“Your Highness, it’s alright. There’s no one here who would harm Your Highness. Everything is just thoughts – in reality, His Highness Prince William is still only a ten-year-old child.”
“Hmph! Good grief.”
The knight snorted watching the sight of a young child holding and comforting a man bigger than himself. However, he didn’t dare think of separating me from the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince, who was bigger than me, was gripping me so tightly that his knuckles had turned white.
I whispered in the Crown Prince’s ear in a voice no one else could hear.
“I know how intelligent and wise Your Highness is. Although Lord Kelton may not come, you can still get through this crisis. You should have distanced yourself from Lord Kelton, who only brings you disappointment and frustration, long ago. I’ll help you. So please shake off your anxiety and show the magnificent Crown Prince that you are.”
Something about my words must have been frightening, as Kalroy began trembling violently. The knight, who had been watching without taking his eyes off me in case I might do harm, gripped his sword and ran toward me.
I couldn’t even think to dodge and just squeezed my eyes shut where I stood. However, even after a long while, I felt no pain. When I half-opened my eyes, Kalroy was blocking my way.
“It’s nothing. I’ve come to my senses, so put that sword away.”
I secretly sighed with relief, grateful that my neck was still attached. Kalroy spoke while holding me tightly.
“All of you, get out. This dirty, lowly Omega broke his promise with me, so he needs education.”
Kalroy’s words made the surroundings fall silent as if cold water had been poured over them. Wondering why that was, I peeked my head out from beside Kalroy’s waist, and the servant’s face had turned pale.
“For Your Highness to personally discipline him…”
“Who said that? That would be absurd.”
“Then why are you sending us out…”
At the servant’s penetrating question, Kalroy’s face reddened.
“No, I have a bit of a headache so I misspoke. It’s fine for you to stay. And what did you say this Omega’s name was?”
It wasn’t an important question, but again the servant gaped with an expression as if he’d seen a ghost and couldn’t answer.
“I am Daniel Lam…”
“Shut your mouth! How dare you speak up!”
The knight interrupted. Then the Crown Prince blocked the knight with his body and looked down at me as he spoke.
“Right. A lowly Omega like you can’t answer my question, but this time I’ll specially allow it, so answer.”
“Y-Your Highness…”
“This is why I told all of you to leave. I want to have a comfortable conversation with this dirty Omega… no, that’s not it. I have instructions to give, so you all withdraw.”
Another silence fell.
The knight and servant exchanged glances and stood there without moving an inch.
“What? Can’t you hear me? Get lost!”
When Kalroy raised his voice, only then did everyone around begin to withdraw. If it had been the same situation as last time, I would have worried about what sinister scheme that wicked Crown Prince was plotting again, but now that I knew the whole situation, I didn’t have such thoughts.
I was just bewildered. Why? Why was he sending everyone away?
Though I was curious, I couldn’t ask and stood there dumbfounded when the Crown Prince approached me and sat on the floor with a solemn attitude.
…The floor?
“Y-Your Highness, the floor is dirty.”
“Shut up! How dare something as lowly as you say this Crown Prince’s palace is dirty?”
“That’s not what I meant… Eek!”
Before I could finish speaking, Kalroy snatched my waist. It became the same situation as before, with me holding Kalroy.
Kalroy… baby, don’t tell me you liked it when I held you? Is that why?
Not knowing what to do with my arms, I just draped them roughly over Kalroy’s body while breaking out in cold sweat.
“Do it like before.”
“Pardon?”
“Ahem! I said do it like before!”
Kalroy took my hand and placed it on his shoulder.
“You patted like this. Of course, it’s annoying and disgusting for a dirty, lowly Omega’s hands to touch my sacred body, but today I’ll specially allow you to do it.”
“……”
I blinked for a while in a state of speechlessness. I couldn’t understand what that crazy Crown Prince was saying.
Your precious body – I don’t need to touch it. It would be enough for me if I could sleep tonight touching William’s soft, squishy cheeks.
“What are you doing instead of doing it?”
“……”
As I kept my mouth firmly shut, Kalroy began making his own assumptions about the reason for my behavior.
“True, it wouldn’t be easy for a lowly lower-class Omega like you to touch the precious Crown Prince’s body. I understand your difficult and trembling heart. However!”
