The Cursed Family

At dusk, a piece of news broadcast across all public channels in the Empire ignited the entire capital.

"Am I seeing this right? Is there really a family daring enough to marry into the Carlos family?"

"The cradle of killing machines, is that bloodline cursed by the Goddess really going to be passed down further..."

"I truly don't know what His Majesty is thinking. The Shi family is full of scholars; isn't this just sending a child of the Shi family to his death?"

"It's a decision made by the Imperial family, don't go spouting nonsense!"

"Sigh, poor young master Shi Yi. That Alpha from the Carlos family is a figure like the Grim Reaper himself..."

"But at least he's finally getting married. Now the other noble Omegas can breathe a sigh of relief."

"It's not like there's only one madman in the Carlos family who hasn't married yet."

"But the Galactic Legion is still fighting on the front lines, why hold the wedding today?"

"The groom isn't even showing up; how arrogant."

In a tavern along the street, a young man listened to the surrounding discussions and slowly revealed a satisfied smile.

What these people didn't know was that it wasn't just the Alpha groom who was absent from the wedding today.

Half a day ago, the Shi family discovered that Shi Yi had fled his own wedding.

And at this very moment, the one being sent to the Carlos family to hold the wedding was Shi Yi's twin brother—Shi Sheng.

The Shi family had been unwilling to go through with this marriage alliance.

It was true that the Carlos family was the number one family in the Empire, holding military power that even the Imperial family feared, but there were still no Omegas in the capital willing to marry into it.

Especially the current head of the Carlos family, the supreme commander of the Empire's Galactic Legion—Elaine Carlos.

The public called him the "Thanatos of the Empire."

He was the god of war who made the Empire invincible in battle, yet the title he received was the name of the god of death from ancient mythology.

This was simply because he was cold-blooded, brutal, and arrogant.

In the past, when the Cabinet opposed the Emperor's reforms, Elaine had drawn his sword during the meeting and decapitated the lead councilor on the spot.

The photo of his face stained with blood was published in the newspapers, and it could still stop children from crying at night to this day.

"If you keep crying, Thanatos will come and take you away!"

If an Omega were to marry such a person, what kind of good ending could they possibly have?

Moreover, for decades, the Empire had circulated the legend that the "Carlos family was once cursed by the Goddess." This mysterious bloodline brought them extremely high pheromone levels, but accompanying it was an incredibly eccentric personality and a desire for slaughter flowing through their blood.

Every few years, scandals involving the Carlos family would emerge in the capital, and almost every single one involved loss of life.

Regardless of whether these scandals were true or false, at least the spouses of the last three heads of the family had passed away early; not one had lived past the age of thirty.

Getting involved with this family was not a good thing.

But the Shi family dared not defy the Emperor's decree, nor did they dare let outsiders know that Shi Yi had run away, so they had no choice but to bite the bullet and let Shi Sheng take his place.

Now, with Shi Yi's whereabouts unknown, it was uncertain whether Shi Sheng could even survive in the Carlos family.

The Shi family had no other children, and all of the future would have to be inherited by this nephew of his.

The young man laughed happily.

The Shi family, and even the Alpha that Shi Father had originally intended for Shi Sheng, would all be his.

"Shi Sheng, oh Shi Sheng, I've won again this time."

*

Meanwhile, the wedding was taking place in the Sanctum.

Almost everyone present was among the most noble people in the capital, and they were currently divided into two groups.

The majority were nobles who had to attend out of fear of the Emperor's decree and the pressure from the Carlos family.

The smaller group was naturally the Shi family, whose hearts were in their throats. They had no other choice when Shi Yi fled, and could only pray that the Carlos family would not discover the Omega had been swapped until it was too late.

"Look at their stupid expressions; it's truly infuriating."

Yumian Carlos sneered, "They actually dared to swap the Omega marrying my eldest brother. Who gave them the courage?"

These idiots still thought they didn't know!

"Alright, don't be angry."

Beside Yumian, a young man with a gentle expression patted his shoulder.

"Haven't you already thought of a way to make him look foolish?"

Yumian narrowed his eyes as he looked at the Sanctum doors, which were slowly opening. A pleasant yet wicked smile appeared on his elven face: "Yes, he will soon understand that mortals are not worthy of fooling the Carlos family."

As the doors of the Sanctum opened, sunlight flooded in.

The choir's singing was ethereal and holy, guiding the "protagonist" of this wedding into everyone's line of sight.

It was an Omega who was still very young. Even wearing the pure white, intricately crafted wedding attire, he still looked like a tender youth who had only just reached adulthood.

He possessed the dark red hair characteristic of the Shi family. It should have been a passionate, flamboyant color, and paired with his porcelain-white skin and amber eyes, he ought to have looked as striking and beautiful as a doll showcased at a grand exhibition.

Yet, there was not a single expression on the Omega's snow-white face. With his slightly drooping eyelids and downturned outer corners, he appeared unexpectedly gloomy.

"Why is he pulling such a long face?" Yumian said with displeasure.

The Omega walked slowly toward the wedding dais under the gaze of the entire Sanctum, with no one by his side.

