Until now, my choice had always been option 2. I hated staying in unfamiliar places when sick. I thought it was best to take a lot of painkillers and sleep deeply in my own bed in my room until the banquet.
“Thank you. Then just for a moment…”
I chose a different option for the first time. It was too trivial… as a start, considering that I had gritted my teeth and said that I would show a completely different side of myself than before. Anyway, I wanted to choose an option that I had never chosen before.
“Oh my, of course, of course! You can rest not just for a moment, but for a long time. Rest well, very well!”
The high priest spoke smoothly as if his tongue had been oiled. I followed him into a side room inside the temple while clutching my aching head. To be elevated like this just for being a dominant, I could naturally understand why the original “Noah Hamilton” became so arrogant.
Dominant Omegas from noble families of earl rank or higher automatically become candidates for the crown prince’s consort or empress of that generation.
And according to the game’s setting, there were only two dominant Omegas in the empire, including Noah Hamilton.
The other dominant Omega was a treasured child of a duke’s family who had loved someone for a long time and later became an active helper and loyal friend to the main protagonist Allen… If it weren’t for Allen, who suddenly appeared and snatched away the hearts of all the capture targets including the crown prince, Noah would have become the crown prince’s consort without much hardship or trial.
The classically handsome knight, the cheerful and mischievous high nobleman, the secretive and suspicious childhood friend behind the scenes, and the radiant crown prince. This game had four capturable characters in total, with the crown prince clearly being the main character.
No matter which route was chosen, he would inevitably become entangled with Allen and fall in love with him. So naturally, Noah Hamilton, who was a candidate for the crown prince’s consort, would end up on the opposite side of Allen…
In this world that rushed single-mindedly toward the grand goal of Allen’s happiness, the fate given to me, Noah Hamilton, who stood opposite Allen, was very clear: to be mercilessly eliminated as a villain.
I thought I could escape the predetermined role of villain if I were excluded early from being a candidate for the crown prince’s consort. But I was too naive. I underestimated the malice of that system bastard.
System loudly proclaims its innocence and blamelessness!(;´༎ຶД༎ຶ`)
System expresses its hurt at how you could judge it as malicious!(;´༎ຶД༎ຶ`)
System is hurt by your coldness in not recognizing its devoted love for you!
(;´༎ຶД༎ຶ`)
“…It’s so noisy I could die.”
“Pardon? Br-brother?”
Ah. I’m really going crazy. Nothing ever works out because of that bastard. I immediately lowered my voice and spoke as if embarrassed.
“I’m sorry, High Priest. Perhaps because my head hurts so much, I’m even hearing something like ringing in my ears…”
“Oh my! This won’t do. I’ll bring some tea that’s good for calming the mind and body. Please lie down and rest comfortably!”
The priest in this world setting, who possessed no divine power other than distinguishing traits, returned with just a steaming hot cup of tea without saying a single word about providing treatment or checking my condition.
After dismissing the priest, saying I wanted to be alone, I was slowly sipping the tea, blowing on it, when suddenly, a clear notification sound—ding! rang in my ears. Ah. Now that I think about it, it must be about time.
You who have survived safely until the age of seventeen in this world, enjoy!
٩(๑ᵒ̴̶̷͈̀ ᗜ ᵒ̴̶̷͈́)و ̑̑ ✧
Congratulations, ‘Noah’!
Having turned seventeen and manifested your trait, you have finally become fully integrated into this world.
As a congratulatory gift, you receive the title ‘Dominant Omega’ (Charm +17).
Acquired titles are automatically equipped.
‘Capture Target Affection Detection Function’ has been unlocked.
You can now freely use all functions in the game.
It felt strange to see this notification in the temple rather than in the carriage returning to the mansion as usual. Both the system that frequently popped up just to annoy people before disappearing, and these notification windows… seeing these always made me acutely aware again that where I was now was truly a world inside a game, not reality.
Mmm, no. I shook my head vigorously, trying to hold onto my sinking spirits. What difference does it make whether it’s reality or a game world? As long as I see, hear, and feel, there’s absolutely no difference in the fact that I have to live my life here.
