The Weight of a Cold Reality

Having spent a dreamlike time with Agniele, Ensi found himself half-dazed, staring out the window as he faced the cold reality. It was a form of escapism. Because of that, he failed to notice Rose’s lingering gaze.

Normally, Ensi would have keenly sensed her presence and opened the conversation first, but as he remained silent, Rose was eventually forced to squeeze out her courage.

“Shall I give you the materials?”

“……Ah. Right.”

Ensi snapped back to his senses at her voice, which sounded as if it were about to crawl into a hole. Brushing back the hair scattered by the hot summer wind, he finally noticed Rose’s hesitation and waved his hand.

“It’s fine. It’s not important anyway. I only need to know the general circumstances.”

The reason Rose, born with the Omega trait, loathed Alpha pheromones was obvious. Having no desire to torment her, Ensi signaled that she didn’t need to approach him.

“The number of intruders has increased excessively lately.”

Thanks to that, they were nearly interrupted last night. So many had swarmed that the defenses he had set up were breached. Even the artifact Luke had gone to great lengths to provide became useless.

The spirits Donovan had stationed had long since vanished after the promised period. While the children filled the void left by the spirits, the intruders handled human guards much more easily than they did spirits.

“As you’ve likely guessed, the Lark is intentionally leaking the location of the jewelry to draw eyes toward the Jade Mansion. It seems she plans to use this distraction to plot something else, but she clearly has no intention of letting us in on that part.”

“She said she wanted to store it far from the commotion…….”

I’ve been played. He had suspected as much, but seeing it become reality didn’t feel pleasant. In truth, if Lady Natalia had truly wanted to store the jewelry away from trouble, she never would have entrusted it to Ensi. Even before she visited, Ensi was already a target for intruders.

Entrusting him with the jewelry despite knowing that meant, in the end, she wanted the commotion to center around Ensi.

Rose saw the slant of Ensi’s lips and knew he was dissatisfied with the situation, but she was forced to deliver more regrettable news.

“The numbers will likely increase, not decrease.”

“I suppose. This will be their last chance.”

It wasn’t strange. He hadn’t expected the number of intruders to drop. He had suspected this from the moment she dumped the jewelry—the very symbol of the Crown Prince—onto him.

The symbolism the gem held was not easily ignored. If the jewelry were to disappear or lose its original form, the person designated as the Crown Prince would have his legitimacy and ability questioned.

To that extent, the jewelry Ensi was holding was quite a tempting bait.

“Would it not be better to move your residence for a while? This place is too vulnerable.”

“It would be the same wherever I go. You know well the desperation of those backed into a corner.”

“Then at least increase the security.”

At the firm voice, Ensi looked at Rose intently. Rose met Ensi’s gaze straight on, expressing her worry.

“……I suppose I shouldn’t have made you take over the underground auction house. Your worries have grown, Rose.”

Well, it was only natural. Having handled the affairs of the underground auction house, she must have seen many foul things. With so much experience, it was only natural for her concern to deepen.

“I have no regrets. Did I not save my life in exchange for managing the auction house? Besides, through that, I protected the merchant guild, and I protected you, Master.”

No matter how famous a merchant guild was, the reality was that it could vanish like a flickering lamp before overwhelming power.

Thus, he should have been careful, but he had unintentionally caught the Emperor’s eye. The reason was that a mere merchant guild possessed excessive military force. When everything he had built was on the verge of collapse, the Emperor offered a way to live: the management of the underground auction house.

He likely pressured him from the start with the intention of dumping the auction house on him. The Emperor’s reasoning was that if darkness was bound to spring up again even after being eradicated, it was better to control it directly.

Thanks to that, even though he knew it was a trap, Ensi was forced to take over the auction house to protect what he had.

“You can stop even now. They won’t say anything on that side anyway.”

And Rose, keenly noticing that Ensi was reluctant, had taken over the auction house in his stead.

“I won’t. I will continue. You even gave it the beautiful name ‘Lavian,’ Master. Above all, I must remain the owner of Lavian so they can continue to watch your back and ensure you don’t marry the wrong person.”

When Rose mentioned one of the reasons they could maintain a decent relationship despite the bad start, Ensi let out a quiet sigh.

“……If you’ve realized that you own something of your own, then stop calling me Master. You’ve gained independence, so why do you keep being so stubborn?”

“I don’t want to. Once a Master, always a Master.”

Rose spoke bluntly and whipped her head away. Seeing the stubbornly set line of her mouth, Ensi pressed his hand to his forehead, feeling a headache coming on.

In truth, when Rose stepped forward to take over the auction house, Ensi was worried but also thought it was for the best. Since she was excessively blind in her devotion to him, he hoped that having something entirely her own would make her a bit better. He had worked hard to help her become independent, yet Rose’s tendencies remained unchanged.

“You certainly talk a lot of nonsense—.”

