Chapter 38
After the doctor left, Edith left Clyde behind and walked out of the parlor. Since she had decided to take a break from personal duties for the time being, she only had to perform the Crown Prince’s official duties. There was no need to stick by him 24/7.
As she contemplated where to go for a breath of fresh air, she immediately heard footsteps following her.
“Edith.”
She pretended not to hear and continued down the stairs.
At the landing, her elbow was caught by a firm grip, spinning her body halfway around.
“What is it?”
“Where are you going?”
“Today’s external schedule is over. Isn’t it free time now?”
Clyde’s previously immaculate gaze was slightly crumpled. He looked as if he had been caught off guard. For a moment, his flat lips couldn’t move, and he stared intently at her.
“Let me go,” she said, her voice tinged with frustration. “If you don’t want to be bothered, why not just let me go?”
But the arm that was intertwined with hers did not release. Seeing her gaze averted, Clyde adjusted his position, leaning in and lowering his waist halfway to peer at her.
“Will you tell me why you’re acting like this?”
Clyde’s fingertips lightly tapped her protruding cheek. His expression of confusion made Edith’s resolve waver.
Trying to maintain a cold demeanor was harder than expected when faced with the face of one of the most handsome men in the novel’s world.
“Edith, if I’ve done something wrong, give me a chance to apologize.”
He seemed genuinely puzzled. Observing Edith’s stoic attitude as if searching for answers, he watched her intently.
“Your Highness…”
“Clyde. We agreed to call me Clyde.”
“Clyde.”
His golden eyes shone brightly. Edith swallowed hard, trying not to be swayed.
“I’ve been uneasy about this for a while but was going to let it go. But this time, I can’t.”
“What is it?”
“If you noticed something strange about my condition, you should have told me directly.”
Edith continued, her voice clipped.
“Once, you hinted at it, but it was too vague. How was I supposed to figure it out from a hint? You talk about being a confidant and showing favoritism, but you kept important issues about me to yourself.”
“Did that upset you? I’m sorry. It wasn’t that I was hiding it; it was just uncertain.”
“I appreciate that you recognized my condition better than I did. But discussing it with the doctor without informing me wasn’t right.”
“You’re right. If you think so, then it’s entirely my fault.”
He apologized so readily. Although she had pressed him a bit, she hadn’t expected him to be so straightforward in admitting his mistake. It was unusual for someone in the Crown Prince’s position to admit fault.
Edith was taken aback and blinked. She had expected him to at least offer a small excuse.
She thought he might argue that discovering her condition was thanks to him or that he had been the one to put her in front of the doctor, among other things. Clyde must have had plenty to say in his defense.
But his unreserved acceptance of fault was quite surprising.
“The only thing I had told my personal physician was that you had never been diagnosed as a Beta.”
“Ah, that part…”
She trailed off. In the midst of receiving an apology, she had also glimpsed Clyde’s consideration.
The reason she hadn’t seen a doctor was to save on medical expenses. During her school years, after buying notebooks and ink with her meager allowance, she would often end up with nothing.
She had never shared such grievances in detail with Clyde, so it seemed he had somehow discovered it. If she had been questioned about why she hadn’t seen a doctor surrounded by a team of physicians, it would have been quite humiliating.
“And I told him that I wanted to help with your Omega transition. If you need an Alpha, I would like to be that role if possible.”
He was also excessively honest.
He didn’t hide his desire hidden within his well-maintained body. Even just holding her elbow lightly, he showed a strong will to embrace her fully.
“But…”
“I’ll wait. You can use me.”
This meant that if Edith allowed it, he could release Alpha pheromones at any time.
There was no way she could misunderstand his request. The intense gaze and the heat radiating from his body were palpable. As he took a deep breath, his chest expanded.
Under the pressure of his fierce demeanor, she involuntarily took a step back.
The narrow landing barely allowed a few steps of distance. With her back pressed against the wall, she found herself cornered, unable to escape any further. Having backed away herself, she became terrified by her own imagination, despite Clyde having done nothing.
A breeze from the open window brushed against her right elbow. The window, fully open to let in the sunny weather, bathed the room in light.
Clyde’s face fell into deep shadow.
The side bathed in light was radiant. The opposite side, shadowed, appeared sinister.
With his prominent nose as the center, he revealed the contrasting images of light and darkness as he whispered.
“If you dislike my rudeness…”
His voice was rich with emotion, making her ears perk up.
