The Sweet Alpha Crown Prince Loves Me So Much

Lulu, seeing the prince’s puffy face, sighed and rubbed her forehead.

“You still haven’t asked him?”

“I couldn’t. And now… it’s not the time.”

They sat side-by-side under a clear blue sky, a rare sight these days.

“Just ask him directly. Did you two sleep together?”

“I can’t reach him. I’d have to contact the reserve forces at the Heineken Imperial Palace, and that’s… inappropriate.”

He couldn’t tie up the emergency communication lines, especially not with something as trivial as confirming his lover’s infidelity, not when everyone was busy dealing with the monster infestation at the border.

And the fact that his lover was the Crown Prince made it even more complicated.

Lulu nodded. “Yeah, that makes sense.”

“I could ask Belfry, but he seems to be avoiding me.”

Belfry had confined himself to his room, forbidding anyone but the physician from entering. Even Janis seemed unaware of his current condition.

Carl Lindbergh’s bloodshot eyes and pale complexion told Lulu that things were a mess.

Belfry’s avoidance seemed to have solidified Carl’s suspicions.

she muttered internally, biting her lip. There was nothing she could do.

“I’m so pathetic.”

Carl hung his head low.

His attendant hovered nearby, fidgeting nervously.

His eyes were also puffy. They’d clearly been crying together.

“Why are you pathetic?”

“Adrian is fighting at the border, risking his life, and here I am, resenting him, doubting him…”

He pinched his nose, trying to hold back tears.

Lulu saw a familiar gesture in that small action.

Her brother used to do that. He was a crybaby, but he always tried to act tough in front of her, pinching his nose whenever he tried to suppress his tears.

She used to tease him, asking if his nose was a faucet.

“Your fiancé might have slept with someone else, and you’re worried about resenting him? I would have slapped him silly before even confirming anything.”

“This isn’t the time for that. I can’t afford to be consumed by my own feelings.”

Lulu crossed her arms.

He should at least try to look less like a kicked puppy.

“Is there a right time for love? People love, they get jealous, they have babies, even in the middle of a war. That’s life.”

“You sound like a grandma.”

Carl sniffled, wiping his nose with the back of his hand, and Lulu, stung by his words, lightly slapped his back.

It was a playful gesture, meant to cheer him up, but Marco, startled, glared at her with wide, accusing eyes.

Elizabeth, lying at their feet, perked up her ears.

Lulu had been giving her treats and trying to befriend her whenever they crossed paths in the castle. While Elizabeth’s wariness had lessened, she still didn’t seem particularly fond of Lulu.

Lulu was annoyed by this entire situation.

Belfry’s sudden differentiation into an Omega, the conveniently timed separation between Adrian and Carl, and Carl Lindbergh’s unusually despondent demeanor…

Right, this novel did have a lot of frustrating plot points.

She remembered the countless times she’d wanted to punch the author while reading about Belfry and Adrian’s misunderstandings. Of course, the parts where Carl Lindbergh acted like a troll had been the worst.

Did changing the protagonist not change the frustrating plot devices?

She mentally punched the author again.

She scooted closer to Carl Lindbergh.

“This might not be helpful, but here’s some advice, based on what I know.”

“Tell me. I’m all ears.”

Carl rested his head against Lulu’s shoulder.

His clinginess reminded her of her brother.

He always acted like a spoiled child whenever they were alone, as if trying to make up for the years they’d spent apart. She’d always found it annoying, but she’d always indulged him.

She wondered if her brother was also crying somewhere.

Missing him suddenly, she gently stroked Carl Lindbergh’s hair, and he nuzzled his head against her shoulder, like a child seeking comfort.

Adrian would probably throw a fit if he saw them like this. But she was no longer afraid of him.

Carl Lindbergh was different from the original story, Belfry Hendrick was different, but the most significant change was Adrian Heineken.

She finally acknowledged this truth.

“First, let’s discard your preconceived notions. Do you really think Adrian Heineken is the kind of person who would cheat on his fiancé?”

“What are you talking about?”

“The most important requirement for Belfry’s differentiation is ‘exposure to a large amount of Alpha pheromones.’ Sleeping together isn’t a prerequisite.”

“But to be exposed to pheromones, you have to… spend the night together, right?”

Carl Lindbergh understood what pheromones were. He also knew they weren’t released randomly.

The reason he could easily sense Adrian’s emotional fluctuations was because they spent a lot of time together, and Adrian was more… expressive around him.

And through several… experiences, he’d learned that he was most sensitive to Adrian’s pheromones when Adrian was sexually aroused.

The thought made him feel even more miserable.

He knew how incredibly sexy Adrian was in bed. He’d been utterly captivated each time. And he’d recently realized that Belfry, with his striking features, was almost as alluring as Adrian Heineken. He’d been momentarily stunned by Belfry’s feverish writhing during his differentiation.

The two of them together… It would be a visually stunning combination.

Just… perfect.

Lulu, seeing his lovesick expression, flicked him on the forehead.

“

!”

It was the first time he’d been flicked since Leia Lindbergh. He rubbed his forehead, a small smile tugging at his lips as he remembered Jeon Jae-young, who’d always resorted to violence when angry.

