“But His Majesty thinks such remarks of mine are disrespectful.”

Ellison laughed heartily, passing off her weakness as a joke.

“The future world will recognize it and history will speak of it.”

Valentin instructed Dawson beside him to hand over a document stamped with the Dennox seal.

“This will really be a great help to me. I’ll strive not to let your and Dennox’s support be in vain.”

Ellison expressed her determination again, squeezing Valentin’s hands that she was holding.

“My business here is now finished. You must be busy, so please…”

Valentin said, pointing to her aides standing at attention behind Ellison, shuffling their feet. It was a lecture and social gathering hosted by her. Being held up by just one person, Valentin, was a waste of time. People she needed to meet, exchange opinions with, and express gratitude to were overflowing both here and outside.

“Thank you for your consideration. You’re such a warm person. Then I’ll get up first.”

She left her seat for the people waiting for her, receiving Valentin’s polite greeting. As Valentin quietly watched the 1st Princess leave with her aides, Dawson carefully suggested:

“Would Your Highness like to get up now as well?”

“No. Dalton hasn’t returned yet. I should wait and go back together.”

“I understand. Then I’ll tidy up the place a little.”

Perhaps because there were many people, the serving staff all looked busy, so Dawson cleaned up himself. Amidst the bustling gentlemen, the teacups and dishes the Princess had been using were cleared away by Dawson’s hands.

Valentin, who was flipping through a weekly magazine again beside Dawson quietly cleaning up, raised his head at a loud noise.

“Get out of the way, you’re in the way.”

Crash!

The thin tea set shook roughly on the movable tray. Someone had carelessly bumped into it. No, had someone pushed past someone else…?

“Oh…! I’m sorry, I apologize.”

The busy and noisy movement naturally drew attention.

A brown-haired man was hurriedly moving to help Dawson, who had his arms stretched out to catch teacups falling from the tray before they hit the floor. While picking up small things like teaspoons and tea forks. Wasn’t this person clearly also a victim who had been pushed by someone?

“Meyer Lilford…?”

Valentin unconsciously said his name out loud.

“Valentin…?”

It seems his own voice saying the name was louder than he thought.

The person who had been hurriedly helping to clean up raised his head and called out to Valentin in surprise. It was closer to exclaiming than saying a name.

Average height, small and thin build, a gentle face with drooping eyebrow ends, light freckles sprinkled across the bridge of his nose, common brown hair, awkwardly smiling lips as if embarrassed and flustered…. All of that filled Valentin’s view.

“Oh… It’s been a long time, Valentin. No, I guess I shouldn’t call you that anymore…?”

Meyer said, peeking at Valentin from between his hunched shoulders and lowered head. His demeanor was so subservient that it was surprising for someone who was supposed to be the heir of a noble family.

‘I thought I wasn’t very noble-like myself, but he’s even more so than me…’

Valentin thought blankly as he stared at Meyer. Even though Valentin was sitting on the sofa and Meyer was standing, putting him higher than eye level, he still had such a shrinking posture. It was astounding to Valentin that he had the remarkable skill of looking up at someone below from a high place.

“Hey, be careful!” 

Another voice was heard beside them.

“So-Sorry, Lord Pembroke.”

Finally, the alpha who received Meyer’s apology clicked his tongue and left. At that moment, the memory from last time hit Valentin’s head. They say Eldon’s social circle is wide yet narrow, but to have such a coincidental composition that reminded him of those times.

Russell, the eldest son of the Pembroke Count family. He was the one who despised Meyer the most beside Valentin in their boyhood. Valentin blankly stared at his retreating back, feeling a strange sensation. Then he immediately opened his mouth towards Meyer, who was still standing awkwardly beside him.

“I didn’t see clearly, but it seemed like Russell hit you first and left…”

“Ah…”

Meyer scratched his head again, unable to look straight into Valentin’s eyes and rolling his eyeballs.

“You can sit, Lord Lilford.”

Even though Eldon wasn’t as strictly hierarchical as Dales in terms of lord and vassal relationships, Valentin still held a high position here. So now Valentin was addressing Meyer, who didn’t know what to do and kept lingering, and giving permission to sit together.

Meyer sat down next to Valentin with an awkward smile, still looking at the floor.

“It’s been a long time, Meyer Lilford.”

