Chapter 76: When I stopped holding back.

My pupils must be dark brown now, not green. The scent of lilacs, not yet planted, wafted thickly.

I might still be swayed by pheromones I can’t handle. Still, I wanted to kiss him.

He was a man always honest about his feelings towards me, but still hiding many things from me.

And that was always about arrangements for my safety. Traces of magic were glimpsed even in this place resembling a forest.

An impulse arose. A strong wind compelling even me, who always hesitated and agonized, to run forward.

I didn’t stop my impulse towards him.

At some point, he was hugging me tight. The kiss, which was merely lips touching, had turned rough with the urgent movement of his tongue pushing into my mouth before I knew it.

I also hung my arms around his neck and clung to him. The breath he exhaled and the breath I exhaled collided. Tongues entangled. Still, it wasn’t enough. I approached him closer and drank his saliva.

At the sound vibrating in my throat, the movement of his tongue became even rougher. I was taken by him just like that. The saliva welling up in my mouth, and my breath too. My tongue dragged by him was bitten gently. Soon, as if soothing the faint pain, he rubbed my tongue with his.

That stimulating sensation made me forget even the anxiety about the future. It made me feel only this moment entirely.

Even after the barely entangled tongues were released, he sucked my lips making wet sounds. I breathed hard. The breath returned after hitting his lips was just sweet.

Carefully sticking out my tongue, I licked the saliva wetting his lips. Soon, tongues intertwining again happened in an instant.

Wet sounds coveting voraciously rang in my ears. The scent coming from him turned this place where we shared breath into a deeper forest.

“Duke.”

When our lips barely separated, I stroked the corner of his eye. He, flushed because of me, was still lovely. That’s why I could harden my resolve further. There was something I must do.

“Please meet the scammer who claimed to know my past together with me.”

Although his brow furrowed without erasing the affectionate gaze, I didn’t take back my words. I couldn’t.

I had to start untangling the complicated skein now. Although it would be a tedious and boring task, there were knots I must untie with my own hands.

I couldn’t just rely on him, who waited for me all along, to cut all knots at once. I also had to move forward. Including my feelings I have to convey to him.

“It’s a date request I can’t refuse.”

Smiling bitterly, he kissed me again.

****

“Long time no see, Philip.”

Philip, waiting to open the door for the King’s Brother and me, flinched his eyes seeing me. It was a rare expression of surprise for him who didn’t show much change in expression.

“…Long time no see.”

But he soon composed his expression and greeted me politely. At his words returning to formal language, I inhaled deeply. Looking back at the King’s Brother, he nodded slightly to me. While holding hands, he swept the back of my hand with his thumb.

Housekeeper Anna and Coachman Paul will also show me the same attitude as Butler Philip now. Since they will feel the change in my appearance standing side by side holding hands with the King’s Brother more greatly.

Not seeing them in the main building all this while might have been due to this reason too.

“Please guide us, Philip.”

“I will lead the way. Please watch your step.”

Guided by the blunt but polite butler, we went down the stairs. Air much cooler than outside was felt first.

It’s a place I know too. Not a dungeon-like place but a food storage.

Originally, the space used was limited compared to the scale. Like many places in this mansion. It was reduced even further as the King’s Brother left for the New Continent and few servants remained.

The empty underground storage divided into sections could be mistaken for a prison. The thick stone walls reflected in the light of the lantern Philip held looked quite dreary.

“He is in there.”

Philip hung the lantern on the wall and stepped back. Perhaps because it was a place extremely familiar to him, the sound of footsteps going up the stairs again was regular enough to count the beat.

“W-who?”

Surprised by the light suddenly entering the dark place, the voice of the person shrinking his body as much as possible covered Philip’s presence.

He, who had been confined here for several days, looked up at us carefully with frightened eyes. Confirming the King’s Brother, he made a hic sound and retreated, then seeing me, he blinked his eyes.

“Stemma!”

The face colored with suspicion and wonder showed exaggerated gladness at some point. As I frowned at the unfamiliar name directed at me, he made an exaggerated lament saying “Oh, dear!” and showed a pitying look.

“It’s your name.”

It was a word derived from the custom of the Old Empire where people wore headbands with genealogy written on them during big events, referring to a flower crown or bloodline. The expression of the scammer saying such a word is my name was quite serious.

“Dosel, my name is Dosel Fulk. Don’t you remember? I clearly told you when I met you.”

“I don’t know.”

“Your father and I were really best friends. Lux was a very excellent student and had good physical ability, but had to suffer a lot due to his humble family and weak pheromones. If I hadn’t helped him, he…!”

“Do you really think gems can be purified?”

I cut off his words blabbering about friendship with a person called my father whom I don’t remember. I wasn’t curious at all about the sincere friendship shared with the owner of the name by a person scamming using the name Lux instead of his real name.

“O-of course, of course.”

