Ezekiel listened to the conversations going on around him. He himself was quiet and observing his brother. Izah has been quiet.
"This has been a huge blow to us. The emperor let us read our declarations just so that he can use it as a boost to push his agenda. How clever. He has always been a straightforward man. This is all that whore," sneered Benayin.
"There is no doubt that he will be the emperor consort of Elmor. I doubt the emperor will tolerate these words anymore. I think today was a warning to everyone," said Argus Lyr, another leader of the conservative faction.
"The emperor is not the only alpha in the royal household," said Jacintha. She is Ezekiel and Izah's step-mother and often joined in these discussions. She somehow knew to keep her place among these alphas.
"Crown Prince is loyal to the emperor. Over the years, we have tried again and again to bring him to this side, only for the last emissary to get fired and exiled.
"That's true. But when this whore becomes the emperor consort, it's important that he has a foil inside the family. As far as we know, all the royal brothers worship the land this omega walks on. The crown prince consort has powers too, you know," said Jacintha. The discussions went on. Ezekiel followed his brother who was going to the study. They both stopped short when they heard conversation coming from inside.
"Do not fret, little girl. Your mother is out there trying to get that little Azo prince shipped off. He will end up with that volatile crown prince. Do you think they will trust him there? Never. He will be an outcast there. And you, you can have the man you wanted. Young Master Lyr will only look at you," said Jacintha's mother to her grand daughter Elona. The girl is not their father's, biologically. Ezekiel was ready to storm outside.
"No. Don't. This is an opportunity. Brother, you saw how they killed our mother. What was his fault? Being an omega? I always prided in being clever. I underestimated Amory. It was me who was dumb. I thought I will be the one to fight this war. That's not the case now," said Izah.
"Will they trust you? And what about Maynar. He is an animal. How will you live with him? Moreover, can't you see what she is trying to do. Maynar is illegitimate. They are trying to take away your family name from you. If you marry him, you will have no status left among conservatives even if they are doing it for their own benefit," said Ezekiel.
"True. I do not care for wealth. And, about the legitimacy- I would care about it, later. Do you honestly think the emperor doesn't have something up his sleeve to protect his siblings. Rather than hand down crown prince title to the first noble family, he claimed his brother has a right and made him crown prince. How will he not have something up his sleeve? And did you see the confidence? They sure have the whole thing planned. But they need support and information that we can give. They may not trust me, but they can still use me. And Maynar maybe an animal but he is loyal and respectful. Imagine ending up in the Lyr household," said Izah.
"You always wanted your alpha to mark you. That won't happen either. Royal alphas do not mark their omegas," said Ezekiel.
"Brother, which noble alpha does? A handful. My dreams were a child's dreams. That ended the day I saw that woman push our mother into that well and that man didn't believe us," said Izah.
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Ezekiel pulled his little brother close and hugged him tight. In this world, they only have each other.
They looked at their mother's photo on the fall. He was beautiful, graceful and everything elegant. He knew of how their father used omegas. When he hears these stories, he only pulls his children close and sleeps. Never complaining, never commenting. The one time he did see him cry was some three decades back when their father was still in the army. He had gone over to stay at the Lyr household. There was a beautiful heiress in that family. It is said that she was the most beautiful person in all of Elmor and her mother before that. Their father stayed at Lyr household to plan with master Lyr for the upcoming sea warfare with bandits and he met Meredith Lyr, the current master's illegitimate sister. This otherworldly beauty didn't know who their dad was at first. She fell in love and then dad left, leaving her a gift behind. It was just mother and Ezekiel back then. Izah was not born yet.
