By Zephyria 
“What’s that all of a sudden…!”
Carlisle wasn’t the only one hiding his identity. I was also hiding my identity, wasn’t I? Even changing my appearance.
“Never mind, hurry! Just your outer clothes, quickly!”
Carlisle’s coat was small, but it was still wearable. I was worried that it wouldn’t fit at all, but thankfully it did. It seemed that he had a large frame compared to his height, and I was originally a skinny type without much flesh.
While continuing to watch the movements on the side we had run from, I hurriedly changed into his pants. Then, I took off the ring I always wore when I came to see Carlisle.
“……!”
Carlisle’s eyes, which had been watching my actions without knowing why, widened as much as possible.
“You, you, your appearance…!”
“This is not the time to worry about that. Put this on first. It’s not too late to explain after we survive.”
Carlisle seemed quite shocked, but who cares. I was more surprised. Me!
“Think of the appearance of someone else, anyone, other than Young Master. Then Young Master will appear to others in that form. Oh, not someone from the Graham family. Got it?”
“Ah, I understand.”
Carlisle, who seemed dazed, nodded immediately and closed his eyes tightly once and opened them. Then, did it work? he asked. But for some reason, this artifact had never worked for me… I don’t know. He’s young, but he’s not stupid, so it must have worked properly. Nicole did it in one go. I nodded vaguely.
“From now on, I’m a noble, and Young Master is my servant. Got it? No, did you understand?”
“…Yes.”
“Whoever comes, we’re people who have nothing to do with Graham. I’m just a visitor from out of town who came to see the Cliff of Lamentation, and you’re my servant.”
Carlisle nodded solemnly. I also continued to calm my anxious heart.
Nicole is fine, the Crown Prince’s knights are there. The Grand Duke is strong as well, so as soon as his nature settles, he’ll come to rescue Carlisle, tracking down the assassins. It’s okay, it’s okay. We just need to get through this crisis. It’s okay, Noah. Don’t be nervous. Everything will be alright.
Right then, perfectly timed. Rustling sounds began to emerge from beyond the dense thicket.
“Who’s there!”
I shouted as sternly as I could, trying to sound calm.
“…….”
“…….”
Carlisle and I held our breath, staring into the bushes. After a moment of silence, a middle-aged man with an ordinary appearance slowly emerged from the thicket. He was dressed in humble clothes, like a mountain herbalist, with a basket in one hand and a hoe in the other. I wish he were really an herbalist, but that couldn’t be. There’s no way an herbalist would reveal himself knowing there’s a noble in front of him.
Pretending to know nothing, I lifted my chin as if I were aloof and opened my mouth.
“What is it? How dare a mere commoner disturb my contemplation?”
Cold sweat trickled down my ears. I pretended to support my chin with my hand, naturally wiping away the sweat, and glared fiercely. Who knew that my naturally mean-looking face would be so helpful? Anyone looking at me now would see a nasty noble brat.
The man, who looked like an herbalist, flinched at my rebuke and immediately bowed his head. But even as his head lowered, his gaze intently scrutinized me. Without being told to rise, the man raised his head on his own and grinned with a simple-hearted expression.
“Oh, my. I’m terribly sorry, sir. It seems the beast I was chasing came this way.”
“How dare you rise before being told to? Honestly, there’s nothing I like about this backwater. Even the commoners are so presumptuous.”
I grumbled openly, wanting them to know I was a stranger. The man nodded and continued to speak with a nonchalant expression.
“You don’t seem to be from around here.”
“Why would you need to know that? Hmph, I should never have set foot in the North. I should just return to the capital as soon as possible…”
“Ah…”
The meaning behind the man’s exclamation was unclear. The man’s gaze shifted from me to Carlisle standing next to me. There was nothing unusual in the man’s eyes. Black hair and gray eyes were the symbols of Graham’s direct line, so if he had recognized it, he would have taken some action immediately, but he was so quiet. It seemed the artifact was doing its job.
“I’m sorry for the disturbance, young master. May I ask just one last thing?”
“What is it? If you have something to ask, ask quickly and get lost.”
Good. It’s almost over. After I send them away, I just need to hold out until Grand Duke Graham finds us, then…
“Is it fashionable in the capital for the master to wear shabby shoes while the servant wears expensive ones?”
“……!”
“What a waste. It seems you used your head quite well.”
The man still smiled innocently. Then, black-masked men, hidden in the shadows of the bushes, appeared densely and blocked Carlisle’s path.
