* * *

“Or are we going to sit here and measure who needs it most? Sorry, but since it’s my possession, I have no reason to consider your opinions.”

With this smooth retort, Jake could only open and close his mouth, struggling to respond.

But Henry’s clear points left little room for argument.

“So Henry really took it,” murmured Crown Prince William, who had been silent since Henry began speaking.

Recalling Henry’s behavior, William realized that Henry had seemed entirely uninterested—enough to refuse to enter the cave himself.

William clicked his tongue in frustration, but Henry ignored it, instead moving to stand beside Edwin, meeting Jake’s gaze head-on.

“If you’re done, may I leave?”

As he signaled there was nothing more to discuss, the nobles exchanged uncertain glances.

Letting him go now would mean they could never ask for the treasure again, but they had no grounds to hold him back.

“Is it because of the prince?”

At that moment, Jake’s gaze fell on Kayla, who had been quietly observing.

Desperately, Jake blurted out his thoughts, oblivious to the nobles’ disapproval.

“Is it because you’re a Beta trying to evolve into an Alpha, so you can be with the prince? Is that why you won’t give it up?”

“Why bring the prince into this all of a sudden?”

Henry didn’t hide his irritation.

Already embarrassed by the disruption at Kayla’s welcome, he was appalled that Kayla was being dragged into this too.

“I know you fell from a cliff while rescuing Prince Kayla. You’re holding onto the treasure so you can change your trait, since Prince Kayla is an Omega.”

Jake was cobbling together every fact he knew.

“Wow…”

Henry rubbed his forehead in exasperation.

True, he had obtained the treasure while saving Kayla, but he never thought it would be interpreted this way.

“That’s not it at all. So let’s drop the baseless assumptions.”

Henry’s voice dropped, turning colder.

“Then what exactly are you going to do with it?”

“Well…”

He was about to dismiss the question when he felt Edwin’s grip tighten on his wrist, prompting him to turn.

Edwin had been watching him intently.

“Just be honest.”

“Edwin, it’s not something I can just casually explain.”

Henry didn’t mind admitting he’d taken the treasure, but now, for the first time, he hesitated.

Explaining would mean revealing Edwin’s secret too, which was the real reason he was holding back.

While he could account for his actions alone, he couldn’t drag Edwin into this.

“I don’t mind. What bothers me more is the way they’re treating you right now.”

“Edwin.”

Henry called his name, intending to dissuade him.

While he shared Edwin’s frustration, he wasn’t willing to reveal everything to these people.

But Edwin, rather than holding back, urged him to speak up.

Edwin stepped in front of Henry and lifted his chin, meeting his eyes directly.

“If you won’t say it, should I?”

---

The knight who received the letter from someone planted at the banquet noticed the red seal stamped on the envelope and stiffened.

A yellow seal indicated a routine letter, while a blue seal signified that something special had occurred.

But a red seal, like the one now, meant the contents were of extreme importance.

The knight immediately headed to where his lord was.

As the man read the letter brought by the knight, his hand began to tremble.

“Did Timothy truly take it?”

The man slammed his desk with the letter still clutched in his fist.

The Grand Mage’s cave was something he had discovered by sheer chance, and he had scoured every corner before any rumors could spread, making sure there was nothing hidden.

After confirming the absence of any treasures, he had used it as bait to ensnare the Crown Prince…

“So there really was something? The Grand Mage’s treasure?”

Someone had found it—the very treasure he had intended to use to manipulate the Crown Prince.

And that someone was none other than Timothy.

“Hah, haha.”

The man let out a disbelieving laugh. He had been utterly outmaneuvered.

The stunned feeling quickly faded, replaced by a surge of rage, his face turning a flushed red.

“Timothy really got me, didn’t he?”

The knight, unable to find the right words, bowed his head.

He couldn’t bring himself to call Henry Timothy lucky; it would imply that his lord had been unlucky, and that was unthinkable.

“Henry Timothy… What kind of person is he, again?”

“He’s the heir of the Timothy Ducal House, bearing the traits of a Beta. Aside from his interest in the young heir of Lorenz, he has no notable abilities.”

“So he was just lucky to be born into a good family.”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

He might have been born to a duke, but it seemed he couldn’t manifest beyond his Beta traits.

One could argue that even the half-baked Alpha traits of Duke Lorenz’s heir were better than his, but to the man, both were equally worthless.

To a Dominant Alpha like him, Betas were a dime a dozen, and half-baked Alphas were nothing but lowly trash.

The man stroked his chin briefly, then turned to look out the window.

Spending so much time confined to the estate had made telling time by the shifting light through the window an unintentional habit.

“Maybe it’s time for an outing.”

He suddenly felt the urge to meet Henry Timothy in person.

He’d ask how he obtained the treasure, and if he liked the answer, he’d take it back.

After all, he was the one who discovered the cave first, so he had every right to claim it.

“Someone’s here to see you.”

Just as he was entertaining the idea of going out, a knight who had stepped out for a moment returned to announce the arrival of a guest.

“Who is it?”

Before the knight could answer, the door swung wide open.

Only a few people had the liberty to enter freely, so the man’s displeased expression quickly vanished.

“Hook?”

His face brightened with a wide smile when he saw the person who entered.

Hook lowered the hood of his cloak, approached the man, and greeted him.

“It’s been a while.”

Hook walked right up to the man.

He had passed through without anyone trying to stop him, a sign of how close he and the man were.

As Hook arrived, the knight silently left, shutting the door behind him to ensure they wouldn’t be disturbed.

Hook shook out his hair as he took a seat, his hair lifting briefly from the cloak’s pressure before settling.

Some strands even drifted over his face.

“When did you get here?”

“Not too long ago.”

“Seems like something’s going on here.”

Hook tilted his head slightly at the man’s question, as if uncertain.

“Something happening? Maybe yes, maybe no.”

The vague response made the man smile wryly.

Even as close as they were, Hook never fully divulged his own matters.

“I’m only planning to stay the night. Is that okay, Taylor?”

At Hook’s question, the man—Taylor—gave an exasperated laugh but nodded.

“As long as you like.”

Hook rose as if to leave, but then seemed to remember something and turned back to Taylor.

“Your face looks pale. Have you been cooped up in here again?”

Despite what he thought was a brief greeting, Hook had noticed his condition.

Taylor touched his face and shrugged.

“I was just about to head out.”

Taylor replied nonchalantly, as if that had always been his plan.

Still, the excuse felt thin, and he averted his gaze, missing the knowing look Hook gave him.

* * *