THE ALPHA'S UNWANTED LUNA

It was the one-year anniversary of the wedding of Lucan Ashborn the emperor, supreme Alpha of Lycaria, and Duke Dreadmoor precious daughter, Selene Dreadmoor. The capital had been in a festive mood for the past week celebrating the imperial marriage and there was a celebratory banquet held at Highmoon, the capital’s palace.

The people were perplexed by the unexpectedly proper display of various celebrations and banquets. There wasn’t a single person in the empire who didn’t know that the Supreme Alpha strongly disliked the Luna. In fact, he didn’t simply dislike her. He loathed her.

Everyone had expected the Supreme Alpha to completely ignore the anniversary, but once they witnessed the grand celebrations, a hopeful doubt arose in them. But at the palace banquet held on the day of the anniversary, they realized their hopeful doubt was in vain.

There wasn’t a single word exchanged between the Supreme Alpha and Luna, despite the banquet having been arranged to celebrate their marriage anniversary. The Supreme Alpha only danced with other women for everyone to see, and the Luna didn’t bat an eye, maintaining a straight face as she let her ladies-in-waiting attend to her.

Duke Dreadmoor welled with tears. He was infuriated at the treatment his beloved daughter was receiving, but there was nothing he could do.

Whatever the case, the matters between a married couple stayed between the couple.

The nobles who noticed Duke Dreadmoor rage approached the Luna, starting conversations and showering her with flattery, but the Luna was indifferent as if she didn’t hear or see anything. It was hard to discern whether she was being dignified or coldhearted.

“There is something I wish to announce to all of you on this day,” the emperor raised his voice, alone in his joyfulness. His smiling face was beautiful, befitting of the man titled the most handsome man to ever exist in the empire since its establishment. But it was somewhat unsettling.

None of the announcements that the emperor had ever made when he was happy by himself had been sane ones. It was the expression the nobles hated most on him.

“Although it has already been a year since the empress and I were married, we have yet to see an heir. A shame. Yes, a shame indeed.”

The emperor raised his glass to take a sip after beginning his announcement nonchalantly. The nobles stole glimpses at Duke Dreadmoor who was no longer even trying to hide his anger toward the emperor.

Even the rats sneaking around the palace knew that the emperor didn’t share a bed with the empress. It was shameless of him to discuss heirs when he never even showed his face at the empress’s chambers.

The empress was still expressionless as if she was listening to someone else’s story. It seemed as if her soul was someplace else.

“Since we’re so distant for a married couple, I think there needs to be some sort of change on this anniversary of the imperial marriage. Perhaps things will change a bit moving forward.”

“What do you mean by change, Your Majesty…?” Someone asked in a nervous voice.

The emperor didn’t answer. Instead, he nudged his subject standing next to him. The subject faltered, hesitating, then said something to the attendant next to him. The command traveled down and down, all the way to the footman at the door

of the entrance of the banquet hall.

“Lady Odette, the daughter of Marquis Oakheart!” The footman announced in a booming voice.

The doors of the banquet hall opened and a woman with her raven-black hair coiled in a graceful updo walked in wearing an elaborate dress.

There was chilling silence inside the hall. Everyone could see the woman’s dress and her adornments were befitting of an empress.

“How… What in the world…”

The faces of the nobles who sided with the duke turned pale as they watched the woman enter as if she were the empress. The nobles glanced back and forth between Duke Dreadmoor and Selene Dreadmoor. The Duke face was bright red as if it was about to burst open. And the empress’s indifferent face finally shifted. Now she looked as if she was bored to death.

“Your Majesty, I told you it’s embarrassing to announce me like this!”

Odette Oakheart ignored everyone and approached the emperor, speaking in a nasal voice.

The emperor affectionately put his arm around Odette Oakheart’s waist. “I shall take Odette as my concubine,” he declared.

There were exclamations all around the hall, calling the emperor to order, exclaiming with great shock how impossible it was. The emperor leisurely fed Odette peaches and other fruits, grinning like a fool as if no one else’s voice reached his ears.

The delinquent emperor was bringing back a system that had ended more than two hundred years before. A grin spread across his aggravatingly handsome face as he raised his glass.

“And I shall not go back on my words. I have already received the most precious gift from this lady. I would be ashamed to be an emperor if I could not even take responsibility for such a gift.”

Did that mean they had spent the night together? The nobles flipped when they finally comprehended what the emperor meant.

The emperor exchanged affectionate gestures with Odette, still oblivious to the situation. Finally, Duke Dreadmoor burst with fury.

“Your Majesty!” he bellowed.

The emperor glanced at the empress nonchalantly even at the enraged roar rattling the banquet hall.

“Empress, you won’t be jealous, will you? Anything for an heir, after all.” He pretty much meant he would not have a child with the empress. Empress Selene still looked as if none of this uproar had anything to do with her.

“No, I won’t be.” A single word was spoken in a dry voice, without any rise or fall in the intonation. That was all Selene said in reply. There was almost a brief trace of rage that crossed the emperor’s face as he gazed at her indifferent face, but no one paid much attention. They knew the emperor despised the empress even for breathing.

“How agreeable. The rest of you figure out the details of how to make

Odette a concubine. I must take my leave. I have business to attend to.” The emperor set down his glass and exited with Odette in his arms. Judging by the way they were leaving, it was clear what business he was referring to.

The emperor exited with his new woman and left the empress alone at the banquet held to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the imperial marriage. It was a day of horror and awe. Even the grandeur and the extravagance of the banquet felt like a joke in poor taste prepared for the amusement of this moment.

Everyone’s eyes fell on Selene.

“What are you all waiting for? Do as he commanded,” she said in an irritable tone, looking bored to death.

Therefore, one year from the day of their marriage, Emperor Lucan brought in a new woman and made her a concubine to humiliate the empress over.