The Dignity of the Omega

#11

Chapter 2

Enrique enjoyed his freedom for several days.

He rode his horse excitedly around the royal palace and spent entire days hunting waterfowl. When the sun set, he would play cards all night with a few close friends, completely drunk. It was the first time he had spent such leisurely and indulgent time.

Enrique’s friends were delighted to be able to play and enjoy themselves under the pretext of associating with the prince. They were carefully chosen by the King of Shamier since Enrique’s childhood and had grown up alongside him. Naturally, they knew everything about each other. One special point was that they were all children of nobles, and all were omegas as a precaution against any possible situations.

“I heard the envoys from Monta and Baron were grinding their teeth so much as they left the palace that their teeth were damaged. Enrique, you really are amazing.”

One of them said as he drew a card and laid it down. At those words, everyone looking at their cards while drinking burst into laughter. For these noble children of Shamier, Enrique’s actions were nothing short of satisfying.

Enrique smirked and downed the remaining alcohol in his glass in one go. Seeing this behavior that seemed to abandon self-control, his friends whistled and refilled his glass to the brim.

“By the way, if things had gone as originally planned, we’d be busy preparing for a wedding right now.”

“Hah! As if the King of Monta or the Crown Prince of Baron could handle Enrique’s personality!”

“No, no. Forget about personality, they’d be lucky if they didn’t hand over their entire country, completely intoxicated by the scent of a Superior Omega. They’re just ordinary alpha runts, not even superior ones.”

After briefly mocking the King of Monta and the Crown Prince of Baron, one of them suddenly narrowed his eyes.

“By the way, did you see the King of Monta? He was more handsome than I expected.”

“Of course I saw him. How could I miss him showing off his looks like a courting peacock and dousing Enrique with his pheromones?”

“Indeed, maybe because he’s the alpha who inherited Monta’s throne, those pheromones were just…”

One of them made a dreamy expression as if recalling the King of Monta’s pheromones he had smelled at the time.

“They were fantastic.”

Another one said decisively while choosing his cards. Everyone nodded in agreement.

These omegas, while mocking the alphas who desired them, were also immensely curious and interested in alphas. One reason was that they were high-ranking noble children under strict supervision and had just become adults or were about to, so they had no sexual experience.

“It’s amazing that Enrique could withstand those pheromones head-on and remain calm. If it were me, I would have pounced on him right there!”

When one of them jokingly hugged his friend sitting next to him as if pouncing, everyone burst into laughter. Having grown up together seeing everything there was to see, they had no reservations in their words or actions.

“If I had to choose, I’d go for the Crown Prince of Baron. Did you see that build and those shoulders? An alpha should have a good physique.”

The friends each expressed their preferences, some for the King of Monta, others for the Crown Prince of Baron.

“Enrique, if you had to choose, which one was more to your taste?”

One of them suddenly asked. Then another friend added:

“Putting aside benefits and calculations, I mean.”

All the friends’ eyes turned to Enrique at once. Enrique, the prince of Shamier and a Superior Omega, was their close friend, their future lord to serve, and also an object of admiration.

“Well…”

Enrique paused in choosing his cards and pretended to think for a moment.

In truth, Enrique had never evaluated the suitors without considering Shamier’s benefits and calculations.

His friends watched Enrique with eyes full of curiosity. Enrique pretended to ponder to meet his friends’ expectations and then opened his mouth.

“If we’re talking purely about preference…”

As Enrique said this, the image of black eyes sparkling with pure and harmless longing suddenly crossed his mind. Instead of being surprised or shocked by his own thought, Enrique simply spoke what came to mind.

“I’d say the Prince of Ruben?”

“What?!”

“Eh?!”

“Enrique! He’s still just a little kid!”

“Good heavens!”

Everyone exclaimed in shock.

After the initial commotion died down a bit, one of them asked:

“Enrique’s not the type to joke around. Tell us, what exactly about that little kid fits your taste?”

