I Became the Omega in a Game - Chapter 23

“Young Master.”

Raymond, who was lying on Kairos’s bed and idly tossing the Strigo family spear up with his toes, glanced up. The steward, entering the room, saw Raymond shamelessly playing with the family heirloom in the count’s private chambers. Yet, as usual, he pretended not to notice.

Even if this came to light, Kairos would likely brush it off with an amused “He must have been bored.”

When someone is too extraordinary, they often fail to understand the emotions of those beneath them. Kairos was oblivious to the fact that his younger brother envied him, coveted what was his, or perhaps simply dismissed it as childish sibling behavior.

The steward, wise enough not to create unnecessary trouble, ignored the scene entirely and simply delivered his message.

“Lady Grace has come to visit.”

“Idelli?”

Propping himself up on his elbows, Raymond tilted his head in mild surprise.

“Where is she now?”

“She has been shown to the reception room on the first floor.”

“Ah, that crazy woman. She says she doesn’t want to see me, yet she shows up here herself.”

There wasn’t a hint of excitement in his tone. Normally, Raymond would have been delighted by the fact that Idelli Grace had come all the way to see him. Yet, for some reason, he seemed indifferent, which caused the steward to shoot him a puzzled glance.

“Got it. You can go. I’ll head down soon.”

After the steward left, Raymond lay on the bed for a moment, staring at the ceiling, before springing to his feet with a single motion.

When he entered the reception room on the first floor, Idelli was savoring a cup of tea the steward had served her.

“It’s been a while since I’ve enjoyed the scent of tea from the House of Strigo,” she remarked.

Raymond perched himself lazily in the chair across from her.

“What brings you here? Don’t you have somewhere better to be—like the palace, chasing after the Crown Prince?”

His tone was casual as he glanced at his wristwatch, throwing out the comment without a second thought.

Idelli narrowed her eyes.

“What’s with his reaction?”

Even at the mention of the Crown Prince, Raymond’s face remained completely indifferent. The subtle jealousy and probing glances he used to give her were nowhere to be found.

Her grip tightened slightly on the handle of her teacup.

What kind of change of heart is this?

While she had been preoccupied, pouring all her attention into the elusive Crown Prince who refused to fall into her grasp, something had clearly changed in Raymond.

It was a shock. Could Raymond really be someone who could change? Idelli realized her misstep.

She had always known that human emotions were as fleeting and fickle as reeds swaying in the wind, yet she had been overly confident when it came to Raymond’s feelings for her. That confidence had bred complacency. A hot flush spread through her chest. Though she wanted to grab him by the collar and shake him right then and there, she kept her composure, offering him a sweet smile instead.

“Well, it’s just… you know how it is. Things aren’t as fun as they used to be,” she said.

“After being rejected so many times, you’re finally giving up?” Raymond quipped, his words laced with sarcasm.

Idelli shot him a sharp glare.

“Maybe it’s the cold weather lately, but I’ve been feeling nostalgic. Coming here today made me feel it even more,” she replied.

“Nostalgia? What for? The time you got caught kissing me and got kicked out of here by my brother?”

Unbelievable. Idelli let out a sharp-edged laugh.

“Are you going to keep bringing that up?”

“Fine, fine. So, what’s this all about? Why such a long preamble?”

“It’s nothing serious. I was just thinking about how I used to come here all the time,” she said.

Raymond nodded absentmindedly, clearly uninterested. A servant brought in freshly brewed tea, which he didn’t drink. Instead, he simply stirred it idly with a teaspoon. Despite his indifference, Idelli exercised patience. Her smiling face was dazzling, as radiant as a glittering jewel.

Glancing at her briefly, Raymond muttered, “Before I manifested as an Alpha. That’s when I realized—you had feelings for my brother.”

“…It was just a fleeting curiosity. If I’d known you could sense my pheromones back then, I would’ve been more careful,” she said softly.

“…”

“I never meant to hurt you,” she added, her voice lilting with a lazy, sultry tone.

Idelli knew exactly how her voice affected men. This wasn’t the first time she had expressed regret over the past in this manner, and every time she did, Raymond had looked like he could barely resist kissing her.

But not this time. Now, Raymond’s gaze remained fixed on one corner of the reception room table.

Idelli studied his face intently. For a moment, his eyes softened, carrying a wistful glimmer. Feeling reassured, she smiled inwardly.

