"My One and Only Omega"

The robot brought the food. Shi Sheng had been hungry for too long, so he could not eat too much at once.

Elaine held a small bowl of porridge and spooned it to Shi Sheng's lips.

Shi Sheng froze at his actions, feeling a little awkwardly embarrassed.

But he still wanted to communicate with Elaine, so he kept his lips tightly shut in refusal.

Elaine thought he was angry and patiently coaxed him in a low voice.

Shi Sheng gestured, asking, "After I eat, will Elaine still leave?"

The Alpha's eyes were dark. Shi Sheng looked at him stubbornly.

After a long while, Elaine said quietly, "I won't leave."

Only then did Shi Sheng open his mouth, still staring at Elaine without blinking.

Being fed spoonful by spoonful for so long, if not for the special circumstances, Shi Sheng would have already been rolling around in his heart.

Pulled back from his thoughts, Shi Sheng felt sad again.

Seeing the Omega lower his eyes so obediently, an emotion utterly unfamiliar to Elaine appeared in his usually hardened heart.

When the small bowl of porridge was empty, Elaine set it aside, but he did not speak even after the robot left.

Shi Sheng simply stared at him, quiet yet stubborn.

After a long silence, he seemed to hear Elaine sigh softly.

It was the first time he had seen the other man look so helpless, and it seemed to be because of him.

Shi Sheng was briefly at a loss, beginning to wonder whether forcing Elaine to come back like this had been too willful.

"Shengsheng."

The form of address he had never heard from the Alpha startled Shi Sheng. Then it was as though a leaf had fallen onto the surface of a still lake in his heart.

Ripples spread layer after layer.

Shi Sheng quickly looked up.

Elaine said, "I'm sorry."

"For making you marry into the Carlos family and face all this."

The joy in Shi Sheng's heart at that intimate name was instantly shattered again. He shook his head hard and pressed down on Elaine's hand.

After making sure Elaine was looking at him, Shi Sheng picked up the voice device.

"I'm, okay."

"It's not, Elaine's, fault."

"Elaine, can't, apologize."

Seeing the Alpha about to say something, he freed one hand and, unusually forcefully, interrupted the words Elaine had yet to speak.

"I'm not, afraid, of beastification."

"Attacking me, also, wasn't, Elaine's, fault."

"I, wasn't, hurt."

"Elaine, don't, blame yourself, don't, avoid me."

Elaine looked silently at Shi Sheng for a long time. "Have you ever heard this saying? An Omega marrying into the Carlos family is a curse in itself."

A gentle hand fell over Shi Sheng's eyes, blocking his vision.

"Shengsheng, you're too kind. That will only hurt you."

"I failed to take care of you and let you suffer in the Carlos family."

"If it weren't for this marriage alliance, perhaps..."

His unfinished words abruptly ended with a kiss.

A sudden, forceful, swift kiss.

Someone as sharp as Elaine had let Shi Sheng succeed in an instant. The Omega's soft lips landed on the corner of the Alpha's lips without being rejected.

[Ah... I missed.]

Elaine heard Shi Sheng think regretfully.

The Omega before him was flushed red, yet he clenched his fists and pretended to be calm.

His face practically screamed, "I'm going all out," as his hands moved so fast they left afterimages.

"There has to be a marriage alliance!"

"I waited so long for this chance. Without the marriage alliance, I couldn't have come to Elaine's side."

"I wasn't afraid of marrying into the Carlos family, and I didn't suffer."

"I'm the one who told my brother to leave."

"From the moment I got into the wedding car, I was willing."

"Because I..."

Shi Sheng stopped, switched to the voice device, and pressed those words while staring at Elaine without blinking.

"I, like, Elaine."

"For many years, always, always, liked you."

After doing all that, Shi Sheng's heart pounded as though it might leap out of his chest.

He trembled and held his breath, yet he was so eager to convey his feelings to the Alpha.

Holding back the tears in his eyes, Shi Sheng carefully took Elaine's hand.

He decided he would become the most annoying little rascal on the street and cling to Elaine's side.

And after hearing Shi Sheng's silent confession, surprise appeared in Elaine's golden eyes for the first time in his life.

Ever since hearing Shi Sheng's inner thoughts, he had always known that the other was a very lively Omega inside.

Those thoughts about him that could be called "passionate"—he had assumed they came from Shi Sheng's lively personality and the fact that, at the time, Shi Sheng had not yet understood how frightening the Carlos family was.

But now, after seeing the side of him that others feared, Shi Sheng still said he liked him.

There was soft tenderness in Elaine's heart, but there was pain as well.

The Alpha's voice was slightly hoarse. "You like... someone like me?"

Shi Sheng's eyes widened as he hurriedly gestured, "Elaine is the very best Alpha!"

His final gesture was especially forceful, declaring his feelings to Elaine.

Seeing Elaine's dark gaze, Shi Sheng simply knelt upright and used the voice device to tell him about their first meeting.

It was the most cherished memory in his short life so far.

"So, I, really..."

Shi Sheng paused, feeling both wronged and shy.

"I really, like, Elaine."

"I really, worked hard, to run, toward Elaine."

