CHAPTER 13……………………………
The people I thought of to help me gather my pheromones were my parents and Lancelot.
I answered immediately.
“Family.”
His sharp gaze softened a little. I opened my mouth carefully.
“Um… I’m sorry. I caused you trouble, Your Holiness.”
“No. I was the one who chose to help you.”
He shook his head—then suddenly froze.
With an awkward gait, he walked over to the wall, folded his arms, bent slightly, and leaned against it.
His face was completely flushed red.
He said he was fine, but he didn’t look fine at all.
I had to master pheromone containment as soon as possible and take charge of guiding the nobles.
I wanted to help him, since I felt so sorry.
“I’ll practice a lot so I can learn pheromone containment as quickly as possible.”
“You’ll pick it up soon, Sonia… You already… handled it this well on your first try.”
Since it was coming from him, it felt trustworthy.
“Yes, I’ll work hard!”
He fell silent for a moment, then spoke slowly.
“It will be… difficult alone… How about this? I can observe you every day.”
I quickly waved my hands. I was more than grateful for what he’d already taught me.
“I can’t trouble Your Holiness any further. I can practice on my own.”
I had a general idea now.
“I need to get used to it quickly… so I can serve as a confessor priest.”
If I wanted to help Cassius, I had to learn containment fast enough to guide the nobles. Maybe I should ask a little more.
“It’s not much, but I’ll be in your care. Should I come to the Holy Palace every day from now on?”
“I heard you’ve never skipped morning prayer. I’ll join you from tomorrow… so let’s meet in the public prayer room.”
“Yes!”
I answered brightly, but Cassius still looked uncomfortable leaning against the wall.
The sofa wasn’t even far away, yet he couldn’t seem to walk even that distance.
“Should I help you walk?”
“I’m fine. It’s not that I’m sick, just…”
His voice trailed off.
Sonia had gone back, but Cassius still felt a dull ache in his lower body.
Thank goodness his robes were loose—otherwise it would’ve been embarrassing.
Alone, Cassius wiped a hand over his flushed face.
Sonia’s intense pheromone scent made his blood boil.
Especially when he looked at her pale neck—he thought he would lose control.
He wanted to bite the back of her neck right then and there and release his pheromones into her.
“I’ve lost my mind.”
He couldn’t even control such a simple desire.
Meeting her had awakened impulses he thought were long gone.
He’d thought he could suppress them.
But instead of enduring, all he could do was hurry away from her and silently recite prayers in his mind.
“Is it because she’s the first Omega I’ve seen in a long time?”
Maybe that was why her scent felt so overwhelmingly sweet.
Cassius closed his eyes and pressed firmly against his forehead.
He tried to shake it off, but Sonia’s face—smiling brightly as she held Michael—wouldn’t leave his mind.
“It’s just a cat, for heaven’s sake.”
Yet she looked as if she had the whole world simply petting that furball.
Come to think of it, when they first met he’d thought she looked cute cherishing a tiny candy like it was treasure.
If she got that happy over something so small… what kind of expression would she make if he did something bigger for her?
The more he imagined, the more his head filled with her.
He thought his body had cooled down—but it flared hot again.
“You’re insane, Cassius Seirand Magnus.”
He used holy power to fill a cup with cold water.
He gulped it down, but the thirst wouldn’t subside, so he upended the cup over his head.
Water dripped down his jaw and fell.
Even dousing himself didn’t help—the burning in his blood only grew.
It felt as if his body were malfunctioning.
Seeing how hard this was, maybe it truly was a trial sent by the divine.
“If the Lord granted this trial, I must overcome it.”
Meaning he didn’t have to avoid her on purpose.
Rather, he should meet her often and use it as training to control his mind.
Starting tomorrow, he too would train his heart—just as much as Sonia.
Ordained priests usually performed morning prayers in their own rooms.
Apprentice priests without private rooms used the communal prayer room.
High-ranking priests sometimes visited the public prayer room as well, so Cassius coming wasn’t unusual.
