* * *
After successfully finishing my first heat, I spent the next few days bedridden.
My entire body, especially my lower half, was in such pain that the heavy ache felt as if my internal organs were bruised.
Perhaps because of that, I had a high fever, muscle aches, and even wounds from being bitten…
If a stranger had seen me, they would have thought I’d had sex with some kind of beast.
To think that a Dominant Alpha’s single rut could leave a body this tattered.
I was already afraid of whether I could endure the next one.
Furthermore, to think that I, as an Omega, would be so drawn to an Alpha’s pheromones that a heat would be triggered.
That’s probably why I clung to him even more, right?
Phew…
Still, I should look at the heat as a good thing.
They say that because I was in heat, I was able to endure it to this extent.
If I had taken Joo Minhyuk in his rut state without being in heat myself—ugh, just thinking about that heavy, pulling sensation makes me shudder.
Whether it was because the medicine was good or because Joo Minhyuk visited frequently to pour out his pheromones, my recovery was faster than expected.
I don’t know the principle behind it, but smelling his pheromones stabilized me instantly and accelerated my body’s healing.
By what logic does this kind of treatment work?
Is it only possible because we are a married couple who mixed bodies?
I don’t think just receiving any Alpha’s pheromones would make one’s body feel this much better.
The world of Alphas and Omegas is truly fascinating, and it seems there is much to learn.
At any rate, feeling my body unexpectedly lightened, I got out of bed and did some light stretching.
However, Joo Minhyuk, who had already visited at lunch, showed up again now at 4 PM.
He came so often while I was sick that the threshold of the palace door was practically worn down.
“Is it already okay for you to move your body like that?”
“Your Majesty, you said that earlier too. It’s already been four days. I’ve gotten much better.”
“To what extent has that ‘much’ improved?”
Joo Minhyuk smiled and sat on the edge of the bed to examine me.
His face was so composed that the memory of him looking at me with lustful, bloodshot eyes felt like a dream.
He looked so virtuous, as if such moments had never existed.
Who could imagine that such a clean and refined man would show such a side?
Well, the same goes for me.
It’s okay.
It was a heat… Hmm.
Anyway, I felt a strange sense of thrill from knowing a side of him that only I knew.
“Since there’s no answer, I’ll have to check for myself. The muscle pain is one thing, but I should check if the wounds on the lower part where my ‘item’ entered have improved…”
“Ack! What are you doing!”
Startled by Joo Minhyuk’s sly attempt to lift the blanket and check below, I slapped him on the shoulder.
Is he seriously crazy?
Why is he acting like such a dirty old man?
I shot him a glare and stood up, and Joo Minhyuk stood up with me, moving close to my side.
“…Seriously, why are you sticking so close?”
“So I can catch you immediately if you collapse.”
“I’m this healthy, so who on earth would collapse?”
Exhausting, truly exhausting.
Despite my words about being healthy, Joo Minhyuk shook his head and remained stubborn.
From what I heard, after the heat ended, I had lost consciousness while bleeding.
Since Joo Minhyuk’s penis—swollen in preparation for knotting—had been stirring and going in and out, it would have been weirder if I hadn’t bled.
I heard there was blood, but it couldn’t have been that much.
It probably just looked more dramatic mixed with my fluids and semen, but Joo Minhyuk was checking on me to an excessive degree.
Though, thanks to that, I recovered this quickly.
“Your Majesty. I really recovered fast. In the past, I stayed in bed for five days after my grandfather hit me on the back a few times, so compared to that, this recovery speed is ridiculous, right? I’m up four days after such a huge event.”
“…How hard did the Prime Minister hit you for you to be bedridden for days? Is he insane?”
As soon as my grandfather was mentioned, Joo Minhyuk’s voice changed terrifyingly.
Ah, did I say that for nothing?
I peeked at his face and saw a cold, sharp anger.
I only mentioned it because I knew he was aware of my grandfather’s abuse, but I flinched at the sharper-than-expected reaction.
I shouldn’t bring up my grandfather anymore.
“My grandfather is an Alpha, so he’s strong. If he hits without holding back, there’s some impact. Back then, my back would be bruised, and the bruising and muscle pain were as bad as if I’d been in a car accident.”
“Just how much did he hit a person who has nowhere left to be hit…”
Ah, I should have stopped talking.
From now on, I shouldn’t mention my grandfather or being hit at all.
He looks very displeased.
I had forgotten that he doesn’t like hearing about my grandfather since we’ve become closer lately.
Still, it didn’t feel bad because it seemed Joo Minhyuk was worried about me.
By the way, it’s been a long time since I saw my grandfather.
