Chapter 45
“Dielo Argenta is definitely head over heels for Croix Alloge.”
Alloge’s informant spoke in a heated voice inside the swaying carriage.
“The atmosphere between the two of them was nothing short of newlyweds.”
He didn’t bother adding that their intimacy had been so blatant it was embarrassing for the infiltrator.
But Duke Alloge and Pentas Alloge seemed to already sense as much.
The flush on the informant’s face gave it away.
“The lilies?”
The duke asked the crucial question.
If they were getting along so well, the lilies disappearing was only a matter of time. Still, he needed to check the progress.
“One was definitely erased. I saw it with my own two eyes.”
The informant confirmed.
“That’s enough. You may go.”
The duke waved him off.
Once the informant leapt from the slowly moving carriage, the carriage sped up.
“Once all the lilies are erased, we’ll sweep Argenta away.”
The duke said with a satisfied smile.
When fire clashes with water, water has the overwhelming advantage.
Especially if it’s the feeble flame of a head who hasn’t even awakened properly.
If the duke himself took the field, it would be more than enough.
The problem was—
“You still haven’t manifested the Head’s mark, have you?”
The duke turned his gaze toward his son.
Pentas Alloge irritably scratched at his deep-blue hair.
“It seems a little late in coming.”
“Hmph.”
The duke clicked his tongue.
Unusually for him, he had been eagerly waiting for the mark of the Head to appear on his son.
Most heads of houses feared that the mark might appear on collateral relatives instead, but he was different.
After all, there weren’t many collateral relatives to begin with, and those few were utterly lacking in talent—so pathetic in their water manipulation that it was laughable.
“But father, must we really wait for the mark to appear on me? Wouldn’t it be simpler if you just crushed them while you’re still the head?”
Pentas asked then.
From his point of view, it would be easier to become the next, stronger head after Argenta was destroyed—so of course he was impatient.
“Foolish boy.”
The duke clicked his tongue again.
Normally, current heads disliked the appearance of the mark in their heirs, since it meant their own power would gradually wane.
But the duke didn’t regret it—he saw it as an opportunity.
Wasn’t it inevitable that the mark would emerge someday?
At the time of succession, when the heir takes the Head’s mark, their power instantly becomes overwhelming.
And right after the transfer, the current head’s strength doesn’t weaken much at all.
In other words, that moment would be the peak of their combined might.
The perfect time to strike down Argenta.
He intended to extinguish Argenta’s flame himself while still holding the title of duke.
“Click… it should have appeared by now.”
The duke smacked his lips regretfully.
Well, the lilies hadn’t all been erased yet—so there was still time.
“No need to rush.”
He laughed silently to himself.
The Alloge carriage rolled farther and farther away from Argenta.
“Dielo Argenta’s demeanor has changed quite a lot.”
In the carriage of House Cartiel, Siete Cartiel’s voice rang out.
His Phero, the duchess of Cartiel—who had been almost completely silent throughout the banquet—turned to look at him.
“I felt it too. The flame’s aura seems fiercer.”
If his Phero sensed it, it had to be true.
Siete Cartiel fell into thought.
He and his Phero were more like business partners than husband and wife—joined together purely for Cartiel’s prosperity and power.
That being the case, the duchess’s eye for detail was sharp.
“Hmm…”
Siete narrowed his eyes, recalling last night.
‘Alloge is moving. They say they stole Duke Argenta’s ceremonial robes.’
At that report, what came to mind was, of course, the lilies.
They must have wanted to see if the black lilies had disappeared.
‘Then we should send people too. Quietly.’
Had Dielo really changed because the lilies vanished?
Was that why his combative nature was finally showing?
He had sent someone to check.
And the one he dispatched was now standing before him.
“Well?”
As one who wielded power over wind, Cartiel’s informant had sharper hearing than most spies.
The man cleared his throat and replied:
“It was unmistakably a newlyweds’… night. Embarrassingly so.”
“So he was that… passionate?”
The duchess asked.
Her question carried no embarrassment—she only wanted the facts. Had Dielo Argenta truly changed?
The informant nodded.
“Yes. To the point I wondered if he was even the same Dielo Argenta we knew.”
“Awakening often changes a man’s nature, but…”
Siete found it strangely bothersome.
He trusted his instincts.
Was this truly just the effect of a lily disappearing after meeting his Phero?
Unaware of Alloge’s scheme with the fake Phero, he could only speculate within what he knew.
“Croix.”
The way Dielo Argenta had sweetly called his bride’s name—
It was clearly the voice of a man hopelessly in love.
If he burned that hotly, then the lilies would vanish in no time.
But once the lilies were gone, what power would Dielo Argenta gain?
How strong would he become?
He had thought the weakling head would be useless even after awakening.
“Hm.”
