The Price of Affection

The text continued with tales of how the First Emperor unified the tribes and held back floods with divine power. In short, it was a chronicle asserting that since God was with the Emperor, no mortal could ever dare covet his throne. Eventually, he founded the Empire and became its first ruler.

[God’s love for the First Emperor deepened. On the day the Emperor was to ascend, the God intended to return to the heavens with him, yet wished to leave proof that they had once existed together upon this earth. Unfortunately, every attempt failed. Because the divine power was too great, it was difficult for a seed to take root within a womb. Ultimately, God remade the First Emperor’s body into one that could withstand divine power. Thus, the first Omega appeared within the Imperial line.]

Chase must have read this part carefully, as the book fell open more naturally here than anywhere else. Why had he scrutinized this? I couldn’t see anything particularly important about it, so I was at a loss. I flipped through the pages quickly and found one more section that opened just as easily.

‘This is the story of the Seventh.’

No Omegas had been born since the First, until the Seventh Emperor. Upon reaching adulthood, the Seventh took an Empress and several concubines. However, no child was ever conceived.

[Then, light poured down from the heavens and a tender voice was heard. “My descendant, you have been born with a body made to receive divine power. With such a body, you cannot receive the essence of a mere mortal. Out of pity for your plight, I shall bestow upon you a partner. You will recognize them at a single glance.” At the sound of God’s voice—the first heard since the Great Ascension—everyone bowed their heads in overwhelming emotion.]

The partner bestowed by God was not the Empress. He was a man of unknown origin, but just as God had promised, the Emperor recognized him instantly and hid him away within his private palace.

The Empress, seeing her position jeopardized in an instant, lost her mind. While the Emperor had never been a devoted husband, he had never before been a man to neglect everyone else in a fit of obsession. Perhaps due to the Emperor’s transformation, the Empress did not live long. Eventually, the man who never left the Emperor’s palace took her place.

‘This is… a bit too graphic.’

My face flushed at the vivid descriptions of the Seventh Emperor’s private life. While it would later become common knowledge that Alphas and Omegas were enthralled by each other’s pheromones, that knowledge didn’t exist back then. They were simply depicted as people who couldn’t keep their hands off each other.

I couldn’t fathom what the historian was thinking when they recorded such intimate details. Feeling the heat rise to my cheeks, I closed the book and fanned myself with my hand. The warmth, however, did not subside easily. In the end, I failed to discover what Chase was looking for in the history books and was left with nothing but a lingering sense of embarrassment.

The Count, who had been hesitating because he couldn’t decipher the Emperor’s intentions, finally changed his mind. Within a week, his son arrived in the capital. I hadn’t been aware of it until Ethan burst in and told me.

“Brother!”

“Ethan…”

I sighed as he entered without any sense of etiquette, but Ethan didn’t stop or even look guilty. He simply threw himself into my arms and looked up at me, a bead of water clinging beneath his eye like a pearl.

“It’s not true, is it?”

“What now?”

“That you took in another companion besides me!”

When I looked down at him with an expression that asked how he already knew, Ethan seemed genuinely shocked. His mouth fell open, a tear escaped his eye, and he buried his face in my chest, wailing loudly.

“Waaaaah! No! I hate it! Tell him to go away!”

I stroked Ethan’s hair as he cried about how he only needed me and hated that I kept putting others by my side. My comfort seemed to work, and his sobs gradually quieted.

“People keep increasing around you, Brother… What if I lose you?”

“How could that happen? Aside from Their Majesties, you will always be the person closest to me.”

Even if the world split in two, the fact that Ethan and I were blood relatives remained unchanged. As I was comforting him, I felt a gaze on me from somewhere.

‘Hm?’

I turned my head toward the sensation and locked eyes with Chase, who was standing nearby. I couldn’t read the expression on his face. He looked as if he were longing for something, or perhaps feeling neglected. I studied him closely to figure out the reason for that ambiguous look, but then two small hands cupped my cheeks.

“Don’t look at him, Brother. Look only at me.”

I muttered an “Uh-huh” to Ethan, who was sniffling and holding my face with a hurt expression, and then stole another glance at Chase. However, his face was once again a blank mask. He stood there politely with his eyes downcast, as indifferent as ever.

“Brother, do you really need another companion? Am I not enough?”

Ethan asked me this while clenching his fists so tight that his knuckles turned white from the tension. The reason I had requested the son of Count Taranto wasn’t because Ethan was lacking. But since I couldn’t tell him the truth, I had to soothe him with another explanation.

“Countess Taranto is the head of the Aristocratic Faction. When I become Emperor, she may be the greatest obstacle in my path.”

“…Then she’s a bad person. Can’t we just not be friends?”

“No one is a ‘bad person’ forever. When she steps down, her son will succeed her. If we become close now, it might be helpful later.”

Of course, the Countess would much rather send her son to my bedroom than have him inherit the title, but that wasn’t something to tell Ethan, so I just left it at that. Though Ethan was prone to acting like a spoiled child, he wasn’t slow or lacking in understanding. He pursed his lips. He looked as if he still didn’t like it but would try to endure it.

“I don’t like it… but if I throw a tantrum, it will make things difficult for you, won’t it?”

I was a bit surprised by his dejected voice. I had worried he would start crying again, saying he didn’t want to endure it even if he understood, so seeing this mature side of him was almost moving. Ethan wiped his tears away with his sleeve and looked up at me. His watery, lime-colored eyes shone with a fresh light as he looked straight at me.

“Promise me. Promise that I am the most precious to you. If you do… I think I can bear it a little.”

“Of course. You are the most precious.”

I lightly kissed Ethan’s eyelid, which had turned red from rubbing it with his sleeve. Ethan offered a soft smile, his heart seemingly at ease from the affectionate kiss.

Once again, I felt a piercing gaze and looked back at Chase, but he was still standing there respectfully with his eyes lowered.

‘Did I imagine it?’

Feeling awkward, I turned back immediately. Thus, I was unable to see the light flickering and swirling within Chase’s red eyes.

About two days later, the person I had been waiting for visited the Crown Prince’s palace. It was Seamus Ashley Taranto, the son of Count Taranto and Chase’s lover in the original story.

Ethan, who had come to the palace again today, was stuck to my side, glaring at him with a dissatisfied face. I ignored him and spoke to the Count’s son, who was bowing to me.

“I greet the Crown Prince, the descendant of God.”

“Yes. What is your name?”

“I am… Seamus Ashley Taranto.”

His deep blue eyes wavered with anxiety. It seemed he had heard the rumors about me.

An arrogant Crown Prince with immense power. One who enjoyed tormenting his half-brother and had such a prickly personality that he allowed no one near him… He looked as if he couldn’t understand why such a person had summoned him. And since he was only here on the orders of his mother, the Countess, he clearly hadn’t come by choice.

“Yes, Seamus. From now on, you will receive your education alongside me, Ethan, and Chase.”

“Excuse me?”

The one who spoke up wasn’t Seamus, but Ethan. He knew that the new companion, Seamus, would be joining us, but he clearly hadn’t expected me to include Chase in the group.

“Brother, why him? He’s just a servant.”

Ethan asked while tugging on my sleeve. It made sense; this was an education far too grand for a mere servant to receive. Being taught alongside the Crown Prince meant access to high-level education, excluding only the study of statecraft. Many nobles had begged for their children to be my companion for this very reason, but I had refused them all.

And now, Chase was taking that spot. Even during his time as a Prince, he hadn’t received a proper education because he couldn’t prove his “Authority.”

“Why do you ask, Ethan? Are you afraid you can’t win if you study the same things as Chase?”