The Married Alpha Who Refuses to Be a Heartthrob (A/B/O · Alpha POV) - Chapter 39

“You want me to call you Inspector?” Kaes lowered his head, his eyes hidden beneath the shadow of his hat brim.

Erlan stared into those eyes for a long moment, barely able to discern the expression within.

For the first time, he experienced the joy of mutual support overcoming any formidable foe. Dizzy, he soon slipped into unconsciousness.

When Erlan awoke again, he found himself lying on a soft bed.

White curtains were gathered up, and the room was decorated primarily in white and gold, without excessive carvings or ornaments. This simple decor resembled the style of Kaes’s residence.

A servant nearby, noticing his awakening, exclaimed, “Inspector! You’re awake! I’ll inform the Governor!”

Erlan didn’t feel any better. He remained in that state of a final burst of strength before death, his mind shifting between lucidity and unconsciousness.

His bloodstained clothes had been replaced with a fresh set of undergarments.

Soon after, the door opened again. Kaes entered, carrying with him a faintly familiar scent.

Kaes had tidied himself up and changed into a white shirt, its collar adorned with a simple bow tie.

“You’re awake. This is my residence. Vansen will bring the Pope here.” Kaes approached the bedside, and an attendant brought a chair for him to sit.

“How long have I been unconscious?” Erlan propped himself up against the headboard. “Cough cough cough.”

Erlan covered his mouth with his hand, coughing incessantly. His complexion looked strange—his lips were pale, yet his cheeks were unnaturally flushed. He was still coughing up blood, though the volume had lessened slightly.

“About an hour or so.” Kaes gestured to the attendant, who promptly handed him a damp cloth. Kaes took it and leaned over to offer it to Erlan. “Adam is locked in the dungeon now. This time, it’s all thanks to you. I don’t know how I can ever repay you.”

Without Erlan, Kaes couldn’t fathom how many times he might have died at the opera house.

“Repay me?” Erlan’s eyebrows twitched slightly as he dabbed the scattered bloodstains from his mouth and palms with the cloth. He looked deeply into Keith’s eyes.

He wanted to tell him he’d just fallen for him, that he wanted to be with Kaes. Could he say that?

Clearly not. Erlan covered his mouth with the cloth. “Visit my grave often. Remember to bring flowers.”

“Inspector, you have a sense of humor. The Pope will surely find a way to save you.” Kaes tried his best to comfort a dying man.

When Erlan risked his life to help him, it rekindled that comradeship from a past life. Their relationship no longer felt as distant as before. He genuinely wanted to repay Erlan.

Erlan smiled without speaking. Facing death, he didn’t dwell on many things. After all, he wasn’t the crown prince; the throne wouldn’t come to him anyway.

That peculiar yet familiar scent still lingered in the room. Erlan frowned. He couldn’t say he liked it—it was rather pungent. “Why do I smell something strange? It reminds me of the opera house.”

The acrid smell of gunpowder lingering after Kaes had fired his gun in the opera house.

Kaes suddenly seemed to remember something. He touched the back of his neck apologetically. “I just changed clothes and freshened up. Forgot to put on my pheromone blocker. My bad. I’ll go put one on.”

So Kaes ‘s pheromones smelled like gunpowder. Erlan’s furrowed brow smoothed out. He didn’t dislike this sharp scent; if anything, it felt fitting.

“Wait…” Erlan shifted slightly, reaching out to tug at Kaes’s sleeve. “Ahem.”

Several drops of blood splattered onto Kaes ‘s sleeve.

“I don’t dislike an Alpha’s pheromones like yours. Stay and chat with me a little longer.” Erlan lifted his eyes to meet Kaes’s.

Kaes hesitated. He’d heard Alphas despised other Alphas’ pheromones—at least he did. But Erlan concealed his scent perfectly; Kaes couldn’t detect a trace.

Kaes sat back down. He’d sent an attendant to check when the Pope would arrive. Two hours had passed, and the wait felt interminable.

As they chatted idly, Kaes inquired about the wizard’s shield. Why could Erlan’s withstand two hits, while Adam’s shattered after just one strike?

Erlan explained that a wizard’s shield possessed exceptionally high defense against the first hit, making it nearly impossible to break in one go. Subsequent effectiveness depended on the attacker’s strength.

Of course, exceptions existed. Spear-based attacks inherently carried a shield-breaking debuff; unless the shield was exceptionally thick, they could shatter it in one strike. However, facing dozens of layers of a knight’s reinforced shield required significantly greater offensive power.

Thus, many still chose the knight’s path—at least they could withstand blows, stacking dozens of shield layers to survive.

Kaes s mused that if he were a native of this world, he’d likely choose knighthood too. Yet he still cherished his past life’s profession and loved his current one.

Unlike Previous “Kaes”, productivity, maintaining social order and stability was his core duty.

Kaes: “Do all members of the Bain Perella family favor knighthood?”

He wondered what had drawn Keith to him.

Erlan: “Pretty much. I used to like it too… My cousin was an outlier. I don’t feel that same obsession with knighthood anymore.”

Ever since Xiu left, Erlan had lost that knightly passion. Now he thought gun-wielding Alphas weren’t so bad either—at least he felt needed.

A squire knocked on the door and hurried inside: “Governor, Mr. Keith is here.”

…

Kaes immediately went out to greet Keith, who hurried into the governor’s hall wearing a trench coat.

“Kaes!” Keith called anxiously, scanning the room for him.

“My love.” Kaes descended the stairs to meet Keith, embracing him first. “I intended to wait until Erlan recovered before telling you. I’ve been waiting for the Pope for ages, but he still hasn’t arrived.”

