Imperial Ball

Shi Sheng had no idea what was happening in the other corners of the Carlos family estate.

The bathroom seemed to be getting hotter and hotter. He could not stay any longer.

But once he stepped out of the bathroom, he would have to face sleeping in the same bed as Elaine for the second time.

Of course, he wanted nothing more than that, but Shi Sheng was still nervous.

Yet when he finally gathered the courage to leave the bathroom, Elaine was nowhere to be seen in the enormous bedroom.

...Had he gone to the study?

A rustling sound came from the terrace. Shi Sheng stepped forward and pulled open the terrace door, then froze.

On the first night he had arrived at the Carlos family estate, he had seen a beautiful White Phoenix in what had felt like a dream.

And now, it had appeared again.

Even with the moonlight obscured by clouds, its white phoenix tail still shimmered brilliantly.

The enormous yet beautiful divine bird stood sideways on the terrace, its golden eyes fixed on Shi Sheng.

Before Shi Sheng could react, the White Phoenix slowly paced over, lowered its head, and nudged Shi Sheng's forehead with its own.

In that instant, it felt as though something had lightly tapped his heart, leaving it a little itchy.

[This is the second time I've seen it. Is it a pet raised in the house?]

[It really does seem like Elaine's style. Even his pets are so proud and beautiful.]

Shi Sheng reached out to stroke its head, but the White Phoenix lowered its head and forcefully pushed him back toward the bedroom.

Shi Sheng looked utterly bewildered as the White Phoenix kept pushing him all the way to the bed, where he plunged headfirst into the pillows.

Then it actually picked up the blanket in its beak and covered Shi Sheng with it.

"??!!"

Shi Sheng blinked blankly, not knowing why he had obediently listened to a bird.

Then, between picking up his voice device and using sign language, he chose the latter.

—"Are you telling me to sleep?"

The White Phoenix seemed to understand, because Shi Sheng saw its bird head nod.

How amazing.

Shi Sheng's eyes widened in surprise. He almost suspected that he had fallen asleep in the bathroom and was having another dream.

Seeing him still staring with his eyes open, the White Phoenix lifted its wings.

Shi Sheng had no idea what it was about to do, so he hurriedly closed his eyes.

Then something warm brushed against his face, just like his mother's caress when he was little.

[So warm...]

[Even Elaine's birds are as gentle as he is.]

[Where did Elaine go so late at night? Is he busy? I'm not sleepy. I want to wait for him to come back...]

Though he thought so, the White Phoenix's feathers were soft and fluffy against his face, warm enough that Shi Sheng still drifted off without realizing it.

While he could not see, the White Phoenix stood by the bed for a long time.

The moonlight outside was cold.

On this day, the beautiful night scenery was torture for the Carlos family.

Beneath such moonlight, the White Phoenix could only stand silently, keeping the Omega company as he slept in a form no one would recognize.

After an unknown amount of time, it finally lay down on the carpet beside the bed, resting its head against the bedside. One wing still covered Shi Sheng lightly like a warm down comforter.

A few days later, the quarterly Imperial Ball officially began.

This time, the most anticipated event was naturally the Empire's Marshal attending with his Omega.

When Shi Sheng used to watch his mother attend balls, she would rise early in the morning, dress and apply makeup until noon, skip lunch, and head to the Imperial Palace well in advance—though the ball officially began in the evening, the social obligations beforehand were necessary as well.

But that day, Elaine had not instructed the butler to wake Shi Sheng early. In fact, when Shi Sheng got up, Yumian was still asleep.

"The Carlos family does not need those meaningless social obligations."

Over the past few days, perhaps because of Elaine, the butler's gaze toward Shi Sheng had grown increasingly gentle.

"However, Madam, you may change into your formalwear first."

The servants entered in a steady stream, carrying various items.

Because time was short, Shi Sheng's outfit for the ball had not been custom-made. Still, it was the only ready-made piece in the capital, selected by Shi Sheng from the pictures Elaine had sent him.

A capable female Omega had come a few days ago to take Shi Sheng's measurements and alter it to fit him.

Shi Sheng obediently let the servants dress him up like a doll. He wanted to ask the butler when Elaine would return, but his voice device was not nearby.

The butler seemed to understand the meaning in his eyes and smiled. "The master has finished handling his affairs and is on his way back."

Shi Sheng was delighted. That meant he could enter with Elaine.

Since all the Carloses were attending the ball for once, the butler was rather pleased as well, standing nearby and directing the servants on which accessories Shi Sheng should wear.

An Omega's clothing and accessories always had to be more refined.

"Yes, yes, we cannot forget that one."

The butler clapped his hands, and several more servants entered carrying trays.

"Madam, please see which one you like."

On every tray lay an exquisite Bite Guard.

Shi Sheng subconsciously touched the back of his neck.

In truth, he had worn a neck ring almost every day for years, even though he never went outside.

It had been his father's rule.

But on the day he boarded the wedding car, his father had ordered someone to remove it.

The Shi family sometimes held very simple values—

They believed that if Shi Sheng could be marked by Elaine, it would be best if it were a permanent mark. Then, when the truth about the substitute marriage was exposed, perhaps the mark might leave them a sliver of hope for a turnaround.