“Tie up this one first. It seems this one is the precious Young Duke.”
“Yes!”
“Indeed, it’s Graham. It seems he has made a way to protect his immature heir. Or is it not?”
“……Ugh!”
The man threw down the items he was holding and drew a long sword, quickly approaching me. Then, he grabbed my hair roughly. I faintly sensed Alpha Pheromone at the tip of my nose. He’s a noble. It seemed he was not just an assassin hired for a job, but the very person leading the men and invading Graham.
“Your Excellency, what shall we do? Shall we dispose of him immediately?”
Carlisle’s knees were helplessly on the ground, his mouth gagged. Ugh, ugh! An unintelligible scream echoed within the boy’s mouth. Each time, the men wearing masks and restraining Carlisle’s body did not hide their low-quality laughter.
“No. That won’t do. I’ll deal with him directly in front of that arrogant Grand Duke. If I threaten him with the life of his last remaining son, what can he possibly do? Anyway…”
There’s an old saying that there’s always a way out, even when the sky falls, but… I knew it well. When the sky falls, there’s no way out. It just collapses.
“What an unexpected harvest. To think there was such a beauty hidden in the Ducal Palace.”
The man, still holding my hair, shook his hand slowly, as if teasing me. At the same time, he subtly released Pheromone. The intention of the Pheromone was obvious. He was testing whether I was an Omega or not. Usually, in the face of such blatant Alpha Pheromone, the Omega’s Pheromone would inevitably falter. Damn it, damn it, damn it… The Pheromone, which felt like it was licking my whole body, made me feel disgusted again.
“Hoo, it seems you’re not an Omega? But it doesn’t matter. With a face like this, even a Beta would be worth bedding.”
“Ugh! Ugh!”
I, who was having my hair grabbed, was quiet, but Carlisle, with his mouth blocked, was making a fuss.
“…….”
As I stared at his tearful eyes, which still looked gray to me, my heart was filled with indescribably complex emotions.
For some reason… If the incident that was originally supposed to happen three years later suddenly occurred, the only cause was me. Nothing else had changed except for my actions.
He said he was sorry to me, but I was just as sorry. If I hadn’t caused the change, Carlisle wouldn’t have had to suffer such humiliation.
“Young Master.”
“Ugh!”
“I’m sorry too, for making you go through this.”
“Ugh, ugh!”
I quickly lowered my head into the man’s arms. He must have been only paying attention to me running away, because his posture faltered for a moment.
“Where do you think you’re going…! Can’t you stay still? If you just stayed still, I would have cherished you!”
He reflexively brought the long sword he was holding closer to me. That’s what I wanted. I scoffed once and pulled my neck closer to the blade, which was now much closer than before.
Swish.
The well-sharpened blade cut through my hair in an instant.
“This bastard, I’ve been patient enough…”
The angry hand reached out to grab my collar, but I was a little faster. I only took one step back, and my body leaned back. All I could see was the sky of the Ducal territory, filled with clouds.
“Ugh!”
With Carlisle’s desperate scream as the last thing I heard, I tightly closed my eyes. I couldn’t die even if I wanted to, but at least I didn’t want to entrust my end to such thugs.
Whoosh.
The wind, sharpened like a blade, lashed across my entire body. The same was true for the branches that barely sprouted from the cliff’s edge.
Even if there was a slight chance of survival, it would be right to try to grab anything I could, but at least in this case, that didn’t apply.
Above all, I was definitely throwing myself to my death in order to die for sure, whether my head was smashed or my insides were crushed, and to return to that damn beginning again.
Damn it, if only the save-load function I had previously set was activated… After the system’s communication protocol was blocked, the save-load function was also blocked. I had tried to save several times, but each time, I only received a message saying that communication had to be reactivated before trying again.
Before I knew it, the ground, which had seemed so distant, was gradually coming closer into view. Would there be a minute left until the large, sharply protruding rock shattered my skull? I couldn’t get used to the pain of losing my breath, no matter what. No matter how hard I clenched my teeth, the sporadic trembling wouldn’t stop.
‘Damn it, damn it, damn it.’
It’s okay, Noah. The pain will only be temporary. It will hurt less than when saltwater is poured on a whipped body, less than when being branded with a hot iron. At least this will be over in an instant, right? Yeah, just close your eyes for a moment and open them… If I can just get through this moment… Nicole’s voice calling me will be there again…
“Young Master!”