Rishar standing expressionless.
“Oh? The Grand Duke of Eckhart?”
Recognizing him, Eris acknowledged him. Rishar dipped his head to her in a light nod.
“It has been a while, Grand Duchess of Saxony.”
“Indeed. A long while.”
“What conversation were you enjoying so much with Etienne?”
Rishar looked at Etienne as he asked. Eris cocked her head.
“Etienne? Ahh—you mean the Prince? I didn’t know you still called him that.”
With an intrigued look, Eris glanced between Rishar and Etienne. Ignoring her remark, Rishar stepped forward. Thud—his heavy footfalls rolled along the marble corridor.
Watching Rishar draw nearer, Etienne bit his lower lip. He wanted to get out of there at once. He pressed strength into his toes with desperate focus. Otherwise, he felt he might bolt, leaving the two of them behind.
Whether he knew Etienne’s mind or not, Rishar came close, narrowed one eye, and reached out.
“…!”
With no time to react, Etienne flinched and stiffened his shoulders as his wrist was caught. Eyes as blue as a deep sea fixed on the bandage wrapped around Etienne’s finger.
“Are you hurt?”
“Huh?”
At the question, Etienne blinked, flustered. A line formed between Rishar’s brows as he stared at the bandaged finger.
“It—it’s nothing.”
He snatched his hand back, tongue tangling from how rattled he was.
“It looks like you bled.”
“The Palace Physician came today. They drew blood for tests.”
“Are you unwell?”
“I’m always unwell.”
Etienne answered blandly, as if the question were obvious. At first it had been a disguise to hide that he was an Omega, but lately he took to bed at the slightest thing.
Just as the Palace Physician had warned, his body was breaking in real time; a little strain brought on fever, or headaches, or, in worse cases, body aches.
“Are you much worse?”
With his eye corners turned hard, Rishar asked in a low voice. He studied Etienne’s face with a grave expression. Perhaps because he’d seen the Palace Physician, his complexion looked poorer than usual.
“It’s always like this.”
Etienne mumbled, skirting Rishar’s gaze, half evading. That sharp gaze made his skin prickle for no good reason.
“It isn’t something you need to worry about.”
In a drained voice, he murmured it and rubbed with his other hand at the wrist Rishar had held. Strangely, it had been hot there since a moment ago.
“Are we going to keep talking out here? We should probably go in.”
Rishar’s temper swelled at Etienne drawing the line yet again; he opened his mouth to say something—but Eris, who had been silently watching, cut in.
“We’re not finished speaking.”
Rishar half-glared at the interruption. Irritation he could not hide darkened those deep-blue eyes. Even at that sharp look, Eris was unruffled.
“Looks finished to me. His Highness says it’s nothing—an injury from examination by the Palace Physician.”
Smiling sweetly, Eris set her hand on Etienne’s shoulder. One of Rishar’s brows twitched at the sight.
“He’s the sort who won’t say he’s in pain even when he is. That’s why I worry.”
“Hm?”
“It would be best, Grand Duchess, if you could tell when to step in and when not to.”
“What?”
The smile vanished from Eris’s face. Her eyes gleamed ominously.
“What did you just say? You snot-nosed brat, how dare—”
She straightened from where she had leaned toward Etienne and growled. Sensing her mood turn dangerous, Etienne raised a hand to stop her.
“That’s enough.”
He turned to Rishar, the look on his face as stern as if scolding a child. Rishar flinched before he knew it.
“Rishar, that was wrong of you. Apologize to the Grand Duchess of Saxony.”
“…My apologies.”
Chastened by Etienne’s words, Rishar dipped his head to Eris—a stiff, obviously forced apology.
“You call that an—”
“Grand Duchess, please let it go. He—no, the Grand Duke of Eckhart—has a tendency to overprotect me.”
“Ha. Damn it. Fine. Fine.”
At Etienne’s restraint, Eris lifted both hands and stepped back. There were many eyes and ears in the corridor leading to the dining hall. Trading barbs with Rishar out here would only harm her.
“I’m going in first. You two finish your talk.”
In a foul mood, Eris flicked her hand and turned toward the hall. Standing behind Etienne, Ben—who could see her face as she turned—flinched before he realized it. That was how terrifying Eris’s expression was.
Insolent wretch.
She spat a curse inwardly. Just thinking of Rishar’s attitude moments ago made fury boil up to her scalp. Then as now, he was a punk who’d eaten manners with his soup.
“If not for the Emperor, he’d be nothing…”
She muttered in a rough voice. Her guts churned so hot it felt like her whole body burned. Nothing infuriated her more than being put in her place by such a fledgling.
“A damn dominant Alpha.”
Bang! Unable to master her temper, Eris slammed her fist into the wall. The attendants in the corridor started and shuddered at the sudden outburst. She kept huffing regardless.
To Eris, Rishar was nothing more or less than an Alpha whose life had blossomed because he’d caught the Emperor’s eye.
A man who, by rights, had no qualification to covet the throne, scarcely fit to be called royal.
Indeed, the grand-ducal House of Eckhart did not fall within the legally recognized bounds of collateral royalty.
By law, collateral kin recognized by the imperial house extends to the Emperor’s sixth-degree relatives. At the widest, eighth-degree might be acknowledged, but only in special cases.
Cases when, for the Empire’s situation, for the royal house’s security, the scope of collateral royals had to be acknowledged flexibly.
And now was precisely such a special situation. Since the time of the present Emperor’s grandfather—two generations past—the line of Alphas in House Frederick had run dry.
Moreover, aside from Eris, the collateral royals had all died young. Whether Alpha or Beta, the number of royals had dwindled to an extreme.
It was for that reason the Grand Duke of Eckhart’s place in the line of succession—ambiguous as he was for inclusion among the royal collateral, unworthy even of a tenth place under normal reckoning—had leapt to fourth.