We’re in a Contract Marriage, But I’ve Imprinted - Chapter 141

Monica was pleased that Ian had driven Melissa out, but she hadn’t expected it to happen so abruptly.

“I almost ruined everything I had prepared for so long.”

“I’m glad to be of help, Miss.”

At the head maid’s words, Monica smiled broadly with relief.

“It’s just back to the way it should be, you know?”

“Of course.”

“It was just a bit of contamination that has now been cleared, and we can return to how things were before.”

Her eyes sparkled madly in the sunlight. Monica glanced once more in the direction Melissa had disappeared before moving on.

The head maid hurried after her, followed slowly by other servants.

Meeting the head maid without Ian’s knowledge had not been difficult. Even if Ian had restricted Monica’s access, she had her ways to stay in contact, such as meeting outside. It had been easier since Ian was often preoccupied with watching Melissa at home.

As Monica entered the main building of the Duchy, she straightened her back and lifted her chin high.

She carried herself as if she was the Duchess herself.

* * *

“Ah… to see another lovely Omega discarded! How despicable this world is.”

Pedro exclaimed in his theatrically dramatic tone, while Lucia shook her head, unable to contain him. She had come to the scene feeling a tremendous surge of magical energy.

“Such a massive surge of magical power, yet why was she known as an extremely recessive Omega?”

“I’ve met her before, and indeed, her pheromones were very subtle. It certainly wasn’t because she was conserving them to make them appear weaker.”

“Now, how shall we break this ice?”

The two looked up at an amethyst-like pillar of violet ice towering enough to obscure the ravine. They were perplexed by the level of magical power needed to conjure such a spell.

And what exactly had happened to this woman?

Lucia extended her hand with a deeply sympathetic face. A pink wind of spring began to gust wildly from her fingertips.

Pedro also unleashed his magic, summoning a bright red flame that matched his eyes. As the wind and fire met, they transformed into a massive pillar of fire. It coiled around the ice pillar like a snake, and the transparent, solid ice that seemed unmeltable slowly began to turn into running water.

Shaaa-

Amidst the intense steam, rain poured down, and a spherical violet ice floated upward. Lucia and Pedro approached and stared at the woman deeply asleep inside it.

“Poor thing, she seems so peacefully asleep.”

“Yes, it’s tragic, but it seems this was her fate.”

The round ice gradually began to melt under the effect of their magic. Just before Melissa’s pale body fell to the ground, Pedro deftly caught her.

“She’s incredibly cold. It seems like her body didn’t have time to adapt after releasing her power all at once.”

“Let’s take her away.”

“Yes, Tower Master.”

At Pedro’s reply, Lucia gave a bitter smile. Though Pedro was known to the public as the master of the tower, the real master was Lucia.

“This is why I despise Alphas.”

“Not me, right?”

“Don’t laugh so contemptuously.”

“Then I shall make you cry.”

With a quirky and cheeky reply, Lucia cast a teleportation spell. In an instant, the silhouettes of the three of them vanished, and belatedly, the wreckage of the carriage bobbed up and was swept down the gorge.

Thus, Melissa’s traces disappeared without a trace.

* * *

I was hiding from someone, squeezing my small body into a closet as tears dripped down. I was too young at the time to fully understand my feelings, but now in the dream, it was clear.

Young me was trembling with betrayal, fear, and sorrow.

Hiding in the dark closet, I sobbed as the light seen through the crack of the door grew brighter. Then, a familiar and beloved hand forcibly pulled me from the closet to the bed. A bright yellow glow emanated from those pale hands, blinding me.

As the pain that seemed like my whole body was twisted, the intensity of my screams escalated until it shook the dream.

‘Mom! It hurts!’

‘I’m sorry, Mel. But… I just hate that you’re an Omega.’

A memory I had completely forgotten floated up with my mother’s voice. Her voice was cold and dry like midwinter, and the despair and distortion within it resembled too closely what I had felt.

“Huuuh!”

With an overwhelming sensation of being twisted inside out, I couldn’t keep still. I screamed and struggled frantically to get up.

“Ugh!”

Then the last of my memories surfaced. I still felt the acrid smoke filling my nostrils, making it hard to breathe. I struggled, clutching at my throat in suffocation, when someone grabbed my wrist.

“Hey, come to your senses!”

Startled by a woman’s voice I had never heard before, my trembling body gradually calmed. When I slowly lifted my eyelids, I first saw a blurry haze, which then started to clarify.

“Can you hear my voice?”

Following the voice again, I turned to see an unfamiliar woman looking at me with a relieved expression.

“…Who?”

My voice was hoarse and raspy as it scraped through my throat, the sharp pain causing me to grimace. The woman responded,

“You shouldn’t talk yet. You’ve inhaled a lot of smoke, and there are burns inside your throat.”

As I nodded in silence and closed my mouth, the woman smiled kindly.

“Well done. I know you must have many questions, but let’s focus on your health first. Please know that this place isn’t meant to torment or exploit you.”

It was difficult to understand. I felt unwelcome everywhere.

“Hehe, you look very curious. However, I only know nursing, so let’s save the detailed stories for later.”