Becoming the Terminally-Ill Villain Who Torments His Disciples

Ignoring the clinging gazes, Cielo walked toward the center of the banquet hall. A man holding a glass turned to look at him.

With hair bleached white and the same blue eyes as Cielo, the man stood straight with a cane in hand. Though he needed support, his posture was stiff and stern, giving off an air of severity and strictness.

Even without being told, it was clear this man was Duke Esteban.

“You’ve come.”

“…..Yes, Father.”

At Cielo’s reply, the Duke turned his gaze to Ryan. He openly looked him up and down before letting out a small scoff.

“I did send an invitation, but I never expected you to attend as my son’s partner. You must have taken quite a liking to my son, Lord Doberman.”

“Yes. My father also told me to get along well with Lord Esteban, which is why I tend to stick close to him.”

The Duke’s face twisted at Ryan’s answer. It implied that just as the Esteban family tried to use the Doberman family, the Dobermans were no different.

He glared at Cielo and spoke with sharpness.

“I told you to maintain a proper relationship, not to bring him here as your partner. Tch, this is why Omegas are a problem. The moment they see an Alpha, they lose all sense.”

“Excuse me?”

“I hope nothing disgraceful happened between you two. You’re supposed to marry the Crown Prince, after all. Since you manifested as a dominant Omega, you should take your place accordingly. That’s the whole reason we’re holding such an elaborate coming-of-age ceremony.”

The longer Duke Esteban spoke, the more Cielo’s expression crumpled. The Duke then barked at him again.

“To think you can’t even hide your emotions properly, and yet you claim to be of the Esteban blood!”

He clicked his tongue.

“Too bad His Highness couldn’t make it. Just behave yourself and leave as soon as the ceremony ends. Don’t even think about staying at the house.”

Without giving Cielo a chance to respond, the Duke spat out his piece and walked away.

‘So this is the treatment he received.’

Although they were family, there wasn’t the slightest bit of affection in the Duke’s eyes toward Cielo.

As Cielo lowered his gaze, fragments of the past flashed through his mind. The faces of the caretakers at the orphanage who treated his very existence as a nuisance. The way they would click their tongues and push him away if he ever tried to speak.

The wave of painful memories surged over him. He had thought it was fine, that it was all in the past. But clearly, it still hurt.

“Cielo.”

Before he realized it, Ryan called his name with a voice filled with affection.

As he slowly opened his eyes, Ryan was bent over to meet his gaze, smiling gently.

“Hm. Maybe I should’ve entered the race to be your husband too.”

“…What are you saying now?”

“Come on, I’m better than that Crown Prince guy, aren’t I?”

“You’re not wrong, but still… you can’t talk about something as serious as marriage so casually.”

Cielo sounded flustered, but Ryan simply shrugged.

“Even so, I’m glad you didn’t bring Oscar.”

“Huh? Why?”

“I didn’t want to show him that there are people who look down on Omegas. If he hears things like that before even manifesting, who knows what he’ll think when it does happen?”

In “All I Wanted Was to Be Loved”, the discrimination between Alphas and Omegas wasn’t too severe. Still, some prestigious noble families preferred Alphas, and the Esteban family was one of the worst in that regard.

“Omega? You think Oscar will manifest as an Omega? Did you catch a scent or something?”

Ah. That slipped out.

Only Cielo, who had read the original novel, knew that Oscar would manifest as an Omega right after his coming-of-age ceremony.

There might be early signs now, but the definitive manifestation was something only Cielo knew for sure.

As his eyes darted around nervously, Cielo hurried to make something up.

“…O-Oscar seemed really sensitive to pheromones. Just recently, he could tell when another Omega was about to go into heat. I couldn’t even sense it, but he did. Isn’t that strange?”

The more Cielo explained, the more Ryan’s expression grew suspicious. Seeing that, Cielo let out a cough and quickly said he’d go get something to drink, then left his seat in a hurry.

Watching him walk away, Ryan let out a breath and muttered to himself.

“Well, Oscar will manifest as an Alpha, so of course he could smell that. And you didn’t smell it because… you’re an Omega.”

But that muttered remark never reached Cielo.