At that question, everyone’s eyes sparkled as they fixed on Enrique’s lips. Enrique gave up on choosing his cards and let out a deep sigh. He took a sip from his glass, thought quietly for a moment, and then slowly began to speak.

“If I had to say… Maybe because he’s still young and innocent, so I feel like I could manipulate him as I please?”

At Enrique’s answer, everyone’s expressions deflated.

“Of course… It’s not like you would be interested in alpha pheromones or looks.”

“In other words, instead of calculating or measuring things, you find it comfortable because you can do whatever you want without any consequences.”

At his friend’s words, Enrique thought for a moment and then nodded. His unabashed affirmation caused another round of laughter from his friends.

“Come to think of it, the Prince of Ruben was even prettier than when I was young. Just looking at his appearance, you might mistake him for an omega rather than an alpha.”

“It was quite cute seeing such a tiny kid trying to act all grown-up and princely among the adults.”

“I wonder how embarrassed and frustrated the Ruben Empire must have been when they realized that little kid was the only suitable suitor they could send from their great empire.”

“I know, right… If Ruben had a prince who had come of age, Enrique would probably be preparing for a wedding by now, wouldn’t he?”

“Well, thanks to that, Enrique can stay free like this with us for five more years, so we should be grateful to the Prince of Ruben.”

Everyone nodded in agreement at those words. Then one of them raised his glass high and shouted:

“To the little prince who gave Enrique time for freedom!”

“To him!”

“To the little prince!”

Everyone raised their glasses and shouted with laughter in their voices. They emptied their glasses in one go and then, as if by agreement, started laughing and giggling. The boisterous laughter continued until dawn.

*

When he opened his eyes, the sun was already high in the sky.

“…Pol. Water.”

Enrique mumbled in a very hoarse voice as he woke up. Pol, who was never far from his side, had already approached and held out a glass of cold water. Enrique quickly took the glass and drank the water gratefully. As his thirst was quenched, he felt somewhat alive again.

Opening his bleary eyes and looking around, he saw that the reception room was in utter chaos. Cards were scattered everywhere, and half-empty glasses and bottles of alcohol were strewn across the table. On the sofa, two guys were tangled together, seemingly passed out, and under the sofa on the carpet, other guys were curled up hugging bottles of alcohol.

“…What a bunch of drunkards.”

As Enrique clicked his tongue and muttered, Pol gave him a strange look. It was a look that said, “You’re no different,” but Enrique ignored it and started poking and prodding the sleeping guys with his hands and feet.

“Wake up. Wake up, you drunkards.”

As Enrique forcibly woke them, the guys started to stir, opening their bleary eyes.

“Oh, my head…”

“Water… water…”

“Ugh, I’m dying.”

His friends groaned as they started to get up one by one. Pol quickly opened the reception room door and beckoned. Waiting servants entered with glasses of water. The guys who received the glasses from the servants gulped down the water desperately and heaved sighs. Enrique clicked his tongue at his friends with their disheveled clothes and messy hair.

The group, having barely managed to get up, started whining about being hungry as soon as they roughly fixed their clothes and hair. Enrique, also clutching his stomach that was clamoring for food, gave Pol a signal with his eyes.

“The meal is already prepared. Let’s go to the dining room quickly.”

Pol’s preparations were, as always, perfect. The group, with Enrique in the lead, staggered towards the dining room. The smell of alcohol emanated strongly from their bodies as they walked in a line.

On the long table in the dining room, a warm meal for the drunkards was laid out. Without anyone taking the lead, the group sat down in chairs and started wolfing down the warm soup. Enrique, though elegantly, ate the hot soup at a very fast pace to soothe his upset stomach. After emptying the soup bowl cleanly and pushing bread and meat into his stomach, he finally let out a satisfied sigh.

“Ah… Now I feel like I can live.”

“Ugh. I feel like I’m going to throw up.”

“Don’t throw up. I might follow suit if you do.”

The drunkards mumbled in rough voices as they each patted their full stomachs.