Episode 11
Her body instinctively leaned into his big arms, not knowing what to do.
As she stumbled, she touched his uneven abs. There was barely any space, and his loose shirt tickled her back.
Is gun-shooting practice supposed to feel this intense? What are we doing at the shooting range, seriously?
Dozens of people were gathered around Clyde, but she didn’t have a chance to look back. They were all either excited or shocked by the alpha pheromones Clyde was emitting.
She was too busy trying to absorb the comforting whispers and small encouragements.
“Okay, try it alone.”
A deep, soothing voice.
“Aim and shoot.”
Ugh, whatever.
She focused as much as she could, aimed at the target, and pulled the trigger.
Bang!
She flinched as the explosion went off right in front of her.
The recoil knocked her back, and Clyde caught her.
The weight of the gun and the strong recoil were just as she had heard.
“Are you okay?”
He held her with his strong, comforting arms to keep her from stumbling. It wasn’t an uncomfortable touch this time. She leaned back completely.
Even after the shooting was over, Edith held onto the gun handle tightly, her knuckles turning white from the force.
Her ears were still ringing from the gunshot, and she was still tense.
“Yes, I’m okay. Did I… do well?”
She might not have felt so disoriented if she had focused on shooting alone. Of course, she might have been thrown back or hurt her arm after the shot, but still.
“You did great.”
He assured her without even checking where the bullet hit. He put the gun away and hugged her to comfort her.
“Can I stand now?”
Of course, she would ask that. His arm around her waist was awkward.
“Of course.”
It was the perfect opportunity to end the sticky, intimate contact. She carefully pushed Clyde away and took a step back.
But strangely, her body didn’t listen.
Her knees buckled, and she was falling without even realizing it.
As she stepped back, Clyde hurriedly ran up to her. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her towards him.
Edith’s startled forehead hit the man’s straight collarbone.
“You’re not okay.”
She unconsciously held onto something tightly. Trying to grip onto Clyde’s broad shoulders, she slipped because she couldn’t hold onto everything in her hand. Her small hand, barely clinging to the hem of her sleeve, contrasted with the rugged man’s arm.
Avoiding the awkward sight of them both lying on the ground, she didn’t want to be hugged by him either.
“It’s a bit… the gunshot was loud… I feel better now…”
Clyde didn’t allow her to step back. His words about feeling better slipped into her ears.
“Because of the gunshot?”
“….?”
“Did you happen to smell anything unusual? Or feel different in your body?”
“What are you talking about?”
When he probed further, he lowered his voice. Leaning in close, as if licking her ear, he whispered softly.
“Or maybe you wanted to be held by me.”
She ended up hitting him hard with the fist that had been holding onto her clothes.
“Your Highness!”
What did you do to me? Her clenched hand hit his chest hard.
He was unscathed, but it was Edith who ended up with a sore wrist. She looked around at the various faces, her eyes wide. She finally realized that she had just punched the prince.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I’ve committed a grave sin.”
Clyde stopped the guards trying to intervene with a gesture and lightly supported Edith’s arm.
“Don’t worry about it. I allowed you to be familiar with me.”
You allowed it? When?
She gave him a puzzled look, and Clyde grinned mischievously.
Oh, I see. Alright, with gratitude, Edith also shamelessly decided to leave. She pretended to be comfortable with him, but inwardly she felt awkward.
But what Clyde had tried to confirm bothered her. What did he mean by smelling and feeling different?
“Your Highness, I didn’t smell anything at all. Is it an important issue?”
If there was a smell here that was worth noting, it would be his cologne or the scent of sweat right after he had perspired, but she didn’t notice either.
“If you didn’t smell anything, then it must not be anything.”
A disappointed expression passed over Clyde’s face.
So, I was supposed to recognize a smell. Another test? She discreetly showed her awareness.
“I’m… sorry.”
Edith apologized as a matter of course, not knowing what she was apologizing for.
“You don’t need to apologize. But why did you almost collapse?”
Oops, this was a bit of an awkward question. I couldn’t bring myself to admit that I felt all warm and fuzzy when he held me. But since I just failed the test about recognizing smells, I couldn’t lie, so I dodged the question.
“I felt a bit dizzy because of the wind being too close to you.”
“Getting dizzy just from being close to me?”
“Well, um…”
Yeah, it was a bit embarrassing. I was totally absorbed in our secret contact, but I’m not sure if I was so overwhelmed by the atmosphere that my legs gave out.
I made up a ridiculous excuse out of the blue.
