Freya felt her mind go empty, the machine was already broken but the projector wasn't, so, Freya can only watch as names appeared on the giant screen.
The dazed crowd burst into an immediate discussion and Freya already saw her dreams flying away from her grasp.
---
30 minutes ago before the disaster happens.
---
With her mother as a guide, Freya arrived at the Mating Hall and was seated in VIP seats, befitting their standing. As the Holsworth name is revered, their seat was one of the best besides those for the Royal Family and Dukes.
"Marchioness Frey, I didn't think I will come to see you here." While Freya was dazing in her seat, a high-pitched irritating voice came from the neighboring seats.
The relaxed expression on her mother's face visibly changed into a little frown and her orange eyes began to show annoyance.
"Well, if it isn't Countess Linda. I also didn't think I will saw you here today."
"Are you here for your daughter's mating test? Would it be ok though? You know, your daughter is a bit-"
"I heard your omega son has a new scandal. Daring to seduce the Great Marshal in a public place?"
"What-!"
Freya watched as two beauties(of course, her mother is much more beautiful.) crossed swords using their words and can't help but be impressed.
High-level beauties talked to each other with poisonous intent yet look so amicable while doing it. Scary 😥
While Frey was defending her daughter's honor, Freya was examining this noble lady called Countess Linda. The original doesn't attend banquets and celebrations, opting to go MIA on a lot of occasions and so, doesn't know a lot of nobles.
But with this Countess Linda, Freya has a vague memory of her.
'Ah!' Realization dawned on Freya as soon as she remembered her mother's title. Among the five crowned beauties of high nobility, her mother was the undisputed number one. With beauty, smarts, and background. On the other hand, Countess Linda was the undisputed number two in the rankings, just below her mother.
Whenever the two of them did the same thing, her mother will rise as number one, rendering Countess Linda in the eternal ranking of being number two.
'An enmity caused by the popularity rankings!' Freya wanted to eat popcorn while watching but then again, this is her mother, so should she help her fend off the enemy or be a spectating passerby?
Ai~ This is her mother, a backer! So let's fend off the enemy!
"Mother."
Frey stopped midway from spouting the incoming elegant insults she was about to say and looked at her daughter.
"Please don't lower your dignity by talking to unimportant people."
Countess Linda might be a countess, but her husband doesn't have a good reputation or power in their region. The Count title owned by her husband is hereditary, meaning if the past Count is capable, that doesn't mean the one to succeed the title is one too. And that's the case for Countess Linda's husband who only knows how to gamble their family's wealth.
Having a Countess title might be good to overwhelm those of lower titles but, the Marchioness of the Holsworth is not someone a powerless Countess can subdue. And so, Countess Linda is categorized as an unimportant person in Freya's mind.
'So what if you're a countess? Do you have power? As long as you don't have that, everyone will salute you due to your title but never respect you.'
"You-!" Upon hearing her words, the smug Countess Linda who thought she was winning the argument almost flared up in anger while Frey softly smiled.
How can Frey forget? This woman in front of her is weak. She almost let her annoyance consume her.
"Oh dear, my daughter is right. I've wasted my time on some unimportant matters. Countess Linda, you should be sitting in your seat, no? The mating test is starting." Frey smiled, not a single mockery or contempt can be seen on her expression.
Countess Linda gritted her teeth in anger, her face full of animosity as she glared at the mother and daughter pair.
"I might be unimportant but I have fulfilled my obligations as an Omega, but your daughter...Tch" Duchess Linda snorted and walked over to her far-way seat, leaving words that made Frey want to attack her.
"Mother, it's alright." Freya calmed her mother down, and thought to herself, 'What nonsense obligations? I only want to be a rich and single omega. Something that your omega son can't achieve.'
"Just wait and see, I let that woman knows who she's messing with," Frey murmured as she clasped her right hand to her daughter's.
"The mating test is starting. All omega's that belong to Baron Households, please get in line." A robotic voice resounded and the hall darkened, only leaving the machine in the center shining.
Did Freya ever describe the mating hall? Nope? Then, the mating hall looks like a gigantic auditorium with a classic western design with a touch of modern technology, the place was colored red and gold, and the mating machine was located on the stage, and above the machine was a large black screen.
In the mating hall, there were five floors. The fifth floor is the highest floor and all those who were seated there are the most powerful in the empire. Frey and Freya, we're seated just beside the empty Royal seats.
On this floor, Freya can see the whole view of the mating hall.
Freya watched in fascination as the omegas on the stage take their test. At first, Freya thought that for each person, the test is going to take extensive time, but her theory was proven wrong.
The mating machine will extend a thin needle while the omega will stretch their hand and release their pheromones, the machine will then lightly pierce the skin and will take ten seconds to analyze the blood and pheromones composition and another ten seconds to match the results with an alpha.
Once there was a high percentage match, the mating machine will announce the results. All it took was a minute for one omega to be tested.
But no matter how fast the mating test is, in the vast empire of Magnum, there were a lot of nobles who had brought their family's omegas for today's mating test. And so, Freya has to watch as countless minutes pass by.
With nothing to do, Freya turned to her mother, who was seriously watching the mating test.
"Mother, why are we last to test?" Shouldn't the big nobles go first?
Freya watches as her mother gave her a grim stare. 'Did I say something wrong?'
"Freya, have you forgotten your history lessons again?"
Uh-Oh😖
Freya widened her eyes and made a pitiful face. 'Who would have the time to review those headache-inducing memories full of suffering?'
Seeing her pitiful face, Frey sighed and caressed her head.
While glancing left and right, Frey whispered to her daughter's ears in a low voice.
"678th year of the Magnum Empire, The privilege to go first in the mating test belonged to the royalties and the high nobles but because of an accident, it was reversed. You should know what comes next."
Freya nodded her head and filtered through the torturing memories and found the story her mother was referring to.
In the 678th year of the Magnum Empire, there was a doted omega prince, loved by both the Emperor and the Empress. With great fanfare, the whole empire watches as that prince takes his mating test. Once he was tested by the mating machine, he was matched by an alpha, of course, it would have been good if his match wasn't a lowly soldier.
The arrogant omega prince can't accept the result and wept. He made a great ruckus in the hall while being witnessed by thousands of people. After he was calmed down, the raging heart of the prince was triggered when a lowly baron's omega son matched with a mighty general alpha, who at that time happened to be the omega prince's crush.
The omega prince made a big commotion that time and lost the imperial family's face. To cover up the disgraceful matter, the Imperial family ordered to reverse the order the mating test is being taken, starting from the lower barons up to the royalty. And it was also ordered that after the nobles had taken their test, they need to leave the mating hall, lest they saw another unpleasant match that can lose the face of the higher nobles or the royalty.
Only those who had connections and the real power of the empire can stay in the hall.