Chapter 18
Edith felt awkward in the tense atmosphere. As she sat down on the bench, following his lead to embrace him, she gently settled onto Clyde’s lap. The muscular thighs of a man like Clyde’s felt distinct under her touch.
“That’s enough now. I’ll find another seat.”
However, his arms, firmly wrapped around her waist, didn’t loosen. She seemed stuck, forced to sit on Clyde’s lap without moving.
Adrian’s eyes were shooting laser beams. The way he looked at the prince was almost disdainful.
Despite her efforts to weave the protagonists together and devise a strategy, the atmosphere was so cold that ice arrows seemed to fly around. There was no sign of either of them warming up to each other.
The attempt to twist the original story was good, but the flow of the story was going in the wrong direction. It bothered her that instead of Adrian’s name, ‘==’ was used when the original passage was supposed to appear.
“Raymond, raise the flag and call for intermission. Edith needs a change of shoes.”
Following the order, Adrian raised the flag to signal intermission.
Then, he immediately knelt in front of Edith, bowing his head. His hand touched the tip of her skirt where her foot peeked out.
“Edith, did you hurt your foot?”
His touch was gentle as he caressed her instep. It contrasted sharply with the tension between the two men.
“I’m fine. Just leave it…”
Without giving her a chance to decline, Adrian took off the shoe she was limping in.
The foot, now without a shoe, was in his hand.
No matter how much she emphasized that she was fine, it was an unavoidable situation for her, whether she was being carried by Clyde or having her foot held by Adrian.
To stop it, she had to steal her face and protest, but she simply couldn’t.
He enveloped Edith with both hands as if wrapping a gift. His hands, with a delicate touch, completely covered her foot. His hands that had been clenching fists were much warmer than her walking feet.
“Why your foot…”
His fingers massaged slowly, as if playing the piano on the sole of her foot. With his thumbprint, he gently rubbed the instep.
A tingling sensation rose up her calves.
“Why the foot?”
“Because it’s cute.”
Edith was at a loss as Adrian gently spread out each of her toes. She felt awkward and incredibly embarrassed.
“S-Stop touching me.”
Despite Edith’s seemingly intact ankle, Adrian didn’t hesitate to explore further after removing her shoe.
With one hand supporting her foot and the other tracing the inner arch, his gaze lifted as he formed an enchanting smile, soft as melting soft-serve ice cream, with his beautifully shaped eyes.
“Uh-huh.”
Her voice trembled.
Edith forgot about removing her foot as she was mesmerized by the beauty before her. Her criteria for men were primarily based on looks, and Adrian’s radiant charm had her captivated. However, the silhouette of Adrian’s cheek, bright as it was, turned cold the moment his eyes met Clyde’s. Suddenly, the atmosphere chilled.
Clyde’s tone from beside Edith was equally icy.
“But why did Lord Raymond come to meet Edith?”
Hidden beneath his lowered violet eyelashes was a hint of hostility.
Adrian wasn’t pleased. He had anticipated a private encounter with her, but unexpectedly welcomed the prince as an uninvited guest.
Unable to express himself elegantly, he replied with minimal courtesy.
“I heard some urgent news. The lordship of Ketsmoris Castle has changed.”
Edith, surprised, asked, “You knew already when it happened yesterday?”
“I stopped by the Ministry of Affairs for some business and overheard people talking. It was buzzing everywhere. I was worried if something had happened to you.”
Adrian knelt in front of her with a gentle demeanor.
Beside him, Clyde’s golden eyes glimmered with anger.
This was bad. How could romance bloom between them like this? Edith hurriedly tried to salvage the situation.
“Let’s talk about my situation later. For now, we have company.”
Forcing a smile like a salesperson, she addressed Clyde.
“In fact, Adrian rarely visits the palace, so I asked him to meet me whenever he had time. Thanks to that, we have the honor of meeting you, Your Highness.”
She hoped for the best outcome. Deep down, she fervently wished for it.
After confirming that there was nothing wrong with her ankle, Adrian helped Edith put her shoes back on. His meticulous care in gently massaging her foot and neatly arranging her legs caught Edith’s attention.
Originally of a kind disposition, combined with her growing fondness for him, even his slightest gesture seemed exceptional.
Meanwhile, Clyde simmered with frustration. It felt unbearable to restrain himself as the disarray of their attire was being fixed.
His buttocks felt uncomfortably warm. Was it anger?
As soon as Adrian stood up, Clyde burst out with the grievances that had been building up to his throat.
