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Mydei never envisioned his wedding day being held during his pre-heat, with someone he barely knew, surrounded by people he thought he knew.
Of course, behind closed doors, nothing is left to chance.
His fate was set in stone the moment Castrum Kremnos was caught up in the aftermath of a war, leaving his people at risk of sinking into poverty. Mydei adored his people more than he cared about himself, turning this devotion into both his strength and his weakness.
The moment an alpha prince from a distant kingdom showed up with a smile that didn't reach his eyes, he knew what those bland proposals really meant. In those eyes, he saw his own reflection, not the one of a prince or a future lover—but an omega to claim, and a kingdom to own.
He knew, but his reason flooded with the thought of his people, and after false flattery and a public kneeling, the marriage proposal slipped out of lips that tasted like poison. And Mydei, blinded by duty, drank it, even if it was all a lie.
He couldn't tell the difference anyway.
The books of Castrum Kremnos never described the word love, leaving a young prince to grow up without knowing how to find it or what it felt like.
Until one day, he met it. Behind the window of his chambers, under the blazing midday sun.
With silver locks and light blue eyes, he looked like the moon. He worked with the sound of a faint humming, carrying calloused hands not from wielding a weapon, but from working in the royal garden. Those hands didn't kill—they created life.
And Mydei got curious.
He began to open his window at the same time every day, simply to watch the man working in his garden. He saw him trimming the bushes, only for the next to see him watering the flowers, even talking to them. His voice was like Mydei imagined it would be. It stayed like that until, on another ordinary day, their eyes finally met. The man lifted his chin, noticing his presence leaning on the window stool. Mydei's body went stiff, feeling caught in his little indulgence.
His hands quickly went to grab the edges of the curtain, ready to make himself disappear. But then, a raised hand waved in his direction. Mydei stared at it, too used to awkward bowings rather than the simplicity of an earnest greeting. He felt his hand tense when he raised it to wave back at the stranger, earning a smile in return.
That ended up changing his routine forever.
𖤣.𖥧.𖡼.⚘
"I'm Phainon, of Aedes Elysiae." The stranger introduced himself.
A common worker from a distant village. A beta that carried a strong floral scent with him.
It happened naturally, like a seed planted in his chest that grew with the drop of every conversation.
After too many days watching it from above, one day, Mydei decided to take a walk to the garden. He felt curious and reached down to touch the soil that the gardener, Phainon, had been working on, until a hand stopped him by grabbing his wrist.
"I'm not done yet," Phainon said, his fingers gently leaving his skin as soon as Mydei turned his face to him. That was the first time someone dared to touch him, yet it didn't feel wrong. "I assume Your Highness doesn't know how to amend the soil," he continued, and after a pause, Mydei easily caught the hint of teasing when he added, "Do you?"
"Of course I know," Mydei was quick to answer with a huff, amused by the impertinence and lack of etiquette in his presence. He allowed a pride he didn't know he had in him to lie in his next words, "I can do it faster than you."
"Is that so?" Phainon raised his brows with a smile, bright like the sun melting his body. "I hope you forgive my assumption. How about we see who can finish the work earlier?"
Mydei cast his gaze at the dirty hands of the gardener.
He should disagree. A prince doing the work of a commoner was a taboo. And yet. "Fine by me."
Phainon's smile stretched at his response. "Great! What do you want in exchange?"
Mydei blinked. "Exchange?"
"Yes! Every win has a reward."
…
What did he want? No one had ever asked him that. Mydei didn't know.
"What do you want?" He ended up asking back.
Phainon, contrary to him, seemed to know it already. "I want you to tell me more about you," he blurted out the words in a single breath.
"About me?" Mydei grimaced with confusion. "I believe you already know everything about the royal family of Castrum Kremnos if you are here."
"No, you misunderstood me." Phainon shook his head, and Mydei saw the tease of his tongue wet his lips. As if he was hesitating to continue. "I want to know about Mydeimos. The person, not the title."
Oh.
Mydei's stomach suddenly felt a tingle. Odd, yet not unpleasant.
His throat moved as he swallowed his doubts. "… Alright."
His response prompted a grin on Phainon's face, making him look oddly pleased. "Do you mean it?"
"Do you doubt your prince's word?"
"I wouldn't dare," Phainon said amid a faint chuckle.
"Then let's not waste more time. I would announce my reward after my victory."
"I will do my best, so Your Highness doesn't need to think too much."
Bold. Yet he knew Phainon meant it.
Regardless of the disadvantage, Mydei was still confident, having observed him work enough behind that window to catch up with his rhythm. Between faint laughs and taunting words, it ended up being a tie.
After finishing, Mydei cast his eyes to his own hands stained with dirt, feeling a sense of realization that he thought he had lost long ago. Fun. He had fun. A smile appeared on his face at the same time he heard Phainon sigh at his side.
"It seems that neither of us is winning anything," he said.
Mydei noticed the look of disappointment on his face, despite the smile he showed him.
