Kiss the Stranger

“We sat opposite each other across the table in silence for a long while. The steward kept his mouth shut, and I too didn’t know what to say, so I remained silent. After a moment, he sighed, but that was all. As if my vocal cords were completely blocked, I forced them open and managed to speak.
“…Is it really true? Have you confirmed it?”

“I don’t know.”
The steward rubbed his brow and answered in a heavy tone. I swallowed hard and said,
“Please tell me what you saw and felt.”

He fell silent again. As if searching for words, he hesitated, then finally spoke.
“I don’t know the details either. They’re royalty—no one freely talks about the heir to the throne. I told you before that I was brought here because of their physiology, right? Among them, the crown prince’s pheromones are the strongest, and he manifested at a very young age. Anyway, I was supposedly here under the pretext of managing his health. I thought it would be a good opportunity to gather my own data… but when I arrived, you know how it was. ‘You can’t have an audience yet, wait,’ they dragged it out for over six months, and now they’ve finally let me see the crown prince.”
He said it all at once, then fell silent again. Torn between pressing him further and holding back, I waited. The steward sighed once more before continuing.

“There’s still a chance it’s not him. It could just be someone who looks alike….”
“Steward.”
I cut him off, my tone relatively firm.
“Did you think that Kamar might be royalty?”

The steward froze. I felt I finally understood the odd attitude he’d shown when he first saw Kamar. Probably from the very start.
“You mentioned the crown prince had gone missing, didn’t you? Weren’t you suspicious?”
He frowned and shook his head.

“I wasn’t not suspicious. But I had no proof… To be precise, I recognized he was a rare alpha at a glance, but not every rare alpha is royalty. Besides, you two were on the run, weren’t you?”
He said it with a sharp edge. I had no reply, so I fell silent, and he softened his tone.
“If he were royalty, I’d have assumed it was a forbidden romance elopement. At least then I’d want to help.”

As he said, the steward had helped us in many ways. If his words were true, that explained why he’d hidden our faces and run errands for us. Discovering he had purely meant to help filled me with gratitude and guilt. Feeling the weight in my chest, I asked the remaining question.
“What was the medicine you gave Kamar? It wasn’t an ordinary drug, right?”
“It was a suppressant.”

He answered readily, as if he had nothing to hide.
“But as I said before, rare alphas aren’t affected by medicine. That drug only managed to mask his scent at best. So you probably didn’t suspect much either.”
I remembered how Kamar had almost attacked me. It was clear ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) the drug had hardly any effect. Even then, I’d been startled by the sudden sweet aroma.

When I fell silent, the steward did too. Sweat had gathered on my hands resting on my lap, and unconsciously I rubbed them against my thighs. The more I heard, the more my choice narrowed to a single path. I had been thinking it all along, but dared not speak it aloud until now. I forced the words out.
“…Steward, so you have free access to the palace, then? You came from there just now?”
“Yohan, don’t even think about it.”

The steward shook his head as if to tell me not to. But I was desperate.
“I’m sorry, but I have no one else to ask…”
“Yohan, even so, that’s impossible.”

He grabbed my hand on the table as if to calm me.
“You want to find out if he’s the crown prince? No. Give it up. You can’t.”
“Why not?”
I asked urgently.

“Why can’t I? If he is Kamar, of course I have to meet him. I need to know why he didn’t come back to me, what happened to him.”
“Yohan.”
He bit his lip, then, like a sigh, continued.

“Even if he were, Yohan, how would you prove it if he denies it? It could just be someone who looks like him. They say there are three people in the world who have identical faces.”
I took a deep breath before replying.
“There is a way.”

Seeing the steward frown, I confessed for the first time.
“Kamar has a scar.”
The steward’s expression changed at my words. Looking at him, I went on.

“It’s from when he hurt his shoulder the first time we met. You can see it if you look.”
“Yohan.”
The steward looked around as if alarmed, leaned closer, and lowered his voice even more.

“Think carefully, Yohan. If he has a scar on his body, he can’t become king.”
I froze at his unexpected words. He met my gaze and continued.
“A king is the divine representative, so it’s impossible for him to bear a scar. Do you understand? If Kamar… if he abandoned you on purpose.”

The steward spoke as if he truly found it difficult.
“He won’t forgive you for ruining things. Right now, he has the full support of the people, and no one opposes him. Erasing you would be easier than crushing an ant, understand?”
“But still…”

I held back my tears and spoke with effort.
“Kamar would never… abandon me.”
“A king who could become king, then toss aside everything to live here with you? Yohan, wake up.”

The steward spoke coldly and pointed out.
“The proof that royalty is chosen by god is precisely that they’re rare alphas. They can never be ordinary. Of all the rare alphas, the most perfect and superior one becomes king. Do you understand, Yohan? That’s who the crown prince is now. Rare alphas don’t feel emotion, or if they do, they’ll mercilessly eliminate anything for their own benefit. While he had amnesia, he may have treated you differently, but now he’s regained his memory and his true nature. You’re nothing but an obstacle to him.”
“Still, still…”

I could only say.
“I want to see Kamar again…”
Yohan.

His voice calling me echoed in my ears. The strong arms that always held me as I fell asleep, his warm lips, the way he looked at me. How much, how much—
How much I loved him.
“He could be just someone who looks alike.”

The steward’s final warning.
“If that’s the case, you’ll just die senselessly. Understand?”
I nodded. I already had my resolve. Seeing me like that, the steward frowned.

“Even if I oppose it, you’re going to do it, aren’t you?”
I lowered my gaze instead of answering. Silent, I looked away. He sighed at last and spoke.
“Then here’s what we’ll do. I’ll introduce you as my assistant and bring you into the palace. I’ll find an opportunity for you to meet the prince.”

“Yes!”
I lifted my head and answered without realizing it, and the steward spoke in a stern voice, as a warning.
“But promise me this: if you become certain it’s not Kamar, you’ll leave the palace at once. And you’ll never stray from my side.”

“I promise, I swear.”
“I don’t put much stock in the word ‘swear’…”
Trailing off, the steward sighed again and stood.

“We leave early tomorrow morning. Get ready. You’ll take Rikal with you, right?”
“Yes, of course.”
I nodded readily. He wished me good night and returned to his room. Left alone, I blinked in the silence. I pulled out the flyer I’d hidden and checked the face once more. Could anyone look this much alike?

There’s no doubt. It’s Kamar.
I stared blankly at the photo showing him looking straight at the camera. Tears welled up and ran down my cheeks, but I couldn’t wipe them away. Until dawn, I sobbed silently, clutching the flyer to my chest.