The Dignity of the Omega

#25

“Well, if Enrique said he did a good job, that’s all there is to it. Clearly, Damiel von Persi has killer bedroom skills.”

“He even rolled around with Enrique for four whole days, despite being a Beta. Is that kind of stamina even possible for a Beta?”

“It must be natural talent. Otherwise, how could he have lasted so long with his previous lover?”

“Damiel von Persi’s reputation will spread throughout Shamier, no, the entire continent. A Beta who perfectly satisfied a Superior Omega’s first heat cycle. Enrique even personally acknowledged that he did a good job.”

The chattering friends seemed ready to give Damiel a standing ovation if he were present. Enrique recalled his sexual encounter with Damiel. Though at the time he had writhed in such intense, almost deadly pleasure, now that the heat cycle had passed, he felt only a bland sensation.

“So, will it be Damiel from now on?”

One of them asked in a suggestive tone. All eyes turned to Enrique. Enrique slightly furrowed his brow. He hadn’t thought about the next heat cycle yet.

Seeing Enrique’s expression, one of them slapped the sofa armrest and said, “That can’t be. There’s still time left until the marriage anyway.”

The other friends agreed with this.

“Right! Right!”

“I agree too!”

The friends soon began to suggest names of Betas who might be suitable as Enrique’s next partner. They bickered over whose candidate was better. Enrique watched them with disdainful eyes, then realized he was unconsciously fiddling with his ring again. And he thought about how to catch and punish that young bastard Anture to feel satisfied.

There were many ways to punish someone. Enrique recalled countless methods one by one, but soon let out a dejected sigh. The guy who had left for the Ruben Empire wouldn’t change his mind and come back… In the end, he wouldn’t meet him again until the wedding in 5 years. In other words, no matter how angry he got, there was no way to punish him for the next 5 years.

‘Right. Since I can’t touch a hair on his head for 5 years anyway, let’s forget about it for now. It’s best to forget about it completely. At least that way, I won’t suffer any more losses.’

Enrique inwardly comforted himself. After appealing to his iron-clad reason several times, thankfully, his anger and irritation gradually subsided. Feeling his composure return, Enrique was grateful for his quite rational personality.

*

These days, the Shamier royal palace was as peaceful as could be. The marriage issue that had persisted since Enrique’s birth had already been settled with negotiations between countries, and since Enrique had declared he would be the next heir to the throne, the succession problem was perfectly resolved. Even Enrique’s first heat cycle, which everyone had been watching with interest, had passed safely, so there was nothing particularly worrisome.

As always, but even more so now, Enrique threw himself into his heir training. The King of Shamier, who could now pass the throne to his only son without needing to choose an heir from collateral royal family members, also paid great attention to Enrique’s education.

Enrique spent each day fully.

He rarely missed any of the numerous classes and sword training sessions he had to take as the heir. When he had free time, he didn’t forget to enjoy himself by hanging out with friends or going hunting. Of course, he was also diligent in making appearances at various banquets and social gatherings held at the palace as the heir.

Enrique occasionally thought about it. Although it was annoying that his plans had been disrupted, the unexpected 5 years he had been given certainly allowed him to spend the early part of his youth quite fully and enjoyably. Enrique intended to fully savor this few years of leisure.

“Your Highness.”

Enrique, who had been reading a diplomatic document with careful eyes, looked up at Pol’s voice. Pol approached the desk holding a silver tray.

“I’m in the middle of reading important documents right now.”

Enrique rebuked Pol with a furrowed brow. Pol hesitated for a moment before holding out the tray to Enrique.

“What is it that you’re interrupting…”

Enrique’s words trailed off as he looked at the tray held out in front of him, speaking with some irritation. On the tray was a neatly placed letter with a seal stamp. The envelope had the names of the recipient and sender written in neat handwriting.

[To Enrique, with love and respect, from your fiancé Anture Ruben.]

“You… you said to let you know immediately if there was any news related to the Ruben Prince. I was hesitating because you were in the middle of important documents, but then…”

Pol explained as if making an excuse. He was glancing around nervously, as if afraid Enrique might explode at any moment.

