NOVEL NEXT Chapter 27
“When you have a lot on your mind, it’s best to simply knead the dough.”As I put my hand into the risen dough, longing for latex gloves, the chef told me to knead more vigorously.“With the prince here in Heineken, it feels like Lindbergh has already found complete freedom. When I told my mother that the prince is here, she was overjoyed.”“What?”I tilted my head in confusion, looking at the chef who was smiling happily.“Did you not know? My parents are from Lindbergh.”“Oh? Really?”The chef said he was still inside his mother’s womb when his parents crossed the border.“Although I was born and raised here in Heineken, I don’t know much about Lindbergh, but I am very interested in it.”I imitated the chef, vigorously kneading the dough and wrapped it for fermentation.“Um, do your parents miss Lindbergh? Even though it may not look like it, it’s their hometown, after all.”“Yes, they miss it every day. Heineken may be my homeland, but it’s not for my parents’. Nevertheless, they said they don’t want to go back now.”The chef pulled out a small chair from the corner and gestured for me to sit.“That’s what my mother said. She said that Lindbergh is the kind of place where if you want to live, you die, and if you want to die, you live. One needs to learn how to let time pass, accepting whatever comes without attaching meaning to everything.”I haven’t experienced it myself, but my parents went through quite a lot. They said it was so terrible, remembering it like it happened just yesterday.“But what meaning is there in living with the intention to die? Ultimately, they risked their lives crossing the border.”I felt sorry for the chef, who couldn’t hide his saddened expression, but I wanted to dig deeper.I wanted to hear stories that weren’t found in Lindbergh’s history books.“When did Lindbergh become like that?”The chef pondered while sipping cold water and then provided an answer.“It rapidly declined around the time when the magicians, like leaking poison, began to disappear. It was during my grandmother’s generation. It’s commonly said that Alphas and Omegas possessed magic power. To maintain their numbers, the king at the time did terrible things.”I leaned closer in my chair and asked what those things were.“Originally, Alphas and Omegas only respond to each other’s pheromones once they have bonded. Wouldn’t that result in a decrease in the fertility rate among those with a trait? And when Betas and those with a trait mate, the fertility rate drops again.”Perhaps due to my intense gaze, the chef hesitated but still earnestly explained.“So, what did they do? They just can’t forcibly increase the fertility rate, can they?”The chef looked around cautiously and asked me to prepare myself as it was a ‘quite uncomfortable story.’“Well, they sharpened the fangs of Alphas and for Omegas, well, they put a leash on them.”Why put a leash on them?“Do you mean to keep them locked up?”The chef nodded.“It has two purposes. One is a way to prevent Alphas from biting the back of Omegas’ necks and another is to restrain the Omega at the same time.”“No way, really?”I rubbed the back of my neck, which was getting stiff.“Lindbergh is also known for its unconventional practices, isn’t it? However, unusually, they granted Alphas the authority to have multiple Omegas under their care.”It was a horrifying thing to hear.Even livestock shouldn’t be treated that way.My expression grew grim, and anger rose within me.Come to think of it, Lindbergh’s nobles thought nothing of having three or four concubines.But it seemed strange that the current ruler of Lindbergh only had one queen.“Prince, you might find this even more repulsive. There were Alphas who had over twenty Omegas under their care. They were rewarded for producing offspring with traits, which led to what was called the ‘Omega Hunt’ at that time.”Those lunatics!“In the past, even among the commoners, there were quite a few who had a trait. We among ourselves speculate that the reason for the significant decline in their numbers now is due to that.”They should have put more effort into something else.Instead, they resorted to trading people and depriving them of their freedom.My body trembled with anger.The chef, who was subtly observing my reactions, refrained from further talking, sensing my fury.“Just hearing about it makes me sick to my stomach.”Haa, the chef sighed.During that time, most of those with traits, especially the Omegas, were said to have left Lindbergh and settled in other countries.“And they formed hasty mating out of fear of being caught by Lindbergh’s recessive Alphas.”Is this why unmated Omegas are rare?What would happen if they crossed the continent?Perhaps Adrian’s mate is there.