The Married Alpha Who Refuses to Be a Heartthrob (A/B/O · Alpha POV) - Chapter 4

The Governor’s estate was divided neatly into two sections. The offices in the front and the private residence with gardens tucked behind.

For the past two days, Kaes hasn’t stepped foot outside the estate. While wandering the halls, he discovered something unsettling. There were dozens of portraits of himself and Long Shi. Some were solo, some paired. All painted with a disturbingly sunny expression.

Apparently, the previous host had been both vain and delusional, fantasizing about romance with his childhood friend.

Kaes ordered the servants to take down every last one of those paintings and store them in a spare room. Having so many portraits of oneself in a single house felt… grotesque.

Once they were gone, the estate felt noticeably emptier and much easier to breathe in.

Still, gossip traveled fast. He could hear the maids whispering in corners:

“Oh my god, the Governor removed all his portraits with Commander Long Shi!”

“He must have been rejected. Poor thing.”

“He still hasn’t given up? Honestly, Commander Long Shi’s not even that handsome.”

Kaes ignored them.

The estate had its own private armory. Kaes went to inspect it. All the pistols, rifles, even a few heavy ones that passed for “sniper rifles” in this era. They didn’t have scopes yet; more like low-grade prototypes.

The firearms here were primitive. Some were flintlocks, some matchlocks which were only good as collectibles. The most practical ones were the needle rifles. Its old single shot bolt-action designs were still faster than the ancient muskets.

He wondered if the Shaquille Rifle he’d seen back at the military academy might be here.

[System: That rifle isn’t here. The Shaquille Rifle is an enchanted weapon and it’s currently in the hands of the Queen’s favorite, Aither. He probably has an entire vault of enchanted gear. These are all normal weapons. Ordinary firearms and blades can’t be enchanted, only the special weapons.]

Kaes: “I’m the Governor and I don’t even have one weapon?”

[System: “All enchanted weapons in Lanqi were confiscated by the Queen. Only the royal family has access now.”]

Kaes: “Can’t I make one? How am I supposed to fight with whiteboard-tier junk?”

[System: “Only S-rank mages can forge enchanted weapons. They’re all in Bain-Perella. Before the war, a few of them would do freelance work for other nations, but now they’re under royal orders… Forging anything without the Queen’s permission counts as treason.”]

[System: Weapon enhancements are significant, too. They can double your output. With the right weapon and buffs, an SS-rank can even outperform an SSS-rank.]

Kaes: “Yeah, well, I can’t get an enchanted weapon or a high-level buff. This is insane, how’s anyone supposed to survive like this? If this were a game, I’d uninstall it immediately!”

What kind of garbage “game” was this world, anyway?

He was a max-level character with no gear. In this world, support classes ruled everything. Buffs made or broke you. And supports loved to chase the strongest DPS.

Kaes decided to test the weapons himself. He selected a pistol and told his attendants to bring a rifle and a sniper rifle.

Behind the residence lay a small garden and a private shooting range.

He had no interest in the flowers but the range was a pleasant surprise.

He wondered whether losing one eye would affect his aim.

At the range, he tested the pistol first. The power was mediocre, range short.

He switched to the rifle, took aim, and fired. The bullet landed slightly off-center. So, yes, losing an eye did affect his accuracy.

He just had to adapt to the new angle.

[System: Don’t worry, SSS-level abilities don’t degrade like that.]

[System: And you can’t level up anymore anyway. Right now, in the entire gun branch, only you and Aither are SSS-rank.]

Kaes: “Somehow that makes me feel worse.”

On Bain-Perella, SSS-ranked damage dealers were treated as demigods, the pinnacle of their era.

Kaes and Aither were equals. Mages couldn’t compete in raw damage, but their versatility made them dominant overall.

Kaes reloaded. This time, both shots hit dead center.

The rifles were manual, they had no auto-fire. He’d have to modify one later, maybe make it semi-automatic. As an SSS-rank physical class, he could channel mental energy into his weapon, turning single shots into burst fire.

He tested moving targets. A servant tossed a rock. Kaes locked on and hit it mid-air.

He could even control bullets with his mind and make them explode. Small radius, but effective.

Still, the rifle’s accuracy dropped sharply beyond 100 meters. It could hit, but unreliably. Within 50 meters, aiming with the little iron nub worked fine, but it wasn’t ideal.

The best range was within 30 meters, using headlock precision. Beyond that, his mental control weakened, and he’d need a proper scope for true sniping.

