Chapter Text
Imperial Decree from Emperor Hervé Leclerc
16th of October
It is my greatest pleasure to inform the many Alphas of our wonderful continent Evropa that my son, Prince Charles Leclerc, has turned twenty on this day. As is his right, my son has chosen to enact the combat clause which will help him in his decision of picking an Alpha to mate with. Due to the fact my son is a male Omega, it is my duty to inform you, the people, of what the combat clause is and what he may provide to you if you are chosen to compete, or if you win.
Because of his status in our society, my son is unable to take the throne when my time to vacate the position eventually comes. His brother before him, Lorenzo Leclerc-Nato, chose to live a life among the people instead of guiding his husband, Norman Nato, along the path of pursuing the throne and we lovingly support him in this decision along with the possibilities it left for the future.
Charles has therefore accepted the task of finding an Alpha to mate with who will eventually take the throne and claim the title of emperor as I have. He aims to find a potential mate who not only knows the daily life of Evropa’s citizens better than himself, but is also willing to assume the highest position of power in the Monégasque Empire with his guidance in politics along the way.
To whomever he finds worthy of his heart and soul shall in turn receive a life-long mate, husband, and mother to pups.
In order to walk this incredible path, however, it is also my responsibility to inform you, the people, of what the combat clause entails. Two hundred and fifty-six men will be chosen out of those who decide to submit a gift containing their scent to the prince. The gift must be received within one week after the prince’s birthday. Anything after this time will not be considered and will return to the sender.
Gifts may include, but are not limited to: jewellery, clothes, wine, perfume, silk, food, and books. My son requests no weapons as he is not skilled in the art of war. Out of the two hundred and fifty-six men chosen, a tiered system will be created for the competition and will span out over a course of five weeks. The system may be found below.
4 DAYS OF FIGHTING, 3 DAYS OF REST
Week One, Days 1—4: 256 men, 128 pairs, 128 men remain. 32 fights per day.
Week Two, Days 1—4: 128 men, 64 pairs, 64 men remain. 16 fights per day.
Week Three, Days 1—4: 64 men, 32 pairs, 32 men remain. 8 fights per day.
4 DAYS OF FIGHTING, 3 DAYS OF REST
Week Four, Day 1: 32 men, 16 pairs, 16 remain. 16 fights.
Week Four, Day 2: 16 men, 8 pairs, 8 remain. 8 fights.
3 DAYS OF FIGHTING, WINNER DECIDED
Week Five, Day 1: 8 men, 4 pairs, 4 remain. 4 fights.
Week Five, Day 2: 4 men, 2 pairs, 2 remain. 2 fights.
Week Five, Day 3: 2 men, 1 pair, 1 remains. 1 fight.
After every win, the Alpha that advances will send another gift and letter to the prince and will receive one letter in return with the opportunity to get to know each other better. It must be stressed that the entire system is to remain anonymous—no names are to be attached to any gifts or letters, even the first for submission to the competition.
Those who breach the anonymity rule may risk termination from combat.
On week five, when eight Alphas remain, dates will be awarded to those who have made it to the final leg of the competition. Names may be revealed here and full privacy will be given to my son and the potential winner for whatever they decide to do in relation to their date time. The top eight Alphas will also move to reside in the palace.
Alphas chosen to compete will receive a letter from the prince approving them to come to the capital. This letter must be shown to the servants and guards waiting for your arrival and will also provide entry to the provided living quarters—no letter means no entrance.
A reminder; this competition is not to the death, just until yielding or if an injury is too great to continue on. Therefore, Alphas must bring their own swords for combat, but amour is not allowed.
If you wish to submit yourself for the opportunity to fight for the prince’s hand in marriage and soul-bond through mating, please send your gifts directly to the palace in the capital of Èze with no name attached, only your address on the outside of the package. It is in your best favour to heavily scent the gift. No letter is to be attached for this portion of the competition.
Good luck to you all.
