Episode 8. Please Protect Someone as Pretty as Me
The first to propose marriage had been the Grand Duke. But ever since following him to the ducal estate, things had begun to take a strange turn. No one welcomed her, and even the Grand Duke himself seemed to have lost interest, treating her with a lukewarm indifference.
If only she could just break things off with House Claudia altogetherâit would be ideal. But that wasnât going to happen. Everyone wanted Ethan. Which meant Aileen had to convince the Grand Duke before he brought her brother here.
âIâm not finished yet.â
Aileen continued quickly before he could interrupt.
âIâm saying we should get married first and then divorce later. That way, youâll have honored your promise to House Claudia and still be free to take another omega as your mate. It wonât take longâjust one year.â
What on earth was she talking about?
Lloyd tilted his head, his expression somewhere between disbelief and amusement, like heâd just heard a dog barking in the distance. But Aileen pressed on firmly.
âEven after the divorce, you wonât have to worry. There are plenty of noble ladies who want to marry youâit wonât be hard to remarry.â
âLadies who want me, huhâŠâ
âThere arenât many dominant alphas on the continent, and your house has prestige. Plus, youâre handsome. There are so many ladies who like you. A divorce wouldnât be a blemish at all.â
Why am I even saying this?
As Aileen poured out flattery, she suddenly felt the weight of her miserable situation. Still, that didnât matter nowâshe had to persuade him.
âWhat do you think?â
She asked cautiously.
Lloyd seemed to consider it seriously. The silence dragged onâeach minute felt like an hour. Just as Aileen was about to speak againâ
âIf there are so many who want me, arenât you one of them too? Youâre talking like youâre not.â
ââŠWhat?â
âItâd be troublesome if you changed your mind later and decided you didnât want a divorce.â
His brazen words made Aileenâs blood boil, but she bit back her irritation.
âIâm not like that. I can divorce youâno problem.â
She declared confidently, as if saying she wouldnât love him even if he were the last man alive. Lloyd didnât respond right awayâhe was almost offended by her certainty.
âI canât just answer that right now. Marriage isnât a childâs gameâŠâ
Aileen let out a hollow laugh. At this point, even a childâs make-believe marriage would be more sincere than this.
Who was the one who made a half-hearted proposal in the first place?
âYouâre right. It wonât work.â
He declined flatly.
âIf we share a bed, how can I be sure you wonât change your mind?â
Wow.
She wanted to bang her head against the wall.
Aileen swallowed her frustration, keeping a composed face that screamed I will not be swayed by this man. But then his next words nearly shattered that calm.
âI donât want things to get messy later. Iâve changed my mind. Maybe itâd be better to bring your brother here insteadâŠâ
âWait!â
Aileen raised her hand sharply.
He stopped, lips curling ever so slightly into a fleeting smile that no one could have noticed.
âIâll never fall for you. And ifâifâI ever do, please throw me away without hesitation. Treat me like Iâm nothing. I donât mind. Also, thereâs another benefit to marrying me.â
âOh? Whatâs that?â
His relaxed tone made her flare up a little, but she answered earnestly.
âIâm a beta, so you wonât be bothered by pheromones. And if you still donât trust me, we can even make a contract.â
âYou expect me to trust a piece of paper? Love transcends all things, you know.â
She wanted to snap who are you to talk about love, but technically, he wasnât wrong. He didnât mean heâd fall in loveâhe was worried she would. The man truly was in loveâwith himself.
I didnât want to go this far, butâŠ
Aileen bit her lip.
âFine. If you canât trust my word, Iâll prove it. If you need an heir, Iâll do my best throughout our marriage. And even ifâhypotheticallyâI do get pregnant, I wonât be greedy about it.â
She only said that to convince him to marry her. She knew heâd be heading to the battlefield soon, so there was no real chance of a child. Still, Aileen acted as if she might bear him one, piling on every ounce of tragic sincerity she could muster.
âDo you need more? I have nothing else to offer.â
She looked at him with pleading eyes. Lloydâs gaze was unreadable.
He liked her proposalâan arranged marriage with an expiration date, and sheâd even offered more than expected. Watching her was oddly entertaining. Still, there was something he didnât understand.
âThen we should hurry with the wedding. Wouldnât want you getting pregnant before that.â
Even though that meant heâd accepted her deal, Aileen couldnât bring herself to smile.
The retainers attending the vassal meeting had heard reports that the Grand Duke himself had escorted the Claudia girl to a room. Some couldnât believe it; others tried to guess what his intentions were.
But the moment Lloyd appeared, everyone fell silent. As they exchanged nervous glances, Lloyd recalled his earlier conversation with Aileen.
I still donât understand why youâre doing this. Your brother would probably approve of me, but⊠could it be that you already like me and youâre pretending not to?
Of course not. My brotherâs an omega.
And?
Heâs an omegaâhe could be drawn to your pheromones. But Iâm not.
Is that supposed to be a reason?
Lloyd had been genuinely baffled. People married complete strangers all the time for political reasonsâwhy did pheromones matter? If anything, attraction would be a bonus.
Now that I think about it, youâre full of mysteries. Maybe I should just talk to your brother instead of you.
Youâve already proposed to me! Why are you looking for someone else?
Her indignant tone nearly made him laugh out loud. After that, he made sure to shut down all talk of Ethan.
Aileen kept offeringâtime, her title as duchess, even the possibility of a child.
When sheâd given everything, there was nothing left for her. To an outsider, it mightâve looked like she was the one chasing after him, begging for marriage.
Whatâs suspicious about that?
If someone offers everything without asking for anything, thatâs suspicious. Donât you want something?
Something I want⊠yes.
Her face said otherwiseâshe looked like she had nothing left to hope for. But when he waited, her expression brightened as if sheâd made up her mind.
After the divorceâŠ
Wealth beyond imagination?
Power no one could defy?
He wondered just what she might ask for.
Please protect my brotherâand me, who will be just as pretty.
What?
Aileenâs eyes were clear and determined.
As you know, my brotherâs a dominant omegaâhis pheromones are strong, and heâs beautiful. Honestly, Iâve never met anyone prettier than him. But beauty isnât always a blessing. Heâs had trouble even stepping outside.
Her tone was detached, almost clinical, as she praised her brotherâs looks.
I want to live freely. I want to be protected so that no one can touch me carelessly. Not foreverâjust until each of us finds our fated partner.
What she wanted wasnât House Claudiaâs powerâbut his.
Can you do that?
Thatâs not a difficult request.
So that was it? It sounded almost too easy. But Aileen didnât look pleasedâhis casual answer seemed to irritate her. After a moment of silent fuming, she suddenly changed the subject.
Why are you speaking so informally?
Itâs a sign of closeness.
Closeness? Since when did we become close?
Since sheâd hidden in the laundry room?
Or when heâd first heard sheâd snuck out of the house?
While Lloyd pondered, Aileen muttered to herself, not really expecting a reply.
Weâre not that close anywayâŠ
We should be. Weâre about to get married, after all. Unless youâd prefer I stay formalâin which case, why get married at all?
No, no. Weâre close. Very close. Feel free to be⊠friendly.
Her forced laugh made Lloyd smile as well. He couldnât let his guard down yetâtalking to her was like trying to predict a sparkâs path in the wind.
But thenâ
When he replayed their conversation in his mind, something stood out. Something heâd overlooked before.
Until each of us finds our fated partner.
Us?
