Chapter 111: The Night the Palace Became a Prison

“No!”

Only now did I realize what magic Philius had engraved on the cravat. I reached out desperately towards him. I had to reach him. Him, who was trying to send me away.

I also raised magical power. I was anxious. Afraid I might miss the time. Afraid I would disappear from this place in an instant. While he remains here alone.

Please. Just before his mana bound my body, I could barely interfere with his mana. The very moment the structure of magical power loosened, I stretched my arm desperately. I could barely hang onto his arm.

“Trying to, let only me escape?”

Spatial magic. What he engraved on the cravat was spatial magic. And targeting only me.

When he engraved the magic circle on the main stone, the yellow diamond, I had a dream-like experience of going up to the sky and looking down at the entire Noberten. That was a map marked with mana. Philius had engraved the map of Noberten on the yellow diamond. So he could send me to a safe place no matter where I was.

I couldn’t know where the destination was, but it was self-evident that I would be sent to a place far, far away from here. The amount of magical power contained in the yellow diamond, contaminated by his pheromones and purified by me, was that much. If it moves only one person, me.

Philius’s face looking down at me crumbled with dismay.

I felt like I knew what he was going to say, but I shook my head.

“No.”

His heart trying to send me out of the royal palace and my heart wanting to remain by his side were the same. Therefore, I couldn’t let go of his arm. The moment I lose him even for a while, Philius will send me away.

“Jay, I…”

He tried to beg me but couldn’t finish his sentence. When all the letters Duchess Mare floated in the air collapsed, his cravat and my necklace, which was manifesting the cognitive interference magic circle, also lost their light. Although they didn’t shatter like other gems exploding even now, that was all. Heterogeneous power, neither his mana nor mine, bound the gems.

No, I have seen this power.

The royal mage who brought the invitation, that strange energy he emitted was now stretching out from the key. The power that induced early Rut in Philius. The King amplified that power with the key.

The reason the royal mage delivering the invitation was arrogant in front of Philius was probably because he saw the power of that key. That mighty power.

Even now, he might be looking at the light emitted by the red gem beside the King with ecstatic eyes. With eyes unable to endure coveting the power he couldn’t handle.

The dazzlingly sparkling chandelier shook precariously. The marble floor and thick pillars resonated with trembling sounds woong-woong. The splendid banquet hall turned into a precarious prison.

Philius, who tried to push me away, now grabbed me.

I looked up at him while holding onto him. He was also looking down at me. My original appearance with gray hair and green eyes, revealed as the illusion disappeared, was reflected in his pupils.

“So it was you.”

Then the King’s voice was heard. It was a call directed exactly at me.

“The dominant Omega who suddenly manifested was you.”

In the King’s voice, the joy of finally finding the dominant Omega and the anger that the dominant Omega is beside his half-brother were mixed.

“That half-blood dared to hide you. How dare he!”

The King was extremely agitated. Enough for even the voices chattering in fear to subside.

It was only for a moment that I witnessed the exploded desire for me and extreme anger toward Philius from the King. Philius pulled me into his embrace at once. To hide me from his half-brother. To protect me from the reckless power stretching out from the mad King.

“…!”

That tremendous power took away all sounds.

Jay. Probably what Philius called was my name.

Are you okay? His mouth shape was asking about my safety. However, his voice couldn’t reach my ears.

The sound that seemed to break the banquet hall door also stopped.

“Did you think you would be safe even after stealing my dominant Omega?”

Only the King’s voice was heard.

“Did you think you would return alive even after raising a rebellion against me, the owner of the key, against me who is Henia itself?”

Being unable to make a voice meant being unable to chant magic spells. The key blocked the possibility of harming its master.

Magic that can be manifested without chanting is only relatively light things, and that much wouldn’t be able to make a scratch on the King, on the key.

Although all sounds disappeared, chaos didn’t disappear. Rather, fear became more rampant. Enough to feel even while held in Philius’s arms.

Let me go. I spoke with mouth shape as Philius did. My soundless words were conveyed to him, clearly. His expression distorted at once was the proof.

No, Jay. His face looked as if angry, and also as if about to shed tears soon.

His feelings toward me were conveyed. I was a precious person to him. Very much, more than anyone. Even more than Philius himself. So I could smile.

There is something I must see. Although he closed his eyes not to see my mouth shape, I could know. That my intention was conveyed to him this time too.