“Phew, I need to pull myself together first. No time for this.”
I lightly slapped both my cheeks. The stinging sensation snapped me back to alertness.
I needed to burn with even more ambition to escape this tedious hamster wheel of a life. Useless sentimentality was a waste.
After gulping down the remaining tea all at once, I hurriedly left the temple, still clutching my spinning head.
Nothing happened from the moment I left the temple’s main gate until I boarded the carriage. Though I hadn’t had high expectations, I had chosen an option I’d never selected before in an attempt to create some kind of change, so it was a bit disappointing.
However, that disappointment and regret couldn’t persist against the high fever and headache that continued to boil intensely.
If there had been even one noble who had experienced their blessed day nearby, they might have wrinkled their nose at the intense Omega pheromones that almost felt caustic. After all, I was in a state where I wasn’t containing my pheromones at all.
Perhaps because I hadn’t really embraced an Omega identity even after entering the game? For me, who had been living as an ordinary office worker in the 21st century, the very idea of emitting pheromones to seduce someone was too strange.
So until now, I had lived with my pheromones tightly bound, gritting my teeth and struggling. Even in iterations where I was Kyle’s lover, I had only planned to expose my pheromones after the formal marriage. Of course, there was also a clear wariness of the original story’s “Noah,” who had been excessively proud of his own pheromones.
“We have arrived, young master.”
“Thank you. I had a comfortable journey thanks to you.”
But I wasn’t planning to be like that anymore. This game where Allen was the protagonist, “The Young Noble of Rose Manor,” was an adult-rated game restricted to players 19 and older. And to scoop up all the capture targets in this game into my net, I planned to make full use of the dominant Omega pheromones that were said to be strong enough to steal the very souls of Alphas.
The opportunity to apply my changed mindset appeared faster than expected. Before I could even take a few steps after getting out of the carriage, a sharp voice with no trace of goodwill stabbed me right in the back.
“What is this harsh scent?”
“Brother Andrew…”
Andrew Hamilton. The Viscount Hamilton who had viewed me, adopted in place of his real younger brother, as a thorn in his side for a long time. To the current me, he was also a not so beloved brother.
His eyes, lowered in contempt, were as dark blue as the deep sea. A straight, sharply dropping nose ridge contrasted with lips that always held a crooked sneer. Even that somehow felt classic in its own way, a talent if you could call it that. His buttoned-up collar, fastened neatly to the neck, seemed to exude his bleak and unaffectionate nature.
“So they sent someone separately from the temple.”
“…”
Until now, I had never encountered him. I had always been too busy returning straight to the mansion after confirming my trait and lying in my bed. I wondered why the high priest’s favor was presented as an option when nothing seemed to change… so this was it, encountering someone I wouldn’t have otherwise met.
“So, you’ve managed to manifest as a Dominant, of all things. Are you so proud of it? Are you planning to go around broadcasting it without any dignity?”
He scolded me in an accusatory tone, wrinkling his nose as if my pheromones filling the surroundings were unpleasant.
Hah… really. Even though he was an Alpha, since he was still my brother on the family register, I hadn’t planned to put him on the testing block, but… Looking at the eldest son who kept throwing pointed verbal shurikens as if asking for trouble, I trembled my chin and bit my lip tightly, contrary to my inner thoughts. I didn’t forget to pathetically lower my gaze as well.
“I-I’m sorry, brother. But… really, I’m not doing it on purpose. I don’t know how to control it, so…”
As I deliberately trembled and made excuses while looking dejected, a different light appeared in Andrew Hamilton’s previously cold gaze. From Andrew’s perspective, it must have been quite surprising to see me showing such a fragile attitude when until now I had either brazenly confronted him when he picked fights or completely ignored him.
“Damn, still an idiot anyway.”
It’s too early to be surprised. Looking at the eldest son whose words were still sharp but whose hatred had noticeably diminished in his eyes, I struggled to hold back laughter that threatened to burst out. Now it’s time to test, to see whether my pheromones work well even on an Alpha who had consistently disliked me even before Allen arrived.