Tang De pushed open the door of the Alphas-only smoking room, and a mixture of pheromones composed of seven or eight different scents smacked him in the face.

These upper-class Alphas weren’t smoking nicotine cigarettes, but a rather expensive pheromone activator.

This activator itself had no scent, but after inhalation, the smell of one’s own pheromones became stronger. This not only calmed the nerves, but also elevated one’s attractiveness to Omegas.

The people inside waved as soon as they saw Tang De: “Captain Tang De, you’re finally here. It must have taken you a long time to deal with matters at the court entrance.”

Tang De accepted the cigarette handed to him and took a puff immediately after lighting it. Only then did he feel like he had returned to the realm of scents he was familiar with.

He held the cigarette in his mouth as he grumbled: “I’ve never seen such a bold and reckless person in my life. He dared to kidnap His Highness Oser in public.”

“For a man who killed the Prime Minister’s son and will be executed tomorrow, there should be nothing he dares not do.”

“That’s true.” Tang De slowly blew out a ring of smoke. “To be honest, I rather admire the kid. It’s a pity that my family’s prince doesn’t abide by martial ethics.”

If there was one thing that couldn’t be communicated well, it was the failure to suppress his excessive pheromones.

An Alpha’s pheromones couldn’t be directed at just one person – all of the Alphas and Betas present had been affected.

Every one of the people in this smoking room were mainstays of the empire’s military and political circles, the elite among Alpha elites.

But when it came to His Highness Oser’s pheromones, everyone felt a lingering fear.

“To be honest, when His Highness Oser released his pheromones, I almost vomited from fear.”

“Me too.”

“I did vomit.”

Everyone stared at him in disdain: “……”

This rookie felt embarrassed under their gazes, and tried to save some face: “It was mainly because I ate too much this morning…..”

Fortunately, someone changed the subject: “You should be thankful that His Highness Oser’s ‘charms’ don’t work on Omegas. Otherwise, Captain Tang De would have to shoulder an even heavier burden.”

“It’s because of that ineffectiveness that he’s so unscrupulous. If his pheromones were effective, wouldn’t all the Omegas here be scrambling to bear his children?”

“That’s going too far.” Tang De rapped on the windowsill. “Why did you have to mention children when there are so many other things to talk about? Why make fun of His Highness Oser’s physical defects?”

The person who had mentioned children immediately apologized: “I’m sorry.”

There was an open secret in this country.

Ever since his Alpha characteristics began to develop during puberty, no Omega had ever matched on a pheromone level with the royal family’s sixteenth eldest prince.

Such a situation where an Alpha burned with desire for a highly-matched Omega had never happened to him.

No one cared at first, but as they grew older, other mature Alphas mastered their control over their pheromones and were like fish in water among the opposite sex. His Highness Oser, however, remained the same. Even if he released his pheromones indiscriminately, Omegas were completely unaware.

After a detailed physical examination from the Royal Medical College, a cruel fact was revealed: 

A mutation had occurred in a certain coding sequence in His Highness Oser’s DNA.

As a result of this mutation, there was no known Omega gene that could match his.

Unless the other party had the same genetic mutation, and their mutated genes were complementary.

It was said that the probability of this happening was even lower than the probability of His Highness Oser using medical means to have children on his own.

(Of course, no one dared to actually study this topic.)

He was like a whale with an abnormal frequency. No matter how hard he tried to emit sound waves, he wouldn’t get a response.

The originally harmonious atmosphere of the lounge grew silent, and everyone lowered their heads as if in mourning for such a regrettable event.

Then someone made a noise that sounded like a failed attempt to hold in their laughter.

“Pfft—”

This sound seemed to flip a switch in the room. Everyone laughed uncontrollably, with Tang De laughing the most shamelessly.

“Damn it, you told me not to bring it up, but then you brought it up. How could I hold it in?”

“Captain Tang De, hasn’t the Royal Medical College already figured out how to transform an Alpha into an Omega, and even cultivate pheromones in a targeted manner?”

“Yeah, hurry up and make an Omega for His Highness Oser so that he doesn’t torture us poor Alphas anymore.”

Tang De waved his hand in disdain: “Those were all projects the medical college conducted just to get money from His Highness. This kind of surgery can only be performed if the volunteer themself applies for it. How could an Alpha be desperate enough to change his sexual designation for His Highness Oser?”

“Then only you can do it. After all, you’re the only one who’s able to endure staying at His Highness Oser’s side for so long.”

“Get lost! I see that you have tender, delicate skin. Perhaps you’re the type my family’s prince prefers.”

“What are you talking about? You look so happy about it.”

Tang De: “I’m talking about children—”

Tang De’s words trailed off, and the few people who were laughing just now seemed like they were being strangled.

Oser leaned against the door with his arms folded: “I seem to have heard someone say that they wish to be transformed into an Omega and give birth to a child for me?”

These Alphas who usually called the shots in their respective spheres of influence all looked down submissively. One unlucky fellow was so afraid to move that he nearly burned his fingers on his cigarette.

“I also want to know who adores me so much that he would sacrifice himself for me.”

