Chapter 32
Even though she couldn’t quite grasp what was going on, Edith stepped forward and intervened.
“Your Highness, I’m sorry, but meeting a friend is also an important part of my personal life. I’ll speak with him briefly and return.”
What kind of relationship do those two have? She couldn’t tell whether they were close or hostile.
“Don’t be too long, Edith.”
Reluctantly granting permission, Clyde left with only his other attendants.
Adrian took hold of her sleeve and led her toward an empty balcony. In a palace that revolved entirely around the crown prince, no one lingered in the corridor outside the reception room once the audience had ended.
As the cool evening air brushed against him, Adrian drew in a deep breath, lifting his chest.
He touched the knot tying his hair back, trying to organize his thoughts. When the silky strands refused to settle, he gave up and loosened the tie instead. His hand swept slowly from the crown of his head downward, as though releasing tension that had built up, and he looked visibly relieved.
“Arty, was it hard being called aside by His Highness?”
The blue eyes that had been turned toward the darkening garden slowly lowered to Edith.
Even with exhaustion on his face, Adrian was dazzling. He’d looked fresh and bright in the morning, but now, late in the day, he felt softer somehow. His faintly trembling shoulders leaned toward her.
The two of them sat on the railing, their hands crossing and overlapping.
“You’ve had it harder than I have.”
Adrian took her hand and wrapped it in both of his. The slight curve of his eyes was subtly suggestive. At this late hour, he was especially captivating—almost as if he were silently urging her to come closer.
“Edith, I wanted to grow closer to you slowly, but we never seem to get the chance.”
“We’ve both been busy. It can’t be helped.”
“I don’t know why everything keeps getting so complicated. All I want is to be like this with you.”
As he softly voiced his grievance, Edith’s cheek was drawn close to his lips.
Like a fairy descending in a storybook, he slowly lowered his head. His pale lips were slightly parted.
The flowing violet hair stopped just short of brushing her—close enough that if she tilted her head even a little, it would touch. Adrian fixed his clear gaze on her, waiting for her to move closer.
All it would take was a single blink, or a faint squeeze of the hand he was holding, and he would likely take it as permission.
“I want to get close to you, Edith.”
The gentle smile that spread across his face was dazzling. Seduction clung heavily to the curve of his lips, making it hard for her to look away.
“Adrian, we’re not that kind of relationship.”
Turning her head away without drawing close to his lovely lips required almost superhuman restraint.
He didn’t let go of her hand.
“That kind of relationship…”
His words trailed off, disappointment clearly visible on his face.
“I’ve never drawn a clear line or defined what we are.”
Pushing away someone this beautiful, when he was actively approaching her, weighed heavily on her heart as well.
It wasn’t as though she didn’t want to build a good relationship with someone. Of course she wanted to meet someone handsome and wonderful and share intense moments together. But Adrian was overwhelming. His title as the most popular man in high society—and the countless gazes that followed him—made her uncomfortable.
And above all, Adrian was the original novel’s main suitor.
Edith still couldn’t be certain whether the day the Empire would fall was truly unavoidable.
If the romantic line changed, there might be no one left to prevent the coming bloodshed. The role Adrian was meant to play might not be replaceable. Perhaps Edith herself—or perhaps another omega—would fail where Adrian was supposed to succeed.
If all these anxieties and dangers disappeared, would she want to hold Adrian in her arms?
Well… maybe she could broaden her perspective.
After all, his beauty alone made hearts race automatically.
Even after words that might reasonably have hurt him, Adrian remained gentle.
“Edith, I heard you took an aptitude test.”
Instead of releasing her chin, he intertwined their fingers more tightly.
“Did His Highness tell you that too? I thought you were having some important confidential talk—why bring me up…?”
“He called me because of you.”
She lifted her eyes, puzzled.
“I was worried His Highness might explain things to you in a different way. That’s why, after meeting him alone, I immediately asked for time to speak with you.”
“What is it about?”
Adrian easily showed his relaxed side in front of Edith. Just like before, he treated her comfortably.
He undid one of the buttons at his throat and lightly traced the line of his neck.
“I heard even outside the palace that you’re being entrusted with important responsibilities. It seems there are nobles starting to keep you in check.”
“Well, my opinion papers are pretty blunt.”
What frightened her more was how readily Clyde put those papers to use.
Edith spent nearly twenty-four hours a day with him, leaving her little time to feel outside pressure. But the nobles attending the state council certainly had reason to dislike a servant so close to the crown prince.
If it had reached Adrian’s ears already, then the atmosphere must have been shifting for some time now. What if she got assassinated while walking around somewhere?