So after arriving at the Carlos family estate, Shi Sheng had never worn a neck ring again.

Seeing him stand there without moving, the butler assumed he disliked them and hurriedly said, "The master personally selected all of these."

Shi Sheng's eyes lit up, and he automatically regarded the neck rings as gifts from Elaine.

He studied them for a long while before hesitantly choosing one the same color as his white suit.

Just as a servant was about to help him put it on, a hand took the neck ring first.

Shi Sheng saw the Alpha's military uniform jacket in the mirror and turned around in surprise.

Elaine's slightly cool fingers brushed the skin at the back of Shi Sheng's neck as he fastened the neck ring, then carefully adjusted its position.

Those hands that held guns and swords were now putting on an accessory of special significance for his Omega.

Shi Sheng's face grew a little warm. As he lowered his eyes, his lashes trembled softly.

"It looks very good."

Shi Sheng heard Elaine say.

Like a puppy that had been praised, Shi Sheng hurried over to pick up his voice device and sent Elaine a shy cat sticker.

Everyone then saw a gentle smile slowly emerge in the depths of the cold-faced master's eyes.

He extended his hand toward Shi Sheng, who quickly hooked his arm around the Alpha's and walked out with him.

Lanreese arrived at the Carlos family estate first to pick up Yumian. When he saw Noah following beside Yumian, he paused before hurriedly looking away.

Yumian gave him an indifferent glance and got into the car before him.

"Yumian, who is that?" Lanreese pretended not to know Noah. "Is he coming to the ball with us? Why is he not getting in?"

Leaning against the armrest with his cheek propped on one hand, Yumian said with a half-smile, "He is my second brother's dance partner. Why would he get into your car?"

Lanreese's expression shifted slightly. He gave an awkward laugh. "I thought he was your friend."

"You know how many friends I have." Yumian looked listless.

Lanreese did not dare make a fool of himself any further and quickly fell silent.

Meanwhile, Elaine had already left with Shi Sheng, while Izel got into the last car.

Noah stood where he was, hesitating, when the young nobleman in the car lazily said,

"Are you not getting in? Are you waiting for me to carry you?"

Noah pressed his lips together and boarded the car with his head lowered.

The interior was spacious, but he did not dare sit beside Izel and instead bent down to take a seat in the back.

Izel merely lifted his eyelids to glance at him and said nothing.

Once this flirtatious Alpha withdrew his tenderness, he became an exceptionally cold person.

But Noah could not understand why.

Several times, he wanted to speak to Izel, but the moment he looked into the Alpha's eyes, he lost the courage to open his mouth.

Today was a grand occasion, so according to family custom, Izel wore a Bite Guard.

Unlike the beast-bone style Elaine often wore, Izel favored silver metal. The delicate silver ornament covering his jaw resembled half a mechanical mask.

Its cold mechanical quality made those affectionate eyes seem frightening.

In fact, during their brief time together a year ago, Noah had already discovered that Izel was not truly mild-tempered.

He always seemed to smile warmly, and even the way he looked at gods seemed affectionate.

Yet deep in his eyes, there seemed to be weariness at every moment.

It could only be said that this Alpha was still a Carlos. The cursed blood flowed through his veins.

Izel did not care what Noah was thinking. In truth, the main reason he had agreed to Yumier's request for Noah to be his dance partner was—

He wanted to see how Noah would approach the Crown Prince.

Would that irritating bastard, so perfect he seemed fake, also be tempted by an Omega?

Before the ball officially began, everyone gathered in the garden specially arranged for the banquet.

Ji Sui stood beside Shi Sheng's mother with a formulaic smile on his face.

This was the first time Shi Sheng's mother had brought not Shi Yi, but her nephew, to a banquet.

Along the way, quite a few noblewomen praised Ji Sui to Shi Sheng's mother, but even more of them still mentioned "Shi Yi."

More precisely, Shi Sheng, who was wearing Shi Yi's identity.

No matter how fearful they were behind the scenes, everyone knew that through marrying into the Carlos family, the Shi family had risen another step from then on.

And this was also why many people guessed His Majesty had chosen the Shi family for Elaine—

The Carlos family was already powerful enough to cover the skies with one hand. The royal family would not allow them an advantageous marriage.

For generations, the Shi family had been scholars. Though they appeared to be one of the capital's great families, they actually held little real power.

Of course, this did not stop everyone from flattering Madam Shi today.

When an unnamed noblewoman once again brought up how outstanding Shi Yi had been at military academy, Ji Sui felt the smile on his face was about to crack.

"Shi Yi" was already married. From now until death, he would be a member of the Carlos family. What was there to discuss?

Besides, who knew how badly Shi Sheng had been tormented in that demonic family these past few days!

Since these ladies were praising him so earnestly, Ji Sui was rather looking forward to seeing Shi Sheng in a moment.

Ji Sui ultimately managed to maintain his smile. Just as he was about to say something, a small commotion suddenly arose at the entrance.

Everyone turned to look.