CH 16

“That’s because it’s a country that’s going to collapse anyway.”

The Crown Prince nodded his head and recalled his promise to the Prince.

There were only two things he had promised the prince.

The first was to get the Prince’s help in stamping the seal on the document that would allow them to mine the magical stones in the Mochu Mountains and permit political intervention.

The second was to minimize unnecessary sacrifices of commoners, excluding the nobles and the royal family.

“Carl Lindbergh said he would leave the Princess here and sneak into Lindbergh himself to steal the seal. He seemed to fully understand the significance of the seal. He also seemed to know why Chancellor Kitchener despised royalty but wanted to keep it.”

Chancellor Kitchener wanted to become the king of Lindbergh.

But he couldn’t become the king due to his bloodline that couldn’t break the long-standing unwritten law.

It was natural for him, as he was a beta without a single grain of magic power. 

The Prince didn’t know the exact relationship between them, but he seemed to have judged that there was a reason why Chancellor Kitchener was waiting for the royal family to become irrelevant.

“But why would he choose to steal it himself?”

The Duke asked in confusion.

The spies of Heineken were already swarming in Lindbergh.

There are many capable people among them, so why did the prince say “I will steal it” instead of “Please steal it”?

The Crown Prince made a wry smile and replied.

“He said that was his last task as a prince.”

“So the prince is going the arduous way instead of taking the easy way.” 

The Emperor, who had been listening carefully to the Crown Prince, said.

“Is there an easy way?”

At Adrian’s question, the Emperor grinned.

“There is. All he had to do was induce you to imprint on him and then request that you reclaim the throne including Lindbergh’s royal seal. The Prince wouldn’t even have to return to Lindbergh himself.”

“Your Majesty!”

Duke Hendrick raised his voice.

Emperor Glenn said, “Well, isn’t it true? If he becomes the wife of the Crown Prince of Heineken, Lindbergh wouldn’t be a big deal at all,” and he smirked, making the Duke even more agitated.

It was bad for both parties to try to induce imprinting when there was not enough psychological distance between them. 

The Duke knew it better than anyone else.

“Ah, of course, if he really tried, the Prince could not have become the legitimate Crown Princess of Heineken.”

Duke Hendrick’s eyebrows rose at the Emperor’s digression.

“Stealing the royal seal would be easier than expected, but it remains to be seen whether the Chancellor is willing to give it up.”

The Crown Prince recalled Lindbergh’s Chancellor who was cunningly concealing his own greed while wearing a mask.

“Speaking of that, why don’t you declare Carl Lindbergh my fiancé, at least in name, so that he cannot be easily harmed?”

At Adrian’s words, the Emperor and the Duke exchanged glances.

The Emperor who had a momentarily surprised expression laughed slowly and muttered “In name only.”

“I will seek separate consent from the prince.”

A moment of mischief crossed the Emperor’s face and he tapped Adrian on his shoulder.

“Don’t ask, just do it. After all, he’s the only omega who can handle you, isn’t he? Just go ahead and have children with him if you want.”

“Your Majesty!”

“Your Majesty!”

The Emperor covered his ears with both hands when his most cherished feudal lord and son shouted at the same time.

“What are you getting so annoyed about? I was just saying. If it were the old Carl Lindbergh, he would have taken over Adrian’s bedroom as soon as he got here.”

Adrian frowned at the Emperor’s attempt to seek agreement by asking, “Don’t you think so?”

Although he himself thought the same way, he felt uncomfortable listening to his father say that.

Duke Hendrick walked over to Adrian’s side. He patted him on the shoulder and told him not to say anything about imprinting.

He remembered how terrified he had been when he was a leading candidate for empress, fearing that he would succumb to power and be imprinted, even though he was now a middle-aged man with three children.

Fortunately, the Emperor had someone else he loved, so that never happened.

“Even if you’re royalty, you’re still young. A child does not suddenly become an adult just because their position changes. Rather than doubting what Prince Carl Lindbergh did with this kind of thing in mind, it would be okay to cooperate since what he is trying to do is not bad.”

Adrian nodded, the niggling suspicion of Carl Lindbergh in him melting away.

The Duke’s soft expression quickly returned to that of a sharp adviser.

“If all of this turns out to be an extension of nonsense, then we can just sweep it all under the rug. If that happens, I will find a mate for Your Highness no matter what.”

Even if there was a shortage of omegas, they couldn’t let trash with ulterior motives look down on the precious Crown Prince.

