{ Chapter Fifteen }
Yet another day of celebration had arrived on Nova, to the palpable delight of those who lived in high-society. A series of events had been orchestrated throughout the year in order to allow likeminded families, with extensive connections, to come together. The topic at hand was almost always about obtaining more power, and subsequently money.
Nova was in state of constant change, where unremarkable wasn’t tolerated. But be that as it may, there was one element of society that hadn’t budged since its creation following the disease that savaged the Omega population— Nova’s political ambition.
The Governing Body stood as strong as ever, their very existence the spinal cord of the entire planet and with it every branch of every industry. Which was an extensive job for even the most organised of political parties. So representatives were created, and in turn took the shape of individual households.
One member of each of these families possessing a seat within the Governing Body itself. Generations of sons and daughters continuously moulded to perfection, all born with prearranged purposes. Including, along with the many added benefits that came with their rank in society, the security in the knowledge that their marriages had been just as well decided as their career paths.
This branch of households largely hadn’t shifted since the first representatives were appointed. Only one or two over the past couple of a hundred years had dipped in rank due to scandal. However while these families may have lost prestige in the eyes of the Governing Body, the family name maintained its wealth due to the knowledge they invariably possessed.
It would be better to lose all their money than to lose favour with the Governing Body. As these families then fell into the middle branch alongside copious amounts of wealthy families vying for attention, trying their best to secure advantageous engagements for their children.
Which was why such events were arranged by said middle-branch families throughout the year. Although tonight’s gathering was especially reputable. An evening far outweighing all others in terms of importance.
There was only one way to guarantee the attendance of the most important figure on Nova, and that was for one of the main families to take charge of all arrangements and put on an event that put all others to shame. As the man they were trying to impress chose only to attend two such events each year.
Security was tighter and the sense of freedom that came from a party was limited to those few who had solidified their places in society. The rest were waiting for the best opportunity to take the risk of approaching an official.
But just because they all stood under the same roof, didn’t mean their paths would necessarily cross. That was ultimately decided by the guest of honour himself.
Who lounged comfortably on the second floor, within view of all those below. Demonstrating his exemplary devotion towards the planet he had spent countless years guiding towards continuous fruition, the figure of a man who looked no older than his late thirties, was dressed from head to toe in white with accents of gold.
The very air surrounding the man appeared different from what the remainder of the guests breathed into their lungs. It was due to the presence of his overwhelming pheromones that distorted it. While it was illegal to use pheromones to force submission, a natural leakage was different when tied to a superior class of Alpha such as the man in white.
It wasn’t so easily managed.
It meant that no one could overlook his presence, but neither could anybody readily approach him.
Except, for example, the man who arrived to the party late. Auryn Tryst was the head of his family and while his household lacked in numbers when compared to most, it had to be said that the Tryst family claimed more certitude from the man in white than all other households combined.
For that reason, there was very little need for any members of the Tryst family to attend a single party to covet favour. All invitations were notorious for being ignored and very rarely returned with a vague excuse. But they were sent regardless, no one wishing to unintentionally offend the family.
Auryn knew just how much his presence changed things. He strode into the room wearing his impeccably presented uniform, hinting to those around that he hadn’t attended to participate in the festivities and was still working.
While that limited the opportunities for some to take advantage, a fair proportion of everyone’s attention shifted to the figure who entered through the same doorway, directly behind his father. The young Alpha whose future marital status remained ambiguous; with neither the head of the Tryst family, nor any representative of the Governing Body having mentioned anything about it.
Rowan’s appearance sparked some hope in those around. Perhaps Auryn had brought his clone of a son for him to mingle with other families?
They never stopped moving, but still managed to offer greetings to those who tried their best to capture their attention. Weaving around clusters of people, the Tryst duo crossed the gold embellished hall and proceeded to walk straight up the stairs leading to the second floor.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Located immediately at the top of the wide staircase, a young Omega popped up. He retreated only a few steps to the side. “Lord Auryn,” he greeted out of courtesy but it was obvious where his intentions lay as his big eyes drifted behind the adult Alpha.
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Under the scrutinising gaze of said soldier, Rowan glanced over the Omega and never truly allowed his attention to settle. A stiff smile forced onto his face, he nodded his head and turned away. Keeping up his pace.
