Shane couldn’t wait any longer for his superior who seemed lost in thought, so he spoke with difficulty.

“Alright, let’s go.”

It was time to respond to the request of his aide who was impatiently tapping his foot next to him, waiting for Shane to finish his glass of wine.

*

Shane had stepped away for a moment to catch his breath amid colleagues, after showing his face to a few high-ranking nobles who were eagerly hoping to meet him, as he had led them.

“Reynard, look over there.”

The owner of the thick arm, with a torso like an oak wine barrel stacked by the waterfront, tapped the sturdy forearm of Colonel Reynard Dennox, the protagonist of the National Founding Anniversary Ball, even surpassing the royalty, in a manner that didn’t suit him.

Reynard had just finished reluctantly explaining about the Higgins operation, which had perfectly brought the upper hand in the battle at the Ropenhol Port for the thirteenth time, to Congressman Clements who had approached him. The man had spoken to him when Reynard was frowning and downing brandy.

“At least button up your collar properly, Major Roman Halloway.”

Irritation surged involuntarily at the illusion that his mouth smelled stale from repeating the same story so many times. Reynard warned the protagonist tapping his forearm again in a low voice.

“What are you doing in such a formal setting?”

Roman poured out protests at the stern voice that came out as if asking whether each and every one of these things had to be pointed out.

“This dress uniform was tailored when I had just graduated from the academy and was commissioned as a second lieutenant!”

Roman explained, sticking his finger into the neck of his navy blue dress uniform that was already tightly squeezing his thick neck. It was his own excuse, but in fact, it was close to a complaint.

In reality, it was hard to understand to whom he was making such an absurd complaint, saying that there was no time to tailor a new dress uniform while returning to the capital after the end of the war. No, in the first place, among the people who had suffered physically as well as mentally after the war and had their body fat drained, the only ones whose dress uniforms didn’t fit due to changes in their physique were those injured in battle, missing an arm or everything below the knee. So Reynard found it even more absurd.

“You’re probably the only one who gained weight during the war, Halloway.”

“This isn’t fat, it’s muscle!”

Reynard looked at the neck of the person himself with an indifferent face, wondering how much muscle a commander could possibly gain when he was giving orders from behind rather than going out to battle and running around… It was contempt, asking how much muscle could be attached to a commander’s neck that he couldn’t even withstand a mere button and was complaining.

Roman Halloway was Reynard’s classmate from the naval academy and was from the gentry.

Unlike the majority of his classmates who were members of other great families of the Heston Empire, who grew up hearing stories about the greatness of the Dennox family and the innate distance from them, and were educated to be careful when confronting them, Roman, perhaps because he was from a completely different background, seemed to be more at ease with Reynard, the heir to the Duke of Dennox.

Moreover, he seemed to feel even more familiarity, as he had a sense of kinship as the same dominant alpha on one side.

Reynard, who had not felt the need to deliberately inform him since their academy days that “I am an extreme dominant alpha, a different being from you,” tended to let Roman act as he pleased.

Perhaps it was also a confidence that came from his blood, knowing in his bones that someone treating him comfortably did not obscure his nobility.

His nobility and greatness were not of the nature to be reversed by the attitudes or actions of others.

Not only because of his status as the heir to the Dukedom of Dennox, a family with a nobility second only to royalty that had consolidated its bloodline with the imperial family once every few generations, and as the heir to the Dennox ducal family with a perfect lineage descending from the first Duke of Dennox, as well as being the Marquis of Valkyries governing the Valkeries territory and a fifth cousin of the Emperor.

The uniqueness of his ability further highlighted the inherent nobility he possessed.

“Damn it, stop drinking that brandy and look over there, I said.”

Reynard frowned, wondering what the hell he was telling him to look at, constantly pushing that damned log-like arm, and turned his head to where Roman was pointing his chin.

A male omega who looked very young and sparkled.

The face was so beautiful that it was impossible to pass by.

Such an omega walked into his eyes at once.

Reynard immediately recognized who Roman was pointing to.

It was someone that any alpha couldn’t help but glance at least once.

Amid people who looked like withered yellow weeds rolling around the northern wilderness, a pearly white rabbit was cutely lifting its fluffy white heels and walking into the hall.

The way he pretended to be calm, walking slowly and glancing around vigilantly from time to time, was just like a real rabbit.

Timid.

Innocent.

A white animal.

‘How cute.’

It was a thought that unintentionally pushed its way into his mind.

Perhaps because he had lived for two years on the battlefield, always assessing the enemy’s strength, his cautious gestures caught Reynard’s eye before his beautiful appearance.

The omega rabbit picked up a champagne of the exact same pink color from the silver tray of the attendant, putting on an air of composure. Then, tilting it to his lips, he carefully and sensitively examined his surroundings again.

“Who the hell is that beautiful omega?”

