Now it was more than reasonable to give up, but Morin’s tone became increasingly persistent. It seemed she was determined to hear the answer ‘Beta female’. Niall laughed.
“And then? Is it finally a Beta female?”
“Yes. After that, it’s a Beta female. If all the male Omegas, male Betas, female Alphas, and female Omegas in the world die, then I’ll marry a Beta female.”
“Goodness gracious. You’d rather live alone forever, just saying.”
It was incredibly odd, the sexual preference of an unmarried man who was handsome and talented. Niall laughed even louder as Morin sighed with regret. Morin was a bit verbose and had a wide scope, but she was a kind person. Conversations with kind people were always enjoyable.
Niall parted ways with Morin in front of the barracks and headed towards the main castle with determined steps. He stayed in the same castle as the Duke so he could be at his service whenever needed. Of course, while the Duke stayed in the highest tower, Niall stayed in a room used by the lowest-ranking servants.
When Niall opened the door to his quarters, he met a blond knight. His presence meant that the Duke had summoned Niall.
What’s going on? He didn’t seem unwell when I saw him earlier. Niall felt a bit worried as he followed the knight. They ascended the winding stairs along the outer wall to the top floor where the Duke resided.
Finally, when the Duke’s door opened, he found the Duke sitting alone. After the knight who brought Niall bowed and closed the door, Niall was left alone with the Duke.
“…”
As time passed, the Duke gave no orders. Niall, pondering what to do, slowly approached the Duke. He was debating whether he should undress and expose his chest when the Duke spoke up.
“Why did you carry that woman’s luggage?”
“What?”
Niall, who was hesitating if he should unbutton his shirt and undress, looked up at the Duke.
“Why did you carry that woman’s luggage?” the Duke asked again when Niall didn’t respond. Niall had no choice but to answer, as he couldn’t dare to ask the same question three times to the Duke.
“Because women are weak and need protection.”
“Protecting women? You?”
“Yes.”
Niall couldn’t understand why he was being asked such questions, but he obediently answered. The Duke then looked at Niall, tapping the armrest with his finger. Although he heard the answer, his expression showed a lack of understanding.
“Well… Um. They say it’s not good for women to carry heavy things. So I carried it for her.”
Finally, Niall added an explanation.
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.
“What does that have to do with you?” the Duke asked, stopping his finger tapping. He pointed his finger at Niall.
“Tbe’gf jc Ywfuj.”
Let? Rljii ofia tlr lcafgcji mbwqjrr ub jkgs. Lf jiwbra lcnbiecajglis oeggbkfv tlr ygbk, yea Rljii ralii rwlifv jcv gfqilfv.
“Tfr, P jw jc Ywfuj, yea P’w j wjc. Ccv P kjca ab yf j xlcv wjc ab kbwfc.”
Rewfgber qgfpevlmfr. Cwbcu atfw, atf bcf Rljii vlrilxfv atf wbra kjr atf rafgfbasqf atja wjif Ywfujr kbeiv offi lcafcrf pfjibers abkjgvr kbwfc jcv luclaf mbwqfalalbc. Ccv la rffwfv atja atf Gexf kjr agjqqfv ys rbwf qgfpevlmf jujlcra wjif Ywfujr, rb Rljii vfmlvfv ab mbggfma la ja atlr bqqbgaeclas.
“I don’t dislike women.”
“You’re an Omega.”
The Duke stood up. The purple damask robe, embroidered with gold thread, shimmered and flowed magnificently along the Duke’s body. As the Duke approached, Niall took his hand and lowered his gaze. Niall was impeccably polite as he twisted the Duke’s words.
“Yes, I am an Omega. Shouldn’t Omegas like women?”
“Do you like women?”
If it was about liking or disliking, Niall was inclined towards liking. Niall nodded. Yes.
“I asked, you like women?”
Niall couldn’t understand why he kept asking, but he could only give one answer. Yes.
“I don’t understand. You’re an Omega.”
“Omegas can love women, get married, and have children. Why not?”
Niall’s tone gradually became impolite. His head, which had been bowed, began to rise. The Duke chuckled dryly.
“Shouldn’t Omegas like men because they’re Omegas?”
“No. There’s no such rule.”
“Can male Omegas marry women and have children? Is that possible?”
“Yes. I’ve heard of it. I haven’t seen it myself, but I know it’s not impossible,” Niall replied.
“What if it’s not possible? Do you still want to meet a woman and get married?” the Duke asked.
