Chapter 13
Clyde hesitated with regret. It was surprising that he couldn’t feel this clear scent just a while ago at the shooting range. The distance to the bed was too short. After a few steps, it was time to lay her down.
The platinum eyelashes, quietly lying down, showed no signs of fluttering. If she were awake, her acting would be top-notch. Her body, completely embraced in his embrace, only showed the appearance of deep sleep.
“After tormenting her all day, I should let her rest comfortably.”
While secretly smelling Edith’s scent, Clyde somehow felt intoxicated.
“I should let her go….”
Tormenting the other person here is something only a child would do. He had already done quite a bit of similar things, and the signs of displeasure were evident. Although he had many plans to treat her well in the future, it would be troublesome if he deviated from them again.
Clyde stood awkwardly at the edge of the bed, unable to decide what to do.
* * *
So-called “morning scenes” exist. When two protagonists engage in an explicit act that goes beyond the 19+ level at night, the scene filled with explicit details is entirely omitted.
Unfortunately, editing the time spent building the Great Wall is unavoidable due to regulatory restrictions. The hot night is left to the imagination alone, passing over it in the novel.
However, the morning experienced by the just-awakened Edith was a bit different. Beyond the blurry gaze, she heard the chirping of birds beyond the curtain. It was the morning chirping sound.
The soft cushioning of the mattress that embraced her whole body and the gentle touch of the quilt woven with gold and silver threads revealed that this place was not Edith’s bedroom.
She had a somewhat undesirable habit of sleeping face down. Due to the feather-filled pillow, she only peeked around with one eye.
It didn’t feel good.
Nothing should have happened last night, so why does it feel like something did?
There is a difference between a typical morning scene and the morning experienced by her. While other couples skip the night of various activities, Edith felt as if something had been entirely omitted despite sleeping soundly.
She was fully dressed. Even without bothering to check by lifting the blanket, she could feel it through the texture if she just wriggled a little.
“Looks like Clyde laid me down here.”
In her thoughts, she referred to the Crown Prince as that guy or fellow.
Shifting slightly, she realized that she had been awakened by someone on the opposite side.
“Oh!”
Caught off guard, she gasped. Clyde, the dubious superior, was faintly opening his eyes right in front of her.
“Heh!”
Momentarily distracted, she felt a stab in her stomach. Prince Clyde, who often made her do things excessively strict, was now… like this.
Grumbling to herself, she turned her face to the opposite side. But as she did, the one she had been silently cursing appeared right in front of her.
“Ugh!”
Caught off guard, she winced. The devious superior Clyde was waking up right in front of her.
“I guess he won’t sleep separately after all. What a liar.”
She sighed internally. The scattered black hair floated above his forehead, and a few strands were disheveled on his forehead. Thanks to a neatly cut back, his ears and neck looked unexpectedly clean.
In comparison, the messy style she preferred to his neatly combed hair made her wonder if she was a pervert.
Clyde, lying down and turning to face her, slowly opened his eyes.
“Did you have a good dream?”
Feeling as if she had instantly teleported from the desk to the bed, and having slept without dreaming, she nodded.
His long fingers crossed her face, and using the familiar touch, he gently pressed between her eyebrows.
“Here, your wrinkles are getting a bit deep.”
Although there shouldn’t be any wrinkles on Edith, who was in her prime, Clyde, with his peculiar personality, had decided to fixate on something odd.
But the fact remained that there were furrows on her forehead from frowning.
An unexpectedly fresh morning, a medieval-like bedroom setting, and a good morning greeting from a fantastically charming man.
If we were to express her feelings, the embarrassment overwhelmed her more than the tingling excitement in her throat.
Edith’s face turned a deep shade of red as she grasped the situation.
“I said I’d go home. Where’s the etiquette in keeping someone late like yesterday?”
Despite the appealing sight of the languid man, getting captivated would be troublesome. The fingertips that lingered on his forehead shouldn’t go beyond gently tickling the bridge of his nose.
Pull yourself together, Edith. I’m not the main character Adrian, and I have no intention of becoming the protagonist by changing the original work.
In contrast, the voice of Clyde, who had just awakened, was slightly husky. Sexy enough to die for.
“I’ll apologize for that. But you just have to let go completely, Edith.”
If even Clyde, who is reluctant to let go, insists on letting go, what can one do?
“No, I won’t let go.”
“Stay in the palace. I’ll reduce your workload.”
It was quite a tempting offer. Who wouldn’t welcome a reduction in tasks? Edith’s previously tense cheek softened a bit. Hold on. If she starts living in the palace, what will change? Her mind spun busily, weighing the pros and cons.
“Live in the palace. I’ll make sure you get a good room, and I’ll also give orders to reduce your workload.”
Clyde’s emphasis on providing favorable treatment naturally sparks a bit of anticipation. Those who directly serve the Crown Prince should expect good treatment.
“Umm… Let me think about it.”
It’s a choice between stretching out comfortably at home or living in the palace within a 24-hour standby status. Though he made it sound like a request, if a stern order were to be issued, the subordinates would have no choice but to follow.
Honestly, it’s not a matter of thinking and deciding for herself. It’s just that Edith’s home situation is a mess these days, making it somewhat challenging to leave her father and household behind and move into the palace.
Clyde seems to find teasing her amusing. The breeze created by his fingers going up and down her nose made it uncomfortably ticklish. Even when she turned her face, the fingers persistently followed, poking the tip of her nose.
“Could you please put your hand away?”
His elegantly long fingers were looming in front of her eyes.
“I want to touch a bit more. The soft and elastic texture feels like freshly baked bread.”