Oser scanned each face slowly.

“Tang De, is it you?”

Tang De shook his head like a rattle, endeavoring hard to make a nasal sound of rejection.

He glanced at the next person: “Then is it you?”

The man who was called out nearly shook his head straight off. The others hung their heads even lower, fearing that they would become the next ‘lucky one.’ 

“Reporting!”

A portly prison guard saved these unfortunate loud-mouthed Alphas from becoming Omegas.

“Speak.”

“Reporting to His Highness Oser! I am the prison guard responsible for guarding the criminal Ling Yi!”

“En,” Oser responded coolly. “Has he chosen where he wants his monument erected?”

“He hasn’t! His Highness instructed us to try our best to meet his requests!”

“What does he want?”

The prison guard hesitated, wondering whether he should report this information in public.

“Was it an excessive request?”

“Replying to His Highness Oser! I asked him if he wanted me to find an Omega to spend his last night with, and he said! He said…..”

His initially loud voice dropped lower and lower.

Oser’s patience was running out.

“Either speak now or never speak again.”

The prison guard looked left and right in a failed attempt at casualness, pretending not to notice the people in the room. He reported cautiously: 

“He said he wants to see you.”

“Pfft—”

Someone in the lounge couldn’t hold back.

Tang De closed his eyes in despair and turned his head away. No matter who it was, every one of them in this room would be buried on the spot.

Oser’s warning gaze swept over everyone until they didn’t dare make a sound. Then he turned to the prison guard:

“Lead the way.”

. . . . . .

One of the most distinguished people in the empire came in person to a dark underground cell.

The guards he brought with him were packed tightly in the narrow outer room.

The portly prison guard respectfully brought him a chair, and Oser sat down without hesitation.

A musty smell filled the air, and Tang De immediately wished he could chisel out a skylight.

“I heard you wanted to see me?”

Oser certainly wouldn’t be misled by foolish words.

Ling Yi sent a wary look toward the attendant beside him.

“I want to talk to you alone.”

This person had committed the crime of insubordination not long ago. As the captain of His Highness Oser’s guards, although he sometimes gossipped behind his back, Tang De was absolutely meticulous when it came to matters of security.

“Your Highness, this is improper.”

“Stand down,” Oser commanded.

Tang De: “But…..”

Oser waved his hand.

Tang De had no choice but to lead the guards in withdrawing from the underground prison – after checking the integrity of the cell door.

Only two people were left in the dim, enclosed space, with steel bars between them. It seemed difficult to tell who was inside the cage and who was outside.

But Oser was sitting with his legs elegantly crossed, his clothing impeccable.

And Ling Yi was wearing a thin shirt and trousers, with heavy shackles on his wrists. It was obvious who the prisoner was.

“Will you speak now?”

Ling Yi stood behind the bars, just two meters away from Oser.

“I would like to request something from Your Highness.”

“Tell me.”

“I want Your Highness’s power of pardon.”

The room was unusually quiet. After a moment, a light laugh with a hint of ridicule could be heard.

“Do you know what the power of pardon is?”

“Every direct descendant of the Fengdi family has the right to pardon anyone from the death penalty once, at the cost of giving up the throne forever.”

“Since you understand it so clearly, why ask for something you have no chance of receiving?”

“I’m not asking for it for free. I would like to propose an exchange with Your Highness.”

“Don’t you understand that from the moment you were sentenced to death, all of your property was turned over to the state treasury, and even your political rights were taken away from you? You have nothing. What else could you have to exchange?”

There was another brief silence. Ling Yi raised his hands, and the chains on his wrists clinked together.

“I still have…..myself.”

He moved his hands slowly and steadily, undoing the buttons over his chest one by one.

“As long as I can survive, I’m willing to change my biology and become you Omega.”

Oser narrowed his eyes. The atmosphere in the cell became dangerously ambiguous.

“Your Highness possesses a supreme bloodline, power, and status, but you lack this one thing.”

The young Alpha undressed in front of another superior Alpha as seductive lines flowed from his slightly parted lips.

“Wouldn’t you like to have an Omega? Like a normal Alpha?”

“When you release your pheromones, there will be a response.”

“One glance can make a person unwilling to stop.”

Each time he spoke, he undid another button. It seemed as if every movement was carefully designed.

“Implant me with pheromones that match yours. Transform me, mark me, and I will become the one and only Omega for you.”

“I will only react to your pheromones.”

“Only my body will resonate with yours.”

His fingers lingered on the last button, but he had no intention of continuing.

“Isn’t this what you need? Enjoying the most basic rights of an Alpha.”

“I can even make you better than other Alphas.”

“Wouldn’t it be more rewarding to conquer an Omega who was once an Alpha than to merely conquer an Omega?”

Having remained silent throughout the entire process, Oser finally spoke.

“Are you trying to seduce me?”

“Isn’t it obvious?”

The young Alpha raised his chin, revealing the beautiful line of his neck.

This beauty was completely different from traditional Omega aesthetics, imbued with the unique aggressiveness of an Alpha.