To me too, he was more precious than anything. Even more than myself.

But since I am precious to Philius, I also had to cherish myself. I won’t sacrifice anything. Neither Philius nor myself.

There is just something I can do.

‘Phil.’

When I called his name, resonance occurred. I felt so. As if consciousness expanded. Philius’s emotions approached more clearly.

‘Can you hear me?’

I couldn’t know the reason. Just Philius’s consciousness felt close as if talking to me.

Is it because we imprinted on each other?

No, just imprinting couldn’t explain everything I feel now. Philius’s emotions and thoughts were conveyed much more clearly than when we shared dreams.

Unlike Philius’s emotions close enough to grasp, I couldn’t know exactly what my emotions were. Whether happy or sad. Or just surprised.

The expanded consciousness recognized another existence besides Philius.

Another life was settled inside me. That fact was felt clearly.

I am pregnant.

The resonance with Philius might be because I bear a child. Because a child who inherited both Philius’s and my, our power settled inside me.

The word pregnancy is still awkward. But apart from that, I could know. The fact that I am pregnant.

The child who couldn’t even be called a fetus yet, however, was conveying a clear presence to me. And connecting Philius and me.

Maybe this is called a miracle. Like the blue rose I engraved on Philius’s cravat.

The reason we must survive here together became clearer.

‘…I hear. You too, can you hear, my words?’

‘I can hear.’

“Hand over what is mine!”

The King’s enraged voice resonated. What is his referred to me. Me who was never his even once.

The red light of the key became deeper.

‘Phil, you haven’t forgotten that I can see the movement of magical power, right?’

‘Jay, surely.’

‘Also that you are not the only one wanting to protect me.’

‘I…’

Philius lost words to persuade me.

‘So you can let me go, Phil. I must also face reality straight.’

Therefore, his face looked more painful than ever.

‘Don’t try to face it alone. I want to face the future with you.’

I felt his hands trembling.

‘Don’t try to send me away. Don’t leave me alone.’

The force holding me so I couldn’t even reach out to him, let alone turn my head to see what was happening, slowly loosened.

‘Because the thought that I might be left alone is much scarier.’

‘…How can I refuse, such words.’

His hands wanting to lock me up again any moment, nevertheless, eventually let me go. The scene Philius covered began to be visible to me too.

What caught my eye first were people fallen with mouths open as if screaming. They looked as if thrown into hell alive.

Unable to endure the pain constricting the whole body, they tried to struggle but couldn’t move their bodies or let out sounds. Only ceaselessly flowing tears became evidence that their consciousness was still alive.

The only people standing on their own two legs were Duchess Mare and her daughter Diane, Philius and me, and very unexpectedly, the successor of the Dime family.

The 15-year-old Alpha girl who was my first client just stood there in a terrified state. Unlike Duchess Mare making an astonished expression seeing my appearance where the cognitive interference magic circle disappeared.

I separated my body from Philius and walked one step forward.

“Right, the place you should be is right next to me. Not in that half-blood’s embrace.”

The King’s voice coaxing me was like a snake inciting sin.

“Come here, quickly.”

Red light fell in front of me. Looking at that light, I turned my gaze to the Queen Consort next to the King.

The person who gave birth to the current me was trembling with body curled up tight. Broken diamonds fallen at his feet reflected the red light stretching out from the King’s crown. The diamond necklace that cast cognitive interference magic on him. The gesture trying to avoid the light scattered by its fragments looked pitiful. The Queen Consort tries hard not to show his changed appearance, but pockmarks remained intact on the two hands desperately holding the veil covering his face.

“Is this annoying?”

The King asked me with glistening eyes. I shook my head. However, what he wanted from me wasn’t an answer. He just wished for obedient submission. At my appearance expressing refusal, the King distorted his eyes.

“The use of this is over now.”

The King grabbed the curled-up Queen Consort carelessly, forced him to stand up, and pushed him aside. The Queen Consort, holding the veil even in the midst of that, fell off the platform just like that. He huddled without even composing his fallen body on the floor. The seat of the Queen Consort he obtained abandoning me was emptied this vainly. He couldn’t even stand up to climb back to his place.

I turned my gaze away from the appearance busy covering his body.

“Now, a seat for you is prepared.”

The King reached out his hand towards me.