The Villain's End Is Pregnancy - c41
That day, Ryan hid under the forbidden garden tree until sunset. He didn’t know who discovered him.
All he remembered was that he suffered and groaned in a strange place. And that it was the pain he had to endure in order to manifest as an omega.
At times he could faintly feel a hand stroking his head or a worried gaze looking at him, but he didn’t know exactly who it was.
“Catherine and Mother visited several times, so it must have been the two of them.”
But among the hands that caressed him, he seemed to feel the warmth of another person too. Anyway, what’s important now is that the gang who gave him a hard time that day is right in front of his eyes.
At that time, due to the suddenly started heat cycle, he couldn’t take revenge right away. He didn’t have the mind to do so either.
Later, when he thought he couldn’t let it go just like that, he did give them a little trouble, but…
Well, that’s not important now.
‘What should I do?’
They were definitely the ones who mentioned Derek and Hydrian extract together earlier. The problem is that even if he goes and asks what they talked about, he won’t be able to get the answer he wants.
‘For now, let’s think about it while staying out of sight.’
Since a method didn’t come to mind right away, that seemed best. Ryan slowly looked around. Perhaps because Liam spread a lot of invitations, there were quite a few people in the courtyard.
Should he consider it fortunate that he doesn’t know a single face among them?
‘That spot would be good.’
After looking around here and there, Ryan found the most suitable spot and walked towards it. It’s a place connected to the corridor on the opposite side of the entrance, and judging by the sight of only servants and maids coming and going there, it didn’t seem like a place the nobles would be interested in.
There were also plenty of stacked luggage blocking the view while providing a good vantage point to observe the surroundings.
As he walked towards the direction he had in mind, Ryan also diligently picked up food.
“It tastes good.”
Fresh fruits, fluffy bread, savory cookies, and chewy cookies. The servants glanced at the cute young master who was putting them in his mouth one by one while looking around, but the person himself didn’t notice.
How much time passed by?
“Thank you all for accepting my invitation!”
The inside became noisy, and then a familiar voice was heard from among the people.
“I have prepared a fun event, so please enjoy it to your heart’s content.”
Ryan saw Liam standing among the crowd with a bright expression.
‘He looks even more greasy than usual today.’
From his body that seemed to have become more bouncy than before, to his slightly slanted eyes, to his fluffy brown hair.
On top of that, he was wearing clothes with glamorous patterns in gold leaf, making him stand out even more.
‘It’s none of my business.’
Even so, the reason Ryan couldn’t take his attention away was because of what he had heard a little while ago. Hendrick said he would come.
‘I wonder if he stopped by our house.’
For a moment, Ryan bit his lip at the thought that came to his mind. If it’s Hendrick, there’s a high probability he would do that since Ryan had asked him to come.
‘I should have told him beforehand.’
Why didn’t he consider that?
‘No, seeing how Hendrick had his attendant contact him in advance, maybe he intended to come here directly?’
Yeah, that seems right. They had even said they wouldn’t see each other for a while before parting, so he wouldn’t have expected Ryan to wait and come here.
‘Anyway.’
Ryan decided to quietly hold his breath and watch the situation, just like now. Then, he saw a servant hurriedly running from the entrance.
Liam listened to the servant’s whisper and immediately brightened his expression before turning around. A little while after he disappeared, people began to react intensely.
“Oh, it’s the prince.”
“Prince Hendrick has really come.”
“I heard the two of them were quite close, and it seems to be true. Seeing how he personally visited from so far away.”
It wasn’t difficult to predict the situation even from the excited chattering. And Ryan saw Hendrick, who, in contrast to Liam’s round figure, had a tall and fit physique and dazzling looks that instantly captured the eyes.
‘Now that’s the aura of a protagonist.’
Standing among various characters, he realizes it once again. How special that prince is. Rather, even Liam, the main character of today’s party, seemed like a supporting role in comparison.
That could be sufficiently felt through the reactions of those flocking around them.
‘It’s just like at the coming-of-age ceremony.’
A bitter smile hung on Ryan’s lips. Come to think of it, the situation was exactly like this back then too. With Hendrick’s appearance, the atmosphere instantly changed to revolve around him, and Ryan watched from a distance.
