'Ugh, I said I would treat the emperor like a younger brother, but how long will he hug me for? My waist is beginning to feel numb now.'
Meira had been stuck in the same awkward position with his waist held captive by the young alpha for about an hour now.
During that time, Secretary Morris had entered the room and looked at Meria as if he were a god.
The young alpha had not liked that attention, and poor Morris had been again reduced to a trembling mess by the sharp force of those pheromones.
Meria had lost her chance to confront the young emperor, and that was how he was forced to endure this situation.
Just when the embarrassment got too much for Meria, the young alpha pulled Meria's head down and rubbed their scent glands together.
It was an innocent gesture usually used to indicate that a person was under an alpha's protection. But the self-satisfied smirk on the young alpha's face embarrassed Meria.
"Emperor Kai, I don't think you should stake your claim on me. I am a beta anyway, so this marking will not be effective for a long."
Meria explained, subtly making sure to rub his neck. He needed to check if his scent had leaked out or not.
The young alpha's delighted expression soured, instantly indicating that he felt insulted by Meria's words.
"I know what you are, Commander. But don't forget that you are also the one I chose as my wife, and I want to show off my claim. You already declined my gift to you; don't decline this as well."
Meria looked toward the secretary to know what the 'gift' the young emperor was talking about. And from the expression on Morris's face, it was clear that the gift had been something embarrassing.
"I see…If the emperor wants to scent me, I cannot say no. But please, at least wash my scent off your body. You do not want to discourage potential future mates from approaching you, right?"
The alpha looked even worse than before. Emperor Kai looked betrayed as soon as the sentence finished.
"You idiot! Are you purposely deciding to play dumb with me? Fine! If you want to be like this, I will do what I want. You will not be able to stop me."
The emperor threatened, but Meria disregarded his words as childish play. After all, no matter how much the emperor wanted to do what he wanted, there was an etiquette he needed to follow.
The young alpha would soon feel the pressure of that as well.
The emperor looked annoyed, almost as if he had sensed what Meria had been thinking. The young alpha yanked Meria's hand and tugged him along.
"You! I don't know where your mind wanders, but don't leave my side for now. There are too many dangers in the royal palace for someone like you. And don't you dare forget, I am still angry at you for what happened."
Emperor Kai was pouting.
Meria did not know why he was so sure that the expression on the emperor's face was a pout.
'Maybe it's because this face looks the same as Kerin's. It's such a nostalgic look that it puts me at ease.'
......
'Ease? What ease? Why did I ever think that this young emperor would behave himself? From which angle is he like Kerin? My best friend was polite and reserved. But Emperor Kai is…'
Meria's face was red as he subtly tried to shift in his seat.
He was sitting at the head of the picnic table and directly beside the Alpha emperor. The seat opposite him had been left empty, but not because there was no candidate to fill it.
The reason for that empty seat is Emperor Kai and his temper.
"Stop crying since it will not solve anything. I forbid anyone from sitting at my side except General Meria."
Meria felt a headache developing behind his brows. The omega, initially supposed to sit opposite him, cried even louder.
What made the situation worse was that this omega was Grand Minister Ferin's granddaughter, Misha Ferin. She was a princess who had been raised sheltered.
As a beautiful omega girl, Misha Ferin must have never been told 'no' before. And now she had to be humiliated like this.
"Emperor Kai, this is inappropriate behaviour for someone of your standing. How can you make my granddaughter cry like this? Can't you feel any sympathy for her? Do you truly not feel anything when you look at her?"
Grand Minister Ferin quickly arrived at the scene. This was the time he had been waiting for a long time - for his granddaughter to meet that annoying Emperor and make him fall in love with her.
He had already started drafting the list of items he would demand in exchange for his granddaughter's hand.
Little did he know that the emperor would reject his granddaughter so hard.
"Why should I feel sympathy for someone I do not care about? And it is all your fault anyway. I warned you to leave the seat on my left open. You were the one who went against my orders."
The emperor reminded Grand Minister Ferin in a monotone voice.
The Grand Minister felt irritated, but he was also tongue-tied. He could not lie mainly because of the pheromones that kept him tied up in place.
'I miscalculated. This kid is not soft or fragile. He might look like an innocent sheep, but he is a predator. I need another course of action.'
Grand Minister Ferin needed a new plan. He was still sure his granddaughter had what it took to tame this wild alpha.
All she needed was some time and an opportunity to act.
So, he changed his target from the emperor to the General in front of him. If the emperor would only listen to one person in the room, then Grand Minister Ferin needed to recruit that one person to help him.
Grand Minister Ferin thought he needed to get lucky, but the lady luck had other plans for him.
Meria looked conflicted but moved and kneeled before Misha Ferin's crying body.
Everyone stilled to see what the general would do, but Meria did not care about the attention he was getting. What he needed to focus on was the child in front of him.