DSB 11

Lebel looked around. The one called “dad” seemed to be the lord of this territory, the duke. To think the duke hate him this much.

If the duke was the one to whom he was granted as a bride, he wouldn’t like the sudden bride. Especially with a son like Yutis, it meant he had a wife. It was normal to react this way to a gift from someone he disliked.

What was abnormal was Yutis’s side. He was treating the prince sent by the emperor as a bride for his father with some respect. With the castle’s lord hating him this much, what should he do?

If he couldn’t enter the castle, he needed to find a place to stay. Learning he could control demonic beasts was great, but this place was cold. Lebel held the blanket tighter. To think he’d consider relying on humans because of this damn cold.

“You have no intention of becoming my mate?”

“…….What?”

The man, exuding a ferocious aura, momentarily asked back dumbly.

“Aren’t you the duke? I thought I was sold to the duke…. Um, to the Hestro bloodline.”

Lebel realized the reactions around him were all strange. He tilted his head. It felt like he had said something wrong, but he didn’t know what.

The young master called him “dad.” So, didn’t that mean duke? Humans basically called men father and women mother.

“Because he’s half-baked, he can’t even sense that the Madam is an omega?”

Omega?

Was the one before him an omega? Then he had the same trait.

“Are you really an omega?”

“The emperor said so.”

As Lebel answered nonchalantly, the man’s gaze turned to Yutis beside him.

“Yutis!”

“…Yes. I confirmed it.”

“You confirmed? How?”

Lebel asked, but Yutis avoided his gaze. How could this man be sure of something even he couldn’t confirm?

“Hah, unbelievable. A dominant omega who can’t even distinguish manifestations? And I have a husband! I have no intention of handing Edmund over to the likes of you!”

Who was Edmund?

In the continuous confusion, Lebel calmly met his eyes. He calmly sorted out the situation. To summarize, the person before him was an omega. He seemed to be the duke’s mate.

“Hah, ridiculous. I heard you attempted suicide because marrying a demon bastard like us was humiliating, but you’ve changed your mind? What’s your scheme?”

“I told you it was a misunderstanding.”

“Quiet! Not just you, others saw it too! If you hadn’t received him, that skinny one would have died right there!”

Skinny…….Well, whatever.

“Then who am I marrying?”

“He’s right next to you! Right next to you!”

At the man’s frustrated words, Lebel’s gaze shifted. Yutis, who was there with an awkward smile and avoiding his eyes, came into Lebel’s view.

Lebel’s eyebrow twitched.

“Didn’t you say no?”

Lebel had clearly asked Yutis if he was his mate and he had said no.

“Your Highness, I’m sorry.”

Yutis looked down, embarrassed and murmured quietly. After a brief silence, Lebel opened his mouth.

“…Did you hate me too?”

He hadn’t seen any malice.

The reason for treating him kindly might have been that he wasn’t worth harboring emotions toward.

“No!”

Yutis startled and shouted urgently.

“No?”

“…I didn’t want to burden Your Highness. I thought Your Highness would hate this marriage, so I wanted to respect your opinion.”

Respect my opinion? Lebel looked up at Yutis’s tense face.

“Then will you follow my will?”

“Of course. So please tell me your true feelings comfortably.”

Yutis brightened and nodded at Lebel’s words. He didn’t hate him. If he did, there’d be no reason to be so restless at his words.

“Yutis! There’s no need to listen to this prince! I don’t know why you suddenly changed your mind and came all this way, but tell the emperor we won’t sell our son!”

“I thought I was the one being sold.”

“I don’t know your situation, but we didn’t want to accept you!”

If they opposed this strongly, wasn’t his opinion unnecessary?

“We asked for a dominant omega, even a commoner…… Anyway, as long as you don’t touch the promised territory, we have no intention of clashing. If you annoy us with useless words, we’ll say war again!”

The man said confidently, arms crossed.

A prince worse than a commoner.

The man continued without pause, looking at Lebel who stared blankly at him.

“I don’t know what scheme you have by becoming in-laws, but it won’t go your way, so give up! I don’t know what you plan by becoming one of us, but it won’t flow as you wish.”

Ah, in-laws. He had thought a bit. It was subjugation, but not by force, so it was unsettling.

But it was foolish considering marriage as a means for alliance. Especially while dumping him, who had no value to them.

At that moment, Yutis stepped forward to defend Lebel.

“His Highness is different from the Emperor. I explained that to you.”

“How could you possibly know that! No one knows what’s inside a person! Even if what you say is true, I can’t accept that prince! You are the heir to the Hestro family. And the dominant omega who can handle you must be strong! You know that well yourself!”

Yutis’s face visibly stiffened at the man’s words. Lebel watched the situation unfold, noticing Yutis’s hand clenched into a trembling fist. Their refusal stemmed partly from Lebel being of imperial blood, but it seemed Yutis’s own issue played a significant role too.

Was it because he turned into a monster during rut?

Lebel studied Yutis. The inner workings of the man who would be his husband seemed complex, judging by how he couldn’t easily bring himself to speak. But that’s the North’s business. It didn’t concern him much.

Lebel stepped closer and took his hand. Yutis startled and turned around.

“Did you say you’d do as I wish?”

“Your Highness?”

“Then I shall make my intentions clear.”

Lebel looked at him calmly.

“You are the strongest here. For someone weak like me to become the bride of the strong is a blessing.”

If it were his original body, this situation would be utterly absurd, but Lebel knew that he was weak. Even if he tried to become stronger, there would be limits because it was a human body.

Right now, his own situation wasn’t great, so clinging to someone wasn’t a bad idea. He didn’t particularly mind his pride being hurt by that. It was unfamiliar, but…

Moreover, the person being mentioned as his mate wasn’t bad at all. Looking at Yutis’s surprised eyes, Lebel slightly lifted the corner of his mouth and said.

“I mean it’s good. Becoming your bride. Hm, but you can choose too. If you don’t like it, I’ll leave.”

The imperial knights hadn’t arrived yet. He could just hide his body appropriately before they arrived. He wondered if this human body could endure this cold, but once his power returned, he could survive alone. The emperor might hold them accountable, but he couldn’t take care of that far. He had given the choice, so now only his decision remained.

When Yutis said nothing, Lebel nodded as if he understood the meaning and turned around.

It was then that Yutis grabbed his hand.

“Where are you trying to go alone?”

“Wasn’t it something you didn’t want?”

“No, it’s not. If Your Highness…. If Your Highness says it’s okay, then I’m okay too.”

“Yutis!”

The man loudly scolded Yutis’s action.

“I can endure it. I’ve endured it until now.”

“The curse is getting worse little by little…….Hah. No, leaving aside the curse, why marry the prince…….The emperor might interfere with us!”

“Even if we don’t get married, it still a problem. The Empire will continue to be wary of us. They have lost the war, so they are keeping an eye on things, but the situation could change at any moment. Even if it’s just a formal marriage, wouldn’t it be better to strengthen our bonds in this way for the future?”

“That…!”

The man put his hand to his forehead, complaining of a headache.