The Sweet Alpha Crown Prince Loves Me So Much

“When is the due date again?”

Carl Lindbergh muttered, sitting in what used to be the King’s office, then Leia Lindbergh’s, and now served as a makeshift meeting room.

Belfry, who’d been stealing glances at Carl, who was meticulously sorting through the seemingly identical magic stones by holding them up to the light, cleared his throat and resumed his note-taking.

“Whose due date, Your Highness? Her Majesty the Empress?”

Carl Lindbergh nodded at Belfry’s question.

“Yes, I noticed her belly was quite prominent last time I saw her. It must be soon, right?”

Janis, who’d stayed behind at the castle instead of accompanying Leia, entered the room, pushing a tea cart.

Carl, groaning as he stretched his back, stiff from hours of sitting at the desk, moved to the sofa in the center of the room.

His eyes lit up at the sight of the steaming tea and the fragrant pie, his stomach rumbling. He gestured for Belfry to join him.

“An Omega’s gestation period is slightly shorter than a Beta’s, so I believe she has about two months left.”

Belfry, unusually hesitant, sat down opposite Carl.

Rain had been falling steadily since morning, the day Leia and Adrian had left the castle.

It seemed spring was finally arriving.

As Janis poured tea into the cups with practiced grace, Carl patted the seat beside him, inviting her to join them. 

Janis initially declined, but Carl insisted, pointing out that this was a rare opportunity for them to relax.

Even Belfry, who was visibly uncomfortable with the idea of having tea alone with Carl, chimed in, urging Janis to take a seat. Finally, Janis sat down beside Carl Lindbergh, her hands folded neatly in her lap.

Carl, pouring a cup of tea for Janis and offering it to her, scratched his neck.

Several red marks, Adrian’s bite marks, stood out in stark contrast against his pale skin.

Belfry coughed, feeling a tickle in his throat.

Carl Lindbergh had claimed he’d ‘convinced Adrian maturely’ to leave him behind at Lindbergh Castle, but Belfry, who’d found it hard to believe that the Crown Prince would so easily agree, suspected there had been some sort of agreement, something messy and passionate, behind that ‘mature’ facade.

Sure enough, Carl Lindbergh had appeared that morning with dark circles under his eyes, barely able to sit upright. After seeing Adrian off, he’d immediately gone back to his room and slept for hours.

He’d only emerged after sunset, rushing to catch up on his ‘homework’, poring over the magic stones as if possessed.

Belfry had initially considered excusing himself, finding it awkward to share the same space with Carl in this state. However, an inexplicable urge kept him rooted to his spot.

Raindrops, fat and heavy, splattered against the large windows. Carl Lindbergh’s face still held a faint flush.

The sight of him, lost in thought, stirred a protective feeling within Belfry, making him want to pull Carl into an embrace. He blamed it on the weather.

He stuffed his mouth with a large chunk of pie, swallowing it quickly, then washed it down with a large gulp of tea.

“Why are you suddenly asking about the Empress’ due date?”

“I’d like to return to Heineken before then, if possible.”

“Pardon?”

Parman, despite remaining inactive, continued to send demon beasts towards the border, even though they knew Heineken’s elite troops were on high alert.

The demons, as soon as they were discovered in the Mibari Forest, were swiftly dispatched by the soldiers.

Killing them wasn’t difficult. They were ferocious and ravenous, but they traveled in packs, making them easy targets once they were found.

Thanks to this, a large pile of magic stones had accumulated before Carl Lindbergh.

However, as the pointless attacks continued, and the intervals between them grew shorter, the soldiers were becoming increasingly exhausted.

He could no longer stand by and watch.

That was why Adrian had decided to visit the border personally. Perhaps his exceptional sensitivity to magic would uncover something the others had missed.

“That seems a bit… challenging, Your Highness. We haven’t made much progress yet. And leaving Princess Leia alone while Parman is still lurking…”

Belfry, surprised by his own Adrian-like thought process, clamped his mouth shut.

Carl Lindbergh, oblivious to his inner turmoil, simply assumed,

“While it might be difficult to completely defeat Parman within two months, we should at least be able to figure out their plans. You know what they say, know your enemy and know yourself, and you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles. So, for the next month, we focus on understanding their wicked intentions. Then, we’ll spend the following month devising a counter strategy. Don’t you think that’ll be enough?”

Belfry simply nodded, though he didn’t agree.

He wasn’t surprised by Carl’s concern for the Empress, having witnessed the prince fussing over her throughout the engagement banquet in Heineken. But a small part of him wondered if Carl was trying to protect the other heir while the Crown Prince was away.

However, Carl’s next words, accompanied by a sigh, made Belfry smack his own forehead in exasperation.

“It’s not her first childbirth, but I’m worried because she’s considered a geriatric pregnancy. I’m sure the Empress is anxious as well, despite the joy of welcoming a new life. I hear the pain is unimaginable, unless you’ve experienced it yourself. His Majesty will surely be by her side, but I want to at least ease their worries about their eldest son being away in a foreign land.”

Carl trailed off, noticing Belfry’s intense gaze.

“At this point, I’m starting to wonder if you’re truly a good person, or just pretending to be one.”

The meeting room fell silent as if frost had descended, due to the rude remark that was enough to make Janis, who rarely shows her emotions, glance at Carl nervously.

