“Who do you think you are!”
“Wait, wait, let go of me! Ow, that hurts! Ahhh!”
“Quiet! Honestly, I can’t let my guard down for a moment!”
“Til! Til?!”
~ Ash’s Internal Thoughts ~
Ash was desperate to speak to Tyllian, but Tyllianwas clearly irritated.
“Ash, I just wanted to get some fresh air for my father. He hasn’t been outside once since he went down to the basement, and you know he couldn’t even get some fresh air. Isn’t that right?”
“You’re a fine person. Normally, you would have ordered me to do this, but you’ve managed it all by yourself.”
“Of course! I could have asked for your help, but this is for my father. It only feels right that I do it myself…”
“Enough. Do not call on me again. I’m tired of being used by you.”
Tyllian slammed the door right in front of Ash.
Ash was left in shock.
“Hey! When did I ever use you? You’re the one who’s always telling me what to do!”
There was no response from Tyllian.
Ash began banging on the door, feeling a surge of emotion.
Wasn’t Tyllian supposed to be on his side?
Why was Tyllian guarding the door as if Ash were the one trapped here?
How long had they known each other?
How many years of friendship had they built?
‘Did I really destroy that friendship?’
A cold sweat ran down Ash’s face, and he thought he’d try appealing to Tyllian’s sense of affection.
“Tyllian! Tyll! Please just listen to me! I made a mistake. Don’t leave me here. I’m so lonely. Please talk to me for a moment…”
“Don’t try to cry. I know your tricks too well.”
“What tricks are you talking about? I’m really about to cry. I haven’t seen anyone since I’ve been locked in here. No one will even talk to me. Owen, that jerk, probably wants me to go crazy so he can keep me locked up forever! Do you want to help him? Do you want to see me go mad?”
“Ash, you’re not going to lose your mind. No matter the situation, you’ll make it through, so don’t worry.”
That praise only irritated Ash.
He couldn’t imagine a situation where he’d just give up and say, ‘Oh, my life is ruined.’
‘So sympathy doesn’t work, huh?’
Ash wondered what other methods he could use.
It seemed like Tyllian had no sympathy left for him.
Feeling utterly defeated, Ash started to cry.
When would Tyllian’s shift end?
Once he left, Ash wouldn’t have a chance to speak to him.
He felt like he was going mad with despair.
“You hate me, don’t you? You want me to marry the worst person in the world and stay locked up forever, don’t you?”
Ash slammed the door, but suddenly it swung open.
“…?”
Tyllian stood there, his face twisted with frustration as he looked down at Ash.
“Are you really that foolish? Can’t you use your brain to think of something other than trying to manipulate people? No, I suppose I’m being foolish even to expect that from you.”
“What… What are you talking about?”
“Do you want me to marry someone else? Me?”
Tyllian’s upright and austere appearance had become widely known both inside and outside the castle.
Ash couldn’t understand what was attractive about Tyllian, who always frowned and nagged at him, but now, in this moment, his heart was starting to race.
Tyllian’s agonized expression seemed to awaken something deep inside Ash.
“Just thinking about you marrying someone else makes my blood run cold.”
Tyllian spat out the words, then quickly closed his mouth as if surprised by his own words.
His eyes wavered.
Ash stared at him with a look that said, “What is it? Tell me more.”
But Tyllian seemed unwilling to continue.
He reached for the door again, as if trying to close off his feelings.
At that moment, Ash acted on impulse.
“Why?”
He grabbed onto Tyllian’s pant leg.
Tyllian, now unexpectedly holding Ash by the leg, couldn’t bring himself to shut the door.
He looked down at Ash, who was clinging to his leg, and Ash looked up at him with wide eyes.
“Why? Why does the thought of me marrying someone else make your blood run cold? You weren’t like this when I was in relationships before. You didn’t care at all. Well, no, you did care, but only to nag me about not doing this or that.”
As he spoke, Ash was taken aback.
While Tyllian was often critical, it had always been Ash’s reckless behavior with others that had made Tyllian most upset.
Ash had assumed it was because of his father’s influence, but… maybe there was another reason?
His heart began to race.
“Why? Why did you do that? Do you like me?”
Ash leaned his chin against Tyllian’s thigh and asked, almost pleadingly.
Tyllian’s muscles tensed, his fists clenched, and his brow furrowed.
Ash liked it.
There was nothing more thrilling than seeing someone else desire him.
Ash had always wished for someone to need him, and when he felt like someone wanted something from him, it made him happy.
It felt like confirmation that he was useful, that he wasn’t just a useless omega, but someone who could be loved.
“Let go of me.”
Tyllian tried to push Ash off, grabbing his shoulder
Ash, however, clung to him with all his strength, wrapping his arms tightly around Tyllian’s thigh.
He even rubbed his face against the inside of his thigh.
Though Tyllian hadn’t released any pheromones, Ash could hear him gasp.
Tyllian, dressed lightly as a knight overseeing internal affairs, wore nothing but armor that covered his chest.
Ash could feel the solid muscles underneath the thin cloth, feeling them tense.
“Don’t go. Why won’t you answer me?”
Still clinging to Tyllian, Ash tried to pull himself up.
He almost lost his balance and fell forward.
“Ah!”
“Ash!”
Tyllian leaned forward to catch him, and as a result, both of them ended up on the floor.
Good.
Ash quickly climbed on top of him and wrapped his hands around Tyllian;s neck, holding him firmly.
Tyllian couldn’t push Ash off, no matter how hard he tried.
He could easily remove him if he wanted to, but Ash would get hurt.
Tyllian, as a person who served his master, couldn’t bring himself to hurt Ash.
“Do you like me? Have you always liked me? How much do you like me?”
“Please, Ash…”
Tyllian groaned.
His thick brows furrowed, and his expression twisted.
When the word “please” slipped from his lips, Ash couldn’t believe his ears, but at the same time, he felt a thrilling sensation.
Wasn’t Tyllian begging him?
It was as if Ash had power over him now.
From the very first time they met, Ash had never been able to surpass Tyllian.
As an alpha and omega, their physical differences were clear, from their growth rate to muscle mass, and even in sword fighting, Ash was no match for him.
Even in unarmed combat, the difference was obvious.
But now, Tyllian was on his back, begging him.
“Why?”
Ash asked, looking as though he didn’t understand, before planting a kiss on Tyllian’s jaw.
The sound of the kiss caused Tyllian to widen his eyes in disbelief.
On the surface, it seemed like Tyllian wasn’t disturbed, but his ears were clearly flushed red.
Ash was on the verge of letting out a gasp.
His eyes sparkled.
“Why? Huh?”
Ash tried to kiss Tyllian.
However, Tyllian’s hand gently pushed against his chest.
It wasn’t a forceful push, more of a weak resistance.
But it was still enough to stop Ash from moving forward.
Ash tried to remove the hand, but it didn’t budge.
“Please stop. Do you even know what you’re doing right now?”
Of course, Ash knew.
Wasn’t he just trying to confirm whether Tyllian liked him?
But even at this moment, Tyl liandidn’t cooperate.
Ash felt frustrated.
“Really, you just don’t like me, do you? Fine. Live your life like that. I don’t care if you’re tortured by who I marry. Just ignore it, and you, the great knight, should just follow your future master’s orders like a dog!”
“Do you know how annoying you are?”
Before Ash could even respond to that, Tyllian’s hand, which had been holding his chest, vanished.
Then, Tyllian grabbed the back of Ash’s head and pulled him up, kissing him on the lips.