Chapter 20
Clyde had been consistently taking suppressants to control his condition and reduce the unlimited pheromones he emitted, but his body didn’t respond well. His strong alpha nature seemed to overpower the medication.
“In other words, he’s just suffering alone. That stubborn guy,” Edith muttered to herself, referring to Clyde as a stubborn prince.
Despite spending several years in this world, Edith’s fixed ideas about social hierarchy still hadn’t taken root. To her, Clyde was just a slightly older man. The perception of him as a high-ranking prince was superficially learned but probably wouldn’t be fully accepted emotionally.
“It’s just having one omega by your side, isn’t it? Why is it so difficult?” She complained out of concern for him.
However, she tried to imagine further to understand Clyde’s stubbornness. Maybe when an omega was selected as a prince’s mate for stress relief, that person might become a likely candidate for prince consort.
Thinking back to the times when Clyde couldn’t quite discern things clearly in the maze garden, she could somewhat understand. Perhaps his stubbornness stemmed from wanting to prevent unintended mishaps.
“Well, it must be difficult. He can’t just bring any omega into his bedroom,” she reluctantly admitted, feeling somewhat sympathetic to his decision.
The next day in the prince’s office, someone came to fetch Edith, interrupting her idle time with a dry book. They said she was needed in the prince’s chambers.
Unable to ask if it was okay, she concealed her conflicting feelings and followed the instructions.
In the chamber, apart from the chief physician who had just finished examining him, there were several other doctors and attendants. The atmosphere was tense, and the chief physician’s expression was grim.
From behind the heavy curtains of the bed, Clyde’s gruff voice was heard.
“Draw back the curtains and leave. My personal attendants will take care of me, so there’s no need for you all to linger unnecessarily.”
“Your Highness, now is not the time for official duties. We need the omega immediately.”
“You keep crossing the line, don’t you? Hm….”
Even without seeing him, the atmosphere exuded irritation. Clyde’s extremely low-pressure tone and strained voice indicated that his condition was far from normal.
Reluctantly, everyone except Edith had to withdraw.
The chief physician took advantage of the bustling activity of pulling back the curtains to discreetly signal Edith. Then he approached her and lowered his voice.
“It seems you, being a beta, are somewhat willing to stay by his side. It’s better than him being alone, I suppose.”
As expected, Clyde had been reluctant to bring an omega into his bedroom.
“Oh… I see.”
With a sigh, the chief physician urged her, “He might go into a frenzy. Even if he doesn’t order it, make sure to call for help.”
“A frenzy…?” Edith was taken aback.
“It’s when an alpha’s pheromones overwhelm the brain, turning them into more of a beast than a human. If that happens, he…”
“What are you muttering over there?” Clyde caught him off guard. Flustered, the chief physician babbled and retreated.
The sound of the bedroom door closing echoed in her chest. The footsteps faded away, leaving only silence.
Given that the chief physician had said he was alone, this situation seemed to repeat every month. Even during the rut cycle, Clyde could have sought comfort from an alpha or beta, but he chose to suffer alone.
And now, without any warning, he was sending everyone away.
Edith was perplexed. She didn’t know where to start.
Standing in the middle of the room, she faced off against Clyde, who was sitting on the edge of the bed.
His white shirt had no collar. With his head bowed, his sturdy nape was exposed. His simple pants revealed his slim legs without any filter.
It wasn’t the time to admire a man’s physique, but his excessive attractiveness was a problem. She averted her gaze, trying to focus on Clyde’s layered clothing.
His condition seemed better than expected. His hair was neatly combed, and his expression as he stared into space seemed fine.
“Your Highness…”
Regardless, she had to help him. She had to stand by him.
“What can I do?”
His expression was completely relaxed, resembling someone intoxicated by strong alcohol, yet his sharp gaze pierced Edith.
“Come here.”
His bare feet shifted slightly on the carpet, indicating where she should go. Clyde’s gaze briefly flickered to her toes before returning to her face. It was a gesture signaling her to come closer.
