Chapter 34
Not far away, Adrian caught a glimpse of Edith’s startled face. She seemed taken aback by the noise of his hurried approach.
“Just a moment.”
The moment Adrian saw her face, he forgot what he wanted to say. He found himself dumbfounded, just staring intently at Edith’s round, wide-open mouth.
“Huh? Adrian, do you have urgent business?”
He had rushed over for a reason, but he couldn’t remember what it was until later.
He couldn’t confess that he wanted permission to approach her. Nor could he explain that he wasn’t a flirt. He needed to let her know about the misconceptions. He had never welcomed the alphas who clung to him, following him around.
“Could you spare some time? I have something to discuss.”
Just then, someone blocked Edith’s path. It was someone Adrian had ignored all along, like scenery passing by. It was Prince Clyde. As tall as a palace guard, he blocked Adrian’s view and suddenly attacked with a clenched fist.
Clyde’s grip twisted Adrian’s neck, rendering him helpless against the wall. With his inherent omega weakness and facing an alpha like Clyde, Adrian couldn’t resist.
He had to bury his back into the wall between the doorframe.
Clyde pushed Adrian against the wall and leaned in close. Their heads crossed, with Clyde’s snout looming over Adrian’s face.
“What’s going on?”
His snout pointed directly at Adrian from an angle only he could see.
“Adrian, I’d love to chat more, but I have another appointment. I’m sorry to cut this short.”
Adrian received Clyde’s request for time. It seemed like he was begging him.
At that moment, a guard approached. Other chamberlains who had been waiting to serve the prince also appeared.
‘Foolish, Adrian.’ The prince’s eyes seemed to say that.
Finding a private space in the prince’s palace was difficult. Especially right after a public meeting, there were many curious eyes. Most of them were probably Clyde’s subordinates, but as always, this palace also had spies from rival factions.
“Your Highness…”
There was no way they could have a private conversation with Edith here. Adrian’s target was Clyde, whom he reluctantly addressed.
It felt as if his head had hit the wall. It felt like being hit to come to his senses. Thanks to that, he could now judge what would be wise.
“I apologize for startling you by suddenly chasing after you, Your Highness.”
Adrian raised the hand he had been dragging and placed it on Clyde’s shoulder. His voice trembled a bit. It took great effort just to suppress his turtle-like feelings.
Clyde’s face contorted like crumpled paper, but he stayed close to Adrian, effectively blocking out the surrounding gazes.
The noses of the two men almost touched.
Edith, like a rabbit, hesitated, not knowing what to do. She almost blushed and hesitated, but as the two men overlapped, with Adrian hidden behind Clyde’s broad shoulders, she eventually turned away. A faint blush crept up her neck, visible only to those around her.
Adrian felt a pang of self-reproach. He seemed to have made her uncomfortable.
“Where are you looking?”
Clyde spoke directly to Adrian with a stern tone.
Though he raised his hand to the prince, Adrian’s gaze still lingered on Edith. It was a warning to him not to look away.
Adrian tightly closed his eyes. It was easier to avoid facing it than to confront it.
A chilly silence followed. The chamberlains turned silently away, and the guards stood straight, staring straight ahead. It felt eerily quiet, as if they were dead silent to eavesdrop on someone else’s secret meeting.
“Shall we end this if there’s nothing else?”
“…”
Adrian couldn’t say anything. Up until now, this was the best he could do for a successful appearance as the prince’s lover. And upon closer inspection, this impromptu show of running wasn’t that bad after all.
“See you tomorrow, Adrian.”
When they drank their tea, Clyde addressed me as “Your Highness” in the presence of others, but when the chamberlain was gone, he called me by my name. I wondered if the person who had just turned his back and pricked up his ears was a spy.
Clyde slowly stepped back. As he retreated, the pressure lessened. Adrian realized belatedly that the overwhelming power of an alpha had dominated him for a moment.
As he dropped his stiffened head, Adrian’s long eyelashes trembled faintly.
Feeling disheartened… It felt like his chest would burst without conveying any sincerity.
He didn’t want Edith to see his ugly expression. Adrian grabbed Clyde’s lapel.
“Your shoulder was hunched.”
“My shoulder?”
