I Became the Omega in a Game - Chapter 24

“Riche, hold on a moment.”

“Yes, boss?”

Riche stopped mid-step on her way into the club, turning her head toward the voice.

“You’re in early today,” she remarked.

Riche was usually the first to arrive at Queen, with the owner and manager trailing in last. Lately, however, that order had shifted. The decision to run the club 24/7 for the time being, prompted by a surge of VIP guests ignoring operating hours, had led to changes in the staff schedule. The manager covered mornings, while the owner worked nights.

“You’ve been requested by a client. Don’t stay at the bar today—go to one of the rooms.”

“Who’s the client?”

“They wish to remain anonymous.”

“…”

“Looks like the others will have something to gossip about again,” the owner muttered with a hint of amusement. “For some reason, your requests have been the talk of the club lately. Even as a beta, your popularity is raising eyebrows.”

Riche’s heart skipped a beat at the observation, though she quickly brushed it off and redirected the conversation.

“Which room do I go to?”

“The top floor. The Diamond Room.”

“…The Diamond Room?”

The mention of the exclusive room made her pause.

The Diamond Room, previously used by Idelli and her entourage, was reserved for VIPs. While Club Queen was accessible to anyone wealthy enough to afford entry—even commoners without titles—the top floor was an exception. It was part of the owner’s strategy to maintain an elite image for the club. Access to the top floor, and especially the Diamond Room, required more than just money. Only titled nobility or individuals with significant social clout were permitted entry.

For someone to have requested her in such a space?

For a moment, she wondered if it might be Raymond, but she dismissed the idea. An anonymous client didn’t fit his style. But how had someone anonymous booked the Diamond Room?

“They didn’t share their name or title, but I’m certain they’re a high-ranking noble,” the owner said.

“How can you be so sure?”

“I saw their imperial palace entry permit.”

The owner sighed, the weariness evident on his face as he added, “They also had an audience pass.”

Riche’s eyes widened slightly at that. An audience pass meant the client was someone with direct access to the Emperor. This was no ordinary noble.

“Why would someone like that want to see me?”

“How would I know?”

The boss, who said this, looked genuinely curious as well.

Riche felt uneasy about this sudden summons. Though being sought after would bring more incentives, and it wasn’t necessarily bad for someone like her without much of a support base in this dimension, the fact that the person had not revealed their identity made her suspicious.

Without much hesitation, Riche spoke.

“Can I just not go?”

“Riche.”

The boss looked at her with a troubled expression.

“What if something dangerous happens?”

“I’ll make sure that doesn’t happen. Take this feather with you. If there’s any danger, just call for me. Even if it’s the emperor himself, I’ll make sure to come help.”

Riche raised an eyebrow, doubtful.

“Even if it’s the emperor?”

“Well, uh… I’ll come in, at least.”

“…”

“The emperor is… a bit much, you know.”

Then why even say that in the first place?

Riche let out a wry smile. The boss’s blunt honesty annoyed her, but she didn’t hate it. After all, he was the one who had taken pity on her when she was wandering the streets of Doblak, giving her a job and a place to stay.

Of course, she knew that she would have to leave this place someday, and when that time came, it would be difficult to see him again. But because of the help he had given her back then, she felt inclined to cooperate whenever she could.

For now, she decided to dip her toes in, at least. Just a taste, to see if this was trouble worth staying out of or not.

“…You have to come help. At least come in. Understood?”

“Of course! I’ll be on standby, so don’t worry!”

With the boss’s enthusiastic encouragement ringing in her ears, Riche arrived at the door to the Diamond Room. But as she stood in front of it, her face turned hesitant, and her feet refused to move.

“I’d really like to cooperate, but…”

The thought of this possibly being a dangerous situation made her increasingly anxious.

As a dimensional anthropologist specializing in the study of various indigenous peoples, the first and foremost skill Riche had honed was to maintain a cold and rational mind.

There were as many indigenous peoples as there were dimensions, and their traits varied wIdelliy. Some were strikingly beautiful or possessed skills that could stir emotions deeply. To avoid being swayed and failing her duties, a calm and unwavering heart—an unshakable focus—was crucial.

Riche prided herself on possessing those qualities. She was a rather successful researcher, capable of turning a blind eye to matters that pricked at her conscience if it meant making logical decisions.

“For now, let’s just see who it is. If they intended harm, they wouldn’t have gone to the trouble of summoning me like this.”

She cautiously opened the door and stepped inside. Her movements were conservative, ready to turn and leave the moment she sensed danger.

At first, there was no one in sight. But she could feel it—an anonymous guest was there.

The presence was strong enough to be palpable. Was it a Beta? Riche tilted her head in thought.

Or perhaps an Alpha? Or, surprisingly, an Omega?

She took a deep breath, inhaling deeply. The faint scent of the air freshener in the Diamond Room was overshadowed by something else—a distinct, unfamiliar scent brushing against her nose.

And then—

Whoosh!

Someone suddenly grabbed her from behind, pulling her into a tight embrace. Strong arms wrapped around her torso like a prison, holding her firmly. Startled, Riche reflexively grabbed the wrist of the arm that was locked around her neck.

The flesh was solid, hot to the touch. At the same time, the scent of tanned leather and iron filled her nose.

Her chest began to feel inexplicably warm.

“Ah.”

Only then did Riche realize the identity of this peculiar guest.

“Kairos!”

“Have you been well?”

A low voice whispered in her ear—a slightly raspy tone, yet soft and gentle in its delivery.

Kairos Strigo had returned.

* * *

Idelli, dressed more elegantly than usual, was seated in the Crown Prince’s audience chamber. She wasn’t the only one occupying a spot there. The prince’s retainers were seated solemnly around the circular table, exuding an air of gravitas. Amidst them, Idelli, youthful and radiant, stood out like a misplaced piece of a puzzle.

