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Chapter 41
Calisto stared at me with wide, reddened eyes. She covered her mouth with both hands, forcing herself to stop crying, but soon she began to hiccup instead. Each time she hiccupped, her round shoulders trembled violently.
I hurried over to her bed and opened my arms, but unusually, Calisto didn’t immediately cling to me. Instead, she hesitated. Feeling confused, I didn’t pull her into an embrace right away. Instead, I cupped her tear-soaked cheeks in both hands. Her soft, chubby cheeks fit perfectly into my palms.
“Sweetie, why were you crying? Are you hurt somewhere?”
“…No.”
Calisto replied sullenly, her gaze lowered. Tears that had been clinging to her long, dense amber lashes fell one by one. When I gently rubbed her round cheeks with my thumbs, her expression only grew more gloomy.
“Then why are you crying? Hm?”
“…It’s nothing.”
“If it’s nothing, why are you crying like that?”
Even after I pressed her, Calisto clearly didn’t want to answer. In the end, I pulled her onto my lap. Though she was already thirteen, she was small for her age, likely due to the hardships she endured before coming to Wynyates. Her body, which looked closer to that of a ten-year-old, fit snugly in my arms.
Since she was little, Calisto had always liked this position. Sitting on my lap, leaning against my chest, she would mumble and eventually open up about her feelings. This time too, her small, reddish lips began to tremble.
“I… manifested…”
“Yeah? Oh, right.”
“But…”
Her voice grew smaller and smaller. Tearful words spilled out.
“They said I’d be an omega… but I manifested as an alpha. What am I supposed to do?”
“…Huh?”
What was she supposed to do? I had no idea what kind of thoughts were going through that small head of hers.
In this world, not only social class discrimination existed, but also discrimination based on secondary sexual traits. In the original story, Etienne hiding her recessive omega status was likely to protect her position as a noble heir. So for Prince Calisto to manifest as a dominant alpha wasn’t a disadvantage—it was actually an advantage.
Maybe she misunderstood something.
Carefully, I spoke.
“Cal, you didn’t manifest as recessive—you’re a dominant alpha. And apparently a very strong one. So there’s nothing to worry about…”
“Brother is an alpha! Alphas and alphas can’t get married! You don’t even know anything! Waaah!”
“…Huh?”
Before I could finish, Calisto burst into tears again. I froze, then awkwardly patted her back. At the same time, I felt both dumbfounded and strangely amused.
Marriage.
When Calisto was younger, she had once proposed—though “proposal” might be too strong a word. Back then, she was just a tiny crying child. She had been so persistent that I jokingly promised her a “marriage” with a pinky swear.
“Cal, it’s okay. I don’t care whether you’re an alpha or omega. Just grow up healthy and pretty.”
I tried comforting her, but she kept crying, so I added:
“And it’s not about being an alpha. You can’t marry your sibling anyway.”
“Then I can marry someone who isn’t my sibling?”
Calisto suddenly lifted her head, eyes sparkling. She had completely missed the point. I let out a defeated laugh.
“Well… even if you can’t legally marry, maybe common-law relationships—no, that’s not the point…”
What was I even saying to a child?
“Cal, you’re my little sister. So it’s impossible.”
“…I’m not your real sister.”
“Even so, you’re my sister in my heart.”
“My feelings matter too.”
“They do, they do.”
“Liar. They don’t.”
“….”
I had nothing to say to that.
Calisto was getting harder to handle these days. I sighed and brushed her bangs aside, then gently kissed her forehead. She still pouted, but didn’t resist.
Later…
When Lawrence returned from his territorial inspection and heard that Calisto had manifested as an alpha, he became visibly excited.
“That’s great, Calisto! We’re both alphas now. Wow, I’m jealous!”
“….”
Calisto’s face twisted in displeasure. Her glare toward Lawrence was intense enough to surprise me.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” I scolded gently. “Say thank you.”
“Who cares! You’re not an omega either!”
Calisto shouted at Lawrence instead. Lately, she seemed less receptive to anything I said. Maybe she was entering puberty. I sighed.
Fortunately, Lawrence didn’t seem offended.
“I might still manifest as an omega later. You never know.”
“You’re too old already!”
“I could still manifest after adulthood.”
“…Calisto, Lawrence is only fifteen.”
“And I’m eighteen,” I muttered.
But no one listened. The two kept arguing.
In the original story, Lawrence was supposed to become the main female lead who undergoes a gender transformation to marry Calisto. But now…
The plot seemed to have changed.
The “Prince’s Blade” was originally a tragic BL story centered on Calisto and Lawrence. But now it felt more like a battle romance than a tragic one.
Then Calisto suddenly asked:
“Is it true that alphas can never marry other alphas if they’re princes?”
“Of course. That’s why Prince Roen once gave up on proposing to Etienne.”
Lawrence answered casually.
Calisto’s expression darkened further.
So even if I removed the sibling issue, there was still the alpha-alpha restriction for royalty.
No matter how she thought about it, there was no way for her to marry me.
Of course, there was a bigger problem she didn’t even know about.
‘I wasn’t even asked for my opinion…’
Well, technically I was—but she didn’t accept my refusal.
Still, I was glad Lawrence had at least discouraged her.
“Etienne.”
Suddenly, Lawrence knelt in front of me.
A small jewelry box opened in his hand.
Inside was a shining violet diamond ring.
“Since you can’t be with him anymore… Etienne Wynyates. Please marry me.”
“YOU LITTLE FOX! THAT’S MY IDEA!”
“What? It’s expensive. You can’t even afford it.”
“I saved up my allowance!”
And just like that, chaos erupted.
I stared blankly at the ring.
Why is this happening?
I don’t even remember how I managed to calm everything down.
By the time I sent Lawrence back to his estate and soothed Calisto, hours had passed.
When Cliff arrived with invitations, I was exhausted on the sofa.
“An invitation? Decline them. I need to stay with Calisto.”
But Cliff hesitated and handed me one in particular.
“This one, you should see it yourself.”
I opened it.
And froze.
The sender was:
Jeanne de Valoina, Héritière de Vichon.
The Queen Mother of Prince Roen.