Sincerely,
Emperor Hervé Leclerc on behalf of Prince Charles Leclerc
Max stared at the parchment in his calloused palms and blinked a few times before reading it yet again, swallowing hard as his eyes scanned the black ink scrawled beautifully over the yellowed paper. Others around him had their heads angled down towards the flyer that had just been handed out to them on the street by imperial guards.
If his father saw that he got his hands on this…
Max folded the parchment quickly and tucked it under his tunic where the rope around his waist held the wool fabric up. He took in a deep breath, then continued on his way to the ironworking shop that his father owned. Hopefully sweat from today’s labour wouldn’t melt the inked words off of the paper, but then again, that was hopefully.
“Where have you been? Training go long or something?” Jos asked as soon as Max entered the small, dingy shop lining one of the cobblestone streets of Zeist. People were bustling around outside under the warm sun, soaking in the cool breeze that promised the changing of the seasons, and Max couldn’t help but wish he was in their shoes instead of his.
“Yeah, sorry. New guy showed up,” he lied easily enough. His father’s sharp blue eyes raked over him, scrutinising, but he accepted the falsehood without any further thought.
“We have a new order for a sword, figured you’d want it since you’re good with those. If we get started now, we’ll make it home before the sun goes down,” Jos grumbled. Max swallowed down the lump in his throat at the promise of another day’s hard work after he’d already done training. He said nothing, though, and pulled out the stone cast for a blade.
Soon, he promised himself. Soon.
It was easy enough to let his thoughts wander whenever he worked alongside his father in the shop. Jos didn’t like to talk, unless it was with a customer, so Max had all the time in the world to run through things inside of his mind while he ran through the casting routines.
What would an Omega who had everything want from an Alpha who had nothing? It wasn’t like Jos paid him for his labour, even if he was twenty-five years of age, so he couldn’t go out and buy something on the street. Living with his father and working at the same place unfortunately had that outcome.
Max let his eyes roam over the people walking by their shop as he waited for the iron to cool enough before grabbing it with the pincers to dunk in water and hurry the process.
Lots of women wore shiny iron jewellery or did their hair in complex ways to show off their status which inspired Max somewhat. Earrings, bracelets, necklaces, hair pins, bunned braids, long wavy locks… everything started to blend together the longer he watched.
He needed to make something custom, that was for sure, but it also needed to be something that no one else had. Bracelets were too common and necklaces even more so. Arms were rather bare and the gorgeous twists they did in their hair matched the pale limbs belonging to both female and male Omegas alike. Those were two options he had then at least.
Max decided to wait until later to continue planning and got back to work. As he thrust the scalding-hot iron into the bucket of water by his side, he couldn’t help but think that at least he had something unique in mind to give while steam pillowed up around him.
Hours later, the Almerian Alpha stared at the ceiling of his bedroom, listening to the crickets outside echo in the town that had now gone quiet as the day faded into night. Jos was already asleep in his own bedroom and Max was left alone with his thoughts yet again about the competition and the gift.
Logically, Max knew that he had the skills required to get far in the competition. Since his father had enrolled him in training for young boys, Max had been exposed to combat in a variety of means. He knew strategies, tractics, weapons, teamwork, defence, and so much more when it came to fighting others either by himself or in a team—not to mention he’d been crafting swords as soon as he knew how.
His mum hadn’t wanted him to train for war.
She didn’t want him to grow up and go to the army and possibly die just to be called brave for doing so. She wanted him to live a long time, where she could see him whenever she wanted and spoil whatever family he made. Then Jos had taken him away and put him to work and training before she could even stop him…
Max rolled over onto his side and thought about the days and nights when he was younger, when he was still learning to defend himself and barely could whenever his father was angry. He wondered how his mum ever tolerated the man she was mated to. Sometimes, if he was feeling particularly cruel, he wondered why she ever let him mate with her in the first place.
But then he was reminded that she hadn’t had a choice and the guilt along with mourning the loss of her by his side came quickly.
When he was still with her before Jos stole him away, he remembered nights where they stayed up together just so he could hear the stories she had to share. The legends of soulmates were his favourite.
