I Became the Villain Alpha's Omega (BL)

Chapter 265: A Pack of Frost and Fluff

The heavy silence that usually followed a grand imperial arrival didn’t last long, quickly fracturing into a hundred hushed, frantic whispers. Cherion kept his posture flawlessly straight, his fingers resting lightly against Zarius’s sleeve as they stood near the edge of the grand ballroom. But the moment his eyes locked onto the approaching figures of Gillian and Iryna, a sudden, weird prickle of discomfort tightened in his chest.

Instinctively, Cherion’s mental walls shot straight up.

Right, Iryna.

Somehow, everything felt completely different tonight. Maybe because Zarius’s name had officially been tossed around as a candidate to marry Princess Iryna for the Auzelian and Solaric peace treaty. Even though Cherion logically understood that Iryna hadn’t engineered the political plot and likely had no say in it, seeing her again with that heavy knowledge hanging between them made a small, defensive part of him feel the immediate urge to guard his territory.

As the Solaric siblings finally halted in front of them, the intense pressure of the surrounding crowd seemed to fade. Gillian broke the stiff atmosphere first, a bright, genuinely happy grin spreading across his rugged features as he looked between the two of them.

"It’s so nice to see you," Gillian greeted, his deep voice carrying a booming warmth that completely ignored standard, stuffy etiquette. He fixed his sharp gaze on Zarius, a playful glimmer in his eyes. "Though, I must say, the Duke doesn’t look so particularly well today."

Gillian turned his full attention to Cherion, his grin widening. "But you, Lord Cherion? You look absolutely dazzling tonight. Truly, the star of the entire hall."

A quiet wave of pride washed over Zarius, but it was instantly followed by a familiar, possessive tug in his chest. A low rumble vibrated deep within his torso as his large hand pulled Cherion a fraction closer.

"He is," Zarius agreed. "Though I would prefer it if my mate didn’t draw quite so many eyes tonight."

Cherion offered a polite smile, but he wasn’t about to beat around the bush forever. "Thank you, Your Highness." He glanced at Iryna. "It is wonderful to see you both again. I trust you’ve been enjoying your time here?"

Iryna returned the smile. "I guess it’s fine, Cherion. But honestly, it was much more fun when I was at your place."

Cherion chuckled softly. "Tell me about it. The Capital is kind of a lot. Actually, the gossip here has been so loud lately that even I couldn’t miss it. I heard about the whole peace treaty betrothal thing, Your Highness."

Iryna didn’t flinch. Instead, she let out a soft, melodious laugh, raising her right hand to cover her lips. "Oh, news truly does spread quickly, doesn’t it? It is quite dreadful being traded like a piece of diplomatic livestock, isn’t it?" She paused, her sharp eyes dropping down to look at Zarius’s large, gloved hand.

Right on cue, as if responding to an unspoken threat, Zarius’s arm snaked around Cherion’s waist, his grip firm, possessive, and entirely unyielding as he pulled the smaller man flush against his side.

Iryna’s eyes gleamed with pure amusement. "Though, looking at the two of you now... I suppose you are thoroughly enjoying the outcome, Cherion."

Cherion didn’t pull away. In fact, he did the exact opposite. He raised his hand, resting it over Zarius’s large fingers at his waist, before sliding his arm back to hug Zarius right around his hip. It was a silent, incredibly bold declaration: He is taken, so don’t even think about it.

"I am quite certain His Majesty will eventually assign you someone truly great, Princess," Cherion said smoothly, his smile turning a fraction sweeter.

Gillian chuckled, shaking his head as he watched Cherion’s blatant display of possessiveness. "Well, too bad the greatest man in the entire empire is already thoroughly claimed," he teased, gesturing toward Zarius with a smirk.

Iryna raised her hands in a mock gesture of surrender, her eyes dancing. "Oh, please rest assured, Cherion. I have absolutely no desire to become the third person in someone else’s relationship. Let us put an end to such a depressing, political topic altogether, shall we?"

She smoothed down the front of her gown. "Actually, I have something I wished to give you both."

