We’re in a Contract Marriage, But I’ve Imprinted - Chapter 187

“Oh my God. Mel.”

“A lightning wizard…?”

Both of them couldn’t hide their expressions of worry and surprise at my words. Their reactions made me want to laugh. Why hadn’t I been able to share something so simple with anyone until now?

“Um, you know…”

Olivia cautiously began to speak.

“Have you ever heard of an elixir?”

“Uh? No, I haven’t…”

“Oh my God! An elixir? Olivia!”

“See? The Tower’s Master is getting all worked up over how incredible this potion is. It takes a tremendous amount of time, magic, and very rare materials to make.”

I couldn’t understand why Olivia was saying this. No, I couldn’t decide. I had only just begun to taste true freedom. I had finally managed to stand on my own. But what if the imprint came back to life? What would I do then?

I gazed at Olivia with a face that couldn’t hide my anxiety. She looked at me quietly for a moment before carefully adding,

“If you need it, I can give you the elixir. Do you want to fix your damaged pheromone gland?”

In front of a question that might be considered a once-in-a-lifetime stroke of luck, I hesitated to answer.

At that moment, a wave of self-loathing surged within me. Here I was, talking about wanting to do what was best for my child, yet in the crucial moment, I was only looking out for my own well-being.

* * *

As Adrian exited the Empress’s palace, he couldn’t hide a shallow sense of betrayal and emptiness. He had come here with a sense of hope, but instead, he was confronted with a harsh reality.

The Empress, surprisingly, shared the truth about when Lucia was present. She revealed that it had been more agonizing than death to think that Lucia, not herself, would bear the Crown Prince. It was unbearably wretched for hearself to not be an omega.

Thus, she expressed her jealousy and hatred towards Lucia. Since she was the Empress, she couldn’t openly express her hatred, so she resorted to subtle means, as she openly admitted.

He found her words to be contradictory. As she said, she had suffered undeserved humiliation and contempt because she was an omega, yet did she still want to be one?

As the Emperor, he was more able to meet the realities of the situation. Therefore, he had comprehensive information about betas. They seemed only to consider the disadvantages they faced and did not even think about the irrationalities endured by omegas.

Ironically, they harbored feelings of inferiority towards omegas just as much as they did towards alphas, laughing at the very omegas whose plight they found amusing.

In the end, according to their own desires, both alphas and omegas had treated those fewer in number like pawns.

He learned that the Empress’s torment was in the form of humiliating Lucia. She would send the maid to mock her, refusing to provide her with proper clothes, insisting that she was nothing but a being to be discarded once she bore a child. She made sure to demean Lucia.

Hearing all this left him dizzy with confusion.

It was hard to believe that the Empress, who always had a gentle smile and exuded kindness towards him, had committed such base acts behind the scenes. He felt a sense of betrayal and disappointment, but at the same time, another thought crossed his mind.

Wasn’t it true that not just omegas, but also the beta women who had to coexist with them suffered in agony?

Yet, it couldn’t be said that the customs were entirely favorable to alphas. Besides Duke Bryant, who was already regretting and paying the price for his actions, there might be other alphas in similar situations, like Pedro. So, who exactly were these customs benefiting?

Unable to tolerate a tradition that caused suffering for the entire populace of the Empire, he decided not to return to his palace. Instead, he headed to the library where the records and writings of past Emperors were kept.

The library, which only the Emperor could enter, was remarkably grand due to the many years it had been in existence. Adrian passed through it quickly, eager to uncover the truth.

He retrieved the writings of the 10th Emperor, Gael Aerys Fernando, which he had discovered previously, and settled into a nearby sofa to read through it carefully from the beginning.

It was recorded that during Gael Aerys Fernando’s reign, the number of alphas was significantly low. Perhaps because of this, omegas were more proactive in seeking the attention of alphas. Additionally, these omegas were not the commoners born of illegitimate lines like today, but were of pure noble blood.

One similarity with the present was that omegas were noted to be beautiful. Their beauty, incomparable to that of ordinary betas, was sufficient to captivate not only alphas but also beta males.

Still, betas seemed to remain unaware of how crucial pheromones were. Perhaps it was the greed of both alphas and omegas that prevented them from understanding something they could not truly perceive.

In any case, many beta males proposed to omegas at that time, but they were repeatedly thwarted by alphas. The real problem might have been that a beta male with ambitions and power happened to be the one behind the slander.

Adrian pulled out a thin, small diary that was nestled within Gael Aerys Fernando’s writings and began to read.

At some point, rumors about alphas began to spread unfavorably. Alphas, who were true to their instincts, were treated like beasts, which tarnished their dignity. No matter how superior alphas were in terms of ability compared to betas or omegas, if they were outnumbered, there weren’t many options left.

Betas maliciously slandered Emperor Gael Aerys Fernando behind his back. He could not allow the authority of alphas to diminish like this. However, it was also not feasible to attack the betas, who constituted the largest percentage of the empire’s population, so he pondered for a long time.

Thus, the target of the slander became the omegas, who, aside from their beauty, were clumsy in many ways.

From that point on, omegas became perceived as vulgar and frivolous beings.

As time went on, their status declined from noble to illegitimate child, from illegitimate child to commoner, and ultimately they were reduced to mere breeding mares for alphas.