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Chapter 1
Prologue
Low-hanging fog clung to the old rooftops of Lesson. Had his grandmother seen it, she would have scolded him to shut the windows at once, saying the damp air could bring on lung disease. It was that kind of weather.
The wind brushing his skin was wet, and from early morning a pale, murky bank of dark clouds had covered the sky.
“Looks like rain…”
Murmuring to himself, Leian leaned against the stone balustrade. Below the balcony stretched the wide suburban landscape of Lesson.
Normally, a broad lawn would have come into view at a glance beyond the sunken fence, but it was hidden by the fog and could not be seen.
From far away came the noisy cooing of wood pigeons. Leian sighed and turned around. He could have stayed like that all day, but mealtime was drawing near.
Olivia disliked Leian being late to meals, so he reluctantly set off.
But when Leian arrived, the dining room was empty. That, too, had lately become a familiar sight to him.
“The Master received word of an urgent matter at dawn and left for the court, and the Mistress said she wasn’t feeling well, so I brought her a sorbet instead of a meal!” Maria, one of the few maids left in the house, explained the situation. Leian had no appetite either, so he decided to skip the meal.
“I’m fine without a meal too. Could you bring me just a cup of coffee?”
“Shall I bring toast as well?”
“No, a boiled egg will do.”
Leaving the simple order behind, he was about to return to his room when the dining room door opened and Olivia appeared.
“Leian, what are you doing instead of sitting at the table?”
“Good morning, Mother. I thought you were skipping your meal because you weren’t feeling well.”
“Yes, never mind the meal. I came because I have something to tell you.”
Olivia pressed her temples hard with her hand, as if her head ached, and approached Leian. Looking at Olivia’s haggard face, bare of makeup for the first time in a while, Leian bit his lip hard.
Olivia’s health was worsening day by day. Since Meryl entered the convent and Curtis left home, her symptoms had only grown worse.
Leian knew it well. The family his grandfather had built with such effort was declining.
The Ashford family had originally been of commoner stock, but his grandfather had risen to the position of Chief Justice and received the title of baron. His descendants sought to carry on his grandfather’s will and become guardians of the kingdom’s law.
Leian’s father was serving consecutive terms as Vice Minister of Justice in order to become Chief Justice, and Leian, too, had entered the law academy to prepare to become a court lawyer.
But when he unexpectedly presented as an omega, all that effort came to nothing.
An omega, swayed by an alpha’s pheromones and irrational, could not stand in a courtroom. Though omegas had finally won the right to vote after a long struggle, they were still treated the same in high office.
In the end, Leian, once a promising prodigy, lost his dream and was driven onto the marriage market.
That was the small misfortune that had befallen Leian over the past year.
“An invitation came this morning.”
Olivia held out an elegant sheet of paper with an irritated gesture. Leian took the letter and read the writing on the envelope.
[To Leian Ashford, in person]
At the familiar handwriting, Leian’s heart began to thud low in his chest. The place of origin was also the Red House, the royal villa in the south.
Even without the sender’s name written, Leian could tell. It was Edward.
With trembling hands, Leian broke the gold seal and unfolded the letter. Neat, like its writer, the letter was only four lines long.
[Dear Leian,
I invite you to a total solar eclipse viewing party at the Red House in three days’ time.
I’ve enclosed a train ticket in case you need it, and I hope you’ll attend.
From your old friend, Edward.]
Despite how short and formal the invitation was, he felt tears might come for some reason.
It had been a year since he last saw Edward. All that time he had tried so hard to forget him, and a single short letter had brought all that effort crashing down.
Could he bear to meet Edward now? Leian wasn’t sure.
“What’s in the letter? Who sent it?”
Olivia asked sharply, whether from her headache or because she disliked Leian’s expression.
“His Highness Edward sent it. He says he would like to invite me to a total solar eclipse party at the villa.”
“Is that true? How wonderful. Lately there’s been a lot of talk about His Highness Edward’s parties.” At the unexpected news, Olivia’s face brightened.
