As the three of them spent their afternoon routine in the garden, Stella noticed that smiles appeared much more often on Matteo’s face. The young alpha boy would always look forward to speaking with Stella about his favorite books while his elder sister listened to their conversation. As Ophelia glanced at the two of them, she thought that her black-haired fiancé would stop pestering her now that Matteo kept her busy, but she would always still make time to bombard Ophelia with incessant trivial questions.

“So, what’s your favorite tea?”

“…”

Perhaps silence was the way to make this annoying alpha stop throwing questions in her direction, but Ophelia was wrong to believe that it would be enough to stop her.

“Hm, since you always have Earl Gray tea at our picnics, I assume that’s your favorite, right?”

The fact Stella guessed that correctly was infuriating to her. She didn’t want the alpha to learn too much about her because it would create an incessant attachment between both sides. It would be best if they knew nothing about one another with only resentment towards each other as what they shared in common. The more that the Albrecht alpha paid attention to Ophelia, the more it would make it hard for her to play the villainess role as she intended.

“Know your place, Stella. We are not friends and you’re simply my property, an alpha pet that my father gave me as a gift.”

“Then what’s your favorite food?”

“Are you even listening to me??”

“Isn’t it important for me to know what you like? Since you said I’m your alpha, then shouldn’t I know my master’s preference?”

“Ugh! You’re just—!”

Stella replied with a smug of confidence as if she knew she successfully annoyed the older omega. Ophelia’s face heated up before they started bickering back and forth with each other as usual. Matteo was very much getting used to their quarrel and could tell that his older sister was doing her best to hide her feelings even though her ears reddened.  

“Big sis likes desserts, especially strawberry shortcakes.”

Matteo joined the conversation by answering Stella’s questions on behalf of his older sister. After spending time with them for over a week, he could tell that Stella was a kind-hearted person who genuinely wanted to get to know both Chevalier siblings. Even though his sister scolded him for butting in, he wasn’t offended in the slightest. He knew she wouldn’t mind it. As the three of them were enjoying this perfect weather under the tree shades, it was perhaps the right time for Stella to ask her an important question.

“So, Ophelia, I always wanted to ask you something for quite a while already…”

“Ugh, what now?”

“…Since when did you fall in love with me?”

“H-Huh—!?”

Ophelia was grateful she was sipping her tea at that moment or else she would’ve coughed it out. She even almost dropped her teacup with her mouth agape. Even Matteo who was immersed in his book had to put it down before his eyes looked in Stella’s direction. Ophelia’s reaction was what the alpha expected to see. Her green eyes dilated, trembled lips, and instant pink coloration cheeks. Observing how she lost her composure the instant upon one single question was rather—cute.

Stella respectfully admitted that the pink-haired omega was good with concealing her emotions without being noticed, but she was undeniably a 16-year-old lady who couldn’t possibly outsmart her who was mentally older than her and was the Duchess of Albrecht before time travel. 

“W-Wha—! What made you come to this preposterous conclusion?!”

“Well…Anthony mentioned something along those lines before he kicked me out.”

That was a lie, obviously. Anthony never mentioned a word about the omega’s feelings towards her as this fact was only written in her private diary. Stella read through her diary in her past life, she learned Ophelia’s genuine romantic feelings for her before she even moved into Chevalier’s manor. Unfortunately, that was all the clues she had and there was no information indicating the reason or since when the older omega developed feelings for her. Thus, she might as well try to pry for more for some reaction and information. Could it be possible that had met each other somehow in the past and Stella couldn’t recall it?

“Don’t get over yourself thinking that I have intimate feelings for you just because I took you as my fiancé!!”

It was obvious that Ophelia was lying through her teeth, but Stella could at least evaluate her reaction. Despite wearing her tough façade, she could even detect the shade of red on her cheeks from this distance. She often emphasized that Stella was her pet, but never once did the omega do anything harmful to her, unlike Theo and Eleanor. Ophelia was more of triggering her pet peeves and weaknesses as frequently as possible so they would have the worst relationship they could establish.

“Hmm… is that so?”

“Y-You better eradicate those false understandings and thoughts at once!”