“Valentin…”

Finally meeting Valentin’s eyes as he greeted him formally first, Meyer smiled faintly with an awkward smile. It was a naive smile that was embarrassed, glad, and happy to see you.

Yes. This was actually the problem.

The biggest reason why the original Valentin always teased him, easily mocked him, and treated him like prey.

Meyer liked Valentin. Of course, not romantically. But there were many strange points to think he admired him as an omega to omega of the same gender. He wasn’t a masochist, so why on earth did he approach someone who laughed at and despised him like that in the original?

And it wasn’t just the original. It was still a mystery why he always greeted Valentin first and approached him smiling during their boyhood days.

“Have you been well?”

“I… no, I have been well, Lord Dennox.”

“No. Like just now, and like in the old days, ‘Valentin’ is enough, Meyer.”

“Th-Thank you, Valentin. It’s really a great honor for me.”

‘Honor’ seems a bit too much… He acted as if being allowed to use the name was a great joy. Valentin was starting to get a headache from Meyer’s still excessively subservient attitude. Why on earth is he like this…

“Now tell me the truth. Russell clearly hit you first and passed by. And you bumped into the tray because of that force.”

Right? As Valentin asked, looking straight into his eyes, Meyer’s pupils lost their way again. Seeing him unable to look directly at Valentin and shaking back and forth, he didn’t seem to have the wit to lie, let alone tell the truth.

“But why do you apologize first?”

Actually, what he wanted to ask was something deeper and more intimate. Why do you always choose to be in the unfortunate position in life?

As Valentin finished speaking, Meyer quietly raised his eyes, which had been shaking uncontrollably, and awkwardly met Valentin’s gaze. Then he smiled as if troubled and scratched his head again.

“Just…”

“Just?”

“It’s about not creating conflict, Valentin.”

At those words, Valentin felt like he’d been hit on the head.

‘That’s exactly the same as what I always used to say…?’

Was this the frustrating feeling others always had when they saw him?

“If I just endure, if I just apologize, no one gets hurt and everything ends quickly… Everyone will be satisfied.”

“Huh… really.”

At Valentin’s exasperated response, Meyer added hurriedly with an embarrassed smile.

“It’s in the Bible too. ‘Love your enemies.’ Of course, Russell isn’t my enemy! Not at all… It’s just like that. Just… thinking of the Lord’s words, there’s nothing I can’t do. I want to live according to that will… ‘Blessed are the peacemakers’…”

Meyer’s voice grew quieter as he rambled on, citing Bible verses. Valentin now looked at Meyer with a pitying expression and said:

“You should have just become a clergyman, Meyer.”

“…Yeah. That would have been better…”

Meyer slowly raised his lowered head and quietly said, looking out the window. Somehow feeling like he understood Meyer’s current situation from those words, Valentin closed his mouth without saying more. A fleeting sadness shone in his common brown eyes.

Feeling somewhat sorry for Meyer, Valentin offered him tea and briefly exchanged recent news. But when it became uncomfortable to face each other and talk more due to old memories, Valentin excused himself saying he would find Dalton and go home, and said goodbye as he stood up.

“It was nice to see you, Meyer Lilford.”

“I… I was honored to be able to talk with you…!”

“Honored is a bit much…”

“It… it is an honor! You’re now Her Highness the Grand Duke’s Consort…”

He finished saying goodbye while calming Meyer who was rambling about Valentin again.

Tap tap tap.

As he walked towards the cigar room where Dalton would be networking with businessmen, Valentin was lost in thought.

‘Did I look this foolish and frustrating to others too?’

From talking with him, Meyer Lilford wasn’t a fool.

He was just an excessively kind and gentle person. Just like when he was young.

His personality was also overly docile, and he was very unlucky in that he lacked caution when acting and was clumsy, always causing accidents. And his naive and seemingly slow-witted personality made him an object of contempt and easy mockery for the blue-blooded nobles with high noses. How much easier would it have been given his background as well.

Talking to him directly, he was knowledgeable and his thinking was wise and gentle. He truly would have been suited for the clergy. So there was a fundamental difference from himself, who clumsily advocated good actions with a kind heart.

‘But to others, we probably looked the same…’

Valentin heaved a deep sigh.

“Do you have something troubling you?”

Dawson, who was walking behind him guarding him, asked after hearing Valentin’s sigh.

“No, I just have a lot on my mind.”

“……”