The Villain's End Is Pregnancy - c46
The garden was not very large. It was because the entire palace was built on a small scale, and this garden was created to be tended by a single person.
The problem was that it had been neglected for a long time, overgrown with a thicket of miscellaneous trees, and with the surroundings being dark, it was not easy to find someone.
“Ryan.”
Still, Hendrick felt a bit optimistic. He thought Ryan would quickly reveal himself in response to his call.
If he had been left alone in this place where the sun has set and no one is around, his fear would have grown. But if he heard a familiar voice at such a moment, he might feel reassured and come out.
However, no matter how much he called, the person he was looking for did not show up.
“Could it be…”
At some point, Hendrick stopped walking and cast his gaze toward a certain direction. A humble building beyond the darkened garden.
It was the palace where the king’s former favorite mistress had resided, but after her unexpected accident, no one was allowed to approach the place.
If Ryan had gone inside, it could lead to an even bigger problem. The palace, left unattended for a long time, was dangerous.
Of course, it was not because of evil spirits. There were no such things. It was simply because the place had been devoid of human presence for a long time, so he could encounter wild animals.
“Ryan!”
Raising his voice to call out, Hendrick hurried his steps again.
“Ugh…”
The faint, pitiful sobbing started to be heard just as he was about to cross the boundary between the garden and the abandoned palace.
“Haa…”
The frail, agonizing cries were so small that they would not have been heard if it were not for the deserted space and the late evening.
No, in fact, it was because Hendrick, as a dominant alpha, had a sense of smell several times more developed than others. But he did not think this presence was the “evil spirit” someone had jokingly mentioned.
“Ryan.”
Calling out in a louder voice, he turned his body towards the direction of the sobbing. Still, no response came. Brushing through the overgrown shrubbery and batting away the protruding branches, the first thing that came into his sight was a small foot.
Judging from how much it had wandered, the toes were covered in dirt and leaves. But the owner’s figure itself was hidden among the randomly grown twigs, not revealing itself.
It would let out a pained sound, as if calling him, but now it was curled up tightly, refusing to show itself.
“Ryan.”
The moment he softly called the name, carrying the meaning of urging him to come out safely, a sweet and sour scent wafted from somewhere.
Hendrick, who had been about to approach, abruptly stopped. He looked around in that state. But there was no fruit tree visible nearby.
Was it just his imagination?
No, it was not. The scent of plum still lingered at the tip of his nose. As Hendrick moved his head, his gaze stopped at the bushes around waist height.
“Ryan, are you there?”
As if responding to him, a rustling sound suddenly came from within. Soon, a small black cat approached.
“Meow.”
The cat circled Hendrick’s feet, swaying its long tail, and then tried to return to where it had come from.
Hendrick felt that the cat was guiding him, so he quickly moved. The closer he got, the more the scent intensified, becoming impossible to mistake. But it was not a scent.
“Omega pheromone…”
The sensation enveloping his entire body, not just his sense of smell, was something only a true born could feel. And it was a scent that had never given him comfort before.
After his awakening, the sense Hendrick was most tormented by was his sense of smell. Sweet, sour, spicy, bitter, fishy, savory, salty, and musty – all the smells assaulted him.
The natural scents were tolerable at least. But the pheromones emitted by others of his kind made him feel repulsed even with just a brief whiff.
It did not discriminate between alphas or omegas. Perhaps it was because of the pheromones they had indiscriminately flaunted in front of him since he was young, trying to make their presence known somehow.
“Haa…”
That’s why he felt so strange. His mouth was slightly watering, and he felt a little giddy. This was the first time he had experienced this emotion, so Hendrick didn’t know how to define it.
Behind the cat swishing its tail, the person Hendrick had been searching for was there.
“Ryan.”
The one he had called out to so many times today was Ryan. But this time, too, there was no response coming back.
It would be more accurate to say there could be no response.
“Haa, hah, hah.”
Lying on the ground, Ryan was panting as if waiting for someone to appear. With each exhale, pheromones with a sweet scent emanated from his body.
Overwhelmed by the suddenly rising dizziness, Hendrick tightly clenched his fists. It would be fortunate if it ended with just a pleasant feeling. But the scent that was gradually intensifying was too much for him to handle.