Her tone and facial expression were more than enough confirmation of the villainess’s feelings for her, but Stella still had many questions unanswered. She had no recollection of their association much before this engagement so she couldn’t help but wonder when Ophelia even developed feelings for her though…? Despite reading through Ophelia’s diary already, she still had many unanswered questions on her mind. One day, she wished to learn those answers but just not today. As of right now, she should focus on the present and establish a solid friendship with these two siblings first to gain their trust.

 

-

 

“Wow…there is a bookshop over there. Sis, can we drop by?”

“Hm? That’s fine.”

Usually, it would be Ophelia and Stella who would spend the entire day loitering aimlessly in the city, but this time the young little brother tagged along as well. He turned to his beloved sister with those sparkling eyes and who would be in the right mind to refuse his genuine request? Stella decided to use this priceless chance to buy new books that piqued her interest while the younger alpha constantly consulted with her about which books should he purchase.

“Do you think this one is good? Uh…this one is also good too…”

“You can just get both, you know? We didn’t know that the book would still be here the next time we came by. You should buy it now while it is still available.”

“I suppose you’re correct…then I’ll get both!”

Matteo and she clicked surprisingly well than Stella expected, and they looked like siblings despite the contrast of their appearance. Aside from their usual afternoon picnic, she would always request the little brother to come along with them whenever Ophelia wanted to go out. She knew that her pink-haired fiancé wouldn’t refuse her request. Fortunately, he enjoyed spending time with them too. It was good for him to leave the manor every now and then to see the world outside as well as purchase new books to add to his current collection. Meanwhile, Stella picked out several geopolitics books and did not realize a pair of green eyes observing every action of hers in silence.

“…I didn’t take you to be someone that can be interested in geopolitics.”

The familiar sweet voice caught her attention, and she knew instantly who was watching her closely with those angry eyes. The corners of her lips lifted as she turned to see Ophelia showing interest in Stella’s selection of books.

“I love to learn about our homeland’s history and legacy. I am an Albrecht after all.”

“Hmph…thought you were only interested in those adventurous or explorer bibliographies you often speak of with Matteo.”

“Well, I love reading inspirational stories during my free time. Also, shouldn’t you find some books here while we’re here?”

Once they were done with purchasing everything else, it was about time they headed back to the manor together. The younger brother went back to his room eagerly to read the new novels he bought whilst the Albrecht noble carried Ophelia’s purchases to her room. Now that there was some private time, they took out one book from her bag and handed it over.

“Here, this is my gift for you.”

“Huh?”

Ophelia showed no interest in buying anything here and only came here because of Matteo’s request. Thus, that gave Stella quite an idea…she could just buy her a book instead. The older omega was forced to accept the gift, and her eyes went straight to the title of the novel – The Heart of Northland. Even though she had no interest in fictional novels, she once heard about this famous story from her classmates. It was one of the all-time popular romance stories inspired by the true story of the first Duke and Duchess Albrecht of Northland. It elaborated on the beauty of love between the duke and his partner and their utmost service for their homeland. If it wasn’t for their unperturbed determination, Northland wouldn’t have survived through a series of cataclysmic events and still stand today.

“Ugh, I told you I don’t read these kinds of novels! Take it back.”

“It is a good story and inspirational, despite it being altered to be a fiction rather than a nonfiction biography. You should be grateful that there’s one copy left in the bookstore.”

Even when Ophelia handed the book back to her, the alpha pushed it back into her hand as she continued to elaborate on how the omega would enjoy it once she started reading it. But as expected

“Why should I care? Throw this away at once or I will be the one to burn it—!”

“Trust me, you’ll enjoy it. You just have to try.”

She uttered calmly with sheer confidence and made the pink-haired noble pause for a second. Stella was confident that Ophelia wouldn’t throw it away or burn it as she threatened to and even requested her to share her thoughts on it once she was done. Even though the Albrecht alpha wasn’t exerting her dominating pheromones at the moment, it was that unperturbed confidence that triggered Ophelia’s omega instinct. She bit her lips and tightened her grip to resist the urge to give in to the young alpha before her.

“If you’re so confident that you won’t enjoy it, then prove me wrong, Ophelia. Unless you’re going to admit that I’m right by trashing or burning the book then so be it.”

“Y-You—!!”

