Leave the Villainous Second Male Lead Alone - Chapter 2.17

“We don’t have another choice. And I’m sure it will work.”

Since Lawrence proved its effectiveness on his own body, there was no reason it wouldn’t work. As Doctor Woodson said, it might not fully change my traits yet, but it should give a temporary illusion to deceive the Empress and Roengrin. While the thought of the pain concerned me, it was better than facing the death flag.

Father tried to stop me several more times. But we had no other choice. After some more back-and-forth, we decided that once I fully recovered, we would proceed with this plan. For now, it seemed like the best option.

After the decision was made, I had a headache. Father gently swept his hand across my forehead as I closed my eyes.

“I’m sorry. I couldn’t protect you.”

“It’s not your fault, Father.”

It was my fault for not recognizing H’s obsession with omega protagonists. If I had known, I would have just let Callisto become an omega… I never imagined I’d learn the hard lesson of respecting others’ preferences this way.

A little while later, as I got up fully, Callisto came rushing in with loud footsteps, charging into my arms.

“Bro… bro! Are you not sick anymore? Are you all better?”

“Baby, be careful. Come slowly. Let me see your face. Have you been well?”

It seemed that I had gotten used to being with Callisto every day. I was so glad to see him after such a long time. I hugged him tightly. I must have missed his soft, sticky rice cake-like cheeks because I kissed him a few times, trying to swallow his plump cheeks. Callisto wriggled in my arms, giggling.

“Stop… It tickles.”

“You really don’t want kisses?”

“Well… if you really want them…”

“Then I’ll give you five more!”

“You can give me ten…”

After a dramatic reunion with ten kisses, Callisto looked up at me with a bright face.

“Bro, you’re an alpha now, right? That’s it, right?”

“Hmm…”

After thinking carefully, I decided not to tell Callisto that I had manifested as a recessive omega. The alpha manifestation stimulant was a harmful drug, and since it wasn’t even the finished product yet, I knew Callisto would object if he heard about it. Plus, with everything involving Loengrin, I didn’t want him to worry unnecessarily.

Right now, only Father and Doctor Woodson knew my true trait, and Father had kept it a secret from the household staff to maintain confidentiality.

“Yeah, that’s right… I manifested as an alpha.”

“Really? Are you really an alpha? Truly?”

“Mm… yeah, that’s what I’m saying.”

Callisto, clearly relieved, was now full of energy, asking me repeatedly to confirm that I was indeed an alpha. Even after I told him, he kept checking, asking again.

“So, you’re going to stay here with me, right? You’re not going to get married anymore, right?”

I placed Callisto on my lap, gently brushing his bangs off his round forehead as I answered.

“Of course. Loengrin is an alpha. Alphas can’t marry other alphas, so now we’re safe.”

Loengrin, Callisto’s half-brother, was also a political rival. His mother, Empress Jeanne, was the one responsible for killing Callisto’s mother. For Callisto’s sake, I couldn’t marry Loengrin. I did my best to reassure Callisto.

“And even if it wasn’t about our traits, I’ll never marry Loengrin. The thought of becoming a consort to a prince like him… it’s terrifying.”

“Yeah, you shouldn’t marry Loengrin… That’s true, but being a consort isn’t all that bad…”

“Haha. Baby, do you think being a consort is nice? Callisto, you’ll become someone much higher than that. There’s nothing to envy.”

“It’s not that… sigh…”

Callisto buried his face in my chest again, mumbling something, but it seemed like he was finally reassured.

After a while, Callisto lifted his head, his cheeks puffier than before. With a pouty face, he fidgeted in my arms, pulling something out and suddenly offering it to me.

It was a small bouquet of violets, tied together with several stems. Some of the flowers had already wilted, their petals barely hanging on, but I smiled and accepted the bouquet.

“Is this for me?”

“Yeah… There weren’t many left in the village, so I couldn’t bring many. I wanted to make it prettier… I’m sorry.”

“What are you talking about? It’s so pretty.”

The violet ring Callisto had given me before had long since withered. It seemed he remembered how much I liked them, as he had spent a few days gathering flowers from the roadside.

I couldn’t help but feel how thoughtful he was, always doing these cute things. I smiled and pressed a kiss to Callisto’s forehead. He blushed, and his voice became small as he spoke.

“Elsie says that manifesting means I’ve become an adult.”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“So now that you’re an adult… you’ll marry an omega, right?”

“Well… maybe someday?”

I had never experienced romance in my previous life, and I had completely given up on marriage, so it was hard to imagine myself in that situation. For now, the priority was to raise Callisto properly, prevent the downfall of the Winnyates family, and eliminate my death flag. I wanted to change the tragic ending of the original story so that Callisto and Lawrence could be a happy couple. I wondered if I would even have time for marriage amidst all of this.

‘Ah, but it’s not just the busyness that’s the problem.’

Then I realized there was a much bigger issue.

To avoid Loengrin’s eyes, I had to remain an alpha. In this world, where most marriages were arranged, finding a trustworthy partner who could keep the secret of my recessive omega trait seemed like a distant dream.

‘Well, I never planned on getting married anyway.’

As I was lost in thought, I could feel Callisto’s gaze fixed on me. Our eyes met, and Callisto lowered his head, fidgeting with his fingers.

“Then, bro… um…”

I had no idea what he was about to say. I patted him and asked.

“Yeah? What is it?”

“If I manifest as an omega… will you marry me?”

“…What?”

I almost laughed without meaning to. He had said the same thing while fighting with Lawrence, so I guess he really meant it. But seriously, the child who couldn’t stop shedding tears every time—wanting to marry me?

I suddenly thought of the little kid who used to say he wanted to marry his father. My older brother would always get flustered, not knowing what to do with the child’s cuteness. I could understand how he must have felt. I struggled to hold in my laughter.

Callisto then pressed his face closer to mine, seriously listing his virtues. From start to finish, it was all about his looks.

“I’ll become super, super pretty. Everyone says I’m pretty when they look at me now. Don’t you think I’ll be really pretty when I manifest as an omega? You said I was the prettiest in the world.”

“…”

Well, of course, Callisto would grow up to be the most striking beauty in the empire. Even though he wasn’t an omega, but an alpha…

I was left speechless and just moved my lips. Callisto, seeing my reaction, seemed to think his beauty wouldn’t be enough, so he moved on to something else.

“I’ll listen to you. I won’t cry or throw tantrums.”

That wasn’t very convincing. If he continued throwing tantrums like this even as an adult, wouldn’t that make things difficult for me?

“So, bro, marry me.”

“Well, baby…”

“I’ll treat you really well. I’ll make you the happiest in the empire. Okay?”

“…”

Listening to him, it was funny how determined he was for a child.

Since Callisto wouldn’t manifest for a while, I figured my future as an alpha hadn’t appeared in his dreams yet. I couldn’t exactly tell him the truth, especially since I knew what his future held.

It was almost comical—this little one proposing to me while offering a bouquet of violets he had picked from the village streets. Explaining to him how marriage worked was going to be quite a task. I gently stroked Callisto’s cheek, as warm as a ripe peach, trying to make him understand.

“Baby, marriage… is something you do later, when you grow up, with someone you truly love. When you grow up, you’ll find someone you really love. And then you’ll marry them.”

For example, Lawrence, or Lawrence, or Lawrence. Though they were still kids fighting and bickering, Callisto and Lawrence were the main couple in the original story.

But Callisto, as if he didn’t understand, quickly responded with something completely off-topic.

“I love you, bro. I really love you.”

“…Thanks, baby, but…”

The child insisting that he loved me was just too cute. I was left in a difficult position and couldn’t help but laugh.

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