I wonder what he’s up to.
It’s so quiet that it’s almost making me anxious.
“I am by your side now, so you won’t be hit by anyone in the future.”
“Yes. Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty.”
When I gave a sheepish grin, a faint smile appeared on Joo Minhyuk’s face.
Leading me to the sofa, Joo Minhyuk revealed the reason he came at this hour.
As he began to speak, his face darkened.
“I came to inform you about the disciplinary action for bodyguard Kang Hyunwook.”
“Disciplinary action?”
I stopped halfway through sitting on the sofa and stood awkwardly to ask him back.
Disciplinary action…
I thought he might get a warning for failing to stop Han Heeseong when he entered the palace.
But I didn’t know he would be formally disciplined.
“Bodyguard Kang Hyunwook failed to fulfill his responsibility for the task he was given. He has no field experience or career history, but I made a mistake in hiring him because I trusted him as Dae-ho’s son. I hired him to watch over him because he was famous for his skills at the academy, but I was too complacent.
Hiring him was an absolute misjudgment on my part.
I didn’t realize that lacking field experience would be this fatal.”
“Everyone lacks experience at first. That’s how one learns. Since Your Majesty trusted and hired him, if you give him just one more chance…”
“What chance. If the person who rushed in hadn’t been Han Heeseong but a terrorist, or if Han Heeseong had rushed in with a weapon, what would have happened? Forget a chance, it would have been at least the death penalty. A personal bodyguard must never make that one mistake.”
“Ah…”
I was speechless at Joo Minhyuk’s firm words.
Right.
I’m only defending him because he’s my friend, but objectively speaking, this is Hyunwook’s fault for completely failing at security.
“I intended to let him work under the team leader, but I didn’t know the Grand Royal Concubine would choose him for personal security. Kang Hyunwook should have used any means necessary to pull Han Heeseong away from the Palace Master. No, he should have prevented any approach in the first place. Han Heeseong, who dared to hug and touch the body of the Palace Master and utter impious words, will also not escape punishment.”
I remember that face saying he wanted to see me.
Why did Han Heeseong approach so recklessly?
I was very surprised by the sudden ambush, but I want to hear the reason.
He has no reason to act like that toward me.
Furthermore, Han Heeseong was the person meant to be Minhyuk’s Empress.
The true Omega chosen by Joo Minhyuk.
But I’ve been feeling this for a while—something is way too strange.
The flow of the story is proceeding oddly.
The things I know aren’t happening, and everything is progressing anew, so I can’t get a feel for future events.
The relationship between the Imperial Family, me, and my grandfather; the appearance of Han Heeseong and the random situation of that Omega approaching me; and even Joo Minhyuk’s emotional line.
This is a completely different background from the world of the novel I read.
Something must have changed since I came here.
Then the conclusion of the story might also unfold in a completely different direction.
Is it because this is now my life?
Does it mean the story proceeds according to my will and the choices I make?
This is driving me crazy. It’s so confusing.
“Even if the Grand Royal Concubine uses his brain like that, Kang Hyunwook’s disciplinary action is finalized. So don’t think about helping him.”
“Huh? No! I wasn’t thinking that…”
“Anyway, Kang Hyunwook failed in his security duty, so he will be held accountable. Otherwise, the discipline of the palace will be disrupted. You could have died from that one mistake you mentioned. Calculating every possible scenario is the duty of security.”
He seems to have mistaken my deep thought for looking for a way to help Hyunwook.
But since there was nothing wrong in Joo Minhyuk’s words just now, I nodded slowly.
I wanted to ask what the disciplinary action would be—if it was criminal punishment—but the words wouldn’t come out.
“And there is something I really want to ask.”
I, who had been looking down and pouting, raised my head at Joo Minhyuk’s voice.
Joo Minhyuk’s face as he looked down at me was serious, without a hint of a smile.
What is he going to ask? He unclasped his hands from his knees and slowly began to touch my cheek.
My cheek turned red where Joo Minhyuk’s hand touched.
I don’t know why my heart is racing just from him touching my cheek when we spent days doing all sorts of erotic things.
Did I grow attached because we mixed bodies…
“But how do you know Han Heeseong?”
“…What?”
A soft voice that matched his warm touch gently hit my ears.
At that one tender question, my racing heart and my burning red face stopped cold.
My heart sank with a thud.
As I slowly met his eyes in panic, Joo Minhyuk showed a bright smile.
“I asked how the Grand Royal Concubine knows Han Heeseong. I never introduced that crazy bastard to you, did I?”
The movement of his hand stroking my cheek became a bit stronger, as if pressing for an answer.
* * *