I saw the eyes shaking with embarrassment harden with strong self-assurance.

“The theory I started pondering since student days is now perfectly established. If only errors that occur in the actual environment are corrected, this world will face a definite turning point.”

It was as the King’s Brother said. Even if his consciousness was dominated by pheromones, we would hear the same answer.

“Everything was a money problem. If I only had that damn money, I could have succeeded long ago. Really.”

He seemed to consider himself an unfortunate genius. I barely held back a sneer at the words ‘that damn money.’

“So you tried to get investment? From Betas.”

“I am giving an opportunity. An opportunity for ignorant Betas to contribute to changing the world.”

Oh dear. This time I clicked my tongue without holding back. Misguided self-assurance plus rationalization. It should be called a pseudo-religion rather than new technology.

“As you said.”

When I turned my body toward the King’s Brother, Dosel crawled in front of me until the chains binding his body became taut.

“Umbra! Count Umbra really invested!”

At the words shouted like a seizure, I looked down at him again.

“Why does he invest in you?”

“That is…!”

“Excluding the words that your, no, your technology is that great. Doesn’t Count Umbra already have mines?”

“Is that mine still fine?”

“What do you mean?”

“It was a mine that couldn’t produce giant stones compared to its fame originally. Moreover, they mined a tremendous amount during the war. Ah, I don’t mean the vein ran dry. Many rubies are still buried in Rubrum. However.”

Stopping his words, Dosel twisted his lips. It was an expression revealing confidence.

“Now it will be hard to see Pigeon Blood. Without my technology.”

Indeed. It was reason enough for Count Umbra to be bewitched by them.

Natural Pigeon Blood is a very rare top-grade ruby. Sometimes priced even higher than diamonds.

Rubies I handled in Jongno were mostly heat-treated to improve clarity and color. Mines mining raw stones usable as gems immediately even in unheated state were limited themselves. Raw stones from traditional ruby producing areas all had to go through heat treatment process.

This world, similar in environment to Earth, must also have extremely limited quantity of natural Pigeon Blood.

Rubrum Mine has been famous as a producer of Pigeon Blood, and the mining volume was large accordingly. There must have been mining not officially recorded. His power came from the King and his Omega son, and there must have been a price to return to them as much as the power he enjoyed.

It wasn’t strange even if the limited Pigeon Blood was exhausted.

“It seems we can believe the words about Pigeon Blood.”

At the words spoken to the King’s Brother, Dosel looked delighted.

“Let me go. Count Umbra must be looking for me too.”

Dosel, speaking to me, shut his mouth for a moment realizing his mistake. Gulp, the sound of swallowing saliva was loud. He soon begged the King’s Brother.

“I, I will not question Your Highness the King’s Brother detaining me. If you wish to invest, I will accept that proposal too.”

I couldn’t hold back a scoffing laugh.

“Since Count Umbra invested, I don’t know why you need money from ignorant Betas and why you came to find me.”

At my words, Dosel’s interest returned from the King’s Brother to me.

“Th-that is…”

Instead of him hesitating to answer, I opened my mouth again.

“The amount he already invested wasn’t enough, right? I don’t know if you really used it for experiments or your partner hid it somewhere. Impatient Count Umbra probably said not only he can’t invest more but he would retrieve even the amount already invested if you don’t bring at least one result. Am I wrong?”

It must have been literally a dead end. So he probably planned to raise money from Betas with that lofty pride.

This Dosel guy is absorbed in his theory, but was his partner the same? I could bet money that that guy intended to take everything, including what Count Umbra already invested and what he scammed from Betas, and run away.

Though the only person who would bet money against me seems to be Dosel who sees the situation only conveniently for himself.

“S-so I found you!”

I frowned at the words clinging to me. Because I couldn’t understand his intention at all.

How did Dosel interpret my expression? He swallowed saliva once again.

“You can persuade Count Umbra. Although late, since you even manifested as an O-Omega now, he can never ignore you. Really. I, I will introduce you. If you are with me, you can meet Count Umbra directly. You find your rightful place and I…”

“What, are you talking about?”

My spine felt cold. Lilac scent began to spread. This time it was intended by me. I sent pheromones containing clear threat to Dosel.

“Y-you are…”

He trembled, crushed by my pheromones, yet made an expression filled with euphoria. I bit my lip. I felt like I knew what he would say.

I turned my head sideways without realizing it. I met immediately with the King’s Brother’s gaze worrying about me.

“Jay.”

He called me. Not with the unfamiliar word Stemma, but with my name.

Soon Dosel’s voice flowed in. Filled with characteristic conviction.

“Because you are, Count Umbra’s grandson. Because you are the son born by the Queen, the Queen Consort.”

He looked at me with eyes as if he found a diamond raw stone buried in a rock. Eyes of a person about to commit a sin he cannot handle, gone crazy over the gem in front of him.