Damn! Damn! Chapter 4

[No. Honey, why would I say it might be easy to get?]

“…”

[It’s in the mansion where he lives. I was a bit surprised by this part, too. I wondered if it was just Michael Bernhard, but that wasn’t the case. Apparently, two other Royal Alphas in England and Switzerland also keep it where they live and manage it personally.]

That meant the rest were managed by the government. Linus added that he didn’t know what the criteria for that were.

He had tried to find out if there were any under-the-table dealings in this gap, but Linus said he couldn’t find any flaws. It was unsettling, but since there was nothing visible, there was nothing to harp on.

“I see. So, the bottom line is that I have to infiltrate Michael Bernhard’s mansion.”

[It seems God is trying to help you, Achim.]

“What do you mean?”

Achim, who had been muttering to himself at Linus’s words, asked back immediately.

[As it happens, Michael Bernhard is looking for an employee at his mansion.]

“What? Really?”

[I’m telling you, he is.]

Linus’s voice was filled with a bit of emotion. Achim agreed with him. For the situation and timing to align so perfectly—it didn’t seem entirely wrong to say that God was helping.

Infiltrate Michael Bernhard’s mansion under a false identity and extract his frozen semen.

The corners of his mouth twitched on their own at the thought that things might resolve more easily than expected. Achim tried hard to suppress his premature excitement.

“So, what are the employment conditions?”

Since he was a figure reputed to be a multi-millionaire, the mansion he stayed in must be grand in scale. So, a guard, or perhaps a gardener, or if not that, a chef or a warehouse manager…

It was when Achim was imagining each role in his head that Linus’s words flowed out of the receiver.

[Maid.]

There was a moment of silence.

“…Maid?”

Achim asked back half a beat late. It was only natural, as even though it wasn’t a trick question, it was difficult to take it at face value.

[Specifically, a house maid. They say you’d be managing the mansion under the direction of the housekeeper. Apparently, the work is mainly managing rooms and cleaning. It might be less difficult than you think.]

Linus’s voice was flat. Achim felt relieved and cleared the image of a maid he had in his head.

“Linus, you scared me. I thought you meant I’d have to cross-dress.”

Linus laughed out loud, “Ha ha.”

[What are you talking about, Achim? You’re stating the obvious.]

“Right, obviously… …Wait, what?”

What? Achim asked in a louder voice. Only then did Linus laugh loudly, and Achim gripped his phone tightly with a reddened face.

“Are you saying I actually have to wear a maid outfit?”

[A maid wears a maid outfit; what else would they wear?]

“…Crazy.”

Linus laughed airily at the profanity he spat out. Achim looked down at his own body with a face full of despair and spoke as if pouring it out.

“No, logically speaking, do you think that’s even possible? Regardless of whether I like it or not, I mean. With—with this body, is cross-dressing even feasible?”

His height was well below the national average, but the problem, if it was a problem, was that anyone could see it was a male physique—he had been a mercenary, after all.

Achim, who had been scanning his body with a pale face, lifted his head. When he turned, he could see the stained mirror attached to the small sink. His roughly cut hair and the naturally hollow areas under his eyes from being in a dark place for so long were the first things he noticed. Isn’t my skin a bit dull, too?

Achim, who was looking at his own face, sighed and adjusted his grip on the phone.

“Not just my body, but… ugh, no, Linus. Think about it objectively. Do you really think it’s possible?”

[Have some confidence, Achim. Why are you backing out before you even try?]

“…”

[I don’t think it’s impossible at all. Achim, you might not know, but you’re secretly…]

“…Secretly?”

Achim repeated his words.

[Um, this isn’t my opinion, but… did you know there were three guys who liked you back when we were mercenaries?]

“…What did you say?”

Achim asked back as if he had heard wrong. At most, there were only about twenty people there. And all of them were Beta males…

[Do you know how much Bastian used to drool while looking at your ass? I haven’t seen him staring blankly at your ass just once or twice.]

“Fuck.”

[Whoa, whoa, don’t curse. I’m just telling you what I saw.]

Haa. Achim sighed deeply with his palm on his forehead, then opened his eyes wide again.

He’s not someone who deals in human flesh, so why would he drool while looking at someone else’s ass!

[Actually, not just your ass…]

“Stop talking about my ass.”

[Oh, should I? Ahem. Anyway, you have a handsome face, even among Asians, and your body is actually on the slender side. Thanks to that, you were more agile, too.]

“…”

[And the recruitment conditions include physical requirements. You have to be 175 cm or taller. The average height for women in their 20s here is 170 cm, Achim. How tall did you say you were?]

It was welcome news, but that didn’t mean he felt particularly good about it. When Achim replied with an unpleasant tone that he was 178 cm, Linus said that was great.

[How is it? All the situations and conditions seem tailored to you. Do you feel like doing it?]

Linus’s voice was tinged with laughter. That was because he already knew what Achim was going to say.

“Why even ask?”

Once he had accepted the proposal, there was no turning back. In other words, there were no other options.

Instead of worrying about whether it would be possible, it was better to take a realistic approach, even if it meant “shaving his bones.” Of course, he couldn’t literally shave his bones, so he would have to change his appearance as much as possible in a short time to make it look convincing.

Achim roughly swept back his bangs.

“I have to do it.”

Then Linus laughed and said:

[Good thinking, honey.]

A Royal Alpha. A trait that is extremely rare, even among the few Alphas out of billions of people.

Just like Alphas and Omegas, they are naturally superior, both outwardly and physically, and they also have a slightly longer lifespan than regular Alphas and Omegas. Therefore, they are a mysterious and superior race, with an average life expectancy nearly 20 years different from regular people.

That was how Achim defined them.

He hadn’t had much interest in traits in the first place, but once he defined them, they felt even more distant. It was a story far removed from Achim, who was an ordinary person—a Beta.

Alphas with Alphas, Omegas with Omegas, or Alphas with Omegas.

Those who shared the commonality of their innate traits had frequent interactions among themselves, and regardless of the country, most lived together in wealthy neighborhoods.

Naturally, Achim was surrounded only by Betas, which was the reason why he couldn’t help but view their lives as stories from another world outside of Earth.

The first moment Achim remembered since birth was a row of old, attached doors and a narrow room, dozens of young children, and the shrill voice of someone teasing him for being Asian.

That was the world Achim saw for the first time.

—What is “Asian”?

Little Achim asked. Then, a child with bright brown hair and blue eyes laughed with a sneer.

—Something like you.

Something like me? Achim asked back with innocent eyes.

Young Achim was naive. That was because he had been abandoned at the facility before he could even open his eyes, and like the words of the child who had pointed fingers at him, he realized a little late that his appearance was different from theirs. That was why he learned to speak late and couldn’t easily make friends.

Instead, for a young child, he had deep patience. It was closer to being indifferent than patience, but anyway, Achim had become immune to being teased early on.

When Achim stared blankly at the child who was teasing him, the child ended up crying and went back.

After that, Achim, who was curious about the meaning of the word the child had said, searched through every grimy book in the facility without exception.

After finding out the dictionary definition of “Asian,” Achim harbored another question.

Achim, who rarely ran, ran straight to the facility teacher and asked.

—Teacher, where was I born?

Then, the teacher had a slightly flustered face.

That was when Achim knew. That he was a person without relatives.