BOSOM Chapter 02

Chapter 02

He kept his gaze fixed on me, maintaining silence.

It couldn’t be, but a possibility crossed my mind.

Lancelot is a Beta, but he has a scent similar to an Omega’s pheromones.

Maybe, I, too, share the same trait as Lancelot.

The silence wasn’t helping. My body tensed up, and my heart started racing.

The trembling from my nervousness was probably being transferred to Cassius.

His eyes darkened slightly.

“Your name?”

His voice softened a bit. I carefully answered, as the atmosphere had eased slightly.

“Sonia… Theodore. From the Seongha family.”

“You’re the young lady of the Theodore Count family?”

Even if he didn’t know the name of a low-ranking priest, he would certainly know the Theodore Count family, with their high status.

“Yes.”

He brought his nose near my neck and took a deep breath.

Why does he keep smelling me?

I took a bath this morning, so there shouldn’t be any smell.

He let out a low sigh and spoke.

“It’s not perfume, is it?”

The perfume was something Beta’s used to mimic pheromones.

Since Betas couldn’t imitate Omegas and Alphas, they rarely used perfume unless there were special circumstances.

“Do I… smell?” I asked, feeling embarrassed.

“Yes.”

No, that can’t be!

“I took a bath first thing this morning,” I mumbled in defense.

He chuckled softly.

“You smell sweet. It’s almost pleasant.”

His words snapped me to attention.

I remembered what my roommate Ellie had said.

I clasped my hands together and nervously confessed.

“Actually, I hid a candy.”

“A candy?”

“I helped a visitor who got lost at the temple, and they gave me a candy as thanks.”

I pulled out the candy I had hidden deep in my pocket.

When I unwrapped the light blue paper, a golden candy appeared, giving off a faint sweet scent.

Cassius’s gaze shifted to my palm.

“I didn’t want to share it with my roommate…”

The candy was a rare treat, difficult to buy with the tiny salary a low-ranking priest gets.

It was a precious candy I had planned to eat when I was feeling down.

Cassius took the candy and placed it lightly on my lips.

“It’s fine. Even God would allow a little candy.”

Without thinking, I accepted the candy from him and placed it in my mouth.

But I didn’t have time to savor the sweet lemon flavor because his fingertip brushed my lips and lightly touched my tongue.

The moment his fingertip made contact, a strong scent of water filled the air.

It felt as if I were standing beside a waterfall, with water splashing down all around me.

It was a refreshing, cool sensation, like being drenched by a sudden downpour.

I felt like I was drowning.

I wasn’t mistaken—Cassius had divine powers related to water.

I could be submerged in water with just a flick of his finger.

‘I need to escape.’

I couldn’t speak with the candy in my mouth, so I bowed my head as a silent farewell and hurriedly left the prayer room, heading toward my room with quick steps.

Though I had escaped, my heart was still pounding wildly.

‘He said I smell like an Omega.’

I had used the candy as an excuse, but it seemed ineffective.

Did I, too, have an Omega scent like Lancelot?

Lancelot’s faint Omega scent…

That mystery was never solved in The Territory of the Predators.

I wondered if I, too, had an Omega scent since I shared a family blood with Lancelot.

I sniffed my sleeve, pressing my nose against it.

There was no scent, just the dry smell of the fabric.

‘Even if it smells, I wouldn’t be able to sense it.’

Only Alphas and Omegas could detect the pheromones of others.

So, Cassius was likely an Alpha.

The epidemic killed many omegas, but their alpha mates were also affected.

As a result, surviving alphas were extremely rare.

Maybe there were more out there, but in the original story, only three alphas were ever revealed—each of them obsessed with my brother.

I had chosen the Holy Kingdom to escape from them.

But now, a new alpha had appeared!

Even though I was sucking on sweet candy, my mouth tasted bitter.

I had come to Magnus, the Holy Kingdom, to protect my brother and parents from those obsessive alphas.

Magnus was a country ruled by priests and holy knights.

It had withstood the rise and fall of empires and accumulated great wealth and power.

A priest held an official position in the Holy Kingdom.

If I became a proper priest, the Kingdom would protect me and even the Theodore Count family if I requested it.

No matter how high-ranking a noble was, they couldn’t touch a priest of the Holy Kingdom.

Additionally, the Holy Kingdom rejected magic and alchemy.

