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“Pretend?”
“Yeah. Just pretending to be my fiancé.”
“What?” Ludger let out a sigh of relief. “Phew. That’s a relief.”
“...Why are you genuinely relieved?” Seeing Ludger’s relieved expression, Casey seriously considered whether she should start a duel with him.
Then, some bits of juicy gossip that Betty had been sharing with her over the last several weeks came to her. The stories that two dukes and an emperor were actively courting Professor Ludger to the point of harassment. And the professor having a hunky Alpha boyfriend who’d regularly pluck him out of these uncomfortable encounters and bride carry him away. Betty had even showed her the pictures published in the, usually sold out, pulp magazines, which she’d laughed at.
“Oh!” Casey’s face blushed madly red. “No, no. It’s nothing like that. I’m not throwing my hat into your Harem.”
“My--” Ludger scowled at her as he realised what she was referring to. “I never wanted that-- that-- That’s an awful term!”
She was staring at Ludger in astonishment now. Casey hadn’t given the stories any thought when she first heard them. Now though, her mind was racing to try and figure out why these three Alphas were courting Ludger Cherish-- the man she first knew as James Moriarty.
He was a null. Why would these Alphas--?
“You’re-- actually-- not a null.” It was more a statement than a question.
Ludger frowned at her. “Casey...”
Wait a--! So, James Moriarty was a-- a Beta in hiding?
No... that wasn’t it.
The dukes and the emperor were powerful Alphas, why would they be so interested to court a talented Beta? Wait!
“You’re actually--!!”
At that raised voice, Ludger lunged at her. His hand quickly covering her mouth and his dark energy engulfing them both.
@>;~
On a lonely, wide open roof top, Ludger left Casey to move to the edge of the building to watch the sun begin to set. Looking about them, Casey noted that he’d also set a silencing charm on the whole roof and a shield barrier which prevented intruders, though clearly not one which would keep her in.
“You have questions, Alpha?”
“You-- you’re really an Omega?” Casey gulped.
Ludger shook his head as he released his scent seal. “Why I even bother with this anymore...”
Casey’s nostrils flared to suck in the delicious enticing aroma. This scent... It wasn’t something that could ever be duplicated. Masked and hidden, perhaps for an Omega’s protection. But the primeval protective instincts triggered in an Alpha? That was impossible to imitate.
“Oh gods...” Casey fell to her knees.
Everything she’d believed about James Moriarty came crashing into ruins. This was worse than when she’d learned the truth from his point of view via memory storming.
“Oh god, oh god, oh God!”
Ludger came to kneel before her. “I didn’t want anyone to know.
“It’s not your fault you treated me like a null and drew your conclusions, Casey Selmore.”
“But--”
“Casey-- I owe you an apology too because I used you. The men and organisations involved-- Even you couldn’t get at them all despite the evidence and crumbs you managed to gather.
“I couldn’t let it go. I couldn’t let them go unpunished.”
Casey’s eyes filled with tears for him. Yes... there were tales she’d remembered her grandfather tell her of how terrible an Omega could use their talent and power to enact justice if pushed too far. The nurturing force taken to a hundred to protect, to attack, and defend... and kill.
An Omega seeking justice... an Omega driven to kill. There could be no greater shame to their associated Alphas who should have been sworn to protect them. James Moriarty had executed so many that she could not touch. Justice... the justice that she had so proudly wielded was incompetent and too weak for this Omega.
“I--”
“Casey! I did not want anyone to know.”
“That’s no excuse!” Casey hung her head unable to meet his eyes anymore. "I claim to be a detective! Yet I couldn’t go after those-- I couldn’t gather enough solid evidence-- And I-- I blamed you...
“And I did this despite all the contradictions I saw in James Moriarty, Abraham Van Helsing, Arsene Lupin, Machiavelli... I still accused you despite the contradictions. I should have known better, I--”
“The betrayal of a belief is always hard to overcome.
“And I did deceive you. You let your thoughts be biased because of it.” Ludger told her kindly.
“And wasn’t it my fault for not taking you into my confidence and deciding to walk my path alone to enact my own need for justice... for the lives of the two children I’d grown attached to but were taken by-- Black Dawn.”
“You were never with them.” Casey looked up at him in surprise at this now firm revelation.
“Of course not. My joining their ranks was an accident of mistaken identity.” Ludger looked embarrassed. “And I’ve been undermining the damage that they do as much as I can in all ways possible.
“Still, Zero Order has decided to tolerate my presence in their ranks.”
“That-- that’s dangerous!”
“Insider knowledge is preferable if I can save lives.”
“What Alpha will let--”
“I don’t have a destined Alpha. And I have no intention of letting myself be ever muzzled by one.” Ludger told her angrily. “I’m not a helpless damsel that needs to be hidden away and protected. I have my own agency and goals.”
They glared at each other a moment. Cards finally all laid bare.
Ludger sighed as he moved to sit cross legged on the roof top to face her. “Anyway? Why are you asking me to pretend to be your fiancé.”
“Oh my God! You’re an Omega.
“My sister would easily be able to work this out the moment she sees you. That would be a coup over the other noble houses, no one would dare try to challenge--.”
Ludger reached right over to pinch her lips shut with three fingers. “Stop it. I did NOT agree to this yet. I’m already fending off two dukes and an emperor, who’ve so far very kindly let me continue my charade of being a Beta.