“I think I just stumbled.”
Clyde’s deep-set eyes furrowed even more. As his gaze narrowed, probing like needles, she felt uneasy, even though she hadn’t done anything wrong.
“You didn’t smell anything, but did you react to something?”
“Is it poison or something? Some kind of test to discern a foul smell or something like that?”
I’ve heard that poison smells are rarely used. They can make you feel dizzy, sleepy, or physically excited… As I thought about it, I suddenly felt a surge of emotion.
That’s it! He’s asking if I wanted to be held!
“Your Highness, did you use bachelor’s scent on me?”
Clyde burst into sudden laughter.
“Bachelor’s scent? Edith, that’s really clever!”
He laughed so hard that he even revealed his teeth, which he had been clenching while pondering seriously. His joyful expression alone was enough of an answer.
“R-right? There’s no way it could be bachelor’s scent after all.”
I never did find out what the smell was, but I had to be satisfied that I provided the prince with some amusement.
* * *
<Chapter 2. Being used by both Alpha and Omega>
As the ‘ever-present’ court lady, Edith had to attend to all of Clyde’s schedules. They only got a break when they ate lunch separately, but afterwards, they were together again.
She was provided with clothes suitable for the royal dignity. The storage of the palace’s wardrobe was quickly filled with Edith’s clothes, and she was told that more dresses suitable for the occasion and place would be added in the future.
She received orders to follow Clyde into the audience chamber in the afternoon, and she took her place behind him. There were separate secretaries to take notes of the conversation and court ladies to assist the prince in his official duties, so all she had to do was listen carefully to the conversation.
This time, the person Clyde was meeting was a high-ranking noble who strongly advocated for reducing the emperor’s standing army. The atmosphere of the meeting was quite tense.
Back in my room, I changed into more comfortable clothes. Now I even have a court lady assigned to me. Changing from a fancy dress to a comfortable one made a world of difference.
I plopped down on the chair, letting my butt hang loosely.
It’s 4 o’clock in the afternoon. Time to start the real work.
On Edith’s desk, there were stacks of documents squeezed between the shelves covering the entire wall. This was how my room had been transformed during the three days of her absence.
“Ugh… When am I going to read and organize all of this?”
I couldn’t help but groan.
“With so many people in the palace, someone must have been piling up these documents. There must be some organized ones in there.”
Should I ask the court lady who handles these things? Without even touching the documents, I grumbled and rolled my eyes.
“Edith, do it yourself.”
“Ugh!”
I slipped off the chair and landed on my butt. Why is my precious butt going through so much these days?
“Your Highness, you’ve arriv…”
He cut off his greeting and nudged me.
“Yeah, I’m here. And I can tell you’re trying to sweet-talk me.”
I didn’t even realize he was here, but suddenly, Clyde was kneeling in front of her.
His uniquely angled jawline exuded a certain atmosphere. Not good. Not good at all. Every time he made that kind of sinister expression, it always led to a bizarre outcome.
The newly confident Edith’s mischievous smile looked even more mischievous, almost like a mischievous child.
“That’s not true. I’ll read and organize them all myself.”
“You must do that.”
“But why go through the trouble of duplicating the work?”
The existing reports have been influenced by the interests of each faction, so they’re not objective at all. That’s why I need your unbiased perspective.”
Throwing in an unexpected serious comment, he reached out his hand.
“Do you like sitting on the cold floor for so long?”
He’s a guy with a twisted sense of judgment. His hand is right in front of her, but I can’t tell if Clyde is a gentleman. He seems more inclined to mischief than anything else.
She protruded her lips unevenly and firmly grabbed his large hand without hesitation.
“You slipped because you surprised His Highness, didn’t you?”
“Is that so? Be careful.”
He gently returned Edith to her original position and backed away.
Their desks were placed at a 90-degree angle. Edith’s side profile faced Clyde.
The official schedule for today was over, so he leisurely enjoyed his free time at his desk. He even sipped his tea and looked out the window.
The environment was better in the large office on the first floor, but since there were many people gathered in the hallway right in front, this seemed like a more comfortable place to be.
Edith picked out a few binders from the bookcase. They seemed to be prioritized based on the labels attached. The quantity was vast, but she was convinced by his explanation that they were essential processes, so she silently flipped through the pages.
There was no one in the adjacent room.
He may be the abandoned crown prince, but no one dared to say anything, even though it was likely that the courtiers would come to call.
Had they been told not to disturb him during his time here?