The contours of his bare body were faintly discernable before they finally disappeared in the dim light of the cell.

“I didn’t expect a commoner’s desire to survive to be so strong,” Oser lamented.

“It is precisely because I’m a commoner that I’ve worked so hard to get to where I am today. A royal like you couldn’t imagine it. I can’t bear to sacrifice the past twenty years of hard work because of a scumbag.”

“I thought that a commoner who doesn’t even respect the royal family would break rather than bend.”

“Then you may harbor some misunderstandings about me.” Ling Yi bared his slender neck again. “You know weeds?”

His eyes gleamed faintly in the dark room.

“As long as there is a tiny gap, they will struggle their way out of the ground. No matter how harsh the living environment, they will do their utmost to grow. The wind can’t blow them away. If burned by fire, they grow again. I’m that type of weed.”

Oser gracefully switched the positions of his legs.

“But you are a common weed. What enchantment could make me give up the throne that is within my reach? When I take up that position, there may be many Alphas vying for a bed at the Royal Medical College.”

“The position of empress is certainly attractive, but any Alphas who’ve experienced your pheromones will seriously consider whether the position is worth their life.”

“Trying desperately to please me while offering veiled insults – what kind of behavior is this?”

Ling Yi reflected seriously: “…..Emotional manipulation?”

Oser covered his face and laughed. It was equal parts pleasure and displeasure, mysterious and unpredictable.

“In any case, you didn’t find an Omega to have fun with in the last moments of your life, but cheered me up instead. I’m very touched.”

“I’m being serious.”

Ling Yi placed his hands on the bars.

“The ruler of a country must be impartial and selfless, with the country in his heart. Your Highness might not be suited for this.”

“This is the first time in my life that someone has dared to say such a thing to my face.”

Oser rubbed his forehead.

“Then tell me, if I’m not suited to the position of emperor, what am I suitable for?”

“Being my Alpha.”

The smile on Oser’s face vanished. After a moment, he lowered the hand pressed to his forehead with a cold expression.

“Very moving.”

He stood up, walking step by step toward the person on the other side of the bars.

Powerful Alpha pheromones gusted into his face, and Ling Yi had to use all of his strength to grasp the bars in front of him, trying to feign nonchalance.

He gritted his teeth as he watched Oser approach.

This perilous closeness made his hair stand on end, and his Alpha instincts warned him to flee.

Oser reached his right hand through the bars, slowly approaching his chin.

Twenty centimeters, ten centimeters, one centimeter……

Ling Yi turned his face away at the last moment. He’d thought he had made sufficient mental preparations, but he ultimately succumbed to instinct.

When his first attempt failed, Oser didn’t try again.

“I see that your mind desires to survive, but your body doesn’t seem to agree.”

“I can do it,” Ling Yi defended. “Your Highness’s pheromones are just so strong. I instinctively reacted as an Alpha.”

“This operation is very difficult. If there is even the slightest hesitation in one’s will, it will not succeed.”

“I’m willing to gamble with my life.”

“Unfortunately, you don’t have enough chips. You’re more valuable dead on the execution grounds than on the operating table.”

“Your Highness!”

Oser turned a deaf ear and lowered his hands.

“Take care.”

Ling Yi’s chains clattered as he swiftly grabbed Oser’s wrist.

“I can bear children for Your Highness.”

“You really know how to please me.”

Oser indifferently fastened the buttons of his shirt for him.

“Do you have any unfulfilled desires? I can help you achieve them. Or if you have people who are important to you, I can also ensure that their needs are met.”

Ling Yi lowered his head, like a stray dog whose dignity and hope were crushed in one fell swoop. Oser knew that there was no point in him saying anything more.

He turned around to leave, but a tug on his cloak kept him where he was.

“I’m begging you. I have a reason to live.” Ling Yi grasped the coroner of his cloak in one hand.

His eyes were serious and determined, just as they had been when he’d cursed him at the doors of the court.

Only at these two moments had he expressed his true emotions without obfuscation.

When those eyes gleamed in the darkness, Oser seemed to truly behold an indomitable weed, growing vigorously inside this gloomy prison cell.

He pondered for a moment, but his answer was bound to be disappointing.

“But I have no reason to keep you alive.”

Tang De had been waiting for a long time outside, and finally breathed a sigh of relief when His Highness Oser appeared safe and sound.

He had wanted to rush in and check several times, but was afraid of seeing something he shouldn’t see. 

“Your Highness, what took you so long? Did that death row prisoner offend you?”

Oser deliberately scanned Tang De from head to toe, which put him on edge.

“Your Highness…..what are you looking at?”

“Come here,” Oser ordered the guards. “Send Captain Tang De to the medical college and tell them that a suitable volunteer has been found. They should begin making preparations for the operation.”

Tang De’s legs went weak, and he almost fell to his knees.

“Your Highness Oser, I was just joking around today. I definitely didn’t intend to make fun of you!”

“My greatest dream is to marry a gentle Omega and start a happy family. You must not lay a hand on me, Your Highness!”

---

Consider donating via Kofi here.

Chapter 1 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 3