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Chapter 02
Above all, the timing could not have been worse. It had been ten years since the current Empress married the Emperor. Yet she had failed to produce a proper heir. She had conceived several times, but every child had either been stillborn or died young.
Naturally, the imperial family—more precisely, the Emperor himself—could not help but grow increasingly displeased. Rumors had begun circulating quietly beneath the surface that perhaps there was something wrong with the Emperor’s seed. As both an alpha and a ruler, there could be no greater humiliation.
There was only one way to soothe the Emperor’s wounded pride: offer Ronin, once he manifested as an omega, as a concubine.
In truth, it was not a bad arrangement for Alistair either. If Ronin gave birth to the Emperor’s child, he might even become Empress.
They had only just managed to appease the Emperor that way, and then at such a critical moment, Ronin manifested as a beta instead.
But they could not lie about his trait. The rigid temple would never cooperate, and even if they tried to deceive people, the lie would be exposed almost immediately. It was the greatest crisis House Alistair, which had always prospered without setback, had ever faced.
By the time the rising sun had set again, someone finally spoke.
“…Let us offer Serenity Harbor. Shouldn’t calming the Emperor’s anger come first?”
“But Serenity Harbor…”
“Then do you have another solution? If you do, speak!”
He was right. At this point, there was no other choice but to present the highly profitable harbor as tribute and prostrate themselves.
They sought a private audience with the Emperor as discreetly as possible and delivered the news. Naturally, the Emperor was furious.
Fortunately, however, he was a man quick with calculations. He agreed that receiving the harbor was more profitable than immediately striking down Alistair.
That did not mean he let Alistair off easily. Several members of House Alistair who held important offices were removed. The amount of tribute they had to offer every year doubled as well, yet Alistair could not utter a single complaint. Ronin’s manifestation as a beta had been that disastrous for them.
Still, the gods had not abandoned Alistair completely. Only after the seasons had turned twice did an opportunity finally come.
Richard, Ronin’s father, opened the door to the solitary room that had remained shut for so long.
The narrow room contained little besides a bed. Ronin sat on top of it like a doll. Even at the sudden visit, he did not seem startled, merely lowering his head.
The sight stirred Richard’s anger once again, but he could not afford to waste the opportunity they had finally secured. If Alistair wished to avoid ruin, it had to prove its loyalty to the Emperor somehow—even if that meant arranging a political marriage with their enemy, House Leofric.
“It took two years to find a use for you. I’ve fed and housed you for twenty. I trust you understand what that means you must do.”
“…Yes.”
Ronin nodded obediently. The training he had endured from birth until now—more than twenty years of it—had certainly been effective.
His clothes were as thin as dragonfly wings, his eyes lowered, his voice soft and gentle…. To anyone looking at him, Ronin seemed more than enough like an omega.
‘As long as they don’t inspect him too closely.’
Infuriatingly enough, Ronin truly was beautiful. He simply lacked the delicate fragility of an omega.
The greatest problem was his pheromones. No matter how deeply one inhaled, the only scent that came from Ronin was perfumed oil. As a beta, he possessed none of the pheromones that could drive an alpha mad or soothe them into calm.
Richard twisted his mouth in dissatisfaction. Seeing Ronin up close only made him seem more defective.
‘Because this one manifested as a beta, I had to live like a rat for two whole years…. And Alistair’s standing is already not what it used to be because of the current Empress.’
Whenever Richard thought of Ronin ruining his perfect plan, he wanted to slap him across the face immediately.
In fact, he had shown no mercy in his hands for the past two years. In Richard’s eyes, an Alistair who was a beta ought to be useful in at least that way.
If they had never found him a new purpose, he probably would have been used that way for the rest of his life.
Richard gave his order in a cold voice.
“Seduce Leofric by any means necessary. Make him hold you, make him love you, and bring me his weakness.”
Richard’s gaze slowly moved until it reached Ronin’s toes.
“And if you fail to bring back proper information… this time it won’t end with just your fingernails.”
A strange gleam entered his eyes as he looked at Ronin’s carefully groomed toes. He looked like a man who had discovered a new toy, and without realizing it Ronin swallowed hard. If this mission failed, it was obvious what sort of punishment awaited him.
The pain of having his fingernails torn out while he was still alive remained vivid in his memory. Ronin’s eyelashes trembled. Even so, he diligently spoke the words that would satisfy the alpha standing before him.
“…I will not disappoint you, Father.”
Most of the people in the territory were beginning their day with energy. A young delivery boy ran among them, scattering the flyers in his hands.
“Extra! Extra!”
Unlike the noisy outskirts, the capital was always quiet. Of course, beneath the surface the capital was every bit as turbulent as the outer regions, but ordinary citizens had no way of knowing that. Nor did they need to.
That was why the suddenly distributed special edition newspaper easily captured people’s curiosity.
Most of the passersby picked up the papers that had fallen to the ground and read them. It was a very considerate special edition, with illustrations included so that even those who could not read would understand.
[Ronin Alistair, child of Richard Fitzroy and Sasha Alistair, is to be married. The marriage partner is Calion Leofric, who… (omitted) …In celebration of the union between these two vassal houses, the imperial family will distribute relief supplies…]
A marriage between Alistair and Leofric. Those familiar with the two houses instantly sensed how major an event this wedding would be. Indeed, had not His Majesty the Emperor himself stepped in?
“Oh my, what wonderful news…. If those two houses are getting married, the ceremony will be huge and beautiful, won’t it? I can’t wait!”
“I know, right? I should have a dress made at the tailor’s. Who knows? I might meet a handsome gentleman at the wedding and end up with him!”
As someone watched them blankly, he muttered,
“But Leofr… ic? Which noble was that again? All noble names sound the same to me.”
“Good grief, man! You don’t know House Leofric? Up there in the North! They’re the ones who protect us from Grimbrook and monster invasions with that great wall! And the ‘Black Wolf Knights’ they lead are famous for their valor!”
“Huh, really? Then why doesn’t the name sound familiar? Back when I was young, people always said I was clever. If I’d heard it often, I wouldn’t have forgotten it.”
“That’s because you’re not clever now!”
“What was that? You’ve been mouthing off for a while now—say it again!”
The embarrassed man and the one who embarrassed him got tangled up in a quarrel. Watching the scene, someone else spoke up.
“That’s because Leofric never leaves the North. They’re so arrogant that even when His Majesty summons them, they stay holed up in the North and refuse to come out! Just because they’re one of the Empire’s great ducal houses, they think they’re above everything.”
“Really? Well, I heard something else…. They say the current head of House Leofric is an incredible miser?”
“That rumor’s famous too! Even though he’s a duke, they say he never gives generously to the people of his territory. And that’s not all—they say he treats the people working at the ducal estate terribly too. A friend from my wife’s hometown works there, and she came back with consumption, didn’t she? Imagine how much he must have skimped on firewood!”
“No, but for a duke to be stingy over such petty things… what in the world is he even saving all that money for?”
