Deep down thinking that William must be suspicious of me, I couldn’t say anything in response to his words. William’s silver-gray eyes looking down at me were trembling slightly. It was hard to keep looking at those eyes, so I turned my gaze away.
“You were speaking well, so why did you stop?”
A heavy atmosphere pressed down on my shoulders. I didn’t open my mouth.
“I said I don’t suspect you, but is my attitude being twisted bothering you?”
He was so unfamiliar that it was hard to tell whether the person in front of me was little William or someone else entirely. Another long silence flowed between us. When I really thought about it, I hadn’t done anything particularly wrong, but I was feeling guilt as if I had committed a mortal sin.
I felt exactly like I had committed the serious crime of abandoning a young child who couldn’t do anything without me.
When William thought he had been betrayed, I knew what to say, but now I couldn’t even get a sense of what words to say or how to say them.
I held my breath to avoid being overwhelmed by William’s scent that kept entering my nose and making my head dizzy. At the same time, I tried my best to think as rationally as possible. And I said what the unloved and thoroughly twisted William would most want to hear.
“Everything was for Your Highness.”
William said calmly.
“I know.”
Then he let out a deep sigh.
“At first I thought you’d been kidnapped. I was worried about what kind of trouble they might cause and how scared you’d be, so I wanted to get there as quickly as possible… I went with soldiers. But you came back looking perfectly fine.”
As he said this with an anxious expression, there was no trace of the coldness I had felt just moments before. Seeing him like that, he finally felt like a young child again, so I was finally relieved. I kept my mouth shut and listened to William’s words.
“So that meant you weren’t kidnapped but went on your own feet, which naturally means I should be angry… but I could only think that I was glad you weren’t hurt.”
William smiled bitterly. He had been worried, then angry, then relieved, then angry again…. That was what it meant in summary. And since he himself didn’t know why he was feeling such emotions, he must have been confused…
I was someone who, having grown up without being loved but being naturally stubborn and having a strong sense of self, could fully understand what kind of emotions such a child would feel.
Poor William was feeling intimate attachment toward me while being afraid because the emotion was unfamiliar. The fact that I, who was an adult and a teacher, had been even more at a loss about what to do with such a child made me feel ashamed.
I wrapped my arms around William’s waist. Since his waist was thicker than my arms, it ended up looking more like I was being held rather than me holding him. I could feel William’s body stiffen at my sudden action.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you worry.”
I organized what I wanted to say while thinking about how to make William feel the least hurt.
“I went to the dining hall to get snacks, and there I met an attendant who told me. That the Crown Prince was in a critical condition because he couldn’t eat or sleep due to the death of Empress Ihelina, his mother.”
William’s body in my arms flinched. It seemed his mood became uncomfortable with me speaking from Kalroy’s side. Since he had been through things himself, it would be natural for him to show such a reaction.
“However, the reason I went to find His Highness the Crown Prince was not because I felt sorry for him.”
“Then? For what reason did you rush there on your own feet so urgently without even my permission?”
“Your Highness, any pressure that is too strong only incites rebellion. Although his wings have fallen, he is still in the position of Crown Prince and is Your Highness’s older brother. If such a person is bedridden and Your Highness doesn’t even ask after his well-being, I was worried that Your Highness might be seen as too heartless a prince.”
Although it was a well-intentioned lie, even I thought it didn’t make sense.
Would clever William be fooled by my words? I was anxious, but this was the best method for now.
William, who had moved away from me, narrowed his eyes and looked at me. I pretended not to notice his gaze full of suspicion and continued speaking.
“So I committed an act you didn’t order me to do. I asked after his well-being formally.”
William ran his fingers through his silver hair with a complicated expression. It was something William often did when annoying matters or displeasing situations arose. I swallowed and watched William’s actions closely.
“Nothing will change just because you do that.”
It was a meaningful statement.
It seemed William had figured out from just a few of my words both the fact that I hadn’t actually gone of my own accord and that I was feeling sympathy for Kalroy.
I could have remained calm and shamelessly insisted to the end that it wasn’t so, but if I told more lies here, I could trigger William’s rampage that I had worked so hard to suppress. So further lies were impossible.