“I’m going to go rest in my room for a bit. See you later for dinner.”

The young cheeky alpha returned to her room and she knew how to challenge the prideful omega in such a way that she wouldn’t simply back down without proving her wrong first. If Ophelia decided to throw the book away as she initially intended, then she would be indirectly admitting to Stella’s statements. The pink-haired lady frowned frustratedly and was too prideful to back down.

“…I will make sure to prove you wrong no matter what.”

Stella heard that but didn’t bother to respond before entering her room. She intentionally provoked her with sheer confidence since she already knew that she won this challenge before it even began. It was written in her private diary that she had always wanted to read The Heart of Northland, but she never had the chance to. Obviously, she had a handful of matters to focus on than to spend her precious time reading a romance novel leisurely. As she never had time to enjoy things and care for herself, the least that Stella could do was purchase this novel as a gift for her.  

 

-

 

Instead of their usual afternoon picnic in the garden today, Matteo made a special request with Ophelia and Stella to visit the horse stable together with him. Aside from reading books most of the time, the young alpha would often find time to go to the family’s animal barn located towards the borderline of Chevalier’s territory. He was a kind gentle boy with a love for books and animals. Stella finally understood why she rarely saw Matteo in her past life since he would either be in the library or at the horse stable.

“Matteo, how often do you go over to the family’s barn?”

“Usually once a week. I like to help Sir Louis with tending the horses and he taught me many things as well!”

The moment Stella asked the young alpha, he began elaborating on the details of how to take care of horses and other animals at the barn as well. Ophelia only followed them without speaking a word. She only tagged along because her beloved little brother made such a rare request since he wanted to show them the young horse that he had been taking care of since he was born. They headed inside the stable and were greeted by the family’s equine caretaker, Sir Louis. He was stunned and his face went pale upon seeing them who came along with him, which was not surprising since who would’ve expected Lady Ophelia would come to an animal barn like this?

This brought back old memories for Stella when she used to spend time in Albrecht’s horse stable alongside her parents. It was Alicia who taught her how to take care of each horse ever since she could remember. She watched Matteo enjoy every moment of feeding and brushing horses in the stable before she decided to join the fun as well.

“Let me help you.”

“It’s okay Lady Stella! Your clothes might get dirty, and I don’t want to bother you…”

“Don’t worry, I used to tend the horses back at my household with my mother.”

Stella was familiar with handling horses and it was her gentle pheromones that made all the horses comfortable enough to let her touch them. Ophelia sat down on the bench nearby watching her fiancé and little brother having their bonding moment together.  She knew nothing about tending the horses so all she could do was just sit and watch them from afar instead.

“Matteo, do you know how to ride horses?”

“Not exactly… I’m just aware of the concept as I would get proper horse-riding lessons when I turn 14. The most I have done is sitting on a horse with an adult holding the reins for me.”

Most children would learn to ride horses when they turn 14 for safety reasons, except for members of the Valens family who were trained at a very young age. She recalled her mother taught her how to ride ever since she was about seven years old, which gave Duke Cedric a heart attack when he found out about it. 

“How about I teach you the basics? So, you know how to walk and trot on a horse.”

“I-I can!?”

“That’s too dangerous for him. Matteo is still too young to do horse riding.”

Matteo was instantly overjoyed the moment the older alpha offered to teach him to ride a horse but then Ophelia interjected immediately out of worries. He had not reached the age to learn yet and what if he got injured from falling off the horse? Stella could see the young boy went silent the moment his sister spoke up, and she reassured her that everything would be fine.

“Don’t worry. I’ll only teach him the basics of walking and trotting. Nothing dangerous.”

“But…”

She glanced at her brother who wore a downhearted expression and that weakened her resolve bit by bit. The older alpha didn’t give up and reassured her that everything would be okay under her watch. Matteo turned to his sister with those sincere pleading eyes which were impossible to refuse at this point. After a long one minute of pondering, she let out a huge exhale and finally gave in to her brother’s plea.

“…Fine, but you must stop if I see that it is too dangerous for Matteo.”

