By Zephyria 
Under the glittering lights of the finely shattered chandelier, the paired people spun around to the music of the elegant court orchestra, creating their own beautiful shadows.
After the Count and Countess also went out onto the floor, only Allen and I were left occupying the edge of the Banquet Hall.
Allen had just had his status restored, but he had not yet received the Blessing of the Temple. From his appearance, it was predicted that he would manifest as an Omega, but even so, no one asked a noble who was neither Alpha nor Omega to dance right now. Unlike me, who received so many dance requests that it was annoying to have to politely refuse each one.
It was the influence of the Temple that had left Allen as an ambiguous half-noble, neither Alpha nor Omega, saying that the Blessing must be given only on the designated birthday, no matter how special the circumstances.
I placed the champagne, with about one sip left, in a suitable place and watched Allen, who was acting awkwardly as if he was wearing ill-fitting clothes, as if admiring him.
The timeline that had been set was already a mess. It must be because of my impulsive actions. Originally, Allen would have celebrated his birthday not long after regaining his status and would have manifested as a Recessive Omega. In the process, he would have become close to Beatrice, been introduced to Carlisle…, and even gained the favor of the Crown Prince, who was hiding his identity, as naturally as water flowing.
From there, it was very smooth. Not only the Crown Prince and Little Duke Graham, but even Princess Grachio. He, who had the favor of the most prominent figures in the Empire, was able to stir up high society as he pleased, whether he intended to or not.
No one would dare to laugh at an Omega who had won the Crown Prince’s favor as Recessive, and no one would dare to say that they were reluctant to bring him into their family because he had spent too much time outside.
In a situation where everyone was showing him favor, Allen’s clumsiness was just an expensive accessory that emphasized his innocence and loveliness.
“Damn it… At this rate, I won’t even be able to say a word to Young Master Noah and I’ll be going home empty-handed?”
“If you’re not done with your education, you shouldn’t have come out of the house in the first place.”
Only because the favor of the two powerful figures had been withdrawn, only because he had not immediately celebrated the Day of Blessing.
“……”
Allen Hamilton was in a situation he had never been in before.
It wasn’t particularly satisfying. I didn’t want to do anything foolish enough to celebrate with premature fanfare with such a small achievement.
My repetition, which had resolved to end it all, was so numerous that it was meaningless to count. In those countless repetitions…, hadn’t I struggled to escape Allen’s shadow by finding another Alpha who wasn’t a character in the game? If I couldn’t get the love of my family, hadn’t I tried to build a good position in high society to guarantee at least minimal safety?
Even if I hadn’t dared to decide to steal what was destined for Allen like I was doing now, there were still several similar attempts and similar Iterations that had gone to just before that point.
On days when I didn’t know what was ahead, my heart would flutter and pound at even the slightest achievement.
But. That was all before Allen met the Love interest.
The main characters in the game all helplessly fell for Allen under the absolute law of universal gravitation. Because those characters happened to be people who held and wielded considerable power in the country, others who seemed to be following common sense were quickly swept away as well.
Even though it wasn’t what I wanted, I was repeatedly branded as his antagonist for some reason, just because Allen was born with and grew up enjoying things that I should have had. When I abandoned everything and ran away, the System easily took me back to the morning of my damned seventeenth birthday.
“Come on, Allen. Come here. Don’t just stand there awkwardly. Shall we dance together?”
I smiled kindly and held out my hand to him. A pale shadow fell on his face, which was buried in my shadow. His face, which seemed significantly gentler than mine, had a very strange impression in that dim shadow. Both mature and endlessly young. That’s the kind of face it was.
“I don’t know what you’re thinking this time…”
He overlapped his hand on my palm that was stretched out in front of him and whispered softly in a voice that could barely be heard. Ah, again. This strange tone that is rarely seen when other people are around. Without panicking, I pulled him to the center of the dance floor.
The waltz was soft. The eyes of the Count and Countess, who passed by me as I took care of my youngest brother, who seemed unable to adapt to high society, were just warm.
“What would I be thinking? Just what I said.”
“……”
While stepping lightly to a dog waltz-like tune, dancing a dance that wasn’t even a dance, like young children who had just started learning social dances would practice in the practice room, with no distinction of positions, I looked at Allen affectionately as if I couldn’t bear to love him.
“I said I’m happy to meet you. That’s all.”
The night of the Banquet had only just begun.
“…Are you okay?”
Allen, who had finished a dance that wasn’t even a dance with me, expressed his intention to return first with a somewhat uneasy expression. The Count and Countess gave him a carriage without any particular suspicion at Allen’s words that he was too tired to endure the first ball he had ever been to. Except for Frederick, who was unable to attend the Banquet due to his royal guard duty, the four of us, the Count and Countess, Andrew, and I, decided to stay overnight at the Imperial Palace and return.
My tension was completely relieved after confirming that Allen had returned. I was going to endure until the Empress, the main character of today’s Banquet, came out and then go straight back to the assigned room, but suddenly I heard that question.
“Okay? What do you mean?”
I asked back like that.
“……”
There was no further explanation from the person who asked me if I was okay. I decided to close my mouth around that point. The path from the main Banquet Hall in the center of the Imperial Palace to the accommodations provided to the nobles was quiet. When we walked without talking, the sound of insects chirping filled the space between him and me.
“I hope you don’t misunderstand.”
Count Hamilton, my dear older brother, who had subtly taken the spot next to me without even offering to escort me, suddenly spouted nonsense again. I didn’t reply this time either.
“If… if I had known Allen was that child.”
“……”
“I would never have assigned him to be your exclusive servant.”
“……”
“It’s not like I knowingly placed him by your side on purpose. I just hope you believe that.”
He had been hovering around me ever since Allen’s identity was revealed, and now he was finally saying this? The muscles in my face, which had been plastered with a smile, were all strained and aching. At least I didn’t have to force a smile in front of Andrew Hamilton. That was one good thing.
“It’s fine. You must have had your reasons, brother. Maybe you were instinctively drawn to the bloodline?”
Or maybe it was the world’s coercion, or Allen’s hidden power. Even though I knew that Andrew’s assigning Allen as my exclusive servant wasn’t purely his intention, I muttered vaguely. That’s right. It was partly out of a wicked desire to tease him. Andrew, who had already raised a white flag in front of me, somehow stimulated my sadistic side.
“N-No, it’s not that…”
His usually unwavering face, now troubled, was indeed satisfying. It felt good that he was troubled because of me. It was quite satisfying that he was fidgeting because of me. I didn’t know where this wicked side of me had been hiding, but that was honestly how I felt these days.
“I didn’t even think you two looked that alike. I didn’t even notice what that child looked like.”
“Brother, you’re saying strange things. You always told me, without ever getting tired of it, about the ‘real’ Noah. You said he was incomparable to a vulgar bastard like me, that he would be incredibly lovable, your real younger brother.”
“…Noah.”
“So, aren’t you happy that your real younger brother has returned? Can you afford to waste time caring for the heart of a fake, when you have the real thing?”
When Frederick first heard that Allen was the missing real younger brother, he screamed and jumped up and down, but Andrew, in comparison, seemed somewhat surprised but remained relatively calm. He didn’t seem particularly surprised, nor particularly happy.
“…Don’t say that. Don’t belittle yourself like that.”
That was when it happened. It wasn’t like I had deliberately built up goodwill, but I guess I was seeing the benefits of having done so. As I was idly thinking such things, I heard words that were hard to believe.
“I was wrong.”