Chapter 13

The next morning, Elwin opened his eyes to a sun that had already climbed high into the sky. He had intended to wake at dawn to harvest the greenhouse’s winter wheat, but exhaustion had claimed him.

I need to hurry. If I am late, the guests will… Ah. No.

Halfway out of bed, Elwin caught himself. The aristocratic guests occupying the count’s household would not stir until well into the afternoon. There was no need to rush.

A heavy sigh escaped him. The mere thought of Dwight drained his energy.

Staring out the window, Elwin watched scattered dark clouds gather, a grim mirror to his own turbulent heart. A restless night had left his mind in tatters. Barely a week had passed, yet his carefully plotted marriage operation was already veering disastrously off course. The fundamental problem lay in his growing doubt: had this scheme ever been viable to begin with?

Dwight, his supposed target, shared an unusual, grating familiarity with Selena. Truthfully, the man’s frigid demeanor did little to endear him to anyone, let alone a prospective spouse. Elwin had lain awake for hours, questioning the morality and logic of binding himself to such a man.

It is not a goal I chose out of desire. I only committed to it because it was the absolute last resort to protect the manor and the estate.

Yet, leaving this place and surviving elsewhere was not a sheer impossibility. Since the moment news of his father’s death had arrived, Elwin had mapped out contingencies, anticipating the potential collapse of his marriage plot.

Forfeiting his noble privileges held no terror for him. While his peers viewed earning a living as the height of vulgarity, Elwin genuinely embraced the prospect. He had once dreamed of attending university to study law or medicine, only to have his applications summarily rejected. Society, he quickly learned, would never entrust a legal case or a physical ailment to an Omega professional.

Would any respectable profession ever accept an Omega? Perhaps not. Yet, he could surely scrape by. His mother’s jewels remained securely locked away, and with shrewd management, his late father’s mining ventures might eventually yield dividends.

Yes. If that is true, then perhaps I do not have to…

Just as the pivotal question crystallized in his mind, movement beyond the window caught his eye, halting his breath.

Do I truly have to marry Dwight?

His beloved younger sister, Eleanor, sat reading on a garden bench. Bathed in the crisp autumn sunlight, it should have been a picture of idyllic innocence. The problem was the man lounging beside her, chatting away with effortless charm.

That rake again.

Leon. Such intrusions were becoming distressingly common. Despite his brief tenure as a guest, the Alpha had seamlessly woven himself into the estate’s daily rhythm, cultivating an alarming rapport with the staff. Maids fluttered like startled doves whenever he passed, while the footmen actively sought his romantic counsel. Only yesterday, he had tagged along on a village errand under the guise of sightseeing, moving with the comfortable swagger of a lifelong resident.

Now, he had extended his wicked influence toward Elwin’s precious sister.

Elwin shot out of bed. He dressed in a blur of frantic motion and practically sprinted down to the stairs. As he stepped through the wrought-iron entrance of the garden, the lilting cadence of their conversation drifted over the hedges.

“Then did you learn that at school?” Eleanor’s bright laughter pierced the morning air. It was a staggering sight; she was notoriously skittish around strangers, yet here she was, firing questions with absolute ease.

Leon offered a warm, conspiratorial smile. “No, I learned it at home. My family boasts many troublesome elders, so mastering the art of evasion was strictly necessary.”

“Aha! So you have a home too, Mister!”

The Alpha chuckled, clearly charmed by her innocent deduction, yet he answered with solemn gravity. “Of course. Even I possess something vaguely resembling a home.”

“I heard you traveled to many places.”

“I am a curious man, Miss Eleanor, and the world is vast.”

“Actually, my brother likes traveling too.”

Leon arched a brow. “Sir Elwin does? How unexpected.”

“My brother is not a boring person!” she bristled, inadvertently confirming that she usually considered him exceptionally dull. “Before Father left for Savar, he took my brother on a grand journey. They visited art museums and saw the ocean. I was heartbroken to be left behind, but after that, Elwin never got to travel properly again. He is always far too busy.”

Noble heirs typically spent months, or even years, traversing the continent upon coming of age to broaden their minds. While Omegas were routinely excluded from this custom, Elwin and his father shared such a fervent passion for studying the sedimentary layers of ancient ruins that they had embarked on a brief, clandestine excursion.

Those foreign landscapes had branded themselves onto Elwin’s soul. He had spoken of them obsessively upon his return, weathering Eleanor’s jealous grumbles, though it was now obvious her envy masked a deep, abiding pity for his current confinement.

Her dejected tone wrenched at his heart, but panic swiftly overrode the sentiment. He could not allow her to accidentally invite this rogue’s pity. He quickened his pace, his boots crunching sharply against the gravel path.

“Eleanor!”

She raised a hand, waving enthusiastically. Leon turned, a smile glittering in the sunlight with an intensity that instantly spiked Elwin’s defenses. He surged forward, physically inserting himself between them to sever their easy camaraderie.

“Eleanor, have you finished your Latin homework? Was there anything you struggled to understand?”

“I was just doing it now! I asked Mister Leon to explain the difficult parts.”

Latin? To Leon?

Elwin shot the man a look of naked incredulity, only to be met with infuriating composure. That inscrutable serenity mirrored his demeanor from the previous night, sending a treacherous lurch through Elwin’s chest. He fervently prayed the Alpha’s sharp senses could not detect his sudden flush of disquiet.

“I see. Well, go inside and finish the rest of your assignments. I have work to attend to in the garden.”

After unceremoniously shooing his sister toward the manor, Elwin pivoted, desperate to flee toward the safety of the greenhouse. He cleared his throat forcefully.

“Then, Mr. Leon, if you will excuse me—”

“Miss Eleanor was reading excerpts from Latin literature.” Leon smoothly ignored the dismissal, stepping effortlessly into Elwin’s path. “Her pronunciation is excellent.”

It was a masterful pivot, a subject guaranteed to ensnare Elwin’s attention. Where his sister was concerned, he was a hopeless, doting fool.

“Isn’t she?” Elwin’s face lit up instantly. “She is a remarkably clever child. Her tutor marvels at her progress every single session.”

“Indeed. It vividly reminded me of when I first began my own Latin studies.”

The unabashed arrogance wiped the smile from Elwin’s face. He stared at the man in flat disbelief. “…I said Eleanor is a truly clever child.”

What sort of shameless nonsense is this?

Amused by Elwin’s rapid shift from glowing pride to icy judgment, Leon threw his head back and laughed. “Of course she is,” he conceded, his voice dropping into a resonant, flawless cadence. “Splendet veritas tua, amice.”

Your truth shines, my friend. 

His pronunciation was crisp, carrying a dignified aristocratic weight that made the self-aggrandizing phrase sound alarmingly earnest. While Elwin stood momentarily paralyzed by this flash of unexpected refinement, Leon effortlessly hijacked the conversation.

“By the way, what pressing work calls the young lord to the garden? Is it the winter wheat seedling harvest you mentioned at dinner?”

“Ah… yes. That is correct.” Elwin blinked, startled that the man had retained a passing remark. The surprise redoubled when Leon made a wildly out-of-character proposal.

“Fascinating. I believe I will join you.”

“You? Personally?”

“Who else is standing here besides you and me, Sir Elwin?” Leon asked, as if pointing out the gravity of the sky.