Alpha's Rejected Mate Returns as Queen

It wasn’t my intention to become familiar with this pair of siblings.

I didn’t want to develop a relationship with anyone beyond strangers’ social distance, but maybe it was because Bertha’s cooking was delicious, or perhaps it was because Anjay’s smile was really bright. In short, when I returned to my senses, my relationship with them rapidly escalated to a level that was difficult to ignore.

One morning, I was patrolling the streets. My footsteps were so light that I didn’t even realize it. Just as I was thinking about what kind of flowers I should bring to the siblings tonight, a temporary communication suddenly shattered my fantasy.

My captain only contacted his team members if there was a routine report or a temporary mission. This time, he contacted me for the first time and asked me directly, “Do you suspect anything weird about the interim head servant, Bertha, and her brother, Anjay? Have you noticed anything with their identities or behavior?”

“No, Sir,” I answered, a little confused. “From the current observation, they are outstanding citizens.

What my captain said next was undoubtedly a blow to my head.

“So why do you contact them so frequently? Can you explain to me what your motive is?”

In that instant, my face turned pale because of those words.

What was my motive?

To get close to other suspicious targets through them? To expand the intelligence network against the palace? To recruit two ordinary people who had no reconnaissance skills?

Was that even possible?

Was it credible?

I couldn’t answer and could only remain silent.

My captain’s steady breathing could be heard from the receiver. It was undetectable, but it was like a thunderclap that lashed at my heart repeatedly. My self-righteous heart, which I had been trying so hard to hold up, silently shattered bit by bit in silence. I became an ill-at-ease child again, waiting for the adults’ judgment.

There was no need to explain anything. My silence was already enough to explain everything. It was far easier to understand than any other explanation.

Finally, my captain coldly gave me an ultimatum, “You’ve crossed the line, Benson. As a member of the mobile patrol team, you should be like a shadow drifting outside of the real world. This is the only way to save our lives in dangerous zone.

“But now, you’re trying in vain to integrate into the life of the general public. You’re so stupid that you create weaknesses for yourself and hand them over to others. You’re like a hedgehog lying under a butcher’s knife, exposing its belly.

“I’ve already investigated the interim head servant and her brother. They don’t belong to any faction and are just servants to their families in the palace. However, your actions have already attracted the attention of the palace. As intelligence officers, it’s a must for us to know our limits. You’re getting too close to the important people in the palace, kid. This is starting to make the higher-ups dissatisfied with you.

“We’re not like other soldiers or officers. Once the higher-ups suspect us, what’s waiting for us is an overwhelming investigation and endless entanglement. Even if there’s nothing between you two, even if you can prove your innocence in the end, so what? You’ll still be under constant surveillance for the rest of your life, and it’ll be impossible to climb up or return to your ordinary life.

“I’m not asking you why you’re doing this, kid. I’ve seen a lot of things like this. In the end, it’s just a throbbing that people can’t control.

“I’ve never objected to my subordinates protecting their families, but the premise is that you can protect the people you want to protect. I can stop you from doing anything with a phone call. Obviously, you’re nothing now. But have you thought about the consequences of a more powerful government entity noticing you?

“Don’t think that I’m being arrogant. Just take it as advice from someone who has experienced it. The mobile patrol team is not a good place to have fun. Here, love and hate must be firmly hidden in your heart, and any soft emotion may become a sharp blade that pierces your heart.

“It doesn’t matter what you’re thinking about or if you don’t understand anything. Just remember one principle. When you’re still a member of the mobile patrol team, don’t think of yourself as a human, as a knife, a telescope, a notebook, or anything else that can’t think or speak. Don’t show your feelings easily, kid. This is not only for you but also for everyone around you.”

My captain didn’t say much else and hung up the phone after he finished talking.

I stood in the middle of the busy street, still holding the phone to my ear. My other hand was still holding the florist’s business card, which put me in a dilemma.

In those few minutes, I couldn’t think at all. I tried hard to recall my captain’s words, figure out his meaning, and analyze the reasons for his words. In the end, I was disappointed that he had no ill or good intentions. He was carrying out his responsibility as the team leader to advise his team members.

He was telling the truth.

Everything he said would come true, and it had already come true.

I was still holding the phone to my ear, like a robot that had lost its power. Time stopped at the second before the connection was cut off.

A gust of wind blew, and the florist’s business card fell to the side of the road and was swept up to the road. A speeding car passed by, dirtied, and scratched the business cards, and then they rolled into the drain with the wind and disappeared.