DSB 7

Clatter-clatter.

Lebel gazed out the window at the passing scenery. They had left the imperial palace behind, exited the capital, traversed countless villages, and now raced toward the north.

He had lost track of how long they had traveled. The jolting carriage battered his hips relentlessly, fatigue accumulating with each bump.

This frail body struggled to endure the arduous journey.

Lebel massaged his throbbing temples. Knights encircled the carriage, rendering any escape impossible.

The emperor’s reaction to Lebel’s words, combined with the maid’s testimony that he had jumped from the window, had convinced everyone that he was resisting being sold off as a bride.

As a result, he had been confined to his chambers right up until the day of departure for the north.

It was not so bad, in truth. The room’s conditions remained dismal, but no one disturbed him, save for the tutors who came under the guise of “bridal lessons.”

Lebel understood much of the situation while enduring those unwelcome sessions by force.

The Alkar Empire, founded by humans banding together, had once boasted immense power, but it had weakened with the flow of time.

Meanwhile, the northern peoples, survivors of that frozen, barren land teeming with demonic beasts, had gradually expanded their territories until they brushed against the empire’s borders.

Naturally, the empire had waged war. They had been arrogant enough to believe victory was assured.

Yet in that cold, unforgiving terrain, they could scarcely fight effectively, fleeing in disarray from the demonic beasts that assailed them at every turn.

The foolish empire refused to yield and launched another campaign against the northern peoples during winter, when the beasts’ activity waned. And thus, they beheld demons, and hell itself.

They had suffered a devastating defeat, yet they made excuses, claiming the loss stemmed from depleted forces due to the beasts rather than any true prowess on the north’s part, deluding themselves with a hollow moral victory.

But everyone knew that was not the case. That was why, swallowing their pride, they had extended a hand of reconciliation to the north.

“How ridiculous, they cower in fear, yet they clamor to slaughter the northerners.”

The emperor dreaded the north’s strength and the specter of renewed war, he attempted to appease the northern lords by granting them the title of duke, hoping to integrate the northern tribes into his realm.

However, the offer was rejected as unprofitable. The Empire then proposed a condition: the humiliatingly lost territory would be annexed directly into the North. Additionally, it proposed a condition to trade a fixed amount of grain if food was an issue.

But the North, having achieved a great victory in war and now possessing warmer, more fertile, and expansive lands suitable for cultivation, had no intention of backing down.

Then came the proposal from the Imperial Capital: dominant Omegas.

The bloodline of the lord ruling the North, Hestro, transformed into a demon, a monster, during every heat cycle. The only thing that could suppress and prevent this was a dominant omega.

But dominant Omegas were extremely rare. Even in the vast empire, they were so scarce they could be counted on one hand.

It was said the North accepted this condition to subjugate the lord’s bloodline. From Lebel’s perspective, accepting it at all was questionable.

The natural assumption was that the North intended to strike a reasonable compromise. But a foolish diplomat, fearing war, would undoubtedly have offered everything they could part with.

For the North, it was a favorable deal. They gained territory, secured grain trade, and acquired a dominant omega. The problem was that they only belatedly realized the dominant omega the Empire had mentioned was half-baked.And the day Yutis and Lebel met was the day they came to refuse Lebel.

“But in the end, they accepted this body.”

why? No matter how he thinks about it, there’s only one reason.

“Because he saw me?”

What did I do? I didn’t do anything?

Lebel recalled what the knights had said. They said the only thing worth seeing was his appearance, and that’s why they accepted him.

But he doubts it was just that. Especially since he seemed the highest-ranking of the group he saw that day, he seemed like a serious person.

“Is it because a dominant omega is that precious?”

Being pushed around like this, he can’t tell if it’s truly rare or not. Frankly, he don’t even understand what an Omega is to begin with.

He’ve heard stories about those called Alpha and Omega. But he don’t understand this pheromone thing.

The tutor told him to sense the pheromones within his body, but he couldn’t. That’s what being half-baked meant. He is a dominant omega, yet he cannot sense pheromones nor emit them.

“We’ll arrive shortly.”

“………”

“I’ll say it again: it would be best not to think of running away. Accept your fate. Even if you die, it means you must marry that demon first.”

“This is tiresome.”

