I Refuse To Reject His Proposal - Chapter 2

-ˏˋ♡꒷︶꒦꒷︶︶︶꒷꒦꒷︶꒷♡ˎˊ˗

(3rd Person POV)

Eileen forced down the words before it went out her throat. There was no time.

“Just get in.”

She mercilessly pushed Ethan’s body deep into the attic.

“Even if you feel pheromones later, you should never moan and hide like a dead mouse.”

‘That way, you and I can live.’

Eileen had warned Ethan firmly. However, he asked back with bewildered eyes, seemingly too perplexed by his sister’s pushy attitude.

“Don’t ever get caught. If you get caught, you’ll be taken right away.”

“Then I can simply refuse, do I really need to hide like this?”

“Brother doesn’t know who ‘that’ person is.”

You will know very well in the future, but I won’t let you know, for now.

“Anyway, listen to me. No matter who comes, never come down unless its our parents, got it?

“Eileen?”

Eileen couldn’t afford to explain more even after seeing Ethan’s bewildered face.

Guessing from the sound of the rattling horseshoe, she can predict that the outside visitors are arriving soon. Eileen hurriedly pushed the windows open to send Ethan’s pheromone out before she rushed to the front door.

She muttered the name of the cause why she had Ethan hide in a hurry.

“Archduke Lloyd Rihast.”

The bastard who came and took her brother from them as his marriage mate but handed her brother to his subordinate.

-ˏˋ ━━━━━━ ʚɞ ━━━━━━ ˊˎ-

It was clear that God rewined time because he felt sorry for her who fell into the abyss in an instant.

[Your brother as well as your parents were all killed by the Archduke.]

Patrick’s words before she died flashed in her mind.

‘This misfortune began with Archduke Rihast. My brother, who married him and committed suicide, began our family’s collapse.’

Everyone died and Eileen was left alone, dying miserably as well.

“I don’t want to go through that terrible thing again.”

That is why Eileen was determined not to hand over her brother to the Archduke.

“Milady, the Archduke of Rihast is outside. What should we do?”

The butler, who found Eileen, reported the situation.

Eileen, who was out of breath from hiding Ethan earlier, focused on stabilizing her breathing instead of answering. She had little time to spare as she had to meet him in a hurry.

When her breathing stabilized to some extent, Eileen composed herself.

“Open the door.”

When the butler opened the door, a shadow was overcast because of the tall figure standing with the light behind him. When the tall figure took a step into the house, the shadow cast on his face disappeared.

Eileen’s mouth opened wide when she saw him.

The trait of a dominant alpha is visible because they are God’s chosen ones. Born without flaws, they are said to have an appearance beautiful enough that nobody is comparable to them.

Ethan, who was hidden in the attic, was a beauty whom men and women cannot help but notice because of his traits as a dominant omega. However, the man who just came in had a tremendous appearance that even her brother cannot be compared.

The face, which casts a nice shade according to the angle under the short dark hair, is handsome as if it were carved meticulously. His high, towering nose and sensuous lips stood out, but above all, it was his eyes that created an overwhelming gaze.

Arrogant eyes that looked down at the world.

Eileen swallowed her dry saliva as she stared at his cold and overbearing eyes.

Can I fool such a man?

Eileen held her skirt and slightly bent her knees.

“Welcome.”

“Did you know I was coming?”

One of the Archduke’s eyebrow rose. He must have found my welcome suspicious.

He is actually being rude, but I didn’t really care about that.

‘It’s quite sad that I’m from a lower-ranked noble family, I have no power against him.’

Compared to her family who had nothing, the Archduke’s family is a direct lineage from the royalty. It wasn’t a situation where Eileen can freely offend the Archduke and compensate him with money after.

“Not at all,”

Originally, Archduke Rihast who suddenly came in, would drag Ethan, her older brother. This time however, she came back and knew about his visit ahead of time. Not being able to tell the truth, she turned her head and avoided his gaze.

“I just came out because I heard several horse steps.”

Archduke Rihast stared at Eileen’s face. In his sharp gaze, she secretly bit the flesh in her lower lip to hold out against it.

After a suffocating long silence, Archduke Rihast’s lips opened.

“I’m here to see Ethan Claudia”.

Eileen, who was nervous as if she encountered a difficult test, was relieved and took the next words in mind before inhaling.

Ethan was hidden in the attic.

The opponent was good at controlling his pheromone, however, as a dominant alpha she was able to detect his pheromone herself. Unlike the first greeting, Eileen raised her voice even more.