At that time, he recalled his fresh crush that he had cherished for 8 years, and longed for Hendrick who didn’t look at him and might go to another omega.
‘What on earth possessed me, why did I do that?’
Just after hearing a single rumor… With what mind did he do that? When he thinks about it again, it seems he was under some kind of spell back then.
No matter how much he stalked Hendrick, he kept a reasonable distance, but at that time, he was a bit strange.
‘It’s not like it was the first or second time I heard rumors about Hendrick being involved with someone else…’
Well, it’s not entirely incomprehensible either. He was in a state where he was dreaming of a rosy future with Hendrick now that he had become an adult, and then he heard those words.
“Your Highness, please say a few words.”
Liam asked the prince who had just arrived, unable to hide his joy. However, Hendrick refused, shaking his head.
“You’re the main character, so it wouldn’t be right for me to interfere.”
“Not at all. Rather, it would be an honor!”
His tail wagging fiercely was almost visible. Ryan clicked his tongue inwardly. Hendrick, who doesn’t change his expression even at such blatant flattery, seems amazing.
It’s not that he doesn’t know why Liam is acting like that. He is a beta, but his younger sibling is an omega. So he wants to have his sibling in Hendrick’s arms.
Of course, that was not only Liam’s long-cherished wish, but also that of the Seiden family.
‘Ah… When did I eat it all?’
He was sure he had piled the plate full. Ryan’s gaze lowered. The food that had been stacked high had disappeared like snow on a spring day.
‘I think I’ve been eating a bit more these days.’
It’s not even the change of seasons, is he trying to gain weight? Rubbing his stomach with his palm, he assessed the situation. The area near the food table was even more deserted than before.
It seemed everyone was preoccupied with trying to win Hendrick’s favor. But he was reluctant to step out rashly.
‘Why does he keep looking around?’
It was because Hendrick was glancing here and there. At first, he thought it was because of the random words he was hearing.
But after observing closely, he realized it wasn’t simply to make eye contact and converse with the people around him.
‘Could it be… he’s looking for me…’
That shouldn’t be the case. It won’t be. Even as he tried to deny it, suspicion crept up. Perhaps he should have just left earlier after all.
Anyway, there’s no point in lingering here since it would be difficult to figure out what they talked about.
It was too late for regrets, but for now, it seemed distant to escape. The entrance was on the opposite side, and to get there, he would have to pass by Hendrick.
‘No, there is another way.’
Ryan’s gaze turned to the servants. Unlike the nobles enjoying the party, they were busy carrying food, cleaning the floor, and arranging the tables.
The place they were bringing things from was probably the kitchen or a separate space prepared in the back.
‘Maybe I can pretend I entered the wrong way and go to the kitchen to eat something.’
The moment he made up his mind and was about to get up from his seat, his eyes met squarely with Hendrick who was looking this way.
“Gasp!”
Startled, Ryan quickly hid his face with the plate. Even if he does that, it’s useless since he’s not properly hidden, but he knows that.
“Huh? Your Highness?”
Liam’s puzzled voice was heard. Instinct was telling him. Don’t stay still and move right away. To follow that, he swiftly turned his body.
He seemed to feel someone chasing after him from behind, but he tried his best to ignore it.
“Noble sir, you must not enter this way.”
The servant who ran into Ryan had a flustered expression. Then, upon discovering the person who appeared behind, he was greatly shocked and quickly prostrated on the floor. Ryan, who had already passed by him, did not see this.
‘Where should I go?’
As he diligently walked down the corridor, Ryan looked for a place to hide. Fortunately, Hendrick pretended not to know him, but he still couldn’t stay in that spot.
Then, what caught Ryan’s eyes was a servant hastily fixing his disheveled clothes and darting out.
‘There!’
Ryan quickly walked over and flung open the door. Inside, the storage closet had clothes messily strewn about, and the clothes hangers installed up to the ceiling were cluttered with things hung haphazardly.
But a place like this would be suitable for hiding. The moment he tried to hurry inside…
“Ryan.”
Along with a quiet call, his shoulder was grabbed.