“What, like this… Ugh.”
It wasn’t the first time he had been exposed to pheromones. But this was the first time it was shaking his mind so much. His lower body felt heavy and numb.
Heat flared up all over his body. The urge to bury his nose in the source of that scent and lick it with his tongue immediately arose.
“Mmh, mmh…”
Once he realized it, there was nothing more stimulating than omega pheromones. Hendrick groaned, his expression captivated as he didn’t know what to do.
Cautiously approaching and leaning down, the sweet scent wafted out even more strongly. Faint gasps escaped through the slightly parted lips.
In that moment, he met the moist gaze. Seeing the long, beautifully grown eyelashes fluttering, his heart stirred.
And that wasn’t enough, as the desire to kiss those small, soft lips suddenly surged up.
“Huh!”
Just as Hendrick’s face was being drawn closer, as if being pulled, his eyes widened. Something small had brushed against his foot.
As Hendrick stood up straight and stepped back, the cat in front of him swished its tail as if wondering why he was acting that way.
If that cat hadn’t been there, what would have happened?
Even though he had learned to restrain himself, he was still just a 14-year-old boy.
“Ah, ah…”
Experiencing this for the first time, he didn’t know what to do. He could only tremble, covering his mouth with his palm.
“Meow.”
The cat eventually cried out, as if telling him not to go. But to Hendrick, it was like a signal. In an instant, he turned his body and started walking away quickly.
“Ugh. Ugh. Ugh.”
Desperate breaths escaped his parted lips. Even when undergoing intense training, he had rarely felt this strained, but now his heart was racing more violently than when he ran thirty laps around the open field.
“Your Highness?”
Just as he was leaving the garden, Elena’s voice calling out reached him. Only then did Hendrick realize he had been running for quite a distance.
“What is the matter?”
Seeing the prince appear in an unusually agitated state, Elena’s expression hardened. The faint alpha pheromones permeating the air clearly revealed his unstable emotions.
“I will go in and check.”
Soon, she judged that there must be something threatening the prince’s wellbeing inside.
“Elena, stop!”
But the command that came out before she could take a step forced her to halt. Seeing the look directed at her, Hendrick swallowed a dry gulp.
It was fortunate that it was night. Otherwise, the person in front of him would have immediately known the state Hendrick was in.
Of course, she had seen various sides of him, as she had been guarding him closely since he was young.
Without realizing that his pheromones were erratically rampaging, causing the other to sense his disturbance, Hendrick tried to appear calm as he opened his mouth.
“Bring a tight-lipped beta servant right away. We need someone with good strength to move a person.”
Elena had a curious expression, wanting to ask what was going on. But seeing that the prince didn’t seem inclined to explain, she gave up.
“I cannot leave Your Highness here alone. I will escort you back to the palace.”
She suggested they return together. But the response was a firm refusal.
“No. Someone has to stay and guard this place.”
Elena still had many things she wanted to say, but obediently bowed her head.
“Then, please wait here for a moment. I will be right back.”
Hendrick silently nodded. Only then did the relieved guard take off running into the darkness. Turning his body towards the garden, he couldn’t bring himself to go back to that spot.
Somehow, there was a strong warning that he shouldn’t do that. Or perhaps it was out of fear.
“Your Highness!”
Fortunately, it didn’t take long before Elena returned with a burly servant.
“You wait here, Elena.”
The guard was also an alpha. If Ryan was still in that state, it could be dangerous. Elena stepped back, still looking like she had a lot to say.
Accompanied by the servant, Hendrick gave a warning as they moved.
“From now on, you must forget everything you see.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Tense at the solemn words, the servant was also a little curious. What was the reason the prince had summoned him to this secluded place? The reason soon became clear.
“Carry him. Carefully.”
The unconscious young man was a familiar figure to the servant as well – the youngest of the Fitzroy Count’s family. The arrogant and willful brat.
Just what had happened between the prince and this young master in this place?
The servant, who had been secretly glancing around, now met the gaze of Hendrick, who was glaring at him fiercely like a wild beast.
“Eek!”
“Forget it. Everything that happened today must be erased from your mind.”