We're in a Contract Marriage, But I've Imprinted - Chapter 172
Pedro, who had flown to the Tower, immediately went to Lucia. After knocking and entering the workshop, he found Adella and Melissa there as well.
“What’s up? Is your schedule already over? Did you even visit the Luna Kingdom?”
“Tower Master.”
“Why do you look like that?”
“I messed up.”
“Oh, d*mn it.”
Lucia cursed at him, seeing his glum expression. Whenever he had that look, reminiscent of a wet puppy, it always meant he had gotten himself into some major trouble.
“What did you do this time? Did you lose the magical tools you brought in your pocket dimension?”
“No.”
“Then did you punch some royalty?”
“No…”
“Ah, then what is it? Did you lose…. the sales proceed?”
Lucia, who had been sitting, slowly stood up as she spoke. If Pedro tried to escape, she planned to bind him with magic and throw him down.
“Really? Do you think of me as some kind of troublemaker?”
“I’m just listing the things you’ve done until now.”
At Lucia’s firm words, Pedro hesitated for a moment before confessing the mistake he had just made.
“…It’s not that, I was angry and misspoke.”
“Who did you say it to?”
“…To the Emperor of Aerys and Duke Bryant.”
The air became heavy as soon as he finished his sentence.
“What kind of slip of the tongue was that? You didn’t say Melissa is here, did you?”
“I didn’t say it outright, but I did give off the impression that I’ve seen her.”
“…Why would you do that?”
“Because I was angry.”
Lucia couldn’t be angry with Pedro for his honesty. She didn’t know what had made him so upset, but knowing his past, she chose not to pry further. She assumed he had gotten angry from hearing some nonsense about Omegas.
“I thought you had caused a massive disaster, but it sounds like it was just a slip of the tongue.”
“I’m really sorry to Melissa, more than to you.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“I think Ian, that bastard, is going to come here.”
He didn’t explicitly mention that Ian had imprinted on Melissa. Even if he had, what could be done? It wouldn’t erase the painful time she had endured.
“So you mean you blurted that out in front of the Duke?”
“…Yes.”
“How am I supposed to deal with you?”
“I’m sorry, Tower Master.”
“I don’t particularly want to side with them, but sometimes you act far too presumptuously.”
“….”
Pedro had no choice but to lower his head at Lucia’s cold words. He knew that the one truly suffering from the wounds wasn’t him. In a way, he had been a bystander.
“I wish we could stop taking away the share of anger we should be feeling.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Um…”
Just as their conversation was coming to a close, Melissa, who was cradling a sleeping Adella, spoke up.
“I think Pedro has every right to be angry.”
“Why is that? It’s your issue, Melissa.”
“Yes, it is my issue. Yet Pedro has taken the time to comfort my wounds—sometimes with playful words, and sometimes with warm gazes.”
“Well, he has been good to the wizards at the Magic Tower.”
“Yes, exactly. I’m actually grateful for that.”
“Is that so?”
“Having someone who stands by me, someone who understands my feelings, is incredibly reassuring.”
“If you’re okay with it, that’s what matters.”
“Yes, I am okay. But Pedro…”
“Yes, Melissa.”
He shyly replied, twisting his body at her praise.
“What do you mean by saying that person might come? Does that mean you revealed the location of the Magic Tower?”
“No! That can’t be! The location of the Magic Tower is known only to the wizards within it. It must not be carelessly disclosed.”
“Then is there a problem?”
Pedro paused, not fully understanding Melissa’s words, but Lucia immediately burst into laughter.
“Exactly! Unless I permit it, no one can enter.”
“Of course!”
Melissa’s words, filled with trust, seemed to fill Lucia’s heart with warmth. She truly was the successor Lucia had chosen. Looking at the proud smile on her face, Pedro, who had finally caught up to the conversation, let out a half-hearted scream.
“Ah! Such a profound meaning!”
“Uwaaaah!”
Adella, who had been sleeping soundly in her mother’s arms, woke up startled by his scream.
Lucia, who had said nothing about his blunder, gave him a sharp slap on the back.
“Ah! I’m sorry, Princess. Uncle just yelled too loudly, didn’t I?”
“You be quiet.”
“Uwaaaah.”
“Shh, go back to sleep.”
“Mma…”
“Sweet dreams, my baby…”
At this point, Melissa wasn’t thinking about Ian. She was far too busy to recall someone who had already become a distant memory, no effort needed.
But it wasn’t just Melissa who was unprepared for what was to come; Lucia and Pedro likely didn’t foresee it either. They had no idea how intense the obsession of an imprinted alpha could be, nor that Ian would go to great lengths to find the Tower.
* * *
“Sleep well, Dia.”
After confirming that the child had completely fallen asleep, Ian was finally able to get up from beside the bed. When the child’s small fingers tightly gripped his hand, a fleeting smile crossed his face.
He tucked the child’s blanket in, gently released the grasp, and then turned to the nanny who had been quietly waiting nearby.
“Stay in the next room and come immediately if Dia calls for me.”
“Yes, Duke.”
With a weary expression, he left his son’s room but didn’t return to his own. Instead, he slipped out of the main house.
Lately, he hasn’t been able to sleep well. He could only close his eyes in places that held her traces, so now the annex had become his bedroom.
He passed through the still-damaged green rose garden and entered the annex. It remained desolate, as he had ensured that no one else could enter.
Pausing momentarily in front of the room where his omega had stayed, he knocked lightly as if someone were inside.
“Excuse me for a moment, Mel.”
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