Only a few months ago, his mother would shudder at the mere mention of Edward; the reason she was so radiant now was Leian’s situation.
“They say a lot of dominant alpha nobles who enjoy hunting gather there, don’t they? You might find a fine husband there, so do attend.”
Leian was not keen on going to see Edward, but he could not bring himself to refuse his mother’s words.
“… I’ll attend.”
***
Surrounded by noisy people, Edward pressed his forehead. Perhaps because he had slept badly the night before, a headache was coming on.
If he’d known it would be like this, he should have gone to his room to sleep once the party proper began. For four days already, he’d been run ragged by people.
Whom could he blame? It was all something he had brought on himself out of greed. Edward let out a self-mocking sigh.
“Your Highness, are you unwell?”
Just then an unfamiliar voice came from behind him. Turning with a weary face, he saw Aaron standing there with a smiling face.
An uninvited guest, and Edward’s gaze turned cold.
“Lord Aaron, it’s been a while.”
Aaron was a younger brother of the King, and also Edward’s uncle. It was the first time Edward had met him since leaving the palace.
That he had come all this way in person meant something bad must have happened at the palace. Edward could roughly guess what it was.
“It is a rather far place from the palace, after all. Still, haven’t I come to pay my respects?”
“What business brings you all the way here, to such a far place?”
Even at Edward’s plainly sarcastic tone, Aaron did not lose his smile. His leisurely face twisted Edward’s insides all the more.
“Must there be a reason to come see my nephew’s face? But I assumed Leian would naturally be here, so why isn’t he in sight?”
“Leian?”
Edward’s eyebrows shot up, as if he hadn’t expected the name to come from Aaron’s mouth.
“I’m an omega!”
Leian’s awkward voice floated up dimly.
Edward, who had an aversion to omegas, could not easily accept that Leian’s trait had changed to omega.
Even then, it had been a difficult time for Edward, too, so he had naturally come to avoid Leian.
It was true that he had been the first to ignore him, but he had still thought that with time, Leian would be the first to come and make amends.
But Leian had not once come to find him, holed up as he was in the villa. For a year, Edward and Leian had lived like strangers, despite all the time they had spent together.
Sending him the invitation last night had been a rather impulsive act.
“If you’re looking for Leian, you’ve come to the wrong place. You know where his house is.” At Edward’s calm answer, Aaron shrugged lightly.
“I’ve only just returned to the palace myself, you see. The two of you were always inseparable, so I naturally assumed Leian would be at Your Highness’s side.”
“We were never inseparable.”
Edward answered curtly and let out a deep sigh. His head throbbed until it felt as if it would split in two.
“I see. You were so often together that I must have been mistaken.”
“Is that all your business?”
Surely Aaron hadn’t come all the way to this distant Red House just to talk about someone like Leian. He had probably come to check whether Edward knew about that news he had heard a while ago.
“If you’ve come to talk about Peterson, I already know.” Not wanting to drag the conversation out, Edward struck first.
He had heard a week ago that Peterson had become an omega and, under royal law, had been stripped of his right of succession. That was precisely why Edward had sent Leian the invitation.
“As expected, even though your body is far away, your news is fast. Few people know about it yet.”
“Don’t forget that I was at the palace longer than you. My eyes and ears are everywhere.” Aaron let out a small, admiring hum at Edward’s answer.
“I’m not feeling well, so I’ll return to my room to rest now. Since you’ve come to the party, enjoy yourself.” Edward spoke dismissively, as if shooing away an insect, and turned away. He could faintly hear Aaron’s brief farewell.
He left the crowded hall and headed for the quiet garden. A pure white moon shone palely, veiled by thick dark clouds.
I’ve never seen such bright gray eyes. Like dark clouds.
Whenever he looked at the dark clouds, Edward habitually recalled his first meeting with Leian. His hazy gray eyes felt as if they were right before him.
He would be able to see that fellow’s face again after a long time. Leian would never refuse his invitation.
“It’ll be worth seeing what face he makes.”
Edward let out an unconscious smile and slowly crossed the darkened garden. The time to greet the guest he had been waiting for was approaching.
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