Chapter 33 – The ‘Palace’
Resonance 4, Part 2
Novel Title: 共鳴劣情 オメガバース (Resonance Lust: Omegaverse)
Author：岩本薫 (Iwamoto Kaoru)
Illustrator: 蓮川愛 (Hasukawa Ai)
Translator: K (@kin0monogatari)
Protagonists: 本浄天音 (Honjou Amane) & 苅谷煌騎 (Kariya Kouki) / 首藤煌騎 (Shutou Kouki)
*Please read at knoxt.space, the original site of translation. TQ*
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At the same time he hurriedly held his breath, Kouki murmured, “―――All done.”
“How does it look?”
Amane turned his body to face the mirror. As expected from someone experienced, the deep purple bow tie was perfectly tied into a neat butterfly shape, without any crookedness, and it was positioned exactly where it should be.
“Well, it’s fine, I guess.”
“You look amazing.”
The passionate murmur that followed caused Amane to flinch. In the mirror, Kouki’s eyes were filled with a dark intensity.
“Why is it that less exposure seems to make someone look even more alluring…?”
Kouki whispered near Amane’s ear. Another shiver ran down his neck. “Who knows?” Amane shrugged. More than anything, he needed to get out of this suffocating space quickly before things got dangerous.
“Thanks for your help. I’d never have been able to tie it like that no matter how long I tried.”
As Amane expressed his gratitude, laced with some self-deprecation, Kouki furrowed his brows, looking pained.
“…Honestly… I don’t want you to go.”
“Huh?”
“I don’t want to show this incredibly attractive version of you to any other Alpha.”
For a moment, Amane stared at the man revealing his possessiveness with such an intense expression in the mirror. Then, Amane slowly curled his lips into a smirk.
“Thanks, I got my confidence back.”
“Honjou-san?”
“So, that means I have a pretty good chance of winning over another Alpha—Kourogi—right?”
Amane’s dark, wicked grin made Kouki falter, “Well, I..-.”
“-If he takes the bait, then this whole ‘celebrity costume play’ will have been worth it. After all, that’s the goal tonight.”
Amane left the bathroom, leaving behind Kouki with a conflicted expression. Grabbing the tuxedo jacket hanging over the back of the chair, Amane threw it on with a flourish. While slipping his arms into the sleeves, he spoke to his partner.
“Let’s go.”
***
They had already visited the Alpha headquarters once and even walked along the tree-lined avenue full of Alpha-exclusive shops. Amane had thought by now nothing could surprise him.
(…I was wrong.)
A few minutes had passed since they drove through the outer gates of the Shutou estate in the two-seater Kouki was driving. Yet, despite driving for a while, they still hadn’t reached their destination.
From the car window, Amane could see a path surrounded by trees so thick it felt like they were in a forest. Occasionally, a side road would appear, revealing a glimpse of a building silhouette in the distance. According to Kouki’s explanation, those buildings were various annexes separate from the main building—libraries, a glass-enclosed greenhouse or more known as conservatory, and villas meant for guests. Beyond the buildings, the estate was also home to pools, tennis courts, horse stables, and even a helipad. Scattered across the grounds were five different gardens, each with its unique features: the front garden, rooftop garden, rock garden, patio, and maze.
In short, the vast expanse of land, forest included, was all owned by the Shutou family, with the central building—the main house—being their destination.
As expected from the prestigious Shutou family, one of the top five Alpha households. The elites who pride themselves on living in the penthouses of high-rise towers can’t even compare to them.
(I’m already overwhelmed, and we haven’t even reached the main building yet.)
Just as he was being thoroughly impressed by the power of the top Alpha family, the dense trees overhead finally thinned out, and the view opened up in front of them.
“Whoa…”
A spontaneous gasp escaped Amane.
In front of them stretched a massive lawn, trimmed with meticulous precision. Scattered across it were topiary shrubs, trimmed into identical shapes and arranged like chess pieces on a board. The driveway cut through the green lawn, leading straight to a white, illuminated palace. It was so large, the only word fitting to describe it was ‘palace’.
The symmetrical white structure, accented with gold in key places, was topped with an emerald green roof.
Although it wasn’t particularly tall, standing at three stories with an attic (though each story seemed twice the height of a regular home), the building was extremely long. From the central part, which had the main entrance and a protruding balcony, the wings stretched out symmetrically to the left and right, each ending with cylindrical towers. The roofs of these towers were domed, and they too were emerald green.
From the countless windows lining the façade, light poured out, making the entire building sparkle. It looked like a gigantic chandelier placed on the lawn, as if on a chessboard.
(Wait, people actually live here?)
Amane mentally quipped, glancing sideways at Kouki in the driver’s seat, who remained expressionless as he gripped the steering wheel. To Kouki, who had grown up here, living in such a palace was ‘normal’. The breathtakingly opulent view that most people would never see in their lifetimes was, for him, an everyday, mundane sight.
As Amane quietly digested the vast difference between their worlds, the car finally stopped at the portico of the palace.
“We’ve arrived. Thanks for your patience,” Kouki said.
Amane nodded silently in acknowledgment, unfastening his seatbelt. As soon as he stepped out onto the stone pavement, a valet in uniform hurried over, took the keys from Kouki, and drove the car to the parking area.
Meanwhile, luxury cars continued to pull up to the portico one after another, and well-dressed men and women stepped out from the backseats. Kouki seemed to be the only one who had driven himself here while every other guest arrived in limousines with private chauffeurs.
There were various groups—thirty-something couples exuding a celebrity aura of success, a middle-aged woman with a teenage daughter who appeared to be her child, twin sisters dressed in matching gowns, an older woman accompanied by a younger man who seemed suspicious, and even an elderly gentleman with a white beard, dressed in a velvet tuxedo and fur stole, supported by a cane adorned with a large gemstone. He was surrounded by several beautiful women, who were clearly Omegas.
Though their ages, genders, and backgrounds varied, the fact that they were all here meant they held enough status to be invited to the Shutou family’s party.
“This way to the entrance,” Kouki said.
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*Translator’s Note: I don’t like where this is heading. I hate this setting. But maybe that’s just me and my aversion to the elites. Oh well… -K
Next update: 2025.02.03
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