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Chapter 07
‘…No. I can’t show my emotions here.’
Callion barely managed to suppress his anger.
Perhaps because the full moon was not far off, controlling his emotions was difficult.
Having barely reined himself in, Callion strode forward—toward Ronin Alistair, who was standing motionless in the middle of the virgin road.
Callion seized Ronin’s arm. Perhaps because he could not see, Alistair flinched and trembled.
Without a word of explanation, Callion pulled Ronin along by the arm. The fingers resting on his forearm were very small, and slightly trembling.
But Callion’s heart did not move. He felt neither pity nor sympathy.
The only emotions he could afford to have for Alistair were anger and disgust; anything else was a luxury.
Callion moved forward in silence. Ronin followed him, reading the situation as best he could. Their mismatched strides nearly made for a ridiculous sight, but fortunately the remaining distance was short.
Soon, the two of them stood before a stone altar. On top of it, golden candles burned brightly in celebration of their marriage. Their light filtered through the stained glass, casting sacred patterns across the floor.
Callion watched the sight without emotion, and Ronin could not even see it. The archbishop, who had come in person to deliver the blessing, looked at the two of them steadily.
‘Two wounded souls are being bound together.’
But this, too, must be God’s will. Setting aside his personal feelings, the archbishop spoke solemnly.
“Beloved brothers and sisters, we have gathered in this sacred place to bless the union of Callion Leofric and Ronin Alistair. Marriage is a holy union ordained by God, and according to His will, their lives shall be bound as one, joined by vows of love and devotion.”
At those words, the two turned to face each other. Poor Ronin’s body was still trembling faintly.
With a cold gaze, Callion watched a priest take his place behind Ronin. He could also sense another priest standing behind himself.
Callion was far more accustomed to battlefields than to the capital. The feeling of exposing his back to someone he did not know was deeply unpleasant.
‘Perhaps I could have endured it on an ordinary day, but today of all days, it’s especially unbearable.’
If so, there was only one thing to do—finish the ceremony as quickly as possible.
With somewhat hasty hands, Callion lifted the veil Ronin was wearing. Ronin’s face was revealed beneath it.
The instant he saw the face beneath the veil, Callion thought:
‘He certainly is… excessively beautiful.’
Only then did he understand the rumors.
Ronin was wearing a lace blindfold. His face was so small that the blindfold covered more than half of it.
Even with so much of him hidden, Ronin’s beauty had not faded in the slightest.
Silver hair glittering under the candlelight. Flawless skin without the smallest blemish. His red lips, standing out against the white blindfold, looked like ripe fruit.
And yet Callion did not waver as he removed the blindfold. Ronin’s eyes reddened as they failed to adjust to the sudden brightness.
‘…And he still isn’t an omega?’
Callion found himself doubting the temple’s words all over again. Ronin’s face was simply too beautiful—far, far too beautiful.
Each time his long, thick silver lashes fluttered, pale sky-blue eyes appeared and disappeared beneath them.
Callion was not the only one startled by Ronin’s appearance. Unlike him, whose surprise was tinged with suspicion, the nobles and royals harbored entirely different thoughts.
‘Beautiful! Beautiful! How much more beautiful would he look if tears spilled from those reddened eyes!’
‘Wasn’t he supposed to be a beta? I can hardly believe it! What a windfall. Wouldn’t he make the perfect plaything?’
Those were not thoughts fit to have toward someone on the day of his wedding. But among the nobility, it had recently become fashionable to keep pet betas.
Alphas and omegas were sacred mates chosen by heaven and acknowledged by the temple. As proof of this, omegas could conceive regardless of biological sex.
Betas, on the other hand, could only conceive if they were biologically female. Even then, they could not become pregnant with an alpha’s seed.
Which meant that no matter how often a beta was violated, they would not become pregnant.
A flower without fragrance. That was what those who favored pet betas called them. They enjoyed the particular comfort that only betas could provide.
‘You can enjoy pleasure without causing trouble with useless bastards. How convenient!’
That was how the capital’s latest trend had spread like wildfire.
The archbishop noticed the mood in the hall change. As an alpha, he could vividly sense the pheromones stretching toward Ronin. The person in question, however, noticed none of it.
‘Dear God….’
Was it perhaps a blessing in disguise that Ronin could not sense the blatant, vulgar pheromones aimed at him?
For the sake of the innocent lamb before him, the archbishop knew he had to end the ceremony quickly. For the first time, the intentions of Callion, Ronin, and the archbishop aligned.
“Through this sacred marriage, may these two souls become one. May God’s blessing dwell forever in their lives.”
The archbishop’s voice echoed through the high ceiling of the temple. Soon, the priests standing behind them stepped forward. On the white cushions they carried rested one ring each.
Callion picked up a ring with cool fingertips. Then, sliding it onto Ronin’s slender finger, he whispered in a low voice,
“With this ring, you and I shall become one forever.”
Ronin, too, slipped the ring onto Callion’s hand. Fortunately, his trembling had stopped.
“With this ring, you and I shall become one forever.”
Now only one thing remained.
Callion bent at the waist.
Smack—
Before everyone’s eyes, Callion’s lips came down upon Ronin’s. The sensation was softer and more pliant than he had expected, and Callion shut his eyes without meaning to.
Ronin did not.
“Aren’t you excited? It’s your wedding, after all. It only happens once.”
He still felt no excitement. He simply could not yet grasp that the face of the husband he had waited for all these years was not the emperor’s.
Ronin’s sky-blue gaze moved from Callion, to the surrounding nobles and royals, and finally to the one seated in the place of highest honor.
The Empress, seated above all others, was also watching Ronin—and their eyes met.
Both of them were Alistairs, but of different traits. Still, their circumstances were strangely similar.
‘The Empress, who is an omega yet unable to bear a proper child, and me, a beta who cannot bear children at all… This wedding feels like proof that it has not been blessed.’
