The Married Alpha Who Refuses to Be a Heartthrob (A/B/O · Alpha POV) - Chapter 13

The atmosphere in Kaes’s office was tense. Erlan had come to inform him he must select one person from the list of noble Omegas.

Erlan would also oversee the engagement proceedings.

“I wonder what type of Omega the Governor prefers?” Erlan sat in the chair opposite the desk, slowly flipping through the list in his hands.

Kaes sat across from him: “There’s no one on that list I’m interested in.”

Truthfully, he only needed to pick one Omega as a marriage tool. But the thought of spending the rest of his life with someone so uninteresting was unbearable. In this world, divorce required papal approval—an incredibly cumbersome process, unless the spouse died.

Kaes had no intention of discussing this with Erlan: “I don’t know those people, and I’m not interested. If it’s not Keith, I’d rather live alone.”

In those days, most nobles were arranged marriages. For someone like Kaes to be given the option to choose was already a significant concession.

“Keith is out of the question. Pick someone else.” Erlan’s expression darkened. He studied the man across from him. Keith was undeniably handsome. If he weren’t already taken, Erlan might have had some thoughts about him.

Because Keith was unable to have children, most nobles refused to take him. Kaes couldn’t understand why they wouldn’t give Keith to him.

“Am I unworthy?” Kaes’s gaze was sharp and resolute as he stared across the table. He was a fallen noble; the other was royalty.

“Governor, what do you mean? You are SSS-ranked… It’s not what you think.” “ Erlan said regretfully. ”Mother says if Keith and Aither marry, they can live in the palace, and Keith can be with her often.”

As the Queen’s favorite and guardian, Aither resided in the palace most of the time, only leaving for specific missions.

Kaes listened with skepticism. Was this excuse fabricated?

Such a perfunctory excuse seemed off. He knew little about the Queen or the Keith’s family, sensing there was more to it than met the eye.

Erlan tried to reassure him: “Many couples only grow fond of each other after marriage—even royals. Just pick someone you find acceptable, and you’ll come to like them over time… Where are those portraits?”

The portraits of noble Omegas lay piled in a corner, gathering dust. A servant approached, lifted a cloth covering the corner, and displayed the portraits.

The attendants spread them out. Erlan compared them to the written descriptions, picking and choosing until he finally settled on a few barely acceptable candidates. “Governor, what do you think of these? I find this one, Abe, quite suitable.”

Erlan handed a letter of introduction to Keith and pointed to one portrait on the floor.

Kaes felt a pang of disappointment. When he first arrived, he’d assumed he could marry any convenient partner, but seeing so many options now only made him feel overwhelmed.

The one Erlan pointed to was the Omega described in the letter as having a milky scent. He had short brown hair, fair skin, small pink lips, and large, sparkling eyes. He knew some healing magic and was a s-type young mage.

Combined with his sweet, cloying pheromones, he fit the stereotypical image of an Omega perfectly.

Kaes scanned the portraits with a dismissive glance. They all looked remarkably similar, their backgrounds indistinguishable. “What’s the difference between them? I won’t marry any of them anyway.”

Erlan had no choice but to retreat for now. He needed to write to the Queen about this matter first, seeking instructions on how to proceed.

An SSS-ranked Alpha wasn’t easily manipulated—their power spoke for itself. If the Queen wanted to hunt formidable monsters or expand colonies, SSS-tier firepower was indispensable.

Previously, they relied on Aither for such tasks, but Erlan also disliked the arrogant and taciturn Aither….

That evening, Kaes visited Keith’s residence. Vansen answered the door.

Vansen was the only one home. He informed Kaes that Keith had moved to the Inspectorate residence for a few days.

Vansen fetched a key from his home and handed it to Kaes: “Here’s the key. I need to trouble you with something, Governor. I’ve been swamped lately and might not make it back tonight. Those flowers need watering every day. If you’re unavailable, send someone to tend to them.”

“Any special requirements for watering? Is something wrong with the church?” asked Keith. Normally, Vansen only worked at the church during the day, but lately he’d been unusually busy.

Vansen grabbed a lantern and led Kaes to the garden, pointing out the specific plants: “No special requirements. Just treat them like ordinary flowers. But they absolutely must be watered every day, or they’ll wither and die.”

