"Stop crying," Liam said, almost sweetly. "You are making this harder."

Yusha looked up, his vision blurry.

"Harder for who?" he whispered. "You? Or me?"

The alpha didn’t answer him immediately. He exhaled, shaking his head.

"I didn’t know you could be so difficult," he said, his gaze narrowing.

Yusha almost laughed—but held it back. He needed to leave this place. He couldn’t stay somewhere where his unborn child wasn’t safe.

He inhaled deeply before parting his lips.

"Alright. I will do as you say."

This was the only way to set himself free. To pretend to go along with him while planning his escape.

Immediately, a smile tugged at the alpha’s lips. Bright. Kind. Soft. The one Yusha hadn’t seen since Liam learned he was pregnant.

"Good boy," he said, pressing a soft kiss to the omega’s forehead, his hands gently caressing his cheeks.

Yusha lowered his head, eyes on the carpet. It had never occurred to him that one day, he would leave his beloved master.

But he could feel his baby move in his womb. How could he let that heartbeat cease? All his life, he had longed for love—and he had received that from Liam.

However, he never received the respect that was supposed to come with it. He was always treated as something less. Something disposable. A piece of trash that didn’t even deserve to stand beside his perfect, flawless master.

And as crazy as it might seem, he still couldn’t hate him.

The heartless man sitting before him was once the one who had freed him from his life as a slave—a being with no worth beyond existing for his master.

"Now, what are you thinking so hard about?" Liam asked, rubbing his thumb over the omega’s cheeks.

"My Lord," Yusha’s voice trembled.

"Yes?" Liam replied, concern flickering across his face.

"You are the start."

"Of?"

"Of my happiness."

Liam smiled, unsure how to react. Yusha was never the expressive type. That was why it had been easy to keep him around. He didn’t cling too much. He was easy to handle. He never got angry, never raised his voice.

But everything had changed when a supposed child entered their lives.

"And the end."

The alpha frowned, tilting his head slightly. Confusion clouded his eyes.

"The end?" he echoed.

Silence fell over the room—brief, fleeting. Yet to Liam, it stretched on far too long.

The omega let out a soft, quiet laugh.

"My love starts with you. Ends with you."

Though Liam didn’t understand the meaning, he smiled.

"Good. Get some rest. I will go now and arrange for someone to perform the abortion."

He rose from the bed, running a hand through the omega’s hair—gentle, almost fond.

Yusha nodded, his gaze lowered, lashes hiding everything he refused to show.

Of course, Liam didn’t notice.

With a bright grin, he exited the room, satisfied. Now that Yusha had agreed, there was no need to dirty his own hands. No need to risk harming the omega.

And so, he left—completely unaware of what that quiet laugh truly meant.

The servant watched his master leave. The man he once considered his whole world—his earth, his sky, his everything—suddenly meant nothing.

He once heard someone say, "It might take a long time to love someone unconditionally, but it doesn’t even take a second to stop respecting them regardless of your deep love for them."

And tonight, Yusha had lost all respect he had for his master.

That man was never a kind being.

He was a monster disguised as an angel—one who sought the death of his own child. Such a man couldn’t bring Yusha happiness.

Never.

At first, he laughed once.

Then twice.

A long pause stretched before the next burst came, louder, rawer. The sound echoed off the walls, bouncing around the room.

And then it broke.

The laughter faltered, cracked, giving way to sobs. Hot tears streamed down his cheeks and jaw, dripping onto the sheets and soaking the fabric.

He buried his face in his hands, shuddering with each ragged breath, the sound of his own crying mingling with the echoes of laughter that had come before.

The walls were certainly soundproof—otherwise, the guards, or even a knight, would have come rushing in to check if the one inside hadn’t completely lost their mind.

His chest ached, his stomach twisted, and every tear felt like molten lava from a long-slumbering volcano. He simply couldn’t stop it. It flowed naturally, beyond his control. He wasn’t a fighter.

He wasn’t strong.

He was weak.

Too weak.

Having cried for who knew how long, Yusha finally regained some composure. Lying on the bed, exhausted from releasing all his emotions, he wiped his tears, eyes red and swollen.

