I Became the Omega in a Game - Chapter 25

The nobles, who had been noisily chatting moments ago, fell silent, bowing their heads. Yante strode confidently to the head seat and glanced briefly at the empty chair nearby.

“Has Count Strigo not arrived yet? Wasn’t he at the inner gates?”

The aide who had followed him in bowed his head.

“He’s exhausted and plans to appear tomorrow.”

“Exhausted, in that body of his? Strange. Perhaps he’s off meeting a lover?”

“Surely not. He mentioned needing to rid himself of the stench of blood first.”

Yante’s expression softened into a faint smile, though his eyes remained piercing. The subtle curve of his lips conveyed a trust and fondness for Kairos Strigo that even his usual intimidating demeanor couldn’t fully conceal.

“The Strigo family will thrive for decades to come, at the very least,” Idelli thought as she watched the subtle but unmistakable favor the Crown Prince displayed.

While everyone mentally calculated the implications, Yante clapped his hands, drawing their attention.

“Well then, let’s decide what issues we’ll prioritize discussing with him tomorrow. I don’t want tomorrow’s meeting to drag on unnecessarily.”

Keep the meeting brief, and enjoy the camaraderie afterward.

The nobles immediately poured out flattery for his suggestion, falling over themselves to gain favor. Only then did they proceed to the actual discussion.

Doblak had successfully conquered the cities of Evelyn, but no one believed the Crown Prince’s ambitions ended there. The nobles openly speculated on what benefits they could reap from his future conquests.

Under normal circumstances, Idelli would have actively engaged in the meeting, taking care to exchange glances with the Crown Prince at opportune moments. Though he never outright welcomed her advances, he didn’t coldly dismiss her either, and she derived a private thrill from their subtle exchanges.

But today, she found it impossible to focus.

Even with the Crown Prince himself before her, her thoughts were elsewhere. Something gnawed at her, like a hangnail she couldn’t resist picking at, the irritation growing stronger with every passing moment.

A name that had been deeply buried for ten years kept rising to the surface of her mind.

“Ray, don’t disappoint me,” she thought darkly, her dazzling blue eyes turning cold.

Who is it, I wonder…

A rude girl, putting her claim on something that isn’t hers.

The concept of an Alpha’s imprinting.

It’s akin to the imprinting of animals but with distinct differences. Just as a duckling follows the first creature it sees after hatching, an Alpha-Omega’s imprinting creates a bond so strong that they cannot feel arousal for anyone else. Without their imprinted partner’s pheromones, they cannot quench their thirst. This phenomenon made imprinting a distasteful prospect for those Alphas and Omegas who enjoyed flitting from one partner to another in their hedonistic lifestyles.

Why this imprinting occurs remains unclear. Some attribute it to a perfect resonance of pheromonal waves; others claim it arises from overflowing love or intense attraction. Most imprints happen between partners who deeply love each other, but there are rare cases where imprinting occurs after just a single night, making its mechanisms a mystery.

“The bond breaks only when one partner dies?”

Such whispers had circulated.

Idelli was well-versed in the hearts of men. Their oversized egos and obsessive need for conquest meant that they burned with desire most fiercely when something they wanted was out of reach.

“Especially Ray. He’s like that more than anyone. Killing someone isn’t the best solution.”

The dead, after all, had a way of lingering in the living—haunting them as eternal memories. But if Raymond was genuinely tied to his partner—if this wasn’t just some fleeting fling—

“…I won’t allow it.”

Her nails tapped together with a soft click, a menacing rhythm of her brooding thoughts.

“Yes, I just need to keep Ray close to me. Distance weakens the heart—it’s an age-old truth. And for someone like Raymond, who can’t keep his lower half in check? If I manage to distract him from the imprint… that’ll be the time to…”

A crimson smile bloomed on her lips, as dark as a flower hidden in the shadows.

“Take care of it.”

It wouldn’t be difficult. To Raymond, Idelli was someone special. His desire to possess her had been building for so long that the longing itself had become the goal. Still, the thought of someone else’s mark on the precious ring she’d thought of as hers—her Raymond—was infuriating.

Who could it be? Who? Who?

“Who is it?”

Raymond hadn’t been leaving the house recently. A strange thing, considering his usual habits. The man who had once woken up in a different woman’s bed every night as though it were routine now stayed put, an enigma.

If Kairos Strigo was seeing a woman, then the likelihood was high that she was the culprit. But his older brother had been away at war until now. Before that, Kairos wasn’t known for having any particular romantic partner, just frequenting clubs for drinks.