What nonsense are you spouting? I definitely didn’t say anything! I was bewildered about why I had to be dragged here and listen to such ridiculous words.
In the world I originally lived in, if friends said such things, I could at least give them proper education, saying that the medicine for prince syndrome is a beating. Here, since Kalroy was an actual prince, it was difficult to even call it prince syndrome.
“My magnanimous self will show mercy, so hurry up and massage.”
“I don’t really need such mercy…”
“Ahem! I said do it like before!”
I held Kalroy in a dazed state and stroked his back. The Crown Prince gulped, swallowing dry saliva and exhaling rough breaths.
The Kalroy who had just been in my arms complaining of anxiety and on the verge of collapse, and the Kalroy who was spouting strange words and forcing skinship by lying down to receive prostrations, didn’t feel like the same person.
Was he really dual personality?
How is it that around me there are only kids like this? Could it be that the reason I came here was to save these pitiful and twisted children?
Having such thoughts, I looked at Kalroy. Kalroy was 15 years old, receiving treatment similar to adults in this country, but by the standards of the world I lived in, he was just a middle school student.
For such a child to sit in the Crown Prince position with its heavy burdens, while his mother tells him his brother will kill him, and he’s surrounded only by people trying to use him – it wouldn’t be strange at all for him to go crazy like this.
“Daniel, the scent has gotten stronger.”
“Pardon?”
“Sniff, no. No. I misspoke. Hahaha.”
“Didn’t you just say the scent got stronger?”
“When did I? The scent from a lower-class Omega like you is just disgusting! What difference would it make if it got stronger?”
Here I was stroking him with good intentions because I felt sorry for Kalroy, and this is what he says. Feeling absurd and angry, I put strength into the hand that was stroking. Even though it was a small hand, it made slapping sounds each time I stroked – it must have hurt. After hitting with my palm once or twice, I suddenly felt self-loathing.
This isn’t the time for me to be fighting with a kid…
When I relaxed my hand and gently stroked him again, Kalroy buried his head deep in my chest and began nodding off.
Just moments ago he was calling me dirty and disgusting, yet now he was falling asleep in my arms… It was absurd.
“Good grief!”
Complaining quietly, I remembered a fact I had momentarily forgotten. I was kidnapped and couldn’t tell William I was coming here… How long have I been here? It seems like quite some time has passed. By now, Aren must have left William’s room, and William would be looking for me, saying I’m missing.
What should I do? Feeling troubled, I began gently pushing away the Crown Prince who was sleeping soundly.
“Ahem, you said your name was Daniel?”
A servant who I didn’t know when he had entered approached and spoke to me.
“Yes.”
“His Highness didn’t sleep a wink yesterday. Couldn’t you stay like that a little longer?”
The servant’s attitude toward me had strangely changed. Just moments ago, this person who had looked down on me, spoken down to me, and mistreated me was suddenly acting like this – I wondered why.
Is this the treatment given to a male concubine Omega who has captured the Emperor’s heart?
Sorry, Mr. Servant. I don’t need the affection of a Crown Prince who’s destined to be cast aside later, you know? That doesn’t mean I need the affection of William who shouts asking where I went every time I go somewhere…
Anyway, both Kalroy and William were far from my ideal type, and I was a teacher from South Korea who had memorized all children’s rights and adolescent rights and should take the lead in protecting them.
For me to think about Omega concubines and such regarding minors? It was horrifying even to have such thoughts pass through my mind briefly.
My efforts to gain William’s favor were because I hoped that William, who would become a wise ruler through my education, would spare my life – not because I had other ulterior motives.
I lowered my voice and spoke to the servant.
“I’m sorry, but staying away from the Prince’s palace too long might arouse suspicion, so I should go now.”
The servant nodded with a displeased face and pulled out the Crown Prince’s body. While being carried on the servant’s back to the bed, Kalroy turned his head toward me. Even though our eyes clearly met while his were slightly open, Kalroy turned his head and immediately pretended to be asleep as if nothing had happened.
“Well, I’ll be going now. Please speak well of me to His Highness the Crown Prince.”
The servant glanced at the Crown Prince lying on the bed and gave me a hint.
“He really dislikes lower-class Omegas…”
From the way he spoke, it seemed the servant also knew the Crown Prince wasn’t really sleeping.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
