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Chapter 3
Yuric stared at the ring on his right index finger. It bore the engraved seal of his family. If he twisted the gemstone, it revealed a stamp registered under his name.
Without that seal, even if Sehil had taken the documents, reselling them properly would be difficult. Still, the documents themselves held value. Somehow, they could probably be sold.
Thankfully, he hadn’t lost everything beyond recovery. He could request reissuance through the administration office immediately. But the process was extremely complicated and would take an enormous amount of time. Which meant that, until then, everything would be frozen.
Cash was one thing.
But the property deeds and land titles were a serious problem.
The land inherited from his maternal grandfather was something only his mother and he had known about. It had been left to him as a dowry for his future marriage.
“Damn it, Sehil Windsor, you bastard…”
The younger brother he had cared for with affection—well, perhaps “affection” was stretching it a little, but still—had taken everything and run away.
Run away for love.
Yuric clutched the back of his neck as the butler handed him yet another letter.
“To my beloved Yuri.
I have found someone I truly love. We promised each other a future, but the difference in our status and many other obstacles stood in our way. Still, we could not let each other go, and in the end, we made a great decision.
I am carrying his child… I don’t know if you will believe me, Yuri, but I want to raise this child under parents who truly love one another. You know my dream was to live peacefully and happily in an ordinary, loving family.
Yuri, I will borrow your assets for a while. I believe the Yuri who loves me will understand my sincerity.
I pray that only light- and flower-filled paths await you. One day, you too will meet someone you truly love and find happiness as I have. I believe that without doubt.
With sincere love,
Sehil.”**
That damned fool! A peaceful, happy family? The one who had lived the most carefree, indulgent life under the honor, power, and wealth of House Windsor was saying that?!
Yuric was beyond disbelief.
And pregnant? An Omega, pregnant?!
If Sehil had brought the Alpha who got him pregnant to the house, Yuric might have sighed—but he would never have refused a marriage!
Instead, Sehil had clearly fallen into some ridiculous fantasy straight out of a cheap romance novel and run away.
Yuric staggered and collapsed onto the sofa. The butler, watching him with concern, carefully placed a glass of cold water in front of him. Yuric drained it in one go.
“…There is another letter as well, Young Master.”
“Another letter? Don’t tell me it’s another demand from creditors. Don’t tell me that lunatic Sehil took out loans in the family name.”
“Please calm yourself, Young Master. Thankfully, it is not that.”
Of course, that issue would still need to be investigated… The butler muttered quietly before handing him the letter that had arrived at the mansion.
It was elegant stationery, faintly scented with flowers, decorated with elaborate patterns. The seal bore a family crest stamped in wax.
Yuric frowned.
The crest looked familiar.
He opened it with a paper knife and read the contents. The handwriting was neat and refined, likely written by a professional scribe.
And the contents were—
“From Kanes Chevinel of House Chevinel to Count Yusef Windsor of House Windsor.”
House Chevinel?
Yuric’s eyes widened. Chevinel was one of the Four Grand Ducal Houses.
And Chevinel was the family of that man.
Why would they be writing to his father?
He continued reading.
“…As winter ends and the joy of spring’s budding blossoms begins, should a child of House Windsor unite with Caron Chevinel of House Chevinel, the blessing of the Goddess may descend upon them…”
Yuric blinked and read the line again.
**“We humbly ask that you receive this proposal with a willing heart.
Kanes Chevinel.”* *
“…Butler.”
Yuric handed the letter over with a dazed expression and slumped back onto the sofa. The butler quickly scanned it.
“Young Master, this is—”
“Yes. It is.”
A marriage proposal.
A formal request for betrothal.
The Chevinel heir was an only son and an Alpha. Naturally, the proposal must have been sent with Sehil Windsor in mind.
At the very moment when Sehil Windsor had slept with an unknown man, become pregnant, and run away—
“Are they insane…”
Yuric held his forehead.
How was he supposed to respond to the Chevinel ducal house? Say that his sibling had eloped? That he could not marry?
What noble family would dare reply to a grand ducal proposal with something so disgraceful?
At that moment, the butler, who had been watching Yuric’s pale face, spoke carefully.
“Young Master. In our current crisis, there appears to be only one solution.”
Yuric opened his eyes and looked at him.
The butler’s face was serious.
“Marriage. You should be the one to wed.”
What nonsense was this?
Yuric was an Alpha. How could an Alpha marry another Alpha—
He paused.
Alpha and Alpha marriages.
In a nation where Omegas were so scarce, at least one such union occurred each year. There was no legal issue. And more importantly—
Yuric snatched the letter back and reread it.
“It only says ‘a child of House Windsor.’”
“…Indeed.”
That included Yuric as well.
But two Alphas would not produce an heir—
“I once heard something,” the butler said carefully. “Are you familiar with the Viscount Jeoneon family?”
“Of course. Didn’t they have a grand wedding two years ago? But that was an Alpha and an Omega.”
“Rumor says otherwise.”
“What?”
“It is said… both were Alphas.”
“…But didn’t they have a child last year?”
“Yes. And that is precisely why the rumor spreads so fiercely.”
The butler bowed his head slightly and leaned close, whispering something into Yuric’s ear.
Yuric’s pupils trembled as if struck by an earthquake.
The butler stepped back and spoke firmly.
“Young Master, secure this marriage by any means necessary. As for the rest… I will investigate.”
Their eyes met.
Seeing the reliability in the butler’s face, Yuric sighed and rubbed his forehead before finally nodding.
***
The Chevinel ducal house was so famous in the Halcon Empire that anyone who didn’t know of it might as well be a spy from a neighboring state.
The Duke of Chevinel had once been nothing more than a wealthy commoner with no title. But when the current Empress Vistette had still been the daughter of a count, he supported her rise, helped her become Crown Princess, and ultimately Empress.
Politically shrewd and financially brilliant, he owned mines, trading companies, real estate, and hotels—so many ventures that it was easier to list what he did not own.
It was often joked that one-third of the Empire’s treasury taxes came from House Chevinel.
He was a ruthless man who even sent his only son into the faction opposing the Empress’s rival, the First Prince, to keep him in check.
A family obsessed with money and power, some said.
Yes.
That kind of family.
Though whispers claimed the Duke had bought his title with money the moment Vistette became Empress—earning the nickname “the Empress’s hound”—and though many nobles sneered at their lack of traditional honor, House Chevinel was undeniably the wealthiest in the Empire.
Yuric reread the letter.
Caron Chevinel.
The only son of House Chevinel.
Seeing his name boldly written on the page made Yuric sigh again.
“Why does the esteemed Sir Yuric look so troubled?”
Yuric quickly folded the letter and slipped it back into its envelope.
The speaker was Sir Lawson Tenner, an administrative officer in the Ministry of Justice. They had both received knighthood in the same year, and Lawson had taken an unusual liking to him.
Yuric straightened his posture and composed his expression.
Lawson placed a thick stack of documents on Yuric’s desk. Papers Yuric had to review and report directly to the Chancellor.
“It’s nothing.”
“Nothing? Do you even know what your face looks like right now?”
Before Yuric could reach for his pen, Lawson snatched it away.
Lawson was competent—but far too nosy.
Yuric frowned and extended his hand.
“Refrain from behavior unbecoming of your station.”
“Oh, that word again. ‘Dignity.’ I’m sick of hearing it. Tell me, Yuri—does it suit a noble heir of such prestige to be working in the administration in the first place?”
