Chapter 101: An Invitation Meant to Kill

“So, what is your business?”

When Philius asked the reason for the invitation without beating around the bush, Duchess Mare looked at me. As if asking what I thought of his attitude far removed from politeness. As I was about to replace an answer with a ceremonial smile like when dealing with customers, Philius beside me chuckled.

It was natural for me to turn my head toward him. He must have been looking at me too, as our gazes met immediately.

“It seems it wasn’t just a play to blind the King.”

Hearing Duchess Mare’s voice, I looked forward again.

“It seems your business was to find out if I am hiding the dominant Omega who exists only as a baseless rumor.”

“Because I’m not.”

Cutting it short, she looked at us. It was a testing gaze like when she commissioned the citrine necklace now hanging around her neck.

“I am disappointed.”

At my words which could be called bold, she showed a surprised expression. Thinking about what expression she would have made if the jeweler Jay said the same words, my mouth felt a little bitter.

Perhaps guessing my mood, Philius grabbed my hand. The cool body temperature caressing the ring made me smile. Not making a practiced expression, but a smile just naturally surfaced.

“…It was true.”

Duchess Mare said in a drained voice.

“So it was the King after all.”

Her following words informed that she didn’t notice at all that the dominant Omega was me.

“That was the main point.”

“Yes, if the King has a dominant Omega by his side, it’s not good for you or me at all.”

“We didn’t come here for a social gathering. What happened?”

Her having no suspicion about me seemed not solely because the necklace’s magic circle was excellent. It seemed there was an incident convincing enough to believe the King caught the dominant Omega. At Philius’s interrogation, Duchess Mare frowned.

“Just yesterday, my child, our child almost got hurt.”

She grasped the citrine gifted by her husband. Although her posture with her back straight didn’t crumble, the hand holding the citrine was clearly trembling.

“Diane?”

“It was during a picnic. Because unlike you, I cannot neglect the social circle. Still, I kept Diane in my sight all along. I took my eyes off her for a moment, just a very short moment, but she disappeared without a trace and soon a scream was heard.”

“Is Diane safe?”

“Fortunately.”

Duchess Mare lowered her eyelids. The sound of inhaling deep breath was heard. Only after that did she slowly take her hand off the necklace. Looking at her palm with vivid marks for a moment, she soon clenched her fist.

“Surely you didn’t think I tried to harm Diane?”

“Although everything became suspicious, I didn’t become that stupid.”

Duchess Mare wore a self-deprecating sneer.

“That Diane could be safe is, strictly speaking, partly thanks to you.”

“Thanks to me…”

“To be precise, thanks to your jeweler. Jay, was it? The accessories he made worked properly, fortunately.”

Although my name came up, I wasn’t flustered. It was expected that the Little Duchess Diane would have worn the red diamond accessories.

“He is an excellent jeweler. It will be hard to find a jeweler like him again.”

At Philius’s tone boasting rather than praising me, Duchess Mare raised one eyebrow.

“Dismissing him from manager was an excuse after all.”

“Well…”

Laughter was felt in the tone avoiding a clear answer. Duchess Mare’s gaze touched our hands held together. Specifically, the ring on my ring finger.

“So, what is the real business?”

Philius asked as if blocking her gaze. Various emotions were read in Duchess Mare’s eyes directed at him. A little flustered, and seemingly a little sorry. But the strongest was the will as if determined about something.

“Before sending you the invitation, I received an invitation.”

Duchess Mare lifted the envelope placed on the table and handed it to Philius. Although I was aware of the envelope’s existence from the beginning, I didn’t know it was an invitation. Because neither sender nor recipient was written on the upside-down envelope.

Righting the upside-down envelope, what I saw was a broken seal. It was clearly the royal crest. However, I couldn’t help but scoff at the note taken out.

Ha. A sneer flowed from Philius’s mouth too.

The paper with unrefined, heavily scribbled writing could only be expressed as a note.

“He sent an invitation to the victory ceremony like this?”

Moreover, the content was inviting the Duke and Duchess Mare and their successor to the victory ceremony.

“His head must be really soaked in drugs.”

Philius couldn’t hide his disgust. I also couldn’t stop the smile I maintained all along from crumbling.

“It seems you also didn’t expect the words that drugs taken by the King aren’t normal to be proven in this way.”

