The Boundaries of Possession - Chapter 27
Andreas closed his mouth at the Viscount’s suggestion. If he hastily agreed, the Viscount would surely try to gauge his true intentions.
“You know, this garden is everything to me.”
The Viscount spoke, casting a faint gaze around the garden. Andreas followed his eyes. At a glance, the garden seemed meticulously maintained, with a transparent greenhouse standing at its center.
Andreas silently closed his eyes and took a sip of tea. The Viscount was a discardable piece. It was evident that the real authority lay with Elysia. As expected, she was the de facto head of the household. To think a mere omega was holding the reins of power—how foolish of the Viscount.
“…I hold Elysia in high regard.”
“Haha, it’s fortunate that someone like you recognizes her intelligence.”
Fortunate? Andreas set down his teacup and the thought along with it. Engaging in a back-and-forth exchange would be endless with someone like the Viscount.
“I’d like to hear your opinion on this matter, Viscount.”
“I was under the impression you had already made up your mind. Even if that’s not the case, I have little to offer. It’s a matter between you and Elysia, after all.”
Andreas bit the inside of his cheek. If the Viscount continued smiling and maintaining his stance, Andreas’s visit would prove fruitless. He clicked his tongue internally. Both father and daughter were equally determined not to yield an inch.
He pulled out his pocket watch and checked the time, narrowing his eyes. There was no ball scheduled in the capital today, so there was no reason for Elysia to be returning home late.
That insufferable omega wasn’t likely to get kidnapped. Perhaps she was indulging in extramarital affairs, gambling, or entangling herself with other alphas.
“Does Elysia trust people easily?”
Andreas blurted out unintentionally, surprised by his own question.
The Viscount, who had been wearing a faint smile, slowly wiped it away.
“She does, to a certain extent.”
After the brief response, Andreas’s gaze shifted back to the pocket watch in his hand. The second and minute hands seemed to mirror his relationship with her—chasing and being chased. Perhaps the second hand was her, and the minute hand was him.
Things that move with regularity cause the greatest disruptions when they falter. To Andreas, Elysia Brillen was like the second hand of a clock, always ticking forward. But right now, he wanted nothing more than to manipulate the situation to his advantage.
“It’s quite late for an unwed omega to be out.”
The creases on the Viscount’s forehead slowly smoothed out, and Andreas carefully rose from his seat. Trust, after all, was like winter snow under the spring sun—destined to disappear.
‘But I trust Marquis Marcus. He’s not the kind of man who’d betray your expectations, Father.’
Since that day, Andreas had lived by exploiting what was visible. Others would surely do the same.
“It seems improper to stay any longer, so I’ll take my leave.”
Elysia had initiated this arrangement. He was merely playing along—there was no sense of duty or obligation toward her. Like clock hands, they would soon drift apart.
Eventually, he could stop meeting with other nobles to discuss their engagement, stop talking about the collaboration between Karmaut and Brillen, and stop caring about the disdainful glances of the ministers. By then, both his body and heart would be far from hers.
***
At that same time, in a study, Elysia exchanged glances with the man standing beyond the bookshelf. He was a cautious individual with close ties to her father.
The man had taken extra precautions, changing everything from his gait to the direction in which he parted his hair before meeting her. He was none other than Péius Lieurs, the Minister of Justice.
To meet in a bookstore on the outskirts of the capital instead of the imperial library was a testament to his caution. It was, however, excessive.
Still, Elysia couldn’t entirely disregard his behavior. She too had worn a cloak and scanned her surroundings before meeting Péius.
After an engagement, an omega was considered bound to their alpha. Meeting other alphas required the utmost discretion.