It pained my conscience, but I had no choice but to use William’s kind heart…
“Your Highness, will truly nothing change?”
William nodded firmly.
“Nothing!”
Looking at William’s thoroughly sulking expression, I decided for now to be satisfied with preventing William’s rampage and take time to persuade him slowly.
Conscious of William’s gaze that wouldn’t leave me, I held my stomach with both arms and bent over at the waist.
“Wh-why are you suddenly doing that? Did something bad happen to you there?”
“No.”
“Then!”
Urgency seeped into his voice. Even though he had been acting stern with me, he couldn’t be heartless to the end, and his appearance almost made me want to laugh. I barely held back my laughter and spoke.
“I’m hungry. It’s well past dinner time.”
William’s shoulders, which had been raised high, came down.
“I thought… you scared me!”
“Haha, didn’t I tell you I wasn’t hurt?”
“How wicked must Kalroy be… My heart dropped.”
I looked at William and smiled faintly. How many devastating situations must this kind William have experienced for him to commit so many unspeakable evil acts in the original work? Looking at him now, it was unimaginable.
William rang the bell hanging from the ceiling to call the attendants. Before William’s hand had even left the bell, attendants appeared in droves. I was amazed at how the treatment had completely changed just because Prince William, who until recently had been alone and lonely with no one to protect him, now had the backing of the Emperor and Aren.
Behern, who stood at the front of the attendants, spoke.
“Your Highness, did you call for us? Dinner is prepared, but Your Highness said not to let anyone in, so we were waiting.”
“I’ll eat dinner here tonight. I’m going to eat together with Dani… no, Daniel.”
At William’s words, the attendants exchanged glances with each other and belatedly asked.
“Do you mean to prepare one more table?”
“No, just set it on one table. He’s a Regular Omega, right? We’ve already slept together, so it should be fine to use one table, shouldn’t it?”
At William’s words about sleeping together, the attendants gaped in shock. Regardless of the commotion around them, William stepped closer to Behern and pressed for an answer.
“Behern, tell me. Is it against protocol for me to eat at the same table as my Omega!”
Behern, who had turned pale, stammered.
“I-it’s not against protocol, but… y-you slept together?”
William nodded without the slightest hesitation. I sighed without anyone knowing.
My dear William, the sleeping together that protocol speaks of is not that kind of sleeping together. It’s not the healthy sleeping we do while just holding hands and listening to bedtime stories…
While I was swallowing words I couldn’t say out loud, William’s voice was heard. It was a somewhat serious voice pretending to be solemn.
“Daniel, I am very pleased that you are faithfully performing your duties as my Regular Omega.”
Although it was a voice conscious of those around us, it wasn’t what I wanted to hear. I was so flustered that I didn’t know how to respond and just stood still. The attendants also couldn’t say anything, looking shocked as if the young prince’s words were quite shocking.
It was awkward to say William’s words were correct, and I couldn’t say they weren’t.
If I tried to clear up the attendants’ misunderstanding by saying no such thing had happened, it would make the prince a liar, which would be troublesome. Palace rumors traveled fast.
With a heavy heart, I answered politely.
“I don’t know what to do with myself at Your Highness’s praise.”
Even if I did this, experienced Behern would understand properly. For now, I had no choice but to trust in his wisdom.
However, my expectations were completely shattered the moment I heard Behern’s next words.
“S-so… th-then, certainly, Daniel Lambert is Your Highness’s…”
Behern looked back and forth between me and William as he spoke. His voice was trembling. His arms and legs were trembling just the same. From Behern’s attitude, rather than clearing up the misunderstanding, he was only making it deeper.
Unable to bear it any longer, I had no choice but to interrupt, even knowing it was rude.
“Excuse me, Lord Behern!”
William noticed my intention like a ghost and stopped my words.
“What are you doing? I guess I’m hungry because dinner is late. Please hurry.”
“Yes, understood.”
Without any time to clear up misunderstandings, Behern and the attendants withdrew like a receding tide.
Just because he wanted to use the same dining table as me, he caused such a thing…! What should I do about this situation?
My head was already aching just from Kalroy’s matter, and before it could even be resolved, this incident made everything go dark before my eyes. As I held my head because of the headache, William approached and pulled my arm.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
