Transmigrated As A Beautiful Cannon Fodder Omega To Marry An Evil God Alpha In Place of Another - Chapter 21

“Are you an Omega?”

“A sweet smelling Omega?”

As the words fell, the room plunged into a heavy silence.

That swarthy man stared at Bai Rui’s back with eyes full of greed. “Turn around, slowly. Let me take a good look at our charismatic Omega, Miss Batella.”

“Ah, why didn’t I notice you were an Omega before? You smell so fragrant.”

As he spoke, Captain Jayne stood up, rounded the table, and walked sluggishly behind Bai Rui, wrinkling his nose to inhale the fragrance in the air deeply.

“Mm, so sweet. Just as charming as you are.”

Bai Rui’s heart thudded violently. He felt the sound of that sniffing nose drawing closer and closer behind him. A sense of psychological oppression instantly flooded his chest.

He was an Omega with a defective gland, something he only discovered after transmigrating into this world.

He remembered that day clearly. The sun was high, scorching the outer edges of the castle, casting only a tiny sliver of shadow. He had collapsed in that shadow, squinting at the bright sun atop the dome.

There wasn’t a cloud in the sky. The sun was partially obscured by the edge of the tower, leaving only a glowing, crescent shaped sliver of light.

“The First Prince has fainted! Someone, come quickly!”

The voice of a female official seemed to drift in and out of his ears. Bai Rui couldn’t hear it clearly, it felt as though he were submerged under layers of water, the sounds reaching his dull brain as muffled, distorted vibrations.

Was the weather hot, or was it his body? He didn’t know. He didn’t even know when he had collapsed.

He remembered he was supposed to be buying screentone paper and technical pens. Wasn’t it Halloween? He had walked into a thick fog at night, and when he stepped out, a wave of dizziness hit, and he was on the ground.

And someone called him… the First Prince?

What First Prince? Who was the First Prince?

Next, he felt himself being lifted. When he woke again, he was in a large bed in a vintage style room. The ceiling was high, the room filled with European decor, and the bed curtains hung half-open.

The room was simple, almost cavernous. Bai Rui lay in the white bedding, staring blankly at the dark red canopy. His reactions were slow; he turned his head sluggishly to look at the person entering.

A woman dressed in a very period accurate court official’s uniform glanced at him without much expression, set down a tray, and turned to leave. People at the door whispered briefly, and soon, the sound of footsteps echoed down the hallway.

The wooden door pushed open again. This time, a man wearing a powdered wig with ringlets entered. He waved the female official away. “You may leave. I wish to speak with the First Prince.”

Bai Rui stared at the man with a delayed reaction. Wasn’t this… Senior Lai??

But this “Senior Lai” now wore a small mustache and medieval aristocratic clothing, standing tall with an air of pretension and arrogance.

The official bowed respectfully: “Yes, Count Lai.”

With a “click,” the door closed. The man called Count Lai reached Bai Rui’s bedside in two strides, reaching out to pull Bai Rui into an embrace by the shoulders.

“My dear First Prince, are you alright?”

Bai Rui was still dazed, but the only thing he remembered was the scene right before he transmigrated. He remembered how Senior Lai had held up his gift, mistaking the tickets for a love letter and tossed them into the trash.

His eyes reddened. He took a deep breath and firmly pushed the man away.

Count Lai froze, then seemed to realize something. “First Prince, are you still angry with me?”

“Angry…?” As soon as Bai Rui spoke, he realized his voice was hoarse.

“It’s okay, it’s okay…” Count Lai made a soothing gesture, the ruffled lace of his bubble sleeves brushing against Bai Rui’s face. “I know you love me deeply. But you know, respected Highness, you have a defective gland. Unless you achieve some world shaking feat, I’m afraid my family will find it hard to accept you, even with your noble birth.”

What… is he talking about? Is this a dream?

Bai Rui remained silent, his gaze wandering between the aristocratically dressed Senior Lai and his surroundings. It felt familiar. Some of the small accessories in the room were things he had just drawn not long ago…

It was the world of the manga he had been illustrating.

The moment he realized he had transmigrated, his mental defenses crumbled. Why did he have to face this ugly face immediately upon arrival? In the real world, this man looked down on him because his family only ran a small restaurant and he was a Beta who “couldn’t carry on the line.” Now he had transmigrated as the First Prince, and the man looked down on him for being an Omega with a defective gland?

And what was he saying? That he was “infatuated” with him??

He hadn’t been confessing back then! That envelope didn’t contain a love letter! If he had known… he should have invited Senior Brother Qi to the Western Fantasy Oil Painting Exhibition. Qi had mentioned wanting to go with him…

“What… did you say?” Bai Rui managed to choke out, propping himself up.

Count Lai put a hand to his heart theatrically. “My darling, I know it hurts to hear, but you have an opportunity right now. You should seize it. Distinguish yourself in the campaign against the Witch Emperor. That way, we can be together.”

“The campaign against the Witch Emperor?”

