Approaching Callix and the Grand Duke, Shushu lowered his gaze and offered a shy, bashful smile, feeling somehow awkward and self-conscious.
Callix could find no words at the sight of his younger brother, who had finally manifested as an omega. Looking at Damian felt as though his heart might simply stop.
“Big Brother, why are you like this?”
Shushu looked at Callix in bewilderment, wondering why he was just staring without saying a single word.
He assumed that although his body shape and voice had shifted slightly after manifesting as a dominant omega, there hadn’t been any massive difference.
“Ah—yes, right. Shushu. Are you feeling well now?”
“Yes, thanks to Big Brother’s worry.”
Duke Maldini smiled and offered congratulatory remarks to his second son.
“Damian, congratulations. Today is your day, so enjoy it to your heart’s content. But remember, even if an alpha you like asks you to step out onto the balcony, you must not follow them. Understood?”
“Yes, I’ll be careful.”
“There are some omegas from the capital gathered over there, so go mingle and chat with them a bit. You never had peers around you growing up, which is why you always ended up stuck playing only with your older brother.”
Shushu walked over in the direction indicated by his father.
He exchanged formal introductions and chatted with the omegas, but the conversation revolved entirely around stiff pleasantries, making it thoroughly uninteresting.
Shushu quickly lost interest in making friends and simply occupied himself by observing the party.
Alphas and omegas danced waltzes across the hall to classical music played by the orchestra.
To Shushu, who retained his memories from Korea, watching men dance while holding men, and women holding women, felt slightly unfamiliar.
Even though secondary gender lore dictated that primary biological sex as men and women didn’t matter, elements of same-sex romance had never appeared in The Black-Haired Healer.
Yet, thinking about it now, since he had ended up manifesting as an omega himself, he realized he might actually find himself dating men in the future.
Shushu had never once considered himself a homosexual, but whether man, woman, alpha, or omega, this wasn’t the time to be picky.
If he didn’t want to die, he had to accept whoever proposed to him and escape the ducal castle.
While scanning the room to see if there was any alpha capable of rescuing him, the doorman struck his staff against the floor once more.
“His Imperial Highness, Crown Prince Leonhardt Adamantian, entering!”
Shushu stared toward the doors in shock, completely blindsided by this unexpected encounter with the male lead.
Normally, the fake Damian never met the Crown Prince until the day he died.
So why now?
Could it be because he had manifested as a dominant omega?
In the original novel where he was a beta, no celebration party had ever been thrown, but because his own actions had altered the timeline, he had ended up crossing paths with the Crown Prince.
Even so, he doubted this would somehow miraculously rewrite his fatal ending.
The Crown Prince was merely a guest who had accepted the Duke’s invitation to visit the North before eventually leaving.
The nobles paid their respects toward the Crown Prince as he entered the ballroom.
Shushu lowered his head just as he had been taught, but noticed a pair of dress shoes stepping closely right in front of his feet.
Furthermore, the rich, pleasant scent lingering in the air made it impossible not to realize someone had approached him.
“Lift your head.”
Shushu figured that since he was the guest of honor at the celebration party, the Crown Prince had personally come over to meet him.
After all, as the Duke’s son, it wasn’t entirely unnatural for the Crown Prince to pay him special attention.
A boy with brilliant golden hair—shining as though spun from melted gold threads—looked down at him with a gentle smile.
“Hello, Young Master Damian. My name is Leonhardt Adamantian.”
“Hello, Your Imperial Highness. My name is Damian Vesper.”
“I heard you have manifested as a dominant omega. My sincere congratulations.”
“Thank you.”
“If it’s alright with you, would you grant me the honor of being your first partner for this debutante dance?”
Shushu was about to readily take the Crown Prince’s hand when he was startled by Callix abruptly cutting in.
Intervening to push Shushu’s hand down, Callix requested the Crown Prince’s understanding.
“Your Highness, I apologize, but I will take first claim on my younger brother’s first debutante dance partner. I practically raised him since he was little, so this occasion holds a unique sentiment for me.”
“In that case, I shall reserve the next dance with Young Master Damian.”
“Thank you for your consideration.”
Shushu shot a puzzled look at his older brother, who had suddenly squeezed in, slung an arm around his shoulder, and guided him out toward the center of the dance floor, but then glanced back at the Crown Prince in astonishment.
The moment their eyes met, Leonhardt beamed brightly and waved goodbye to him.
Though it was a breach of etiquette, the nobles were all watching the Crown Prince wave, and Shushu figured that ignoring it would make the Crown Prince lose face, so he hesitantly raised his hand to wave back.
At that, the grip of Callix’s hand around his shoulder tightened painfully.
“Ah! Big Brother, that hurts.”
The orchestra finished the piece they had been playing and transitioned into a tune with a completely different mood.
Callix assumed his posture on the dance floor.
Shushu matched him, placing one hand in his and the other resting upon his shoulder.
Callix held Shushu’s hand in one palm while firmly wrapping his other arm around his waist.
Their bodies pressed closely together without an inch of space between them as they stepped into the prescribed choreography.
Because every single song required executing thirty-two distinct steps without a single mistake, Shushu broke into a cold sweat desperately trying to recall what he had learned in etiquette class.
“Shushu, what are you going to do if you press your body this close to the Crown Prince and end up getting exposed as Gem?”
Callix whispered so closely that his lips nearly brushed Shushu’s ear.
Since Callix had never once spoken the truth of his identity aloud before, Shushu felt his heart violently plummet into his stomach.
“I—I’m not doing anything like that.”
Shushu stammered with trembling lips, barely managing a response as his voice failed him.
For eight years, Callix had never once let on that he knew or demanded anything, so Shushu had half-convinced himself that perhaps he really didn’t know.
But he was entirely wrong. Callix knew, after all, that he was Gem.
“Mhm, right. You thought I still didn’t know. But you are Gem. So don’t go falling for the Crown Prince just because he’s handsome and sweet. If he ever finds out you’re Gem, he’s the kind of trash who will strip you bare and treat you like an animal.”
The low, quiet voice sounded as intimate and tender as lovers whispering sweet nothings, but to Shushu, it sounded infinitely more terrifying than any scolding.
Cold sweat poured down his skin as his joints stiffened rigidly, leaving him with no choice but to let himself be dragged along by wherever Callix led.
“I just don’t want my little brother getting exposed as Gem.”
He had no idea what state of mind he was in while dancing with that man.
The moment the song ended, figuring his cue had finally arrived, Shushu fled away to escape Leonhardt, who was walking toward him with a wide smile.
Thank you for the translation!