Chapter Text
1
Simon hated it. He hated the outdated idea of monarchy and power, how alphas ruled the system or how elitists only born to do it were on top of the chain. He, on the other hand, was left with no choice but to pick a job to provide for his upcoming college studies - and a bit of an unhealthy addiction to branded sneakers.
Summer had only begun but it was already ruined by his summer job - cleaning the endless rooms of the ancient royal castle. The first sunny day had already elapsed, wiping and organizing the dining hall for a gathering of some sort.
On his second day as a part of royal staff, Simon showed his ID to a stone-faced guard with more confidence. He stood on the steps by one of the castle’s side doors, ready to spend the day inside and act by a long list of strict rules.
A hue of masculine scent made Simon inhale deeply. The scent mixed with fresh air, sensing that the guard was possibly a delta. Yet Simon had to focus, just in time for his shift as the guard looked at him from head to toes. After a small nod, Simon slipped in, finding himself in the kitchen area with tens of other royal staff.
Some of the staff members were busy cooking and others seemed to have a break, hanging around the long, old table and sipping coffees. All of them greeted him as Simon passed the room, standing out in his shorts and printed t-shirt as others wore the simplistic uniforms.
”Simon, there you are! Get changed, we are facing a bit of a.. err.. situation”, Emilyn approached him with a coffee mug in her hand. Simon recognized the warm smile from yesterday, the woman in her fifties - or sixties - he hadn’t asked, again smiling at him in a motherly way.
Emilyn, being his mother’s colleague’s sister or something like that, was the reason that Simon got changed to black dress pants. He had realized the need of a job awfully late, searched for one openly and with his mother’s help. Linda had helped him by putting a word around and Emilyn, the head of the royal cleaning team, apparently needed assisting. So Simon had changed his t-shirt to a white dress shirt, wondering why it had to be white if they were about to clean some dirt.
”Today, we are heading to the east wind for the royal family’s bedrooms”, Emilyn started right after Simon fit the crew with similar clothing. Simon only nodded, unsure what it meant and how much of a work it was.
”I’m sorry to ask such a personal question, Simon '', Emilyn started again as they took stairs up to another floor, facing a long hallway. Old paintings hung on the wall in their decorative frames and it was awfully quiet, their steps echoing against the cold walls. Simon found the environment uncalling, smelling the old building and wondering what type of person, or people lived like this.
”You’re an omega, correct? Are you on medication of some type, if I may ask?” Emilyn continued, opening a door to a closet. She seemed to move in the palace like it was her home and Simon marveled at his ability to recognize all the similar seeming doors and hallways. Emilyn had picked a bunch of supplies whilst Simon barely got to answer.
For his own doom, Simon had presented as an omega at the age of fifteen. He hadn’t really been surprised, naturally having feminine features such as soft skin and slim figure. Those facts hadn’t kept him from wishing to be an alpha himself, well aware of the rarity of the species.
Simon could have been happy as a delta, at least second in line. Now, he was doomed to constantly battle with his inner omega, finding himself submitting and emotionally unstable at times. Mostly, he battled with the inner need to find a strong alpha to protect him, familiar and unfamiliar with the side of him.
”Correct and yeah, I’m on heat-suppressants, if that’s what you’re asking”, he answered with a light confusion. Simon didn’t necessarily feel the subject as troublesome, rather confused by the question. What does his pills have to do with his low-paying, temporary job?
”Good, you must know the crown prince has presented as an alpha”, Emilyn almost whispered, like it was a secret, not like it had been printed on magazines and talked on the morning show.
”Yes and Erik presented as delta, that’s why Wilhelm’s going to take the crown? Although the queen is only a beta and the king -”, he spoke, sharing the facts probably everyone knew. Yet Emilyn shushed him with an index finger on her lips, giving a more firm look.
”We don’t gossip around here”, she explained with a quiet voice. Simon had to bite his tongue because sure, they didn’t gossip about the royal family.
They had stilled in front of a sturdy door and Simon already knew what was inside - the alpha’s bedroom. Mysk filled his nostrils, strong and mixed with a hint of cinnamon. His heart raced and Simon battled with his inner omega who felt a belonging of some sort, wanting to enter the room.
”His royal highness is currently occupied but he is, let me be direct with you, Simon, the crown prince is rutting”, Emilyn spoke from his side, not reacting to the strong scent. As a beta, she might not have even noticed it but Simon’s inner omega had already guessed the state of arousal by the pheromones.
”So the room is empty?” Simon managed to ask, focusing on keeping his inner self at ease. He needed to act professional and work quickly if he entered that room.
”Yes, see, the rooms are preferably always empty. However, Simon, you must understand that we can’t take the smallest risk with you being omega. I understand if you’d prefer cleaning prince Erik’s bedroom, the next door on the right.” Emilyn guided peacefully from his side.
Simon eyed the similar door on his right but was stuck with the pheromones wafted under the door in front of them. We in Emilyn’s speech must have preferred everyone working for the royal family. Simon couldn’t adopt the idea of belonging to them, sensing how him being an omega seemed to cause problems.
Still, he decided to stay strong and show Emilyn and everyone how he wasn’t bothered by the phases alphas happened to face. He could ignore how tempting the pheromones were and how they awoke his body.
”No need. What has to be done?” He asked, already a hand on the door handle. Emilyn seemed worried, already putting on the see-through rubber gloves. A pair was given to him and Simon wore them with a slight sigh.
”Take the bedsheets to wash. If they are torn, to the bin. I’ll handle the clothes and you can clean his royal highness' desk”, Emilyn guided as Simon opened the door.
