TOPWL 20

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know my lover would be so naive.”

“Am I still your lover, Your Grace?”

“I never said I wanted to break up.”

So, we must still be lovers, Khalid seemed to imply. Yudit recalled the Omegas who had been glaring at him earlier, as if they were about to kill him. He already felt the exhaustion creeping in.

“What are you thinking?”

Khalid asked, locking eyes with Yudit. Just as Yudit was about to answer, he suddenly felt his breath tighten. A powerful aura was spreading and seeping into him.

He wanted to run immediately, but his legs felt as if they were trapped in quicksand and couldn’t move.

Struggling, Yudit raised his head and looked at Khalid. Seeing Yudit’s pale face, Khalid smiled lazily. In that moment, the oppressive energy vanished without a trace. As Yudit’s legs lost strength and he almost fell backward, Khalid quickly wrapped his arms around Yudit’s waist, lifting him up. Yudit weakly leaned into him and glared.

“Given that you can fell my aura, it seems you really are an Omega.”

Unlike Alphas and Omegas, Betas can’t smell pheromones. It’s said that particularly sensitive Betas might smell them, but it’s much weaker compared to Alphas and Omegas sensing each other’s pheromones. Yudit realized that Khalid had done this to verify his secondary gender.

He had heard that some Omegas liked this kind of play in bed, but generally, such behavior was considered incredibly rude. Beyond rudeness, using one’s aura to pressure and manipulate an Omega like this was a punishable offense by law. Omegas had a lower social status than Alphas, and such behavior was often overlooked.

Yudit had been subjected to the same treatment by Reginald and Hiore several times before. Khalid, doing the exact same thing, could not possibly appear in a good light. Yudit pushed Khalid away and glared at him venomously. As if still affected, his legs were trembling slightly.

“Just as you dislike lies, I absolutely despise actions like this.”

Yudit knew that he was nothing more than Khalid’s pet or toy. He understood that once Khalid lost interest, he would probably be left to die. But Yudit was not an inanimate object. He was alive, with his own intelligence, likes, and dislikes. Even if he were to die at Khalid’s hands someday, he decided he would speak his mind. It was, in a way, a form of rebellion, like an ant fighting back.

At Yudit’s sharp response, Khalid widened his eyes and stared at him for a moment. Then, he spoke in a low voice.

“…I didn’t know you’d hate it this much. I’m sorry.”

Khalid apologized more readily than Yudit had expected. Having never received an apology after all the torment he had endured, Yudit found Khalid’s apology somewhat surprising. Since he apologized so readily, Yudit couldn’t even get angrier.

“…Alright.”

Somehow, Yudit felt drained. Conversations with Khalid were always like this. It felt like walking in a room with hidden thorns, constantly fearing that he’d be pricked. The tension left him feeling completely exhausted. It would have been better to have a conversation with Selena’s group for two hours. He decided it was time to leave when he suddenly noticed a faint smell of smoke.

“It smells like something’s burning…”

At Yudit’s words, Khalid sniffed the air, but he didn’t seem to sense anything yet. However, Yudit was particularly sensitive to the smell of smoke. A sense of unease washed over him.

“We should go downstairs immediately.”

“Right.”

As he was about to descend to the second floor, he heard a loud thud, and his body lurched forward.

“!…!”

“Be careful.”

Khalid caught Yudit by the waist and said, his grip firm. If he hadn’t caught him, Yudit would have fallen from half a flight of stairs. Yudit, his face pale, managed to speak.

“…Thank you.”

No matter what happened, it seemed like he was going to be alright. Yudit and Khalid ran side by side toward the lobby. As soon as Yudit opened the door, an intense wave of heat poured out. Yudit, startled, shrank back. Khalid raised his hand, pulling Yudit a step back.

His vision flickered white, and hallucinations and sounds started to fill his ears.

“It’s hot, it’s hot. Mom…!”

“It’s alright, Yudit. It’s alright. Mom will be right here.”

