When I turned my eyes toward where the sound came from, a blonde young man was dismounting from a white horse. Who is that person? I don’t think I’ve seen him in the original work…
Could it possibly be… Kalroy McCurren?
Blonde hair shining in the sunlight and a white uniform. A red sash crossing diagonally across his chest and shoulder epaulettes. Everything he displayed was the insignia of the crown prince. He had dignity to the point of being frightening. Well, he still looked like a young child of about fifteen at most, but he could still do whatever he wanted with a life like mine, so I had to be careful.
Kalroy McCurren was a character who didn’t appear in detail in the original work. Since the original work’s main content was already after William McCurren became emperor, focusing on his obsession with a partner Omega who wouldn’t give him their heart, there was no space for Kalroy to appear.
What I learned about Kalroy was while conversing with the mysterious book to extract preliminary information about William before coming to the palace.
A character who rises to the crown prince position as a bloodline of the legitimate empress, but later has the emperor’s position stolen by William.
Why and how it gets stolen wasn’t detailed, but roughly that kind of character appeared. I asked various things because I was curious about other information, but the book didn’t give any more information.
Looking around, all the attendants bowed their heads and showed respect to the crown prince. I also prostrated myself on the ground like them.
However, only one person, William McCurren, kept his back straight and didn’t even greet him.
I thought he at least knew some palace etiquette, but he’s not even following basic courtesy? Willy, you can’t do that. At least follow the basics while living…
I stopped my thoughts at Kalroy’s voice as I was thinking up to here.
“Hahaha, is that the Omega?”
…That?
No matter how low the position of lower-class Omegas is in this world, calling a person “that” was too much. William’s character is one thing, but Kalroy, you’re not to be underestimated either. Well, having lived getting everything they wanted without any difficulties from childhood, there’s no way these kids would grow up well.
But somehow the atmosphere was cold. Since he wasn’t asking me, it would be natural for me not to answer, but Willy consistently ignored him from start to finish, and the attendants on Willy’s side just trembled. After a long while, an attendant who came with the crown prince spoke in a displeased voice.
“It seems to be so.”
Thud, thud. The crown prince’s footsteps came closer. I was afraid he might pick a fight, so I couldn’t even lift my head.
Suddenly, spotlessly clean shoes appeared right before my eyes. And I heard the crown prince’s voice from above my head.
“Are you mute? No, that’s not right. I heard you speaking earlier.”
I was about to answer the crown prince’s question, but then remembered the rule that lower-class Omegas couldn’t speak with royalty in this world and quietly closed my mouth.
“Lift your head. What’s your name?”
As I was about to lift my head, William intervened.
“Just try lifting your head. I’ll punish you several times over, combining it with your earlier mistake to me.”
If I kept my head down, I’d be disobeying the crown prince’s command, but if I lifted my head, I’d become someone who disobeyed the prince’s order. In that brief moment, I calculated which would be more advantageous for prolonging my life.
Though I didn’t see any book content separately, the conclusion came relatively easily. From now until I see the end of this world, there was only one thing I had to do. Preserve my life. To do that, I naturally had to side with William. There would be nothing left if I sided with Kalroy, who couldn’t even protect the emperor’s position…
Moreover, adding a very slight personal interest, even if they both did the same hateful things, William and Kalroy had different atmospheres. If William felt like someone who wasn’t bad by nature but became twisted after being hurt, Kalroy felt cold and chilling by nature itself.
Of course, this was just instinctual perception that educators should be most wary of, but since my life was hanging by a thread, I had no choice but to cling to such instinct.
“William, I told you not to raise your voice in front of me. Just hearing your voice makes my ears hurt like they’re about to burst. Should I, as crown prince, have to endure even jarring sounds while living in this palace?”
I had been listening quietly, but it was an outrageous and suffocating statement. Strictly speaking, this was in front of the prince’s palace. Even though he was a lower-ranking prince than himself, to order such a young child not to even speak! Hearing Kalroy’s words, I understood why William had stayed still without even greeting him. William was following Kalroy’s order to “not make a sound” in his own way. Poor Willy… You received a lot of interference for not being legitimate bloodline. No wonder the child became twisted.
I was afraid William, who seemed unable to properly control his anger, might go berserk. Sure enough, when I glanced sideways, I could see trembling legs. If I could lift my head, I would have seen his face, but since I couldn’t, I could only see his legs.
As a lower-class Omega who couldn’t do anything, I could only pray earnestly in my heart.
