By Zephyria 
It’s tiresome to repeat it now, but the Hamilton Family was rich. So rich that it was almost embarrassing to call them just rich; they were among the wealthiest nobles. As a direct member of such a Hamilton Family, my daily life was already very, very luxurious. It’s just that I don’t go out much, so it’s not very noticeable, but even compared to other noble children of my age, everyone would have to take a step back.
“Y-Young Master… Another gift has arrived.”
Nicole, struggling with the heavy box, brought it in front of me and said with a grunt. After confirming that I had turned my gaze, Nicole opened the heavy box to show me the contents. The inside of the box was shining brilliantly. Jewels? No. Mana stones, which were at least three times, and up to ten times more expensive than diamonds of the same weight, were packed tightly inside. Wow… Even I, who am used to gift offensives, was speechless this time. That one box alone could buy half of the territory of a small kingdom nearby.
“Oh, no… What is this? Where did it come from?”
“Ugh, it’s heavy… Let’s see… It’s from the Maritime Kingdom Alliance. They say they look forward to working with you in the future?”
Most of the prominent nobles within the empire had already been carefully watching the Crown Prince and trying to win my favor by any means possible. If I mentioned in passing that I liked the performance of a certain musician, the musician would knock on the door of the Hamilton Count’s residence before the day was over, and if I said a certain painting was pretty, works by the same painter would fill the warehouse to overflowing.
However, these foreign powers were slow to obtain information, and they hadn’t directly seen the Crown Prince subtly mentioning me, so they were weighing Beatrice and me until the very last moment, and only after the confirmation stamp was firmly placed did they exert their last-minute efforts in this way.
Once I get married and become a member of the imperial family, the process of receiving gifts will become more complicated, so they must be thinking of finishing the work while I’m still in my private residence.
“Hmm…”
It seems that three or four small countries lined up along the coastline have somehow joined forces to overdo it. Is it okay to accept it? The gift is too excessive, so I was a little hesitant to take it right away. If I throw a divorce petition at the Crown Prince and then have to prepare tributes for the next person, it won’t be easy to squeeze the national treasury…
“Noah! What are you thinking so deeply about?”
“Ah, Beatrice!”
Speak of the devil, and he appears, but it’s not the devil, it’s just perfect timing. Beatrice, the precious daughter of Duke Grachio, who will be the first to be mentioned as my next target if I successfully break up with Adrian, appeared before my eyes with a bright voice.
“It’s been so long. It’s really been too long. You must be very busy. I’m sorry about the engagement ceremony, my father was so insistent.”
It was true that Duke Grachio had already surrendered to the Crown Prince a long time ago, but how could that stubborn pride go away? There were rumors that he had shouted at the top of his lungs that he would have to go to the royal wedding no matter what, but he couldn’t attend the engagement ceremony and applaud.
I didn’t feel sorry for Beatrice up to that point. I knew very well that becoming the Crown Princess as her father wanted and being reduced to a useful doll for the power of the Grachio Dukedom was the future my close friend wanted to avoid the most.
“It’s okay. Are we the kind of people who would be upset about something like that?”
“Of course not.”
Beatrice seemed to like my expression and smiled cutely, then immediately came and stood in front of me. I got up from my seat and naturally linked arms with her, leading her away. The content of the conversation I was going to have with Beatrice today was something that should never be known to the Crown Prince’s informants throughout the mansion.
“The weather is nice, let’s go outside. It just so happens that I had something to show off.”
“Oh my. Are you going to show me the masterpiece of the famous artisan that’s all the rage in the capital?”
“You’re always so quick to catch on.”
“Hehe. I have more to brag about. I was going to see Noah anyway, and that stupid, no, my respected brother, seemed to want to follow along, but he couldn’t say a word. I don’t know how he can do anything other than watch our father’s every move. He’s really a filial son sent from heaven.”
While sharing the conversations we hadn’t been able to have, we slowly went out into the garden. A place was already set up in front of the fountain that the Crown Prince had gifted. I gestured to Nicole while offering Beatrice a seat. I had already told her that I wanted to talk comfortably as long as Beatrice was there, so everyone who was serving, as well as the guards who were hiding, would all keep their distance. Fortunately, the stream of water that was gushing out with a pleasant sound was also more than enough to protect my little secret.
“Wow… The angel statue in the middle of this fountain is said to be so beautiful and lifelike, and it really is. How could they express the texture of such soft fabric on hard stone?”
Her dark brown eyes were filled with joyful admiration. I smiled and matched her excitement, and when the timing was right, I cautiously brought up the topic.
“Hey… Beatrice.”
“Yes, Noah.”
“I’m asking just in case…”
Do you, by any chance, want to become the Empress? It was a cautious question. Currently, she and I are the only Dominant Omegas in the empire. The moment I refuse, it’s obvious that she will be caught in the snare. The Emperor, who has no children, would never leave the position of his spouse vacant. So, as soon as I decided to throw a divorce petition at Adrian and leave for the north, I worried about that first. I absolutely didn’t want to ask my friend to take over the position I didn’t want. The favorability I had built up with the Love interests was one thing, but I couldn’t reduce the friendship I had shared with a human being named Beatrice Grachio to a convenient tool to overcome the situation.