An arm draped around his shoulders once they reached the second floor. “My boy, there’s no need to feel so tense. He is one of your many friends, remember? Feel free to fall behind and talk to them for a short while, but then you must come to me.” His father’s words were loud enough to be heard by those standing in their immediate vicinity.
Auryn dipped his head, his voice quiet, “Even I wasn’t so sure about attending this evening, but somehow all the Omegas around your age were summoned back from Cora. How desperate; I want you to fuel it. Show them your handsome face and flaunt your scores from the academy, make yourself positively addictive— in doing so let it be known that you are completely out of their reach.”
“Yes, father.”
The pair separated and Auryn turned and walked off, putting some distance between him and the individuals who had used the opportunity of him talking to his son to creep closer. Even though it was predominantly members of the main households on the second floor, Auryn had no desire to stick around and chat.
Demonstrating just where the Tryst family sat in terms of ranking.
He brushed past those in his way, walking with his hands comfortably clasped behind his back. Steadily approaching the other side of the room, where the bulk of the people had tapered off to only a few.
They were in the middle of a conversation, but their insistence on keeping it private and thus in hushed tones meant that the slight heels on Auryn’s shoes overwhelmed it completely. Heads turned to greet him, expressions far from pleased.
None of that mattered, as Auryn had long since caught the attention of the man he was there to see. And he didn’t have to wait long for the pests that stood in the way to be dismissed, much to their disgruntlement. So to cheer them up, Auryn made sure to offer an outstanding smile as they trudged past.
“Auryn, it’s been some time since I last saw you at an event such as this one.” The man in charge of the entire planet greeted him with an arched brow, tilting the glass in hand to the side in a showing of how empty it had become.
Given that the servers had been removed from the room prior to the last meeting, Auryn generously walked over to the table where the spare glasses were being kept. He only took the one, his white-gloved fingers wrapping around the base and going no closer to the rim.
Uriah graciously accepted it, exchanging his finished glass for a new one. The monumental rings that sat on his fingers tapped against the surface once he took possession of it. Only then did his stiff expression ease to one much more accommodating.
The blazing amber of his irises, with flecks of golds and reds intertwined was yet another reason Uriah had maintained his position for so many years. Somewhere along the line propaganda had become fact, and the colour became a result of the gold blood that flowed through his veins, courtesy of Nova.
They looked at the other man from under long, dark lashes. “Your not having one?”
Auryn shook his head, “I’m on-duty.”
“Of course. I don’t think I have ever seen you so dedicated to the job, whatever could be the reason?” Uriah taunted, with the slightest of curves to his mouth.
“Naturally it is because our great leader has bestowed onto me such an important task.” Auryn replied with pride in his voice that would inspire legions of followers and spur them into action. “In my endeavour to please you, my lord, I came straight here when I happened about a resolution to our little problem.”
The grin on Uriah’s face had vanished and he rolled his eyes. “Save those sickly words for your flock of mindless worshippers and speak plainly, Tryst. If there comes a time when I need you of all people to boost my ego then I will truly have fallen from grace.” He gestured to the nearest seat, a position he hadn’t offered to any of the previous individuals snatching his time.
Auryn complied. “I’ve changed my mind on our approach.”
Uriah swirled the liquid in his glass, “How so?”
“I think it would benefit us more if we waited a little longer before taking the boy. To be precise, we should wait until he turns sixteen years of age.”
“Tryst, I don’t know where you developed this misconception that I am a patient man.” Uriah lifted his head and swiped a lock of his long blond hair behind his ear. The colour was so healthy and vibrant that it almost matched the gold swirls in his eyes.
He hadn’t finished, “Besides, we both know why it would be simpler to take the boy now, given his young age. It’s inconsequential now that he didn’t attend Cora, as by the time he turns sixteen he will possess the same rights as all other Omegas that age. Which restricts our hand.”
Auryn suppressed his glee, “You are correct. However, Finian has closed ranks even more so and elected to use that nonsensical spiritual place located on #OWS3 as some form of childcare. Plus with Calix sniffing around like the mutts they are, there’s no way of extracting the boy without a fight.”
