The Crown Prince’s Courtesan - Chapter 26

Her memories of their coupling were fragmented and incomplete, and though his words were quite insulting, she didn’t feel angry.

Then, suddenly, she recalled the Alpha who had completely consumed me — Russell, that man.

‘Where is he?’

When she turned my head, sure enough, the other side of the bed was empty. Only then did Marie realize that the place she had fallen asleep was the crown prince’s bedroom, and she quickly sat up.

It seemed the maids had come in and tidied up while she slept. Her body felt clean and fresh, but nothing had been put on her. Her pale naked skin was fully exposed under the sunlight.

Marie stared at her reflection in the mirror. There were very raw marks left on her body. Her nxxples, which he had tormented relentlessly, were still swollen and sore, and on her bruise-prone skin, the clear imprints of his grip remained vivid.

Marie flushed with embarrassment.

But…

‘He didn’t kiss me.’

There had been no kisses. From the start, he seemed like someone who hated touching Marie’s lips, doing nothing but tormenting her chest.

Last night, she was too dazed to notice, but now she understood. Thinking that way, the strange fluttering in her heart cooled down. Even the neatly empty spot beside her caught her eye.

How absurd. Truly, how ridiculous.

“Stop being ridiculous, Marie Alphrose. Why are you disappointed like you expected something?”

Muttering this out loud, like a habit, Marie shook off the rising thoughts swirling in her mind.

It was because it was her first time. Like a duckling breaking out of its shell and imprinting, her body and mind were startled by a shock so strong.

It was going to happen anyway. If it wasn’t so bad, that was enough. She decided to think only about that. The feeling of emptiness in her chest must be an illusion. It had to be.

“I’m fine.”

Marie repeated the words to herself several times as she stood up. It was time to return to her own room.

* * *

“Your Highness, Prince Russell, you seem to be in a particularly good mood today.”

“Has something good happened, Your Highness?”

These were the words Russell heard most often today.

Normally, most of the Alphas kept their distance, wary of his usually dark and intimidating presence. But today, for some reason, he was hearing these kinds of remarks.

From knights who loyally served him but still found him difficult, to the attendants, and even the many noble families trying to bring the Crown Princess into his house as one of their own.

And he knew exactly why.

‘Marie Alphrose.’

That woman.

‘Tch.’

Russell disliked the version of himself from last night. He hadn’t planned to lose control like that, but when he came to his senses, he was buried deep inside her, completely overtaken.

Her scent, her tears, her desperate pleas.

He had lost all reason, pouring out his pheromones, piercing through her pain again and again. The moment he touched her pheromones and shared his body with her, he felt an intoxicating calm unlike anything else.

Russell had always suffered. The tangled, boiling mass of Alpha pheromones inside him constantly ruined his mood. He couldn’t sleep well, and ever since the incident in his youth, psychological troubles made him even harsher. His words turned cold, and his attitude and gaze were like blades.

But today, there was none of that.

‘It feels like I’m walking on clouds.’

Could just one night together really do this to me?

Is it because she’s a dominant Omega?

For someone who claimed to be a broken Omega, she was intoxicating — letting off that rich grapefruit scent, tightening herself so shamelessly around him. Who would believe last night was her first time?

If it weren’t for the pain and tears when he pierced her, she was sweet — everything about her. Even her scent.