Chapter 1 – Suddenly Aware — I Close the Book

A deep red tea shimmered in front of me, swaying slightly.

The floral scent drifted up with the steam, and my mind began to clear.

“Are you listening?”

A gentle voice brought me back. I looked up at the person sitting across from me.

“……………”

“Oryuga?”

Hearing my name, I blinked in surprise. Ah, that’s right. That’s my name.

I looked back down at the reddish tea, trying to make sense of everything.

My name is Oryuga Nobizel. Yes, that’s definitely my name—but somehow, something feels off.

Right now, Oryuga was in a luxurious reception room in the royal castle.

Sitting in the middle of a long sofa, across from me was a stunningly handsome prince. Yes, a real prince.

Loose platinum blond curls, deep sapphire-blue eyes, and a gentle smile—he looked just like a fairytale prince.

His name was… what was it again?

I shut my eyes for a moment, then looked again at the red tea in my cup. Sunlight from the window sparkled on its surface.

“…Yes, I’m listening, Crown Prince Narish.”

I let out a quiet sigh of relief. Good. I was worried I’d lost my memory.

The man sitting across from me with perfect posture and grace was Crown Prince Narish Cafinolua of the Kingdom of Aninagarte.

He was one year older than me, currently a second-year student at the academy.

In this country, all nobles—royalty included—are required to attend the academy from age sixteen to eighteen.

The reasons vary, but for me, I enrolled with one goal: to become the Crown Prince’s fiancé.

I’m an Omega. And the Crown Prince, Narish, is an Alpha.

In this world, people have a second gender in addition to being male or female.

Alphas are born with exceptional abilities—superior intelligence and physical strength—and make up about two percent of the population.

Omegas like me are designed for reproduction. We’re even rarer—only around one percent of the population.

We’re more compatible with Alphas and able to bear their children, but we go into heat every three months. During that week-long period, our bodies overheat and crave physical contact, which can be pretty rough.

These days, there are plenty of suppressants, so it’s not as bad anymore. But in the past, Omegas had to hide during their heat.

Even now, poor Omegas have to make do with cheap suppressants that often have bad side effects or don’t work well.

People who are neither Alpha nor Omega are called Betas—just ordinary folks.

I remembered all of this and wanted to bury my face in my hands.

Right… I’m an Omega. This is the Omegaverse.

The kind of world where you get bitten on the neck and become bonded to someone.

I’d read all about it—games, manga, novels. I liked the genre, sure. But I never wanted to be in one.

And definitely not as an Omega.

That’s when my memories of a past life suddenly came flooding back.

Judging from what I remembered, this world felt like one of those medieval Europe-style settings that always show up in fiction.

So what is this? Reincarnation? Isekai?

I don’t remember how I died—or even if I was male or female in my past life. No idea about my name or age.

But somehow, the knowledge stayed with me.

And that knowledge was screaming that this was a “villain gets punished” type of story.

Because just now, the Crown Prince had said something very familiar:

“I’ve decided to make Neiny Rizen, the baron’s son, my top fiancé candidate. Please accept that.”

When I heard that, my mind went completely blank.

And then—bam!—my past life memories came rushing in.

This has to be reincarnation into a game, right? Or a romance sim? Or maybe a manga? A novel?

Whatever it is, I’m clearly not the protagonist.

Because the kid who looks like the main character is sitting right next to Prince Narish, trembling and clinging to his sleeve.

His silky strawberry-blond hair shimmered, and his big green eyes were teary and sparkling.

His name is Neiny Rizen. The son of a local baron, and like me, a first-year student.

He’s also an Omega—super cute and eye-catching since the entrance ceremony.

Smart, talented, with strong magic.

One of the reasons all nobles must attend the academy is because of their secondary gender.

Some get engaged as kids, but most don’t. That’s because compatibility matters.

Even if you get engaged early, if a better match comes along, people will break it off without a second thought.

That’s why most nobles wait until academy to find someone close in age.

