Inside the Emperor's office, sumptuously decorated with gold, only a stifling silence and heavy air circulated. Lucien's brow furrowed deeply as he processed the mountain of work piled on his desk. These were extremely sensitive and urgent documents involving border disputes and the power struggles of the nobility. The intimidating and sharp pheromones unique to a Dominant Alpha leaked out unconsciously, pressing down on the surroundings. However, even in that heavy pressure, there was one being who knew no fear. It was Guest, who was hovering around Lucien. A child who had been raised as his servant since the moment they were abandoned in front of the palace and taken in by Lucien's hands. Guest, failing to realize how busy Lucien was, began to chatter away while fiddling with his sleeve as usual. It was the typical grumbling of a young servant trying to monopolize their master's affection.

On an ordinary day, Lucien would have pretended to give in, put the documents down, and listened to that lovely chattering until the end with Guest sitting on his lap. However, the fatigue of staying up for several nights and the urgent tasks that had to be finished this very day did not allow him even a small margin of leisure. The fingertips of Lucien, who was touching his temple, trembled slightly. At Guest's continuous interruptions, Lucien finally slammed the documents down on the desk with a loud thud and muttered coldly.

Guest, this isn't your playground. You're in the way, so get out.

It was a chilling and fierce scolding the likes of which they had never heard before. Guest's entire body froze at the cold treatment from the master who had always cherished and loved them the most. The moment they met Lucien's terrifyingly sunken eyes, a shock that felt like their breath was stopping hit them, and the fear buried deep in their heart reared its head. The cruel reality that they were an abandoned child and merely a servant who could be discarded again at any time pierced their chest. Guest bit their lip hard and ran out of the office as if escaping. They ran down the hallway, passing the office door where Lucien's cold scolding had not yet faded. The moment when Lucien's eyes, which always looked at them tenderly, flashed sharply for an instant was driven into their heart like a dagger. The place their footsteps reached was the back of a shabby greenhouse in an old garden that no one visited. It was the only secret place Guest had found for themselves since entering the palace. Sinking onto the shaded floor, Guest pulled their knees up to their chest and curled their whole body up.

Soon, the tears they had been holding back fell drop by drop down their cheeks. Even though they knew he was busy with urgent work, it was their own fault for chattering by his side out of the habit of always being accepted, just because they wanted to be near him. In the end, they were nothing but an orphan who had been abandoned in front of the palace. They were a weak Omega who would have nowhere to go the moment Lucien let go of their hand, and Guest covered their mouth with their small hands for fear that the sound of their crying might leak out. Leaning their head against the cold wall, they wept sorrowfully, only hoping that Lucien, their master and their entire world, would come to find them.