“It’s possible. I’m sure of it,” Niall affirmed.
“So, you’re going to meet women and get married from now on?”
“Yes!”
Niall realized belatedly, as he saw the Duke’s icy expression, that he had spoken with a strong tone without realizing it. “Oh, uh… I mean… No, I mean… I’m not interested in women. I don’t dislike them, but I don’t want to get married,” Niall hurriedly explained, swallowing a short groan.
“….”
“I’m an Omega. I’m not interested in Beta women. Really,” Niall emphasized.
“Yeah, you’re an Omega,” the Duke said, crossing his arms and staring at Niall. Niall felt like he had been caught stealing something even though he hadn’t done anything wrong.
“Why male Omegas?” the Duke asked.
“Huh?”
“You said you like male Omegas. Why?”
Oh, so he overheard the conversation with Morin. Niall wondered how long this conversation would go on as he answered, “There’s no reason. I just like male Omegas.”
“Then, next is male Betas?”
“Yes.”
“Then, female Alphas.”
“….”
“And after that, Beta women.”
The Duke’s expression was too stern, making Niall swallow hard. Niall didn’t want to list his sexual preferences in front of the Duke, and moreover, that conversation was a private one shared with a friend. Why did the Duke overhear it? If anyone was at fault here, it was the Duke, wasn’t it?
“Moreover, he heard all of that? Where from?” Niall narrowed his eyes in thought. It was clear the Duke had been standing in the middle of the path leading to the laundry room, spotted Niall and Morin, and left.
“I don’t understand. Why isn’t male Alpha your first choice?” the Duke interrupted Niall’s thoughts. He now openly reproached Niall, not bothering to hide his annoyance. Niall forgot the thoughts he had been entertaining in response to the Duke’s question.
“You’re an Omega,” the Duke pointed out, extending a second finger to point at Niall. Then, in a condescending tone, he continued, as if scolding a foolish child, “Omegas naturally should like Alphas.”
Niall was speechless. What was this about? Why should I naturally like Alphas?
Unintentionally, Niall crossed his arms and let out a hollow laugh. The Duke seemed to be trying to teach him, as if imparting truth to a primitive human living in a cave, that he should like Alphas. Niall asked in a sarcastic tone, “Why?”
“Because that’s how you were born,” the Duke replied.
Those words touched a nerve in Niall that hadn’t been stirred in a long time. Ever since his previous owner, who he cursed as having a mental illness that wouldn’t even let a dog pass without biting, Niall’s temperament had always flared up when he heard words like ‘naturally’, ‘must’, or ‘absolutely’.
“I don’t want to,” Niall asserted openly.
“I like male Omegas. And…” Niall didn’t allow the Duke to interrupt this time.
“In the next place, male Betas, then female Alphas, then female Omegas. That’s my preference. No matter who you are, Duke, you can’t force me,” Niall declared firmly.
“It’s not forcing, it’s just that you…” the Duke tried to interject, but Niall didn’t give him the chance.
“No, it’s my mind and my choice. No matter what anyone says, I’ll meet the people I like,” Niall asserted.
No one would ever force me again. I won’t give anyone the leash to my heart.
Niall’s chest swelled with heat. His eyes sparkled with determination like pebbles in a rushing river, and his cheeks flushed with a fiery determination. Seeing Niall like this, the composed Duke gradually cooled off, soon becoming very cold. Pointing to the door, he commanded, “Leave.”
“….”
“Get out!”
Upon hearing the Duke’s shout, the knight swiftly opened the door and forcefully grabbed Niall from behind, pulling him out with all his strength. In an instant, Niall was pushed out, and the door slammed shut behind him.
Niall turned around belatedly, realizing what he had said in front of the Duke, but the door was already firmly closed.
“Oh…”
Niall groaned, covering his face with both hands.
“Oh, no… Ah…”
The blond knight looked at Niall, reaching out his hand as Niall approached the door, signaling him not to come any closer. The knight’s demeanor clearly indicated that Niall was not to enter the room again.
“What do I do…”
Niall murmured, rolling his lips. He stood there, staring at the tightly closed door, but the vigilant attitude of the knight only heightened his guard. Eventually, Niall sighed and turned away.
He had made a mistake. A really big mistake indeed. He had shouted out the thing he hated the most about himself to the man he was supposed to spend the night with, desperately trying to impress him.
“Can I make up for it?”