Max reached underneath his mattress to retrieve the now worn out parchment from how much it had been folded and unfolded and read over the fading ink in the middle of the darkness. Even if he didn’t win, but was selected, he would be out of Zeist. It was an opportunity in a new area, a chance to start his own life, and it was too good to pass up.
He had a skill with iron, something that could be used anywhere he ended up, so Max confirmed with himself that he was genuinely going to try with this. The Almerian Alpha had already decided on making an arm cuff for the Omega prince, like what his mother and sister used to wear, so he had the first part of his plan solidified. They were a fashion that came from the small town his mum grew up in and it would be unique enough to hopefully grab Charles’ attention.
Max closed his eyes and envisioned different styles behind his lids before drifting off into a sleep that, for once, wasn’t plagued with anxiety about the next day.
The morning brought a feeling of excitement to Max when he next opened his eyes and found the sunlight glimmering across his face. Jos always went to the market on Saturdays, leaving Max alone to fill any orders that came in that day or finish up any that needed to be done. If he was smart about today, he could work on the gift for Charles in secret without having to worry.
He dressed in his dark grey tunic, laced up his scandals, raked his fingers through his long blonde hair, then hurried out of the house before his father had even risen to start his own day.
The cobblestone streets of Zeist weren’t busy yet, but there were a few people who had risen with the sun like he had to get early morning deals on anything they could find in the stands that lined the streets. The red, blue, and yellow flags that swagged across towering grey-stone buildings above seemed to wave at Max as he rushed to the shop he felt he’d grown up in.
He greeted a few men and women that he purchased food or textiles from before barring himself inside of the tiny building to ensure that no one would disturb him. The metal window that informed customers they were closed remained down as well.
The Almerian Alpha scrambled to find their spare parchment paper laying around that was meant for designing and nearly rumbled with pleased relief when he found an empty roll stuffed into one of the shelves they had by the melting pots. The ink and quill were far easier to pinpoint as they remained almost always at the counter for orders.
For the first design, Max imagined something cylindrical with intricate engravings on the side of it before giving up with the sad reminder he only had the one day to craft. The next one he designed was thinner with swirls crafted between the two lines at the top and bottom of the band.
He immediately tossed it to the floor with a scowl—too plain.
When he thought of the Monégasque Empire and Emperor Leclerc, the first thing that came to his mind was the laurel wreath that sat atop his head showing his status. No other man wore anything like it and his wife even had something smaller that no other woman could recreate.
Max couldn’t think of a time when a prince or princess had anything similar.
His final design was something he was extremely content with and he couldn’t help but examine it for any flaws before deciding that it could be achieved in one day. It was simple, sure, though the individual leaf designs would just go to show how much thought and effort had been put into the jewellery in comparison to something else.
It would be Charles’ own little symbol of his status if he liked it. Max nervously made his way to the back of the shop where all of the ingots were kept and stared at the single gold bar they had in stock, wrapped up in linen and untouched for nearly two years now.
Jos had said that he purchased it with the thought that, one day, someone would want something from them made of gold and they’d be able to deliver it instead of somebody else in the city. What they could charge for the trinket covered the purchase cost and then some. The chances of someone asking for something made of gold in the next two weeks was very low.
Max mustered up all of the courage he had before he grabbed the bar and replaced it with copper, wrapping it up in the same manner so Jos wouldn’t suspect anything. With the fire already roaring and the bucket made of stone prepared to melt materials, Max dropped the ingot inside of the vessel and shoved it into the flames with newfound determination.
He was going to get out of here. He had to.
It took a while for the gold to melt, so Max opened the shop in the meantime to fill any rush orders and finish some things they’d started earlier in the week, but once the ingot had turned to liquid, Max put up the sign saying they weren’t accepting any customers at the moment in order to focus on the arm cuff.
He poured the rich metal into one of the casts meant for long, slim sheets of metal, then waited yet again until it was cool enough to grab with pincers and dunk into water. The familiar sizzle of steam greeted him at the temperature change.
For the rest of the day until the sun started to sink in the sky and the shops around him began to close, Max worked with painstaking detail on the armband meant for the Omega prince he was trying to woo. He carefully curled gold, chipped away at the element to create individual leaves, then carved fine veins on the outer part of the leaf as a finishing touch.
