We’re in a Contract Marriage, But I’ve Imprinted - Chapter 163

Until now, Ian had thought that Melissa was hiding out of shock and fear from the threat to her life, never considering that she might be avoiding him. But now, he understood. No matter how much he searched, she would not reveal herself.

Just the thought drove him to madness. His imprinted omega was rejecting him.

“Your Grace, what should we do?”

The leader of the new search party, who was standing by, asked. Ian, staring blankly with a pale face, spoke softly,

“Deploy to places we haven’t searched yet, even if they’re far away.”

“Yes, we will prepare immediately.”

He still couldn’t accept the fact that she was pushing him away. He hoped she would at least allow him to beg for forgiveness…

No, he just wished she would permit him to observe from afar.

With a heavy heart, he moved on. He couldn’t afford to waste precious time on futile pursuits. He hurriedly mounted his horse and changed locations. He would search every corner of the Empire to find Melissa.

That was the priority. After that, he would hand everything over to her. Whether it was forgiveness or anger, it didn’t matter. He would play the part of the villain if necessary. If she truly wanted him dead, he might even comply with her wishes.

His eyes were already distorted with madness and obsession.

* * *

Ian’s bizarre actions quickly became known. It was common knowledge among the nobility residing in the capital, so it was only natural that it reached the Emperor’s ears.

“What exactly is Duke Bryant investigating?”

The Emperor naturally assumed there was a valid reason for his actions. The chamberlain reported the facts to the Emperor’s question.

“It’s not for official business; the rumor is that he’s searching for an omega, Your Majesty.”

“An omega?”

“Yes, he is searching for the omega who gave birth to the heir of the Duchy.”

“Why?”

“Well…”

The chamberlain struggled to continue, knowing he had to answer the Emperor swiftly.

“Oho, why on earth is he doing that?”

“…I have heard that it is rumored among the nobility that the Duke has imprinted this omega. As you know, an alpha’s imprinting is not a simple matter. Would it not be prudent to investigate this matter further?”

“Imprinting?”

Adrian couldn’t believe what he had heard. It was hard for him to accept that the aloof Duke had imprinted someone, more so than the fact that an alpha had done it.

“Well, it seems that with the country being at peace, trivial rumors are circulating.”

“Yes, it’s just a rumor.”

“Huh, such absurd and nasty rumors.”

He sighed and then resumed working through the documents. His thoughts drifted to his son, the Crown Prince.

“Ha, when will he grow up and help his old man?”

The burdens of being Emperor often weighed heavily on him, and he grumbled as he stamped the documents. Despite having everything, he lamented his inability to roam freely like a Duke.

“Hmm.”

The words from the chamberlain kept echoing in his mind, and he remembered someone from long ago.

“Umm…”

Thinking about her always made his emotions swirl, so he tried not to think too much of it. It wasn’t so much guilt, but the mere thought of her was frustrating.

As Emperor, such ambivalence was unwelcome, so he tried to suppress these memories.

The Emperor’s pace in stamping the documents slowed down. The chamberlain, who was used to his swift and thorough work, was puzzled.

“Your Majesty, shall I bring you a cup of tea?”

“…That would be good.”

“Very well. I’ll have it prepared right away.”

“Let the others take a break as well.”

After dismissing his aides, he rose from his desk and stepped out onto the balcony. The clear blue autumn sky was refreshing, but it did nothing to ease his troubled heart. Adrian muttered softly,

“Lucia, I hope you’re well.”

She had given him the Crown Prince, and thus deserved a reward greater than any other omega in the Empire. He had intended to provide her not only with wealth but also with mines, land, and a grand estate.

“Ha, if only I knew where you had vanished to, I could at least ask how you’re doing.”

But she had disappeared without a trace before Adrian could give her any of what he had prepared, even from within the heavily guarded Imperial Palace.

After thinking back, it was indeed quite strange. He had investigated all possible leads, suspecting that she might have been abducted, but found no evidence or signs of a struggle where she had disappeared.

She was someone who was bound to leave anyway. So, he stopped pursuing the matter and moved on from Lucia. Yet, he found himself thinking about her now. It seemed that even though he didn’t show it, the Duke searching for his omega had surprisingly startled him.

“Your Majesty, shall we prepare tea on the balcony?”

Adrian simply nodded in response. Standing on the balcony with a clear view of the capital, he briefly thought about Lucia.

“Hmm, the tea smells nice.”

“Yes, we’re using the tea caddies recently ordered from the Magic Tower. They say the caddies emit a subtle coolness, which helps preserve the tea’s aroma.”

“Nowadays, even such trivial items comes with magic?”

“If you place an order, anything can be made with magic. However, the Magic Tower had previously declined such requests. But they started accepting orders a few months ago, so I quickly placed one.”

“Oh, it seems the second son of the Bailey family is making an effort.”

“Yes, it appears the Master of the Magic Tower has taken special care with this.”

“That’s appreciated.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Pedro, the second son of County Bailey and the current Master of the Magic Tower, was somewhat unique. Though he was an alpha, he was unusually kind to omegas compared to other alphas and displayed a peculiar aversion to fellow alphas.