Free Web NovelChapter 364: 364 — Search For Him
"Your Imperial Highness!" A voice echoed through the corridor, accompanied by hurried footsteps racing toward the room.
Zayden, who had finally managed to put Eiran to sleep after hours of patience, immediately rose to his feet. Careful not to wake the child, he quietly stepped away from the bed and made his way to the door.
The moment he opened it, a deep frown settled on his face.
"What is wrong with you?" he scolded, keeping his voice as low as possible. "Can’t you keep your composure? Must you shout outside a sleeping child’s room?"
"I-I apologize, Your Imperial Highness, but..." the knight stammered, his gaze darting nervously between Zayden and the floor.
"But?" Zayden raised an eyebrow. Something about the knight’s behaviour triggered his curiousity. "What happened? Did monsters attack the capital?"
A trace of concern slipped into his voice despite himself.
The knight quickly shook his head.
"No, Your Imperial Highness," he bit his lips, finally letting their eyes meet.
"The traitor..." The man swallowed hard. "He escaped."
For a moment, time seemed to stop.
Zayden’s eyes widened ever so slightly.
Ren escaped...?
The words echoed in his mind.
He remained standing there, motionless.
Silent.
The reaction left the knight bewildered.
The Imperial General was renowned throughout Revhara for his efficiency. He never hesitated when it came to traitors. He hunted them down without mercy, ensuring they faced justice before they could take another breath of freedom.
Yet ever since Ren’s identity had been revealed, something had been different.
First, Zayden had refused to execute him immediately despite the overwhelming evidence against him. Then he had insisted on an investigation. And now, upon hearing that the prisoner had escaped... He wasn’t moving. Wasn’t demanding details. Wasn’t already halfway out the door.
For the first time since the knight had known him, the General seemed lost.
A dozen emotions flashed through Zayden’s chest at once.
Shock.
Relief.
Anger.
Confusion.
The realization that Ren was gone settled heavily upon him.
Gone.
No longer locked behind bars.
No longer somewhere Zayden could find him whenever he wished.
No longer within reach.
The thought left an unpleasant ache in his chest.
Then he remembered the betrayal.
The lies.
The secrets.
And whatever relief he had felt was immediately drowned beneath a wave of bitterness.
"Search for him," Zayden finally ordered. His voice was cold.
Harsh.
Emotionless.
The knight straightened instantly. "Yes, Your Imperial Highness!"
"There is no possibility he left the capital unnoticed. Seal the gates. Question the guards. Search every district if you must."
"Yes, Your Imperial Highness!" The knight hurried away without another word.
Zayden remained standing in the doorway long after the footsteps disappeared.
His gaze drifted toward the dark corridor. Toward nothing. Or perhaps toward someone. His expression never changed. The crimson eyes staring into the darkness appeared hollow.
Empty.
As though the man standing there had lost something important and did not yet know whether he wanted it back.
"Why would you do that?..." he demanded, although there was no one in the hallway to answer him.
"You just proved everything is true..." He clenched his fists, sorrow flickering in his eyes. The very eyes that never tried to hide his love for his servant—a mere human—an omega without status. But to Zayden, Ren was the most precious being there could exist in this universe.
In front of him, nothing mattered. No status. Not second gender. Nor species.
But betrayal was the one thing Zayden could never accept, nor forgive.
***
Running through the hallways, Ren constantly glanced left and right, making sure no guards spotted him.
His hands trembled.
So did his legs.
Every movement sent pain shooting through his battered body.
Using his divine power would have been useless. If anything, it would only worsen his condition.
It was a blessing disguised as a curse.
He could heal others.
Bear their wounds.
Ease their suffering.
But he could never use those powers on himself.
They existed solely to make him carry the pain of others.
Nothing more.
"Where is he?!"
"Find him quickly! The Imperial General ordered it!"
"What if we don’t find him? What if he’s already left this part of the palace?"
"Shut your mouth! Do you want to lose your head too? That traitor is bound to die."
Hearing the conversation, Ren pressed himself against a pillar and held his breath.
His heartbeat grew uneven.
Zayden truly ordered them to search for me...
The thought struck him harder than any blow he had received in the dungeon.
Yet...
Zayden was searching for him.
Wasn’t that proof that he still cared? freeωebnovēl.c૦m
Or was it merely the duty of a general hunting down a criminal?
The uncertainty twisted painfully in his chest.
Does he not trust me enough to give me a chance to explain?
A bitter taste filled his mouth.
His gaze fell to the floor.
How could you...?
His vision blurred.
Before he realized it, tears had gathered in his eyes.
Quickly, he wiped them away.
Now was not the time to cry.
He had more important things to do.
He needed to find Eiran.