The owner of the shoulder pointed to was not Clyde, the prince, and he understood immediately.
“It was clearly visible as you walked from behind. Don’t sit at your desk for too long and take care of your body.”
“Is that why you came?”
“Well… partly.”
No longer able to gaze at Edith, Adrian had to bow his head and turn away to avoid revealing his inadequacies.
—
“Edith, I must wake you up today.”
Edith had to force her eyes open due to the wind shaking her shoulders. Clyde, with his eyes narrowed, was glaring at her right in front.
“Hurry up and get up.”
“Why? What time is it?”
“There are many people who wake up early, train, and prepare meals. Don’t worry about the time and let’s go out for some physical training.”
The room was still dim as the light had not yet filtered through the window. Clyde was dressed in casual attire, and he had prepared clothes for Edith similar to his own.
After reluctantly changing clothes and wiping the sleep from her eyes, she hastily tied her hair into a bun. Despite the stern command to hurry up, she still had to step outside, enduring her drowsiness.
Suddenly, the image of the red-hatted instructor came to mind.
Clyde was like an instructor in many ways. He would stand with his hand on his hip and blow his whistle sharply like a drill sergeant.
But when he spoke, sleepiness seemed to disappear. He trotted beside her on the way to exercise. The horned devil. Running silently beside her was even worse than being urged on.
When she stumbled and her back hunched like a toad, he asked as if something was wrong. She wasn’t even lifting her feet off the ground. Edith’s pace was the same as Clyde’s walking pace.
Finally returning to their starting point and leaning her knees in exhaustion, she grasped her hands.
“We’ve only completed one lap now.”
“Huh?”
Of course, it was only one lap. How much more could she run?
Her heart was pounding so hard it felt like it might burst out of her ribcage. Edith appealed to Clyde’s son with a despairing look.
He handed her a water bottle.
“It’s your first time, so… You’ll gradually build up your stamina.”
“Why are you suddenly doing this to me?”
“It’s not sudden. We’ve been coming out together at dawn for a while now.”
“But today feels different.”
Even though there were many chamberlains and courtiers waiting, Clyde was the one who handed her a handkerchief. The minor struggle between them went unnoticed by anyone now.
“Adrian was worried about you. He told me to take care of you.”
“Adrian?”
“It’s actually true. I’ve been keeping you holed up in your room and making you work too much. From now on, I’ll make sure you get some fresh air and manage your health.”
“I’ve never been holed up.”
Although she often accompanied Clyde according to his schedule, she often ended up sitting at her desk in the study in the afternoon. Still, it was clear that she had been busy running around.
“So you mean you’ll give me some free time? When? How much?”
“I suggested we get some fresh air.”
“…?”
“Just like now. How about it? It’s refreshing and nice, isn’t it?”
That damn brat. So that’s it. He meant we should get up together in the morning.
Please don’t let it be like this. Can’t I just exercise on my own? I couldn’t even swallow my words. It was obvious that nothing would come of it.
Every time Clyde woke her up in the early morning, she would feign sleep, saying, “I’ll handle it myself.” But she had never actually done it once.
Exercising was always difficult to schedule. Although there was a splendid garden outside the palace, she couldn’t remember ever taking a stroll by herself. Edith was too busy digesting the prince’s tight schedule. As a result, her physical condition deteriorated as the days went by.
Clyde seemed to enjoy stimulating her nerves from dawn.
“Even though the workload has been reduced, Edith still clings to her desk. Is it because it’s become a habit? Or is it ambition?”
“It’s neither.”
Although the workload had decreased, the assumption was that she wouldn’t go home. The date of her last departure was lost in the fog.
Her humble, dusty home. How often did the debt collectors come knocking?
Whether he knew or not about Edith’s silent cries, Clyde, after loosening up his body, started shooting practice. He climbed onto the balcony, the shooting position, with a light step. When the court archer handed him the gun, he expertly loaded the bullets.
“Anyway, it would be good to fix the habit of sitting for too long. As a model superior, I feel responsible for managing the health of my subordinates.”
“If you give me some free time, all problems will be solved.”
She muttered while gasping for breath. Even though she complained, she had no confidence. If she had some free time, she wanted to take a nap.
