* * *

“Wouldn’t the Young Shane manifest as an omega? A dominant omega, at that.”

The Crown Prince reignited the dying embers of the conversation, though his face flushed even more as he spoke.

‘This feels off.’

Alpha, omega.

And dominant versus recessive.

The Crown Prince was expected to manifest as an alpha, and now there was speculation that I’d manifest as an omega.

The undertone of his words carried an odd sort of… interest.

“We’ll find out in due time.”

“Haha, is that so?”

Despite the Duke’s words, the Emperor responded with a lighthearted laugh.

At that moment, Raizen gracefully set his teacup down and spoke.

“I’ve never heard of a male omega becoming a Crown Princess in the Empire’s history.”

His calm voice and precise enunciation made him seem far older than thirteen.

It was as if he were the epitome of the ‘noble tone’ Mila had once lectured me about.

“As expected of the Young Duke, so insightful. Indeed, the Empire has never seen a male omega ascend as Crown Princess or Empress. But perhaps it’s time such prejudices were broken,” the Emperor said.

“Your Majesty, may I speak freely?”

Raizen didn’t back down.

The Emperor studied him with an intrigued expression before nodding.

“Speak.”

“Overcoming outdated prejudices is undoubtedly a noble cause. But it comes with much opposition and suffering. I wouldn’t wish such a heavy burden on my brother.”

“Hoho…”

The Emperor chuckled, stroking his chin as he assessed Raizen.

His gaze wasn’t one of anger but one of fascination.

“Daring…”

The Crown Prince beside me seemed to have a different reaction, mumbling quietly enough that only I could hear.

He must’ve taken a scolding from the Emperor earlier.

“I see… Perhaps I spoke too lightly on the matter. My apologies.”

“Your grace is boundless, Your Majesty.”

Raizen accepted the Emperor’s apology without hesitation.

While I wasn’t entirely sure what had just happened, I could tell that Raizen had spoken on my behalf.

And at that moment, I finally identified the source of my unease.

The Emperor seemed keen on pairing me with the Crown Prince.

For that to happen, one crucial issue needed to be addressed.

Across all eras and cultures, the most critical factor in royal families has always been heirs.

‘No way…’

If I manifest as an omega, does that mean I’d be able to have children as a man?!

---

My suspicion was correct.

“Yes, you’ve understood correctly. I thought it was too early to explain, but… that snake.”

The Duke, realizing he was speaking aloud, closed his mouth abruptly.

I bowed deeply to express my gratitude and returned to my room in the townhouse.

Locking the door behind me, I collapsed onto the bed, burying my face in the pillow and screaming.

“S**t!! Crazy!!”

The Duke had explained that in this world, there are three classifications: alpha, omega, and beta. Beta refers to the pre-manifestation state, meaning both Raizen and I were betas for now.

Every citizen of the Empire, or anyone with imperial blood, manifests as either an alpha or an omega upon turning fourteen.

Pheromone levels determine dominance or recessiveness, though the Duke had been vague on the details.

‘This is supposed to be a blessing from Sinoa’s deity.’

Blessing my ass.

Your so-called gods are all fake!

I flailed on the bed for a while before sitting up abruptly and smacking my pillow repeatedly.

“I! Never! Asked! For this! Who said I needed this?!”

To be clear, I am gay.

But in my understanding, men can’t get pregnant.

Grab any random guy and ask if he’s ever considered the possibility of being able to bear children.

If he says no, tell him, ‘Brace yourself, it’s possible.’

He’ll punch you on the spot.

“Why me?! This is insane!”

The moment I got back, I scoured my notes on From transmigration to Hero for any mention of alphas or omegas, but there was nothing.

“If it didn’t exist before, why does it now?!”

Realizing too late that I shouldn’t be shouting, I clutched my pillow and rolled around the bed in frustration.

I came to this world to live as the protagonist in a new life, not to get roped into a noble’s political marriage with the possibility of male pregnancy!

“Hahaha, hahaha—ahh!”

I laughed, then cried, staring at the ceiling.

And then a message window appeared before my eyes.