“Don’t tell me people see me as His Highness’s right hand or something?”
“That’s exactly how they see you.”
“But I’m just an attending servant. I haven’t even been appointed for that long.”
“His Highness said you lack a sense of danger—and he was right.”
Adrian examined her with a sorrowful gaze. Please don’t lean in so close. You’re shining too brightly—it makes my heart race.
“You’ve always been like this. Extremely smart, top of the class, but careless in the strangest ways.”
“Me?”
“You lost your lecture notes more times than I can count. Misplacing writing tools was practically routine.”
“How would you even know that…?”
She’d lived campus life far away from Adrian—so when had he seen her constantly dropping things? She’d noticed barely half of his attempts to talk to her, so perhaps they hadn’t been as distant as she remembered.
Looking back with wistful eyes, he seemed as pure as an iris flower. The hand he held and the brush of their shoulders were both thrilling and burdensome.
“I often had other friends return the things you left behind. I thought you might dislike it if I stepped in myself.”
“Really? It’s late, but… thank you.”
“I even still have one of your notebooks.”
“What? No—why?”
“It was early in the semester. I picked it up and kept wondering when I should return it. But you realized you’d lost it first. And do you know what you did then?”
“……”
She remembered now. Anticipating his next words, her embarrassed face flushed.
“That’s right, Edith. You rewrote everything into a new notebook—pages and pages, all from memory. And it wasn’t even an easy subject.”
“I am pretty scatterbrained. Hearing it now is embarrassing.”
“Embarrassing? That human side of you was exactly what made the perfect top student Edith stand out.”
“You’re praising me too much.”
“No, I mean it. That’s why hardly anyone envied you. Instead, people just wanted to look out for you.”
Her tense hand began to sweat. Not wanting him to notice, Edith subtly twisted her wrist. Adrian, now empty-handed, let his sleeve fall against his thigh.
He cast a distant gaze beyond the garden.
For some reason, it was hard to stand up and leave. Maybe it was because she was only now realizing kindness she’d never known before. Hearing memories Adrian alone had carried for years felt strangely bittersweet.
“Edith, it’s the same now. You need someone to support your exceptional talent.”
“There are plenty of people in the palace. Even servants for minor tasks.”
“But you’re serving the crown prince. You’re not meant to support others—you’re meant to lead, and receive support in return. That’s when you truly shine.”
“I appreciate what you’re saying, but that’s not really something I can decide on my own…”
Though she gently denied it, his words struck a nerve.
Even her recent work was like that. If Clyde hadn’t stood firmly by his desk and taken her papers from her, she would’ve lost or misplaced even those.
Clyde usually handled the organization of the private study. Edith couldn’t even keep her own desk tidy, and every time the files collapsed into chaos, he organized them for her. He never scolded her for it, but the reality remained.
What Adrian said next was unexpected.
“Edith, if you’re going to truly serve as the crown prince’s right hand, you need to steel yourself.”
“That sounds scary.”
“It can’t be helped. His Highness intends to use you very actively.”
“Mm…”
“You’ll start facing outside pressure, and there may even be physical danger. That’s why I want to help. I told His Highness that I would support you.”
Brushing his hair back, Adrian chose his words carefully. His low voice flowed clear and soft, like music.
“I hope you don’t misunderstand. For the time being, I’ll be… His Highness’s lover.”
“Lover?”
“It’s a diversion strategy. It won’t be a truly deep relationship.”
Edith felt flustered. She didn’t know how to take his proposal.
And if things continued this way, it would look as though Adrian and Clyde were becoming involved—closer to the original story.
Could they end up growing attached and eventually marrying? It wasn’t impossible. But the process was nothing like what she’d read.
Perhaps the meeting she’d forced two years early had thrown everything off.
Thinking it over, the biggest distortion might have been herself. The novel never once mentioned Adrian being interested in Edith during their academy days.
“Adrian, you growing close to His Highness is something I can sincerely congratulate. But using me as a pretext feels wrong.”
“You don’t need to feel bad. This is serious. Even if you stay a beta, people will try to keep you in check—but if you become an omega, you’ll be attacked relentlessly.”
She couldn’t immediately respond. Given the current political climate, his reasoning made a lot of sense.
“You’re working in His Highness’s private study, right? An office where it’s just the two of you?”
“That’s because His Highness insisted.”
“If he demanded it so strongly, the rumors will only grow louder.”
With that strange title of ‘attending servant,’ and having only just started, things might still be quiet—but only for now.
An omega servant living in a private annex next to the crown prince’s bedroom. For nobles desperate to find fault with him, it was the perfect target.