“Yes,” Count Lai replied with a face full of fake sincerity. “Don’t worry. You’ll just be following the main army. Let the soldiers charge. You just need to sit on your warhorse, gain fame and fortune, and return to marry me as you’ve always wished. Isn’t that your heart’s desire?”

“Urgh…”

Bai Rui felt a genuine surge of nausea. He finally understood why the original host, a timid, cowardly person, would volunteer to face the Witch Emperor despite the massive power gap. He had been manipulated. In the original story, this “feat” turned the First Prince into fertilizer for the Witch Emperor’s garden, and his foolishness served as a foil to make the brave Second Prince stand out.

“What’s wrong? We’re about to set out. Why are you feeling unwell now? Is it because of your defective gland?”

Count Lai leaned in to sniff him, but Bai Rui leaned away. The Count looked slightly annoyed, but seeing Bai Rui’s beautiful face, he couldn’t stay mad. “It’s true what they say, you really are getting more beautiful.”

“But you have no pheromone scent. A defective gland with no scent is a terrible thing.” He paused, then continued, “If you love me, you must make sacrifices. Besides, you’re just traveling with the army, not going on a solo assassination mission against the Evil God Witch Emperor. Surely you understand my good intentions?”

Good intentions?

Once on the battlefield, the “army travel” would turn into a “lone assassination through thorns” that was how these treacherous royals handled things.

Bai Rui took a deep breath. “I am ill. I cannot go. Please report that I need rest.”

Bai Rui knew the plot. Thanks to having the same name as the First Prince, the sisters in the illustration group had often described the “heroic” (and foolish) deeds of the First Prince to him, how he charged into the Ice Badger Castle to kill the Witch Emperor. Bai Rui hadn’t understood why a timid person would do that. Now he did.

The original host just had terrible taste in men.

Count Lai, likely never having been treated this way by Bai Rui, was displeased and confused. He frowned, scanning Bai Rui. The Prince looked the same, but his eyes were brighter, his gaze deeper, his skin paler and smoother. And his hair… was it always this black? Like black silk, lustrous and beautiful.

Is this Bai Rui? Why does he feel like a stranger?

Count Lai gritted his teeth and suddenly lunged, pinning Bai Rui down. His hands began to wander, his lips desperately trying to find Bai Rui’s.

Bai Rui turned his head, and the kiss landed on his neck. Failing once, Count Lai began to chase Bai Rui’s lips again, his urgency to force a kiss overriding his reason.

“Baby, you look so delicious…”

“So what if you have no pheromones? You smell so good.”

“I’m emitting noble Alpha pheromones right now, but it’s a pity you can’t smell them. Why don’t we try it? Maybe if my pheromones stimulate you, you’ll suddenly develop your own?”

Pheromones were a matter of compatibility. In this world, the secondary gender (ABO) had replaced primary sex characteristics. High compatibility was needed to spark desire and produce offspring. Otherwise, any Alpha could walk down the street emitting pheromones and every Omega in sight would go into heat, the world would be in chaos.

Low compatibility meant no reaction.

Currently, Bai Rui couldn’t detect the Alpha pheromones in the air at all. Normal Omegas could smell them, but Bai Rui couldn’t. A top-tier Alpha could force an Omega to their knees with a tiny bit of pressure, but Count Lai clearly didn’t belong to that one in a billion elite.

Bai Rui struggled to push him away, trying to keep those lips from touching him. But that small mustache kept brushing against his neck and cheek, sending shivers of disgust through him. It was sickening.

Just then, a frantic knocking sounded at the door.

The two struggling on the bed froze. Bai Rui seized the chance to shove Count Lai off and scrambled to the other side of the bed.

Count Lai shouted irritably, “Who is it!”

A female official’s voice came through the door: “Count Lai, I am the Queen’s personal attendant. Her Majesty has urgent matters to discuss with you.”

Bai Rui heard Count Lai curse under his breath. The man stood up, gave the pale Bai Rui a regretful, frustrated look, and stomped out of the room.

An Omega with a defective gland… worse off than a Beta in my past life.

Bai Rui covered his face and let out a breathless, shaky laugh, shaking his head. The nausea and the tremors of anger turned into crystalline tears slipping through his fingers. They dripped onto the pillow one by one, with no one to wipe them away.

It was the same reaction he was having now on the ship: nausea, anger, and dizziness.

After a moment, he looked up at Captain Jayne. “If I am an Omega, does this world just have another reason to exploit me? Is having a womb a sin? How ridiculous. Why should those who nurture this world face the most exploitation and oppression?”

When he finished, the room went quiet. A-Wu, hidden under the cloak, slowly turned to look at Bai Rui.

After a brief silence, Captain Jayne let out a cackling laugh, wiping grease from his mouth as he stepped toward Bai Rui.

“So, Miss Batella, as an Omega who has been with so many men, what is your secret for never having a child?”

Bai Rui paused, then smiled. His gaze turned contemptuous.

“The reason is simple.”

“Because I’m not an Omega. I’m an Alpha. Do you want to find out how ‘powerful’ I am?”