The Crown Prince's Courtesan - Chapter 6
“Professor, no… You’re not saying—”
Her hand began to tremble. Her breath caught in her throat as the truth hit.
“It wouldn’t be a bad offer for you either.”
“Professor! How could you—”
But the professor cut her off.
“You may have already guessed. It’s a discreet role. Nothing leaks out. The pay is quite high. If you want it, I can arrange it.”
“You know full well that not just anyone can enter that place. So, what will you do?”
“Professor, how could you say this to me…”
“Because it’s you, Marie.”
What does that mean?
She couldn’t bring herself to say it aloud. The professor’s words echoed in her ears, growing fainter, as if coming from a distant canyon. Her lips trembled with shame.
After everything I’ve been through to survive!
“Because I’m a submissive Omega…?”
“No, Miss Marie. Because you are you.”
A fallen noble, a submissive Omega — exactly the kind of person shady aristocrats would flock to like vultures. She had endured harassment that bordered on abuse, had held her head high and kept her dignity, and at the end of it all, she’d finally earned her diploma.
And now this was the reward?
Mari’s eyes snapped open, cold and sharp.
“Professor, I have no intention of accepting. I have acted with integrity, with my hand over my heart. I’ve lived my life without letting the fact that I’m an Omega define me.”
The professor quickly nodded.
“Yes. I know that. But, Marie…”
“…”
“This world isn’t one you can survive in by being all rigid and upright. Think about it carefully. The pay is substantial, that much I can guarantee. And if you’re in that place, you might gain other opportunities as well. Can you really say for certain that you won’t ever need that chance? Everything could change overnight.”
“No. I don’t need it.”
Marie’s face was pale and frozen, unable to hide the insult that had been dealt.
She had heard the rumors. Whispers about certain offers occasionally extended to submissive Omegas at the academy. A secret club, where the highborn Alpha nobles liked to “entertain” themselves. A place where submissive Omegas were gathered — easily broken and easily discarded.
If she stepped into that world, yes, it might open doors to powerful connections. Her circumstances, even her social standing, might change overnight.
But so what?
What about her mother’s dying wish to never let herself live wretchedly as an Omega, no matter how desperate things got?
In the end, the professor’s offer was…
“Miss Marie Alphrose. This offer… it truly is for your sake. Someday… I suspect you’ll come back.”
“No, Professor.”
Because what he was offering was to become the noble Alphas’ mistress. A courtesan.
“That will never happen.”
The professor paused for a moment before replying slowly,
“Don’t refuse so quickly. Just go home for now. And if you change your mind, the door will always be open.”
He said it like a man certain she would return.
* * *
She came home exhausted.
At the sight of the small potted plants lining the front steps, Marie stopped walking.
‘Why is it so quiet?’
It was strange. On any normal day, she would have already heard Freya’s voice yelling, “Sister!” as she ran out to greet her. Her aunt, too, should have been calling from inside.
‘Something’s wrong.’
A chill of dread froze Marie’s heart. She needed to open the door, but her body wouldn’t move. It felt just like that day when everything shattered at the sound of debt collectors’ footsteps. She shook her head.
No. The debt… Auntie paid it all off.
She forced herself forward. The door creaked open.
“H-hngh… Sis… sob…”
Freya was inside, crying.
‘Ah.’
A wave of dizziness crashed over her. It had been a long time since she had seen those men, but she would never forget them.
“Well, well, look who it is! You finally showed up, sweetheart?”
Marie’s face went pale in an instant. The biggest of the laughing men opened his mouth wide in delight.
“You’ve grown up real pretty, haven’t you?”
He was the man who had once grabbed her mother by the collar and shaken her. The one who looked at her like a starving hyena baring yellowed teeth, who laughed that awful laugh at the sight of Marie and Freya frozen in fear.
Why was he here?
