“duchess, i think i’ll have to enter the palace first.”

    “huh? why?” seira asked, confused.

    “i have business to attend to at the imperial palace,” came his curt reply. he glanced at franto’s maids, and quickly added with his eyes lowered, “i’ll go ahead and wait, you can take as much time as you want.”

    “alright, see you later, aven.”

    aven turned to the twins and nodded, “lucy, meilin.”

    the girls shuddered at aven’s low voice, and then curtsied at seira, “we’ll be on our way, duchess.”

    “suddenly, something urgent came to mind…” lucy reasoned.

    seira looked at aven and the girls back and forth, and then smiled with a slight nod.

    “alright then,” she giggled, “thank you for coming today. please visit more often.”

    “yes, duchess!” the twins answered with bright faces.

    they followed aven out of the room, and the place quickly turned quiet. seira imagined entrusting herself to franto’s maids, who were busy teasing her hands again.

    one day, aven will surely bring a pretty omega and introduce her as his companion.

    ‘i was being so selfish.’

    of course, she didn’t consider aven because she thought she’d marry him and support askan together. after all, aven was already twenty-seven years old.

    she shouldn’t be optimistic that aven, who could’ve lived his life like lucy and meilin, would forever devote himself to her and askan. it wasn’t exactly required of him to do so.

    just as seira is the last of askan’s lineage, wasn’t aven also the last of the helford’s? it was also a matter to consider if he’d continue on putting himself into dangerous missions when he still didn’t have a successor.

    ‘unlike me, aven doesn’t really have to,’ she thought at the back of her mind.

    if she used his loyalty, she can hold him by force. but by then, what was the difference between her and the emperor? seira couldn’t bear to think of it.

    ‘we must discuss it as soon as possible,’ seira convinced herself.

    she’ll find another alpha now, so aven should meet his own omega. if she was to leave it to aven’s personality, the issue would most likely just get kept behind them without even a single word mentioned.

    ‘it would be great if he met girls like lucy and meilin…’

    it felt strange for her to imagine anyone else, but his complete separation was practically too big of a blow. he was there through everything, starting with the way she fought which was all thanks to aven’s help.

    she had no choice but to be selfish until the end. seira stared into the mirror with her lips tightly pressed to a thin line.

    instead of a master-class slayer who fought at the front line, there was a beautiful omega that looked like she couldn’t even properly wield a single dagger.

    ‘please, today.’

    she must feel free to play it down, so that she could get more time and more opportunities.

    if that wouldn’t work, let the sin be possessed so it can be used as a disposable shield.

    seira practiced laughing demurely in the mirror as the winds blew into the d-ark, who stood alone on a desolate land far away. this was the weapon she had to wield instead of a sword today.

    * * *

    shortly after finishing her makeup, a young man with long brown hair came and delivered the news, “your excellency, the duke of franto is here.”

    the man was alan dews, owner of the dews estate that seira had asked louis to revive this time. a senior at the academy, alan was the youngest child seira had ever sponsored. he was as big as a bear for a 19-year-old, but he was still growing day by day.

    “alright, i’ll be right down,” she replied.

    alan was actually a pacifist, but he often called in when aven was away, saying that just being there would be helpful.

    as seira left the mansion with alan, she saw louis franto standing in front of the carriage. the purple accents of his white robes looked like a set to her dress.

    “seira,” he greeted her with a slight, courteous bow.

    he stepped into the front stairs, smiled softly, and then kissed seira’s hand. pretending not to see alan’s expression deteriorating, she greeted him with a smile too.

    “you’re just in time, louis,” she said.

    “i’m glad to hear that.”

    “thank you for the dress,” seira added as she pretended to look over herself, “ the shoes, accessories, and maids as well.”

    he beamed with glee and said, “it’s my pleasure. i hope you liked them all.”

    seira was about to walk after she received louis’ hand, but suddenly looked back at alan. she felt something unusual, and alan was also staring at louis with an intense look.

    ‘what’s wrong with this pacifist?’ she thought at the back of her mind.

    he was ready to beat someone. he was clenching and stretching his fist as big as a pot lid.

    seira sighed and tapped the boy’s arm, “i’ll be back, alan.”

    “yes, duchess… please have a good time,” alan replied.

    seira climbed into franto’s carriage despite seeing alan’s reluctance. louis sat across from her and stared silently, opening his mouth to speak only when the carriage completely left the mansion.

    “that young man a while ago was the baron dews,” he said.

    “yes,” seira nodded, “he’s usually just a gentle and cute kid, but he must be in a bad mood today.”

    “…”

    louis pretended he didn’t hear seira’s explanation of alan’s attitude back then and asked another question, “may i ask you why you chose dews’ estate? it’s the closest from here, but it’s too far out for askan.”

    “alan is the most urgent,” she responded without hesitation, “i have to get him married before he gets even bigger.”

    “marriage, you mean?”

    “yes, marriage.”

    louis’ expression turned strange with seira’s words, which he couldn’t really comprehend. on the other hand, she didn’t exactly bother to elaborate further.