The Alpha groom for this wedding was currently fighting on the front lines, leaving the Omega to complete the ceremony alone, yet no one present dared to raise an objection.

They did not even dare to feel pity for the Omega.

"Now, will the groom please step forward."

People watched as the Omega walked up the steps all by himself.

He did not even hold a proper bouquet, only a bunch of lilies picked in haste that morning.

"Shi Yi, child of the great Order Goddess, are you willing to enter into a covenant with your Alpha, through sickness and in health..."

The priest recited the vows. According to the procedure, since the groom was absent, a holographic projection of the Alpha should have been displayed beside the Omega at this moment.

The staff in the control room pressed the button.

The Sanctum erupted into an uproar, and some people even screamed in terror.

A triumphant smile curled the corners of Yumian's lips.

On the dais, a tall figure was projected beside the Omega.

But unlike the intended hologram, it was merely a static image. The Alpha held a long sword, his body half-drenched in blood, and he carried a severed head with wide, furious eyes in his hand.

There was no emotion in his golden eyes.

During the Cabinet meeting incident that shook the nation years ago, very few images were released in official reports, and most of the footage circulating among the public was heavily edited. Only the Alpha's handsome, blood-stained, and expressionless face remained, which was enough to frighten disobedient children.

Yet, at this very moment, at his own wedding, the complete, bloody image appeared.

Some people fainted from fright, and children wailed loudly.

Amidst the chaos, Yumian clapped and laughed, "Brother, look at that idiot! Is he scared witless?"

The young man beside him looked toward the Omega along with him. They saw the boy standing blankly in the middle of the noisy Sanctum, looking up at the Alpha's face in the projection.

He seemed truly scared out of his wits; the lilies fell to the ground, and both of them, with their excellent eyesight, could see his body trembling slightly.

Yumian snorted coldly, "Scared like this by a single photo—what right does he have to be my eldest brother's Omega?"

The young man beside him also sighed softly.

Just then, a voice reached their ears.

So handsome...

Yumian: ?

Although I've seen this photo many times, none of the previous ones were this clear.

As expected of Elaine, truly a perfect face kissed by the gods...

Such a handsome man will be my Alpha from now on, hehe.

His physique is also great; I wonder if I'll have a chance to touch him.

Yumian looked at the person beside him in shock, only to find that the other man also wore a look of confusion.

"What nonsense is he spouting?"

The young man looked hesitant, "Was that him? But... his lips didn't seem to move."

Sigh, so noisy.

The priest seems to have fainted from fright. What should I do about my wedding?

Can I ask Elaine's family to officiate? Oh, where were they sitting again...

The Omega on the dais suddenly turned his head with an expressionless face.

Yumian did not even realize that he had straightened his back in that instant.

He was certain now—it really was this imposter speaking!

They were sitting in the front row, making it easy to meet the Omega's gaze.

They watched as he looked at Yumian for a moment, then at the young man beside him.

Although his gaze moved very slowly, they were certain this imposter was sizing them up.

Yumian glared back, displeased and vigilant.

The Omega's gaze remained gloomy, his expression dull.

Yet, his inner thoughts were transmitted to the two of them without a single word missed.

Golden hair... the short one should be Elaine's younger brother.

Wow, he's as pretty as an elf.

I want to pinch his cheeks.

Yumian slammed his hand against his chair. "What is he spouting off about?!"

The young man pressed a hand on him, looking helpless.

[Who could the other one be? Elaine's second younger brother is also blonde and an Alpha, but he isn't here today, so he's out.]

[Wearing glasses, black hair, sitting next to Yumian... ah, it must be Lindsay.]

[Even though he's just an adopted son, he's just as outstanding as his brothers.]

Yumian turned his head to look at Lindsay. "Why are you blushing?!"

Lindsay gave a light cough. "You aren't doing much better yourself."

"What kind of damn strange technology is this imposter using?" Yumian rolled up his sleeves in anger. "He really came prepared!"

Just then, with a "pop," the staff finally reacted, and Elaine's image vanished.

The first expression of the day finally appeared on the Omega's calm, pool-like face—the corners of his lips turned down in a disappointment so subtle it was barely discernible.

He bent down to pick up the lilies from the floor, but since the priest was still unconscious, he stood there for a moment, looking somewhat lost.

Yumian, his stomach full of pent-up rage, shouted at the servants, "What are you all standing there like idiots for? Go wake the priest up! Are we finishing this ceremony or not?!"

With that, the people at the scene scrambled in a flurry to help the priest.

[As expected, one still has to rely on Elaine's family.]

Yumian and Lindsay heard the voice again.

Lindsay looked around cautiously, judging whether anyone else had heard the Omega speak.

[Yumian is truly worthy of being a young master of the Carlos family; his presence is quite imposing.]

[Though, he does seem to have a bit of a temper.]

Yumian glared fiercely at the Omega, only to find that he wasn't even looking at him.

Instead, his gaze was vacant, as if he were lost in a daze.

[With a disposition like that, it's not hard to understand why he would turn into a villain...]

Yumian froze. A villain? What was that supposed to mean?

He instinctively tilted his head, wanting to keep listening, but the Omega's voice had already vanished.