The path ahead

["Is everything ready" Su felt like he was underwater. The words reached his ears clearly but sounded as if they were coming from a distance.

However, Su could feel someone's body heat right next to his own and that was what concerned him.

The omega tried to move his head toward his alpha to ask for assurance but found himself unable to move at all. That was when real panic started to grip him.

Su tried to wrestle the control back from his panicked instincts but it was difficult. His hormones were reaching a new level of distress but Su wanted to hear the conversation more than anything.

He had a feeling that he would not be able to access this information once he woke up.

"Everything has been set up. We even managed to get a sample of the infection plaguing the borders. The council is still unaware of this face though" Su's mind recognized that voice as Lady Ray.

As alpha and having no bond to Ignis, Su knew she was not a threat to his bond with the alpha but his omega did not see that co-relation. The omega part of Su wanted the unrelated Alpha was far away from him as possible.

"That's good. Keep those fools away from Su for as long as you can. You did inform the head magician, right? Ask him to meet me once you get Su tested" Su wanted to inject his opinion so badly in the conversation but his body betrayed him.

There was a shift at Su's side and a hand reached for Su's. the touch seemed familiar and caused Su's body to relax unconsciously.

It was then Su felt the familiar remains of magic energy remaining inside his body. It was no wonder that he had scumbled so easily to such a tactic.

That and his exhaustion made a war worse combo than he had initially anticipated. His distressed omega did not help his case as well.

"Lady Ray, we are done for now. Our guest has woken up so it's about time we went to our normal schedule" Su cursed inside his mind as he forced his eyes open.

His eyes stared at a blue pair Su was becoming intimidated familiar with.

"Of course. Also, the emperor has a tight schedule today to accommodate for your absence yesterday from the court. It should be about time you leave. Don't worry about your guest. I won't let him out of my sight" Su watched as the emperor stood up.

The hand that had been in Su's tightened its grip before letting go. Su instantly felt the loss of warmth and his omega whined in sadness.

Su bit his lip to force the sound back inside his throat. He would not give the emperor this satisfaction.

Not that it seemed to have mattered much. The knowing smirk of the alpha let Su know what he thought about Su's pitiful attempt.

Sadly, this moment had to be broken and Lady Ray inserted herself right between the pair with a determined look. She did not even flinch at the warning growl she received from the emperor.

"Don't be an idiot. You need to freshen yourself and prepare for the court. And your omega needs to see to his needs as well. I will deliver his back to you in the evening" the emperor finally settled down.

Su had a feeling that it had been the use of 'your omega' that had settled the alpha down but Su was not willing to take bets on it.

The knock on the door finally broke the ongoing staring match between the king and Lady Ray. and finally the emperor left and a shocked maid entered the room.

"I-excuse me. I was asked to assist a guest in here?" The maid asked with wide eyes. She seemed to be affected by the rich alpha scent of the emperor.

A scent Su had not noticed because it had not been aimed at suppression in his direction. It was a scary thought to be so in tune with someone's scent.

The maid's delicate demeanor, as well as fair tone likely, meant that she was an omega. It brought a sour taste to Su's mind and he could not help but growl in warning.

His growl startled the maid even more and she 'epped' in fright. Lady Ray looked as if she was about to have a headache but she ultimately chose to ignore Su.

"You, go back and take a break. You look as if you are about to go into heat and your scent is not helping. Send a beta maid up here instead" Lady Ray commanded and the poor maid ran away with a red face.

Su's growl quietened down as soon as she was gone and his brain decided to finally catch up with him.

And as soon as his brain caught up to him, Su felt a mortifying feeling go through him. He had not wanted to frighten the maid in such a manner but something had taken over his senses.

"I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me" Su apologized as soon as he felt his brain connect with his mouth.

"No need. Your omega instincts just reacted to a rival, which I understand. But I would appreciate it if you would hurry up and get ready for the day. The bathroom is to your right" Su looked at Lady Ray to see if she would get out of his room to give him privacy.

But the lady seemed to have no such intention. She even went as far as to take a seat at the sofa chair in his room.

So there was no chance of privacy for Su? He could work around it as long as the bathroom door locked from inside.

"The necessities are in the bathroom and are safe for humans as well. Use them if you want to" Su nodded and fled the room in a hurry. The bathroom was stocked and even had clothes that indicated that his bath had been planned.

Su decided to lock the bathroom and hop under warm water. It seemed to be soothing all his worries away but Su could not help but be worried about the future from here.

He had accepted his place in the palace but that did not mean he had given up on his original goal. He was playing a dangerous game by not prioritizing one thing in his life but Su found himself unwilling to choose.

He was too deep into both holes to be able to leave them now.

It was only a matter of time before something pushed Su over into one hole completely and forced him to stay there forever but Su was not sure which hole it would be.

The water went cold far sooner than Su would have liked for it to and the rest of the routine was followed in a hurried manner.

The clothes that had been left for Su were of Earthen style. The jeans were a tight fit but the shirt was too loose to fit him properly. Su looked like a clown in the combination but that was all he had been given.

When he came back into his room, it had a few more occupants than he had first left it with. Lady Ray seemed to be conversing with the maids around her and directing them about what to do.

Su observed the scene and tried a small sniff. Yup, he knew that these maids were all betas. They felt safe to his instincts and Su applauded the lady for her smart thinking.

"I'm done. What is next on our agenda?" Su asked as he made his way toward a neutral position to flee the scene.

It did not escape Lady Ray's attention and she shot him a glare for his efforts. She also flexed her hand and Su felt magic flow behind him. She was not playing around with his freedom here.

"You will follow me to the magical department where we will test you and your limits. Since the emperor's magic chose you, we hope that it is a sign of something big to come" Lady Ray explained as the maids ran around her.

Su shot her a questioning look but Lady Ray seemed to not get it. Su finally decided to voice his quarry.

"Is it safe to say all that in front of the maids?" Su asked but Lady Ray looked to not care. Her hands motioned in a wave and Su instantly understood the meaning.

There was a spell around them that prevented the maids from hearing them. Maybe the motion of magic he had felt earlier had been this spell instead.

Su would need to polish his magical knowledge and familiarity more if he wanted to get into the inner workings of this kingdom.

Maybe he would learn something and also be able to bring magic back to earth once he was done.

"Time is of the essence. The head of the magicians would only be here for so long. Let's hurry to not miss him" Su felt a shove and then his feet started to drag themselves behind Lady Ray.