However—
“I heard Your Holiness didn’t miss a single morning prayer during your apprenticeship.”
That meant Cassius always woke earlier than everyone else.
He couldn’t keep his subordinate waiting, so he moved earlier than usual, finished preparing, and headed to the prayer room.
The dawn temple was dim.
The air was so chilly that he decided to bring an extra cloak tomorrow to wear over his robes.
He soon arrived at the prayer room in the central temple.
‘She probably isn’t here yet.’
He had come earlier than normal, after all. But when he opened the door, he stopped.
A candle inside was already lit.
Someone had arrived before him.
He quieted his footsteps and entered carefully.
Before the statue, Cassius was praying with his hands clasped.
‘He’s already here. What kind of prayer is he offering?’
He looked so solemn it made her feel reverent, too.
Not wanting to disturb him, she quietly sat beside him, clasped her hands, and closed her eyes.
She had to begin her own prayer for the day.
“Magnus, please watch over me so I may safely become part of the Holy Palace.”
She opened one eye and glanced at Cassius.
He, who had looked calm at first, was now frowning slightly, his clasped hands trembling.
She’d heard that deep prayer could become physically taxing, like intense exercise.
He must be contemplating something grand—far beyond what an apprentice like her could imagine.
She refocused on her own prayer.
“I hope Lancelot develops the pheromone perfume soon.”
The god of Magnus did not respond as usual.
It felt like she’d need to bribe him to get the wish granted.
“I swear this business will do well. When it takes off, I’ll donate a lot!”
Her chest felt warm—warmer than usual. It seemed he approved.
She opened her eyes.
Cassius had already finished praying and was looking at her.
First, she had to greet him.
“I greet Cassius, Servant of the Divine Nation.”
“Yes. Good morning, Sonia.”
“You came early. Do you always pray at this hour?”
“Earlier than usual. I had something to steady my heart over today, so I came early on purpose.”
Cassius looked tired from praying to the god.
Unlike her private wish, he seemed to be offering a solemn, weighty prayer for the greater good.
“I may be lacking, but I’ll help however I can. What should I pray for?”
“…Your intentions are appreciated. But this is a trial the Lord has given me. I must overcome it alone.”
If the god himself gave Cassius a trial, she couldn’t interfere.
It would be strange to try offering a blessing to the holy leader, anyway.
So she decided to focus on her own task: guiding the nobles.
Cassius spoke first.
“Have you practiced containment?”
“Yes. Opening pheromones is easy, but containing them is hard. Should I start by opening them?”
To contain them, she had to release some first.
“That won’t be necessary. I can already feel your pheromone scent.”
So she was still a walking air freshener.
Suddenly Cassius stood up.
Then he walked toward the dark corner that the candles didn’t illuminate.
“I will watch you from here.”
“…Isn’t that too far?”
It was dim and distant—surely he wouldn’t see her well.
“You must observe the whole body during containment training.”
Ah. That’s why he needed distance—to observe properly! How noble of him.
“Thank you for helping me even though you must be busy.”
“Do not open your pheromones. Focus only on containing them. Try it.”
Following his instructions, she focused on containing her pheromones.
She tried for quite a while, but felt no progress.
Quietly watching her, he finally spoke.
“You must practice more. Return at the same time tomorrow.”
Then he left with hurried steps.
‘He must be busy.’
She was grateful he had even spared a moment for her.
Alone, she practiced more.
She thought about her precious family as he had instructed, and also about Michael purring in her arms.
Thinking of happy moments definitely helped containment.
The next day—and the next—Cassius again taught her from a distance, staring intently.
He often frowned slightly, touched his lips, or claimed he felt thirsty and conjured cold water with holy power to drink.
One day, when he was breathing roughly and seemed to struggle, she asked cautiously:
“Are you really okay?”
Maybe he was tired from waking earlier than usual because of her.
“Do not worry. I am also undergoing training.”
He answered that and continued praying to God, struggling through it.
His divine trial must truly have been difficult.
Lmaooooo