“There’s a prison inside the church called Santa. It holds an SSS-ranked wizard. That person seems restless lately. We need to increase our manpower, so sometimes I can’t come back at night.”

“A prison inside the church?” Kaes had never heard of such a thing—clergy moonlighting as jailers.

“It’s for holding SSS-rank or higher individuals. Regular prisons can’t contain them.”

Clergy weren’t just skilled in healing magic; they also wielded various buffs and control spells. Aside from lacking offensive power, they were nearly all-around talents.

Kaes nodded. In short, they were like magical “Leifeng Pagodas”.

For someone of Kaes’s rank committing treason, the punishment was either death or confinement within the tower….

Erlan arranged for Keith to stay in a spacious room, with the bedroom and living area connected. He kept both birds in his own room, not bothered by the noise.

The red parrot was named Red Tea. It was a size larger than Xiaolu. It refused millet or dead insects, eating only live prey.

Both birds perched on a stand. Xiaolu even snatched Red Tea’s portion for a midnight snack. Keith grabbed him: “You’ll get so fat you won’t be able to fly!”

“Help!” Xiaolu squawked. “I want fruit!”

Red Tea, however, was sensible. It flew over, picked up a piece of fruit, and offered it to Xiaolu.

“No more feeding,” Keith said, taking the bird’s food away.

Red Tea said it wasn’t used to that stuff. In the wild, it hunted its own insects. Now it had an owner and needed permission to go out.

Keith had no choice but to take Red Tea outside, worried the bird might ruin his cousin’s garden roses.

Keith entered the garden, lantern in hand. It was dim, save for a faint glow near the house.

Red Tea perched on his shoulder, then flew off to forage once they reached the garden. Keith waited where he stood.

The garden smelled of fresh grass mingled with earth.

Keith had initially thought it was the scent of the garden lawn, so strong it overpowered the floral fragrance.

Could it be the scent of pheromones? It suddenly occurred to Keith that Erlan’s pheromones had that earthy, faintly fishy smell.

Erlan hated that scent, always dousing himself in rose perfume and wearing two layers of barrier patches on his neck.

I wonder if something happened to Erlan.

Keith moved closer, standing not far from the door to Erlan’s room. The curtains were drawn, but warm candlelight shone through the slits.

Two Alpha pheromones mingled in the air, the other carrying a grassy scent.

He faintly heard two people panting, the bed creaking under the strain, as if they were engaged in unspeakable acts.

Keith’s face flushed crimson as he desperately wanted to flee. Though the Alphas’ scents weren’t directed at him, they still had an effect.

His pheromone blocker patch was failing now. These scents were too intense—the patch only shielded him from everyday awkwardness on the street, not this kind of raw power.

Keith felt his mind and body burning hot, his legs weak. Barely managing to return to the room, he called out, “Red Tea, let’s go back.”

Red Tea flew down from the tree, still holding a half-eaten insect in its mouth.

The room suddenly fell silent, only the voices of the two men could be heard.

Shu: “I think we should find an Omega to have children.”

Erlan: “Can you stop obsessing over kids? Am I not enough for you?”

Shu: “It would be our child.”

Erlan: “Ugh, we’re together, yet you’re always fixated on babies. You don’t even glance at the Omegas Keith offers… Go back to your room.”

Shu: “Forget it. We’ll talk about it later.”

Shu still hadn’t given up on finding some unlucky Omega to bear their children.

My cousin must’ve run into a jerk! Keith couldn’t see what was so great about Shu. It felt like my cousin’s been taken for a ride.

Keith cut off the conversation. Those two scents were overwhelmingly aggressive, rendering his barrier patch useless. Fortunately, his damaged glands were only minimally stimulated, and since the pheromones weren’t targeted at him, his heat induction wasn’t as extreme as others’.

Keith felt unbearably limp, his body burning with heat, craving Alpha pheromones.

His legs felt like jelly as he stumbled back to his room, rummaging through the cabinet for the suppressants he’d brought.

He downed the potent dose. The burning sensation faded, but afterward, his hands trembled uncontrollably.

“Knock knock.”

“Who is it?” Keith called out, his voice laced with wariness and tension.

Kaes’s voice came from outside: “Van said you moved in… Keith, what’s wrong?”

Kaes sounded genuinely concerned. He opened Keith’s door without knocking and saw Keith crouched beside the nightstand, holding an empty bottle, his hands trembling slightly.