I Was a Royal Palace Knight, But I Turned Out to Be an Omega, So I Had to Resign (BL) - Chapter 22

“Honestly, Leo is too much! Summoning me from the royal capital to this remote place with a simple ‘come at once’ is pure arrogance! He’s abusing his royal privileges! My backside is sore from riding nonstop to get here!”

Adrian’s complaints echoed through the room.

He had arrived at the fortress just moments ago, three days after Prince Leon had summoned him.

Apparently, Prince Leon had used a magical communication device, one reserved for the royal family and their close associates, to call Adrian. Since Adrian showed up much sooner than I’d expected, I was shocked to learn such a device even existed.

“Ah, I’m sorry… It’s my fault,” I apologized hesitantly.
“No, no, Cyril. You’re not to blame. The ones at fault are the former fortress commander, Valen, who tried to attack you during your heat, and your overbearing fiancé,” Adrian replied with a smirk, clearly amused.

Adrian’s grin widened as he looked at me.

“Leo’s always been like this, you know? Super overprotective of the things he cares about.”
“C-cares about? That’s not true! I’m just Prince Leon’s guard knight and his fiancé in name only!”
“Sure, sure, whatever you say,” Adrian replied, clearly enjoying my flustered reaction.

It felt like he was testing me, which made me even more uncomfortable.

“By the way, where’s Leon?” Adrian asked, changing the subject.
“Uh, he’s outside waiting. Same as last time. I asked him to wait until the examination was over,” I explained.
“Haha, again? Just imagining him standing outside like that is adorable,” Adrian chuckled while pulling out his examination tools.

“All right, let’s get started. Take off your shirt, okay? I need to check your entire body.”
“Uh… again?”
“Relax, it’ll be quick. Or should I call Leon in to keep you company?”
“N-no! I’ll take it off!”

Hurriedly, I began unbuttoning my shirt, stopping at my upper body.

When I removed my shirt and turned my back to him, Adrian went silent for a moment. Was something wrong with my back?

“Oh… that’s…” Adrian began, hesitating.
“What is it?”
“Well, uh… maybe tell your fiancé he left way too many marks on you?”
“Marks…?”

I didn’t understand what Adrian meant until I glanced at the mirror behind me.

Marks. My back was covered in them—clearly left by Prince Leon.

“Wha—!!”

My face turned bright red in an instant. I hadn’t noticed these during… well, that. And now it was obvious how much Leon had left his claim on me.

Adrian, clearly enjoying my embarrassment, piled on. “Well, at least your heat was resolved naturally. Good for you!”

Mortified, I wished the ground would swallow me whole.

The examination began shortly after. As always, Adrian was thorough and efficient, his movements precise and professional. It was clear why he served as a royal researcher.

“Your condition looks great,” Adrian finally announced with a smile.

“However, avoid relying on suppressants too often. A strong heat like the last one could lead to dangerous situations, especially around Alphas,” he warned.
“Understood. I’ll be careful,” I assured him.

With the examination finished, Adrian started packing up his tools.

“By the way, how’s the fortress doing? Leo only gave me a quick overview.”
“Oh, right,” I said, launching into an explanation.

“Valen is currently being escorted to the royal capital, along with a few knights, to face charges for hoarding supplies. The rest of the knights remain here at the fortress.”
“I see. And Leon is in charge of the fortress now?”
“Yes, so far, everything is running smoothly,” I confirmed.

“But aren’t most of the soldiers here under the Second Prince’s influence? You’re aware of that, right?” Adrian’s tone turned serious.
“Yes, Prince Leon explained it to me,” I replied.
“In that case, you can’t let your guard down,” Adrian said, his expression sharpening. His usual playful demeanor was replaced by the logical, analytical gaze of a researcher.

“Honestly, that’s why I rushed here. I figured having another ally on your side wouldn’t hurt,” he added with a wry smile, though his sincerity was evident.

Suddenly, commotion erupted in the hallway.

“I’ll check it out!” I said, grabbing my jacket and heading for the door.

In the corridor, I found a slightly anxious-looking Prince Leon and an alarmed Luke.

“Your Highness, Luke! What’s going on?” I asked.
“Sir Cyril! It’s bad!” Luke exclaimed, his voice trembling.

“The knights… they’re suddenly collapsing!”

“Collapsing?!” I was stunned.

Luke, too, seemed unsteady, his face pale and sweat dripping from his forehead.

“Are you okay?” I asked, placing a hand on his shoulder. His skin was burning hot.

Without hesitation, I lifted Luke onto my back. Though he protested weakly, his body sagged against mine.

His fever radiated through my clothes, a stark reminder of how dire the situation had become.

We hurried to the barracks, where the knights were being treated.

The scene was chaos. Knights lay sprawled out, faces flushed, breathing labored, and moaning in pain.

“What… what is this?” I muttered in shock.

This wasn’t just an illness; something was clearly wrong.

Adrian moved quickly, checking pulses and foreheads.
“They’re burning up!” he exclaimed, darting from one knight to another.

“Is it the same symptoms for everyone? When did this start?” he asked.

A conscious knight, weak but coherent, answered, “After breakfast… it started…”

Luke nodded in agreement. “Me too… after breakfast…”

“Breakfast?” Prince Leon’s brows furrowed.
“What did you eat?”
“Just the usual rations. The fortress soldiers ate the same…”

“But they’re fine,” Leon noted, scanning the unaffected soldiers still at their posts.

“Could the food have been tampered with?” Adrian mused aloud.

As he spoke, a soldier approached from behind, his expression unnervingly calm.

“Pardon me,” the soldier said, bowing slightly.

“Prince Leonhart, a messenger from a neighboring kingdom has arrived.”