Prince Narish is no exception. He hadn’t chosen a fiancé yet because he was waiting to meet someone at the academy who matched in compatibility, grades, skills, and personality.

Even if he didn’t find someone at school, as crown prince, he’d be meeting nobles from other countries after graduation.

As an Alpha, he needed a good Omega partner—and heirs.

Neiny is the smartest student in our grade. My magic power is higher, but he works harder, so I’ve never beaten him in a duel.

Plus, he’s a rare holy magic user.

So, why was I summoned to the castle and told all this?

Because I was the top fiancé candidate—until now.

The top candidate is the person most likely to be chosen, based on several possible options.

I had everything—magic power, noble blood, Omega status.

And my family is the only ducal house in the kingdom. Everyone assumed Prince Narish would choose me after graduation.

I grew up believing I’d marry him and become the future queen consort.

So when I heard Neiny had taken my place, I completely froze.

And then, somehow, my past-life memories reawakened.

“I’m sorry to your brother, but I hope you understand my decision,” Prince Narish said kindly.

In short, he chose Neiny, and I should go find some other Alpha to marry.

Standing behind him was my older brother.

His name is Ninreney Nobizel. He’s one year older than me and the second son. I’m the third. Our eldest brother, Bizet, is three years older and has already inherited the ducal title.

Ninreney is also an Alpha and currently serves as one of Prince Narish’s aides.

We also have a younger brother—the fourth son—who is another Omega. So we’re a family of four: two Alphas, two Omegas. A model noble family.

I glanced up at Ninreney. His eyes—same red as mine—met mine with a familiar look.

Yeah… I’m gonna get scolded later.

He and I don’t get along. Anytime I mess up at the academy, he finds out immediately.

And I mess up a lot. I’m not smart. My magic is strong, but I’m terrible at using it. My personality’s harsh. I don’t have friends.

Normally, I’d throw a fit and splash my red tea all over Neiny’s pretty little outfit.

But he’d probably block it with magic. He’s good at that.

Or Prince Narish or my brother would stop it first.

But I’m not going to do that.

Because I’m not the same person I was a few minutes ago. I’ve remembered my past life—your classic isekai reset moment.

I need to figure out where I stand in this story.

And honestly? I look just like one of those villainous noble kids.

In a BL Omegaverse story, no less!

It’s not about being into guys or not—that’s not the issue.

The problem is, villain characters always get ruined in the end. Best case? Exile.

Worst case? Death, human experimentation, sold to a brothel, or worse… Ugh. No thank you.

So, I smiled slowly. And nodded.

Prince Narish’s eyes widened slightly. Probably because I was being way too calm.

“I understand. I’ll accept that.”

I flashed my most harmless smile.

Even my brother looked surprised behind the Prince. Neiny had stopped trembling and just gaped at me.

He was all shaky a second ago—what happened?

Not that it matters.

I have way more important things to do. If I’m a doomed villain, then I’ve got to start preparing.

Prince Narish is in his second year.

If this really is a game or manga or novel, then the classic “condemnation at the graduation party” is probably on its way.

That gives me just over a year.

Time to gain knowledge and save up money!

“I can’t waste any more time.”

I stood up sharply.

“Oryuga?” my brother called out in confusion, but I ignored him.

“I’ve got things to do, so I’ll be leaving now.”

As I turned to go, Prince Narish stopped me.

“Since you’ve come all the way to the castle, why don’t we have tea together?”

Huh? Tea? After all that?

Well, okay, I do remember the castle’s tea and sweets being amazing… The kind you never forget.

“Uh… I’m in a hurry, so I’ll head home. But please give my brother some sweets to take back, okay?”

I waved with a beaming smile.

Prince Narish finally reacted with a surprised, “Huh?”

But it doesn’t matter anymore. We’re not getting married.

We’ll probably grow distant after this anyway.

I left, calling back cheerfully, “Thanks in advance for the snacks!”