We sat at the long dining table, its polished obsidian surface gleaming under the crystal chandeliers, the late‑morning sun filtering through gauze curtains and turning the air warm and heavy.
The table was laid out for a family breakfast, but the mood was anything but light.
Mom sat on my left, her face a mess of worry and tenderness, fingers twisting the edge of her napkin.
Dad sat on my right, jaw clenched, her Alpha tension humming in the air like static before a storm.
Platters covered the table in a spread of delicately appropriate food. A basket of fresh starlight buns, their crusts glistening with a thin glaze, steamed faintly, releasing a soft sweetness that mingled with the floral scent of my veil.
Bowls of honeyed fruit—fire-berries, crystal peaches, and moon oranges—sat arranged in silver dishes, their juices glinting like scattered jewels. Next to them, tiered plates held delicate pastries filled with vanilla‑cream and spiced nut butter, their edges dusted with powdered sugar.
For Dad, a plate of seared phoenix‑egg omelette and grilled forest venison steak came with a side of dark bread, crust crackling when she cut into it.
A crystal pitcher of cinnamon‑milk tea, lightly scented with calming herbs, sat close to Mom's elbow, along with a small bowl of omega‑bloom petals floated in clear water, their faint glow pulsing in time with the Aether currents.
Mom's eyes flickered to my face, lingering on the veil that draped just below my eyes, hiding the fresh bite mark that pulsed faintly under the lace. "Alexander, are you feeling, okay?" Her voice came out soft, but the way she searched my face gave away her overprotectiveness.
"It was fine," I said, cutting a slice of starlight bun with a silver fork and eating it without much taste.
Mom hesitated, her vanilla scent turning hesitant, almost sour. "Did you guys... do it?" Her words dropped shyly, but the meaning hung in the air like a blade.
"You mean sex?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Alexander!" she exclaimed, half‑embarrassed, half‑exhausted, her hands fluttering.
"Yes, we did it," I said flatly, shrugging as if I were reporting on a mission rather than my first night as a marked Omega.
Dad crushed the steel‑rimmed crystal glass in her grip. The crack of give and the tinkling of broken shards against the plate made everyone at the table flinch. A few drops of dark tea rolled toward the edge of the tablecloth, staining the cloth faint and brown.
"Honey, are you feeling alright?" Mom asked again, her eyes wide, filling with tears she refused to let fall.
"Fine," Dad said, voice low and clipped, setting the mangled glass aside. "I am fine. Yes, I am definitely fine." Her eyes turned to me, searching. "Was it according to your consent? Did she do anything against your will?"
I glanced down the table, where Elaine sat at the far end, her posture straight and cold, her plate only half‑touched.
She looked like someone who was waiting for judgment, not a newlywed at breakfast. I was sandwiched between Mom and Dad like a prize they weren't sure they wanted to share.
"Yes, Dad," I said. "It was to my consent. She didn't do anything against my wishes."
The tension in the room didn't exactly relax, but it shifted. Dad's shoulders eased by a fraction, though her eyes still held a sharp, protective edge. "Alright," she muttered, more to herself than to me.
"You're too worried, Papa," I said lightly, testing the word just to watch her react.
"Don't call me that," she snapped, though the corner of her mouth twitched as if she liked it anyway.
Mom laughed, a soft, relieved sound that cut through the gloom slightly. "Honey, our daughter is showing his love to you."
"Who needs his love?" Dad growled, though the words sounded hollow, almost embarrassed.
"So, should I leave the palace, then?" I asked, pushing further, leaning back in the chair just enough to let the gown rustle against the cushions, the lace of my sleeves brushing the tablecloth.
"What?!"
"Don't you dare!"
I watched both of them, amused by how fast they'd gone from stern to flustered. "Or do you want me to sleep in the garden from now on and pretend this marriage never happened?"
"Flower, don't you dare," Mom snapped, but her voice carried worry more than anger. She set her fork down with a soft clink, her fingers trembling slightly against the table's edge.
"Alexander," Dad growled, her Alpha presence tightening the air, "do you want to be confined to your room? I can make that very easy for you if you keep testing my patience."
I smirked, not quite afraid. "You're too much, aren't you? Seriously, why did you even let me get married if you're so sad about me sleeping with Elaine?" The words slipped out lightly, but there was a real question under the teasing.
