The Boundaries of Possession - Chapter 9
As Andreas strode briskly out of the meeting hall, Hern quickly followed behind him.
“Why didn’t you remove her mask? You were so close—you could have confirmed her face!”
“You really do say the dumbest things. Do you want me to completely break ties with Karmaut?”
“What? Wasn’t that the goal? I thought you were going to transfer the trade rights to the imperial family—ah! Slow down, please!”
Andreas’s pace was faster than usual, and the shorter Hern struggled to keep up. Normally, Andreas would have slowed down out of consideration, but today, he seemed unusually restless.
“You won! Against the infamous head of Karmaut’s merchant guild! Even if you had torn off her mask, that woman wouldn’t have been able to lift a finger!”
“Yeah, she wouldn’t have moved an inch.”
Hern tilted his head, not understanding what Andreas meant. Andreas’s mood seemed strangely good, which made Hern bold enough to tease him.
“So, did you figure out who the guildmaster is?”
This time, Andreas didn’t respond. Hern clasped both hands over his mouth to stifle a scream.
“Seriously?”
Forgetting all etiquette, Hern ran ahead to the carriage and flung the door open. Once inside, Andreas sat down and stared out the window. His posture was stiff, almost as if he were putting on airs. Before Hern could say anything noisy, Andreas cut him off.
“Gréa Celliez, Marquis Celliez’s daughter.”
“…What?”
After a long silence, Hern was visibly shaken. Andreas closed his eyes, lost in thought. The high-pitched voice, the unmistakable white hair—there was only one noblewoman he knew who fit the description: Gréa Celliez.
Everything matched perfectly, except for one detail—she was supposed to be a beta, without pheromones. Of course, Gréa was the type who could easily create omega pheromone perfumes if she wanted to. If it weren’t for her characteristic sharp-tongued remarks, her gentle voice could have been somewhat enjoyable.
A subtle sense of anticipation flickered in Andreas’s shadowy green eyes. But almost immediately, his thoughts shifted to Elysia. He had no intention of letting her go easily. With Brillen included in the negotiation terms, using her and discarding her afterward seemed inevitable.
***
A piercing scream ripped through the morning silence, echoing loudly. Elysia’s lashes fluttered open, her eyes swollen slightly red from the exhaustion of the previous day’s grueling schedule with the merchant guild.
“Miss! Miss!”
Sei was practically banging on the door. Her excited voice was a sign that, thankfully, it wasn’t bad news. When Elysia signaled her to enter, Sei burst in, practically skipping toward her. Elysia sat up and rubbed her sore shoulders.
“Look what I brought, Miss! Look!”
Sei was out of breath, having clearly run the whole way. Between her index and middle fingers was a light purple envelope.
Elysia flinched slightly as she took the envelope and sat up on the bed. Inside was a letter made of soft, high-quality paper, similar to a wedding invitation. But unlike the luxurious texture, the contents were far harsher than she had anticipated.
Miss Elysia Brillen,
I have given deep thought to our meeting. I accept your proposal, believing that this union will bring great benefits to the Brillen family and the empire as a whole.
I also anticipate the positive impact this decision will have on the empire.
Let this agreement symbolize not only political significance but a new beginning. Under the condition that we build a relationship based on mutual understanding and trust, I propose we proceed with our engagement ceremony.
I await your wise decision.
Andreas Eperthier
Elysia tossed the letter onto the table as if throwing it away. Her vision spun, and she collapsed into a nearby chair. Sei, who had been fussing over the letter with excitement, gasped and covered her mouth.
“Miss, aren’t you happy?”
Sei hadn’t been allowed into the meeting hall, so she didn’t know what had transpired between Elysia and Andreas. Elysia rested her chin on her hand, letting out a deep sigh. There was no way that narrow-minded, socially inept man had figured out her identity.
She had been flawless at Karmaut, as always. She had raised her voice on purpose, mimicked the behavior of nouveau riche merchants, and even masked her pheromones with her usual perfume. There was no way he could have detected her pheromones.
