The Beginning of a Disaster

Krystal couldn’t sleep; the whole experience seemed to have taken a toll on him. No matter how many times he closed his eyes, Diago’s voice kept replaying inside his head.

 “For the first time, I’m looking forward to this engagement.” That single sentence was enough to destroy every remaining ounce of peace within him.

“This is bad… this really is bad.” He stuttered as he sat up, rummaging a hand through his hair in frustration. His silver hair damp from the sweat.

The moonlight slipped through the curtains, casting faint shadows across the luxurious room. Everything seemed to be changing so quickly that he felt lost. In the original manhwa, Diago despised Caspian from the very beginning. It was so bad that, even their relationship was cold, hostile, and filled with resentment.

But now, it was the direct opposite. The future tyrant was smiling and laughing at him. Looking at him like he had suddenly become something worth noticing. He intuitively felt his head ache from the trauma.

“No,” he muttered firmly to himself. “I can still fix this.” All he needed was to end the engagement before Diago became emotionally attached. As simple as that, he told himself.

As he was deliberating on what next to do, a sudden knock interrupted his thoughts.

“Young Master?” The voice called and Krystal immediately recognized the maid’s voice from earlier.

“What is it?”

“The Veydrake family is preparing to leave… but Young Master Diago requested to see you before departing.”

“What?” He froze; his face lined with confusion and displeasure. That was never in the manhwa. He had read it more than 50 times but never came across such a line.

“He said he wishes to speak with you privately.”

“Privately, again?” His legs came up and he nearly collapsed back onto the bed. “Wasn’t the garden enough? …I must get rid of him”. He muttered to himself.

“Tell him I’m asleep.” The maid nervously hesitated outside the door.

“Young Master… I already did, but...” Just then, the door suddenly swung open with Diago at the doorpost. Krystal flinched with the loud bang, looking toward the door with horror. His tongue stuck in his throat.

“I came to get you myself.” He said, wearing a soft smile. “I thought it was appropriate that way”

The maid instinctively bowed his in greeting as Krystal met his gaze. “I tried to stop him but...” He tried to explain but Krystal lifted his hand in dismissal.

“You can leave now” He finally said. Without another word, he bowed out, shutting the door behind him. Krystal blankly stared ahead at Diago as if his soul had temporarily left his body.

What kind of male lead was this? He thought. Diago barely tolerated Caspian’s existence in the manhwa so why was he suddenly acting like this? He was making things even more complicated than it was already.

“Get out of my room!” He shouted as he drew closer to him. “Have you no manners?” He staggered back, hitting the desk which knocked him off.

Before he knew, he caught him midway. His heavy arm wrapped around his waist like a boarder as he pulled him into his bosom. He was so close that, he felt his gentle breath softly caress his neck. His chest pressed on his and that’s when their eyes met for the first time.

Their eyes remained locked in each other’s to which he couldn’t resist his touch. Diago slowly leaned in and he groaned softly as his lips gently touched his. For about 5 minutes, they felt each other’s breath.

Just then, Krystal pushed him off. Diago staggered a few steps back from the sudden push, his eyes slightly widened in surprise. The room instantly fell into a heavy silence as Krystal’s chest rose and fell rapidly.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Krystal snapped, immediately wiping his lips with the back of his hand. His face burned red with both anger and panic.

Diago stared at him quietly for a moment. “You didn’t resist.” His expression slowly darkened.

“I-I was shocked!” His breath hitched.

“And yet,” he calmly stepped closer again, “you looked at me like you wanted me to continue.”

Krystal instantly froze, what nonsense was this man saying? He scoffed.

“You’re unbelievable,” he muttered, quickly turning away from him. “Have you completely lost your mind?” A low chuckle escaped Diago’s lips once again and that only made him more nervous. He seems to be enjoying every bit of it.

“You’ve changed,” Diago suddenly admitted from behind him. “The Caspian I knew would’ve insulted me or thrown me out by now.”

Krystal’s fists clenched tightly, he knew that was true. The original Caspian would have never reacted the way he just did. He would’ve mocked, called him shameless, and thrown him out immediately but he wasn’t Caspian.

And unfortunately, Diago was beginning to catch on to it. He could feel his gaze heavily lingering on him. “You smell different too.”

Krystal’s heart nearly stopped, his omega scent. “W-What?” he instinctively stepped backward in panic.

But Diago didn’t stop, he slowly approached him again as if taunting him. His eyes slightly narrowed. “Earlier in the hall, your scent was unstable.” His voice lowered. “…and you strongly reacted to my pheromones.”

Krystal’s face immediately turned pale. He had totally forgotten how sensitive omegas could be around dominant alphas. Diago abruptly stopped in front of him; he was close enough that Krystal felt trapped between him and the desk behind him.

“I’m tired,” Krystal finally said, forcing his voice to remain calm. “If that’s all you came here for, then please leave.”

“You’re afraid of me,” He murmured.

“No.” He lied. Diago’s face spontaneously lined with a sinister smile. Gently, his fingers brushed against Krystal’s silver hair which made him flinch. Even though his touch was soft and almost careful, he was somehow frightened.

Avoiding him completely right now would only attract more suspicion. He needed to act naturally until he found a way to cancel the engagement safely.

“You should rest,” Diago finally said after a long silence which made him blink in surprise.

“That was it?” His eyes widened in shock as Diago stepped away, adjusting his gloves calmly before walking toward the door. But before leaving, he suddenly paused.

“Be careful, Caspian.” He said without turning around. 

He frowned in confusion.  “What does that mean?” He asked which finally brought his gaze back. Glancing at him over his shoulder, he offered a line of caution.

“There are people inside this estate who are already unhappy about our engagement.”

Krystal’s expression changed the moment those words landed. The truth dawned on him

In the original manhwa, Caspian’s engagement to Diago created enemies almost immediately—especially among the noble families hoping to marry into the powerful Veydrake bloodline.

But before Krystal could ask anything else, Diago threw a shade with a faint smile.

“And remember, I dislike when others touch what belongs to me.” His back faded with the click of the door as it shut behind him.

For several seconds, he stood frozen in place until his legs finally gave up. Slowly sliding down against the desk in complete disbelief.

“…I’m doomed.” He cried.