After that mortifying night, Emelia almost did not come out of her room. She felt like she had done too much of what she should not have done.
But she also knew that she could not hide away in her room the whole time because that would make others worry and question what happened.
'Well, what happened, happened. There is nothing I can do about it anymore. If Liam talks about it, I will just have to face my actions.'
With that, Emelia quickly got out of the room and walked toward the kitchen.
She had missed making breakfast and lunch, but she did want to fulfill her duties and make dinner.
There was only one problem in her path – Eric was sitting at the dining table that she needed to cross in order to get to the kitchen.
'Why do I feel so guilty? I'm sure Eric would understand if I tell him that I was sick and could not work in the morning. Nothing would happen…'
Emelia tried to console herself, but it did not work. If anything, she felt even more worried and guilty.
Still, she decided to ignore her feelings and walk out with confidence… and Eric immediately put the book he was reading down and looked at her with a piercing expression.
"You were not here last night, or for breakfast. I was almost worried. But now I can see that my worries were unfounded. It seems as if you were having a lot of fun instead."
Eric spoke, and Emelia felt her face light up in a blush.
She wanted to deny this and tell Eric that he was wrong. But the second she opened her mouth, Sehyun walked in and he flinched when he looked at Emelia before a growl escaped his lips.
"Sehyun?"
Emelia asked in a tense voice, and the alpha blinked before his usual calm look took over his face. But the smile he usually sported was nowhere to be found.
"Ah, I apologize for my behavior. I was just… not expecting you to smell as strongly of Liam as you did. It just… caught me off-guard."
Sehyun avoided looking at Emelia when he spoke, and it was clear that he could sense something Emelia could not.
And from Eric's expression full of understanding, Emelia had a feeling she was the only one who could not sense what the two Alphas were sensing.
But she was quick-witted and quickly realized what it was that the two alphas could smell on her.
'Oh.'
'Oh… Oh no. Is the scent of last night still on my skin? I made sure to wash thoroughly, but did it still…?'
Emelia felt like she wanted the earth to open up and swallow her whole. She could not even pick her head up to check the reactions of the two alphas in front of her. That was how mortified she felt.
"An alpha's scent during that is unique and cannot be covered up. It's a defense mechanism to keep others away from one's potential mate. But don't worry, it will fade with time… or if you get another alpha's help."
Sehyun spoke up, and Emelia almost felt like he could see through her when he spoke.
She felt speechless before she managed to mutter out a quiet, "I see."
Thankfully, that was the end of the conversation, and Liam was not present to make things worse for Emelia.
Finally, the awkward silence was broken apart by Eric, who decided that he had enough and wanted dinner.
"Hey warden, since you missed three of our meals, can I get fish for dinner? I can smell that you brought some back yesterday and I was looking forward to it the whole day."
Eric's demand was simple, and Emelia decided to push her attention toward it rather than the alpha who made that demand.
"Alright, I can make fish for dinner. What about you, Sehyun? What would you like?"
It felt awkward to call Sehyun by his name since he was so much older and practically a stranger to her. But she did not know what else to call him either.
"Hmm, I will take anything you make. Unlike some people, I am not a picky eater. Though it would be even better if someone can feed my food to me."
Sehyun smiled, and Emelia only saw it out of the corner of her eye.
Her body decided that the smile being flashed her way was making her feel things she was not supposed to.
'Darn it. I just recovered after a night of sex. I cannot be ready to have any so soon. Fuck! I am sure I did not have such desires until I stepped inside this house. Is this place cursing me as well?'
In all the reports Emelia had read regarding this place, she had not read about it affecting the warden. It had always only affected the cursed people.
But then again, since Emelia was not the chosen warden and someone simply appointed by the house head, she did not know if the blessing of protection counted toward her or not.
'But even if it does not, why does it matter? It's not like I can change anything anyway.'
Emelia busied herself with her work so that she did not have to think about what was happening.
Around the time between her prepping for dinner and plating it, Liam came down as well. His silver eyes were as intense as she remembered them being, and he looked far too smug and happy to see her.
He did not say anything, but satisfaction rolled off his body in spades.
Snort
"Looks like our youngest is too full of himself today. But do be careful. Just because you were the first does not mean you will be the only one. Our warden is a blessing meant to be shared equally between us all. Don't you agree, Sehyun?"
Eric asked, and it did not look like he was asking about Emelia being shared as a warden, but something else.
Sehyun's eyes darkened when he looked at Emelia before he nodded and confirmed what he just heard.
"That's right. But who knows? If you are not careful, I might just take her away."