So, I had already found out the whereabouts of other Dominant Omegas outside the country, but I wanted to be sure. Maybe Beatrice wants to become the Empress…
“No, I don’t want to, absolutely.”
“If you’re just feeling sorry for me, it’s okay, so…”
“Ugh, the Crown Prince is the worst. Don’t push such a person onto me.”
“…”
Hmm. She really doesn’t want to. Okay, okay.
“But why? You also think that kind of person is not good, right? You’re planning to kick him in the butt, right? I don’t know what your decision was, but as a friend, I’m all for it. That arrogant narcissist should just live alone until he dies without harming anyone else!”
Beatrice poured out her negative comments about the Crown Prince without taking a breath, as if whispering in a small voice. The emotions she had built up from being entangled with the Crown Prince because of her father’s ambition since she was young seemed very high and steep. She looked around again to make sure it was okay, and after feeling relieved, she continued to speak. Without giving me a chance to answer.
“Aah, honestly, I know he’s a pitiful person. I’m very sorry that my aunt and father are the main culprits who made his life so pitiful. Well, thanks to them, my life has been terribly difficult. So, I even felt a little relieved that he was taking revenge on our family with his twisted personality? But you know, Noah. No, who do they think is getting involved because they like him? He knows my situation very well, but whenever we meet, he treats me like garbage and tells me not to expect any affection from him…!”
The long-standing resentment was indeed long to be resolved. Watching Beatrice gulp down the moderately cooled tea without any dignity and complain, I couldn’t help but think that I should have asked her sooner.
…Crown Prince hatred is so deep-rooted. Until the last Iteration, Allen was able to become close to her quickly without any effort, perhaps because of the unconditional gratitude she felt for the person who had snatched the position of Crown Princess from me?
“Ha…!”
How much time had passed since then? Beatrice finally caught her breath, saying that she had been so frustrated because she had no place to speak her mind, but now she felt alive.
“I’ve been thinking about it for a long time. My friend is too good for that self-obsessed personality disorder patient. That person only cares about his own opinion in the world. To be happy and comfortable next to him, you’d have to be an empty shell with no self-assertion or ego. Or a fool who’s happy to enjoy wealth and fame no matter how they’re treated.”
I was also worried about how my friend, who was neither the former nor the latter, would endure, her voice chattering on cheerfully.
“Ah. Don’t worry about me. Thanks to the Crown Prince stepping on my father and brother so well, I was able to advance many of the things I was preparing for. I’ll probably be the Duke within a year at the latest? The head of a family as prestigious as a Dukedom can’t enter as the Crown Princess or Empress.”
It was also a problem that I had a friend who was too smart and capable. I had called Beatrice today because I was going to tell her that the person I really loved was Little Duke Graham of the north, and that I was planning to wait patiently while pretending to obey the Crown Prince, and then betray him and leave. After I leave, she would likely be the next Crown Princess candidate, so if she didn’t want to, it would be good to prepare a way to avoid it in advance… I was going to help her inherit the Dukedom…, that’s what I was going to tell her.
“Ah, c-congratulations… Actually, I was going to ask you to meet today because of that…”
Can the situation really go this easily…? As I awkwardly rattled off the excuses I had prepared, Beatrice nodded excitedly and even applauded. Every time she nodded, her pink hair shook like cotton candy.
“That’s great! Then, if everything goes according to plan, we’ll really become family, right?”
“Does it work that way?”
“Of course! Our family and the Hamilton Family have been bound by marriage for generations, so if you think about it, we’re relatives.”
Beatrice got up from her seat, humming, and took light steps. She didn’t care that the water was splashing and took a seat on the edge of the fountain.
“Aah, I’m so happy! I was afraid to ask because it would be rude if Noah really liked the Crown Prince.”
Sitting on the fountain railing, Beatrice swung her legs, saying that she didn’t know how long it had been since she had heard such happy and welcome news. The future that she and I both wanted was drawn so clearly that it felt like we could reach out and grab it. My heart was tickling. I got up quietly and sat down next to Beatrice. A few drops of water splashed on my back, but even that felt like a special celebration.
I let go of my worries and faced Beatrice, grinning foolishly. I couldn’t stop smiling even if I tried. Just as she was playfully flicking water on my nose with her water-soaked fingertips and giggling, the path over there was strangely noisy. The important things were all over, so it didn’t really matter…, I turned my gaze casually. The urgent voices of the chattering servants were getting closer and closer to where we were.
“M-Madam! Now is not the time, Madam!”
“Everyone, escort the Madam!”
Soon, a rustling sound of bushes and a group of people suddenly appeared. At the very front of the group of about a dozen people, there was someone I had never expected to see standing there.
“No, Noah… No, no…!”
It was the Countess. The Countess, wearing only a thin gown and with her hair all disheveled, was running over in a hurry like a madwoman.