The Sweet Alpha Crown Prince Loves Me So Much Chapter 139

Chapter 139

Clang.

Ayla, who had been unable to shake off her status as a third wheel, finally dropped her knife.

Balvenie had thoroughly fanned the flames of her already troubled heart.

“Whaaat?!”

It was Carl Lindbergh who let out the shrill cry.

Among the Grand Duke’s three sons, Belfry Hendrick was the only Omega. Therefore, if one were to choose a partner from among them, it would naturally be Belfry, wouldn’t it?

“W-What do you mean by that?”

Carl’s face hardened as he looked back and forth between Belfry, Leia, and Adrian.

Adrian and Leia quickly understood Balvenie’s intentions, but Belfry was so flustered that for a moment, he stared blankly, his mind gone.

The only one who remained composed was Grand Duke Balvenie himself.

“What’s the matter? Is there some problem with an unmarried Alpha and Omega, or an unmarried man and woman, pairing up in advance?”

“That’s not it, but, t-that is…”

Carl stammered, unable to bring himself to ask how this was any different from arranging a marriage between Belfry and Leia.

For Carl Lindbergh, there was a slightly unsettling aspect to this: Belfry was currently nursing an unrequited love. For Adrian Heineken, no less.

Not only was that a feeling that couldn’t be easily folded away just because someone told him to, but the presence of Princess Ayla, who hovered around Leia for reasons unknown, was also bothersome. On top of that, the pairing of a female Alpha and a male Omega was unfamiliar.

Of course, it wasn’t Carl Lindbergh’s place to interfere even if Leia met a male Alpha, but Leia herself had clearly stated that she wanted an Omega.

Balvenie put down the fork he had been using to cut his meat and observed the reactions of the young people.

Adrian seemed to have little interest, busy taking care of the flustered Carl Lindbergh. He didn’t forget to shoot occasional glares at his uncle.

‘Must you stir things up on such a fine day?’

It felt as if he could read his thoughts so vividly that the back of Balvenie’s neck tickled.

Emperor Glenn had been just like that in his youth.

Usually easygoing, but endlessly childish when it came to his mate.

Not that Balvenie was any different.

Belfry, who had been intimidated by his father since he was young, sat there, unable to even protest.

Ayla crumpled her skirt, her bottom fidgeting as if she wanted to leave this place immediately, her eyes turning red. Princess Leia, the person in question, closed her eyes, lost in thought.

“Putting the Empire and the Kingdom aside, if our family produces a Prince-Regnant’s consort, it will bring its own political benefits, so I thought it wasn’t a bad idea to throw my hat in the ring.”

Balvenie spoke playfully, saying he had three sons, so they could take their time thinking it over, and then downed his wine in one gulp.

Except for Carl Lindbergh, who had been unintentionally forced to abstain from alcohol, and Adrian, who was abstaining along with him, everyone was slightly tipsy.

Among them, Balvenie, who had drunk the most, boasted a constitution that didn’t show a single change in his complexion.

In the silence that had fallen like a bucket of cold water, Leia, having finished her thoughts, smiled at the Grand Duke.

“Regarding that matter, would it be all right if I inform you again after reaching an agreement with the person involved?”

Leia’s smile was full of confidence.

Balvenie thought, ‘Well, look at this,’ and added an unnecessary comment.

“Inform me? You speak as if my permission is not needed at all.”

Leia nonchalantly refilled the Grand Duke’s glass.

“Didn’t you offer me a way out first, Grand Duke? I felt that I must advance now, or else I might lose my horse.”

Pouring her own glass as well, Leia raised it, looking at Belfry instead of the Grand Duke, and drained it in one go, just as the Grand Duke had done moments before.

A shiver ran down Belfry’s spine at her determination to strike while the iron was hot and seize her prize.

“Hahaha, you truly are of the stuff great monarchs are made of. I covet you.”

Balvenie laughed heartily.

“Whomever you want, I will actively support you.”

“I am most grateful.”

The two exchanged words and smiled meaningfully.

Carl, who couldn’t make heads or tails of what was being said, whispered to Adrian, “Should we be preparing for an engagement? What about Belfry’s opinion?”

Marrying someone else while holding onto an unrequited love wouldn’t be good for either Belfry or Leia.

Carl’s brow furrowed deeply with worry.

Adrian looked back at his foster brother.

Belfry’s gaze, as he bit his lower lip, was fixed on Ayla.

And it was filled with compassion.

Adrian, seeing the flushed tips of his ears, which were separate from his gaze, whispered quietly to Carl.

“Well… I think he’s going to get eaten alive if he keeps dithering.”

“But he shouldn’t, right?”

“The princess also said she would reach an agreement with the person involved, so she won’t completely ignore Belfry’s opinion. Don’t worry too much.”

Adrian lightly patted Carl Lindbergh’s cheek.

He could clearly picture Emperor Glenn throwing a tantrum.

However, thanks to Balvenie relinquishing his right of succession according to the late Empress’s will, Glenn had been able to ascend the throne in a completely flawless state.

The reason for establishing the merchant guild was similar. To preemptively block any seditious movements that might arise if he remained in the Empire. With that, Balvenie had put Glenn in his debt, and now that the Grand Duke had decided to support the relationship between Leia and Belfry, Glenn would no longer be able to openly oppose it.

Well, he would probably grumble about it.

Adrian kneaded Carl Lindbergh’s brow to smooth out the wrinkles and prayed for Belfry’s heart to become one with Leia’s.

Otherwise, the one who would suffer would, surprisingly, be Carl Lindbergh.