In the mind of the Duke full of loyalty, there were about three lists of dominant Omegas and three near-dominant recessive Omegas.

“Hey, Duke. Isn’t that what I was trying to say?”

The Emperor cried out as if he was wronged, but neither of them listened.

When Adrian left the office, the Emperor said, “He’s young, so it’s good. But why is he so soft to a prince he just met again not long ago?”

Duke Hendrick gave the emperor a slap on the face1 and said, “You’re a frog that can’t remember the times when you were a tadpole.”2

Thinking about how passionately the Emperor had courted his current Empress when he was a crown prince made him shake his head a lot.

When they were still in their prime, they would often lock themselves in their bedroom. It’s a relief that the Empress is pregnant right now, so they can restrain themselves for ten months.

“Who would he have taken after? Anyway, be careful what you say. Even if you are the king, you shouldn’t tell him to do the imprinting.”

“You knew he wouldn’t do it. Why are you so irritable these days? Are you not getting along with the Grand Duke?”

As the Emperor grumbled, the Duke spoke seriously, gave a short bow and adjusted his cloak before excusing himself.

“Your Majesty, I have an urgent matter to attend to, and I must retire for the day.”

“What are you talking about all of a sudden? Are you angry?”

The Duke smiled broadly. He was smiling, but his eyes were fierce.

“I must report to Her Majesty that our noble Emperor has suggested a ‘forced imprinting’ to His Highness Adrian.”

The Emperor’s face froze in shock.

“Well, then.”

As the Duke turned to leave, the Emperor grabbed his shoulder.

“I was wrong. I just wanted to test him. The Empress has a baby now and needs to be careful. Don’t make that person worry about every little thing.”

The Emperor who would go through fire and water for the Empress, sincerely apologized to the Duke.

At that moment, there was an Omegaverse class taking place in Leia’s room in full swing.

The student was Carl Lindbergh, of course, and the instructor was Leia Lindbergh.

“So, Omegas can get pregnant whether they’re male or female?”

“That’s right. Among them, we divide this trait into dominant and recessive, and the higher the dominance, the higher the probability of having dominant offspring. It also increases magic power.”

Leia let out a deep sigh as she looked down at the top of Carl’s head as he passionately took notes.

It was understandable that commoners might not know this fact, given that the Beta population was much higher, but forgetting a trait that was learned before the principles of breathing was something else entirely. If the people of Heineken were to find out about this, an uproar would ensue.

Above all, there was a shortage of Omega with dominant traits at this point.

If it were revealed that a prince whose estrus period was slower than others and whose magic did not stand out were found to be ignorant of his trait, he might be manipulated by the Crown Prince or end up with unwanted imprints or pregnancy.

Carl’s face looked desperate as he scribbled down phrases like “Omegas can get pregnant,” “Alphas can impregnate,” “Pheromones can help them recognize each other,” as if he was being chased by something.

Next to it were words “Adrian Heineken, a dominant alpha” and “Leia Lindbergh, a dominant alpha.” were written.

“Can’t it be possible for two Alphas?”

Leia shook her head vigorously at Carl’s question.

“It’s not impossible, but there is something called pheromone compatibility. Usually, there is a sense of repulsion.”

“How do you feel when you see the Crown Prince or smell his pheromones?”

She didn’t even want to imagine it. The Crown Prince’s pheromones were too overwhelming, and Leia would feel not only repulsion but also fear.

“I don’t know how to explain it, but if I were to share a bed with the Crown Prince, it would feel like sleeping on a pillow with a sword cutting through it.”

Carl’s cheeks turned pale as he understood immediately.

“Did you, by any chance, want to set me up with Crown Prince Adrian?”

Leia cursed inwardly at the sight of Carl flinching as if he’d been stabbed in the heart.

No wonder every time the Crown Prince visited…

〈Sister is like a walking angel without wings.〉

〈Wow, just seeing the two of you sitting together like this with my eyes makes me feel so good.〉

…he made nonsensical remarks.

Leia ran her hand across her face3.

The only reason she didn’t storm out of the room right then was because she felt sorry for Carl, who was struggling.

“So what happens if an Omega never finds a mate their entire life?”

Carl looked up at Leia, desperate for her to say, ‘It wouldn’t matter.’

If possible, Carl’s wish was to walk the path of a single man who remains steadfast in his beliefs and principles even when he is alone.