In his hands, Edith felt like she had become a doll. If left unchecked, she might end up tossed and turned in bed, embraced like a doll throughout the night.
It’s incredibly uncomfortable and challenging to handle. She firmly grabbed the adult-like touch and pushed it away. After swallowing the words several times, she finally managed to voice what had been bothering her.
“Why are you doing this to me?”
More precisely, she wanted to ask what kind of suppressed feelings or intentions led him to torment her like this. Predicting one aspect of his constant touching behavior, she decided to ask a bold question.
“Do you perhaps like me?”
“Yeah.”
“…?”
“I said ‘yeah’.”
Edith, with her mouth agape, remained stunned for a while, resembling a fish.
Answering a question like that on a whim—unbelievable. If she hadn’t noticed any signs, I’d be a fool, but rather than genuine affection, it felt more like mischievousness as an adult.
Moreover, acting this way at the age of an adult Crown Prince—what’s with this behavior? No, seriously, is he acting like a child? Expressing feelings of liking through a pile of documents that fills the wall is just absurd.
The confusing situation wasn’t just between the two of them. Clyde gave serious work instructions, and when he wanted to convey his intentions, he did so with convincing power. Being told to submit a report late at night was genuinely annoying, but I couldn’t have imagined that Clyde’s actions were meant to invite her to share his bed. If that were his intention, it’s just too childish!
Despite the mess he created, Clyde smiled perfectly intact.
“It hurts a bit if you outright dislike me.”
With an unmistakably flawless face, he stretched his full lips in a sexy manner.
The sensual lips and the moist tongue peeking through, evidence that the original work is rated 19+, gave a provocative feel. Regardless of what anyone says, he is overwhelmingly handsome, and Edith couldn’t help but be captivated.
“Well, I am an alpha. An alpha male, to be precise.”
He gestured with a blink of his eyes.
“Don’t omegas feel more comfortable? They say it’s much more charming.”
“True. It’s hard to ignore the power of pheromones.”
The preference of alphas for omegas is a natural instinct that naturally unfolds. Omegas born with pheromones that instinctively tempt alphas, more enticing than betas without a scent, overwhelmingly captivate alphas.
In addition, Edith playfully brought up a topic related to the original work.
“Moreover, you hardly have any women around you. I guessed that among omegas, you lean toward the male side.”
Clyde paused for a moment.
“Come to think of it, people who fuss around me up close do happen to be mostly men. Although the overall staff has a similar gender ratio.”
“So, males are preferable…?”
It was a suggestive question nudging toward BL. Clyde stared at her, seemingly not having thought about such matters.
“In the current situation, you might say that’s correct.”
Edith silently celebrated. It feels like the story is progressing rapidly. If Clyde admits his preferences, the plan to make Adrian meet him might work well.
But seriously, what’s going on? He said he liked me before, and now he claims to prefer omegas? It’s a rollercoaster of mixed signals.
Stealthily checking her reaction, Clyde smoothly approached her hand that was about to be dismissed, gently slid his hand closer, and the sensation of their palms crossing felt strangely peculiar.
“I’m not playing with people’s hearts, but… there are various emotions when it comes to liking someone.”
“…”
“Don’t worry, Edith. I won’t be asking you to become my princess right away. We’re not at the point of liking each other in that way, right?”
Edith had to manage her expression carefully to avoid revealing too much of her relief in response to Clyde’s words.
Roughly speculating, for him, I might just be a favorable court lady. Perhaps, he wants to keep me close as a confidante or someone he’d always like around.
It was a comforting feeling. Thankfully, Clyde seemed to have no intention of crossing any lines.
“Of course. I’m just an ordinary court lady. Soon, you’ll find a reliable princess to welcome as your wife, and I’ll be here to support you.”
Edith responded without hesitation.
Yet, for some reason, it felt strangely stifling. Rather than him developing special feelings, the situation seemed a bit awkward.
Never mind. Let’s not overthink it.
After all, I’m not someone who likes others enough to change the course of my life.
As he pulled the cord by the bedside, calling for the attendants, Edith rose from her seat, running her fingers through her hair.
However, in her contemplation, she overlooked a more shocking statement. She missed the underlying condition—’yet.’
Since it was a brief expression, Edith didn’t delve deep into whether it was merely talking about a typical relationship between people or if Clyde hid some special intention.
—
The day after staying out overnight without official permission, Edith could safely leave work early. The additional interior work in the bedroom and the guest room was ongoing, and she couldn’t predict what would be added. It was chaotic, so she decided to return home early.
Her father, Pedlton, the 3rd Marquess and the head of the Ketzmorey family, was at home. It was suspicious for him not to go to the gambling den. Did he run out of gambling funds? Perhaps he had debts to the point where there were limited places he could turn to.
When she rarely met the Marquess at home, he was either drunk or suffering from a hangover. This time, judging by the way he pressed his temples, he seemed to be suffering from a hangover.
In her heart, Edith wanted to avoid mixing with the Marquess, and she wished to cut ties completely. However, living in this world, she followed the ways of the body’s original owner. She didn’t know when she could leave this body and return to the real world, so she continued addressing him as her father.
“Long time no see, Father.”
“Hmm, Edith…”
Even if his expression didn’t show it, he didn’t seem intoxicated this time.
Pedlton, when sober, was always haunted by guilt. When facing Edith, he clearly revealed his timid nature and couldn’t meet her eyes properly.
Though he would reflect while alone in his den, he would quickly leave the house and spend days gambling.
“Before anything else, there’s something I wanted to talk about. Could you spare some time?”
“What’s this all about? Something… important?”
Even before bringing up the topic, the Marquess seemed restless.