Endure it. Endure… Please. Willy, that’s all just a scheme to disturb your reputation. If only I could tell young Willy such things, I thought, then suddenly remembered that William was keeping his head down because he didn’t want to make eye contact with the crown prince.
Ah, then this would work.
I carefully wrote “trap, please endure” in the dirt without being caught by the crown prince. William was a quick-witted and smart child, so just telling him this much would be enough for him to understand. If he still didn’t understand and fell for the trap after this, then he was rotten from the start, so I’d look for another lifeline.
While thinking this, I saw William’s toes lift slightly and then come down.
Ah! He saw it. Our smart Willy. Indeed, you’re someone who will become a sage king. Of course, naturally!
My heart pounded with anticipation. I gulped and watched their power struggle. Since William, who I thought would go berserk, closed his mouth and said nothing, Kalroy also closed his mouth. The attendants were so conscious of even breathing that the front of the prince’s palace was enveloped in cold tension.
And how much time passed? Kalroy slowly opened his mouth.
“Right, right. Live like that with your head down and holding your breath. Don’t cause any commotion. With the crown prince here, where does a lowly concubine’s child like you think you can bring in bedroom Omegas and disturb the palace with dirty smells? A child who’s only ten years old already has a bedroom Omega… You should say things that make sense. Even I don’t need a bedroom Omega yet! Haha.”
Inferiority complex could be glimpsed in the crown prince’s words. Though he was crown prince, it was understandable since he hadn’t become an adult yet, but the hostility and contempt toward his opponent contained in his words was excessive to excuse as mere youth.
William’s legs trembled again.
Watching that, strangely a corner of my heart began to tingle. I needed to fix this habit of unconditionally giving affection to pitiful children, but who knew this occupational disease would manifest here too.
I was worried about what would happen if he couldn’t endure and went berserk, but our stalwart William endured once more. Only then did I feel relieved.
“Hmm…”
Kalroy walked in a circle with me and William in the center. He seemed to be checking if there was something else to pick a fight about. I kept shouting “just a little more, just endure a little more!” in my heart.
If that young child is exposed to excessive stress, it’ll be difficult…
However, William seemed to endure all that humiliation while trembling all over and dripping cold sweat on the ground.
When William showed no reaction, Kalroy also seemed to lose interest and stopped walking. Then an attendant approached and said.
“Your Highness, Lord Kelton says he has something to tell you in secret. How about going to the crown prince’s palace immediately?”
“Oh dear. I was just trying to take a look at the lower-class Omega’s face…”
“Your Highness, it’s an urgent message.”
“Right. Let’s go.”
The sound of “Neigh!” was heard as if someone grabbed the horse’s reins. And shortly after…
“William, Lord Kelton saved your Omega’s life. There’s no scent at all, so what kind of Alpha are you supposed to be… Haha. Let’s go. Giddy up!”
The crown prince rode away from the prince’s palace on horseback.
I froze in place.
Even while frozen, Kalroy’s words about there being no scent bothered me. If the crown prince was a dominant Alpha, it would be normal for him to smell something. But there was no scent at all? There must be hidden content here.
However, this content was something I’d never seen in the original work and the book hadn’t told me about either.
The reason for the bad relationship between crown prince Kalroy and prince William was sufficiently explained by the points about legitimate and illegitimate bloodlines, William’s mother passing away due to the empress’s schemes, and William’s talents being outstanding enough to steal the emperor’s position.
But what did words like “what kind of Alpha are you supposed to be” and “there’s no scent at all” mean?
If I combine the reason for their bad relationship with Kalroy’s words…!
It seems Kalroy hasn’t fully manifested the characteristics of a dominant Alpha yet. Even though he came quite close earlier, he didn’t emit the thick, heavy scent that came from William.
In this world, the supreme dominant Alpha traits that only those with royal blood could possess had manifestly appeared first in the prince rather than the crown prince, so naturally the crown prince would see him as a thorn in his side.
But even so, isn’t it too much to try to humiliate and trample a young prince like that? What sin has that young and pretty prince committed…
Ah… But why do I keep taking William’s side since earlier? Get it together, Seo Ajun. William is someone who might kill you later. You absolutely shouldn’t take him lightly…
“Damn it!”
William spat out a curse and threw his sword. My shoulders, stiff with tension, flinched.
Thump, thump. William’s footsteps toward the attendants were loud. When I glanced up slightly, all the attendants were kneeling and trembling.
A suffocating tension circulated.
Could he be trying to kill them? No. He left his sword behind, so that can’t be it… Willy, let’s not do that. You’ve endured well so far, haven’t you?
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