 

***

 

Ayla felt her last hope disappearing.

She was a kite with a broken string, a ship that had lost its sail.

Leia’s heart was set steadfastly on Belfry, and she even had the Grand Duke’s support behind her.

Now, when she returned to the Kingdom of Leva, she would be helpless, subject to her father’s reprimands.

Walking alone in the garden after the banquet, she saw Carl Lindbergh and his mate heading to their quarters, with Carl practically being carried.

The sound of their cheerful chatter, so happy about something, never ceased.

There was not the slightest crack for her to slip through.

“Why can’t I have it?”

The ordinary happiness she longed for.

Having a child and building a family with a spouse who loves her and whom she loves.

Everyone else was doing it so well, so why was it so difficult for her alone?

‘You’re already at an age where you’re not selling well. If you delay any longer, you’ll end up marrying some noble from the frontier. Do you want that?’

It felt as if her wet nurse’s voice was ringing in her ears, and she didn’t want to go back to her room.

A surge of resentment towards Leia Lindbergh welled up.

You said you’d be my breathing room.

She wanted to ask why he had massaged her feet that day. Ayla vented her frustration by stomping on innocent weeds, wanting to turn back time, to a time before she had seen her, to a time before she had harbored useless hope.

Rustle.

“Ah!”

At the sound from behind, Ayla snapped back to her senses.

“Ah…”

Belfry, who had identified Ayla’s face in the dim light, scratched his nose in embarrassment.

He, too, had come out because he was troubled, but it seemed the other person was just as troubled.

‘I won’t be getting any sleep tonight.’

That was Belfry’s thought as he looked at Ayla’s distorted expression.

The two of them just stood there, silently looking at each other.

It was a strange relationship. It was so obvious that Ayla had feelings for Leia that anyone could see it, and Belfry was at the apex of an unwanted love triangle.

Unwanted, no, had been unwanted.

Belfry pressed a hand to his chest and quietly turned around.

He intended to leave just like that. Ayla Leva was someone who would eventually return to the Kingdom of Leva anyway, so if he just avoided her for a while, she would be gone at some point.

‘Then what about me? Wasn’t I also someone who had to go back?’

He didn’t know anymore.

“…Please help me, Lord Hendrick.”

At Ayla’s faintly trembling voice, Belfry’s heart sank.

“Please, just help me this one time.”

When Belfry stopped in his tracks, Ayla pleaded with him once more.

“…With what, may I ask?”

It was puzzling. Belfry had no connection whatsoever with Ayla, nor did he have any authority to interfere in the affairs of the Kingdom of Leva.

What did she want?

“Please don’t take away the place where I can be wholly myself.”

Her tone was pitiful.

When Belfry remained silent, Ayla approached him.

Close enough that he could easily hear her even if she spoke softly.

“You, my lord, have loving parents, siblings, and a solid position, but I have nothing.”

It was a ridiculous thing for a princess of a nation to say.

Compared to the Empire, most kingdoms were insignificant, but Lindbergh and Leva were of a different caliber.

Belfry whirled around.

Tears were welling in Ayla’s drooping eyes.

“Did I, take away the place where the princess belongs?”

A sudden surge of anger rose within him. Belfry hadn’t taken anything. He didn’t want to.

“You are planning to, aren’t you.”

“What?”

Unyielding even in the face of Belfry’s fierce expression, Ayla clenched her fists.

Leia Lindbergh wants Belfry Hendrick. But does Belfry Hendrick want her?

It takes two to tango.

If one of them withdraws their hand, she could just grab the other hand that has nowhere to go.

Ayla finished her calculations in that short moment.

“I’ve wasted my life being used by my father. When I came to my senses, I found myself a recessive Omega without a mate, only getting older in times like these.”

As pitiful and shabby as possible.

Belfry looked a little surprised.

“My father still wants me to become His Highness Adrian’s second wife.”

“Such nonsense.”

If the Crown Prince truly intended to take a second consort, Belfry wouldn’t stand by idly either.

How he had given up on Carl Lindbergh. Thinking that far, Belfry was startled by his own thoughts.

He himself didn’t even know when or how he had come to give up on Carl.

“I know very well that it’s nonsense. I never intended to, either. Instead, I fell in love with Princess Leia Lindbergh.”

Thump. It wasn’t as if he didn’t know, but Belfry’s heart plummeted to his feet and shot back up.

“This is the first path I’ve chosen for myself, my lord. Please help me.”

You don’t love the princess, do you? You’re young and a dominant Omega, so there must be many places that would take you.

Ayla murmured repeatedly, as if trying to brainwash Belfry.

“…What, and how, may I ask?” Belfry asked, and Ayla smiled faintly.

In Ayla’s mind, he was just an ordinary man who had recently become an Omega. The world may have changed, but Beta men still preferred women as mates. It would be inevitable for him to feel pity at a woman’s tears, and no matter how beautiful Princess Leia was as an Alpha, her aggressive courtship would not be welcome to him at present.

“Even if Princess Leia shows you favor, don’t return it.”

Ayla placed a hand lightly on Belfry’s shoulder.

Belfry’s brow furrowed slightly at the excessive closeness, but he paid it no mind.

“She’s not so idle as to cling to unrequited affection.”

Haa.

Belfry let out a small sigh.

He took her hand.

Ayla thought she had succeeded. It was clear that Leia Lindbergh was not a very good marriage partner for Belfry either.

“My, you make such a trivial request so secretly.”

Belfry smiled radiantly. The monocle he always wore glinted.