Cherion and Zarius exchanged a brief, curious glance. Before they could ask, Iryna reached into the folds of her dress and pulled out a medium-sized, velvet-trimmed pouch. She reached inside and pulled out a small, breathtakingly sculpture.

Cherion’s breath hitched. Aw, so cute.

Inside the pouch were two separate wolves, one slightly larger and broader than the other, designed to curl up closely together in a protective, seamless circle when placed side by side. The details were so fine that Cherion could see the individual ridges of their fur, glowing faintly under the enchanted chandelier light.

"I made this specifically for the two of you," Iryna explained softly, her voice dropping to a gentle murmur so the nearby nobles wouldn’t overhear. "Consider it a personal thank you for assisting the Solaric Empire with that nasty bandit situation the other day. And, of course, a token to congratulate you both on the successful subjugation."

Cherion blinked, looking from the beautiful sculpture up to her face. "Princess Iryna, this is incredibly beautiful, but... your empire has already rewarded the North with an abundance of supplies and official gifts. We cannot possibly accept more."

"I know we gave a reward," Iryna insisted, her smile warm and completely devoid of imperial malice. "But this is personal. This is from me. Please, accept it."

Seeing her sincerity, Cherion didn’t hesitate any longer. He was the first to move, stepping forward to gently take the sculpture from her hands before Zarius could even react. The moment his fingers brushed the ice, he realized that the larger wolf was sculpted to perfectly mimic Zarius’s fierce presence, while the slightly smaller one nestled against its side represented him.

"I made it using my power," Iryna added proudly. "As long as I draw breath in this world, this ice will never melt, no matter how warm the room is."

Cherion stared at the glowing artifact in his palms, deeply touched. "Thank you, Princess. You are remarkably thoughtful. A handmade gift using your actual power... we’ll definitely treasure it."

Standing a half-step behind his sister, Gillian crossed his arms, a sudden grin breaking across his face. "Oh? You don’t give it only to Zarius? I honestly thought you were just kidding when you were making them..."

Fwip

Before Gillian could finish his sentence, a sudden, sharp crackle of frost filled the air. In a split second, a solid block of thick, shimmering ice formed directly over Gillian’s mouth, sealing his lips completely shut.

Gillian’s eyes widened in absolute shock. He let out a muffled, panicked "Mmph?!" as he stumbled back a step, clawing frantically at the sudden block of ice on his face.

Iryna didn’t even turn around to look at her brother. She kept her eyes locked on Cherion and Zarius, smoothly adjusting her sleeves as if nothing out of the ordinary had just happened. "Please, ignore him. He clearly lacks a filter."

She offered them one final, elegant nod. "This banquet was thrown to celebrate the North’s brilliant success. You two should focus on enjoying yourselves tonight." With that, she turned and began to walk toward the long banquet tables to secure a drink, leaving her brother behind.

"Pwah!" Gillian gasped loudly, finally shattering the ice from his mouth with a burst of physical strength. He coughed, rubbing his frozen chin with a look of utter betrayal. "Iryna! You are seriously too much!" he yelled in a harsh whisper, scrambling to jog after her.

Cherion couldn’t help it. A soft, breathless giggle escaped his lips as he watched the chaotic Solaric siblings disappear into the crowd.

He looked down at the tiny ice sculptures resting safely in his palms. He caught Zarius’s eye, a mischievous, playful spark lighting up his blue gaze. Slowly, Cherion tilted his hands, sliding the two tiny ice wolves closer together until their sculpted noses gently bumped together.

"Look," Cherion whispered, letting out another soft giggle. "They’re kissing."

Zarius looked down at the tiny wolves, and then up at Cherion’s radiant, smiling face. He couldn’t help but let out a low, quiet chuckle, a genuinely soft smile breaking across his face as he looked at how incredibly cute his fiancé was being.

A few paces away, Iryna paused, glancing back over her shoulder through the gaps in the crowd. Seeing the two of them standing so closely together, completely wrapped up in their own little world, her sharp eyes softened.

She let out a quiet, satisfied hum and gave them a gentle smile, before turning back to the party.