I Became the Cure for the Cursed Prince - Chapter 68

“…Please move away.”

“Why should I? We can finally be together now.”

“Are you asking because you really don’t know?”

When Lucas turned his head halfway, he saw Leon looking at him with a genuinely puzzled expression.
This was after Leon had already confessed that he wanted to make Lucas his mate.
There must have been countless more confessions hidden in the letters Lucas never dared to read.

Lucas knew there was one thing he could say to end this situation immediately.

I don’t love you.

It would be simple and clean.
If he said those words, Leon would surely let go.
There would be no more closeness, no more contact — and after Leon’s coming-of-age ceremony, Lucas could quietly return to the North without trouble.

But he couldn’t bring himself to say it.
Was it because he already knew what kind of expression Leon would make if he did?
Or maybe…

Lucas cut off the thought instinctively.
Some part of him sensed that if he kept thinking about it, he would cross a line he could never return from.
So he forced himself to come up with another excuse.

“I’m an Alpha. It’s inappropriate for two Alphas to engage in physical intimacy…”

Before he could finish, Leon pressed his lips against the nape of his neck.
Leon’s lips brushed lightly over his neck, up to his ear, and gently nipped at his earlobe.
Lucas shivered as the fine hairs on his skin stood on end.

Leon let out a small, mischievous laugh and said, “Does an Alpha react like this?”

“…”

“I told you yesterday, didn’t I? That I’ve grown enough to know my so-called curse isn’t a blessing.”

“…What do you mean?”

Leon’s voice dropped even lower, intimate and sure.

“Lucas, you’re an Omega. A recessive one.”

It felt as though Lucas’s heart had dropped into his stomach.
How?
No one had ever known he was an Omega.

He should deny it immediately.
Tell him it wasn’t true — that a former Grand Duke of the North could never be something so insignificant.

But before Lucas could even open his mouth, Leon spoke again.

“Don’t even try to deny it. Of course, the other Alphas wouldn’t have known. They could never get close enough to smell your scent. But I… I grew up in your arms. And…”

Leon’s lips brushed tenderly against Lucas’s again.

“Lucas, your heat cycle is starting too.”

Lucas froze completely.
It felt like cold water was running down his spine, chilling him to the bone.
Even his fingertips turned cold.

“You’re out of excuses now, aren’t you?”

Leon pulled Lucas tightly into his arms and pressed a kiss to the top of his head.
But Lucas couldn’t fight back at all.
His fingertips began to tremble.

Leon knew.
He knew Lucas was a recessive Omega.

It felt like the blood drained from his entire body.

The painful memories of the past came flooding back — All the scorn, the loneliness, the bitter shame he had endured as a hidden Omega.

When he was still Kim Woojin, there had been an Alpha who once showed interest in him.
But that Alpha had only been curious about what a recessive Omega was like.
After spending one night together, he had said, coldly:

“I thought it might be interesting… but you’re worthless.”

Leon would surely see him the same way now.

How ridiculous must it seem — That the former Grand Duke of the North was nothing more than a weak, recessive Omega.
That someone who could barely sense pheromones, who could be so easily swayed by another’s scent, had been entrusted with a guardian’s role.

Maybe it was better this way.
Now that Leon knew, he would surely pull away.
He would see him as disgusting, useless — and lose interest altogether.

“Lucas, Lucas?”

Leon’s voice pulled him out of his dark thoughts.
Startled, Lucas looked up to see Leon clutching his hand tightly, his eyes filled with worry.

“Why are you like this all of a sudden? Did I do something wrong?”

Leon was so flustered that he even spoke formally, like a boy lost and anxious.
Unable to look at him, Lucas turned his head away.

“…You know I’m a recessive Omega. So…”

“So?”

“…You must think I’m pathetic. That I’m worthless.”

“Lucas.”

Leon’s low voice cut him off.
Lucas tried to avoid his gaze, but Leon’s hand gently lifted his chin, forcing their eyes to meet.

In Leon’s golden eyes, there was only tenderness.
A warmth Lucas had never once felt before.

“Lucas, it doesn’t matter to me whether you’re an Omega or an Alpha. What matters… is that you’re Lucas.”

As he spoke, Leon wrapped Lucas into his arms once again.
And Lucas, helpless against the sincerity in those words, could do nothing but melt into the embrace.

“Lucas, you’ve always been the most precious and brightest person to me. Since we were young. Knowing you’re a recessive Omega changes nothing.”

Hearing those words, Lucas lifted his head slightly — And Leon leaned in, resting their foreheads together.
The warmth of his breath, the gentle curve of his smiling lips — it all felt surreal.