“I don’t recall that ever stopping us before.” Uriah sounded bored.
Auryn laughed. “Quite right, but I made the mistake once of underestimating Finian. He moves quickly and never has just one plan in mind, and I don’t doubt that he would be more than willing to venture into uncharted territory if it meant protecting his son.”
“How smitten you still are, Auryn.” Uriah rested against the side of his chair, propping his head on his hand as he absorbed his subordinate’s every word. The accuracy of his observation went straight for the jugular.
“In order to deal a proper punishment to your enemy, you must learn how they think.” He retorted, as if quoted directly from the holographic manual gifted to every soldier on their graduation day.
Uriah also laughed, but his with an edge of maliciousness. “He’s your enemy, is he?”
“I don’t understand what you mean to imply. Finian betrayed the Governing Body by absconding, breaking what was predestined. That is grounds for severe punishment, and it is only through the immense generosity of yourself that allowed him to escape to his precious house in the meadows.” His gaze was steely, sentiment clear.
But to Uriah it felt like he was dealing with one of his many great, great grandchildren who were pouting their bottom lips and giving elaborate excuses for their actions to hide one major fact.
Just like when dealing with them, he focused an understanding look at Auryn and nodded his head slowly. “Yes, it appears Finian doesn’t seem to realise how lucky he has been. Forget my words, elaborate on your suggestion.”
It did prove to diffuse the tension in the soldier’s shoulders, his cockiness returned. “While before we viewed the law as a sticking point, something to outrun, I now believe we can use it to our advantage.”
Nova worked like a well-oiled machine, without forgetting just who sat at the top of the table. But there were occasionally limits to Uriah’s reach, and that was the legal sector. He had learned long ago that in order for the masses to truly trust him, there must be in place just as many laws restricting actions of Alphas as there was for any other sub-gender. There was no exception.
But while there were many laws in place to prevent illegal actions, there were just as many implemented to assure specific safety measures for all citizens. Notoriously, the most fine-tuned of them belonged to the Omegas. With the amount of these laws growing exponentially following the time they were almost all wiped out.
Uriah couldn’t touch those that were in place, and if he did then his intentions would be most obvious. Not necessarily to those who had complete faith in him, but instead to those who waited for him to put a foot wrong. The vermin that hid away on a different planet.
He didn’t have to urge Auryn to continue explaining, “It would appear that Caius has become quite taken with #OWS3, and while I couldn’t initially understand it myself, I then recalled that the Creed family are buried there.”
“Creed?”
Auryn tapped on the Communicator on his wrist and an image appeared. It was old but allowed Uriah to identify the household. It would have been awkward if he hadn’t, as the picture Auryn elected to show him was one he happened to be present in alongside the family of white-haired individuals.
“Ah. Yes, it slipped my mind that Finian was once a Creed. Given his lineage I’m surprised he chose to take the Xue name, with no background whatsoever.”
The image cut off and Auryn’s jaw visibly tensed. “I suspect it was another way to spite us. But that’s not what is important right now, instead I have looked to the future and figured out how we can guarantee almost the entirety of Nova is behind us in our retrieval of Caius.”
As he spoke he gave a few taps on his device, and in front of Uriah popped up a hazy looking hologram that was glitching in some places.
“Why are you showing me my family tree?”
In face of scepticism, Auryn maintained his smile. “You had a cousin who was removed from records. Of course I respect your privacy, my lord, and didn’t investigate further. But the way in which I discovered his existence was in fact tracing the Creed’s family line. Your cousin married into the family, took their name and went on to have children.”
Uriah shrugged, “That’s not tremendously surprising, given how loyal the Creed family once were to Nova. Before their ridiculous insistence on being more loyal to our alleged progenitors and treating them like omnipotent beings.”
Auryn joined in with a similar ridiculing comment before circling back. “My lord, we have battled with how we can keep this out of sight of the legal sector, because ultimately it will be our word against Finian’s, the only relation Caius believes he has. But we now know that isn’t the case, and with what I have planned, you may have a legitimate claim over the boy.”
Uriah slowly nodded, dissecting every word before offering his opinion. “That doesn’t explain why we have to wait until he is sixteen.”