At first glance, his spread knees seemed ordinary. Typically, a man who liked to show off would sit with his legs spread wide in a soft chair. But Clyde’s posture felt somewhat unfamiliar. Perhaps it was because he always maintained a noble demeanor. Yet, the disheveled legs due to the rut cycle subtly emitted a decadent atmosphere.
Edith hesitated but eventually moved her unwavering feet.
With slow steps, she reached the designated point in front of him.
“Even closer.”
As he extended his wrist towards the inside of his thigh, Edith’s gaze shifted from the tempting fingertips to the man’s thigh.
His long fingers flexed slightly.
As if hypnotized, her foot moved forward without hesitation.
Her legs, covered only by thin pants, stretched out long, surrounding Edith on both sides. The thick muscles of his thighs were visible through the fabric.
When he flinched, the segmented muscle fibers rippled.
Suddenly, Edith felt suffocated. She realized she had been holding her breath.
She belatedly took a deep breath. The sudden influx of oxygen made her head spin.
But the suffocating feeling persisted. Was the indoor air stale? Surely, the prince’s chambers couldn’t have inadequate ventilation.
Edith, unaware of the dense alpha pheromones around her, couldn’t understand why she felt suffocated. Breathing heavily, she anxiously glanced towards the window.
“Why?”
His golden eyes flickered like madness as they seemed to penetrate her.
“It’s a bit stuffy. Can I open the window?”
His gaze was not solely driven by instinctive greed. Concealing his own intentions, Clyde subtly repeated his question.
“Why do you feel suffocated?”
“Well, I’m not sure. Maybe the ventilation isn’t good.”
He glanced up at Edith. His throat, reminiscent of a beast, wriggled at just the right moment.
“Ah!”
For some reason, it felt like something was choking her.
Whether it was because of his intense presence or empathy for the agony of the rut cycle, when Clyde’s broad shoulders expanded, Edith’s feeling of suffocation reached its limit.
She couldn’t breathe.
His persistent gaze was intense.
“Take a breath. It’s okay.”
With a familiar touch on her lower back, she was pulled towards him.
Clyde’s face, previously bent over, pressed against her abdomen. There was no room to wriggle. She was ensnared by his strong arms, facing his sharply defined features.
Their intertwined legs rocked like a wooden doll. Some parts collided, while others passed by without touching.
Edith tried to collide with him like a doll being knocked over, but just before, she managed to regain her balance and stood upright. For a moment, there was silence in the distance that couldn’t be reached or approached.
With Clyde’s head deeply bowed and his breath seemingly halted, Edith couldn’t read his expression. She couldn’t see his unmistakably alpha appearance with his eyes bloodshot and wide open.
“Huh, how can this be beta pheromones? It doesn’t make sense.”
Her muttered words were buried in Edith’s abdomen. She deliberately concealed them so that she wouldn’t hear them.
When Clyde first noticed her scent, it was just the smell of a person. But over the past few days, the scent that drove alphas crazy had faintly begun to seep out.
He didn’t casually disclose such important changes. He was guiding things in the direction he wanted, timing it appropriately.
Edith’s posture was neither sitting nor standing, but more like someone being pressured, not squirming. She had to grab his back of the head, losing balance amid his impulsive actions. Her fingers delved deep into his blue hair.
It was a reflexive action, with no intention to provoke him, yet Clyde was shocked as if stabbed by a sword.
Suddenly, Alpha’s body convulsed for a moment. He jerked his head animalistically, glaring at her with a menacing face. There was a strange energy filling the air, beyond Edith’s comprehension.
“Is this a signal to me?”
Without daring to hastily withdraw her finger from his dark blue hair or fidget, she stiffened.
The man’s broad shoulders twitched cautiously like a crouching predator. It was a menacing aura, as if he could lunge forward any moment to sink his teeth into his prey’s neck.
Before the beast, she had to brace her knees from instinctively giving out.
A chilling silence passed. After a while, Clyde managed to restrain the impulse that had reached its limit.
He opened his mouth and exhaled Alpha’s breath onto Edith’s body. The warmth of the breath spreading out like ripples in a lake sent shivers down Edith’s spine.
So hot ; )