* * *
Once he confirmed they were alone, Felix led Lowell to the bed and seated him down.
Still visibly restraining his emotions, Felix spoke.
“It’s a letter from the Crown Prince’s side. We’re being called back for an urgent matter.”
Though he didn’t seem eager to explain further, Lowell had no intention of letting it slide.
“If it’s urgent enough for us to return immediately, it must be serious. If you don’t explain, I’ll just be more anxious.”
When Lowell refused to back down, Felix’s eyes flickered slightly.
Sensing that now was the only chance to press him for answers, Lowell pushed harder.
“If we were strangers, I wouldn’t have insisted. But we’re married now. Your problems are my problems too.”
“Marriage doesn’t mean you have to take on my burdens,” Felix said sharply.
He didn’t want to weigh Lowell down — didn’t want this fragile man to be crushed under the weight of his world.
“No. From now on, nothing is just yours alone. We’ll face everything together and share the responsibility. You’d do the same if it were me, wouldn’t you?”
“Not every married couple lives like that.”
“I’m not talking about others. I’m talking about us.”
Lowell’s normally gentle demeanor was gone.
He met Felix’s resistance with a firm, unwavering resolve — a direct challenge to Felix’s desire to shelter him like a fragile greenhouse flower.
“You’re too delicate to share the burdens of a duke.”
Felix’s face twisted with pain as he said it, as if speaking the words hurt him deeply.
“If you deny me responsibilities just because I’m weak, it’s the same as saying I have no rights either.”
It was something that could have easily hurt, but Lowell showed no sign of emotional upheaval.
“Don’t make me resent the body I was born with. Caring for you is my right — and my choice.”
Lowell stood firm when it mattered most.
Felix was keenly aware that at times like this, he could never win against Lowell.
“You won’t regret it?”
Even though he knew what the answer would be, Felix asked anyway, like a sigh.
“I won’t.”
After a moment of tapping his fingers against the bed’s headboard, Felix finally spoke.
“They’re planning to accuse me of treason before the year’s end and summon me to the capital. I don’t know what evidence they’ll use, but they might even search the ducal estate. If they find nothing, they could resort to torturing my knights to force false confessions.”
Since this was something that had happened in the original story, Lowell wasn’t shocked into despair.
But still — even after all the changes they had made, the noble faction was falling into the same patterns, and it was absurd.
‘Though, back then it was because Felix had caused too many disturbances in the capital. They must be really desperate now. Even if they can’t get a conviction due to lack of evidence, once they summon him, they’ll slap magical restraints on him.’
The nobles were probably thinking: once Felix was stripped of his powers, they could use him as a scapegoat for future rituals.
‘They plan to pin everything on Felix once it spirals out of control. They’re so pressed for time, they’re rushing their plans without thinking clearly.’
Originally, the noble faction had meticulously crafted their schemes to prepare for failure.
But with the Crown Prince’s subtle interference and Felix constantly acting beyond their expectations, their options had dwindled.
It was too late for them to clean up the mess they’d made.
‘They’re clearly trying to force things through before Felix can properly respond.’
Even that alone was a major gain.
Lowell had been worried about how the Emperor’s faction would react to the changing situation, but if they intended to push ahead without deviation, just as originally planned, it would actually reduce the variables — enough to make him feel grateful.
“They probably don’t genuinely believe I’m going to commit treason. More likely, they think I had some kind of secret meeting with the Crown Prince and are trying to pressure me because of it.”
As Lowell silently organized his thoughts, Felix assumed he was too troubled to speak and added an explanation.
“We’re going to proceed by inspecting the Grand Duchy to ensure there’s no weakness they can exploit, and weed out any sprouts they could use to summon me to the capital.”
It was clear he was trying to reassure Lowell.
“They’re already acting irrationally. I’m sure they think just getting you to the capital would be a victory.”
At Lowell’s cool-headed analysis, Felix raised an eyebrow slightly.
In truth, Felix also didn’t believe this absurd summons was merely an attempt to tarnish the Grand Duke’s name and weaken his power.
“That does sound more convincing. But what would they gain just by bringing me there?”
Felix, unaware of the details of the ritual and the fact that they intended to use him as a sacrifice, naturally lagged a step behind Lowell in grasping the situation.
“I’ve heard that black magic always demands a heavy price. It takes something of equal value in exchange, doesn’t it?”
“That’s right.”
“Then perhaps… they intend to use you, Felix. At this point, there’s little point in weakening the Grand Duchy’s power without solid evidence.”
“Using me, huh… Black magic and dark magic do have similarities, but there’s a clear difference. It’s hard to say that I would be an appropriate price.”
It wasn’t Felix’s magic affinity that mattered. It was his “blood.”
“There might be another reason.”
It wasn’t just that Lowell couldn’t tell Felix everything he knew — it was that he didn’t want to tell him the truth at all.
‘The Emperor wants to resurrect Felix’s mother.’
The Emperor’s unnatural obsession and affection for his sister — Felix’s mother — was the biggest reason he hated Felix.
‘Just the fact that Felix was born from someone other than himself was enough to fuel his hatred. And the fact that Felix didn’t even resemble his mother, and that her health deteriorated and she died because of childbirth… it only made his hatred worse.’
It was disgusting, no matter how you looked at it.
Felix’s mother had never thought of the Emperor as anything more than a brother.
‘If the once-promising Crown Prince hadn’t died, that wretch wouldn’t have even made it to the throne.’
Cursing the Emperor inwardly, Lowell came to a conclusion.
“What about heading to Phoebos instead of staying at the Grand Duchy? We can ask the Crown Prince to provide a suitable excuse.”
“Why? If I take my knights with me, it’ll only give them a pretext to accuse me of rebellion.”
Felix was surprised — not at the idea itself, but at how calmly Lowell proposed a concrete alternative. Yet he quickly hid his emotion and replied.
“If we move with minimal personnel under the Crown Prince’s authorization, it’ll be fine. We can attach any excuse we need. More importantly, now’s the time to strike them first — take advantage of the openings they’re leaving while they focus on us.”
Felix let out a low hum at Lowell’s persuasion. It wasn’t as easy as it sounded.
“If it were possible, I’d have done it already. I know they’re planning to use black magic to control the Emperor, but we haven’t identified the exact location or secured any solid proof. If we strike prematurely, we’ll only reveal that we’re onto them, and the Crown Prince will end up under suspicion too.”
Lowell didn’t want to lose the trust he had built, nor did he want his secret to be exposed.
But for the sake of the safest route, some sacrifice was unavoidable.
* * *
