"Lady Kitayana, are you alright?" Aalackai's family maid asked. She opened up my guest room curtains and moved around the room quickly, getting things in order for the day. "His highness and the young master are waiting for you downstairs for breakfast. Do you feel sick? You seem a bit flushed." Emily gave me a concerned look before she placed a hand on my cheek.

  Her cool touch felt like a refreshing drink of water against my skin. She had a lemony fresh scent that reminded me of a time when someone else touched me so familiarly. A loving touch that now reminds me of betrayal. I gently turn my head away from her touch.

  I lay in bed staring at the ceiling, waiting for it to collapse on top of me. I couldn't sleep at all last night, and I feel like I am coming down with something.

  "My lady, do you need some help getting dressed?

  I slowly sat up in the bed, "No, it's quite all right, Emily. Thank you." She dropped her hand, and I made my way to the bathroom to get dressed. I locked the door behind me, and with a click, I felt like I was in my own world of hatred.

  Her touch felt like music to my flesh, and that made me feel dirty. It made me want to claw myself out of my skin.

  Ever since I manifested a touch of any form, it felt like relief to my skin. It felt like I was being blessed by the gods themselves. If a simple touch on my cheek felt like that... I'll hate to see myself experience true heat.

  Fortunately, for me, the spell Lilas cast on me prevents that sort of thing. Well, more like my body scent is masked, but once that spell is broken...my scent comes rushing back to all the places I've been.

  Pheromone lingers. They linger for a long time...

  In general, any sort of high emotions can trigger heat for an Omega. Under this spell, there is a certain threshold... with last night's events, I assume no... I know that I pushed myself.

  The slight fever I feel now is the result of that. As long as I stay calm and keep my emotions in check. I won't succumb to anything so humiliating.

  "Calm yourself, just take a deep breath in," I mumbled to myself in the mirror. The longer I looked in the mirror, the longer I couldn't stand to see myself.

  All I could see was disappointment.

  All I see is a mistake.

  "Everything is going to be fine." I turned on the faucet jerkily and splashed my face with cold water.

  "Nothing will go wrong."

  Just be yourself... but do I even know what that even is anymore?

  Looking down at the bathroom floor, I see a pile of my clothing lying around. I thought ahead and placed my luggage in the bathroom.

  I can't change in front of Emily. No one should see my shame...

  If the scent spell masks my scent. I can be at peace, but if someone were to look at my naked lower back, they'll know my deadly truth.

  Stepping out of my nightgown, I get dressed in a maroon dress laced with baby pink lace. The lace brushed against my feverish skin. The sensation brought back other memories of the past.

  I shook my head, trying to get the memory out of my head.

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  "I don't think about it...it's only going to make me feel more sick." Sitting down on the sink counter. I pull up my white cotton stockings and put on my marron close-toe heels. I hop down the counter and look at myself in the mirror.

  "There, that's more like it."

  I look like my normal self. I look put together.

  I am what I am supposed to look like.

  Smoothing down my dress, I turn to leave the bathroom, but for a split second, I hesitate at the bathroom door.

  I need to open this door, and I can go about my day. I just need to turn the knob and unlock it.

  So...

  It's not me, it's the door.

  The door won't open.

  Not when...it's me trying to open it.

  "Emily," I called out from inside the bathroom, "Open this door for me! I think it's locked."

  It's not my fault that the stupid door won't open.

  Seconds passed... then minutes.

  I waited for Emily, but she never came.

  The door didn't open.

  I stood staring at the doorknob.

  A door can't open itself.

  "Just turn it. I can open it." I grabbed the golden doorknob and waited for a beat, then yanked, opened the door, and walked out into the room's blinding light.

  The sunlight engulfed the whole room, and it reminded me of a new day...but a new day never stopped yesterday's problems from being today's issue.

  "Just one more door."

  Then I can face my problems. I'll be downstairs.

  I'll be having breakfast, and my day will go on like nothing ever happened last night.

  I don't know how long it took me to get out of the guestroom, but by the time I got downstairs, breakfast was over, and I couldn't find Lilas or Aalackai.

  Granted, I didn't look very hard, nor did I try asking for them. Instead, I went back to my room and changed into black pants and a loose-fitting white cotton shirt.

  I knew the moment I changed into sports attire, I would be giving my body hell.

  The true hell I deserved.

  This will ground me.

  I walked to the Klemen training ground. I heard wooden swords whacking in the distance.

  I was hoping no one would be here.

  Maybe I should turn around? I really don't feel like seeing anyone.

  As I turned the corner, I saw Lilas attacking a wooden dummy. As I shifted my gaze onto the ground, I saw how many he went through.

  As much as he acts composed in front of others, he's always so easy to read with his actions.

  Walking to the arm stand, I grabbed a wooden sword. As I did, I felt his eyes land on me. I felt his gaze, and it felt like he was speaking a thousand words.

  I ignored him, and I walked to a standing training dummy at the other side of the training ground. Which was only a few feet away. The grounds here were smaller than most noble houses. The Klemen are known for being skilled archers instead.

  I stretched for a few minutes until I felt like I was limber enough.

  If he kept looking at me like that, I felt like I was going to gouge his eyes out, but even then, he would figure out how to keep on staring at me.

  I ignored him for a while until I didn't...

  I struck fast and hard at him as dust clouded around us. I ran at my maximum speed, but he managed to block me without a sweat, like he knew I was going to attack him.

  I knew he was going to block, but still, I wanted to feel the satisfaction of getting one hit in before he even knew what was coming.

  Figures, damn prodigy.

  Lilas looked at me with a hurt expression.

  I pulled back and distanced myself from him. I felt my adrenaline rushing through my veins.

  "You don't get to look at me like that." I spat out, "Not after what you did."

  He opened his mouth to speak, but closed it.

  My heart pounded against my chest, and its pounding thundered in my ear.

  I pointed my sword at him.

  "Kitayana, let's not do this. We can just talk." Despite saying that, he was already standing in a proper stance.

  Why say something when you don't mean it?

  I blinked the stinging of my eyes away, and when I opened my eyes again, he was rushing at me instead.

  He aimed for my shoulder, and I barely dodged. His wooden swords swished in the air into nothing.

  When I saw him preparing his next strike. I regretted instigating this fight, but this isn't about winning; it's about proving a point.

  Wat point...?

  Who am I kidding?

  This isn't about proving jackshit, it's about beating fucker up because he couldn't keep his mouth shut.

  Realistically, I have no chance at winning this thing I started, but that doesn't mean I can't blow off some steam and try to get a couple of hits in.

  I'm going to make those hits hurt.

  Before we could truly start fighting. I heard a voice shouting from a distance.

  "Your highness! Lady Kitayana!" Emily shouted. Her voice was closer, and she panted out, "A letter has arrived from the Lycan Alpha Youth Conference." She paused for a moment to catch her breath, "It was addressed to both of you and the young master. Lady Klemen has asked for the two of you."

  I didn't glance at her, and neither did Lilas.

  We both didn't care about whatever she was saying, but Lilas has an image to maintain, and so did I.

  And... I hate that we did.