Touched!

After His Majesty bestowed the marriage, he had not met the Shi family's Omega.

But at previous royal banquets, every Carlos brother except Yumian had met Shi Yi.

Only the Shi family believed that Shi Yi and Shi Sheng differed only in their voices.

"Big Brother," Yumian reminded him quietly. "That's the Shi family's Omega."

"Mm." Elaine lowered his gaze to glance at his spotless gloves, then slowly walked toward Shi Sheng.

Yumian secretly exchanged a look with Lindsay. Neither of them had much hope for the Omega's first meeting with their eldest brother.

They watched Elaine approach Shi Sheng.

As the distance between them shrank, the difference in their builds became increasingly apparent. Elaine was already tall and broad to begin with; from behind, he could completely block Shi Sheng from view.

The gap between them was like that between a wolf and a kitten. The pressure the kitten would feel was self-evident.

Shi Sheng looked up at the Alpha approaching him and met those golden eyes at once.

A faint fragrance drifted into his nose. Shi Sheng froze for a moment, then instinctively took a step back.

Elaine's eyes darkened.

Yumier snorted. Sure enough, Shi Sheng was still afraid of his eldest brother. All that infatuation and affection had become a joke the moment he saw the real person.

Look, his face had gone pale with fright.

[Fragrance...]

A dazed voice suddenly rang out.

[It smells nice, but it's so gentle. Is it an Omega's pheromones?]

A flicker of surprise passed through Elaine's eyes.

[Elaine... does he have another Omega? Someone he likes?]

[Then why didn't he refuse His Majesty's arranged marriage?]

Shi Sheng had already looked away and lowered his head. His lips had not moved, but Elaine was now certain that this was Shi Sheng's voice.

[Wouldn't that make me the other man?]

[But, but...]

Yumier, who had been eavesdropping beside them, pricked up his ears, wanting to hear what he meant by "but."

But Shi Sheng's voice fell silent for the moment.

"Shi Yi."

Elaine's cold voice sounded above Shi Sheng's head. He looked up to see the Alpha gazing down at him, one arm slightly raised.

Shi Sheng blinked slowly and blankly.

Elaine said calmly, "In the Carlos family, an Omega should support his Alpha home."

Realization dawned on Shi Sheng, and he hurriedly reached out with great care.

"?" Yumian asked Lindsay in confusion. "Is that a rule?"

And did his eldest brother need support? He stood straighter than the utility poles outside, all right? Besides, it clearly looked like Shi Sheng was linking arms with Big Brother! Anyone who did not know better would think they were entering a ballroom.

Lindsay shrugged, indicating that he had no idea either.

Shi Sheng linked arms with Elaine and walked up the steps. They were even closer now, and from this angle, when Elaine looked down, all he could see was Shi Sheng's fluffy head.

That red hair looked soft, but its owner seemed to be trembling.

Elaine thought that the bloodstained scent he had picked up over years on the battlefield truly could not be washed away. Especially before an Omega who was exceptionally sensitive to smells, it was no surprise that Shi Sheng would be frightened.

It seemed spraying perfume on the way here had not been a wise decision. When he got back, he would dock Alrid's pay, since it had been his terrible idea.

[T-touched him!]

Shi Sheng's voice suddenly rang out again, completely unlike its earlier disappointment. It sounded rather excited.

[I thought Elaine wouldn't pay any attention to me at all. He actually let me link arms with him. I've totally hit the jackpot.]

[I can feel his muscles even through his sleeve. What an amazing body... hehe.]

[He's so tall. I really want to look up and see his face... Will he take off the Bite Guard once we're inside? He looks cool wearing it, but our Elaine's face is so handsome, like it was sculpted by a goddess herself. What a waste to cover it up.]

[That was close, that was close. I almost tripped over my own feet.]

[Elaine caught me! We're even closer now!]

[Too bad this seems to be an Omega's scent... I really want to smell Elaine's pheromones.]

When they reached the entrance to the hall, a servant stepped forward to take Elaine's removed coat.

"Alrid." Elaine turned and called to his adjutant. "The fragrance diffuser at that inn on the road was unacceptable. Tell them to replace it."

"Ah?" Alrid was utterly baffled, but he obediently made a note of it.

[So it was the fragrance diffuser.]

[I knew it. There's no way there could be information about Elaine that I don't know.]

Yumian could not listen any longer. He stepped forward and asked, "Big Brother, didn't the Legion all go to the Imperial Palace? Don't you need to see His Majesty?"

Elaine was lowering his head to remove the Bite Guard and did not answer him.

Alrid explained to Yumian, "The Marshal got hungry on the road, so he came home for breakfast."

"?"

This time, question marks appeared not only on Yumian's face, but on Lindsay's as well.

Their eldest brother—the commander of the Galactic Legion, the Empire's Thanatos—always went straight to the Imperial Palace to report after returning from the battlefield. Most of the rest of his time was spent in the Military Department.

Home? Home was nothing more than a hotel to him.

No, this enormous Carlos estate was merely a place to stay for each of them.

Elaine paid no attention to his brothers' strange looks. After removing the Bite Guard, he turned to Shi Sheng.

"Have you had breakfast?"

Shi Sheng was stunned for a moment before realizing he was being asked. He hurriedly nodded, then vigorously shook his head.

"Come eat something with me," Elaine said. "The Carlos family does not have a rule about withholding breakfast from Omegas."

Now it was the butler's turn to wipe away sweat. He hurriedly led people to prepare the dining room.

Their breakfast had originally been interrupted by Elaine's return. Yumian and Lindsay had not eaten their fill either, so they followed along.

In truth, they had never liked eating with Elaine. Aside from respect, everyone in this family also felt a trace of fear toward him.

But Shi Sheng's inner voice was simply too intriguing.

For example, after everyone sat around the long dining table, no one spoke, and the atmosphere was rather cold.

Shi Sheng continued his unfinished task—spreading jam over his toast. He still looked expressionless, his eyes lowered as if he were concentrating intently, but anyone could see that the hand holding his spoon was trembling slightly, while his gaze kept secretly drifting toward Elaine.

[He's handsome in a completely different way after taking off the Bite Guard.]

[His hair has gotten so long. It was still short when we met that year.]

[Why aren't Yumian and the others saying anything? The atmosphere is so serious.]

[It feels like everyone is a little afraid of Elaine. Honestly, he's such a gentle person.]

Elaine's hand paused. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Shi Sheng slowly eat the toast after spreading the jam over it. He ate very slowly, and even paused ever so slightly when lifting his milk.

"Merico." Elaine called over the butler. "Starting tomorrow, replace all the milk with oat milk."

Yumian immediately said, "Why? I don't like oat milk."

Elaine gave him an indifferent glance.