No matter what happened between him and Zayden, he could never abandon his son.
And he couldn’t abandon Zayden either.
Not like this.
Not while the man believed he had been deceiving him from the very beginning.
Ren had to explain himself.
Had to clear up the misunderstanding.
Because despite everything that had happened, despite the pain and humiliation, he still couldn’t let go.
He wanted to hold onto what they had.
To the family they had built together.
To the happiness that had finally found its way into his life after years of suffering.
Letting it slip through his fingers without a fight would be far too foolish.
A memory surfaced in his mind.
Vincent’s voice.
Sharp.
Unforgiving.
Coward.
That was what Vincent had always called him.
A coward who never fought for himself.
A coward who accepted every beating, every injustice, every cruelty without resistance.
Perhaps Vincent had been right.
Until now.
Ren slowly clenched his fists.
The pain in his bruised knuckles barely registered.
For the first time in a very long while, he wanted something for himself.
And he wasn’t prepared to lose it.
Not without a fight.
Not this time.
***
And when he finally found Zayden, standing in front of the alpha’s bedroom, Ren’s face brightened instantly. His lips curled into a soft smile.
For a moment, everything else faded away. The guards who were searching for him. The accusations. The pain coursing through his battered body. None of it mattered.
Zayden was here.
Right before his eyes.
Without thinking, without giving himself time to hesitate, Ren rushed toward him and threw his arms around the alpha.
The impact nearly made him stumble.
His trembling fingers clutched desperately at Zayden’s clothes, as though afraid the man would disappear if he let go. The tears he had been holding back for so long finally broke free.
One after another, they rolled down his bruised cheeks.
"Zayden..." he choked out, his voice cracking.
Relief flooded through him so suddenly that it hurt.
For hours, Ren had convinced himself that everything would be fine once he found him.
That if he could just explain himself, Zayden would understand.
That he would listen.
That he would believe him.
"I finally found you..." Ren whispered, his grip tightening. "Finally..." A shaky laugh escaped him, mixed with a sob.
For the first time since his arrest, hope blossomed within his chest.
He buried his face against the alpha’s shoulder, seeking comfort in the familiar warmth he had missed so desperately.
Completely unaware of the expression on Zayden’s face.
For a moment, Zayden couldn’t move.
The warmth of Ren’s body against his.
The familiar scent that had once brought him comfort.
The trembling hands clutching his clothes as though he were the only safe place left in the world.
Everything felt painfully familiar.
Painfully precious.
Painfully wrong.
His body remembered before his mind could stop it.
Remembered the countless nights they had spent together.
The quiet conversations.
The laughter.
The gentle smiles Ren rarely showed anyone else.
The way he would instinctively seek Zayden’s warmth whenever he was cold.
The way he would look at him as though he were someone worth loving.
His throat tightened.
For one terrible moment, Zayden almost wrapped his arms around him.
Almost pulled him closer.
Almost forgot everything.
Then he remembered.
The portrait.
The dungeon.
The title everyone feared.
The Grim Reaper.
And all the lies.
His hands slowly curled into fists at his sides.
The warmth spreading through his chest turned into something sharp and unbearable.
Anger.
Hurt.
Betrayal.
He had trusted him.
Gods, he had trusted him more than anyone.
More than he had ever trusted another human.
And this was the result.
A bitter laugh nearly escaped his throat.
How can you act like nothing happened?... How can you act like you never betrayed me?
The entire capital was searching for him.
The only difference was that while everyone else was hunting a criminal, Zayden didn’t even know what he was chasing anymore.
A traitor?
A victim?
The man he loved?
Or a stranger he had never truly known?
Slowly, Zayden lowered his gaze.
The sight before him was enough to make his stomach twist.
Ren was bruised.
His silver hair was disheveled.
Dark marks covered his exposed skin.
The injuries were far worse than he remembered.
For an instant, guilt stabbed through him.
Had the guards truly done this?
Had he allowed this to happen?
His jaw tightened.
No.
None of that changed the truth.
Ren had still lied.
He had still hidden who he was.
Still allowed Zayden to fall in love with a man whose name alone could shake kingdoms.
"Ren."
The name left his lips quietly.
Too quietly.
Almost painfully so.
The omega’s grip tightened instantly, as if reassured simply by hearing his voice.
And somehow, that only made everything worse.
"Look at me."
Zayden hated how his voice trembled.
Hated how desperately he wanted an explanation.
Wanted Ren to say it was all a misunderstanding.
Wanted someone to tell him he hadn’t built his happiness on a lie.
Because despite everything—
Despite the evidence. Despite the accusations. Despite the betrayal burning inside his chest. A foolish part of him still wanted to believe. Still wanted to trust him.
And that frightened Zayden more than anything else.