"Alexander, not again."
"If you didn't want it, you could have said no. Instead, you dressed me like a porcelain doll and walked me down the aisle."
"Flower, don't trouble your father," Mom warned, though her eyes had softened, a small, helpless smile tugging at the corner of her lips. She looked like she wanted to scold me and hug me at the same time.
Dad ignored her, fixing me with a levelled glare. "First 'Dad,' and now 'Papa.' What more are you going to call me?" Each title came out dry, sarcasm dripping like oil.
I leaned closer, my veil swaying gently above my eyes, the faint itch of lace against my skin finally becoming too noticeable.
"You like me calling you 'Papa,' don't you?" I asked, eyes narrowed in playful challenge. "I saw you when I said it. You didn't actually tell mr to stop, did you?"
Dad's cheeks darkened, a reaction so rare it almost made me laugh. For a moment, the Emperor flickered beneath the surface, then the Alpha softened, grudgingly, just a little.
"Call me whatever you want," she muttered, sounding like it was a defeat but tasting like a compliment.
"Mama," I turned then to Mom, lifting a hand to the edge of the veil, the lace catching against my finger, the bite mark under it pulsing like a secret, "can I lift the veil? It feels weird, like someone's watching me through a curtain. I can barely see my food properly."
"No, flower," Mom said firmly, shaking her head once. "You can't."
"Why?" I pressed, genuinely annoyed now. "Does the mark bite people back if someone looks at it? Or is it just too embarrassing for the empire to admit their crown princess was actually marked on the first night?" My voice dipped into mockery, but the question was real.
"Flower, please don't say that."
"I'm not a statue, Mom. I don't want to eat breakfast like a ghost behind a veil."
"It's bad for your husband if your mark is revealed just after your marriage," she explained, glancing down the table, her gaze flickering toward Elaine, who sat silently, watching the exchange like a storm trapped under glass.
"My husband?" I don't care about someone who am I going to divorce.
"The court will talk, people will speculate, and it will make her position harder, not easier. People will accuse her of forcing you, or rush to judge without knowing the truth. Marks are private things, not public displays."
"Will Elaine die if I remove my veil?" I asked, raising my voice just enough to make it clear the joke was also half‑serious. "Because if this is life‑and‑death drama, I should feel very dangerous right now."
Elaine coughed loudly at my words, the sound sharp and dry, as if my joke had hit a nerve. She kept her eyes forward, but the corner of her jaw tightened, and for a brief second, the perfect mask of indifference slipped.
The entire table seemed to pause, the slight clatter of a dropped spoon the only sound echoing.
"Flower, don't say such words!" Mom snapped, though her eyes flicked to Elaine's direction, as if apologizing without speaking. "It's disrespectful, and it's not funny."
"Fine, whatever," I said, leaning back again, the weight of the veil suddenly pressing heavier against my shoulders than before. "I guess I'll just eat like a ghost behind this thing, then. At least the veil's matching my mood."
"Lift his veil." Dad's voice cut through the air, low and final, like a blade slid into place. "I will not have my daughter feeling dissatisfied at his home."
The room stilled. Mom's eyes widened, and Elaine's rigid posture faltered, as if the Emperor had just rewritten the rules without asking anyone else. The veil felt suddenly heavier, like a wall between me and the world—or at least between me and breakfast.
I didn't hesitate. I pushed back from the table, the gown swishing around my legs, and launched myself from the chair. In three steps, I threw my arms around Dad, burying my face against the rougher fabric of her tunic, the weight of the veil catching against her shoulder.
For a second, I let myself sag into the hug like a child, the softness of my Omega frame leaning into her Alpha solidity.
"Thank you, Papa," I murmured, muffled against her, the title slipping out like an old memory finally given voice.
Mom shook her head, but a small, helpless smile tugged at her lips as she watched us. "You're doting too much on him," she muttered, though the way her eyes softened betrayed the fondness underneath. "Look at him, the crown princess, still clinging to your tunic."
Dad rested one hand on my back, the other still lined with the subtle tension of her earlier irritation. Her voice came out gentler than it had been moments ago.
"You are equally doting on him," she replied, giving Mom a small, pointed look.
I squeezed tighter, half‑embarrassed, half‑relieved, the veil swinging free against my shoulder, the mark finally on display to the world and the air suddenly tasting a little lighter.