It wasn’t a place she would normally belong. She was present as a proxy because her mother, the family head, was bedridden. The councilors occasionally cast sIdelliong glances at her, their curiosity evident. Idelli, however, met their stares with a poised smile, even directing a polite laugh toward these men who were at least twenty years her senior.

Her mother had told her it wasn’t necessary to attend, but Idelli had insisted—for one reason only: Yante Russeino, the Crown Prince.

While it wasn’t her place as a duke’s daughter, tasked with the family’s public and social duties, to step out of line, she believed that every chance to meet him face-to-face, to exchange even the smallest of glances, could lay the foundation for feelings that didn’t yet exist. After all, even a rice cake must be shaped by hand to come into being.

The Grace Ducal House wasn’t a family of founding contributors to the empire, like the Strigo Countship. However, they had produced over ten empresses, granting them considerable influence. The current Grace Duke’s childhood friendship with the Empress, which had carried into adulthood, ensured their family’s unshakable position in high society.

Since the Crown Prince had not yet arrived, the nobles were freely conversing amongst themselves.

“They say they even took Evelyn’s commander hostage. He’s the youngest brother of the Evelyn King, so this war has certainly yielded incredible results.”

“Ha-ha! At first, I didn’t understand why His Highness was so fixated on Evelyn, but now I see. If Evelyn becomes a vassal state, we can make their flourishing civilization our own.”

“Oh, you share my thoughts, Lord! I must admit, I was skeptical at first. I even dared to think His Highness’s ambition to expand our territory was unbecoming. But I’ve changed my mind. Truly, His Highness sees the bigger picture. Sending General Strigo to subdue Evelyn’s cities without significant losses—remarkable indeed!”

Idelli smirked inwardly.

Six months ago, these same nobles had been grumbling about the Crown Prince’s unchecked ambition, calling his territorial expansion reckless while the Emperor lay bedridden. Now, having aligned themselves with the Prince’s growing power at the last minute, their loyalty was predictably shallow.

“The ignorance of fools who can’t even sense pheromones is truly astounding,” Idelli thought cynically.

The councilors, oblivious to her sharp evaluation, continued their chattering, occasionally sneaking glances her way.

“Lady Idelli, have you heard the news as well?”

“Of course. What noble hasn’t heard the dispatches from the Grand General?”

“Ha-ha! So, the Lady has taken an interest!”

“Every night, I pray for the safe return of the campaign army that has fought so valiantly for the Empire.”

“Such beauty of spirit to match such beauty of face! Surely, the gods themselves will be moved and grant their protection to the army.”

Idelli responded with a polite smile.

“What a load of nonsense,” she thought dryly.

It wasn’t just these men who were buzzing with excitement. The victory dispatch from the campaign army had even stirred noble families who typically remained at their desks, scribbling with quills.

“I hope General Strigo arrives soon. I’d love to hear the details directly from him. If he does, I’ll have to request a private audience.”

“Come to think of it, he hasn’t arrived yet, has he?”

“They said he was supposed to arrive today, but there’s been no news.”

“Hasn’t arrived yet? I thought he’d already made it back.”

“If he had, he would have reported directly to His Highness the Crown Prince. He’s probably still en route.”

As debates swirled about the whereabouts of Kairos, the man responsible for the campaign’s greatest achievements, the large doors to the audience chamber began to open.

Idelli, who had been suppressing her boredom, lit up with a radiant smile. His arrival wasn’t first announced by a herald’s voice but by an overwhelming aura—the unmistakable weight of pheromones.

Like mist creeping through a secluded mountain valley, the pheromones slithered across the floor, curling around Idelli’s ankles like a serpent’s tongue. It was cold, heavy, and dense, pinning her in place with its sheer potency.

It was unmistakably the pheromones of a Supreme Alpha. In his presence, no one could remain upright with confidence. The pheromones of a Supreme Alpha were said to seize the soul, compelling deference without the aid of spells or magic—simply by stirring primal instincts to bow at his feet.

The fact that the Crown Prince was a Supreme Alpha had come to light before he ascended to his current position, back when he was merely a prince. After his brothers mysteriously died or fell to unsavory scandals, he had risen to prominence. By the time people finally began to notice the unscathed prince among the chaos, he had deliberately stepped forward, as if the timing had been part of a plan all along.

Idelli Grace had been present for that shocking, almost terrifying moment of revelation.

There he is, she thought, the one Alpha who stands eye-to-eye with me. No—he’s the only man so superior that I’d tiptoe if I had to just to meet his gaze.

The moment she saw him, all thoughts of her own admirers or the charming, dominant Alphas vying for her attention vanished. As a Supreme Omega who had always ruled over others, she suddenly understood that there was only one person in the world she’d willingly allow herself to be captured by.

Other men she could manipulate with ease, like puppets in her hand. But for him, she would gladly be swayed.

She had shivered with awe and delight, utterly captivated.

Even now, the shock of that moment hadn’t completely faded, though years had passed.

Yante M. Russeino.

The sole Crown Prince of Doblak and the man almost certain to become the next Emperor. His golden hair flowed like a cascade of light, and his blue eyes sparkled like embedded jewels. His beauty was striking, but it wasn’t merely his face—his shoulders were broad, like those of a general fresh from the battlefield, his hips were firm like those of a warhorse, and his legs were long and elegant.

He looked like a sculpture molded by the hands of a god. How he had managed to remain under the radar for so long with such features was a testament to his cunning. No noble was unaware now of the Crown Prince’s craftiness and sharp intellect.

“Even his guile makes him more desirable,” Idelli thought, licking her lips subtly.