“Do you want to come closer?”
The grip on her elbow was loosened. He lifted his hand, resting it against the corner of the wall.
His lithe body leaned in towards Edith. His firm jawline, set tightly, rose above her forehead, and his long forearms curved around her like a halo. Clyde’s shadow fell heavily over her, who was standing with a rigid posture.
“Edith, I’ve released a bit of pheromone now. Can you feel it?”
He took a deep breath. While pheromones are said to be perceptible both in smell and physically, she felt no change in her senses.
“Not at all.”
“Then how about if you touch it?”
He remained perfectly still, just inches away.
His hand was within reach, but he did nothing. Even though she felt like she might get burned by the golden flames emanating from him, he simply stared at her.
“Touch it.”
She was bewildered. She wasn’t sure what to do.
“Touch where?”
“Anywhere.”
Pheromones were meant to be seductive. Although she felt no Alpha pheromones, it was clear from the hypnotic effect alone what Clyde was appealing for.
It wasn’t about realizing a physical change. His actions and atmosphere were enough to unsettle Edith.
The offer to touch was tempting. It was an incredibly alluring suggestion.
To be able to touch his smooth nose and the hollow at the corner of his eye. If she could feel the pheromones through the tactile sensation, that would be great, but even if she couldn’t, it was fine. She could make contact with Clyde without feeling emotionally indebted.
Still, was it really okay? There was a hesitation in the back of her mind.
Whether she could use the excuse of pheromones to explore him.
“Edith, it’s alright. This is for treatment.”
He spoke as if peering into her innermost thoughts. Clyde provided the excuse for her feelings.
“Then…”
Feigning calmness, she responded casually. She pretended to be indifferent as she lifted her hand.
But her body couldn’t lie.
Her pale hand trembled.
He saw it all. Her chest heaved with uneven breaths, and her nervous fingertips hesitated, unable to find their place.
She barely managed to lift her hand and grip the edge of her clothing. It didn’t seem like just holding her clothes would help much, but somehow the feeling was different.
Was the heat at the nape of her neck due to sensing the pheromones? Or was it because of Clyde’s dense, captivating presence drawing her in like a vortex?
Her fingers moved higher.
She gently touched the sharply defined jawline with her fingertips.
The golden eyes seemed like they would devour her.
“More.”
Edith, almost entranced, cupped his cheek with her hand. She lightly traced her index finger along his nose.
From afar, his face seemed like a sculpture, but up close, it was different. This face was a living sculpture with warmth. She could also feel the rapid heartbeat beneath the warm neck when she placed her palm there.
She softly touched the slightly parted lips with her thumb.
The full, plump lips moved, opening wider as if inviting her in.
Driven by impulse, she pressed her lower lip firmly.
“More.”
Her senses, indulged and startled, quickened. The tension made her heart race.
She traced her fingers past the moist lips and onto his nostrils. When she pressed her fingers into the hollow at the corner of his eye, he blinked not at all, as if forgetting to react.
It felt as if she were trapped in the gaze of an unmoving Clyde.
Edith carefully traced the flesh under his eyes. Then she wondered, out of curiosity, whether he would flinch if she touched his eyeballs. His willingness to surrender seemed so strong that she momentarily wondered.
But she didn’t test it. The clear, piercing gaze of his raised eyebrows made her dizzy.
When she finally managed to lower her hand, Clyde’s eyes, glowing yellow like a predator hunting for larger prey, flashed with intensity.
Clyde clenched his hand on the wall so tightly that it made a cracking sound.
“Ah, this is troublesome.”
“Why?”
“I accidentally released too much pheromone all at once. How are you feeling?”
With the sensation of standing on the edge of a cliff, she felt like Clyde was the only one in the world. Was this illusion due to the pheromones?
“I’m not sure.”
“It seems you can’t feel it yet. I can definitely smell the Omega scent.”
“Do I have a scent?”
The Adam’s apple in the middle of his long neck bobbed up. Clyde’s voice sounded oddly intoxicated as he swallowed.
“Extremely… sweet and tempting.”
Enduring and holding back, Clyde finally lowered his head.
“So unbearable. Completely uncontrollable.”
A deep shadow filled her vision. The occasional rays of sunlight seeping in from behind him were sharp and piercing.
Although he hadn’t embraced her, the heat of his elevated body temperature was transmitted. Even from their close proximity, it was clear he was intensely excited.
Could she be the same? Would hiding her trembling wrists be futile?