Max sanded, waxed, then polished the cuff until it was a sparkling golden band that was both snug and flexible for anyone who wore it. Only one person would have it, however, and it made Max’s heart skip a beat in his chest.
“Pretty. Must be for someone special if you’ve been working on it all day,” a familiar voice suddenly spoke outside of the shop. Max jumped where he stood and whirled around to find the half-amused face of Kimi on the other side of the shop window that had slid halfway open. The Alpha leaned against the wood frame with a raised eyebrow, waiting for Max to say something.
“Don’t worry, I’m not going to tell. Your dad can be a real ass. I came by to see if you finished the shield I needed, but I’m not sure if you actually worked on it or not,” Kimi sighed.
“Fuck, yeah, no, I have it. Hold on,” Max stuttered out to the older Alpha. Kimi was one of their regulars—a retired general of the imperial army—and Max didn’t want to disappoint him or give him reason to go talking to his father, even if the man from Lahti didn’t care much for Jos either.
Max tucked the arm cuff into the rope around his tunic and picked up the shield that had been sitting in their completed works area for a few days now. “Here. Sorry about the wait,” Max murmured as he handed over the iron shield engraved with the symbol Kimi had marched with when he was a younger man. It was a memorabilia piece, but Max liked working on it.
“You’re going to give that to the prince, aren’t you?” Kimi asked instead of commenting on the shield he’d received. Jos took payment upfront, so Max was surprised that the Lahtian Alpha wanted to continue their conversation. He usually didn’t have so much to say and it was starting to get dark out.
“I…” he trailed off but Kimi just fixed him with his icy blue gaze that pulled the truth out of Max immediately. “Yes, sir. I would appreciate it if you didn’t tell my father,” he confessed hurriedly.
Kimi grunted in agreement, then picked up the shield and nodded at Max. “Secret’s safe with me. I would sleep with it to make sure the scent is saturated before you send it. But that’s just me.” The advice made Max blink a few times, but Kimi was gone before he could even thank him for it.
Max stared at the moon that night, twisting the cuff in his hands to get his scent on it, and prayed to every god and goddess he knew of that he’d be chosen for the chance to become the prince’s mate. If it didn’t work out, not only would he be in a world of hurt from his father finding out he’d used the gold bar, but he would still be stuck in Zeist.
The faint sound of a family laughing somewhere in the streets together despite the late hour made him sniffle a little and he wondered in the back of his mind if a chance at a new life would also give him the opportunity to find his mum and sister.
She’d be proud of me for taking the chance, he thought. Max was proud of himself too.
*****
Charles sat on the balcony of his bedroom and gazed at the moon high above as he wrapped his palla around his shoulders to keep himself warm from the cool breeze. The letters had gone out today for the combat clause and he’d already received gifts from Alphas inside of the capital who could hand deliver their packages.
The pile of different gifts remained untouched in the corner of his bedroom while he took a moment to think for himself about what the competition entailed. By mid-December, he would have an Alpha to call his mate and husband. The thought was daunting but also extremely welcome.
Charles had seen the love and happiness his older brother, Lorenzo, shared with his husband, Norman, and he felt terrible to say that he envied their relationship more than anything else. He didn’t blame Lorenzo in the slightest for wanting to live a life among the common people instead of helping Norman understand politics to become emperor eventually—he really didn’t.
He understood the appeal and he wished that he could do so as well every now and then, but Arthur had made it clear since he was a young boy that he had no intention of staying in the capital or continuing to live a life of royalty. There was an entire world he wanted to explore and no one was going to stop him… so that left Charles to carry out the duty.
Giving the throne to someone who wasn’t family didn’t feel right.
When he informed his parents that he wanted to at least enact the combat clause so he would find a mate that wasn’t tied to politics yet, they’d beamed at him so much that Charles realised it was what they had been hoping for since he was going to be the one to fulfil his responsibilities.
“A senator and or an Archduke is not for you, my son. You will be far happier with a man who puts the people before politics,” his father had said to him, always so wise and reassuring in his words. His mum had simply hugged him tight and said she was proud of him.