The moment she permitted the unofficial horse-riding lesson, Matteo overzealously thanked her with those sparkling green eyes. Without further ado, Stella gave the eager young boy his first lesson and he couldn’t contain his excitement and joy as he rode the horse for the first time.  Thanks to Stella’s teaching, Matteo picked up very quickly and it didn’t take him that long before he was trotting around the field at ease.

“Ophelia! Did you see that? I’m able to trot on a horse!”

“Don’t get careless, Matteo. Stay vigilant.”

“Hehe, I know! Don’t worry sis.”

He was so eager to show his sister his swift progress and began trotting in the open field at ease as Ophelia was still amazed at how fast he was able to learn under Stella’s guidance. She watched and listened to the lesson and was able to understand it easily despite not having any prior knowledge of horse riding. While watching her brother wearing such a beaming smile across his face, she couldn’t help but envy him slightly from afar. He looked so free and happy. As a Chevalier omega, her fate was predetermined since birth. The meaning of her life was to dedicate oneself to the family’s honor and to produce an heir worthy of bearing the Chevalier name. She would never experience a free life as she wished no matter what. Ophelia already accepted that fate, yet she couldn’t deny that she yearned for a life bound to none—free from all restraints that clutched onto her. The helpless omega tried to convince herself that it was fine to live life being shackled until her last dying breath. She didn’t need to experience any of this as she had a greater mastermind plan to focus on.

“Do you want to give it a try?”

It was that familiar gentle voice that interrupted her train of thought. Her eyes darted to the young alpha standing close by. Of course, it could be no one other than Stella herself. Even though it shouldn’t come as a surprise to her anymore, it was still enough to make her speechless. Stella kindly offered to teach her horse riding since she noticed that Ophelia showed interest in listening while she was giving Matteo a lesson earlier. What was Stella expecting to hear from her? The answer was quite obvious.

“How bold of you to assume I’m interested in such an unladylike activity? Have you perhaps forgotten that I am an omega?”

“How does being an omega has anything to do with having some fun?”

“You can easily say so because you are an alpha.”

“That’s not what I mean…what I’m saying is that our secondary sex shouldn’t restrain anyone from doing something they are interested in.”

Stella clarified herself before giving her an explanation that she disagreed with the notion that horse riding must be strictly limited to alphas and beta men only. She believed everyone should have the right to experience what they’re interested in. Especially on the mother’s side of the family, everyone must study Valens swordsmanship and horse riding at a very young age. Thus, she knew plentiful of omegas that were exceptional horse riders, and some were even better than alphas themselves too.

“I know it’s unpopular for omegas to do a strenuous activity such as horse riding, but shouldn’t we all have the right to decide rather than being told not to do so?”

“…Such irrational naivety.”

“Perhaps I am, but I’m just being honest with what I believe things should be in the first place.”

There was a moment when Ophelia was genuinely touched by Stella’s thoughtfulness, but she quickly suppressed her feelings before they could give her empty hope. She had more important things to focus on and had no time to find pleasure and happiness for herself right now. Could someone as sinful as her have the right to pursue a life of happiness of her own?

At this point, the best solution for Ophelia was to ignore her completely.

She must refuse all the temptation to take her hand no matter what. She believed she had no right to ask for any form of freedom until she accomplished her goal. After she refused to converse with Stella any longer, she sighed and walked away in silence. Ophelia thought that the annoying alpha had finally left her alone, but she was completely wrong about that. In a short few minutes, Stella returned with a horse this time and reached out to ask for Ophelia’s hand.

“Since you are not interested in learning as you said earlier, then how about you ride with me instead? It’s normal for an alpha to invite their fiancé for a ride, am I right?”

“You…”

As expected, the cheeky Albrecht would do anything to have things her way regardless of her actions and words. It was infuriating yet gut-wrenching at the same time. She planned to make Stella despise her, yet this stubborn girl before her kept reaching out with that gentle smile. The more she kept pushing Stella away, the more her actions and words became ineffective to her.

“If you hate it, then tell me after you’ve given it a try.”

Her hand was so close since it was within Ophelia’s reach, yet so far at the same time. Her resolve was put to a test and…it elicited fear within her. Should she give in and reach out for her hand? Should she hit her hand away and stick to her original plan? Regardless of which choice she picked…why did it make her heart twist this painfully?

