Four years ago.
The capital of the Kingdom of Damasen was nestled against mountains and bordered by water, situated on the most fertile expanse of land on the eastern continent. Every autumn, the sky was vast and clear, clouds drifting lightly overhead, while layered forests blazed with rich, vibrant colors, making it a place of unmatched beauty.
But today, Shao Yixiao was clearly in no mood to appreciate the scenery.
When the doors to the drawing room were pushed open, Shao Cheng was in the middle of discussing official matters with someone. Seeing Shao Yixiao arrive, the two men silenced themselves simultaneously.
Already well accustomed to his son’s impulsive behavior, Shao Cheng dismissed the other man, saying, “I will go there in person in a few days. You may return first.”
The man nodded in response, bowed to Shao Yixiao, and left in a hurry.
Shao Yixiao was quite familiar with this man; he was the personal attendant of the current pope. The pope and his father had always maintained close ties, often discussing religious affairs that held no interest for him. He didn’t ask further questions but merely drew his shortsword from his belt and slammed it heavily onto the mahogany table, “He’s just an Omega, so on what grounds does he get to stand on equal footing with you? What adoptive son? If you ask me, he’s that man’s illegitimate child.”
Shao Cheng merely cast a flat glance at his son and reprimanded him in a deep voice, “How many times have I told you? Mind your words, lest they bring you ruin.”
Like him, Shao Yixiao was an Alpha possessing top-grade pheromones, highly gifted and practically a chosen one.
It was just that Shao Yixiao possessed every single common failing of a young Alpha.
He was arrogant, easily irritated, quick to anger, and bloodthirsty by nature.
The words he spoke were truly a massive exaggeration.
Although Bai Heting had risen to the rank of infantry general at a very young age, Shao Cheng was a man who had helped the king conquer the realm and now commanded the most elite cavalry troops under his banner. Even setting aside the Church’s backing, this young general could hardly be considered his equal at all.
Judging by his reaction, he had most likely been made to lose face in public by Bai Heting once again.
Shao Yixiao shut his mouth and remained silent.
Earlier today, he had gone to find Bai Jiashu to chat about the plans for the upcoming hunting festival. On his return journey, he passed by the infantry training grounds and happened to come across Bai Heting practicing archery at the range.
The tall Omega stood holding a bow, the cuffs of his loose riding trousers tucked into high boots. Even beneath a long black robe, the faint outline of his waist and hips still invited wild imagination.
A beauty like this shouldn’t be appearing on an archery range; he ought to be staying in an Alpha’s bedchamber instead.
He rode his horse close to Bai Heting, looking down at him as he asked, “I heard you’re bringing a squad of personal guards to the next hunt?”
Shao Yixiao was a full four years younger than Bai Heting, and his military rank was three grades lower as well, yet there was not a shred of respect in his words, and his aggressive, tobacco-scented pheromones were rocketing wildly through the air without restraint.
Bai Heting furrowed his brows slightly.
He thought it smelled repulsive.
In recent years, the public’s vocal dissatisfaction with the royal family and the Church had been mounting by the day. Out of concern for their personal safety, nobles would often bring a large number of private soldiers when traveling; bringing personal guards to the hunting grounds was completely normal. Yet, Bai Heting had always participated in hunting activities entirely single-handed, and even the attendants who collected his trophies were arranged for him by Bai Jiashu.
This time, however, he was breaking precedent by bringing six personal guards.
Shao Yixiao narrowed his eyes and smiled. “His Majesty specially raised a guard corps for you, yet you haven’t used them even once. I even thought you looked down on them.”
With a sharp swish, a wooden arrow sliced through the air and hit the bullseye dead center.
This statement was actually not wrong; Bai Heting did indeed look down on them.
He drew a new arrow from his quiver, nocked it against the string, and didn’t give Shao Yixiao so much as a glance.
He had always possessed this arrogant, dismissive manner. Finding no amusement in his teasing, Shao Yixiao prepared to spur his horse and leave. He had barely taken a couple of steps forward when the mount beneath him suddenly neighed and reared, its head snapping to the side before bolting several paces laterally.
He reined in the horse to steady his mount, only then discovering a wooden arrow buried diagonally in the ground.
Right where he had been positioned just moments ago.
“What country has a precedent of an Omega serving as a military officer?” The more Shao Yixiao thought about it, the angrier he became. If not for his exceptional horsemanship, he would have taken a hard fall on the training grounds that day, no matter what.
He threw himself into a chair, gritting his teeth as he said resentfully, “It is simply unheard of.”
In the Kingdom of Damasen, if a soldier differentiated into an Omega, they were required to terminate their service and leave the military.
The physical constitution of an Omega was inherently weaker, and upon reaching childbearing age, they would periodically enter a state where they lost all combat capability. Furthermore, their pheromones could potentially throw their own side’s Alphas into complete chaos.
Throughout history, let alone serving as an officer, even joining the army was rare.
Shao Cheng was nearly amused by his son’s naivety. “Since you clearly know there is no precedent, how do you still dare to provoke him?”
His father’s words were implicit, but the meaning was clear.
In this country, there were only three people Shao Yixiao could not afford to provoke—the King, the Crown Prince, and his own father.
No, wait, only two.
Before the Crown Prince ascended the throne, he was someone Shao Yixiao could still afford to provoke.
In the fourth year after the founding of Damasen, King Bai Yi unexpectedly brought back an unnamed orphan from outside. He gave the eleven-year-old boy a name and, acting solely on his own authority, granted him a title and fiefdom.
The royal gossip that Bai Heting was Bai Yi’s illegitimate son spread like wildfire.
However, the queen never spared a thought for Bai Heting. The law explicitly stated that children born out of wedlock had no inheritance rights, and besides, Bai Yi had more than just one mistress.
This orphan was sensible enough; after being ennobled, he didn’t flaunt it everywhere and instead volunteered to join the military.
People only thought of that orphan again two years later during a border defense battle, when the thirteen-year-old boy, who had not even presented his secondary gender yet, slipped into the enemy camp under cover of night and slit the opposing commander’s throat in his sleep.
Over the next few years, Bai Heting rarely appeared in the capital, instead accumulating numerous military exploits in border territorial disputes.
Just as everyone was finally starting to look at him seriously, this young killing machine actually presented as an Omega.
Shao Yixiao found it amusing every time he thought about it.
The King’s attitude toward Bai Heting grew increasingly cold by the day, but the Crown Prince was exactly the opposite.
Even a fool could see the sort of designs Bai Jiashu had on Bai Heting.
*
It was nothing new for the king to be obsessed with hunting.
In recent years, the royal family had held a grand hunting event every few months, and this time the king even ordered the hunting grounds to be expanded to nearly double their original size.
Bai Heting had briefly hesitated for a while over the question of whether or not to participate in this hunt.
He had presented late; after presenting as an Omega at the age of eighteen, he had constantly overused inhibitor injections, and his pheromone levels had begun to show signs of instability since this past spring.
The hunting grounds would feature a high concentration of Alphas who were easily worked up—and not a single one of them could be killed.
It could hardly be considered a good place for him.
“The ones selected are all experienced veterans with outstanding capabilities.” His deputy, Qiu Chen, handed Bai Heting the screened roster of personal guards, which was entirely filled with the detailed profiles of the other five individuals.
Bai Heting merely nodded as an acknowledgment without sparing so much as a single glance at the piece of paper.
