By Zephyria 
A cold silence flowed. Betrayal, who…? Adrian betraying his own subordinates? That couldn’t be. In the first life, and in this last life that had been repeated countless times… Adrian had not broken his promise, and they had maintained their loyalty to Adrian until the end. But why suddenly?
“I heard that His Highness is on intimate terms with Princess Grachio. That’s why he’s going to keep the family alive. He’s going to keep the Duke alive as well, and later, when the time is right, he’ll change the head of the family to the Princess and quietly deal with only the Duke and the Little Duke.”
“……Ah.”
It’s because of me. There was no room for excuses. Adrian Pearson, the human who had chosen Allen, had never given up his life’s revenge because of that love. The same was true in the first life. Back then, Adrian’s power had stabilized much faster, and I had less contact with outsiders outside the mansion than I do now. Princess Grachio, whom I occasionally saw at official events, and I, the confirmed Crown Princess, had a good impression of each other, but we were not close friends who shared our hearts as we are now. Adrian wielded his sword without hesitation.
Fortunately, before the family was ruined, the Duchess divorced the Duke and returned to the North safely, taking one of her daughters with her. The Grand Duchy of Graham actively protected the Duchess and the Princess, and the two of them spent the rest of their lives as members of the Northern nobility, no longer belonging to the Grachio ducal family.
“We also know that the Duchess was forced to marry the Duke. The Princess’s personality and qualities, which do not resemble her father, are also flawless and good-natured. So, if you want to save the lives of those two, then it’s okay to compromise that far. But keeping the Grachio name alive is a completely different story.”
“H, have you talked to Adrian? You know that he’s not the kind of ruler who wouldn’t understand that.”
“Would I have bothered Your Highness like this without even trying?”
The Chamberlain said that after I went missing once, Adrian was resolute, as if he wouldn’t concede even a speck of dust to Noah Hamilton in any issue related to me. He said that Adrian was more serious than ever, saying that he wouldn’t leave even the slightest scratch on Noah Hamilton, not only on his body but also on his heart.
“He told me to say anything I wanted in another form. He even said that if I wasn’t satisfied, he could immediately cut off the Duke Grachio’s head. Yes, I might be able to resolve my resentment with that alone. But the resentment in the hearts of each and every one of those people standing outside cannot be atoned for with just that. So what can I do? I have no choice but to create a reason for resentment again for those who say they will forget their resentment and be happy.”
I had already had a formal engagement ceremony and received the status of a quasi-royal. Now, if it became known that such an incident had occurred, the matter could not be concluded simply with Adrian’s venting of anger. The suspicion of threatening or conspiring to assassinate the prospective Crown Princess is punished as treason. I, who had been dragged away several times for trying to harm Allen, knew better than anyone else.
I didn’t know what to say, so I confusedly followed the Chamberlain’s wrinkled face with my eyes. I couldn’t think of any words to persuade him. No. Before that, I didn’t even know if it was really worth persuading. For them, subjectively and objectively, Duke Grachio and his family were indeed criminals who deserved to be punished. Even if the family collapsed, in any scenario, there was no harm to my friend and her kind mother. When the ducal family collapsed, they usually survived in a similar flow to the first Iteration. So, the fatal flaw was that I thought it would be the same this time and couldn’t pay much attention.
Should I say I’m sorry? Should I say I regret it? It wasn’t intentional, but it was clearly my fault that things went wrong like this. As if noticing that I was about to open my mouth without any face, the Chamberlain shook his head slightly and opened his mouth first.
“Please don’t. We are the ones who should apologize. Even if His Royal Highness’s change of heart started from you, it was Adrian who changed his heart. Although I am old, I still have the sense not to turn the arrow of blind anger to the wrong place. I am very sorry. But there will be no danger to your life, so please rest assured.”
“Having gone this far…, you guys won’t be safe either.”
“I know. How can I think about saving my own life when I’m trying to take someone else’s life while dragging in the innocent Her Royal Highness? If I had cherished my life from the beginning, I wouldn’t have had the courage to oppose the Emperor and support the prince who had nothing when I was in love with Duke Grachio in his prime.”
As if they had been listening to our conversation from outside, a knock was heard at the perfect timing when the Chamberlain’s long speech ended. The Chamberlain immediately opened the door slightly and communicated briefly with the outside.
“Well, the message has arrived. His Royal Highness has contacted the Magic Tower Lord and is heading this way. Hahaha…. The Barrier of this Safehouse is quite elaborate, but it won’t be able to buy much time from the Magic Tower Lord.”
The Chamberlain, who had only been showing a subtle, business-like smile as if he were a machine, finally burst into a hearty laugh. The sound of his laughter, which seemed to be unable to contain his relief, sounded like a wail to my ears.
“Adrian…, you cherished him like a son, didn’t you?”
It wasn’t a word I spat out with the intention of blaming him. I just felt sorry. Infinitely…, infinitely. The dead biological mother without realizing it, and the Emperor who had never paid attention to Adrian… They weren’t proper parents to Adrian. In the first Iteration, Adrian, although he couldn’t show it to others, subtly regarded and relied on this old man in front of me as a parent. That was the case even when the Empress’s harassment had stopped early, so how much more would he have relied on him in this Iteration?
“…That’s right. He was truly like my own child. It’s not enough to express it only as loyalty. However, there is a difference between serving someone who is like my own child and longing for the child I have only buried in my heart. That’s all.”
“……”
“Please bear with it a little longer. There’s not much time left.”
The Chamberlain, who had already armed himself with the same subtle smile as usual, turned around and left the secret room. It was a bold walk without any hesitation.
Not long after, Jonas Grachio regained consciousness. He stood up from his seat and stared blankly into the air for a moment, then his gaze turned to me, and Jonas laughed lowly and approached me. The unknown drug that he had repeatedly inhaled by the Chamberlain seemed to have significantly impaired his cognitive abilities. Even though the sound of clattering weapons and the loud sound of a group of horseshoes pushing through the mountain path began to be heard so clearly beyond the thick walls, he was only interested in grabbing my collar and shaking me without understanding the situation at all.
“If things had gone according to the natural order, I should have been the Crown Prince right now, you know? If my aunt couldn’t conceive an heir until the end and the Emperor died…, I should have inherited the throne, being the Alpha with the most noble blood in this country! I should have taken the position of Crown Prince and inherited the throne.”
The inferiority complex of a human being who is just a human being with the same red blood and whose only advantage over Adrian is his bloodline was ugly.
“If that were the case, you, a Dominant Omega, would have been mine too. But you’re not ashamed and you’re sticking with a bastard, and you dare to look down on me? Don’t think I don’t know that you and Beatrice used to sneer and laugh at me!”
Of course, she and I thought this incompetent guy was quite pathetic, but we didn’t bother to ridicule him out loud. He’s showing off his inferiority complex towards his smarter younger sister.
Even though both of his cheeks were already torn, his strong hands were raised high as if he wouldn’t be satisfied unless he slapped me again. After swallowing blood-mixed saliva, I gritted my teeth. And it was at that moment.
Bang!
“Noah!”
Adrian, full of anger, opened the door of the secret room and appeared. It was a perfect timing for the appearance of a hero who came to save the protagonist in danger, but… I don’t know. I wasn’t just happy to see Adrian. I knew it was a pampered complaint, but that’s how I felt.