“…I suppose so. I was surprised too. I didn’t expect that the day after kissing me, you’d go on a date with my brother,” Raymond said, his voice tinged with bitterness.

Though his words would have been difficult for most to stomach, Idelli’s lips curved into a faint smile. To her, her wayward nature—the inability to settle with one person, flitting from one to another—wasn’t a flaw. Instead, it was a tool that heightened the desire of men who wanted to possess her.

Raymond, having known her for so long, understood this about her. His gaze locked onto her as she gave him one of her signature, faintly mysterious smiles.

“When you told me you liked my brother, it hurt,” Raymond admitted quietly.

“Ray, do you want to hear something surprising?”

Idelli set her teacup down with a graceful motion and met his gaze head-on. Her expression turned playful, tinged with mischief.

“That time with you…”

“…”

“It was my first kiss. I was so nervous.”

Raymond’s brow furrowed.

“And that’s the ‘surprising’ thing you wanted to tell me?”

“Idiot.”

Idelli let out a bitter laugh.

“It’s the absolute truth. Not even a shred of a lie. We were childhood friends, weren’t we? Even before my pheromones fully matured.”

“Hm.”

“I know you were disappointed when I told you I liked Kairos. You pretended it didn’t bother you, but I could tell.”

“Ah, I see. You came all this way just to mock me, didn’t you?”

“No, you idiot.”

“…I’m getting bored. Can I leave now?”

Raymond made a show of starting to stand up, but Idelli’s flawlessly painted lips parted smoothly.

“From that moment on, you wanted to hold me.”

“…”

“If your idiot servant hadn’t tattled to Kairos about our kiss, if he hadn’t banned me from coming here, who knows? Maybe we would have made love.”

‘Made love.’ Raymond repeated her words internally, the phrase catching in his mind. The way she said it carried a strange weight.

“…How am I supposed to interpret this? Are you saying you regret it?”

“A little. Or maybe a lot,” Idelli answered, giggling as she leaned back in her chair.

“But now, I think it’s for the best that it didn’t happen back then.”

“…”

“Because back then, I didn’t know about your… peculiarities.”

“My peculiarities?”

Raymond’s face looked unusually innocent as he repeated her words, and Idelli burst into laughter.

“Don’t play dumb, Ray.”

“…”

“Never sleeping with the same woman twice—that’s arrogant even for an Alpha. Seducing the women Kairos dates? Pathetic. That’s what I hate the most. Do you really want to touch the women your brother has been with?”

Raymond snorted, his expression shifting to one of wry amusement.

“When you put it like that, it makes me sound like a complete pervert.”

“…”

“So, are you blaming me? Are you saying that’s why we ended up like this?”

“More precisely, it’s because of your filthy dick,” Idelli retorted.

“What am I supposed to do about that? Paint it a chaste pink?”

Raymond smacked the back of his hand against his thigh with exaggerated annoyance. Idelli, who had been laughing loudly, stopped, her smile fading into something gentler.

For a moment, a strange silence hung between them.

“All I’m saying is, it’s not entirely my fault,” she finally said.

“…”

“And it’s fine. I like you just the way you are.”

Raymond remained silent.

Though his feelings for her were intensified by his deep-seated inferiority complex toward Kairos, there was no denying that he held special emotions for Idelli. She had been his first love, after all. She possessed the body he had desired for so long—yet never had the chance to touch.

Of all the women, hers was the one he wanted most. Even his body betrayed him now, a tingling heat growing between his legs. The sensation both startled and reassured him. Though he wanted to reach down and confirm the reaction, Idelli’s watchful eyes froze him in place, leaving his hands trembling slightly.

“Ray,” she said softly.

As she rose gracefully, her voice low, Idelli’s body seemed to radiate allure. She was wearing a dress that emphasized her curves, the tight bodice accentuating her chest while the voluminous skirt added elegance to her movements.

She walked toward him with a deliberate grace, like a spider weaving its web, stopping just behind him. Her bare hand, ungloved, slid over his broad shoulder before lightly gripping his arm.

The touch was feather-light, barely noticeable, yet the pheromones she exuded enveloped Raymond in a sticky, intoxicating haze.

The room was already saturated with her pheromones. No Alpha could resist the seductive allure of an ultra-dominant Omega’s pheromones. Any Alpha in her presence would inevitably find her irresistibly endearing, imagining her as a lover and picturing themselves sharing a bed with her.

