Chapter 51
It was another night when Edith found herself lying in bed with Clyde on the adjacent one.
The nights where she would trace his figure in the dark before closing her eyes were becoming more frequent. In many ways, the two had grown accustomed to each other. Whether it was going to bed early for dawn training or following a tightly scheduled routine, their lives had developed a steady rhythm.
Edith, however, had always been the kind of person who enjoyed lounging in bed until late at night. Her favorite pastime was nibbling on snacks while reading novels. If this were the real world, she would probably have spent a lot of time on her phone, but in this world, she mainly immersed herself in romance novels.
But such indulgences were out of the question with Clyde, the epitome of discipline. When the crown prince’s bedtime approached, the lights were turned off with military precision.
He showed no interest in drinking or frivolities either. The novel’s portrayal of him never keeping an omega close made perfect sense in real life. Who could possibly approach someone with such a rigid personality?
“Clyde, how’s your injury?”
“The painkillers made me feel groggy for a while, but I’m fine now.”
“Not the painkillers—the injury itself?”
“It’s fine. You don’t have to worry anymore. As much as I enjoyed your concern, I think I’ve had enough of it for now.”
There was no way he could be fine. The bleeding had been so severe—how could his condition improve in just half a day?
“I couldn’t help but worry when you were walking around turning off the lights. Shouldn’t you be resting?”
“I didn’t hurt my legs, Edith. You’re surprisingly overprotective.”
A deep, low laugh rumbled from him. He didn’t seem to grasp the seriousness of his injury, and he was clearly enjoying the attention she gave him.
It was, in many ways, overwhelming. The thick bandages wrapped around his arm weighed heavily on her mind.
“Ugh, whatever. Just go to sleep already.”
If he hadn’t thrown himself in the line of fire, what would have happened to her? She would almost certainly have lost her life in this world.
When she thought about it, Clyde was her savior. He had risked his life to protect her, ensuring she remained unharmed. His broad shoulders, now bandaged and white, stood out faintly in the darkness.
What if the situation had been reversed? If a gun had been pointed at Clyde, would she have been able to hurl herself in front of him?
Would she have risked her life to save him?
She wanted to ask him someday—whether his body moved instinctively to shield her or whether he had genuinely been willing to sacrifice himself for her.
Given his exceptional physical abilities, it was possible his body reacted automatically. He had managed to dodge a perfectly aimed shot and save Edith, sustaining only an arm injury. It made sense that his reflexes were almost animalistic. Maybe his body had moved before he even thought about it.
But if he had consciously chosen to save her, fully aware of the risk to his life…
That would be far too difficult to accept.
Lost in these thoughts, she called out to him as though she were tossing and turning in her sleep.
“Clyde.”
Perhaps because of the painkillers, he had fallen asleep early. His still jaw pointed toward the ceiling, unmoving in the calm.
On second thought, it was better not to ask.
She was afraid of hearing that he cared so deeply for her that his life didn’t matter. She didn’t want to hear a heart-wrenching confession.
Because she had already arrived at the opposite answer herself.
Edith wasn’t ready to risk her life for him. Not as a comrade, nor as a lover. Clyde simply didn’t mean that much to her.
The realization stung.
Sometimes, she felt a flutter in her heart, and yes, his handsome face was a joy to look at. But that was all.
It wasn’t long ago that she had even begun to see him as more than just a character from the novel—a living, breathing person. There was no way her feelings could suddenly evolve into something extraordinary.
It was like comparing a vast river to a single bucket of water.
She was just a small splash of water.
In comparison to a sweeping flood, she was tiny and insignificant.
—
Just in time, Clyde’s rut cycle arrived.
It came two or three days earlier than expected. Likely, it was due to his injury, though officially, they framed it as a minor cold hastening the process slightly.
As a result, Edith no longer needed to continue acting as the crown prince’s proxy.
Furthermore, unlike the previous rut cycles, Adrian was summoned this time.
His role was to tend to the crown prince during his rut.
In past cycles, Edith had always been by Clyde’s side. However, this time, things were different.
Adrian entered the crown prince’s chambers, and whatever the two of them did inside was a mystery. The doctors and other staff kept their distance, leaving the pair entirely alone.
Meanwhile, Edith enjoyed some free time after completing her shooting practice.
She spent her time finishing a novel she’d been reading under the warm sunlight in the cafeteria. Sinking into a soft couch, she even nodded off for a while.
When she came to, she noticed Adrian standing close by.
“You must’ve been tired,” he said, a lovely smile lighting up his clear eyes.
Startled, Edith instinctively touched her face to check if she’d drooled in her sleep. Groggily raising her head, she felt a faint imprint on her cheek, likely from the couch cushion. Embarrassed, she kept her hand over her cheek.
“When did you get here? How did it go with him?”
Adrian gently grasped her wrist and lowered her hand. His gaze lingered steadily on her eyes, nose, and mouth, unbothered by her disheveled appearance.
“It’s all taken care of. I’ve done my part and was just on my way out,” he replied.
Her curiosity burned to ask what exactly he’d done with Clyde. It was said that the best way to calm an alpha’s pheromones was through intimacy, after all.
