[BL] Alpha, You've Got the Wrong Mate!

Chapter 391: 391 — A Curse or A Blessing? (2)

”When did this happen? Why didn’t you tell me?” Ilyan’s voice trembled. ”How could the Temple allow something like this to happen to you? Where were the guards, huh? They never let me come near you, yet those men somehow managed to enter your room!...”

Raniel slowly pulled his legs closer to his chest, resting his chin upon his knees. His vision had become blurry from the tears gathering in his eyes, the cloth covering them gradually growing damp.

”Why should I tell you, of all people? We just met...” The omega’s answer came without hesitation. ”Anyway, I killed every one of them anyway.”

There wasn’t the slightest hint of guilt in his voice, nor any fear.

If those words drove Ilyan away, then so be it.

The alpha remained silent for a brief moment.

Yet those few seconds stretched into what felt like an eternity to Raniel. His heart pounded painfully against his ribs as countless thoughts raced through his mind.

The first person who ever showed me genuine kindness... is about to leave me, too.

Suddenly, he felt a finger gently slipping beneath his chin, lifting his face upward.

Standing before him was Ilyan. Rather, the figure he had always seen whenever he heard the man’s voice.

Raniel couldn’t make out the alpha’s expression through the blindfold, and that uncertainty only made the anxiety in his chest grow heavier.

Without saying a word, Ilyan gently guided Raniel’s legs back onto the floor before sitting down beside him. Then, with the utmost care, he wrapped an arm around the omega’s waist and lifted him onto his lap as though handling something incredibly fragile.

Raniel gasped.

What... is he doing?

The question echoed inside his mind, yet no words managed to leave his lips.

”It’s not your fault,” Ilyan whispered, his voice so soft and low that it tickled Raniel’s ears from how close they were. ”And I’m glad you killed every single one of them.”

The warmth of the alpha’s breath brushed against Raniel’s neck, sending heat rushing uncontrollably to his cheeks and ears.

No one had ever told him it wasn’t his fault. No one had ever said he had done the right thing by taking those lives. Didn’t killing people make him a monster?

”If you hadn’t done it,” Ilyan continued, gently stroking the omega’s silver hair, ”then I swear in the name of the Gods, I would’ve drawn my sword and killed them myself.”

That was all it took.

The wall Raniel had spent years building around his heart suddenly crumbled.

Tears spilled from beneath the blindfold faster than he could stop them. Before he even realized what he was doing, he wrapped both arms tightly around Ilyan’s neck and buried his face against the alpha’s shoulder, his trembling breaths muffled against the fabric of his robes.

Ilyan froze for only a heartbeat, caught off guard by the sudden embrace. Then, a gentle smile found its way onto his lips.

He didn’t utter a word. He feared that even the smallest word might frighten Raniel back behind the walls he had only just begun to lower.

Instead, he continued stroking the omega’s hair with slow and reassuring motions while holding him just firmly enough for Raniel to know he wasn’t alone anymore.

His chest tightened painfully. He had always known that omegas in Hianshu were often treated cruelly. But he had never imagined that even within the Temple—the place meant to protect and guide its people—Raniel had never once been safe.

Once Raniel finally calmed down, he quietly slipped off Ilyan’s lap, unable to bring himself to remain there any longer. A faint pink tint spread across his pale cheeks, embarrassment creeping into his expression.

In most of the books he had read, crying in someone else’s arms was childish. Rather, it was something only children did. No adults cried in those novels. They were strong. Stronger than he ever was.

He lowered his head, refusing to let the alpha notice the warmth lingering on his face.

”By the way...” Ilyan began, smiling awkwardly as though trying to lighten the atmosphere.

He needed to find something—anything to say to change the subject. After all, what happened to the omega was no small matter. And he would definitely address it to the higher-ups and question their negligence toward Raniel, who was also a High Priest like them.

A while ago, when he tried to speak to the High Priests about it, the High Priestess II kept changing the subject, interrupting him nonstop.

”Yes?” Raniel’s soft voice snapped him out of his deep thoughts.

”Sp, I was wondering... Why do you speak Dragwari instead of the common language? I know the war only started recently, and changing the language you’ve spoken your whole life can’t be easy, but you should try learning it. Otherwise, you’ll have trouble understanding the people around you. Even I forget a few words sometimes when speaking—” He abruptly stopped talking and covered his mouth with one hand.

Just because Raniel had finally opened up to him didn’t mean he should keep rambling without thinking.

He had a terrible habit of speaking whatever came to mind whenever he felt comfortable around someone.

”I... apologize,” he said with an awkward laugh. ”I tend to talk too much.”

Raniel remained quiet for a moment before slowly raising his head.

”I don’t know the common language.”

The simple answer caught Ilyan completely off guard.

”You... don’t?” His eyes widened in shock.

The omega shook his head.

”The High Priests never taught me. They said there was no need for me to learn it.”

Ilyan stared at him in disbelief.

How could there be no need?

Raniel was one of the High Priests himself. How could they expect him to live his entire life without understanding the language spoken by the very people he was meant to guide later in life?

That’s absurd! Why would they not teach him such a basic thing?

He bit his bottom lip, drawing blood out of it without realizing it.