He wasn’t sure what to expect, but certainly not this. The antique wallpaper was torn right by the door, plain white peeking under the golden yellow. The floor was barely visible, books, clothes and supplies thrown on it. The bedsheets were tossed on top of it, the bed centimeters away from the wall.
The mess itself was nothing as the musky scent overwashed him. Simon was embraced by the masculine smell and a hint of cinnamon, his inner omega vivid and loud, wanting him to kneel and bare his neck. But the room was empty and Simon relied on his medicine, taken this morning and keeping him from reacting with his own heat.
”We need to inform another team about his royal highness' wallpaper”, Emilyn informed, not even seeming bothered by the sight. Simon wanted to ask if this had happened before, if it was regular but wasn’t certain if he even wanted to know.
”Can I open a window?” he asked, instead and almost desperate for fresh air. He was already jumping over the crown prince’s belongings towards the window on the opposite wall. The window was placed by the prince’s old fashioned desk and Simon leant to it to reach for the handle. He couldn’t help but notice the torn condom on the desk, almost imagining the happenings but not really wanting to know.
”Of course. We have an hour before his royal highness arrives”, Emilyn agreed, already picking the clothes from the floor. She was looking down, seeming to toss every clothing to a hamper she had brought to the room.
Simon picked the bedsheets from the floor, starting by pulling the covers off. He put his best effort to remain as careless and professional as Emilyn, ignoring the strong scent. Fresh air spread to the room painfully slowly, barely mixing with the sweaty, masculine scent and Simon was fast to toss the sheets to the hamper.
Then he approached the bed, pulling it back towards the wall. A closer look told the full truth, Simon finding rips on the sheet and tiny drops of blood. Simon wanted to barf, naturally pulling away to the sight and the tangy smell. Another omega had been there, laid on those sheets and Simon pulled the fabric in a rapid speed. He carried the sheet to the bin and closed the lid, wanting to hold his nose.
”Is everything okay? Go by the window, Simon and try to set the books on his royal highness' desk”, Emilyn spoke from the otherside of the room. She seemed still to be picking the prince’s belongings, now putting them on neat piles and organizing the books.
Simon needed a deep breath of fresh air, now remaining close to the window. His mind had cleared a bit even if his inner omega remained loud. He put his best effort to ignore the non-rational side of himself and just do his job. Now, it meant picking up a fallen plant and throwing away the used condom. He was thankful for the rubber gloves, again closing the bin at a rapid speed.
”I’ll get the fresh bed sheets”, Simon heard himself saying before rushing out of the room. He needed to breathe, process the situation and how dull his job was. His job was to pick the remains of the crown prince, clean the aftermath of rutting and because what - the alpha was born to rule?
The nearby linen closet was silent and calming, only a small room filled with the sweet smell of fabric softener. Shelves of similar, white sheets were in neat piles and for a moment, Simon imagined working in a hotel as he picked the covers, then rushing back to make the bed.
”Enough for today, Simon. I’ll take the clothes to the laundry and you should take the books to the library on this floor.” Emilyn stood by the door and Simon had to close the window. The floor has been emptied, the big rug now visible and the bed appeared calling. The smell had faded, only a hue to his nose as he gathered the books in his lap.
Simon found the library without much problems. He took the stairs and met the open doors to a hall with shelves of books. Simon started to study the books he had brought with him, just to know where to place them and maybe to know the crown prince, too. He had never thought that the alpha was much of a reader but the first book was like a brick, hundreds of pages about
Rushing down the stone-made stairs, Simon searched for the kitchen, about to take a break when mysk drifted to his nose. Instinctively, he inhaled the already familiar, masculine scent, knowing it was the crown prince. Naturally, the alpha had returned to the castle he lived in and Simon’s inner omega yearned to follow after him.
It was probably forbidden and besides, Simon needed a break. If constant battling with his inner omega wasn’t enough, his feet hurt from walking and head spun with all the new information.
The kitchen was almost full of staff, some preparing the next meal behind the steaming stoves or technically running with a clean set of plates. The clamor was almost ear-shattering but Simon picked himself a place from the old, wooden table the staff still used. He found himself a glass of water and left over croissants from breakfast.
” - Did you hear about the party prince? They talked about him punching a journalist!” A feminine voice came across the cross talk and a plate was placed across from him. Instinctively, Simon lifted his eyes to meet two girls, possibly around his age or younger and wearing the uniforms.
”Sorry. Can we sit here?” The other asked from him, more carefully. She seemed to have black hair on a high ponytail, whilst the other appeared blonde. Simon nodded, not sensing any smell besides the delicious food, nodding with a mouth full of the croissant.
”I heard it too! He has problems with his inner alpha, I bet!” The black haired giggled, placing her plate next to her friend. Simon’s gaze shifted between the betas, their smiles.
”Uh, sorry again! I’m Eleonor and she's Leah! We work in archiving and happen to overhear the press team”, Eleonor smiled, picking a toast from her plate. Simon was quick to give out his name yet it was harder to admit for working in the cleaning team.
”That is so cool, you must have access to the private bedrooms!” Leah exhilarated, enough so Simon almost wanted to shush her. He decided to stay silent about the crown prince’s room, the sight they had faced and only stuffed his mouth with the treat from breakfast.
”I heard five different omegas visited there one night”, Eleonor commented then, looking at Leah with a secretive smile. Yeah, I understood the crown prince is forming his pack, Leah added.
”The violent prince? I almost feel bad for omegas!” Eleonor’s hopeless exclamation caught Simon’s ears, ringing in them after he left the table and got assigned to clean the windows on the third floor.
The thought stayed with him on his way home, how even betas felt bad for omegas. How the apparently violent alpha had more than one omega to choose from, to use for his needs.