The Boundaries of Possession - Chapter 30
“Kian.”
At the sound of the Viscount’s calm but firm voice, Kian quieted down.
“I’ve just brought back several paintings. As you suggested, sending one to Eperthier sounds like a good idea.”
The glass of water that Sei had hurriedly fetched ended up in Kian’s hands. Elysia smiled at her brother’s bratty behavior as Kian placed the glass down onto the empty tray with a loud clatter. As the sharp noise echoed, Elysia added,
“And of course, you’ll get one too, Kian.”
“Ugh, this is the worst,” Kian grumbled, letting out a frustrated sigh. “I can’t stand that conceited Duke.”
“Kian! You’ve met Andreas?”
Elysia’s eyes sparkled with sudden excitement. The Viscount sighed as he watched the siblings. Elysia observed her father briefly, then tugged on Kian’s sleeve, pulling him into another room.
“What is it? Why?”
Kian exhaled sharply, knowing exactly where this conversation was going. Elysia always acted like this whenever Andreas was mentioned.
“Did Andreas recognize you?”
Her heart pounded wildly at the thought that Andreas had met Kian.
“What are you talking about?”
Even if Andreas had forgotten her, who had been mostly confined due to her problems with suppressing her pheromones, surely he wouldn’t have forgotten Kian, who hadn’t manifested back then. It was a small hope—perhaps Kian still lived in his memories. And if he remembered Kian, then maybe one day…
“Maybe, if he remembers you, he’ll remember me too.”
The mere fact that Andreas had visited was enough to lift her spirits. Two servants carrying paintings smiled bashfully as they saw Elysia’s radiant expression, but Kian hesitated before forcing a bitter smile.
“What’s so important about that guy? He couldn’t even remember you, Sister.”
Elysia’s gaze wavered before finally dropping to the floor.
***
A few days later, Andreas paid another visit to the Brillen estate.
“Does it make any sense for the paintings you sent me to be a meaningless gift?”
“Yes, quite so.”
Andreas leaned back against the velvet armchair, resting his chin on his hand. His dark eyes, like shadows, fixed on her. Her eyes, equally cold, gleamed like ice.
A dry laugh escaped his twisted lips. Such a stubborn omega—one who was rare and difficult to encounter.
A few days earlier, Andreas had watched the servants of the Brillen estate carry canvases, chuckling to himself. He hadn’t bothered to open the package, but the message behind the gift was obvious. It was a signal—telling him not to spread rumors about his betrothed omega being absent from her manor.
Andreas could surmise that the Viscount had informed his daughter of his visit. His gaze automatically drifted to her slightly reddened eyes, and he tapped the armrest with his fingers.
“You look tired.”
“Because of the engagement party preparations.”
Hosting an engagement party? The desire behind it was plain and excessive. Who had shaped such a monstrous woman? She seemed to come from an entirely different world.
‘An engagement party?’
‘I’ll hold it, even if it’s just me.’
‘Shameless. You’d use my name to satisfy your ambition?’
‘And you, Duke, using the name of Brillen?’
In a way, she looked like someone desperately clawing to survive, and he found that pitiful. He had no intention of appearing superior to her—she wasn’t worth the effort.
He was a dominant alpha. Just as a human wouldn’t care about impressing an insignificant ant, they simply coexisted as different beings. But when those ants crawled up his leg, that was another matter.
“You’re wasting your time.”
He had spent years watching his dominant alpha father love his mother wholeheartedly. Not all alphas disregarded omegas—it wasn’t always a one-sided dynamic.
But Andreas was different. Disdain for omegas had started as a superficial, aristocratic pretense—everyone else did it, so he naturally fell into that role. Yet deep down, he had once believed that if he met a fated partner like his father had, he could love that person genuinely.
Unfortunately, the world he encountered was far from that ideal. Whether it was omegas consumed by pheromones and lust, or power-hungry ones like Elysia Brillen, they were all revolting. He had nothing to offer to those who sought relationships driven purely by gain.
And that included Elysia Brillen.
There was nothing—absolutely nothing—he wanted to give her.