“As you know, Prince, the closer one is to being dominant, the more they deeply desire a partner. Those Alphas who defied the law and went into exile were mostly close to being dominant themselves.”In that regard, he emphasized that His Highness Adrian would make a good match with the prince.“He has suffered greatly due to his abilities. It is undoubtedly fate that the Lindbergh uprising occurred at the right time and that you, Prince, came here.”It seems like there’s also an enthusiastic fan of Adrian here.With that, the chef mumbled that he had said enough and got up from his seat.“The chef seems to know a lot.”“What can I say? It’s common knowledge for anyone who learns history.”The chef shrugged.Just a while ago, I was excited about eating the crispy on the outside but soft on the inside bread, but my appetite completely vanished.Lindbergh’s preservation plan for those with traits had clearly failed.And even Heineken is experiencing a decrease in those with traits.Why is that? “Big sister Leia!”There was only one person in this place, no, in this world, whom I could ask such a question.Carrying freshly baked bread in my arms, the servants trailing behind me murmured, but that trivial matter wasn’t important.As I swung open the door and entered, Leia, who was polishing her sword, turned her ears towards me.“Talk quietly.”Sitting by the window, with one foot resting on the windowsill in a rebellious posture, she skillfully handled the sword as if she were caressing a precious gem.Indeed, she had a different kind of elegance from when she stood like a mannequin in a skirt.When Leia would appear, the maidservants would squeal with delight, and now I understood why.“Well, you mentioned a shortage of Omegas before. Why is that? The Crown Prince said he almost killed an Omega himself.”Leia, momentarily taken aback by my sudden question, returned the sword into its sheath with an expression that said, ‘Ah, this kid has amnesia.’“Well, even among those with traits, there are different levels. It’s not that a recessive and a dominant can’t meet at all, but when a dominant Omega meets a recessive Alpha, their heat cycles are not easily controlled. And when a dominant Alpha meets a dominant Omega, they have to regulate their pheromones.”Leia’s maid took the sheathed sword from her and disappeared briskly behind the ornamented shelf.“Well, it used to be like that. Alphas were supposed to only mate with Omegas, and Omegas were meant to mate with Alphas. The same goes for dominant and recessive types. Otherwise, it would be agonizing for both parties. But things have changed these days. If one can find a good magic stone, one can endure it during their estrus.”She reached for a silk pouch on her desk and took out a small bead.I caught the bead she tossed to me in a split second. Never let your guard down, Fast inhibitory effect “It’s a suppressant.”“What does it suppress?”Carl Lindbergh, what should I really do with you?Leia narrowed her eyes and replied, “Se, xual, im, pulse.”It was natural that my face reddened.I ended up closing my eyes tightly and returned the inhibitor, wiping my hands on my pants for no reason.“There’s also a version for Omegas, so if you need it, tell the Crown Prince.”Though it’s questionable whether he’ll give you the inhibitor and be able to restrain himself.Leia rested her chin on her hand and smirked.As expected, my face reflected in the window seemed to be flushed.“While intense heat boils and there is a desire to devour what is right in front of your eyes, the urge to completely possess it decreases. However, that doesn’t mean it completely disappears.”Nonchalantly speaking as if it were insignificant, yet appearing internally frustrated, she took out a cigarette, about to light it, but upon seeing me, put it back again.“It would be great to meet a suitable partner and spend rut and heat cycles together. Afterwards, build a family, you know. But that’s how human life is. Suddenly, you fall in love with a Beta, or a dominant falls in love with a recessive.”Otherwise, you have to endure all those impulses alone, unable to form a bond with anyone.I felt like I knew what she meant by the words she swallowed.“Even though we intellectually understand that defying nature always comes with pain, our hearts betray us in living that way. That’s why recently there’s been a shortage of those with traits.”I see.I roughly understand.When a child is born between an Omega and an Alpha, the chances of them being an Omega or an Alpha are higher. But children born between an Omega and a Beta, or a Beta and an Alpha, are more likely to be without a trait.Who can blame them?Even if Heineken’s support for free love ultimately leads to a decrease in the population of those with traits, it’s an issue that cannot be stopped.Well then.