Lulu, seeing the tears welling up in his eyes as he smiled, glanced at Marco nervously.

As expected, Marco, momentarily forgetting his duties, yelled, “Hey!” If Carl hadn’t stopped him with a gesture, he might have retaliated by flicking Lulu on the forehead.

“You idiot. Yes, it requires prolonged exposure to a large amount of pheromones, but no one said it had to be from a single Alpha.”

Carl’s eyes widened at her unexpected words.

“Belfry is surrounded by Alphas. His father is a dominant Alpha, his childhood friend, the Crown Prince, is an incredibly dominant Alpha, he occasionally interacts with the Emperor, who’s also a dominant Alpha, and even his older brothers are all Alphas.”

Lulu ticked them off on her fingers.

Now that she mentioned it, it was a miracle he’d remained a Beta for so long in that Alpha-infested environment.

“And on top of that, your sister is a dominant Alpha. And I hear Leia Lindbergh and Belfry have been practically inseparable lately.”

“

!”

Carl Lindbergh’s face brightened.

“That’s right, Leia… my sister. She’s a dominant Alpha.”

And it was true that Belfry had spent several days glued to Leia Lindbergh’s side.

The cloud of suspicion vanished.

Lulu, delighted by the return of Carl Lindbergh’s cheerful demeanor, grinned.

“So, Belfry didn’t differentiate because of Adrian. Do you believe me now?”

Carl nodded. He still needed to confirm it with Belfry himself, but for now, it was a perfectly plausible explanation.

“Especially Leia… she’s so cool. And the way she looks at Belfry… there’s definitely something there. She’s overflowing with Alpha energy.”

“Alpha energy?”

“You know, like… leader vibes. Even I get flustered sometimes, and I’m not even into yuri.”

“What’s yuri?”

Carl Lindbergh narrowed his eyes at the unfamiliar word.

Lulu, realizing her slip-up, clamped her mouth shut.

“What’s yuri?”

“…You don’t need to know.”

“I want to know.”

“Let’s just… move on. Honestly, stop overthinking this. Adrian is a hardcore, obsessive Alpha, completely devoted to his chosen mate. He wouldn’t cheat.”

“What’s ‘devoted to his chosen mate’? And what’s a ‘hardcore, obsessive Alpha’?”

Carl Lindbergh tilted his head, confused by the barrage of unfamiliar terms.

“Damn it, my big mouth!”

Lulu smacked herself on the lips.

“Tell me. I want to know too.”

“You don’t need to know, Your Highness. It’s… witch jargon.”

“Liar.”

Lulu’s evasiveness only fueled his curiosity.

Obsessive? Devoted to his chosen mate? What did that even mean?

“Can’t we just… drop it, Your Highness?”

Lulu clasped her hands together, pleading with him.

Carl Lindbergh was reminded of a conversation from his past.

〈Jae-young, your phone bill is quite high this month. Did you make any micropayments?〉

〈Oh, that. I’ve been reading some novels.〉

〈What kind of novels? Are they good?〉

〈You wouldn’t understand, Oppa.〉

〈Just tell me a little about them.〉

He wasn’t scolding her for spending her allowance. He was simply curious, since she rarely spent money on anything other than necessities.

〈…They’re about… relationships.〉

〈Romance? Why are you being so secretive?〉

〈Just drop it, Oppa. I promise I won’t spend more than 50,000 won. You can deduct it from my allowance.〉

She’d pleaded with him, her hands clasped together, just like Lulu.

It was one of the rare occasions when Jeon Jae-young had asked him for something.

He’d asked her about the novels again, but she’d always been tight-lipped.

Except for those rare moments when she was in a good mood.

Like when a new illustration of Adrian Heineken was released.

Or when Carl Lindbergh died.

He’d dismissed it, thinking it was normal for someone her age to be interested in romance novels.

But now… he couldn’t contain his curiosity any longer. He, Carl Lindbergh, who’d become Jeon Woo-young, had the right to know.

He was a participant in this story now; he’d seen and experienced enough to understand.

He was in a relationship with a man, he was engaged to be married, he’d kissed him countless times. He needed to know what he was getting into.

Carl Lindbergh grabbed Lulu by the shoulders, his eyes wide.

“Hey, tell me!”

He’d used the informal ‘hey’.

“Ah, no way!”

They began to bicker, ignoring the informality of their exchange.

“Is it something weird? Is that why you can’t explain it?”

“It’s not weird! You just… wouldn’t understand!”

“Then explain it so I can understand!”

Lulu struggled against his grip.

Marco, watching them, utterly confused, paced back and forth. They’d been all cuddly a moment ago, then they were hitting each other, then cuddly again, now wrestling… He’d been instructed to stay away while they discussed their ‘secrets,’ but his anxiety was reaching its peak.

“You’re so small, yet you have so many secrets!”

Lulu, though only slightly shorter than Carl Lindbergh, was enraged by the word ‘small’. She wriggled free from his grasp and yelled:

“It’s not a secret! Why are you being so annoying?!”

“Then tell me!” Carl Lindbergh yelled back, losing his patience.

“While we’re at it, tell me what the hell is going on with this novel?!”

“Huh?”

Lulu’s jaw dropped.

What had the prince just said?