“Now that I think about it… that club. He used to visit often, didn’t he?”

The club in question was Queen. And of all places, it had to be that Queen.

When Idelli thought of the burly Omega waitress she had noticed there once, her lips twisted into a curious smile. Unlike the forceful pressure of an Alpha’s pheromones, the Omega’s pheromones had clung and tangled like silk threads—a unique and intriguing experience.

“Should I stop by?”

She had multiple reasons to visit.

“I can fish for information on Ray’s current state while I’m at it.”

Riche—that was the Omega’s name, wasn’t it?

For a brief moment, Idelli found herself wondering what that woman might be doing right now.

Kairos Strigo had returned. He was likely resting at home.

“Of all times, he had to return now.”

As long as he was present, Idelli couldn’t enter the Strigo estate. The restriction Kairos had placed on her access years ago, furious over how she had “toyed” with his younger brother, was still in effect.

After a brief moment of deliberation, Idelli’s lips curled into a sly smirk.

“If I can’t go in, I’ll just have to make him come out.”

* * *

Idelli arrived at the Strigo estate only to be met with an unexpected reply.

“The Count isn’t here?”

The butler, ever courteous, clasped his hands together in response instead of providing a verbal answer.

The butler of the Strigo household was a quiet, ghost-like figure who compensated for the rough and haphazard ways of the two Strigo brothers with his sharp efficiency and meticulousness. Despite his unassuming demeanor, Idelli appreciated his ability to handle matters cleanly and discern what should and shouldn’t be done.

“If he hadn’t been working here for so long, I’d have taken him as my personal butler.”

A man of such sharp perception could significantly streamline her demanding schedule. The numerous “rings” in her collection required careful upkeep—both figuratively and literally. These “rings” were not just jewelry but the men who fancied themselves in her orbit. If neglected, they would rust, tarnish, and grow useless. To keep them sparkling, she would occasionally meet with them, flash a dazzling smile, and feed them just enough hope to keep them tethered to her.

The hope, for instance, that despite all the others, they were the most special.

“Of course, if I marry Ray, this butler might end up mine anyway.”

Surely, the overly upright Kairos Strigo would yield to his brother’s happiness. Unless, of course, Kairos’s disapproval of her caused him to erupt in anger.

“But then again, I can’t give up my position next to the Crown Prince either. That’s the real problem. It would be best to keep Ray as a lover.”

If it didn’t seem possible? She would make it so.

With a sweet smile, Idelli stopped the butler, who was about to announce her arrival to Raymond.

“There’s no need to tell him.”

“Excuse me?”

“I want to surprise him.”

Idelli raised a finger to her lips and winked. The gesture was beautiful, endearing, and undeniably seductive, but the butler looked uneasy. Even as close as they might be, barging in unannounced was still a breach of decorum.

“But Ray would be happier if I did it this way. You know that.”

The butler hesitated briefly before stepping aside. Idelli smiled, satisfied, and walked gracefully toward the open hall. With the confidence of someone who had been there many times, she found her way to Raymond’s room.

Creak. She pushed the door open as carefully as she could, but the hinges betrayed her with a faint noise. Clicking her tongue, Idelli peered inside to see if Raymond had noticed.

He was seated at his desk. It wasn’t the dining table laden with drinks and snacks where she was used to seeing him but a proper desk. It had been ages since she’d seen him sitting like that—perhaps not since the days they had studied together under the same tutor.

“What’s this? Is he reading?”

Idelli tilted her head in curiosity.

Raymond’s broad, lean back was slightly hunched over. The white shirt clung to his muscular frame, highlighting his sharp shoulders and the contours of his shoulder blades.

Her gaze lingered, admiring the sight, until a frustrated voice broke through her thoughts.

“Damn it. Should I have written a letter or something? Would they like this kind of thing? Everything I’m writing feels like nonsense…”

“A letter?”

Idelli’s gaze finally fell on the feathered quill gripped between Raymond’s fingers.

“Riche… Ah, damn it.”

The sound of crumpling paper followed as a discarded sheet hit the floor.

“This isn’t it. Just showing up with flowers and waiting under the covers would be way easier.”

“Riche.”

The name struck a familiar chord in Idelli’s memory. She combed through her thoughts, trying to recall where she’d heard it before.

Suddenly, her eyes flashed with realization.

“That Beta?”

Why was that woman’s name coming out of Raymond’s mouth?

* * *