MTEF 06

Chapter 06

‘Brat.’

At Callion’s polished reply, the Marquis of Alistair sneered inwardly.

He disliked everything about this situation—having to flatter a mere whelp only a few years older than his own son, and the fact that the one standing before him was a Leofric.

Unable to resist the impulse, the marquis let a blade edge his tongue.

“Oh, not at all. Your Grace accomplished great deeds at such a young age, did you not? The only reason we can live in comfort here in the capital is thanks to the Iron Wall, so I think modesty has gone far enough.”

At those words, Callion’s golden eyes wavered. It was only for an instant, but the Marquis of Alistair caught it clearly.

‘I’ve taken the initiative.’

Pleased, the marquis smiled with genuine satisfaction and said,

“It would hardly be proper to keep such an honored guest standing. Allow me to escort you to the drawing room.”

Callion followed behind the Marquis of Alistair in silence. He felt that if he opened his mouth, a string of blunt curses might spill out.

‘And losing my composure is exactly what the marquis wants. I can’t allow that.’

People of the North were patient. Among them, Callion’s patience was stronger than anyone’s.

Thanks to that, the two men reached the drawing room without incident and continued their “noble conversation” a little longer. The marquis smoked a cigar and even poured himself a drink.

Conscious of the marquis’s deliberate attempt to create a relaxed atmosphere, Callion wet only his throat with tea.

When it seemed they had tested each other enough, the marquis finally brought up the real matter.

“So, if you only arrived in the capital today, you must not have had much time to look around. A pity, considering it’s such a rare visit.”

“…Fortunately, I don’t feel too deprived. I’ve never had a particularly refined eye for such things.”

“Haha, for someone still so young, you speak like an old man. If you wished, House Alistair could show you around the capital.”

“I appreciate the kindness, but I know only the affairs of the North. Once the ceremony is over, I intend to return there immediately.”

“Hmm, is that so? But the capital has many places that might interest Your Grace. For example… the temple.”

The lenses of the marquis’s spectacles glinted in the light.

‘Perhaps it’s fortunate we’re not making direct eye contact.’

Callion barely managed to keep his composure. The marquis continued, driving the point home.

“Of course, I know there is a temple in the North as well. But there are certain things that can only be done at the temple here in the capital, are there not? I thought Your Grace might be interested in that sort of thing….”

At that, Callion understood.

‘The marquis knows.’

Not only that he had not arrived in the capital today, but also that he had gone to the temple to confirm Ronin Alistair’s trait.

‘Just how far does Alistair’s influence reach?’

He had slipped into the capital as quietly as possible, even hiding his identity. Only one person had accompanied him—Baldwin.

Of course, he had known going to the temple would be dangerous, but he had not expected to be found out this quickly.

The last time he had come to the capital, it had not been like this. Alistair’s base of power had always been the capital, but not to this degree. The way Alistair was gradually expanding its influence within the capital unsettled him.

‘At this rate, leaving them alone will be dangerous.’

While sorting through what he would need to do once he returned North, Callion answered,

“It isn’t anything so serious. Merely the level of curiosity any citizen of the Empire might have.”

“If that’s the case, then very well.”

Fortunately, the marquis seemed to have no intention of pressing further and simply tilted his glass. The cigar dangling from his fingertips wobbled precariously.

Tap.

Gray ash fell onto the carpet. Watching sparks land on the imported rug, Callion thought,

‘The capital truly isn’t a place to stay long.’

On the day of the wedding, Ronin’s waiting room was in complete chaos, as though a bomb had gone off inside it.

The guests had been pouring in one after another, and not only Ronin, the person at the center of it all, but also the servants helping him were nearly out of their minds.

Fortunately, the ceremony would begin soon, and the guests had finally thinned out. Ronin let out a quiet sigh of relief.

But there was no time to rest. A few more servants soon entered the waiting room. They had come to finish the final preparations.

One of them, seeing Ronin for the first time that day, murmured under her breath,

“Y-you’re beautiful…! Ah! I mean—what am I saying…!”

The young maid’s face flushed bright red. Thanks to the bustle of the preparations, the remark was quickly buried, but Ronin himself heard it clearly. He stared at his reflection in the mirror with a numb expression.

There stood a thin, unhappy beta—one who had never received the blessing of becoming an omega.

‘Beautiful…? I still don’t understand.’

Ronin quickly tore his gaze away from the mirror. The maid, still flushed, stepped closer.

As she fussed with his appearance here and there, she finally could not hold back her question.

“Aren’t you nervous? You’ll be walking down the virgin road soon….”
“…Am I supposed to be nervous?”
“Huh? N-no, not exactly…. But still, it’s your wedding. It only happens once. Aren’t you excited?”

Ronin did not answer. He only offered the familiar smile he always wore.

When someone already so beautiful smiled, it seemed almost to cast light. The maid’s face reddened all over again.

‘W-wow… how can anyone be this pretty…?’

He looked less like a person and more like an angel. The deeply devout maid thought she glimpsed something holy in Ronin’s face.

Before she could tear her eyes away from him, Madam entered the waiting room.

“The temple says all preparations are complete. Let’s go.”

At last.

The wedding—something that would happen only once in a lifetime—was finally beginning.

The Great Hall of the Grand Temple. A space that would ordinarily have remained closed had now been thrown wide open.

The nobles and royals filling that vast hall all held their breath. In a moment, those doors would open, and Leofric and Alistair would enter.

“Enter!”

At the booming announcement, the massive doors opened. Ronin, led by the hand of the Marquis of Alistair, began walking slowly down the virgin road.

Each time the silver candlesticks lining the aisle flickered, Ronin’s shadow wavered with them. As dictated by ceremony, he wore a blindfold and could not see ahead, leaving him no choice but to focus on his other senses.

The scent of flowers. The distant voices of the territory’s people. The countless gazes he could feel on him even without seeing them….

Ronin had been trained for years to remain composed, but today, of all days, it was difficult to keep up the pretense. The Marquis of Alistair could feel the hand clasped in his trembling ever so slightly.

‘How laughable. It’s only a wedding.’

He silently mocked his son and let go of his hand without warning. Unable to see, Ronin fell into a small panic and parted his lips.

But there was no one here he could ask for help. Having already given up on everything, Ronin bit down on his lip. Fortunately, the veil covering his face spared him from looking foolish.

Creak—

Then the door ahead opened, and Callion appeared. His cold yellow eyes swept across the hall.

‘I can’t even imagine how much money they poured into this.’

A Great Hall that ordinarily would never have been opened was overflowing with fresh flowers. The lace draped across every table was of the highest quality, the kind that was difficult to obtain even if one had money.

And there were many other things besides, all proof of Alistair’s wealth and power. Weddings held in the temple were usually modest, but because this was Alistair, the scale was enormous.

Thinking of what Alistair had done to build up this wealth and power made bile rise in his throat.