He felt like he could no longer hold back his tears, so he quickly took a deep breath, his hands still moving.

"I really, worked very hard."

Elaine could not describe how he felt at that moment.

The Empire's marshal, the god of slaughter on the battlefield, the god of death bearing a terrifying curse.

For the first time, his quick mind could not issue a single command. Every movement of his body came from the instinct in his heart.

He cupped the Omega's still-pale face, lowered his head, and carefully wiped away his tears with his fingertips.

"Don't cry."

It was all he could do, pleading in a way unlike himself.

Don't cry anymore. Don't be sad because of someone like me anymore.

Elaine lowered his eyes and looked intently at Shi Sheng, his gray hair falling across Shi Sheng's hand.

Shi Sheng wanted to speak, but he hated that he could only use such clumsy ways to express himself.

So he gave up. Driven by the primal desire in his heart, he closed his eyes and leaned toward Elaine.

Omega could be simple-minded at times. After confessing, they should kiss—that was what he thought.

He had once thought himself greedy. After looking at Elaine for too long, he wanted to marry him. After marrying him, he wanted Elaine to treat him well.

And after Elaine truly treated him incredibly, incredibly well, he wanted Elaine to like him too.

But Shi Sheng no longer thought that was greed.

He simply instinctively craved Elaine's embrace and kisses.

The familiar scent of pheromones filled his nose—crisp and cold. He remembered being injured that time, and amid the pain that had nearly swallowed him whole, those pheromones had been so gentle, like his mother's hand soothing him to sleep when he was little.

But now, there was something else mixed into the pheromones.

Shi Sheng found it unfamiliar and even trembled because of it, instinctively burrowing tightly into Elaine's embrace.

The Alpha's arm circled Shi Sheng's waist through the cool fabric of his military uniform.

Dominant, yet careful.

Elaine kissed away Shi Sheng's tears, tasting their bitterness.

He wondered how he could make this Omega, braver than anyone else, stop crying.

Before he could think of a way, Shi Sheng suddenly pushed him away.

Before Elaine could even wonder why, Shi Sheng had not completely left his embrace. He only grabbed Elaine's arm, his amber eyes looking so adorable and pitiful.

Yet they were also so stubborn and resolute.

"Elaine." Shi Sheng pointed at Elaine's chest, then gestured. "What about Elaine? Does kissing mean—liking someone?"

There was unease in the Omega's eyes. "If you kissed me, you can't, like another Omega."

The cold hardness in the Alpha's features was replaced by indescribable tenderness. Elaine took Shi Sheng's hand and placed it over his own heart.

Looking into his eyes, he said softly, "There will be no one else. You are my only Omega."

He lowered his head and, like those Alphas skilled in love, expressed his affection to the person he cherished most by kissing his brow.

"Forever, my Shengsheng."

Fireworks exploded in Shi Sheng's heart.

He could not make a happy sound, but inside, he was already screaming with delight.

Elaine seemed to hear, in Shi Sheng's heart once more, the sound of a thousand screaming rubber chickens running past, just like when he had first arrived at the Carlos family.

He found it amusing, but of course, he found Shi Sheng even more adorable.

It was as though the solid ice in his heart had completely melted, leaving it soft all over.

"Are you happy to be liked by an Alpha like me?"

Shi Sheng stopped screaming internally and looked at Elaine disapprovingly.

He swung his arms and gestured forcefully, "Don't say things like that again! Not a single Alpha in the entire Empire can compare to even one of Elaine's hairs!"

Elaine did not completely understand.

But he understood the adoration nearly overflowing from Shi Sheng's amber puppy eyes.

He began thinking about how he could treat Shi Sheng even better.

After not hearing Elaine speak for a while, Shi Sheng tilted his head, then leaned closer again with bright eyes.

Elaine understood.

He lifted the Omega onto his lap, holding him in an intimate embrace.

Champagne Rose pheromones lingered throughout the bedroom.

"Sweet." Elaine's breath brushed against him. "Your pheromones."

Shi Sheng turned as red as a cooked shrimp, only belatedly feeling embarrassed.

He instinctively wanted to hide in Elaine's arms, but the Alpha lifted his face by the chin.

"You still have time to regret this." Elaine's voice was hoarse. "Leave the Carlos family."

"Leave me."

Shi Sheng's answer was to kiss him again of his own accord.

He was like an enthusiastic, sincere little puppy.

For no reason, that thought surfaced in Elaine's mind, and he could not help letting out a soft laugh.

The Alpha's laugh was low, making Shi Sheng's ears burn again.

He pressed his lips together and secretly looked up at Elaine.

Elaine lowered his head, even his breath seeming to carry laughter. "Cute."

If Shi Sheng had ears on top of his head, they would surely have drooped shyly by now, covering his flushed face.

Elaine's kisses were nothing like his own cold, stern temperament.

They were gentle, as though he were holding the most precious and delicate treasure, cherishing it.

That kind of careful affection traveled from the corner of Shi Sheng's lips to the tip of his nose, then fell upon his lashes.

"All right. You can't regret it now."

Just as Shi Sheng opened his mouth, Elaine's kiss landed lightly and reverently on his forehead again.

"Thank you."

"Shengsheng."