I Was a Royal Palace Knight, But I Turned Out to Be an Omega, So I Had to Resign (BL) - Chapter 15
“Cyril-senpai!”
When I turned around, there stood Luke, my former junior.
Luke was a small young man with strikingly large eyes the same shade of dark brown as his hair. His cheerful smile and curious nature hadn’t changed a bit since the old days when he used to follow me around during our knight training days.
“Luke! It’s been a while!”
I couldn’t help but smile. Having someone in the knights’ order who would casually talk to me like this was honestly comforting.
“Senpai, I’m so glad to see you’re doing well.”
His voice carried genuine happiness. He must have been worried about me since I left the palace.
At that moment, Prince Leon glanced at us and said, “Cyril, you must want to catch up. I’ll head back to my room first.”
Prince Leon walked off down the hallway, clearly giving us some space.
“Senpai, would you mind heading back to the dining hall with me? There’s so much I want to ask you!”
Luke’s face lit up with excitement, like a cat spotting an interesting toy. He hadn’t changed at all.
“Sure, let’s go.”
And so, we made our way back to the dining hall. Along the way, Luke clung to my sleeve, just like he used to when we were younger.
When we arrived, the hall was empty. We sat across from each other at one of the deserted tables.
“Senpai! Please, tell me everything!”
Luke started bombarding me with questions.
“Why did you suddenly disappear? Why did you become Prince Leonhart’s bodyguard? Why are you engaged to him? Wait, were you always an Omega? Did you lie about being a Beta?”
“Whoa, hold on! I’ll answer one question at a time!”
I laughed, overwhelmed by his rapid-fire questions. Luke was as energetic as ever.
“First off, I really was a Beta. I only recently became an Omega.”
“Wait, you became an Omega? How does that even happen?”
“Remember last year’s battle at the fortress? I took a poisoned arrow while protecting Prince Leonhart.”
“Of course, I remember! You suddenly pushed the prince aside and took the hit yourself. We were all so worried about you!”
“Yeah, well, the poison caused a high fever that left me bedridden for days. When the fever finally broke, I found out I had become an Omega.”
Luke stared at me, mouth agape.
“That’s… even possible?”
“The doctors said it’s an extremely rare case. I was just as shocked.”
“And that’s why you left the knights?”
“Yeah. It’s the rules. ‘Omegas can’t serve as knights.’”
A bitter smile crept onto my face. It wasn’t fair, but it was the law.
“But why are you engaged to the prince?”
I hesitated, choosing my words carefully. I couldn’t reveal it was just a sham engagement.
“Prince Leonhart offered to hire me as his personal bodyguard. But for an Omega to hold such a position, I needed a special status.”
“So, being his fiancée gives you that status. Got it!”
Luke nodded as if everything suddenly made sense.
“I’m just glad you’re okay, Senpai. Everyone was worried about you, you know?”
“Really? They all seem to avoid me.”
“Well, they just don’t know how to act around you. But trust me, they care.”
His words were oddly reassuring. I’d been a little hurt by how distant my comrades had been, but maybe it wasn’t intentional.
“Still…”
Luke suddenly smirked mischievously.
“You and Prince Leonhart, huh? So, you’re that kind of couple?”
“Huh?”
“I mean, as his fiancée, you must be sharing a bed or…”
“No! That’s not it!”
I waved my hands frantically, feeling my face heat up.
“It’s just a formal engagement, nothing more!”
“Really?”
Luke didn’t seem convinced.
“But you’re an Omega. What about when you go into heat? How do you handle that?”
“Well… suppressants.”
I avoided his gaze, feeling awkward.
“And if suppressants don’t work?”
Luke’s face grew serious.
“If someone gives in to your heat and something happens between you, that would count as adultery. With a royal fiancé, that’s treason. You could be executed.”
“What…?”
I felt the bl00d drain from my face. I hadn’t considered that at all.
“You didn’t realize, did you?”
Luke looked genuinely surprised.
“As the prince’s fiancée, any unauthorized relationship could be seen as betrayal. You need to be careful.”
Though he said it with a hint of teasing, the gravity of his words hit me hard.
“Don’t worry! It’ll be fine,” I said, forcing a smile to hide my unease.
When I returned to Prince Leon’s room, my mind was spinning with Luke’s warnings.
“Treason… execution…”
The door creaked open, and Prince Leon looked up from the documents he was reviewing.
“Back already? Did you catch up?”
“Uh, yeah…”
The prince frowned, clearly noticing something was off.
“Are you feeling unwell? You look pale.”
“No, I’m fine.”
I sank into a chair, my thoughts still in turmoil.
If suppressants fail… what then?
Adrian had given me emergency suppressants, but what if they didn’t work? The only solution might be… Prince Leon.
He said he’d help if it came to that. But…
The idea of being intimate with someone I didn’t love… Yet when I thought about Prince Leon, something about it didn’t feel entirely wrong.
“Cyril,” Prince Leon’s voice interrupted my thoughts.