While Ophelia was deep within her thoughts, Stella noticed her hesitation. Thus, she decided to be the first one to reach out to take her hand before she could react. She darted her eyes quickly in her direction and then to her hand. It was probably the first time they held each other’s hand so gently like this that it made her heart skip a beat. That warm hand pulled her up to stand next to her before that cheeky alpha invited her for a ride.

“Come with me, Ophelia.”

“…”

That was just unfair for Stella to direct that kind of irresistible and heartwarming smile at her. Especially with her gentle yet assertive personality, made it extremely difficult for Ophelia to refuse her invitation. The older omega bit her lips and uttered under her breath—just this once—before Stella wore a satisfied grin in an instant. Ophelia finally got on top of the horse for the first time with Stella’s help, and she was visibly afraid that she might fall off when they moved.

“Don’t tense up too much, just relax.”

“Easier said than done. This is the first time I sat on a horse…and never would I’ve foreseen this moment happen in my life.”

“We won’t go fast until you feel more comfortable.”

That would be impossible since this felt a little bit too close for Ophelia to ever be comfortable. She was practically leaning close against Stella’s body as she gripped tightly onto her vest. Ever since they were engaged, she never got this close to her to the point that every air she inhaled through her nose had a mix of Stella’s soothing scent. This was just a little bit too much for Ophelia to handle with a straight face and thankfully the younger alpha wouldn’t be able to see it from this position. The moment the horse began walking, she gripped even more tightly and reminded Stella to go slow.

“Y-You better not go too fast.”

“Don’t worry, you won’t fall. Trust me.”

The horse walked around the fields for a while until Stella noticed that the omega was gradually getting used to it. As the horse began trotting faster, a gentle breeze brushed against their cheeks. Perhaps it was the excitement of this novel experience, that Ophelia forgot about her initial fear of falling. Despite seeing this same boring field countless times before, it felt so different when she witnessed it from this novel angle. 

“Wow…”

Stella peeked quietly and noticed the genuine expression she was wearing, there was only but a huge smile across her face. As she expected, a smile suited her way much more than her usual grumpy face. After weeks of persistence, she was able to make her smile. Could this be counted as…her first requital for Ophelia? Riding through the fields together, the strong wind buffeted their faces as they galloped through the fields. Ophelia saw many things that she had never noticed especially how the vast blue sky was much closer than before.

“I never thought that a sky and the view of my family’s land could be this captivating…”

“That’s the true beauty of horse riding–to breeze through the wind so freely like this. It feels very liberating, isn’t it?”

A gentle voice grabbed Ophelia’s attention and realized that she held onto Stella tightly and very closely that she flustered instantly. She was supposed to act disinterested in it, but she unconsciously allowed herself to enjoy this far too much. She cleared her throat before coming up with a desperate excuse to convince her that it was a tolerable experience.

“Do not put words into my mouth. I didn’t say anything about it being fun.”

“Uhuh…”

“Just tolerable. Do you understand? I will give that it is a tolerable experience.”

Seeing Ophelia attempt to convince her was rather quite funny and cute at the same time. Thus, she decided to propose an offer that she knew the omega would instantly try to shoot down but that still didn’t stop her anyway. There was a reason why she wanted Ophelia to experience it and specifically teach them how to ride a horse.

“Anyways—just between Matteo, you, and me. Next time we visit the horse stable together again I’ll teach you how to ride a horse.”

“Are you hearing yourself right? It is pointless for an omega like me to learn such an unladylike skill—”

“No survival skill is pointless, Ophelia. One day, you never know that it can become useful when…you need it the most.”

The young alpha meant every word she uttered with a tint of worry and desperation in her tone. For the Chevalier siblings to know how to ride a horse properly would certainly become beneficial for them if they had to escape from…Viscount Lemaire’s assassins. She could only hope that the pink-haired omega wouldn’t be too stubborn to refuse her offer.

“…”

Ophelia remained in silence as their horse trotted back to the horse stable where Matteo was waiting for them. She did not give her response to Stella even after they got off the horse, but that was more than enough to make the younger alpha know her answer.

“By the way, we’ll need to change into another pair of trousers during horse riding practice, so our clothes won’t get dirtied and that we won’t get caught.”