Yudit knew how this story ended.

“Yudit, I’m sorry.”

A pillar collapsing on a woman.

“Yudit, you have to survive.”

Yudit reached out toward the hallucinations in front of him.

“…Yudit. Focus!”

At that moment, someone grabbed Yudit with a firm grip. They were shaking him by the shoulder.

“Yudit Friedrich Adanauer!”

At the sharp call, Yudit’s eyes refocused. He took a heavy breath, and, overwhelmed by the acrid smell of smoke, began coughing.

“Cough…”

“Are you awake?”

“…Yes.”

He felt an odd sense of déjà vu. Yudit briefly looked at Khalid.

“Can you walk?”

Yudit, still pale, slowly nodded. Khalid clicked his tongue, noticing that Yudit didn’t look well.

“…Alright.”

“We should leave right now.”

As the view cleared, Yudit saw the chaos in the hall. The area near the fireplace, where the fire had started, was already engulfed in flames, and the rest of the place was in a similar state. Yudit’s breath hitched. That area near the fireplace had been where Selena and Lyett were sitting. The sofa they had been on was now completely charred, unrecognizable. Seeing the remains of the sofa, Yudit’s heart sank.

“Help! Please help!”

“Move aside!”

People were shouting and pushing toward the exit. A man, leading the charge, successfully made it out, cutting through the crowd. If they had maintained some order, it would have been much quicker to escape, but everyone was fighting to go first, making the process even slower.

“Fortunately, the exit is still open.”

Although the fire had consumed the rooms completely, people were desperately holding it back, slowing the spread of the flames. Yudit looked around and saw people pouring water, and then he noticed Selena.

“Selena!”

At Yudit’s shout, Selena turned back, startled. Her eyes widened.

“Your Highness, you’re safe!”

“What happened?”

“Someone threw a cigarette, and it landed on Lady Parma’s dress, starting the fire. It spread so quickly…”

Selena’s voice faltered, and tears began to fall from her eyes.

“Are your friends alright?”

“They’re… they’re fine. They’re helping me.”

Before Selena could finish her words, Lyett and Sonia, both holding buckets of water, ran toward them. They no longer looked as elegant as they had at the table earlier; they were covered in soot and looked exhausted. Yudit rolled up his sleeves and said,

“I’ll help too.”

“It’s alright, Your Highness. You don’t look well. You’ve inhaled a lot of smoke, and it could hurt your lungs. It’s best if you leave quickly.”

“The water in the kitchen is the last we have. There’s nothing more I can do.”

Just then, the heat caused the ceiling’s beams to crack and fall. The pillars that were holding the ceiling up collapsed all at once. One fell in front of the exit, and another in front of Sonia and Lyett. Before he even realized it, Yudit’s body moved instinctively. He dashed forward, pushing them with all his strength.

“Are you alright?”

Lyett, who had confirmed that a burned pillar had fallen where she had been standing moments ago, answered with a pale face.

“Yes, yes. I’m fine.”

“I’m… fine too. Your Highness, are you alright?”

Yudit nodded. The servants rushed over, pouring water on the fire still clinging to the pillar. Lyett, who had inhaled smoke, started coughing violently. Yudit took out a handkerchief, wet it, and handed it to her.

“Cover your nose and mouth with the wet handkerchief and stay as low as possible.”

Lyett and Sonia, who had almost died moments ago, nodded obediently. They each took a handkerchief from their belongings, wet them, and covered their faces. When Yudit turned around, Khalid shrugged his shoulders.

“Focus on yourself.”

Without saying a word, Yudit took out another handkerchief from his pocket. He had prepared an extra one just in case, though he never imagined it would be needed here. After wetting the handkerchief, Yudit folded it and pressed it directly between Khalid’s nose and mouth. He did this because he didn’t think Khalid would take it if he simply offered it.

“Yours is…”

Before Khalid could speak, Selena sharply shouted.

“The exit is blocked…!”