Every minute now feels unbearable.

“Are you hurt?” Keith clutched Kaes tightly in his agitation, then cupped his face, feeling it over and over to inspect. He spotted a few drops of blood on his sleeve, but Kaes ‘s hands showed no wounds. “Whose blood is this?”

“I’m fine. It’s Erlan’s blood. He’s still coughing it up.”

“Cousin!” Hearing Erlan was gravely injured, Keith hadn’t expected it to be this serious. His face drained of color with worry. Pushing Kaes aside, he dashed upstairs. “I need to see him.”

Keith burst into Erlan’s resting room. Leaning against the headboard, Erlan watchevd him, clutching a blood-stained handkerchief.

“Cousin, why have you coughed up so much blood?” Keith sat on the bedside, examining Erlan. He took the stained handkerchief and pressed his own into Erlan’s hand.

“Thank you for your concern, cousin.” Erlan tugged at the handkerchief in his hand, smiling silently.

He laughed at how foolish Keith was. He had harmed Keith, yet Keith remained unaware, foolishly tending to him here.

Once he was dead, his cousin could marry Keith. If he didn’t die, he still intended to compete with his cousin for the alpha.

Kaes could no longer sit still: “Keith, stay here with him. I’m going to the church to check.”

Keith nodded and urged Kaes to hurry.

…

The sky was already turning pale, dawn having arrived.

Kaes changed into his military uniform and led his men to Lanqi Church to await the Pope’s arrival.

The church was unusually bustling today. From afar, Kaes could already hear the choir singing.

Kaes led his men into the church. The choir was arranged in three rows singing above, flanked by clergy. All the clergy had come out, and the middle-aged priest looked tense.

“Father, has the Pope not arrived yet?” “ Kaes strode toward the priest.

”Your Excellency, Bishop Vansen entered through the church’s magic circle over two hours ago, yet he has not brought the Pope.” The priest stepped forward to greet Kaes, bowing respectfully.

The church staff had prepared for the Pope’s arrival upon hearing the news long ago. With so much time passing without his arrival, they wondered if he would ever come.

The priest led Kaes to see the church’s magic circle, located in a spacious yet empty room behind the chapel. Case approached the edge of the circle, itching to step inside.

Priest: “Only clergy of bishop rank or higher may use it.”

Even local parish priests couldn’t use it. This teleportation array was installed solely to aid the Church of Bain Perella in better managing its regional churches.

Kaes had no choice but to wait in the main hall.

After another agonizing ten minutes, a loud announcement suddenly rang out: “Her Majesty the Queen and His Holiness the Pope have arrived!”

The entire congregation perked up, the choir singing with renewed fervor as their voices echoed through the cathedral: “Hallelujah! Our Lord and God, all-knowing, all-powerful, supreme! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!”

Amidst the chorus of hymns, the Queen and the Pope entered through a side door of the cathedral, surrounded by numerous guards, deacons, and six red-robed bishops.

The Queen, though middle-aged, remained well-preserved, only her nasolabial folds betraying her years. She wore a magnificent golden robe and a pure white cloak, its hem and the skirt trailing over the church’s red carpet. Her head was crowned with a jewel-encrusted golden diadem.

Though not tall, she held her head high and stood with exceptional bearing and a unique presence—a rare female Omega monarch.

The Pope, rumored to be 110 years old, appeared no more than fifty. He wore a white robe trimmed in crimson, draped in a red cape, and crowned with a three-tiered golden tiara that underscored his extraordinary status.

The congregation knelt in unison: “Hail Her Majesty the Queen! Hail His Holiness the Pope!”

Though that magic circle could only be used by those of bishop rank or higher, they could bring others through.

Kaes hadn’t expected the Queen herself to come. Erlan was her third son, so her presence made sense.

“Rise… Governor Kaes.” The Queen walked directly toward Kaes as he bowed, her composed, cool expression tinged with urgency. “How is the Third Prince faring?”

“His Highness’s condition is not promising.” Kaes now addressed him as “Your Highness,” as was customary in official circles. He added, “The Prince nearly made the ultimate sacrifice during this capture operation. He is still coughing up blood.”

Hearing the word “brave,” the Queen’s expression grew complex. She even felt a hint of pride and relief. In these turbulent times, even princes had to take to the battlefield. This proved that Erlan was capable, not some useless, reclusive prince.

Kaes discreetly observed the Queen and her entourage. Vansen stood among the bishops, while another figure beside the Queen stood out distinctly.

A strikingly handsome youth with short silver-white hair, slightly taller than Kaes, wore a brown silk court robe adorned with a white sash—a style blending courtly and military elements.

“…” The white-haired youth remained silent, standing quietly beside the queen. His cold gaze met Kaes ‘s briefly.

“What are we waiting for? Let’s go,” the queen said.

“Your Majesty, there’s no need for excessive worry. The Lord’s mercy will protect the Third Prince,” the Pope replied calmly.

Kaes led the way with the Queen and Pope in the foremost carriage. Fortunately, he had prepared several additional carriages. He invited the Queen and Pope into the finest one, while the silver-haired youth followed behind.

“Ais! Ais! Hurry up and get in!” the Queen called from the carriage door to the silver-haired youth.

Kaes watched the silver-haired youth board from beneath the carriage. From their first meeting, he’d sensed this man was the Queen’s favorite—and indeed, it was Ais.

Kaes took another carriage back to the Governor’s Mansion. Erlan’s severe injury had drawn out these powerful figures. At last, he’d found his targets for vengeance.