The Dignity of the Omega

#12

“If you’re done eating, go home, wash up, and get some more sleep. I feel like I’m going to suffocate from your alcohol smell.”

Enrique said, wiping his mouth with a napkin. As it was time for an urgent warm bath, everyone nodded and staggered to their feet. Then one of them hesitated and said,

“Ah, we should gather once more in a few days and drink heavily again, right?”

Everyone thought for a moment at his words and then nodded in unison.

“Enough with the drinking parties. If we’re going to meet, let’s go hunting or something.”

When Enrique said this indifferently, one of his friends opened his eyes wide as if to ask what he was talking about.

“That won’t do! Your first heat cycle is approaching, Enrique. We absolutely must have a bachelor party before you lose your virgin status!”

“Of course!”

“Oh! We definitely can’t let that pass.”

Everyone reacted enthusiastically as if they hadn’t just been groaning from hangovers.

Enrique was reminded by his friend’s words that his first heat cycle was indeed approaching. According to this group’s tradition, before the first heat cycle, they had to party and drink until they were completely wasted under the pretext of a “bachelor party.”

“…Alright. Let’s meet again in four days then.”

“Oh! Great!”

“I’ll save up my strength without drinking a drop of alcohol until then.”

Everyone’s eyes shone with determination. Their eyes were as cold as if preparing for war.

After loading his staggering, hungover friends into carriages and sending them off to their homes, Enrique finally sat in a warm bathtub. After filling his stomach and immersing his body in hot water, his throbbing head seemed to settle down a bit.

As Enrique scooped up the scented water with his palm and poured it over his shoulder, he thought about his first heat cycle, which he had momentarily forgotten about.

He had heard that the heat cycles that come regularly, and sometimes irregularly, to omegas are very powerful. The reproductive urge that could paralyze reason was something Enrique, who had not yet experienced it, couldn’t imagine at all. According to a friend who had experienced it, it was a state where you couldn’t see anything else. But was it possible for the usually extremely rational Enrique to lose his mind to that extent?

Enrique tried to imagine himself in a state of mindlessness, dominated by desire. But no matter how hard he tried to imagine, he simply couldn’t.

“Such trivial desires…”

Enrique muttered cynically.

But regardless of what Enrique, the person in question, thought, everything had already been meticulously planned.

Born as a superior omega, Enrique had grown up under the thorough protection of his father. From a young age, contact with alphas was strictly controlled, and only betas or omegas could approach him closely. Although it was unavoidable for the knights protecting Enrique to be alphas, they were composed only of those from ancient noble families with verified backgrounds.

While Enrique had been thoroughly protected like this, things changed a bit now that he had come of age. The King of Shamier, who was greatly concerned about his son’s well-being, was fully prepared for Enrique’s first heat cycle. Of course, this would have been discarded if the planned marriages with Monta or Baron had been realized.

Most omegas, being of noble birth and rare in number, are extremely selective about their marriage partners. It’s natural for them to have arranged marriages with high-ranking noble families. However, the problem arose when they experienced heat cycles before marriage.

Of course, there were ways to suppress the heat cycle using strong drugs. It was said that in the past, omega heat cycles were controlled in this way. But the drugs were so harsh that they had severe side effects. The omegas who took them could become so ill they would cough up blood, and in rare cases, long-term use could even lead to infertility. Considering how few omegas there were compared to alphas, this was an enormous loss.

So these days, omegas didn’t forcibly suppress their heat cycles when they came before marriage. Instead, they found a safe partner to spend the night with during their heat cycle. Naturally, the partner had to be a beta who was absolutely incapable of impregnating the omega.

In fact, this method wasn’t very pleasing to the alpha who would become the future husband. But nowadays, no alpha with outdated thinking would find fault with such a past of their omega. It was considered the proper attitude for an alpha to allow their omega to maintain a healthy body by using a suitable beta, rather than having them endure by forcibly suppressing their heat cycle with harsh drugs that could harm their health.

Given this social atmosphere, most omegas, except those with early set wedding dates, would scout out a beta in advance to spend their heat cycles with. Especially, choosing a beta to spend the first heat cycle with was a major concern for all omegas. It was natural to hope that the beta, while not as attractive as an alpha, would at least be close to it.

Enrique, of course, had no interest in the beta who would be his partner. According to his original plan, the King of Monta or the Crown Prince of Baron would have been his first partner. But his father’s careful consideration, prepared for any possibility, ended up being useful. For the next five years, Enrique would spend his heat cycles with a beta carefully selected by his father.

“Your Highness,” Pol, who was washing Enrique’s back, called carefully. When Enrique gestured for him to speak, Pol hesitated for a moment before opening his mouth.

“Aren’t you curious about your partner?”

“Partner?” 

Enrique asked, frowning. Pol nodded, watching Enrique’s reaction carefully. Seeing that Enrique wasn’t becoming irritated or annoyed, he cautiously continued.

“The partner who will spend your heat cycle with you. Didn’t His Majesty spend years thoroughly examining all the noble family records of Shamier to select Your Highness’s first partner?”

“…”

“He even summoned the carefully selected candidates to the palace for lengthy face-to-face meetings to make the difficult selection.”

“…Hmph.”

Enrique snorted as if it were a trivial matter.

“Although it’s a partner His Majesty carefully selected, shouldn’t Your Highness also approve? After all, you’re the one who will be spending the heat cycle with them. How about meeting them in advance as His Majesty suggests?”

Pol carefully recommended. Enrique glared at Pol with narrowed eyes.

“Why? Did Father summon you to give you a hint or something?”

“…It was more like a scolding than a hint.”

Pol immediately confessed the truth.

“If he’s even summoning you to scold, it seems my first heat cycle is indeed approaching. Father is getting quite anxious.”

Enrique thought of his father, who couldn’t be more meticulous when it came to his affairs. His thoughtful consideration was appreciated, but… a father spending years selecting his son’s first sex partner? And having to have a physical relationship with the partner his father chose? The very thought made his skin crawl.

“We can’t gauge exactly when the heat cycle will come, but since Your Highness has just come of age, it must be soon, right? I heard he’s already entered the palace and is waiting in preparation. How about calling him in to at least see his face?”

“What’s the point of seeing his face?”

“Still, wouldn’t it be a bit awkward to… you know, do it right away with someone whose face you don’t even know?”

Seeing how persistent Pol was being, it seemed his father had really pressured him.

“If Your Highness keeps refusing, don’t you think he might try to sneak him in disguised as an attendant?”

When Enrique didn’t easily nod, Pol reminded him of his father’s persistence.

Enrique sighed deeply and sank into the bathtub. As he leaned his head on the edge of the tub, Pol began to wash his hair.

“To begin with… this whole heat cycle thing is utterly useless. Wouldn’t it be so much better if it only came when you needed to get pregnant, avoiding unnecessary waste of energy and time? There would also be no accidents causing unwanted pregnancies because of that damned thing.”

Enrique lamented sincerely. Heat cycles that come even when not needed were truly a waste.

“Well, omegas are born that way, so it can’t be helped. It’s the same for alphas, isn’t it? They suddenly go into rut and turn into beasts, causing accidents.”

Pol said casually. Enrique glanced at Pol, who was carefully washing his hair. Then he asked,

“What about betas? You have desires too, so you must reproduce, right? Don’t you ever have an overwhelming desire for sex?”

At Enrique’s blunt question, Pol’s face suddenly turned bright red.

“S-such personal questions are off-limits, even from Your Highness!”

Enrique burst into laughter at Pol’s overreaction.