"What's your name?"
"Your left earring is missing."
Both of them spoke at the same time, their words overlapping, and then the man burst into laughter as if Ellis had just told the most amusing joke in the world. Ellis watched him, faintly entertained despite himself. He must've really hit rock bottom if simple human interaction amused him this much—losing access to the internet had truly lowered his standards for entertainment entirely.
"How much did you drink? We have met a few times already, although we haven't talked much, how can you just completely forget? Did you hit your head somewhere too?"
The man wiped away tears of laughter with the knuckle of his finger, still chuckling as he spoke. But then, as if some forgotten thought had suddenly resurfaced, his laughter faltered. He cleared his throat softly and composed himself, the lively expression on his face remained as he spoke out.
"The Duke of the South, Leon Hartmere. It's nice to meet you, Ellis."
"Likewise..."
Ellis spoke in a low voice, burying his head in his arms. He wasn't sure if Leon caught it until he pointed it out.
"Shouldn't you use formal language with me now that I have introduced myself?"
Leon, it seemed, was the type to take such things seriously. Ellis, who neither wanted to comply nor had the energy to argue, simply slumped deeper into his pose, feigning drunkenness as an excuse to ignore him once again.
"If you want to sleep, don't stay here with your... disordered appearance. It's not safe to be here alone."
"Aren't you here? How am I alone?"
Ellis mumbled, peeking out from his arms.
"I'm a dominant alpha, Ellis."
Again, that alpha and omega talk. He was tired of hearing about it.
"Why does that matter so much?"
The most an Alpha could do was mark an Omega with a bite on the nape—a mark that usually faded after a few days. Even if it lingered longer than usual, Ellis never thought it was something worth worrying about. It wasn't as if it held any real meaning to him. Besides, he was wearing his collar right now; that alone was enough of a barrier.
"For you, it might not actually matter since you're a recessive omega without pheromones… would it even help?"
Leon began confidently, but his words trailed off as doubt crept into his tone, as if he were questioning his own statement. Ellis, meanwhile, stared blankly, completely lost. Recessive omega? Another new term to tack onto his ever-growing list of confusing classifications. He didn't even want to know what it meant anymore. Once, he'd thought of visiting a public library to learn about this world, but now? He'd given up. Whatever nonsense this was tied to, he'd rather not deal with it.
At that moment, the balcony door creaked open, and Alex stepped inside. He bowed deeply, one hand pressed against his chest, before addressing the Duke.
"Your Grace, I have located… him."
Alex refrained from mentioning a name, cautious of Ellis's peeled ears—though he didn't realize Ellis already knew exactly who he was referring to. Leon, on the other hand, did. His gaze slid toward Ellis, a flicker of understanding passing between them, silent but unmistakable.
"Let's go together. You also wanted to find Lorenz, right?"
"Hmm... no. I didn't want to. You go and leave me alone. I came here for some quiet peace."
Ellis closed his eyes, turning away from them. He didn't want to see Lorenz now. Leon didn't press him. After a brief exchange with Alex, the Duke offered a polite farewell and left, footsteps fading down the hallway.
At last, Ellis gained the silence of the night he had wanted as he watched the moon from the corner of his eyes, its silver glow spilling softly across the balcony, but the peace quickly turned dull. Silence was comforting only for so long. With a sigh, he decided that loitering here was pointless. A restroom sounded far more appealing—at least there, he could lie down on a couch and pretend to rest with his eyes open. He just didn't want to die in his sleep, he thought dryly. For all his indifference, he didn't actually want to be murdered.
It's not like he didn't want to return to the ballroom...
Ellis stood in the hallway after stepping out from the balcony, the faint echo of music from the ballroom barely reaching this far. He looked around carefully, taking in the gilded walls, the flickering sconces, and the endless stretch of identical doors—but none of it helped. He still had no idea where he was. Admittedly, he'd always been terrible with directions, and now it was coming back to haunt him. If only he'd paid a little more attention on his way here, he might've actually been able to find his way back.
He started walking in an unknown direction, hoping it was the right one. The further he went, the quieter it became. Before long, he realized he must have wandered far from the ballroom wing entirely—the music and laughter had faded into distant murmurs, replaced by the faint rustle of curtains and the sound of his own footsteps.
I should've just followed Leon to the ballroom.
Regretting his decision, Ellis soon stumbled upon a set of doors larger and grander than any he had seen before, guarded by a few royal soldiers standing stiffly at attention on either side. He hesitated for a moment, then cautiously approached one of them and, with a disarmingly innocent tone, asked—
"Is this the restroom?"
The royal guards exchanged a few measured glances before one of them stepped forward and opened the door, revealing… a restroom. Warm light spilled from the room, illuminating spacious sofas and the inviting interior. Ellis stepped inside, the door clicking softly behind him as the guard closed it. That's when he noticed the other person in the room—a figure half-sitting, half-sprawled across one of the sofas that had been tucked away behind the partitioned door, partially hidden from view until now.
Just my petty luck...
As it turned out, Ellis had unexpectedly run into another member of the royal family. This man's hair and eyes were both golden, and even his pearl-white suit gleamed with the brilliance of gold woven into its intricate detailing. He had to be the prince. In the Kingdom of Hartmere, there was only one princess and one prince both bearing golden hair—and this man's regal presence left no doubt: he was definitely the prince.
Not ready to deal with a prince, Ellis spun toward the door and fumbled with the knob, twisting it again and again—only to realize, belatedly, that he had been locked in from the outside.
"..."