The so-called “sniper rifle” was really just a heavy rifle that had greater damage and a 300-meter range. With proper sights, it could go farther still.

It couldn’t headlock, but its area damage was immense while the large-caliber rounds hit like mini grenades, blasting apart a pile of stones.

Still, against agile opponents, it wasn’t practical. It is best used for ambushes or long-range support.

The attendants nearby watched nervously, afraid their Governor might accidentally blow up the entire garden.

A servant hurried over. “Governor, Mr. Keith just came by… He invited you to visit his new home tonight.”

He handed Kaes a note:

‘Your Excellency, I’ve moved to a new house. Address as follows…’

“Is he still outside?”

“No, sir. He’s already left.”

“Find out where he went. I’ll be going out shortly.”

Lanqi was crawling with patrols and informants — finding someone in his own city would be easy.

Keith had indeed returned to his villa. It was a larger one than he previously rented. His close friend, a sorcerer and bishop, was arriving tonight.

The bishop had grown tired of endless sermons at the church and, upon hearing Keith was traveling, had decided to sneak out and stay with him.

Keith lived discreetly, and since his friend had technically run away from the church, he’d chosen a house that wouldn’t attract attention.

He’d already sent word to the Governor, assuming the man would have no official duties tonight.

Keith had come to Lanqi for one reason and it was to meet the famed unwed Alpha from his dreams. Rumor said the Governor was breathtakingly handsome. Seeing him in person, Keith found the rumors understated.

Back in Bain-Perella, he’d heard the stories: five years ago, Kaes had joined the royal army as a common soldier, rising through countless campaigns to the rank of major general within four years.

Medals lined his uniform. They were so many they formed a glittering row.

Even in wartime, that kind of promotion was unheard of.

Keith admired him deeply. He didn’t expect love in return but friendship alone would be enough.

Arriving home, Keith noticed a fresh letter in his mailbox.

He tore it open by the window.

The sender was The Queen of Bain-Perella. It was his aunt. His father had died young, and the Queen had always doted on him.

Dear Keith, my dear nephew,
I wonder if you’ve found a suitable partner yet. If not, Auntie could arrange a match between you and Aither. I promise he won’t give you the cold shoulder anymore.
You always said your partner must be an S-rank or above gun user. He fits your standards perfectly.

The Queen, like many Omega women, delighted in matchmaking.

Aither was her royal guard and her personal protector. If she decreed a marriage, he couldn’t refuse.

But Keith didn’t want that. He was an Omega, yes, but an accident years ago had left him unable to bear children. He didn’t care about ABO roles; he simply preferred male Alphas.

Still, Aither had never spoken to him. He was cold, silent and unreadable. Talking to him felt like conversing with a wall of ellipses.

No, better not. Kaes was far more interesting anyway… though it seemed the man already had someone he liked.

A twinge of melancholy struck him. He didn’t dare confess; friendship would have to do.

He checked his inventory for alchemy ingredients and he was missing a vial of Moonlight Water.

That was easy to make: just leave pure water under the moon for half a month.

But there wasn’t time now, so he’d have to buy some.

The alchemy street in Lanqi was lined with shops selling reagents and magical materials.

When Kaes heard Keith had gone to the alchemy street, he ordered his carriage at once, bringing two mounted guards along.

Inside the carriage, he suddenly realized that he’d forgotten to apply a pheromone blocker. He still wasn’t used to it after just two days here. Inside the estate, everyone kept their pheromones strictly in check cause no one dared discomfort the Governor.

The street bustled with apothecaries and small art vendors. Amid the crowd, a flash of green caught his eye.

Green hair. Hard to miss.

He’d come to repay Keith for covering his medical expenses cause he hated owing anyone a favor.

Keith was browsing an art stall. The young painter had a modest setup, mostly selling imitation works.

To Kaes’s horror, one of the portraits depicted him. It was him and Long Shi again.

Good gods. His face flushed. Seeing his own portrait sold on the street was social death.

Worse, Keith bought it. Cheerfully paid, and told the painter to deliver it to his home.

Why would he buy that? Did he… like Kaes’s face that much? The artist had even made him look worse!

“Governor, should we approach?” the coachman asked.

Kaes hesitated. If he walked over now, it’d be painfully awkward for the buyer and the subject of the painting to meet right after the purchase.

Thankfully, Keith soon left the art stall and entered an alchemy shop.

“I’ll go on foot,” Kaes said, stepping down from the carriage.