“Regrettably, Lord Raymond. Today, Edith had important tasks to attend to.”
Though it was just writing letters to creditors, she bit her lip and remained silent. It wasn’t the right atmosphere to speak up.
“So, I hope we can find another opportunity. Next time, I’ll arrange a special occasion for you to have a pleasant time.”
It was the prince’s decision. Everyone had to abide by it.
“I see. It’s unfortunate, but following Your Highness’s words, I’ll take my leave for today.”
Adrian replied somberly, as if avoiding Clyde’s gaze by bowing his head. As he turned to leave upon hearing the order to withdraw, Edith couldn’t bring herself to apologize.
The love line had ended, and the meeting hadn’t even progressed halfway. How to salvage this situation?
Edith absentmindedly watched as Adrian’s shadow disappeared into the maze-like garden.
* * *
The scent of fresh forest wafted gently from the emerald trees that formed the thick maze walls. Amidst the pine-filled garden, the atmosphere was tranquil and cozy.
The messenger had stopped by briefly but had left after changing the shoes.
Clyde occasionally engaged in small talk. It was just idle chatter about the different seasons in the garden and which flowers were blooming. However, Edith responded insincerely, lost in her own thoughts.
As they sat side by side on the bench, Clyde waited patiently without urging her to rise.
Instead of conversation, they occasionally heard the sound of the wind rustling through the leaves.
“At least, it’s certain that we can change the original storyline.”
At first, she didn’t think it would even be possible. Especially when transferred from another department to the prince’s palace, she felt particularly uneasy. It was because she had failed in her attempt to deviate from the original script.
However, somehow it changed. They moved up the timing of the two protagonists’ first encounter by two years.
“But that doesn’t mean it’s going my way either.”
Could it even get more twisted than this? They seemed to become bitter enemies rather than lovers.
What was unexpected was the excessive attention towards Edith.
Clyde found it difficult to determine what emotion he harbored. At times, it seemed like he regarded her as a toy to play with, under the guise of affection for the timekeeper. He even explicitly denied having any feelings for the prince’s wife. On the other hand, sometimes he looked at her with a very serious gaze or exhibited obsessive behavior.
Adrian’s avoidance during his three years at the academy seemed suspicious.
If he really had feelings for me, he should have shown extraordinary behavior even at the academy. What’s the reason for suddenly becoming proactive now? Is it a psychological tactic to provoke me?
Anyway, Edith didn’t like being the girlfriend of a world-class star or even the First Lady. Unless affection blossomed enough to overcome such shortcomings. There was no one among them who seemed so amazing that she could die for them out of love.
She didn’t particularly feel like she had fallen for anyone.
And another weird thing.
Why doesn’t it feel like a BL novel?
The personalities of the two protagonists seem quite different from the original. I don’t know where the difference originated.
Adrian has a lot of alpha male friends, but Clyde’s situation is dire. Despite having many male acquaintances, they are all purely platonic relationships, and he doesn’t have any romantic feelings for anyone. Frankly speaking, he has no interest in dating at all.
“Your Highness, I have something I want to ask.”
Clyde’s hair, shining in the sunlight, was closer to blue than black. He slowly swept the bangs falling on his forehead.
“Anything.”
“Wasn’t your original inclination towards the same sex?”
It felt refreshing to ask so bluntly.
“What?”
He was visibly surprised. It was different from when she had speculated about it before.
“Since you’re an alpha, it’s natural for you to like omegas, and on top of that, I guessed that your gender preference would be male.”
His face, which had been pondering her question, gradually contorted. A sense of displeasure filled his forehead, partially revealed.
“Why are you deciding my preferences for me?”
“Yours? Well…”
She couldn’t help but trail off her words.
“Who says I like men?”
Even with Clyde’s prodding attitude, she couldn’t bring herself to retort. Revealing everything just because she had seen it in the original would make her seem too obsessed.
He seemed to raise his hand to his forehead as if he were feeling a little feverish. Today, His Highness, the prince, seemed particularly irritable.
“Besides, an alpha’s temperament can be easily controlled with medication. While having an omega partner might make things more comfortable, it’s not essential.”
He almost muttered his words as if grumbling.
Clyde turned his body towards her. When he lowered his head to meet her eye level, a low growl emanated from his throat like a beast’s. His fleeting golden glance evoked the image of a wild animal.
His voice, strained from clenched vocal cords, oddly sounded hoarse, like that of someone in pain.
“Do you understand what I mean? I’m even considering betas as my consort.”
Prince’s wife? Who’s?
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