I Became the Villain Alpha's Omega (BL)

"What... why... how?"

The words tumbled out in a complete mess while his brain promptly threw up an imaginary error message and shut itself down.

The shock nearly knocked him over, but the relief that followed nearly did the same thing for an entirely different reason.

Thank God. It wasn’t Zarius.

There was no imperial decree forcing the Duke of Valtrane into a strategic match with a foreign princess. The crown hadn’t cornered them into a political marriage that would force Cherion into the shadows.

Not that he’d let them, of course. He’d simply have to become everyone’s least favorite political scandal.

It was Marielle.

Cherion swallowed, blinking rapidly as his brain desperately tried to put itself back together. Not that Marielle and Iryna wouldn’t make a striking pair. They were both sharp, formidable, from perfectly respectable families, and possessed the rare talent of making an entire room of noblemen reconsider their life choices with one look.

But Marielle? The same Marielle who viewed romance as an unnecessary expense on an already overcrowded schedule? The sister who treated protecting her brother and his estate like a one-woman military campaign?

"Are you... certain you heard him correctly?" Cherion managed to ask, leaning his hip heavily against the edge of Zarius’s desk. "The King actually said Marielle?"

Zarius rubbed the side of his neck, letting out a short, dry breath. "His Majesty was perfectly coherent, unfortunately. He seemed no less bewildered by the request than I was, yet the Solaric delegation left little room for misunderstanding. The Solaric siblings were present as well when the matter was discussed."

Before Cherion could fully picture Marielle exchanging rings with a crown princess, and inevitably getting into their second argument, perhaps in the stables this time because one of them had been too busy to attend the picnic the other had promised, a double knock sounded against the study door.

"Enter," Zarius called out.

The door swung open, revealing Marielle on the other side. She still looked perfectly put together, naturally, but the faint crease between her brows suggested her patience had already filed for early retirement. Flio followed a step behind her, as rigid as ever. They stepped inside, and the doors clicked shut behind them.

Flio immediately drifted toward the side of the room, taking up his position a few paces beside Zarius’s chair.

Zarius didn’t bother with pleasantries. He leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table.

"So," Zarius said.

Marielle folded her arms over her chest, raising a single, arched brow. "So?"

"Princess Iryna wants the betrothal to be with you," Zarius stated flatly, delivering the news like a commander reading a routine logistics report.

Marielle didn’t faint. She didn’t gasp, shout, or dramatically clutch her dress. She simply closed her eyes, letting out a long, slow exhale that sounded suspiciously like a weary sigh.

"Oh," Marielle murmured, opening her eyes to look directly at her brother. "They already brought it up to you? That was fast."

A muffled, choked sound cut through the quiet room.

"What?"

The word slipped out of Flio’s mouth before he could catch it. Everyone in the room flicked their eyes toward the guard. Flio froze, his jaw tightening as he caught himself. He cleared his throat loudly as his hand darted up to hastily adjust the thin chain of his monocle.

"My apologies," Flio muttered quickly, staring blankly at the wall opposite him. "Please continue. Mind my intrusion."

Even the unshakable aide was losing his grip on reality today. Cherion bit the inside of his cheek to keep a nervous chuckle from escaping.

Zarius ignored the interruption, his sharp focus remaining entirely locked on his sister. The faint crease between his eyes deepened into a genuine frown. "You knew about this? She spoke to you directly?"

"We had a brief conversation yesterday," Marielle admitted, shifting her weight. "Though I hardly expected her to run straight to tell you about it. Ugh, I haven’t even had time to digest it yet. It’s only been a single day."

"Marielle," Zarius’s voice dropped, suddenly much more serious. "Are you actually considering this? Do you... want this?"

Cherion pushed himself off the desk, taking a step forward. "Did she threaten you? Put pressure on you? She didn’t strike me as the type to use underhanded tactics, but if Solaric is forcing your hand..."

"No one forced me, little healer," Marielle interrupted smoothly, waving a dismissive hand through the air. "Iryna is many things, but she isn’t crude enough to rely on petty threats. Besides, if she tried, I would have thrown her out of my sight myself."

She paused, pacing a few steps toward the wide window that overlooked the courtyard before turning back to face the three men. The tired annoyance drained from her face, replaced by the sharp, calculating look of a Valtrane who had just spotted a very useful opportunity in the middle of a disaster.

"Think about it logically," Marielle said, holding up a finger. "First, if the Imperial Crown grants a betrothal between a foreign princess and the Duke’s sister, the King ends up heavily indebted to our house for smoothing over an imperial diplomacy nightmare. Second, it locks Solaric as a direct ally for the Northern territory. If the Crown Prince tries to pull any reckless maneuvers against us, Solaric stands with us, not them."

She pointed a second finger toward Cherion. "Third, it creates a massive political shield around the North. With a foreign princess officially tied to House Valtrane, those people will think twice before trying to target you or Cherion. It’s a multiple layer of protection."

Zarius sat back in his chair, his eyes narrowing as he listened to her break down the board state. "And what about you? You are speaking of political leverage, Marielle. I am asking about your life."

Marielle let out a soft, amused hum, a faint smirk touching her lips. "Me? You know as well as I do that my life belongs to you and the North, Brother. If stepping into this betrothal secures our standing and gives us the upper hand, then I’ll do it without hesitation."

She crossed her arms, tilting her head with that familiar confidence. "And as for your concerns about how she’ll treat me... please. As if anyone, princess or otherwise, could ever bully me. If anything, Iryna is intelligent and powerful enough that I won’t die of absolute boredom dealing with her."

Silence stretched across the study as her words settled into the air. Zarius stared at his sister for a long, heavy moment.

"I will not force you into a union for the sake of the North’s leverage," Zarius said, his tone resolute and unyielding. "If you tell me to reject it, I will tear the proposal up in front of the King tomorrow."

Marielle’s expression softened just a fraction, the sharp edge of her posture relaxing. "I know you would, Brother. Which is precisely why I am telling you not to make any hasty rejections just yet."

She raised her hand, rubbing her temple as if a sudden headache was threatening to take root behind her eyes. "Give me more time to think about it. I need to weigh the actual headaches against the political gains before I decide if I want to commit to a life of dealing with a royal spouse."

Zarius looked at her for another moment, then sighed quietly.

"Very well," Zarius said. "But choose wisely, Marielle."

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