As expected of a dominant alpha, he was incredibly good at finding omegas anywhere and anytime like a sensitive detection dog… Reynard snorted at his classmate Roman’s foolish womanizing tendencies and searched for the rabbit-like omega with his eyes again.

He was definitely an omega.

Not a single wisp of pheromones was leaking from him, but all of the senses of an extreme dominant alpha were able to keenly recognize that he was an omega.

Seeing a young omega who seemed to have just passed adulthood walking around confidently alone without family or guardian, it seemed that he wasn’t a very young child as he appeared… What the hell was this sparkling and innocent-looking creature…?

“Wow… This is what’s great about coming to the capital.”

Even though junior cadets from the naval academy were gathering around to talk to the respected senior and war hero, Roman’s gaze, like Reynard’s, never left that direction.

Reynard gave his attention to the juniors who approached him for a moment and had a little conversation with them. Then he took another sip of brandy, and when he raised his head, he was struck by lightning.

Flash.

Their eyes met.

Amidst the many people moving busily and chatting away, only that one person stood out.

Reynard blinked once quickly as if trying to find a sense of reality.

This time, at a slightly closer distance than before, he could see the face properly.

On the small face that was perfectly beautiful, as if it could be completely grasped with one hand, round eyes like a real rabbit were looking at him.

Reynard looked at him without taking his eyes off for a single moment, afraid of losing that gaze.

As if realizing that they had made eye contact for an unnaturally long time, the omega youth was startled. And he acted too distractedly, as if he had never looked this way at all. He looked at someone else, then placed his gaze on his own fingertips, then raised his head to look at Reynard again, then placed his gaze on the glass he was holding, and was busily and cutely shifting his gaze here and there.

As if unaware that it made it more obvious that he was conscious of this side.

“He’s looking this way, right?”

Roman, who wasn’t even the one who made eye contact but was tilting a fragrant white wine next to him in an unfitting manner, began to excitedly misunderstand.

In fact, this was not a rare occurrence.

There were as many people who feared and respected him as those who admired and looked up to him. There weren’t only types like alphas and omegas in this world. Betas, who did not possess animal senses such as pheromones, always initially felt attracted to Reynard based solely on his appearance.

It was also common in high society to inadvertently receive fawning glances from someone without proper etiquette upon seeing a handsome face that was not just decent but outstanding, and a large body that seemed to show the superiority of a male.

So he was used to this. Someone sending him admiring glances.

But why did his gaze upon him give such a subtle and captivating feeling?

Why was he special?

Nothing could be understood, and before making any more rational judgments, his body moved on its own.

‘I want to face him up close.’

Not knowing whether the innocent-looking omega knew he was looking at him or not, drawn by those eyes that met his gaze again after fidgeting around, Reynard approached the youth as if enchanted.

There was no hesitation in his steps.

The two faced each other in the middle of where each had been.

There was no awkwardness in the mutual attraction, as if acquaintances had naturally met.

They gazed into each other’s watery eyes, feeling a flow that was unclear whether it was a brief moment or an unperceived long time.

‘Beautiful.’

For the first time, that impression struck his insensitive personality that had never thought of anything or anyone as beautiful.

As he was simply looking with a mind that seemed to have turned blank, the empty glass in the omega’s hand caught his eye. Reynard gently took the glass from the omega’s empty hand, handed it to a passing attendant, and offered the same drink again.

Although not socially adept, he knew too well, at least theoretically, how to treat an omega encountered in high society as part of his strict upbringing.

“Ah…”

The youth let out a small sound, slightly surprised by Reynard suddenly offering him a glass, but soon received the glass and carefully brought it to his lips. Reynard also tilted his drink in a new glass and began to carefully examine the omega in front of him with a smile.

The youth gave off a feeling of seeing a large and splendid peony that had just bloomed, past the fresh and youthful stage like a green apple after going through boyhood. Even indoors at night without the brilliant light of the sun, he had soft, golden hair that shone like gold thread, as if created by the goddess Artemis. And when he brushed up the hair that covered his face for a moment as he walked, clear eyes the color of the sky, like limpid water, were revealed.

The nose that ran straight down the middle of his angular face had a slightly upturned shape at the tip, adding cuteness to the flawless beauty that could have appeared cold.

Moreover, perhaps embarrassed by Reynard’s straight gaze, the omega’s cheeks flushed slightly. That pink color aroused excessive possessiveness and sadism in him, who had lived a dry life with not a single omega.

‘I want to bite him.’

He smiled for a moment at the thought.

‘He’s severely pretty and quite to my liking, but…’

In any case, there were no omegas who could withstand his pheromones. Reynard repented for being caught up in the unfamiliar sensations and feelings. And suppressing the tingling sensations with reason again, he opened his heavy mouth.

“A dance…”

“…Yes…?”