[Are you crazy?]

Crazy? I shot up, glaring at the message window.

Minutes passed without me saying a word.

[Ah… Fine. Just calm down, will you?]

If you were me, would you?

[Hey… you completed the quest well, so why are you acting like this? Huh?]

“Why… why is there a setting that wasn’t in the novel?”

[That’s…]

After a brief silence, a new message window popped up.

[I can’t tell you.]

“Hah, haha…”

I buried my head in the pillow, laughing, and then raised it again.

“Then tell me why you brought me here. What exactly am I supposed to do?”

[That too…]

“You can’t tell me that either?”

[…Yeah.]

Should I just die, then?

“What happens if I die here?”

[Hey, calm down. I’ll give you everything—the main novel and all the side stories, down to the last word.]

Do they really think that’s going to solve anything?

I kept my mouth shut and stared at the message window.

[You’ve got a bad habit of using your life to threaten people. That’s not something a person should do, you know?]

“…”

[Hey, no, listen… I can’t explain it to you, but coming here isn’t a bad thing for you either, you know?]

“So, it’s not a bad thing for me, but it’s beneficial for you all, is that it?”

[If you keep saying things like that, that are totally true…]

Why?

What now?

Are you planning to make me cough up blood again?

Without realizing it, I glared fiercely at the message window.

[Hold on for a moment.]

How much time had passed after that? Eventually, another message appeared.

[We talked it over, and it’s true that bringing you here without explaining these unexpected variables was wrong. So… we’re willing to let you use some system functions without forming a soul contract. How does that sound?]

“What kind of functions… are you offering?”

[Well, it’s not as much as detecting Raizen’s affection, but we’ll give you the ability to sense Raizen’s ‘killing intent.’ And the inventory…]

“The inventory is something you were going to give me anyway, wasn’t it? It’s the basics if I’m supposed to check the novel. Were you planning to hand me a physical book instead? Do you expect me to carry that heavy thing around and flip through it manually?”

[…Hold on.]

After about ten minutes, Noah opened the message window again.

[We’ll apply a full affection system, including the ability to detect Raizen’s ‘killing intent.’ The inventory will be provided by default. Occasionally, you’ll get small quests to help you acquire necessary items. And lastly… you’ll have the right to request one feature that you really need.]

Suddenly, a thought occurred to me.

[Does this sound fair enough?]

Maybe the ancient gods never intended to form a soul contract with me from the start.

If I failed, having my soul tied to them might cause them trouble.

But even if I asked them, I wouldn’t get the answer I wanted.

So, I smiled faintly.

“Fine. Thank you.”

[Good.]

As soon as the new message window appeared, a bright light filled my vision.

Then the scenery around me came back into view.

[Good luck.]

The Ancient God Noah left those cryptic words behind and disappeared.

∗   ∗   ∗

The next morning, we returned to the duke’s territory.

I spent the entire carriage ride skimming through the novel From transmigration to Hero that was provided in my inventory.

Honestly, the novel’s main plot didn’t have much to do with me right now, but since it covered future events, I couldn’t ignore it entirely.

And I discovered a few facts I hadn’t known before.

First, there was no mention of the alpha or omega dynamics in the novel.

Well, that was obvious.

Second, the emblem of the Luavis duchy featured a snake.

Third, Kim Minsoo became emperor because the crown prince abdicated the throne.

‘Why didn’t I think of that when I remembered Kim Minsoo married the princess and became emperor?’

There was clearly a crown prince, and what’s more, he was one of Kim Minsoo’s allies.

In the novel, the crown prince, after watching Kim Minsoo’s journey, realized he lacked the qualities to govern the empire and voluntarily gave up the throne, paving the way for Kim Minsoo to become emperor.

But… wasn’t that strange?

‘The emperor just let the crown prince abdicate? Just like that?’

And as if he’d been waiting for this, he handed over the throne to Kim Minsoo, who married the princess and said he was tired of it all.

When I thought it was just a story, I accepted it as something that only made sense in fiction.

But now… I was inside this novel.

A slightly altered version of it, no less.

* * *