Idelli gently stroked the back of Raymond’s stiff neck with one hand, while her lips grazed the edge of his ear. Softly parting her lips, she bit down lightly on his earlobe, and his shoulders flinched in response. She suppressed a smile.

“You claim not to care about me? That’s impossible.”

His sudden display of indifference had been unexpected, and it had gotten under her skin more than she wanted to admit. She would make sure he never tried such a stunt again. A playful spite bubbled up within her, born from the irritation he had caused her.

Idelli puckered her lips slightly as her hand slid further down to embrace his torso.

“Ray,” she murmured, her voice thick and sultry, resonating through the room like a spell. It might as well have been one. Her pheromones lured her target in, and even calling his name alone would drive him to the brink, unable to endure the surge of lust.

Normally, in a typical scenario, this would leave him staring at her with the desperate eyes of a man who could think of nothing but taking her into his arms.

But then—

“…!”

Idelli’s expression froze. She pulled away abruptly, glaring at the back of Raymond’s head with incredulous, burning eyes.

“What is going on?”

“…”

“Why aren’t you reacting?”

“…”

“I’m asking you! Why aren’t my pheromones working?”

Raymond stood up, turning to face her. Idelli looked at him as if he had just shattered her entire understanding of reality.

“What nonsense are you suddenly spouting?” he asked.

“You’re not confused,” she snapped, her voice tinged with disbelief as she glared at him, pale with shock.

For an Alpha, the pheromones of an ultra-dominant Omega were as potent as the strongest aphrodisiac. Normally, his Alpha pheromones should have surged wildly in response, matching hers, but Raymond’s reaction was barely a ripple. If anything, his reaction was nonexistent.

Idelli could scarcely believe it.

Raymond, meanwhile, muttered to himself, his tone somewhere between surprised and annoyed.

“Ah, so that’s what it is.”

“What?”

“I must have bonded with someone. Without realizing it.”

Though his voice seemed somewhat dazed, Idelli didn’t pay attention to his demeanor. Instead, she let out an incredulous laugh, as though she had just heard the most absurd thing in the world.

“What?!”

Regaining his composure, Raymond looked at her with narrowed eyes.

“Your reaction’s intense. Was my pheromone really that good?”

“Don’t joke in a situation like this!”

“For the first time in forever, I feel like I’ve found the answer. It’s surprising but also strangely relieving.”

“Raymond, are you serious right now?”

Raymond leaned down, his lips brushing against her ear as he whispered,

“But your irritation is unexpected. I thought you’d brush it off like usual, acting indifferent and composed, like it didn’t matter.”

“What?”

“It’s been over ten years,” he said quietly. “Ten years since I’ve been in love with you.”

Idelli’s expression became unreadable.

It was the first time he had ever said that he loved her. And yet, for some reason, that love sounded more like desire to her ears. She had always thought she didn’t care whether it was one or the other, but the word “love” had a strange resonance to it—a weight she found she liked more than she expected.

“And that’s why my feelings are complicated too.”

“….”

“Someone else has caught my eye.”

Raymond slowly straightened his back. Idelli stared at him, her face hardening, her expression sharp enough to draw blood. The complex emotions in his gaze struck her like the point of a blade.

Their relationship was a delicate balance of love and resentment. It was impossible to say which outweighed the other, but it was that precarious tension that made their bond so thrilling and magnetic. Yet in this moment, all she felt was unease.

Had resentment finally overtaken love?

“This is a good thing, isn’t it, Idelli?”

“….”

“At least I won’t be bothering you anymore, begging for sex.”

“Stop joking.”

“Too bad, though. Watching me squirm and worry used to be your favorite pastime, didn’t it?”

“I said, stop it…”

There was a flicker of anger in Idelli’s voice.

But Raymond ignored it, brushing her smooth hair back over her shoulder with a casual, intimate gesture. The ease with which he moved irritated her, and she slapped his wrist away.

He perched on the edge of the table, watching her fume with amused eyes.

That look—so entertained by her anger—snapped Idelli out of her daze.

‘Calm down. Calm yourself, Idelli Grace.’

Men always scrambled harder to win a woman’s affection when they weren’t sure of her feelings. That’s what she had always believed.

She needed to act like she wasn’t fazed by his words, but the irritation boiling inside her wouldn’t cool. Instead, her voice came out cold as she asked,

“So, who is it?”

Raymond tilted his head slightly, puzzled, and Idelli’s gaze narrowed into sharp triangles.

“Who is it?” she demanded. “The sly little Omega you’ve bonded with.”