We're in a Contract Marriage, But I've Imprinted - Chapter 171
“What exactly do you want to say? Speak clearly.”
“Alright, then. Since you’ve set the stage, let me offer some advice.”
He took a moment to think about Lucia and Melissa. Apologizing in his heart for overstepping by speaking on their behalf, he continued.
“I have come across some Omegas by chance. They are all broken in mind and body.”
“What do you mean by that…?”
Ignoring Ian’s surprise, Pedro pressed on.
“Do you think the Omegas I’ve seen are just a few? No, I’ve met many, and hearing their stories made it impossible for me to hold my head high as an Alpha.”
“….”
“Every time I see an Omega, I’m reminded of my mother, who was killed by my father. It tears me apart, and their stories are no less tragic.”
“Killed? An Alpha killed an Omega?”
“Why are you so shocked? It’s a common story of a noble treating a commoner with contempt. Isn’t it also true that Your Majesty has allowed Omegas, born as nobles but forced to live as commoners, to languish?”
“….”
“Do you know who created such foolish laws simply out of fear of Betas?”
At one point, Pedro had desperately sought to find the creator of such absurdities and injustices. He believed that it was not his father who caused his mother’s death, but rather those who had pushed the treatment of Omegas to the ground.
“Explain further! Don’t beat around the bush!”
“Figure it out for yourself.”
Having finished his harsh words, Pedro stood up from his seat. Ian, unable to tolerate any longer, also stood up, knocking over his chair.
“Did you meet Mel….?”
“How would I know something that even the imprinted Alpha doesn’t?”
“Tell me.”
“Who do you think the Omegas I’ve met are?”
Pedro scanned Ian and the Emperor with eyes full of contempt. Adrian realized from his gaze that the Magic Tower Master had also met Lucia.
Slowly getting up from his seat, the Emperor was about to ask about Lucia, but then he noticed the magic circle quickly being drawn beneath Pedro’s feet and widened his eyes in shock.
“Perhaps… we won’t meet again. It’s a shame, Your Majesty. Duke.”
Pedro said this with an expression that showed no sign of regret before vanishing in an instant. Everyone present was left stunned, unable to move.
In the heart of the imperial palace, where the magic barrier existed, the Magic Tower Master had vanished.
The most shocked of them all was none other than the Emperor. One day, Lucia disappeared without a trace, and he felt he knew how it happened.
“Pedro!”
Ian also landed quickly on the magic circle to catch him, but the faintly glowing magic circle soon disappeared without a trace.
Heavy silence fell over the garden where Pedro had vanished. Ian and Adrian stood in stunned disbelief at the riddle he had left behind.
Ian, especially, was on the verge of losing his mind at the implication that he knew where Melissa was staying.
“…The Tower. Your Majesty, do you know where the Tower is?”
Despite his mind swirling from the imprinting, he maintained his composure toward the Emperor, but he had no time to consider such decorum now. Standing in front of the dazed Adrian, he urged for a response, bordering on rudeness.
“Please tell me the location of the Tower. I will investigate.”
“….”
“Your Majesty!”
As his voice raised, the chief attendant intervened.
“Duke, please conduct yourself properly.”
“Your Majesty, please…”
Since Melissa disappeared, he had sent search parties every single day. He had searched the entire empire, yet no one had found even a clue about her whereabouts.
For him, every day felt like hell. He wanted to end his life multiple times a day, but he couldn’t bear to do it because of the anxious little eyes of Diers looking for him. The child was sensitive to his absence, and he was searching for his mother.
Each time Diers searched for Melissa, he felt like a sinner. Other Alphas, including himself, grew up fine without their mothers, so naturally, he thought Diers would too.
Thinking about it, it was foolish of him to think he had grown up well while being oblivious to his own emotions due to the influence of his childhood.
“Your Majesty, please forgive my rudeness and help me. Where is the Tower?”
With a voice that sounded like it was boiling with despair, Adrian finally spoke slowly.
“…I don’t know either.”
“What?”
“No one knows the location of the Tower. Only the Magic Tower Master knows.”
“That can’t be…”
Ian, who had assumed that the Emperor would know, felt a deep sense of despair wash over him. He fell to his knees, unable to stand any longer.
“I am also curious.”
One day, Lucia vanished without a trace. Why did the woman who bore his successor disappear so suddenly? Until now, he had tried hard to forget and look away, but with this turn of events, his curiosity was piqued.
He had thought he treated her well; what if that wasn’t the case?
And who was the person Pedro mentioned?
Questions he had never considered before began to pound in his chest and mind. He felt he needed to uncover the truth, as if it was calling out for the sake of future generations.
“Duke Bryant.”
“…Yes, Your Majesty.”
“I have a task for you.”
Ian could guess what the Emperor was about to say. His golden eyes, once clouded by despair, sparked with a glimmer of hope.
“You may use the palace’s forces to locate the Tower. And bring the Tower Master before me.”
“I will obey your command.”
“I must know.”
When did the treatment of Omegas change? And what was the reason behind it?
He could no longer overlook it. Somehow, Ian’s feelings seemed too personal to be someone else’s story.
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