The shop smelled rich and heady. It was a blend of herbs, incense, and volatile magic.

Keith was at the counter, back turned, as the shopkeeper. A woman with violet lipstick and long red nails. She held up a moon-shaped glass bottle.

“My lord, this is our purest, most refined Moonlight Water,” she purred. “It’s been purified under the moon for two whole months. It costs only forty gold coins.”

The liquid inside looked exactly like ordinary water.

Keith nodded without haggling. “Wrap it up.”

Kaes picked up the bottle before she could. He shook it lightly. “Does this even do anything?”

To him, it was just a fancy bottle of overpriced spring water.

“Governor Kaes?” Keith turned, surprised. “It’s used in potion-making cause normal water won’t do.”

Kaes signaled his guards to pay for it and handed the bottle back. “You practice alchemy?”

“My friend does. I only know the basics. He’s fetching rarer materials right now, I’m just buying the easy stuff. He’ll be back tonight to make potions for you, actually.”

Keith smiled faintly. “What brings you here, Governor?”

“This street’s usually for sorcerers and alchemists…”

“I came to find you…” Kaes began, but commotion outside cut him off.

“What the!? Whose pheromones are these?!”
“Too strong! Is someone in heat?!”
“It’s an Omega, he’s gone into heat!”

Chaos rippled through the street. A young male Omega had collapsed just outside the shop.

He looked barely eighteen, frail and pale. He was likely an unfortunate civilian who’d just experienced his first differentiation.

“…” The boy lay on the ground, trembling, lips forming silent pleas for help.

Even Alphas wearing blockers flinched and the air grew thick with scent.

Kaes had never seen an Omega go into heat in public before. The sight was… exaggerated, to say the least.

The shopkeeper hastily shoved the bag toward them. “My lords, you should stay away! That kind of pheromone is lethal temptation for Alphas!”

Kaes frowned. “Strange… I don’t feel anything…”

Then the stench hit him.

It was cloying, nauseating. It was like cheap perfume gone rancid.

He gagged, covering his mouth and nose. “Ugh. Disgusting.”

But even through his palms, the stench seeped into every pore, driving him to fury. His vision tinged red.

His hand trembled and instinctively reached for his holster. He wanted to shoot the Omega on the spot.

“Governor, this commoner may have ulterior motives. He collapsed before you on purpose. We should throw him in the dungeon,” one guard suggested, restraining the Omega.

The guards were all Betas and unaffected.

The boy croaked hoarsely, “Governor, please! I didn’t… I swear I didn’t try to seduce you!”

Bystanders murmured:

“Shameless. Saying she didn’t try to seduce him? Dream on.”
“What if it’s a misunderstanding?”
“Or an assassination attempt?”

The smell made Kaes want to claw his skin off. No arousal, no heat response. There was only revulsion and rage. His fingers itched on the gun.

Keith grabbed his wrist. “Don’t. It’s normal you’re just reacting differently.”

“Take him away,” Kaes ordered coldly. “If it’s nothing serious, release him later. But I want him gone.”

The guards dragged the whimpering Omega off.

Kaes exhaled, rubbing his temple. “Why aren’t you affected? Are you a Beta?”

“I’m not,” Keith said softly. “He’s the same as me and that’s why it doesn’t bother me much.”

He noticed the bare skin of Kaes’s neck. “You didn’t put on a blocker, did you?”

Keith fished a high-grade pheromone patch from his pocket. “Turn around. I’ll put this on you.”

Kaes obeyed, bowing his head slightly. Keith stood on tiptoe and pressed the patch gently against his nape.

Instantly, the haze lifted. The redness in Kaes’s eyes faded. The only scent left was Keith’s faint incense. It smelled warm and steady.

He breathed easier. So this was what being an Alpha entailed… what a pain.

Still, why was his reaction so abnormal? He either felt nothing toward Omega pheromones… or utter disgust.

“Thanks,” he muttered. “Let me take you home.”

Since he was headed there anyway tonight, it was on the way.

Inside the carriage, silence lingered. Keith broke it: “You’re still thinking about that boy who went into heat, aren’t you?”

The tone made it sound as if Kaes were interested.

He scowled. “No. I just think I might be broken.”

Most Alphas, when exposed to an Omega in heat, would instinctively respond by releasing their own pheromones, sometimes losing control entirely.

But him? Nothing but disgust and aggression. He wanted to kill, not mate.

Did that mean he liked Alphas instead?

God forbid.

He clenched his jaw. No. Absolutely not.