He stared at him, and the words came out on their own.
"What do you want to know?"
𖤣.𖥧.𖡼.⚘
After that, love grew roots without his knowledge.
They were resting under the shadow of a tree when the man at his side spoke.
"What is your favorite flower?" Phainon suddenly asked.
Mydei diverted his attention from the leaves moving above him to turn his head, resting his cheek on the fresh grass. "I don't have one."
Phainon rolled to his side, his body facing him. "Really?"
"You sound disappointed."
"I am. You are boring."
Mydei knew he didn't mean it. "Pick one for me," he said.
Phainon blinked, his confusion endearing. "Me?"
"You asked."
Phainon remained still for a moment before his body moved to crawl toward him, leaning down to shamefully place his nose a touch away from his scent gland. Mydei's breath quivered on his exhale, feeling silver locks of hair tickle his chin. Somehow, he easily trusted Phainon, and didn't question him even when his hand rested there, feeling calloused fingers brushing the skin.
"I've heard your scent smells like a pomegranate flower," he said, his voice barely a murmur. "Sweet, like honey, with a hint of citrus." A pause. "It suits you."
Mydei inhaled slowly, enough to catch the strong, flowery scent coming from the gardener's hand on his neck.
"Where have you heard that?" He managed to ask.
"Your fiancé was talking about it," Phainon said.
Of course.
"It's a shame I can't smell it," Phainon confessed right after, moving away to meet his gaze. They were close enough for Mydei to catch the faint sunburn on the other man's face, like a natural blush that covered his faint freckles. "Perhaps I should plant one. I know you like to drink pomegranate juice."
"You remember that?"
Phainon smiled, and fondness flooded his eyes. "About you? Everything."
Mydei felt his face grow hot. "What about you?"
"I like lilies," Phainon answered, "They are easy to grow."
"Are those the ones you recently planted?"
"Do you like them? This kind has a strong scent."
Mydei hummed. "They smell sweet."
"Some people find their scent pleasant," Phainon said, his fingers caressing the skin of his neck one last time before slowly dropping his hand. "While others might find it overwhelming."
𖤣.𖥧.𖡼.⚘
Later that day, he met his fiancé in the halls.
He looked at him, visibly unpleased. "What is that smell?"
"I'm back from the garden," was all he explained.
The man reeked of alcohol, his pheromones weighing the air. Mydei could smell the arrogance, the aggression, all getting stuck in his throat, forcing him to swallow. Disgusting. He felt nauseous.
"You should bathe," the alpha said.
Mydei frowned at his insolence and decided to move past him. "You should drink less," he said under his breath, not caring whether he had heard him or not.
He returned to his chambers, closing the door behind him before letting out a loud exhale. You should bathe. Hah. Shameless words coming from a drunk. Mydei sniffed his garments, merely catching the faint smell of grass. Of course. The intoxication must have made the alpha delirious.
It was then, as he ran a hand over his neck and after his hair fell to the side, that he sensed it after a quick sniff at the air. It wasn't his clothes, but his skin that exuded a strong floral scent, the same one of those hands that had caressed him not long ago as if he were a petal to break.
Mydei brushed his hand over the area again, bringing it to his nose to inhale his fingers. It smelled sweet, a calm aroma that blended several flowers in one. That was Phainon's scent. Even as a beta, that's the scent he carried with him. A scent Mydei had secretly grown addicted to.
He recalled the way he touched his neck, how his fingers persisted there as their conversation carried on. This was not a coincidence. Phainon had tried to scent him. Not with pheromones, but with flowers.
Why?
Mydei should feel offended, ashamed that a beta who was not even royalty had tried to leave a scent on him so effortlessly. And yet. And yet, he found himself sniffing again. A thought cried at the back of his mind, the voice of his instincts taking over his reason. Even after closing his eyes to shut it down, it persisted, stronger than anything he had ever felt.
If that mouth could mark him, kiss him all over his body. If only Phainon said he wanted him, loved him—claiming him as his. Mydei's legs trembled on the spot, his body pleading irrationally to be touched by those calloused fingers. Titans forgive him for he wanted that.
Even if he knew he couldn't.
𖤣.𖥧.𖡼.⚘
"Your father wants me to return to Aedes Elysiae."
Phainon whispered the words, yet they rang too loud in Mydei's ears.
He felt a lump in his throat, unable to utter a word. His mind got drowned in countless responses, all silenced by acceptance. Phainon would leave before his wedding, unaware that his skin carried the scent of an omega in pre-heat. Mydei's pheromones.
Perhaps that's why his father wanted him gone.
Even without an answer, Phainon still smiled at him. "I wish you happiness in your marriage."
Mydei barely nodded. "Thank you."
Silence dropped like a ripple after that.
Is this what love was like? Planting itself in one's heart without permission, taking root, with the promise to bloom. Then that stem grows thorns, digging in the heart until it bleeds. Mydei knew. He knew from the beginning.
And yet. And yet—
"I'll miss you."