Auryn agreed but the grin was acutely visible on his face. “This claim is based upon the tiniest strands of DNA that you two share. If it was anybody else who proposed this idea, it would be ridiculed and automatically discredited. But we have the advantage of time, time we can very much use to encourage whispers about a child so cruelly isolated from the world, and in doing so altering the perception of that tiny strand of DNA into blood that undeniably runs thick.”
Through that, Uriah eventually realised why Auryn had focused so intently on the child’s sixteenth year. As the Omega didn’t attend Cora, it meant nothing, but for those that did, the sixteenth year symbolised their graduation from the finishing school and the grand announcement every middle-branch household awaited on tenterhooks.
Auryn intended to manipulate the pillars who spread the word around Nova, which was undoubtedly something Uriah had plenty of experience with.
Their discussion proceeded, both sides equally invested. Those surrounding could only grow sullen as their rare opening diminished.
In fact, the only person who was given the option to approach was Rowan Tryst. He had kept an eye on his father throughout his discussion, wondering when the best time was to walk over. He repeatedly lost his nerve and hardly paid attention to the familiar Omegas who were so delighted to see him.
But his father’s instruction was clear in his mind, he didn’t dare make him wait.
He forced one foot in front of the other and stopped at the luxurious divider that felt like a fortified wall he somehow had to navigate.
No one else was as close as Rowan currently stood to the pair engrossed in their meeting. He was able to pick up on words, or more specifically, names. But hearing Caius’ name from the mouth that decided everyone’s fate on Nova, Rowan couldn’t deny how much it unsettled him.
Those intimidating eyes landed on him.
Rowan lost the ability to move.
“Your boy looks just like you, Tryst.” The man all in white with long golden hair managed to change his demeanour so smoothly. He smiled towards Rowan but wasn’t speaking to him. “From what I hear, the little Xue Omega also happens to look like Finian. It would appear you really are being given a second chance.”
Rowan somewhat relaxed when his father looked over his shoulder at him. “He won’t make juvenile mistakes. If he did, it would count as failing me and he knows I have little tolerance for it.” He turned away.
Uriah laughed lightly and then patted the seat beside him. “Come here, Rowan. Do not let your fathers words unsettle you. We all had strict guidance when we were your age. It is purely due to the importance of your position that an element of pressure is needed.”
His body moved automatically, lured closer to danger. He would have much rather stayed where he was standing and suffered being looked at for how much he resembled his father and nothing else. After all, it was something he had long since gotten used to.
{ To be continued }
[ A/N: In the editing process, I ended up dividing this chapter up last minute. I promise I’m trying not to drown you with information uwu.. ]
Thanks for the chapter 💕💕💕
Wait, Rowan is dark haired boi?
I hope he tells Caius and his dad what they’re planning. But Caius’ dad has to learn how to trust his kid, even if it’s just a little…
I can’t reveal anything! However, I can mention information given from a previous chapter: At the coming-of-age ceremony, Caius initially chose a certain bright yellow flower because it reminded him of Rowan’s hair.. ≖‿≖
Wait, huh? So he’s not bad?? @-@ im confusionnnnn…time will tell!
Right ,this is definitely the reason why Auryn !some stranger could have direct contact with his son ,to the ointment e actually got blood sample like ?!the kid does not know who is enemies are and no warning is given even when face to face like sigh secrets is gonna lead that child down a hard path . Being naive is only cute at the ages of 5 and 10
Thanks for the chapter<3
Thanks for your hard work!
These bastards are really going to try to claim a blood relationship to try and take Caius away!? Despicable! Ace is hearing all of this, I hope. How did he get this servant job anyway?
Given that the servers had been removed from the room prior to the last meeting, Ace generously walked over to the table where the spare glasses were being kept.
what is Ace doing there?
Big OOP- that meant to say Auryn. Thank you for pointing it out, I’ll quickly amend that and make a note to point that error out in the next chapter!
glad to help 🙂
Im kinda confused on what’s going on is the kid evil or unaware of how bad his dad is. Someone please I just want to know if I’m in for. Is the precious bean protected and about evil dad or no
Are you talking about Rowan? If so, I have plans for him ;D
Okay cool 😄