“…I’m happy. Really.”
Chaika answered quietly after a long pause. However, the shadow cast over his face had only grown deeper.
“What’s wrong? It’s fine—just tell me.”
When Mihail coaxed him gently, Chaika hesitated for a long while before slipping the ring off his finger. Fidgeting with it, he spoke.
“That foal from earlier, this ring, and everything else—they’re all so wonderful and beautiful. I’m happy because Lord Mihail gave them to me, thinking of me on purpose.”
After saying that much, Chaika smiled faintly, his eyes curving slightly. Then he placed the ring he’d been toying with onto Mihail’s palm.
“But that foal, this ring, and all the other things… none of them are really mine, are they? I heard that omegas aren’t legally allowed to own private property. So even if I have them, they’re not actually mine—I’m just borrowing them from you, Lord Mihail.”
At the unexpected words, Mihail was taken aback. He had never imagined that such an innocent creature would be thinking about things like that.
What Chaika said was true. Although it varied slightly from country to country, in many nations it was the law that omegas could not own private property. Even if an omega inherited or was gifted assets, those were managed on their behalf by a father or an alpha brother. In the end, omegas could not achieve economic independence and had no choice but to live relying on relatives or other alphas. It was a tightly woven social system designed to leave omegas no room for independence.
Instead, alphas paid omegas a fixed annual pension as compensation for bearing their children. The amount of the pension was negotiated in advance, before conception. Thus, the more children an omega bore for a wealthy family, the larger the pension they could use for the rest of their life.
“Who on earth taught you something like that?”
Mihail spoke irritably, clicking his tongue. Then the culprit immediately came to mind.
“Nile, I suppose.”
Chaika nodded.
Mihail let out a shallow sigh and slipped the ring back onto Chaika’s finger. Then he pulled Chaika into his arms and pressed a kiss to the crown of his head.
“Even if the law says that, what does it matter? We’re together anyway. Whether it’s a foal or anything else, if you want it, it’s all yours.”
“…I guess that’s true.”
When Mihail soothed him like that, Chaika soon smiled brightly, his face innocent once more.
As the heat cycle drew closer with each passing day, Mihail showered Chaika with gifts. Starting with the foal, there were all kinds of jeweled accessories, expensive clothes and shoes, rare and marvelous watches crafted by artisans counted among the finest on the continent, dancing music boxes, a talking bird said to have come from a distant continent, ivory and jewels sized perfectly for Chaika, a beautiful dagger adorned with gold, a gentle and adorable puppy only a few months old—he presented Chaika with new gifts every single day. Each time he received one, Chaika couldn’t hide his amazement and exclaimed in admiration.
“Are you sending wedding gifts in advance or something?”
Ilya remarked as he watched Chaika repeatedly teaching the talking bird to say “Hello.”
“You could say that.”
Mihail affirmed it without hesitation. Ilya raised his eyebrows in surprise. But only for a moment—soon, he shrugged.
“It’s impressive enough that you found an omega you actually want to keep at your side, but to be this completely smitten… You’ve really been led around by the nose. Still, it’s a relief. I was worried you’d die alone without ever leaving behind an heir.”
Ilya said it as though he could finally breathe easy.
In the meantime, having successfully taught the talking bird to greet, Chaika clapped his hands in delight. Watching that sight, Mihail’s gray eyes were filled with laughter and satisfaction.
“So… you’re planning to get him pregnant this time?”
Ilya asked, looking at Chaika, who was smiling innocently, unaware of anything. Mihail nodded silently.
“Does Chaika know?”
“Not yet.”
“The heat cycle is literally tomorrow or the day after. You’re not planning to get him pregnant without even giving him a heads-up, are you?”
“He’s terrified of having a child. If I tell him in advance, he’ll resist desperately. It’s better to just do it. Once he’s pregnant, his thoughts will change.”
Ilya frowned slightly and looked at Mihail. In the gray eyes that were fixed obsessively on Chaika, a powerful possessiveness surfaced. Contrary to his well-known temperament, Mihail lavished Chaika alone with endless gentleness and softness—but his nature itself remained unchanged, something that could never truly be altered. Alphas were a breed that would stop at nothing to obtain the omega they desired, and Mihail, as a Dominant Alpha, possessed that trait even more strongly than most. So to him, getting someone pregnant without their consent was hardly anything at all.
“You’ll be hated for that.”
Ilya, an alpha who freely dated betas, was nevertheless accustomed to the common sense of betas. Because of that, he understood far better than Mihail what kind of shock Chaika—who had lived as a beta—would suffer if he were forcibly impregnated without consent.
“He’s obedient and completely taken with me. At first, he might be startled and resent me, but in the end, everything will work out. If I soothe him properly, he’ll get used to it quickly.”
Ilya wanted to warn him that Chaika wasn’t an ordinary omega and might react very differently from what he expected—but he decided to drop it. No matter how much he explained in detail, it would never reach Mihail, who had already made up his mind.
“Let’s hope so.”
That was all Ilya said as he patted Mihail’s shoulder.
