Chapter Text
Shang Qinghua snuck a glance around the corner. Though the hallway appeared deserted, rounded ears twitched at the top of his head, peeking out from his messy, brown locks. He could hear voices, hushed tones speaking harshly, but he could only discern a few words.
“...banquet…”
“Sixth prince…”
“…engagement…”
Sighing in relief, Shang Qinghua darted across the hall. They weren’t looking for him, they were only talking about the upcoming banquet for his younger brother.
He was supposed to be working at the treasury. He had been! But he finished his work for the day a little early and to avoid getting roped into working even more, as was prone to happen, Shang Qinghua had snuck out.
It was utterly boring and he would much rather be reading, but at least he hadn’t been forced into a marriage he didn’t want. Most omegas were fated for loveless marriages, seen as valuable for their high rates of fertility and not much else.
Shang Qinghua himself was recessive. He had never reacted to anyone’s pheromones, he couldn’t even sense them, but he was still an omega.
Though, the entire population of their country believed him to be a beta. After all, he hadn’t been married off the moment he came of age, which was the norm for omega children in the Rat Clan, and essentially lived as a beta, working in the treasury for the last several years.
The lie was easily believed and he never bothered to correct anyone.
With five impressive siblings, Shang Qinghua was essentially forgotten by the majority. His oldest brother was an alpha destined for the throne, his second oldest brother was a decorated military general, his oldest sister had been married to the heir of the Ox Clan, his second sister was a brilliant doctor, and his youngest brother was a dominant omega, though barely an adult.
At least, until his coming-of-age ceremony, which was fast approaching. The banquet would also serve as the Rat Clan’s announcement of the engagement between their youngest son and the Dragon Clan’s King Regent, a match that had been in the making for a couple years, since the youngest had presented as an omega.
Shang Qinghua, on the other hand, was the fifth born of six, with nothing remarkable to his name. He didn’t mind, not one bit. He had to work, but other than that, he had quite a bit of freedom. As long as he didn’t get caught skipping work.
His parents had tried to marry Shang Qinghua off at first, when he had presented. He was still more fertile than a beta after all, and a prince. He was quite a desirable match and had to endure dozens of matchmaking attempts before his parents decided he would be better suited working in the treasury, as he had never reacted to any of the alphas that had been flaunted before him.
He had very particular tastes, okay? None of the alphas from the Monkey Clan or the Snake Clan had caught his eye. Shang Qinghua couldn’t help it if he didn’t like them! His parents hadn’t bothered trying the Ox Clan, as they had already secured an alliance through marriage with his older sister.
Now, if there had been a matchmaking attempt with the Tiger Clan or even the Dragon Clan, Shang Qinghua might have actually tried. Members of those clans tended to be big and beefy, like the alphas in Shang Qinghua’s books.
Was it so wrong that he wanted to be whisked away by a big and strong alpha? Sure, maybe his standards were a little high compared to most members of his clan, but dammit, why should he have to settle?
Just because that was expected of him, because he was an omega? Because it was what good omegas did?
Shang Qinghua scoffed at that thought.
Alas, his younger brother had been promised to the Dragon Clan once he came of age. Xinyi was a much more valuable candidate for a political match than Shang Qinghua, after all. And since none of the suitors caught his fancy, Shang Qinghua had been put to work.
He generally didn’t mind, because he had no desire to be married off to some random stranger just for a political match. But working in the treasury was absolutely boring.
Hence, the sneaking away.
It didn’t take him long to slip through the palace and before he knew it, Shang Qinghua was tucked away in a quiet corner of the Royal Library, book in hand.
He didn’t get more than a dozen pages into Sleeping Willow Flower’s latest work —
The author was a genius, words flowing from the pages like a gentle, spring breeze that left him feeling more than a little aroused. He had gotten off more than a few times to steamy words on the pages.
Shang Qinghua only wished he could write something as impactful one day. His secret work was so trashy that it would never see the light of day. Actually, he should probably just burn the pages now, before someone discovered them
— when a door slammed, startling Shang Qinghua so much he shrieked.
“There you are!” came the voice of his younger brother, Xinyi.
Out of all their siblings, Shang Qinghua got along with Xinyi the most. He supposed it was probably because they were both omegas but they were also the closest in age, only four years apart. His next closest sibling was his older sister, and she was six years older, while his oldest brother was almost fifteen years older.
Xinyi slumped down next to Shang Qinghua, leaning heavily against his side with a loud groan. “I called off the engagement,” he said after a long moment.
Shang Qinghua tensed, dropping his book in surprise. He shifted, gaping down at his younger brother. “Why would you do that? Mother has been planning the engagement ceremony for months! And I thought you’ve been looking forward to it since you presented?”
“I’ve been looking forward to being mated because it means I’ll have an easy life ahead of me,” Xinyi said. “But I saw the Dragon Clan’s King Regent the other day, when he came to greet Mother and Father officially. I wasn’t supposed to, but I was so curious. And he’s terrifying, A-Hua!”
Xinyi shuddered, burrowing into Shang Qinghua’s side. Resting a hand on the trembling back, Shang Qinghua frowned. He couldn’t very well tell his little brother that he had to go through with the engagement; that would make him a hypocrite! If Xinyi truly did not want to go through with the engagement, then Shang Qinghua would support his decision.
“What did Mother and Father say?” He asked softly.
Sniffling, Xinyi pulled back, wiping his eyes. “They weren’t pleased, but they accepted my decision.”
