Newlywed Gift

Seriously, Izel looks so smart—how could he be so clueless when it comes to love?!

The gland Noah is using now isn't his original one at all. He deliberately used that pheromone scent to lure you in, idiot!

Your first love is still suffering, while you're here being played like a fool by a liar.

Izel's expression changed drastically. "Shut up!"

Shi Sheng jolted in fright.

Noah was startled by the shout as well, thinking Izel was yelling at him.

The usually refined young nobleman's face suddenly turned cold, and Noah abruptly felt a little afraid.

"Young Master Izel..."

Izel closed his eyes, quickly regaining his composure.

While neither of them was paying attention, Shi Sheng got to his feet and swiftly ran off.

With his head lowered, he raced through the corridor. Just as he was about to reach the dining room doors, he suddenly crashed headfirst into a hard, chilly chest.

Shi Sheng was left dizzy, but a hand reached out and caught him steadily.

"What's wrong?"

It was as though the world had instantly become beautiful again. Shi Sheng hurriedly looked up.

Seeing the Omega's somewhat pale face, Elaine's formerly calm expression grew colder.

"Who frightened you?"

Shi Sheng hurriedly shook his head. His gaze fell on Elaine's hand, and his eyes widened in surprise.

Elaine was holding a bouquet of flowers.

A faint fragrance gradually spread through the air—it was the scent of Champagne Roses.

It was also Shi Sheng's pheromone scent.

Elaine handed him the flowers: a whole bouquet of exquisitely wrapped Champagne Roses, pale yellow, almost white.

Of all the colors of roses, they were Shi Sheng's favorite.

Seeing Shi Sheng stare blankly without reaching out to take them, Elaine explained, "A wedding gift."

Shi Sheng's eyes immediately lit up.

Elaine's tone was so ordinary and concise, yet Shi Sheng could hear something unusual in it.

All his worries about being a substitute bride were instantly cast aside. In that blood-red sunset, Shi Sheng could see nothing but Elaine's cold golden eyes—the eyes everyone else feared.

Those sharp eyes were as gentle when they looked at him as they had been in countless dreams before.

Night enveloped Carlos Manor.

Noah carried a lantern through the corridor. As long as he crossed the back garden and went around the small building where the masters lived, he could return to the servants' quarters.

But he stopped before entering the garden.

Under the moonlight, Yumian was swinging on a swing.

To be fair, Yumian truly was a beautiful Omega, like an elf.

But just as the rumors said, the Carlos family's young master was rather temperamental—a little devil.

Still, what Noah felt more than anything was hatred toward Yumian and the entire Carlos family.

According to the clues he had uncovered, his father had learned the secret of the Carlos bloodline, which was why his entire family had been secretly murdered.

Why had his family been destroyed while a vile young noble like Yumian could continue living comfortably beneath his family's power and influence?

Every monster in the Carlos family should have disappeared.

Including Izel.

Noah did not know what had gone wrong. Izel's attitude toward him had not been as favorable as he had expected.

Now, he could only curry favor with Yumian. He needed to attend the royal ball and meet the Crown Prince.

If he failed with Yumian as well, he could not remain with the Carlos family any longer. If he stayed—

Sooner or later, Elaine would notice something was wrong. He was someone Noah had no confidence in dealing with.

Noah clenched his fists tightly, his nails digging hard into his flesh.

Somewhere he could not see, a pair of eyes was watching him as well.

Leaning against the window frame, Izel looked down from his room. He could see Yumian swinging in the middle of the night, and Noah standing in the distance.

If what Shi Sheng said was true—

Then Noah, whom he had rescued a year ago, was not that young man.

Then where was that person? He had searched the entire capital before, yet had never found an Omega with that pheromone scent.

And what about this Noah? To get close to him, he had even gone so far as to replace his gland.

A renowned interstellar merchant of the Empire, an Alpha of the Carlos family, had fallen for such a clumsy trick.

How ridiculous.

On a night with no one else around, the amorous young noble wore none of his usual captivating smile.

Shi Sheng's words flashed through his mind—

In the end, the Crown Prince shot him dead.

Izel's face was expressionless, but a trace of scarlet stained his lake-blue eyes.

The Crown Prince.

Ning Zhao.

With a creak, Yumian brought the swing to a stop.

He tilted his head toward the person in the distance, then suddenly beckoned to him.

Noah froze for a moment before hurrying over with his head lowered.

"Young Master Yumian, what do you..."

"Do you want to go to the Imperial Palace?"

Yumian abruptly interrupted Noah. Noah looked up in astonishment.

Under the moonlight, the blond youth's face blossomed into an extremely delighted smile, as though he had spotted a particularly interesting toy.

"Do you want to enter the Imperial Palace?"

The next moment, the moon slipped behind the clouds.

Yumian's face sank into shadow. Only his lake-blue eyes slowly turned red, exceptionally bright in the darkness.