“More importantly, Master, the Lacius family keeps being a nuisance. Can’t something be done? I can’t exactly kill those under the command of the person you hold in special regard…….”

As a topic unfavorable to her came up, Rose quickly changed the subject. Ensi clearly saw through her trick, but because of the topic itself, he had no choice but to go along with it.

“If they’re being a nuisance, in what way?”

“They’re trying to dig into Lavian’s internal affairs. Especially, they seem to be looking for the link between you and me.”

“My, my.”

Perhaps they were planning to investigate in advance, since he might become a member of the family. Whatever it was, it wasn’t pleasant. Yet, he couldn’t just handle it according to his mood.

“……There’s no helping it. Send them back to the Lacius house gently.”

“I shall do so.”

Rose, having internally guessed that Ensi would offer a lenient treatment, nodded silently. Though the direction of a matter that had been weighing on her was decided, she wore a somewhat disgruntled expression. As it was an order, she would follow it, but she clearly didn’t like having to return the uninvited guests to the Lacius house so peacefully.

She tried to act otherwise, but since taking over the auction house, her temperament had grown rougher. Ensi, thinking to himself that he should pay more attention to her for a while, tapped his fingers together to draw her gaze.

“Do you have another task for me?”

“I want you to find a person.”

“—A person?”

Having never heard an instruction like this before, Rose tilted her head in confusion.

“Yes. Ideally, let’s see. Someone with vivid golden hair and deep blue eyes.”

“Pardon……?”

Standing with his back to the sun, the Master’s expression suddenly became blurred. Why was the excessively bright sunlight, which obscured his features, so unnerving?

A chilling sensation brushed down her spine, and Rose stood up abruptly from the sofa.

The conditions the Master described were almost, well—

“……For your reference, it doesn’t matter if it’s a woman or a man, as long as they can get pregnant.”

“Master!”

At the word “pregnant,” Rose understood perfectly, and her face turned pale. Ensi remained unshaken even as Rose called out to him in a shrill voice.

“Why should you bow your pride like that! No, I will not listen to this order!”

“Rose.”

Ensi called her name in a soft voice, as if soothing a pouting child. Rose had always been weak to that call filled with faint affection, but this time, she did not back down easily.

“Even if you call me that, I refuse. A surrogate? Such a humilia—, who is it!”

Instead of weakening, she was about to try and break Ensi’s resolve when she suddenly sensed a presence outside and reached toward the door. As the thin wire from Rose’s sleeve caught the doorknob, she pulled it back violently as if to rip the door off.

“I ordered that no one approach this area until I return…….”

Bang! The door flew open with a loud noise. Rose, who had been pouring out words in a voice suppressed with anger and a contorted expression, gasped the moment she saw who it was.

Ensi, standing by the window, also easily identified the face outside the door. Of all people, the person he most wanted to avoid right now was standing there. Though his eyes shook violently at the fact, Ensi hid his agitation by casting his gaze down and moved his lips.

“……You should head back now, Rose.”

“—Master, but.”

“Rose.”

Seeing the look on Ensi’s face, Rose hesitated and stepped back. She clenched her hands so tightly her fingertips turned white, then gave Ensi a short bow and turned away.

After shooting a disgruntled glare at the person standing dazed in front of the drawing room, Rose clicked her tongue in annoyance as she passed through the door.

“The Master is waiting. Please, go inside.”

Grind. Though she was gnashing her teeth, she maintained a polite tone outwardly as she whispered low to the person.

At Rose’s urging, the person’s trembling lips moved several times before they finally stepped into the drawing room.

Detecting a familiar floral scent from the body of the Alpha who brushed past her, Rose felt another surge of rage within her but barely managed to gather her emotions. Closing the drawing room door roughly with hands filled with excessive force from anger, she stood still for a long time, repeating deep breaths.

She tried to steady her dizzy mind, but even that wasn’t easy. Rose turned to leave the area first.

Click-clack. The sound of her rough footsteps echoed down the hallway, perhaps because she was putting too much force into her feet.

“Um, Rose.”

The moment she was about to step onto the stairs, a completely dejected voice caught her ankle.

“Monitor the drawing room so no one approaches. You all should stay as far back as possible and watch.”

“It’s not that…… the Master’s order, are you going to follow it?”

“That—! Haa, I suppose it will depend on how the conversation in the drawing room ends.”

“Ah, I see.”

Grind. At the sound of teeth gnashing, Anje’s shoulders slumped even further. Noticing him late, Rose bit the inside of her cheek in regret.

He must have been shocked by the Master’s order anyway; no matter how angry she was, she had made a mistake. Realizing her error, she made an effort to speak in a soft voice.

“Just in case, don’t forget to keep the kids’ mouths shut, Anje. Of course, you’ll do well even if I don’t say it…… but there’s no harm in being careful with the newly hired ones.”

“Yeah, I will.”

Anje added that he had intended to be careful even without being told, and Rose gave him a somewhat stiff smile.