The silence in the hall was deafening.

  Celestio’s heart stopped. His lungs burned as he forgot to breathe. The blood drained from his face and his jaw slackened, his carefully maintained composure threatening to crumble.

  Prince Edess looked equally stunned. He stared at Sabas, his expression somewhere between disbelief and irritation. “You wish to marry Sir Celestio?” he repeated incredulously. “Do you – is this supposed to be a joke?”

  Sabas didn’t flinch under the prince’s sharp tone. Instead, he inclined his head respectfully. “I understand your hesitation, Your Highness. I assure you, I have no intention of taking Sir Celestio away from you, nor from his duties. He has expressed how his devotion to His Highness is infallible, and I have no desire to interfere with his duties to the royal court.”

  The prince’s eyes narrowed, his displeasure growing. “Then why ask for his hand?” he demanded. “What could you possibly want from him?”

  Sabas smiled, his expression softening as he looked at Celestio. “What I want,” he said, his voice quiet but firm, “is to stand beside him. To support him, as he supports you; if he would allow me the honor. As you are well aware, Your Highness, Sir Celestio is an extraordinary man, and I would be honored to be permitted to be his Alpha.”

  Gasps rippled through the court, the remaining nobles whispering furiously among themselves. The idea of an Alpha proposing to an Omega in such a public and unconventional way was shocking enough. But the sheer audacity of Sabas’s words to the prince, asking His Highness to permit another Alpha to claim his advisor, left them speechless.

  Edess leaned forward as he studied Sabas. “And what makes you think you’re worthy of him?” he asked coldly.

  Sabas didn’t hesitate. He lifted his hands, showing two golden rings glittering on his fingers. He stepped forward, removing one ring and holding it up for the prince to see the crimson jewels shining on the band.

  “This ring,” he said, “I offer as my dowry to you, in place of Sir Celestio’s father. A token of my respect for Sir Celestio, for his place in your court, and his importance to you, Your Highness.”

  The court erupted in frantic whispers again, the nobles leaning toward one another as they tried to make sense of what was happening.

  He held up the second ring – a thicker gold band engraved with his family’s crest. “And this,” he said, “is my ring bearing the Kamaria family crest. I offer it to Sir Celestio; not as it is, but to be remade in the Sitara crest, if he would accept me.”

  The gasps that followed were louder this time. One noblewoman caught herself before she cried out with excitement, clamping her hand tightly over her mouth. For an Alpha to propose such a thing – to willingly give up his family and join an Omega’s – was unheard of. Even the most jaded nobles were left speechless.

  Celestio felt his knees weaken as he stared at Sabas. He didn’t know what to think. The world felt like it had tilted on its axis and he was standing on unsteady ground.

  Prince Edess was silent for a long moment, his gaze flicking between Celestio and Sabas. Finally, he leaned back in his throne, his expression thoughtful.

  “This is… unexpected,” he said, amused. “I will need to consider this carefully.”

  Sabas inclined his head, his expression calm but respectful. “Of course, Your Highness. I will wait for as long as it may take for you to reach your decision.”

  The prince’s gaze slid over to Celestio. “And you,” he said with a laugh. “What do you have to say about this?”

  Celestio opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. He felt the weight of the court’s eyes on him, the tension in the air so thick it was almost suffocating. Finally, he managed to stammer, “Your Highness… I-I….”

  This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

  Edess’s expression hardened. “Enough. We will discuss this –”

  The whispers in the throne room rose as he spoke. Heads tilted toward one another, voices hushed but insistent, as the court tried to make sense of the audacious scene they had just witnessed. The prince could feel their scrutiny, the unspoken questions hanging in the air, the judgment.

  The prince turned his gaze back to Sabas, who stood tall and composed in front of him, still holding the two rings up in offering.

  “You swear that you have no intention of interfering with Sir Celestio’s duties as my royal advisor?” Prince Edess said, his voice carrying over the murmurs.

  Sabas inclined his head respectfully, his tone steady as he replied. “I swear it, Your Highness. I understand the weight of Sir Celestio’s responsibilities and the depth of his loyalty to you. I have no desire to take him away from what – and who – he values most. I only wish to support him in every way I can.”

