The Royal Alpha: Aden

CHAPTER 6

CHAPTER 6

“Miss, you don’t need to do that.”

From the bottom of the stairs, Laura looked up. There stood Damien, about to make his way down, one hand casually tucked into his pocket.

Just as before, his aura was light and easy, and he seemed to have an endless supply of smiles. He had caught her wiping the stair railings.

“Isn’t this my job?” Laura replied, glancing briefly at him before turning her attention back to her task.

“Job? You are not a servant here. Besides, we don’t need one. We are perfectly capable of doing all of that ourselves.”

“What? Then… what exactly am I here for?” Laura asked, confused.

Damien’s smile softened, and he bit the inside of his lip as he considered her words.

“Come here,” he said, stepping closer and taking hold of her arm.

But he felt resistance in her—Laura was not the type to be easily pulled along.

“Wait!” Laura exclaimed, startled by his sudden touch.

“Ugh… come on, I want to show you something.”

The man was persistent, and in the end, she had no choice but to go with him.

He led her up to the second floor and stopped before a bedroom door.

“Open it. That room is yours.”

Laura frowned, pointing at herself as if what Damien was saying was impossible to be true. Damien nodded, his face full of excitement.

“Wait a moment—aside from this room, you are free to go anywhere except for the other rooms on this floor. Master is quite particular, and he knows immediately if anyone has touched his things. So don’t even try. Is that clear?” Damien warned before Laura could open the door.

At his words, Laura felt an inexplicable nervousness, as if she constantly needed to measure every move she made.

But all her worries vanished the moment she stepped inside and was embraced by the fresh, sweet air of the room. It was bright, lit by a large open window where a pair of sheer curtains danced gently in the breeze. Beside it stood a bed that looked incredibly soft and inviting. It was so impeccably clean that she feared she would soil it just by sitting there.

Her mouth fell slightly open as she took in the room.

“This will be your room,” Damien said.

Laura turned to look at him.

“In here, you don’t have to clean or cook. All you need to do is breathe… and live. That is all you have to do.”

“Is he serious? she thought. Does such a thing even exist? Either he has gone mad, or I am going mad for believing every word he says.”

“Ow!”

Laura felt as if she had been snapped out of a dream when Damien flicked her forehead.

“Hey! It’s like I’m talking to thin air here,” he said, frowning.

Laura rubbed her forehead, stung and startled by the sudden pain.

“Right… make yourself at home,” the man said, before turning toward the door and stepping out of the room.

Laura didn’t know whether to be annoyed at him or grateful. Even now, she was struggling to process everything that was happening. She could no longer tell what was a dream and what was reality. After enduring hardship for so long, receiving such kindness was not easy for her to accept—and she couldn’t be blamed for not trusting so easily.

After marveling at everything inside her new room, she chose the simplest dress she could find in the wardrobe and stepped back out. Even though the two men had treated her well, she did not want to take advantage of them, so she decided to go back and find something useful she could do.

She descended the stairs slowly, glancing around every now and then in search of anyone else, but she was alone until she finally reached the lower level of the mansion.

From a distance, she could already hear the voice of her new master giving instructions to Damien. She had no idea what they were talking about until she reached the open doorway of a room. With his back turned to her stood a man of tall stature, adjusting what looked like an old cloak he was wearing. She peeked discreetly through the door, thinking she could listen in unnoticed—but what she didn’t know was that the moment her feet touched that hallway, Aden had already become aware of her presence.

“Will you be gone long? How about I come with you?” Damien pressed insistently.

“No. I have something else I need you to do.”

“Is that so? What is it?”

Aden signaled his companion subtly with a sharp look, and then spoke directly inside his mind.

“Go to the lands bordering this territory and find us a new place to stay. We have been in this domain for quite some time now. Besides, we have already confirmed that what we are looking for is not here.”

“Understood, Master.”

Damien replied briefly, then turned his gaze toward the woman who was half-peeking through the doorway.

“Is there something you need?” Damien asked.

Laura panicked instantly—she never thought she would be caught in the act. She stepped fully into view, hiding both hands behind her back as she quietly walked into the room.

“M-Master… are you leaving?” she stammered.

“We just have some matters to attend to. We’ll be back before nightfall,” Damien answered.

“Both of you are leaving? Then… I’ll be all alone here?” Laura asked, a note of worry in her voice.

The corner of Damien’s lips lifted slightly, a teasing grin spreading across his face. He walked toward her, eyes fixed on hers, then sat back casually on the sofa, spreading his arms along the backrest.

“Why? Are you afraid?”

Laura lowered her head. Truth be told, he was right. The last time they left her alone, a storm had suddenly struck, and strong winds had nearly torn the roof off the house. She feared something similar might happen again, and this time there would be no one there to turn to for help.

Seeing that she did not answer, Damien spoke again. He already knew the answer to his own question—he only wanted to tease her further.

“In that case… why don’t you just go with Master?”

Aden’s eyebrow lifted slightly at his words.

“W-What? Can I really—”

“NO.”

Aden’s reply came sharp and quick.

Damien stood up from the sofa and walked over to Aden, resting his elbow casually on his shoulder.

“Come on, give in. I can’t take her with me anyway; where I’m going is quite far,” Damien reasoned.

“You know… I actually wanted to go into town too,” Laura spoke up, addressing her master, who still had his back turned to her. “I couldn’t find any food in the kitchen, and I need to buy herbs and spices as well. I-I promise… I-Iwon’t get in your way.”