Omegas were not allowed to hold the throne in Evropa. In the case of their family, something that had only happened twice before since the dawn of the Empire, they were to marry an Alpha who would be worthy to accept the high position of power and teach them all they knew about politics.
They were to act as guides for their partners and nothing more. It wasn’t that this troubled Charles, it just meant there was far more work that went into a relationship then. It couldn’t all be courting and romantic words like Lorenzo had…
Logically, the Monégasque Omega knew that he possessed the knowledge required to prepare his future Alpha for the role of emperor, but he was also aware that he wouldn’t be alone in the task. Even if he was mated and married after a champion arose from the competition, Hervé wasn’t going to instantly abdicate the throne for the new man to take it.
His father was more than willing to guide Charles’ mate as well through the tricky world of politics and teach him everything he needed to know as well. So Charles didn’t mind, really, when it came to the education side of the relationship he was bound to have. As long as he was able to return to music and fashion at the end of the day, he would be happy.
Well, he wanted to be loved, too, but his hobbies were also very much a priority to him.
A knock on his bedroom door far behind him stirred Charles from his thoughts, resulting in him calling out, “Enter!” He rose from where he was sitting to pad back into the bedroom at the same time Arthur stepped inside with a timid smile on his face and eyes full of worry.
“I apologise for it being so late. I wanted to… to come and see you—see how you’re doing,” Arthur greeted softly, different from his usual witty attitude. Charles let his shoulders sag and he willingly went to his bed covered in fine silk imported all the way from Harbin. Arthur followed and joined him in his nest, waiting for his older brother to speak.
“I… I’m nervous but excited at the same time for what is to come from all of this,” Charles confessed. “Look at the gifts I’ve already received, Arthur. Each one contains a scent and something hand picked or made from an Alpha who wants to be with me and lead this Empire. What if… what if the Alphas I pick, even if they smell nice and give nice things, aren’t what I really want? What if I’m stuck with an Alpha I barely like for life?”
His younger brother reached out to take his hand and quickly shook his head. “Papa would never allow it. It may be good fun and entertaining for the people of Èze, but it’s your life at stake along with theirs if the man is to become emperor. Papa would never see you unhappy,” Arthur assured.
Charles knew this was true, but he also couldn’t help but feel the lingering dread still bubbling up inside of his belly. “What if none of them are romantic like Norman was with Lorenzo?” he whispered.
Arthur squeezed the older Omega’s hand to grab his attention when his eyes drifted away and Charles quickly met the gaze of his brother. “Stop. You have to stop comparing yourself to our brother, Charles. What you will find will be special and perfect for you, not for anybody else. Expecting one thing because it’s all you’ve ever seen will lead nowhere.”
Charles swallowed down the lump in his throat, then sighed heavily before closing his eyes. He could hear the night swallows chirping outside in the many olive trees that lined the marble streets of the capital.
If he imagined it hard enough in his brain, he could almost imagine the white stone, black tile roofs, crystal-blue water fountains, and crawling greenery that made up the only place he’d ever called home. He could imagine the wool togas and tunics dyed in vibrant colours and the flags that fluttered in the breeze outside of the market, carrying with them the unique scents of the different designations that made up the population of Èze.
“I’ll help you go through all of the gifts tomorrow—we all can. We can just go through them as they come in and make a list, number all of them or stamp them with a seal if we like it. Then we can narrow it down after the gifts stop coming?” Arthur offered.
Charles considered his younger brother with a cracked open eye before shuffling forward to wrap him in a hug. “Thank you. I’m going to miss you when you eventually leave all of us behind,” he murmured.
Arthur just chuckled and shook his head. “I’m not leaving forever, Charles. I’m just… seeing the world with new eyes soon. We both know this life isn’t for Lorenzo or me. It’s made for you and whoever you fall in love with.”
The younger Omega left soon after that and Charles returned to staring out at the night sky while the glow from the moon cascaded over his tanned skin. He could only hope that somewhere out there, an Alpha who loved and wanted him was waiting for his chance to win his hand.