“Then that’s all there is to it, A-Yi,” Shang Qinghua grinned, ruffling Xinyi’s hair.
He was rewarded with a bright smile, even though Xinyi knocked his hand away with a laugh. “I knew you’d understand. Tell me, A-Hua, what’re you reading?”
They spent the rest of the afternoon, curled around each other. Shang Qinghua knew Xinyi wasn’t really interested in his book, that he just wanted the comfort of his family, and really, Shang Qinghua didn’t mind. If it got the engagement off of Xinyi’s mind, if he was able to offer his little brother comfort, that was all that mattered.
As the banquet approached, Shang Qinghua didn’t think much of the engagement being canceled. It didn’t affect him either way. He still worked in the treasury. He still snuck away to read his books. He still wrote his trashy novel that would never be published.
He daydreamed of an alpha like the one in Sleeping Willow Flower’s book, one that could sweep him off his feet and ravish him. He was a romantic at heart, but he was also just plain horny.
Shang Qinghua knew he wasn’t normal. Omegas were meant for birthing children and raising them, they weren’t supposed to enjoy mating. And no one ever talked about it, like the entire thing was taboo. He couldn’t help that he was curious, especially when none of his siblings would answer his questions. He had been forced to figure it out for himself.
That was how Shang Qinghua came to discover the wonderful writing of Sleeping Willow Flower. The author wrote romantic tales of alphas wooing omegas, the pages turning so steamy that it often left Shang Qinghua hard and the seat of his pants wet.
He had even tried his own hand at writing. His own terrible novel had really just been him venting his frustrations at being perpetually single and not finding a suitable alpha. It wasn’t like he wanted to be picky! It was just, the people from his own clan didn’t do it for him. He never sensed their pheromones, never had any sort of reaction to them. There was no stirring in his groin, let alone his heart.
Resigned to being single for the indeterminate future, Shang Qinghua poured himself into his work and his books.
As the coming-of-age ceremony for Xinyi drew closer and, even though there would be no announcement of Xinyi’s engagement — or perhaps, in spite of that — their mother extended the banquet to a full-on festival.
Shang Qinghua had an inkling that she wanted to show off her youngest son, to find a potential suitor through the biggest banquet the Rat Clan had ever hosted.
The change from a single day banquet to a week-long festival kept him busy. Approval for any purchase related to the festival went through the treasury and Shang Qinghua was up to his elbows in paperwork.
He may have misjudged how much the engagement cancellation affected him. Surely, he wouldn’t have had this much work had it continued! Still, he would rather Xinyi be happy than terrified of his own engagement.
It was a small mercy their parents allowed, letting their children have the final say about their potential matches before deciding on an engagement.
Shang Qinghua finished up his tasks for the day, eager to settle down and work on his writing. He had had so much paperwork lately that his hand had been too tired to write by the end of the day. Now that everything for the festival was more or less done, all purchases approved or denied, there had been significantly less paperwork in the days leading up to the long-awaited celebration.
There had also been an increase of visitors to the Rat Kingdom. Invitations had been sent and the city was bustling, more so than usual, as Shang Qinghua navigated his way home. The festival wouldn’t start for another couple days, people! He made a face as he scurried through the crowds, ears flat against his head from all the noise, as yet another stranger bumped into him.
Wearing the uniform of the treasury department, a simple outfit of light-colored pants with ochre robes, Shang Qinghua blended in with the crowd as just another member of the Rat Clan. No one recognized him as the fifth prince. Most days, he appreciated the anonymity but today, he just wanted to return home without a concussion!
Someone stepped back, right into Shang Qinghua and he was knocked to the ground with a painful oomph. “Aish,” he grumbled with a wince. He glanced up, ready to yell at the person to be more careful, but froze. His gaze continued up and up, eyes widening at the near-giant person towering above him.
The person turned around and Shang Qinghua felt his mouth fall open in surprise. Icy blue eyes glared down at him disdainfully, mouth set in a grim line. A pair of dark horns at his temples swept back, unlike anyone from the Ox Clan. Long, silky dark hair spilled down his back, intricate braids decorated with silver beads throughout the tresses.
It clicked then. This man was from the Dragon Clan, and a high ranking one if the blue mark on his forehead was anything to go by.
Before Shang Qinghua could scramble upright, a big hand reached forward, picking him up by the back of his robes as though he weighed nothing. A strong scent of something cold, yet refreshing like freshly fallen snow overwhelmed his senses — it almost seemed familiar but Shang Qinghua couldn’t place the reason — before he was set on his feet.
The man had to be an alpha and looked the image of exactly what Shang Qinghua had imagined his ideal mate to look. He felt a swell of warmth fill him, his body reacting for the first time to an alpha’s pheromones but he didn’t know whether he was more terrified of the situation or aroused by the man.
Xinyi had been right — the Dragon Clan were practically giants compared to them. No wonder his little brother had been frightened!
Shang Qinghua panicked, bowing several times. “Sorry, forgive this one!” As soon as the words left his lips, he darted away, not waiting for a response.
Mobei-Jun took two steps before he realized he was about to chase after the little mouse, pausing to reign in his instincts. Instead, a predatory smile tugged his lips as he watched the young man dart through the crowd, heading in the direction of the palace.
He hadn’t expected to meet Shang Xinyi so soon.
The way his pheromones had reacted to Mobei-Jun’s, scent spiking deliciously and a blush staining those soft cheeks, lips parted in a soft oh…
Maybe Luo Binghe’s plan wasn’t such a bad idea after all.