Just as Mihail said, once Chaika was pregnant, what could he do? He would have no choice but to accept it and give birth to the child….
***
“Mm….”
Chaika frowned at the sensation of the sheets brushing against his skin. His body, on the verge of a heat cycle, was so hypersensitive that his entire body tingled and throbbed from even the slightest contact.
“By tonight, the heat cycle will likely begin.”
The physician who had examined Chaika said quietly.
Chaika turned his gaze to confirm that the bedroom door was closed, then spoke in a low voice only the physician could hear.
“The duke still intends to get me pregnant this time, doesn’t he?”
Chaika’s attitude toward the physician was noticeably different from usual. That was because the omega specialist who had recently been residing in Castiya Castle to care for Chaika had been dispatched from Marquis Lucius’s household. He had known Chaika for a long time and was also a key figure in carrying out this plan.
“Of course. He repeatedly instructed me several times a day to be careful so your body wouldn’t be harmed by a rapid pregnancy.”
Chaika laughed coldly. Fully aware that Chaika’s body was in poor condition, yet having no intention of postponing his own desires—how very alpha-like. Of course, Chaika had no intention of criticizing him. Thanks to Mihail’s haste, Chaika could shorten his timeline by several months, so he should be grateful instead.
“Would you like to take the medicine?”
The physician took out a small cloth from his robes and unfolded it. On it lay a small, round pellet. It was Marquis Lucius’s family’s secret medicine—something that allowed one to retain rationality even during a heat cycle.
“No. Not this time.”
Chaika shook his head. If Mihail truly intended to impregnate him this time, it would likely be rough and prolonged sex. Mihail had been his first sexual partner, so being knotted would also be his first time. He had no intention of enduring that completely sober. The physician didn’t press the matter further and tucked the medicine away.
“You’ve informed Andre, I presume?”
“Yes. We sent someone to the Marquis, so he should have received word sometime yesterday or today.”
“In a few days, Andre will send someone. Coordinate with them and make sure they’re fully briefed again on the follow-up measures. If there are any changes, report them to me immediately. If I can’t escape the castle after everything is done, all of our efforts so far will be for nothing.”
“Understood. Please don’t worry, young master.”
The physician nodded with a serious expression. Then his face grew concerned.
“Most of the poison has been expelled, but the vitality weakened during the ingestion hasn’t fully recovered yet… After the heat cycle ends, you’ll probably be bedridden and quite ill for several days.”
At the physician’s worried words, Chaika let out a scoff.
“Being bedridden for a few days—what’s the big deal?”
After saying that, Chaika lowered his gaze briefly, then lifted one corner of his mouth into a smile.
“Adjust the medication so the bedridden period lasts a bit longer.”
“…You mean to only treat it halfway?”
“That’s right. If he sees me looking weak and useless, laid up for a long time after just one heat cycle, the duke will let his guard down even more.”
“Even without that, he already seems more than sufficiently off his guard, but….”
When the physician ventured that comment cautiously, Chaika shot him a frosty look. Realizing his mistake, the physician bowed his head. At that moment, the sound of the bedroom doorknob turning echoed through the room. Chaika’s expression changed instantly. The cold, rigid look melted away, replaced by a gentle, docile expression. The door opened, and Mihail entered. The physician stepped back from the bedside.
“How is he?”
Mihail asked as he came to the head of the bed.
“He’s suffering quite a bit. Unfortunately, there’s little I can do about that….”
“It seems like his fever’s gone up.”
Mihail said, placing a hand against Chaika’s forehead.
“With the heat cycle approaching, his temperature can’t help but rise. By tonight, he’ll enter his heat cycle. He just needs to endure a little longer.”
“Good work.”
At Mihail’s words, the physician bowed deeply and left the bedroom.
“Will suppressants not work this time either?”
Chaika asked, his face flushed red with heat. Mihail shook his head.
“They say that because the poison’s effects are still lingering, ordinary suppressants won’t work. If we continue treatment diligently, by the next cycle—or the one after that—you should be able to use suppressants again.”
“I hope that happens soon. It’s really painful.”
As Chaika voiced his suffering, pity and compassion surfaced in Mihail’s gray eyes. But to Chaika, who knew that Mihail had deliberately prevented him from taking suppressants, it looked nothing more than a convincing performance.
“Lord Mihail.”
In a slightly hoarse voice, Chaika called to him, placing his hand over the back of Mihail’s hand. Then, looking into those gray eyes, he spoke in a voice full of sincerity.
“Thank you.”
“What are you thanking me for?”
Mihail asked with a soft chuckle. Even in his discomfort, Chaika smiled faintly and answered inwardly.
‘Thank you for committing all the disgusting acts alphas are known for, every time I start to waver because of you—thank you for anchoring my heart.’
And out loud, Chaika said,
“Just… everything.”
As if amused by his words, Mihail pressed a kiss to Chaika’s forehead.
Chaika turned his gaze toward the window. The late afternoon sunlight was slowly sinking lower. Soon, darkness would fall and night would arrive.
It was a night he had painstakingly prepared for over a long time—and at last, it was about to begin.