Mydei raised his head after hearing Phainon's words, his heart betraying him by rising painfully on his chest. He met blue eyes that tried to hide his sorrow, eyebrows pinched together with an almost faded smile.
It felt as if his sun had set.
"I'll miss you so much," Phainon repeated, his voice strained.
Mydei raised a hand, cupping his face that tilted to seek the touch of his palm. Phainon left a kiss there, and he felt jealous of his own hand.
"I have a wedding gift for you," he said.
Mydei's fingers moved until they got lost in silver hair, pushing him to come closer. "Don't."
"Mydei," Phainon whispered, like a prayer, as if he was a god.
He knew the meaning of his plea, for when their lips finally touched, he also granted his own.
"Mydei," Phainon said again against his mouth. "I—"
"Don't speak," Mydei said. An order.
And Phainon did not speak, at least not with words.
When he kissed him again, and again, and again, Mydei understood his message.
𖤣.𖥧.𖡼.⚘
"You're not in condition to get married."
Mydei turned his head, eyeing the person standing at his door. "Cipher, we've talked about this."
"Don't give me that tone! I'm the older one here," she scoffed.
Mydei sighed. "You know why I'm doing this."
"Yes, and I told you it was the worst decision."
"Cipher—"
"I could smell your pheromones from behind the door! You know why they want you to get married while you're in this state."
Mydei exhaled very slowly. "So my heat manifests on the honeymoon."
"If you know, why—"
"Because I won't allow my father to destroy my kingdom!"
He shouted without meaning to, and Cipher pressed her lips together.
…
"Forgive me, I didn't mean to—"
"Yes, yes, I know." Cipher sighed, dropping her body to rest on the doorframe. "What about that gardener?"
"How—"
"You should see what he has prepared for you," Cipher cut in, moving away from the door to step inside the room. She moved closer until a hand rested on his chest, right where his heart beat. "Look at it with this, not with your head." After that, she pulled away. "Alright! That's all. See you at the ceremony."
Mydei brought a hand to his chest, his fingers crumpling his shirt. "Cipher, wait."
"Mm?"
When she looked at him, Mydei gave it all to try to smile for her. "Thank you."
"Hah. Feeling sentimental now?" She smiled back at him, turning around with a wink. "Thank me by being happy."
Shortly after, Mydei found himself alone again.
𖤣.𖥧.𖡼.⚘
The walk to the throne room felt like walking into dense fog.
His mind echoed Cipher's words over and over like a chant, muffling the music heard from a distance. Phainon had prepared something for him. What exactly? And why? Rather than a blessing, Mydei felt that it would end up haunting him for the rest of his life. As his footsteps drew closer, his response welcomed him.
A strong, sweet smell began to linger in the air, filling the halls that had no windows. There was no way of escaping from it, and Mydei, confused at first, gradually recognized the origin of the scent with only a few sniffes.
It was the same scent that had entered his room every day. The fresh, intense aroma of stargazer lilies.
Some people find it pleasant, while others might find it overwhelming.
Phainon's words came back at him like a ghost.
I could smell your pheromones from behind the door!
Cipher words continued.
His steps halted in front of the door. Through the open gap, Mydei caught a glimpse of the crimson landscape enveloping the entire room, and how flower arrangements were placed everywhere. That's when Mydei understood.
His pulse buzzed in his ears, raising a hand to try to ease his beating heart.
Then he felt something beneath his clothes.
A letter.
When…?
Mydei envisioned his friend's feline smile as soon as he asked himself that question. Of course.
Unfolding the paper, he began to read.
My dear Mydei,
I know you will read this letter after seeing my gift.
If all has gone well, your friend will have given this to you. I know I have no right to write this, yet I couldn't bear to run away from what I felt for you.
I know you thought I knew nothing about your situation with your heat. I apologize, for the gardens do face many windows with mouths that speak too loud.
I'm not as kind as you believe I am. Not a day goes by that I don't have nightmares imagining you in that man's embrace.
Loving you was easier than breathing. Faster than planting all those lilies. They are for you, so no one can catch your pheromones when you are vulnerable.
You don't deserve to be treated with only your omega traits in mind.
Mydei.
Mydeimos.
My adoration and love for you go beyond wanting to be with you. I'm desirous. I want you to be mine. I want you by my side every day. From dawn until dusk.
I know I have no right to say this to you like this, but forgive me, for being afraid is human.
I have a selfish request.
I want you to be selfish.
If you feel the same way, please, come find me behind the walls of Castrum Kremnos.
I will be waiting there for you. Then, I will say all of this again.
I love you. I will say it as many times as you want.
Forever yours,
Phainon.
Mydei's finger crumbled the paper, standing there with only the shouts of his own heart.
One, two, three, four, countless quick heartbeats later, he slowly turned around. He stared at his guards' confused faces as he placed the letter into one of his hands.
"Tell the king that Castrum Kremnos has lost its prince," he breathed out. His last words.
After that, Mydei began to run.