So that he would pay attention to her.

“Isn’t your brother here?”

Eileen stared at Archduke Rihast with a clueless expression

“He’s not?”

Eileen nodded at the question of Archduke Rihast. His intense gaze made Eileen swallow her saliva.

“Hmm?”

I could see the butler, who was quiet next to me, shaking. In view of the butler’s reaction, Prince Rihast must be emitting pheromones now.

Eileen sighed in relief secretly. It was fortunate that she didn’t feel his pheromones. Even now, if she was capable of sensing the pheromones, she would have succumbed to the pressure being unable to stand properly.

Eileen realized that she was fortunately turned back in time before she manifested into an Omega.

“What should I do?”

“I hope you make an official appointment next time.”

‘Of course, even if I ask him to make an appointment, there’s no way I’d send my brother to him.’

“I don’t have time for that.”

There were reasons why the Archduke married her brother Ethan in a hurry.

From Eileen’s memories, as soon as the Archduke married Ethan, he went to the Province of Sihar where the war broke out. Worried about the Archduke’s successor, the Senate voiced out that the Archduke gets married immediately.

The Archduke had a mate decided by the senate of course, which was her brother, Ethan.

‘But he was still abandoned.’

In anger, Eileen pressed her lips and lowered her eyes. Her feelings would reveal if she didn’t control her emotions. She still hid the fact that her brother was in the attic.

‘You’re the one in a hurry, not us.’

Eileen was preventing the Archduke from taking her brother. It was none of her concern if the Archduke fought with the Senate or picked another omega in her brother’s stead.

The Archduke’s eyes were sharp as he looked around before returning his gaze to Eileen.

“Then I’ll take you instead of him.”

‘……..Huh?’

Is this person crazy?

Eileen was in tears and forcibly calmed herself down despite her arguments. The opponent was Archduke Rihast. The incomparable dominant alpha whose linage came directly from the imperial family. 

“Why me? No matter how big the title of the Archduke is, kidnapping in broad bright daylight shouldn’t be pardoned at all!” 

“It’s not kidnapping, it’s a proposal. Please marry me.”

What do you mean marry me?

The Archduke saw my disagreement, but he remained calm.

“Are you kidding me? Who proposes like this?””

“So, what’s your answer?”

Archduke Rihast demanded an answer and didn’t care about anything else.

She of course hated the idea. It was natural because she even refused to hand over her brother, Ethan. She didn’t want the two of them to get entangled with the Archduke at all!

However, she couldn’t just recklessly refuse.

The Archduke may have disliked the idea of marrying but came here anyways. This was after all his grandfather’s idea and the ringleader of this political marriage.

Her grandfather and the Archduke’s Grandfather were comrades in war and promised to marry off one of their grandchildren in political marriage.

‘But I can’t let myself be dragged away like this.’

Eileen squeezed her brain for a way out.  Soon, a perfect excuse came to mind.

“I’m a beta.”

In a year, she’d manifest as an Omega, but she’s currently a beta. Even if their families decided on a political marriage, it would be useless if the other was a beta. Chances of an alpha child between such a pair was extremely low which was something that the higher ups disliked.

“Will the Senate allow this?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“I knew it……W-wait, What did you say?”

“Even if you’re a beta, you are still capable of bearing a child.”

As Eileen raised her eyes in embarrassment, Archduke Rihast’s hard mouth slowly rose up to a smirk.

“Isn’t that the only excuse you can come up with?”

Eileen first expressed her rejection.

Ethan wasn’t around and she couldn’t be his bride because she was a beta. It was quite a reason.

“Is it really okay?”

Archduke Rihast nodded as if it were no big deal. Now Aileen, who was waiting for him to give up, found a strange scene. The butler holds his nape and coughs frequently.

“What’s wrong with you all of a sudden?….”

It was too late for Eileen to realize.

Thud!

Eileen’s heart dropped with the sound coming from above. Archduke Rihast slowly raised his eyes. He was just staring at the ceiling, but his sharp eyes seemed to pierce through it, as if he was looking at him, her brother Ethan who was still in the attic.

It was her instincts denying the allegation, but she was still human. Archduke Rihast fixed his gaze on the roof making Eileen feel strangled.

“I guess there’s a rat on your roof, it’s a big one at that.”

Eileen’s face turned white at his words.

‘Why is this happening…..?’

TO BE CONTINUED…