Bound by the Mark of Lies (BL)
Chapter 156 - 151: Fit to Rule (3)

Chapter 156: Chapter 151: Fit to Rule (3)

The woman smiled, and Gabriel noticed a change in the other man in the room. They were relieved that the future Empress was not a stuck-up noble who would punish them for any mistake.

"No. Your ether responded because it recognized a constant. That’s different from repair. But unfortunately for your peace, His Majesty’s bond helped you."

Gabriel scoffed under his breath. "Of course it did."

The physician gave him a sympathetic look. "It’s not rare for bonded pairs to stabilize each other. What is rare is your specific configuration. Artificial omega markers, alpha-dominant memory, suppressed instincts, and yet, you harmonized cleanly. No rejection. That’s... unusual."

"I’m used to being unusual," Gabriel said, shrugging as he adjusted his sleeve. "The real shock would’ve been if something worked normally for once."

"Bloodwork next," the male physician said, already preparing the enchanted needle. "You may feel a mild warmth."

Gabriel extended his arm and focused on a crack in the ceiling tiles.

The crystal-tipped syringe shimmered as it drew a strand of gold-laced blood from his vein. It was not painful, just a strange thrum beneath his skin, as if something sacred was being translated into numbers.

"No bloodborne mutations. Hormone levels are elevated but stable," the man said after inspecting the results. "Your pheromone signature is syncing. No signs of incompatibility. There would be more bloodwork, but it takes time to leave the lab; they will be delivered to you as soon as possible."

Gabriel let out a breath, still tensed by the setting of the imperial hospital.

"Final scan," the woman said, activating the ether harmonization circle above him. "This will assess your bond’s long-term stability."

"Do I need to do anything?"

"Breathe."

He did. The runes glowed in the air, casting a pale gold across his chest. A low, deep pulse responded, like the beat of a drum behind his sternum. The bond answered, called forward by the scan. Gabriel stiffened.

It was warm. Heavy. He had felt it before, on the night Damian made his mark.

Damian’s ethereal signature wrapped around him like an arm thrown over his chest, possessive even in absence. It curled around the edges of his consciousness like a second skin, whispering mine without speaking. And worse, Gabriel didn’t flinch.

He exhaled with a shaky laugh. "Gods. That’s..."

"Strong," the man said. "One of the most dominant pair signatures we’ve seen outside of war bonding. But stable. Clear resonance. No backlash."

"Meaning?"

The male physician offered a faint smile. "Allow us the honor of delivering rare news: everything is functioning precisely as it should. And you, Lord von Jaunez... you are fully compatible with the imperial bond."

Gabriel blinked. It felt anticlimactic. Like waiting for a storm and getting a soft breeze instead.

"That’s it?" he asked, voice dry. "No ominous warning? No unstable pheromone readings or fatal incompatibility?"

"Nothing dangerous," the woman confirmed. "Though the strength of the bond may... complicate things."

"Emotionally?"

"Socially," she said, with a glance to her colleague. "Politically. Such bonds can provoke unrest. Especially when they form without prior negotiation."

Gabriel chuckled, dark and quiet. "They’ll just have to get used to it."

He stood, adjusting his jacket again with a sharp tug.

The male physician bowed slightly. "Congratulations, Lord von Jaunez. You are fit to rule."

Gabriel did not respond immediately. He looked down at the diagnostic runes, which were still fading from the air, and watched the gold light fade into nothingness, like breath on a mirror. His throat felt dry again.

’Fit to rule.’

It was strange to hear it said aloud, to be told he was something he never wanted to be while still feeling... something. Something he could not pinpoint just yet.

"I suppose that means I can’t back out now," he murmured, glancing at the polished floor.

The woman gave him a measured smile. "Not without starting an international incident."

Gabriel rolled his eyes and turned for the door. "Wouldn’t be the first one I caused."

—

Damian was waiting in the corridor, as still as a statue but exuding restrained energy. He had changed into a dark formal coat buttoned high at the throat, with the imperial crest subtle against his shoulder and eyes sharp despite the early hour. His gaze fixed on Gabriel as soon as the door opened.

Gabriel stepped out into the light.

There was a brief moment where no one said anything.

Then Damian asked, voice even, "Did they hurt you?"

Gabriel snorted. "Only my pride."

Edward stepped in behind Damian, holding a thin scroll and what Gabriel sincerely hoped was coffee. "All results clear?"

"They said I’m rare," Gabriel said. "Which is a polite way of calling me complicated. But yes. I passed. I’m not going to die. Or destabilize the Empire. The rest of the bloodwork will be out in a few days."

"Yet," Damian said with a smirk.

Gabriel looked up at him, lips twitching. "Give me time."

Damian’s eyes flicked over him again, not clinically—just... checking. His voice lowered. "You’re sure?"

Gabriel hesitated, then nodded. "They said I harmonized."

"With me?"

Gabriel gave him a dry look. "Who else do you think left a magical, possessive echo across my soul like a territorial god?"

Damian said nothing to that. But he reached for Gabriel’s wrist, fingers brushing the inside where the ether disk had made contact, leaving a faint red mark. His thumb lingered, just for a second. Gabriel didn’t pull away.

"Good," Damian muttered. "I was starting to believe I was hallucinating the entire thing."

"Then I’m sorry to disappoint," Gabriel said, softer now. "I’m very real. And apparently... very yours. Plus, I’m sure you will have a report on your desk until noon."

Damian’s expression didn’t change, but something in his posture softened. The corner of his mouth curved ever so slightly. "Edward will read it before I do."

"Of course," Edward said from behind them, utterly unapologetic. "And annotate it."

"Where is my coffee?" Gabriel asked the butler with a glare that would make others nervous.