He had to leave this place—before Liam returned with someone to perform the abortion.

He sprang to his feet, stepping onto the carpet barefoot. He didn’t notice the lack of shoes; his mind was too focused on escape. Nor was he wearing a jacket. The chill of the outside air would reach him soon, but for now, survival was all that mattered.

Opening the door, he glanced left and right, making sure the hallways were empty.

The place looked like Liam’s mansion, but something felt off. Yusha couldn’t wrap his mind around what exactly. Still, he chose not to dwell on it.

Why bother figuring it out when he was about to leave anyway?

With careful steps, he made his way down the stairs, holding onto the railing as if he might fall at any moment otherwise. His head still ached from the fall, though the pain was more bearable now.

However, once he reached the first floor, his steps faltered.

Countless strangers stood there. All of them wore armour—but none of their faces were familiar. After serving Liam for so many years, Yusha had come to recognize nearly every knight, if not by name then by sight.

And these men...

They were not the Imperial General’s soldiers.

One of them spotted him and immediately rushed over.

"What are you doing here?"

Yusha flinched. He hadn’t expected someone to confront him so directly. Swallowing hard, he averted his gaze.

"W-Water," he stammered, grasping for an excuse as quickly as he could.

The man studied him, eyes filled with doubt. Still, he hummed, as though he had accepted the lie.

"Go back upstairs. I’ll have someone bring you water and some food," he said. "The Count instructed us to make sure you remain in your room. So refrain from leaving it."

Yusha’s breath caught in his throat.

Liam ordered this?

Didn’t that mean... he was a prisoner now?

A man held captive, as if he had committed some unforgivable crime?

"What are you waiting for?" the knight frowned, waving a hand in front of the man who had zoned out.

The servant blinked, snapping back to reality. Tears welled up in his eyes again, but this time, he refused to let them fall. He clenched his fists and turned on his heel, stepping onto the stairs.

"Also, wear slippers in the room," the knight added. "The lord will get mad if you walk around barefoot like this."

Yusha’s steps faltered. For a moment, he froze in place. What had Liam told these knights for them to guard him like this?

Had he accused him of being a murderer?

A thief, perhaps?

Who knows.

It could have been anything.

However, without turning back—without answering—the omega continued up to the second floor.

When he entered the room once again, his gaze immediately searched for a window.

If he jumped from the second floor, he could escape easily... right?

He strode toward the curtains, a flicker of hope stirring in his chest. His lips curled into a faint smile as he reached out, fingers clutching the thin grey fabric. He pulled it aside—

And the corner of his lips dropped, the smile vanishing just as quickly as it had appeared.

Iron rods covered the window, forged into cruel diamond-shaped patterns, leaving no space wide enough to slip through.

No room for freedom.

"Ha. Ha. Ha."

The laugh that escaped him was hollow, forced—mocking rather than amused.

But he didn’t know who it was meant for.

For Liam?

Or for himself?

Most likely himself.

For being foolish enough to believe he could escape this hell so easily.

His shoulders sagged as the truth settled heavily in his chest.

There was no open door.

No window.

Only a cage he had never realized he was already inside.

"What if I tell him it could kill me—would he still kill you?" he murmured, gently caressing his stomach with both hands.

When he went to see a random physician in the capital late at night, while everyone else was sound asleep, he discovered that his doubts had been valid. He was indeed pregnant.

The thought of bringing a new life into this world had been the happiest moment of his life.

However, the physician had told him something he never expected.

"Your body doesn’t look like it, but... you have many problems with your womb. You need to be extremely careful if you want the baby to be safe. Otherwise..." The woman hesitated. "I’m afraid you might both lose your lives. And this may be your first—and last—child."

Her words echoed relentlessly in his mind.

He knew he was damaged. Still, he had never imagined it would be to such an extent—enough to allow him only one child.

Then, Liam’s words resurfaced. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

"I will give you as many children as you want. Just not this one."

"But, My Lord... with me, it can only be this baby or none," Yusha murmured to himself.

It was the reply he hadn’t been able to give his master back then.