“I didn’t expect there would be no one to stop sending a victory ceremony invitation like this. The Lord Chamberlain must be out of his mind too.”

“Because the only line Count Umbra suffering from financial pressure can cling to now is the King. The Queen Consort has no social activities at all except for tea time in the Rose Garden. There is also talk that someone heard loud arguing with Count Umbra.”

Although Philius has several channels to gather information, given the relationship with the King, ears that can directly hear what happens inside the palace were scarce. The person informing most about the King was the very spy sent by the King. If the King hadn’t sent the spy, he might have relied only on Duchess Mare. That would have been disadvantageous for Philius. Ironically, the spy sent by the King was helping his relationship with Duchess Mare.

“Of course, I didn’t think this invitation would be real either. I wondered if he was insulting me like this.”

Unlike her words, little anger was felt in Duchess Mare’s voice.

“You are certain this is a real invitation to the victory ceremony, right?”

“Look at the date.”

Even before she pointed it out, I couldn’t take my eyes off the scribbled numbers. The date pointed to 3 weeks later. And I, Philius couldn’t not know what that date means.

“It’s when I will be deep in my Rut.”

Philius’s voice was just calm. Probably because it was something he already guessed. But I wasn’t that calm.

“Because your Rut period is too well known. This invitation is real.”

He stared at Duchess Mare quietly. She also didn’t avoid the blue eyes clashing with hers.

“Whether you appear at the victory ceremony or not, the King has now decided to eliminate you completely. Rather, if he were sane, he wouldn’t think of it. Because you became an existence meaning Henia’s victory. He must have known that to eliminate you, he has to risk the King’s own political life too.”

Duchess Mare’s words were correct arguments. I couldn’t deny it. All I could do was just hold Philius’s hand tighter.

I felt him breathing slowly. No, that’s not it. His exhaled breath feeling slow was because I was too tense. Becoming sharp, even time seemed to flow slowly.

“But the King is going crazy. I knew he always wanted to kill me. He was just enduring because reality didn’t go as he wished. Now has that reality become non-existent to the King?”

When I heard his low voice, I came to know. The fact that he isn’t afraid like me.

“I want evidence to continue trusting you.”

The hesitation remaining even slightly in Duchess Mare’s eyes had disappeared.

“I bet everything. My child, and myself. On dragging the King down.”

At her firm words, Philius lifted the corners of his mouth.

“Unfortunately, I haven’t bet anything. Because my future, the time ahead is much more precious for that.”

How she interpreted his words, Duchess Mare glared at Philius. Conversely, his touch stroking the back of my hand was just gentle.

“You haven’t forgotten that your life is at stake, right?”

Her sharp voice rang in my ears. However, Philius’s touch prevented my heart from hardening with fear.

“I haven’t forgotten. You shouldn’t forget either. That I started this fight to win.”

Philius’s voice even sounded relaxed. Duchess Mare bit her lip.

“What you did is just wordplay, Duke of Westell.”

She refuted Philius, but strength was drained from her voice. I realized belatedly that today’s meeting was a fight to seize the initiative. The authenticity of the words that the Little Duchess Diane was attacked also became suspicious.

“You too. How about stopping testing now, Duchess Mare.”

A bitter smile appeared on Duchess Mare’s face.

“Do you really have no lingering attachment to the throne?”

“None.”

The cut-and-dry answer seemed rather harder for her to believe.

“Why? How can you not be greedy? Actually, you would be the strongest Alpha in this country.”

“Don’t hastily guess that others would also covet what you want. Because the most important thing is different for each person.”

Duchess Mare still had an unconvinced expression. Indeed, what she wanted wasn’t just establishing the Little Duchess Diane as the Crown Princess. She herself wants to ascend to the position of King. Being treated as an exception from succession rights because her mother was an Omega seemed to be a very big wound for Duchess Mare. That’s why she tried to find out the inner thoughts of the King’s Brother, Philius. If the current King is dragged down, he is the only remaining competitor. Even without succession rights, because he is the strongest Alpha.

“There is only one thing I want guaranteed. If you guarantee just that, I don’t care whether you become King, Diane becomes King, or the Prime Minister becomes King.”

“Don’t care?”

“Yes.”

Ha. Duchess Mare laughed as if despondent. She also seemed tired of Philius’s expression showing that this meaningless question and answer was boring beyond measure.