Kiss the Stranger

“That's entirely possible.”
At my cautious suggestion, the Steward didn’t hesitate and agreed.

“But what I’m curious about is what drug was used and when. They say no trace was found in the wine the Crown Prince drank…”
He stroked his chin in thought, his expression serious. I asked tentatively, “Is it true that His Majesty the King simply fell ill?”
“The King does rarely contract any severe ailment,” he said. “But that doesn’t mean he never falls ill. As one ages, the body weakens and one becomes more susceptible to sickness. Everyone believes his illness is simply due to his age.”

“Do you think so too, Steward?”
He answered me honestly. “I think it’s possible.”
Which also meant he wasn’t ruling out other possibilities. I had nothing more to say, so he cleared his throat and gently patted my shoulder.

“Get some rest, Yohan. Worrying won’t change anything, and you’ll be leaving here soon anyway. Let the court handle royal affairs.”
He was right, so I could only murmur yes and bow my head. He stretched, removing his hand from my shoulder.
“I’d better get some rest after checking on the Crown Prince. Yohan, would you like something to eat? You haven’t eaten all day.”
“Ah, no…”

I answered without thinking, though I had no appetite.
“I’m fine.”
Unlike usual, he didn’t press me further. He asked a servant for a simple meal, and after some bread and soup, he collapsed onto the couch.

“What a long day.”
I murmured softly in agreement. After confirming the Crown Prince’s condition was unchanged, the Steward stopped the IV and removed the syringe.
“Honestly, these measures don’t mean much. Let’s trust the Prince’s constitution.”

As he said, the Crown Prince looked better than earlier. I pressed an alcohol swab to the injection site and stared down at him for a moment.
“…He really does resemble him.”

The Steward muttered, as if reading my thoughts. Yet neither of us said aloud that it must be Kamar. We both fell silent, as if by agreement. I watched Argyle without a word. He remained unconscious.

Night deepened, and the world grew even quieter. The Steward lay on the couch, stirring only occasionally; otherwise it felt as if time itself had stopped. I had pulled a chair beside the bed and sat watching the unconscious Kamar.
Watching him so still filled my heart with indescribable emotion. I felt longing, resentment, pain, excitement—all tangled together.
A prick at my nose made me inhale sharply. If this were the old Kamar, he would have opened his eyes and wrapped me in a tight embrace. He would have whispered, Don’t cry….

But now it was reversed. Back then he protected me; now I had to protect him, in this palace full of people who wished him dead. I had to survive somehow.
How?
I rubbed my eyes, dispelling the gloom. This wasn’t the time to cry. I needed to think about what to do next.

How much of his memory remained?
Just recalling that he had forgotten me made my nose sting, but I bit my lip and held back. Would he know someone had tried to kill him before? If he did, he might have taken precautions. Did the palace know his memory was incomplete and keep it secret, or were they unaware? If he was hiding it himself…
The culprit probably knew everything.

My thoughts spiraled on. They must have planned to finish him off before his memories returned. Then everything fit together. What should I do? Should I tell Kamar about the past?
How much? How? What would I say?
I ran out of words. If I told him I had cared for the wounded man who arrived on a camel, he would ask why I was living alone in that oasis—and then I’d have to say it was because I was an omega hiding away. Any excuse I came up with would lead to the question of how we had ended up traveling through the desert together to arrive here.
It sounded absurd: to trek across the sands from the nearest city to that hidden oasis.

If that came out, then the truth about my uncle would follow. My being an omega would be exposed, and there would be no turning back.
If I said I’d stayed with an omega…
The conclusion was obvious.

He wouldn’t believe me.
Hadn’t I seen with my own eyes how he regarded omegas? Telling him about the past was pointless. Kamar couldn’t remember and wouldn’t trust me.
If the Steward testified…

I shook my head at the sudden thought. That would put the Steward in trouble. He had lied to help me, brought me here; if he admitted he knew I was an omega, he would have deceived the Crown Prince from the start.

I couldn’t burden the Steward any further.
My thoughts circled back to the beginning, lost in an inescapable maze.

I sighed softly. Suddenly I heard a rough breath, and my senses snapped awake. In my widened vision, Kamar’s chest heaved as he stirred.
“Ka…mar.”
I rose instinctively, swallowing the name I almost spoke aloud. That was a grave mistake. A wave of sweetness flooded my lungs and dulled my mind. I staggered, blinking to clear my blurred vision. In the shaky light, I saw him moving in fragments. As he slowly propped himself up, every breath against his shoulder intensified the scent. I nearly collapsed, and then Kamar reached for me.

“…!”
I couldn’t even scream before he pulled me in. When I came to, he was straddling me on the bed. My vision, previously clouded, cleared abruptly and his face came into focus—his eyes gilded with gold.
Panting.

His pheromones pressed down on me as if with weight. Breathing was a struggle; each inhalation churned within my mouth. Kamar bent closer, pressing his nose to my throat and inhaling deeply. He parted his lips and bit into my neck. I couldn’t help but scream. My body trembled and I had no strength to push ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) him away. I lay still as he bit, licked, and explored me, realizing he was not himself.
This had happened before.
A faint memory flickered back: the time he had suddenly overwhelmed me, trying to hold me against my will. His eyes had shifted then, and that sweet scent had filled the air. And after he regained consciousness, he…

He tried to leave me.
My heart felt as if it shattered. No, that couldn’t happen. Instinctively I wrapped my arms around his back. After meeting again, we couldn’t part once more.
I felt him wandering over my collarbone, inhaling deeply as he searched for my scent. Thanks to the drug, he still retained reason, but that also meant he couldn’t detect any pheromones from me.

Kamar.
I whispered his name and turned my face. I brushed his cheek with a kiss. He lifted his head and our eyes met. Gently, I cupped both his cheeks and drew him down to my lips. He kissed me, his warm tongue brushing inside my mouth before entering fully. The wet touch of his tongue intertwined with mine, slipping to caress every corner of my mouth. I closed my eyes in delight, accepting his kiss and desperately praying.
Please remember me.

Panting….
Suddenly, he exhaled deeply between kisses, and I paused. His moist breath brushed my lips and vanished. He left kisses on my mouth and cheeks before resting his nose against my throat and taking a long breath. I felt his tension melt away.
“…Ugh!”

When his large body settled onto mine, my breath caught, but I didn’t pull away. Instead, I held his firm back tightly.
“It’s… all right, Ka…mar.”
My words came in broken breaths. I wasn’t sure if he heard me, but I continued to whisper.

“This time, I will… protect you.”
Still pressing his lips to my collarbone, he drew another deep breath. His breathing steadied, and soon Kamar fell asleep. I lay beneath him, suffused with the lingering sweetness of his scent, unable to move—until the Steward awoke and discovered us.