  The court fell silent once more, every gaze fixed on the prince as they waited for his response. For a long moment, he said nothing, his sharp eyes narrowing as he studied Sabas. The air was thick with tension.

  Finally, he turned his head, his gaze settling on Celestio, who still stood beside the throne. Edess tapped the armrest of his throne with a forefinger. “Well, Sir Celestio. What say you? Do you accept this Alpha’s proposal?”

  Celestio didn’t respond. He couldn’t even look at Edess. Instead, he stood frozen in place, his face a mask of stunned silence. His gaze was locked on Sabas.

  The prince’s amusement darkened, irritation flashing in his eyes. He leaned towards his advisor. “Celestio,” he whispered through gritted teeth. “I asked you a question.”

  But Celestio still didn’t look at him. The court held its collective breath as the silence stretched on, every second feeling like an eternity. Nobles’ wives held their hands over their mouths, waiting to see what the powerful Omega would do.

  And then, finally, Celestio moved.

  He stepped forward, descending the steps of the dais. His gaze never wavered from Sabas, his expression still blank, giving no indication as to his answer. The murmurs in the court began to rise again, but Celestio didn’t hear them.

  When he stopped in front of Sabas, his hands trembled as he reached out and took the bejeweled dowry ring from Sabas’s outstretched hand. It was heavier than he expected, the gold and jewels warm against his skin. He turned, his legs feeling unsteady as he climbed back up the steps to the throne.

  Prince Edess watched him with a raised eyebrow, his amusement returning but edged with something darker. When Celestio reached the top of the dais, he dropped to one knee before the throne, bowing his head as he held the dowry ring out to his prince.

  Celestio couldn’t bring himself to look up. He couldn’t look Edess in the eye, not when the prince still knew nothing about Sabas beyond his actions in the past few minutes. His eyes remained fixed on the floor, his chest tight as he prayed for Edess to accept the ring.

  The prince hesitated, his gaze flicking in disbelief between the ring and the top of Celestio’s bowed head. But he couldn’t appear weak. Every decision he made was a reflection of his authority. If he hesitated too long, word of his indecision would spread like wildfire as the nobles returned to their homes.

  Slowly, he reached out and plucked the ring from his advisor’s hand, his fingers brushing against his knuckles. “Very well, Sir Celestio. If this is what you truly desire, then so be it.”

  Celestio stood, his eyes still to the ground, and descended the stairs once more. His heart pounded in his chest, shaking his entire body with each beat, the faint sound of applause echoing the background as he returned to Sabas. When he reached the Alpha, he hesitated, his gaze dropping to the ring with his father’s crest on his own finger.

  He slipped the ring off, his trembling making the simple movement difficult, and he held it out to Sabas. The other man’s expression changed, hopeful now, as he accepted the Omega’s ring. Celestio finally raised his eyes, his breath hitching as their gazes met, and then, with a steady hand, he slid the ring onto Sabas’s finger.

  The applause swelled, the court’s shock giving way to stunned admiration. But Celestio barely heard it. His focus was entirely on Sabas, on the way the other man’s lips curved into a gentle smile, on the warmth in his gaze as he stepped closer.

  Sabas reached out, his hands resting on Celestio’s waist as he pulled him into an embrace. Celestio stiffened for a moment, his body tense, but then he let out a shaky breath and relaxed, his arms coming up to rest against Sabas’s back.

  Sabas leaned closer, his face pressing against the curve of Celestio’s neck, his breath warm against his skin. “Thank you for trusting me… my Omega.”

  Celestio still couldn’t reply. His emotions were too tangled to put into comprehensible words. Instead, he closed his eyes, his fingers curling slightly against the bottom hem of Sabas’s jacket. For the first time in what felt like forever, he allowed himself to simply exist in the moment without the weight of the court’s expectations pressing down on him.

  Behind them, Prince Edess slouched in his throne, his elbow on the armrest and his hand covering his mouth. He couldn’t tear himself away from watching his Omega give himself away to someone else.

  If no one else were in the room, he would have slit the Alpha’s throat himself.

  https://www.patreon.com/cw/AliciaSonataWriter