Therefore, someone like the owner of the Mage Tower, one of the obsessed Alphas, couldn’t enter the Holy Kingdom without permission.

So, if I became a priest, I would be able to block the obsessive Alphas from The Territory of the Predators.

But…

‘I think I’m screwed.’

I had thought becoming a proper priest would solve everything.

But now, it seems that both my brother and I smell like Omega pheromones!

The three Alphas who were already obsessed with my brother were already a headache, and now another might appear.

What should I do?

I locked myself in my room, but there seemed to be no solution other than becoming a priest.

‘I’ll change my plan.’

Instead of aiming for a high-ranking priest, I’d settle for staying at an intermediate level.

That way, I could still use my status for protection while avoiding attention.

If I became a mid-level priest and managed a small temple in the countryside, I wouldn’t have to see Cassius again.

‘Ugh, my head hurts.’

Adjusting my life plans made my head throb.

I needed some healing.

I grabbed my keys and headed to the bell tower.

It was a tall tower near the building where the trainee priests lived.

A huge bell was hanging there, which was why it was called the bell tower. It wasn’t used except on special days, so the door was always locked.

Both Ellie and I had the keys, since we were in charge of cleaning the tower.

So, we were the only ones who could enter.

The view from the bell tower was amazing, and it was the perfect place to clear my mind.

When I put the key in the locked door, there was a loud, sharp sound.

“Kyaaa!”

It was loud and startling. I turned towards the noise.

“Caw, caw, caw—!”

A flock of crows was attacking a large white bundle.

‘What is that?’

As I looked closer, I realized the white bundle was a long-haired cat, and it was being attacked by five or more crows.

“Meow!”

The cat let out a painful cry.

‘If this continues, the cat might die!’

The crows’ sharp beaks and claws made it impossible to help with just my hands.

I looked around and spotted a broken branch with some leaves on it.

I grabbed it like a sword and started swinging it madly.

“Get away!”

“Caw! Caw! Caw!”

Some crows flapped their wings and cawed angrily as if protesting.

Up close, they were much bigger than I expected.

Their wings were as long as my arm.

If one of them hit me, I might break a bone.

But when I saw the limp cat, I gathered my courage.

“Get away!”

The branch made a loud whooshing sound as I swung it.

Startled, the crows circled for a moment before flying off into the sky.

‘Did they leave?’

I had a bad feeling they might come back.

I quickly scooped up the cat and rushed inside the bell tower.

It was dim inside, but I could see enough to check on the cat.

Its long white fur was matted with blood.

‘Is it badly hurt?’

I had the rarest type of divine power—healing.

But since my divine energy was weak, I couldn’t heal deep wounds.

I carefully parted the cat’s fur to examine its injuries.

There were only scratches from claws and wounds from beaks—nothing life-threatening.

This was something I could handle.

“Meow…”

The cat let out a weak cry.

“Just hold on a little. I’ll heal you.”

I focused my energy.

A soft green glow surrounded the cat, closing its wounds.

The once-limp cat stretched out its front paws.

“Are you okay?”

The cat, now meeting my gaze, widened its eyes and puffed its fur.

“Meow!”

The now-recovered cat scratched me with all its strength.

“Ouch!”

A sharp pain shot through me as I grabbed my arm and let go of the cat.

“Grrr…”

Landing lightly on the floor, the cat fluffed up its fur and glared at me before darting out through the open door.

“What the heck!”

I helped it, and it scratched me before running away?

I wanted to pet its silky-looking fur at least once, but I missed my chance.

‘Oh well.’

At least it had enough energy to scratch me.

Since the cat was alive, that was what mattered.

---

In his office, Cassius was focused on his paperwork.

“Meow.”

His cat, which had gone outside earlier, returned, raising its tail high and rubbing its forehead against his leg.

Cassius, still absorbed in his documents, didn’t look down.

“Meoooow!”

Annoyed by being ignored, the cat bumped its head against his leg, demanding attention.

“Mikael.”

Letting out a quiet sigh, Cassius removed his glasses and placed them on the desk before finally looking down.

Mikael’s fur was dirty, unlike when he had left that morning. Upon closer inspection, there were dried blood stains.

“…Were you injured?”

Cassius gently lifted Mikael and placed him on the desk.

“Meow.”