“I do NOT need the Selmores trumpeting my actual gender to the streets and attracting my fa--” Ludger stopped speaking and looked down. Releasing her mouth as he did so.
Casey slammed two hands over her mouth. Of course-- Stupid, Casey! She berated herself.
This Omega was-- he was running from his family. That was why he kept changing his identity. She had already figured out that Moriarty was actively hiding and running away from something when she was investigating his various identities. She hadn’t realised what it was then, or why. It made sense now.
What had his original family done to him? This wasn’t-- Casey could guess / tell this wasn’t like how she was herself running away from the Selmore family and reputation. He had changed his name and identity frequently and thoroughly as if... he feared their discovery.
The dukes and the emperor likewise kept his gender identity secret. They weren’t contacting his family and trying to arrange a betrothal or sending courtship gifts to his family to get him to look upon them favourably. They were respecting his desire for secrecy and against drawing undue attention.
Casey lowered her hands to reach over and tap his gloved hand. “I’m sorry.
“Forget what I said. We won’t say anything at all about your gender identity. I’ll make sure my sister knows to keep her mouth shut. But...”
Casey took a deep breath. “I would still want you to pretend to be my fiancé.
“Just in front of my sister. No word will be spoken elsewhere!” She pushed on before Ludger could interrupt her.
“We’ll call it a visit to the Selmore estates as friends. We can let your Wallets think you’re just having a thought about a relationship with an Alpha of a different persuasion.”
“My what? Wallets?!” Ludger looked deeply offended. “I’ll have you know I returned ALL their poorly selected courtship gifts. Every! One!”
“All of them?! Why? Wasn’t there a trinket that caught your attention at all?”
“I beg your pardon. I’m not a gold digger. They were all pretentious dust collectors.”
“Not-- one?”
He glared at her. “Goodbye.”
“Wait!!” She caught his sleeve to stop him from getting up. “I’m sorry!
“Even my sister accepts gifts on my behalf, and she sells what I don’t like to donate the proceeds to charity.”
“Extra administrative work I care not to partake of.” Ludger waved the excuse off. “I have more than enough earnings and investments to channel my own funds into charitable works.”
“I did hear you accepted the gifts sent with the invitations for the Geheimnis Nacht.”
“Wonderfully practical gifts which appealed to me. And I accepted all the gifts, so that I wouldn’t be showing unequal favour to any particular group.”
This made Casey snort in laughter. But she also saw a way forward. “Ssooooo, if I sent you a thoughtful gift, which isn’t a pretentious dust collector, and would be considered extremely useful to you or your work, you’d consider it?”
He opened his mouth, closed it, and gave her a suspicious look. “And why would you remotely wish to send me courtship gifts?”
“I still need a fiancé!”
Ludger heaved a huge put upon sigh. “Under what terms did your family give you to find one.”
“Well... it’s my sister’s demand, actually.”
“Marias Selmore, the Blue Mage?”
“Yes, her.
“She gave me options. Said she’d support whomever I chose, regardless of their social status or family. As long as it was someone I truly fell in love with.”
“That-- sounds like an incredibly generous condition.” Ludger remarked. “That should mean you could just bring anyone. Why are you asking me?”
“Because... I claimed that the one I’d bring would be an exceptionally impressive person whom she’d have absolutely no reason to object to.” Casey cringed as looked up at him through her lashes. “So-- I can’t just bring someone average and ordinary.
“And among the men I do know...” Casey waved her hand at him.
“I don’t know if I should feel flattered or burdened.” Ludger gave her a deadpan raised eyebrow. His arms folded in front of him defensively in a clear expression that he had no intention of caving to her request. “I really have had it up to--
“Suffice it to say there’s already a queue of Alphas after me, that I’m barely staying out of the clutches of--”
“But-- we’re-- we reconciled, right? Aren’t we-- friends?”
“If you wish.” Ludger nodded grudgingly. “But-- NOT enough to pretend--” He shuddered. “Romantic overtures with.”
“What? You think you can’t pull it off?”
Ludger raised his eyebrow at her. “And you can? I’ve yet to see any attractive courtship overtures from anyone.”
“I can definitely do better than the dukes and the emperor!”
“That-- remains to be seen.”
“So, if I send you an exceptional courtship gift, you’ll consider?” Casey repeated pleadingly.
“It’ll-- Well-- it’ll show your determination.
“And it’ll have to be impressive enough that the-- ‘Wallets’, as you call them, will be willing to back down and not try and interfere.” The Omega looked at her sceptically.
“Look...” Ludger sighed at her. “Rederbelke is Pantos’s territory. And those three Alphas will not dare set foot here to challenge my-- ‘boyfriend’. Just as they’ll not challenge Principal Willow’s authority within Ceoren Academy.
“But once I leave here, you’ll have to contend with them.
“If you want any hope of having me masquerade as your fiancé in front of your sister, you need to floor the dukes and the emperor to make them give up pursuit of me. Then you’ve credibly made it possible to court me. And--
“All right. Free me of the three Alphas, and I’ll help you out with your sister.”
“Deal!” She leaped up to grab his hand to shake on it.
Ludger gave her an expression of wondering if he’d just sold his soul to the devil itself.
Casey grinned at him. “Be prepared to be courted, my dear Omega.”
“I can’t wait.” He told her drily.
~owari~