“So now… Can I finally kiss you?”

And with those words, Leon’s soft lips pressed against his own.

Lucas could hear his heart pounding loudly.
He felt his own lips parting without resistance — but there was nothing he could do.
Melted by a warmth he had never known before, his heart simply followed the heat without question.

How long had they been kissing?
Even though he was growing short of breath, Lucas didn’t want to pull away from the sweetness.
Only when he realized that Leon had pressed him against the wall did he become aware — but even then, he only clung to Leon’s neck, continuing the desperate kiss.

Leon’s thick thigh slid between Lucas’s legs, naturally fitting there as if it belonged.
When the firm muscle pressed against his groin, a hot pleasure surged from deep within, making Lucas gasp for air.

As Lucas tried to twist his waist away, Leon gripped his hips firmly with both hands.
And just as Leon lowered his head again—

“Your Highness, it’s Ermon.”

A voice called from outside the door.

Leon answered sharply, annoyed.

“What?!”

“…I’m here to confirm today’s schedule.”

“Cancel everything! Come back later!”

“…That’s not possible. Lucas made an appointment with Their Majesties for today. Should I still cancel?”

“…Damn it!”

At that, Leon finally — though reluctantly — moved away from Lucas.

“I’m coming in,” Ermon said.

As the door opened, Leon’s pheromones quickly subsided.
Ermon, stepping in, coughed and cleared his throat, but when he spotted Lucas, still flushed red in Leon’s arms, he wisely pretended not to notice.

A moment later, the attendants entered, carrying fresh clothes for both Leon and Lucas.

Lucas fled into the bathroom and scrubbed his body repeatedly.
But no matter how hard he washed, Leon’s scent, spread across his skin, refused to fade.

Their Majesties must not notice…

What if they did?
Hugging himself tightly, Lucas shivered. What would Their Majesties think, seeing him — the guardian who had raised the child entrusted to him — now drenched in that same child’s pheromones?
The very thought made his blood run cold.

What just happened was a mistake.
No matter how kind Leon acted, Lucas should never have responded.
Leon was a good person — he deserved to meet someone younger, sweeter, and more fitting.

“Absolutely not,” Lucas muttered to himself as he finished drying off.

When he stepped out, Leon was already dressed and smiling brightly.
Lucas didn’t return the smile, but Leon didn’t seem hurt at all.
Instead, he casually draped Lucas’s cloak over his shoulders.

Standing by the doorway, Ermon coughed awkwardly, but Leon ignored him completely.

“…I’ll do it myself.”

“You’re not feeling well. You had a rough night, remember?”

“Ahem!”

Ermon’s coughing grew louder. It was obvious he had misunderstood.
Flustered, Lucas tried to signal with his eyes that it wasn’t what he thought — but Ermon only lowered his gaze with a knowing, resigned expression.

“Your Highness, please avoid saying things that could cause misunderstandings.”

“…Misunderstandings? What misunderstandings?”

“It’s nothing.”

Sensing that Leon might press the issue even further, Lucas, now fully dressed, quickly walked ahead.
Leon hurried to catch up and stayed glued to his side.

Walking with Lucas —!
Leon’s heart fluttered uncontrollably.
He wasn’t pleased that Lucas’s pace was so fast, but since the distance from the Crown Prince’s Palace to the Main Palace was long anyway, he didn’t mind.

When their hands brushed slightly, Leon naturally grabbed Lucas’s hand.
Lucas flinched and tried to pull away, but as Leon firmly held on, Lucas eventually stopped resisting.
It seemed he was worried that struggling would cause an even bigger scene.

Holding hands while walking…
It was such a small thing — but Leon had waited five long years for this.
To walk alone with Lucas down a path no one else dared approach because of his “curse.”

For now, since they were still indoors, the attendants couldn’t stay too far away — But once they went outside, they could widen the distance more.

However—

Cough, cough!

Hrrk…!

The people following them started acting strange. Leon noticed it immediately.
He had even ordered them to keep a greater distance than usual, more than back at the Rion Palace.

Turning his head slightly, Leon observed the attendants.
Although they tried to hide it, their faces were flushed, and sweat dripped down their temples.
They looked like they were struggling.

Lucas must have noticed something too, because his pace quickened even more.

Something’s definitely off.

Still, Leon didn’t think too much about it. Back at the Rion Palace, Lucas’s emotions had often affected the strength of the curse — it was probably the same now.

Anyway, they had already arrived at the front of the Main Palace.

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