“…You did well.”

Enrique calmly replied as he picked up the letter from the tray. Instead of breaking the seal, he stared at the envelope’s surface.

[To Enrique, with love and respect, from your fiancé Anture Ruben.]

It was neat and tidy handwriting, but when writing the word ‘love’, it seemed he had pressed too hard, as only that word was deeply pressed into the paper.

Enrique waved his hand to shoo away Pol, who was watching him with anxious eyes. Then he tossed the envelope to a corner of the desk and returned his eyes to the document he had been reading.

When reading diplomatic documents, one needed to concentrate fully. Even a single word or number out of place could create all sorts of issues. Enrique tried to focus and started reading again from where he had left off, but before long, he clicked his tongue and slumped back in his chair. He had been repeating the same sentences over and over because he just couldn’t concentrate.

The culprit was, of course, Anture.

Enrique glanced at the letter he had tossed to the edge of the desk. It was obvious that if he read it, his temper would flare up again. But it seemed difficult to concentrate on work again without reading it.

After staring at the envelope for a moment as if it were Anture himself, Enrique finally reached out his hand. He picked up the envelope, hesitated for a moment, then broke the seal and unfolded the letter. The two-page letter was filled so densely that there was no room to find a gap. Enrique began to read the letter with furrowed brows.

[Dear Enrique,

First, I apologize for my rudeness in leaving without saying goodbye.

I didn’t want to leave your side until the moment we have our wedding ceremony and I officially become your Alpha. I wanted to stay in Shamier, by your side, always together. But I realized that I am still too young and inadequate for that.

I am deeply aware that this is a cowardly act of escape. But no matter how much I tried to comfort myself, I couldn’t shake off the helplessness and despair of having to just watch as you spent the night with another man.

When I heard that another man had entered your bedroom, I simply couldn’t stay still. It was difficult to suppress the desire to rush into your bedroom right then and there. In the end, I chose to return to Ruben to stop myself from doing so.

Every step towards Ruben is unbearably heavy.

Right now, my heart is full of sadness, despair, and helplessness. I can’t bear the resentment of not having been born a few years earlier. I feel this way even though I know how useless such resentment is.

Enrique,

From the moment I saw your portrait in front of my father, I fell into passionate love. The moment my eyes met the brilliantly shining golden eyes in the portrait, my life completely changed. And when our eyes met directly in Shamier, my soul became your prisoner.

Please don’t think this is just the immature emotion of a young boy. My love for you will always be sincere.

Enrique,

Five years is too long for me. Every moment, I will miss you so much that my heart will surely grow sick. But I will endure it. I will return to Ruben and work tirelessly to become an Alpha worthy of you. I will endure each moment imagining only the moment when I stand before you again.

Enrique,

Do you remember the ring I personally put on your finger? I still remember that moving moment when you allowed me to put the ring on your hand. You can’t imagine how much comfort it gives me to know that the ring, in my place, is with you. Please, whenever you look at that ring, remember me for just a moment. And please wait for me. I solemnly swear that I will not disappoint you when we meet again.

There are endless things I want to say, but I will end here, letting go of my lingering feelings.

With my sincere love, Anture.]

“…This damn con artist is deeply in love all by himself.”

Enrique muttered irritably and tossed the letter to the edge of the desk. After reading the content written while floundering in his own emotions, he could only snort derisively. For such a young boy to use such an old-fashioned tone. It would have been cuter if he had whined like a child.

Anyway, judging by the content of the letter, it didn’t seem like he would return to Shamier until the day of the wedding ceremony. If there was anything fortunate, it was that he definitely wouldn’t be a bother for the next 5 years.

Enrique stretched out and then straightened his upper body, picking up the diplomatic document again. Just as he was about to find where he had left off and start reading again, the ring on his finger caught his eye.

“…Damn con artist.”

Enrique muttered harshly and let out a deep sigh. Then he started to focus on the document again.