So why did this gnaw at him so much?
He recalled Dielo Argenta glaring at Pentas Alloge while shielding his woman.
Like a beast protecting its family.
Siete Cartiel chuckled faintly.
At his side, the duchess flinched at the sight of his smile and lowered her eyes.
“Family, is it.”
In Cartiel, the word meant next to nothing. But Argenta was different.
They were a house known for their unusually strong bonds.
At the same time, they were a house that demanded a strong head.
That was why weak Dielo Argenta had always been the outcast among Argenta heads—until now.
But now—
“He’s changed…”
Never mind whether his power had grown. The very fact that he sought to protect something was enough to unsettle Siete.
Such a change was dangerous.
And the one who had brought about that change—
“…Croix Alloge.”
The illegitimate daughter of Alloge, with the deep-violet hair, who now bore the name Croix Argenta.
“A daughter of Alloge playing love games with Argenta—it’s laughable, isn’t it?”
Elin Cartiel might have believed it was a love match, but Siete certainly did not.
Nor did the duchess listening beside him.
The bond between a head and their Phero was rarely romantic.
Even though awakening required genuine rapport, there were many kinds of “love.”
Even conditional love—like Siete’s, for his Phero’s ability rather than her person—could serve as fuel.
“I will give you not love, but the position of duchess.”
“Let’s seek practical benefit, not empty ideals like love.”
So long as head and Phero’s hearts aligned—even in such a cold, transactional way—it was enough.
That was how the Cartiel couple had bloomed.
Siete Cartiel, who did not believe in love, had forged the strongest Cartiel through ruthless choices.
He culled every blood relative without potential, keeping only Elin, who had some talent.
Naturally, Argenta’s change piqued his concern.
The duchess, sensing his sharp unease, held her breath.
To her husband, she was both advisor and Phero.
If he ever judged her worthless as an advisor, she would be reduced to a mere tool and confined in the estate.
Better to remain silent.
“…”
And as she feared, Siete was indeed displeased.
“How much of a catalyst is Croix Argenta, as Phero?”
He asked, his voice calm yet heavy.
He needed to know what kind of person she was, this woman who had changed the normally passive Dielo Argenta.
Once, she had seemed like a trivial, worthless woman—yet somehow she had transformed him.
One thing was clear: unexpectedly, Croix Alloge was a useful Phero.
Even aside from amplification, if she could change Dielo Argenta in this way—
Better to kill her early.
He did not want the balance of the three houses disturbed.
“Send men secretly to Argenta. And—”
His command was cold.
“—eliminate Croix Alloge.”
“Yes, my lord.”
The Cartiel informant bowed deeply.
We returned to the Argenta family’s main estate.
But from the very next day, something about the household atmosphere began to shift.
“I figured things would change.”
Of course, once Argenta gained a Phero, the other houses would make their moves.
We had hoped they would underestimate us.
And during the gathering, Dielo had hardly shown the dignity of a proper head.
So we thought it would be enough to lull them into complacency.
But the problem came a few days later, at a meal.
“I told them to prepare dishes Croix likes today.”
Dielo said with a radiant face. His voice, brimming with joy, was that of a hopelessly smitten groom.
“Didn’t you say the same thing yesterday?”
Every day he insisted the kitchen prepare only the foods I liked. No matter how I looked at him, he was a doting newlywed.
He chuckled softly at my words.
“Well, it’s not like you only like one thing, Croix.”
I just always want to make you happy with something new.
Speaking excitedly, he pointed to a dish on the table.
“These mushrooms only grow on Tila Peak. The aroma is so strong it divides people’s tastes sharply—but you like them, don’t you?”
I vaguely remembered that the original Croix enjoyed mushroom dishes.
And I didn’t dislike mushrooms myself.
I nodded.
“Yes. But this is…”
Wasn’t Croix supposed to only like rare, hard-to-find mushrooms?
“I picked them myself.”
Dielo smiled brightly.
…From a cliffside, no less?
I blinked, stunned.
Judging by the large caps, he must have gone quite deep to find them.
“What if you had slipped?”
“I haven’t been neglecting my training, you know.”
The proud look on his face—
“My goodness.”
Since he went through all that trouble, I couldn’t very well refuse.
And to top it off, the glossy mushrooms were coated with the sweet-and-spicy sauce I loved.
“Would you like to try some?”
Dielo sliced one of the mushrooms.
“…?”
For a brief moment, he hesitated, tilting his head slightly.
Then, abruptly, he popped the piece into his own mouth.
“Dielo?”
Did he catch a strange scent?
He arched his brow, then suddenly pushed the dish aside.
Wiping his mouth with a napkin, he rose from his seat.
“I told them to serve what Croix likes…”
His lips curved upward in a strange smile.
“…Seems the cook made a mistake.”