“Was that… inappropriate?”

Carl Lindbergh merely chuckled awkwardly.

Belfry, though he didn’t know the meaning of ‘inappropriate’, couldn’t hold back any longer.

“How can you be a good person to everyone? To everything?”

He felt an inexplicable sense of injustice.

“Is there some sort of reward for being so universally kind?”

Janis clenched her fists and shook them up and down. 

She’d recently learned the sign language for ‘stop’, but no one seemed to understand.

“Fine, let’s say you’re putting yourself at risk for the sake of Lindbergh. But you’re also taking care of the soldiers, worrying about the Empress, and you even brought back the banished witch.”

Carl Lindbergh, who’d been listening patiently, gently took Janis’ hand and stopped her frantic gestures, shaking his head slightly.

“And let’s not forget how you left the castle because you thought I was the Crown Prince’s soulmate, and how you risked your own life to save a mere servant like me.”

That was why he hated this kind Carl Lindbergh, the one who kept stirring up emotions within him.

He was already the Crown Prince’s soulmate.

No matter how much Belfry loved Carl Lindbergh, he could never be his partner, nor did he desire to be.

So, he wanted him to stop being so needlessly kind. 

Belfry knew he was being unreasonable, taking his frustrations out on him, but he didn’t know how to stop his own heart.

“Don’t you see how your actions are making the Crown Prince insecure? Don’t you realize that your body reeks of him?!”

Belfry, realizing what he’d just blurted out, covered his mouth in horror. Carl Lindbergh and Janis stared at him, their eyes wide with shock.

How could Belfry, the ultimate Beta, the one who claimed he’d never even smelled Adrian’s scent despite being by his side for over a decade, know what Adrian smelled like?

Carl Lindbergh instinctively sniffed his own arm.

Belfry, his face pale, waved his hands frantically.

“I-I apologize. Forget what I just said.”

He tried to stand up, but his vision blurred. 

A headache, just like that day, assaulted him. 

He swayed, clutching his forehead, and Janis, reacting quickly, rushed out of the room.

“Belfry, are you alright?”

Carl Lindbergh followed, hurrying to Belfry’s side.

Although they were both of similar height, Carl was slightly shorter than Belfry. As he supported Belfry, he worried about breaking his thin arms. 

“I’m fine. Don’t… worry about me, Your Highness.”

Belfry tried to push Carl away, but Carl wouldn’t budge. All those daily training sessions were finally paying off.

Belfry, no match for Carl Lindbergh’s newfound strength, collapsed onto the sofa.

“Your body is burning up, Belfry Hendrick.”

“I don’t know. I don’t know anything.”

“What do you mean you don’t know?”

Belfry, clutching Carl’s hand as the prince checked his forehead, kept repeating ‘I don’t know.’

“Please, stop being so nice to me. It’s making me feel strange.”

“Belfry, just lie down and close your eyes. Janis has gone to fetch the doctor. Are you feeling nauseous? Any pain in your chest when you breathe?”

“I’ll answer… after the doctor… arrives.”

Belfry shook his head, but Carl, ignoring his protest, instructed him to count backward from ten.

“Look me in the eye and count backward from ten.”

Carl Lindbergh, ignoring Belfry’s complaints as he held onto his hand, carefully observed him, making sure his eyes were open and his face wasn’t contorted in pain. 

“Now!”

Belfry, startled by the forcefulness in his voice, met Carl Lindbergh’s gaze.

“Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.”

“Good. Your grip strength seems normal as well.”

Carl released Belfry’s hand and placed a cushion under his knees.

Belfry began to tremble uncontrollably.

He kept muttering about feeling strange, about his body burning up, but it didn’t seem like a neurological issue. Carl, worried about the prolonged fever, was contemplating his next move when the door burst open, and the doctor rushed in, followed by several assistants.

Janis, carrying a basin of water and some cloths, entered behind them, wrinkling her nose in confusion.

Only then did Carl Lindbergh notice the faint scent of acacia blossoms emanating from Belfry’s body.

“Oh my, it seems like a late differentiation.”

The doctor, instead of reaching for his medical tools, pulled out a magic stone from his bag.

The inscription on it read: ‘Distinguishing Scent.’

Carl Lindbergh recognized the type of magic stone. It was identical to the one he’d seen in the box containing the royal seal, back in Lindbergh. As the doctor pricked Belfry’s fingertip with a needle and placed the magic stone underneath, Carl was certain that different magic stones required different catalysts to activate their magic.

“He’s an Omega. We’ll need to observe him further, but he’s showing signs of being quite dominant.”

The doctor, his voice trembling, glanced at Carl, gauging his reaction. He’d heard rumors about the Crown Prince and Belfry being more than just friends and couldn’t help but be mindful of the Crown Prince’s fiance’s feelings.

Carl Lindbergh simply asked, “As long as he’s not seriously ill, that’s all that matters. How high is his fever?”

“It could last for two to three days, Your Highness.”

Carl placed his hand on Belfry’s forehead again, checking his temperature. Before exiting the meeting room, he instructed Janis:

“He’s burning up. Janis, please sponge him down with lukewarm water. Not too cold, not too hot, just slightly cooler than his body temperature.”