That was the plan but–
Isn’t his life hellish enough?
Standing at the corner of the building, James watched the servants throw dirty, muddy water on Ren.
The young man, however, didn’t react.
It fueled the other servants’ rage, and someone swung a harsh punch at his stomach. Ren didn’t groan. He looked at them, wondering if he should use his power and...
He shook his head. It would be too dangerous. And this was nothing compared to what the children at the temple used to do.
Unable to watch further, James stepped towards them.
"WHAT’S WRONG WITH ALL OF YOU?!" He shouted, catching them off guard. They hadn’t noticed James heading their way.
"We are just teaching him a lesson," one of them sneered.
James narrowed his eyes, almost speechless. He did intend to make this man’s life a living hell–but not in this manner. This was, even in his opinion, too abusive. Perhaps James also knew that he never truly intended to hurt this man. He wasn’t wrong for what he did. The circumstances were simply not in favor of Cael, or him.
"Who are you to teach him a lesson, huh?!" James growled, stepping forward, leaning into his face, anger evident in his eyes.
"Who are you to meddle in, huh?! You are a traitor, James."
From behind came a familiar voice–Jian. His arms crossed, he approached with a smug face.
Ren stood from the ground, holding onto his stomach.
"Jian? I thought you were more responsible," James sighed. "Don’t tell me..." he paused, tilting his head. "Are you behind this?"
Jian shrugged but the sneer on his face didn’t require an answer to prove James’ words.
"No wonder... Wait until I tell the headmaid about it," James smiled, grabbing Ren by the hand and dragging him behind him.
Ren turned, the glares of his co—workers trailing them from a distance. Then, he looked in front, James’ hair fluttering in the warm breeze under the sunlight.
Once they entered the mansion through the back door, James swatted Ren’s hand away as if he would be infected with a deadly disease.
"Why do you take their beating like an idiot? You murdered Cael, but can’t defend yourself?!"
Ren looked at the floor. He wasn’t himself that night. He didn’t even know who the person he killed was until the next morning. The fear of being exposed bit him under the skin like chiggers.
"What? Cat got your tongue?"
"I... I don’t mean to cause trouble," he paused. "I... I wanted to apologize. I know it won’t bring back your friend to life–"
"My mate," James corrected, anger laced in his voice.
Ren instantly looked up, eyes wide open. His whole body ran cold. A knot formed in his throat and he couldn’t utter another word.
"Yes, for an omega, losing his mate is the worst that can happen," he scoffed, but the pain on his face couldn’t be hidden.
To mate, both partners had to leave a mark on the back of each other’s neck. Some marks were permanent, binding two people for life, while others faded with time as a result of the constant threat of the unknown. It wasn’t uncommon for couples to fall apart after marking, whether from growing sick of one another, falling for someone else, or meeting their fated mate.
Fated mates were rare, appearing only once a century for each secondary gender. If they ever caught the scent of their fated mate’s pheromones—especially alphas—they would be thrown into an instant rut, no matter if they were already bound to another omega–unless they were not humans.
Ren looked around, making sure no one had heard him. He quickly reached for James’s hands, his fingers trembling.
"Y—You shouldn’t say that. What if someone hears you?"
James pulled his hand away, annoyed.
Before Ren could explain, James sighed.
"I get it. You mean to say that only betas are allowed to work here? You might not know but that rule isn’t that old. We, old workers, can be dominant omegas or alphas and still work here. The general truly is too generous for his own good," he laughed. "So generous to let a traitor roam so freely in his mansion."
Ren stared at James as if he spoke another language. As if he understood nothing of what the man before him just said.
"Omegas are allowed to work?..." He muttered to himself.
But how? Surely, they said: The only job an omega could have was–
His stomach knotted, a sour taste creeping up his throat as if he would throw up at any moment. He bent down, facing the wall to not make a mess on James, angering him further.
"What’s wrong with you? Is it because they hit your stomach?" James reached for Ren’s back, slightly patting it.
"I—It is nothing," Ren smiled, rubbing his throat. "I will return to the Young Lord’s study room. He needs some refreshment before his next class."
Slightly limping, he walked through the hallway while James followed.
What happened to him earlier?
He shook his head. He shouldn’t worry about the murder of his lover.
After a few minutes, they stood before Eiran’s study hall. Ren knocked twice, and the door swung open instantly.
The little child embraced Ren in his arms tightly.
"PAPA! You’re late!" he pouted for a moment, but his face beamed with a bright smile in a few seconds.
James looked at Ren, an eyebrow raised, eyes narrowed in confusion,
"... Please do not ask any questions. But it is NOT what you might be thinking."
"Enlighten me," James snorted.
Ren picked Eiran up in his arms, sitting him on the couch. He looked at the table. Mrs. Eden had already brought a tray filled with snacks and a glass of milk for the little boy.
"Mrs. Eden..." Ren glanced at her. "Could you?——"
She shook her head. The matter was too complicated, even for her, although she had been serving the young master since he was merely two days old.
"He is the general’s son."
"The general’s what?! A son?! How could that be?! He never had a proper partner!"
"I am unsure. But he is. I am simply taking care of him. Since he only has one parent, I believe he considers me his other parent."
"I believe he considers you his first parents," Mrs. Eden interrupted.
"How?" James, amused, asked.
"Well..." Mrs. Eden stepped closer to the man, whispering. "He called Ren ’Papa’ even before calling the general ’Dad’."
"No!" Ren instantly cut off James.
Eiran pulled onto Ren’s sleeve, looking up at him, tears in his eyes.
"D—Do you hate me, Papa?"