“…..I don’t know how I managed to hold back all this time. The reason your head is still attached despite your insolence before His Majesty is because you have a use.”

Lebel did not respond. The military force assigned to monitor the weak and powerless prince was excessive.

The Emperor’s words during the audience were sincere. The knights who brought the bride seem intent on drawing their swords against them.

A weak and foolish emperor. Who wouldn’t cut off his head to become emperor? He don’t understand why such a man is revered as emperor. No. The knights are just as bad. They stepped forward because they believe they can kill him.

Lebel recalled the man named Yutis he had seen in the imperial palace. A quiet-looking fellow, yet his mind and eyes sparkled. A man who glowed pure white but harbored a demon within his body.

Lebel asked if that man named Yutis, who seemed to be the leader of that group, was his future mate. But neither the tutor nor anyone else who had been watching him answered. Instead, he learned that man was a demon and a monster who had slaughtered the empire’s knights in battle.

So who exactly is his mate? He’s in a situation where he must accept as his mate someone whose face and name he don’t even know.

Given the circumstances, since the Hestro family head who rules the north became a duke, it seemed natural that he would become his mate.

“Well, it doesn’t really matter who it is. The North seems better than the Empire anyway.”

With the Emperor in such a state, those beneath him couldn’t be expected to be normal either. The treatment received at the Imperial Palace hadn’t been to his liking at all.

He hadn’t experienced the North yet, but they were a strong people.

“If a husband is meant to be like a mate, then a strong man is preferable.”

He was the head of the family ruling that North, so he must be strong, of course. Stronger than Yutis, whom he had seen back then?

Then the carriage jolted violently, and Lebel’s body lifted slightly before slamming back down. His hips and lower back, jarred against the seat, tingled.

“Haa.”

A sigh escaped his lips naturally.

What troubled him now wasn’t the shame of being sold off as a bride or the people who ignored the foolish prince.

“How weak the human body is.”

Lebel muttered as he endured the pain.

Humans had to drink water when thirsty, and he complained of pain as his stomach cramped, having eaten nothing all day.

He shivered in the bitter wind, unable to sleep properly without a warm campfire or cozy blankets.

“It’s all done now, so I hope we arrive early.”

He don’t need to be welcomed as a bride, he just wish they’d let him into the mansion.

Ah, and a reasonably cozy bed too.

“Finally, I can see it!”

“Is that the Northern Pass?”

Lebel’s ears perked up. They said they’d arrive soon, and it seems they really are almost there.

Through the transparent windows, mountain ranges blanketed in pure white snow came into view. A cold chill seemed to pierce through the windows.

The long procession continued marching along the road.

“Ugh, coming back to this dreadful place again. Demonic beasts won’t show up, right…?”

“We’ve just entered. It’ll be fine.”

“Besides, it’s winter now. They say demonic beasts hibernate in winter.”

“Even if they do appear, we’ll just defeat them.”

“You didn’t fight in the last war, did you? Don’t underestimate them. They’re different from the monsters that appear in the Empire. They’re on a different level, that’s why they’re called demonic beasts, not monsters.”

“It’s fortunate there are no demonic beasts in the Empire. Why are they swarming around here?”

“The priest said the north is saturated with demonic energy.”

“So it’s full of demonic energy, that’s why not just demonic beasts but all sorts of monsters are crawling around. Are those things human too?”

Lebel heard the knights snickering, refusing to treat the northerners as human beings.

The Northern territory . A place of bitter cold, high plateaus, and mountain ranges. Lebel sensed the surrounding energy.

“It is indeed saturated with demonic energy.”

His body, weary and drained, felt limp and heavy, but strangely, he seemed to be gaining strength little by little.

Lebel took a deep breath.

A demonic beast is a living creature in the human world that transforms after prolonged exposure to or resonance with demonic energy.

Just as angels bestowed their power upon beings in the Middle realm, the power of demons also influenced this realm.

Judging by the appearance of the demonic beasts and the abundance of demonic energy there might be a passage connecting to the demon realm nearby.

They appear occasionally. Tiny fissures connecting the Middle Realm to the Demon Realm or the Celestial Realm.

Sometimes angels use those fissures to speak to their followers, calling it an oracle.