Edith knew that Clyde and Adrian were a mere political couple, a “show-window relationship.” Since her appointment, she’d seen the crown prince use this facade to unsettle the noble faction, crafting a perfect shield for himself.
Still, she couldn’t bring herself to ask directly. After all, the relationship between an alpha and an omega was a sensitive matter.
“Have you had lunch?” she asked instead, cautiously watching Adrian’s reaction.
“Not yet.”
“Want to eat with me?”
Over a late lunch, Adrian seemed unusually cheerful. He repeatedly asked for her opinion on the food and attentively took care of the little things. His lighthearted energy was infectious, and Edith found herself responding in kind.
Now that she thought about it, this was their first time eating together. Though they knew a lot about each other, their relationship had always been distant, with little direct interaction.
She had heard that Adrian didn’t care much for sweets, but it was amusing to see him struggling with the overly sugary pudding they had for dessert. In the end, Edith ate two puddings while Adrian polished off the fruit.
“Aren’t you curious about what I did with him?” Adrian finally asked, hitting the mark.
“Can I ask?”
“Of course. I was hoping you would—I’ve been waiting for the topic to come up,” he said, smiling warmly as he set down his teacup.
“I figured from the start that he wouldn’t make any unreasonable demands. Even though I was there to assist him during his rut, I guessed he’d draw a line.”
“He is that type,” Edith agreed.
“But when I offered to hold his hand, he refused. He was absolutely appalled at the idea of me releasing omega pheromones around him.”
“Why? I thought physical contact, even minimal, could help?”
Adrian shrugged.
“Guess he didn’t like it. Maybe he doesn’t like my scent. Or perhaps there’s a specific omega he does want.”
“…”
“In the end, he went to the adjoining room and shut the door. When we’re in public, we act affectionate enough to fool anyone, but when it’s just us, we’re perfectly distant. We’re a display couple, through and through. And honestly, that’s how I like it.”
Adrian went on to describe, in meticulous detail, everything that happened in the room. It felt as though he was determined to emphasize that nothing had happened with Clyde. He even shared minor anecdotes, as if to ensure there was no room for misunderstanding.
To Edith, his over-clarification felt oddly uncomfortable.
Her feelings for Adrian were far clearer than those for Clyde. To her, he was nothing more than a beautiful friend—a perfect omega match for Clyde.
Now seemed like the right moment to draw a firm boundary. As Adrian poured out the details of his morning like a confession, Edith gazed at him with a vacant expression.
“Adrian,” she said softly.
Her serious tone must have already startled him. Adrian’s shoulders flinched slightly.
“If you and His Highness grow closer… I think I’d be even happier.”
“What? No, I told you—nothing happened, really.”
“I’m not misunderstanding anything. It’s just something I’ve been thinking about for a while.”
The graceful curve of Adrian’s lips hardened into a rigid line. Even his pale, serious expression looked so dazzlingly flawless it could have been carved from crystal.
“Adrian, I wish we’d gotten closer sooner.”
“…”
“You’re an amazing friend. Being with you feels warm, like sunshine.”
“Friend?”
“Yeah, a friend.”
Adrian’s clear, innocent face began to crumple. Not wanting to witness his slow unraveling, Edith dropped her gaze.
His elegant fingers, resting on his slender legs, trembled slightly. He didn’t need her to spell it out—he knew perfectly well what her awkwardly delivered “friend” statement meant.
Adrian clenched his pale hand into a fist, then released it, his knuckles whitening.
“Edith, I—”
Cruel as it felt, Edith cut him off. She had to.
“I hope you’ll become the crown princess. You’d be wonderful at it. You and His Highness make such a perfect match.”
She spoke with genuine sincerity, even as her cheeks strained to hold an awkward smile. Her eyes twitched faintly, refusing to match the expression on her lips.
Fixating stubbornly on his knees, she hesitated, then impulsively glanced up to see his face. Heavy tears hung precariously on his lower lashes, ready to fall at any moment.
He let out a deep, shuddering breath, his chest rising and falling heavily.
“So this is what it feels like… to be rejected.”
His fist moved to press against his chest, clutching his heart through his collar. His voice, raw and strained, broke as he continued.
“I can’t… I can’t handle this feeling. It doesn’t feel real.”
Even though she had steeled herself, facing his despair was excruciating. Edith felt an aching heaviness in her chest, as though her heart were being squeezed.
Though she was the one responsible, she couldn’t help but feel sorry for and guilty toward Adrian.
But offering him comforting words didn’t feel right either. In the end, all she could do was watch the tears roll off his cheeks and fall onto his lap.
She silently wondered if there had been a better way. She didn’t think she had ever given him false hope, but somehow they had ended up in this painful dynamic of rejection.
The cafeteria was quiet, long past its busiest hours. The two of them sat alone in a secluded corner, with no one else passing by. This break room for attendants and palace staff was often empty during the peak hours of the afternoon.
As she struggled to find the right words, unsure of how to break the heavy silence, a tall figure appeared seemingly out of nowhere, striding quickly toward them.
“Edith? What a coincidence to find you here,” the figure said.
Adrian was still staring blankly, while Edith finally looked up in response to the voice.
“Payton.”
