The first rule of Merai's household was - to pay no heed to anything that could prove problematic. And so far, he had lived by this rule.
His lack of empathy and care was what had dubbed him as 'cold and ruthless' in front of people. But it was just Merai's way of coping with things.
Wasting too much energy on unneeded things would only exhaust him. That was why he pretended he did not see anything this time.
But his stepmother did not leave him a choice in this regard.
"Merai dead, how long will you stand before the door for? You should come inside and make yourself at home. Isn't your fiancé here to specifically meet you?"
Merai's stepmother spoke softly, but he could read the aggression in her eyes. His step-sister looked annoyed, but she also had a satisfied smirk.
She did not pull away from his fiancé's side and pressed her body into the alpha beside her.
And that bastard was also letting this happen. Merai's fiancé looked comfortable having the step-sister be pressed against his side.
The only other person who felt awkward in this situation was Merai's father. The general was a respectable person who usually did not let such insults against his family pass.
It didn't usually matter if the person committing the crime was a commoner, a noble or even the emperor. The ruthless commander did not forgive anyone.
So, it was surprising to see him remain quiet. His father's silence was what caused Meria to stay calm as well.
"Meria, is there anything you want to tell me? Anything that is troubling you or you are planning?"
Meria looked at his father, now surprised that the man had spoken to him. His father never spoke at the dinner table without a reason.
'Is this a test? Am I supposed to answer it positively or negatively? What should I even say now?'
Meria looked at his father with a closed-off expression, but he remained quiet. His father had asked him a straightforward question, and he did not have an answer.
"See! I told you he was a bastard and would not admit his guilt. General Meria needs to be punished for everything that he has done. I knew that we could not trust a beta to be a general. He ended up caving under pressure."
Meria did not know what the fiancé minister's son was talking about, but he did find it ironic that this man had a problem with Meria being a beta. He wondered how his fiancé would react to him being an omega.
'I am sure that this news will blow my fiancé's mind. Was I supposed to pay attention to what they were saying?'
His father looked at Meria with a disapproving look. Meria was supposed to pretend he was paying attention to what was being said.
"-and this is what we discovered. General, can you explain this budget and why you spent so much on luxury items?"
Meria looked at the budget before him, and he already knew it was fake. All the items on the list were ones he had ordered, but their prices did not match the ones that had been agreed upon.
The huge grin on his step-mother's face told Meria she had a big hand in this. The grin was getting bigger on Meria's step-sister's face, causing it to overtake her whole face.
'I knew it. This is a trap laid out for me. Since these people are confronting me, they have ensured I have no way out. Should I even try to fight back?'
Meria did not have enough strength to fight against his stepmother and step-sister. His cold look caused his fiancé to falter, but his step-sister's comforting push kept his face up.
Meria wanted to ask for help, but the helpless look on his father's face said it all - he should give up.
He was the elder beta son of the household. And as such, he had to make compromises.
"I see. So, you are going to accuse me no matter what? I doubt you will believe me if I please my innocence, right? Then, do you want to break our marriage?"
Meria asked, his cold tone causing his fiancé to cough in surprise.
"B-Break our marriage? Of course not! Want that as well, but I also want justice to be done."
It was surprising for Meria to see his fiancé this fired up. His fiancé might be an alpha, but he was a timid person. He was only showing such aggression because he had Meria's stepmother's support behind him.
"Justice? Fine then! What do you want me to do? Pay up the fine? I can do that-"
"Not that! Your crime might look shallow on paper, but it is quite deep. Our previous emperor appointed you, and you also carry his name. You have not only betrayed your duty but also your liege. As such, you can only be punished by the death penalty."
Silence followed the fiancé's words. The cold air that suddenly filled the room made everyone shiver.
Meria watched his fiancé turn paler due to the cold, but he refused to back down.
"Death penalty? This crime is not heavy enough to warrant a sentence like the death penalty. Even the most heinous criminals-"
"But dear, think about it. Meria not only tarnished our family name and the name of the emperor who gave him his rank. The death penalty is the painless punishment he can get. Dear, you need to agree to this.'
Meria looked at his step-mother with a surprised expression. He knew that his stepmother did not like him. But he never expected her to play like this.
His father was now cornered. As an omega, his stepmother had a hold on his father. They had been mated for too many years not to affect each other.
Seeing his mate and their omega-daughter looking at him with pleading expressions, the Petrarch needed to decide.
Meria hated seeing his father in such a situation. So, he knew he would have to put himself out there.
"If my punishment is the death penalty, then I guess I have no choice but to accept it. But I want myself to be the only one to bear this shame. Do not drag anyone from my division into this mess."
Meria asked, and his fiancé smirked.
"Of course not! The only people who would know what will happen to you are those of us present in the room, our law officer, Su Ming and our current 12-year-old emperor."
Meria had never been aware of the fact that his best friend, the emperor, was dead. But for the first time, he felt thankful for that fact. At least he would not force his best friend to feel shame for knowing Meria.