“Who said I am interested anyway?”

“I’m just making a statement for all of us. Right, Matteo?”

Stella turned to the younger alpha boy who understood what she meant before he nodded firmly. He turned to his sister and asked if she could accompany him to the stable again next time with them and they could learn to ride horses together as well. Even though she wanted to reject the idea on the spot, his innocent request made it difficult for her to say no. Ophelia sighed and reached out to pat his head gently before speaking calmly.

“I’ll accompany you to the stable whenever you wish for me to come with you, Matteo.”

“Hehe, thank you sis.”

Watching those two siblings from afar reminded Stella of her relationship with Blake. This scene made her realize how it had been so long since she last saw her. In her previous life, she made her sister exceptionally worried about her, even worse, she didn’t have the opportunity to say her goodbyes.

“…” 

Unconsciously, she let out a long exhale. At this moment, she assumed that Blake would be at the Albrecht manor with Anthony and Aunt Yvette. She couldn’t help but wonder how her older sister was doing right now. Was she eating and sleeping well? The more she thought about her, the more she started to miss Blake. Unfortunately, she wouldn’t get to see her any time soon for the next three years from now.

“Ugh… Let’s return to the manor before I start to sweat profusely from this heat…”

Despite Ophelia didn’t mind getting a bit of dirt here and there on her clothes, she was undeniably a noble lady that was far from being comfortable with strenuous and sweaty activities. Without further ado, the three of them headed back to the manor together before someone would suspect how long they disappeared. As they were walking along the manor’s corridor, on their way back to their rooms, they encountered the elder chief butler who was passing by. He was quick to greet the two Chevaliers with a warm caring smile before the two nodded in his direction. Everyone in the manor knew and addressed him as Sir Reuben, he served the family for two generations and was once Ophelia and Matteo’s grandfather’s private servant. Thus, even the haughty Chevaliers themselves showed a form of respect towards him even though he was just a butler.

“It is lovely weather today, did you three have a wonderful picnic outside?”

“We did. Thank you for asking, Reuben. The cake you prepared for us was delicious too.”

“I’m very honored you enjoyed it, Lady Ophelia.”

Sir Reuben was not exactly any typical servant who would just wear a mask, do their job for money, and gossip about his masters behind their backs. Perhaps out of all the servants Stella had seen in this coldhearted household, he was the only person who had a warm heart and genuinely cared about both Matteo and Ophelia. Every time they had an afternoon picnic in the garden, the chief butler would personally prepare a wide range of desserts so that they would never get bored of having the same things every time. After their quick encounter, Stella waited for the right opportunity to whisper loud enough for only him to hear as he walked past her.

“I hope you’ll keep today a secret from Marquis.”  

“…!”

As expected, he was caught off guard and turned around to make eye contact with her calm bright blue eyes. At that moment, he realized that she knew he was at the horse stable spying on them earlier. He was quite confident he concealed his presence so no one would notice him, but he underestimated the young alpha’s vigilant senses.

“I’m not certain that this senile old man understands what you meant.”

“You know what I mean, Sir Reuben, and I do think you genuinely care about Matteo and Ophelia as well. At least, I hope you will keep this a secret for their sake.”

It was a very short interaction before Stella followed right behind the two Chevaliers and left the elder butler behind wordless. He initially thought that Stella would just be like any other young prideful alpha, but then he was completely wrong about that. She had such a heartwarming yet valiant presence, just like her father. As expected from the bloodline of Albrecht, Stella was raised differently from other ordinary nobles he met. It seemed only she noticed him and had not informed both the Chevalier siblings about him watching from afar before giving his daily report to the Marquis.

“So, what did those children and that Albrecht mutt do today?”

Sir Reuben stood in Marquis Hugh’s study room to make his daily report of Ophelia and Stella’s activity, which he usually wouldn’t hesitate to make his report. However, it was Stella’s words that reminded him of Ophelia and Matteo’s smiles that he witnessed at the stable. In this cold household, when was the last time he saw those two lovely children smile wholeheartedly? As he asked himself silence, Sir Reuben found his answer in silence before returning his gaze to the Marquis.

“They had a usual afternoon picnic in the garden behind the manor, sir. No unusual sighting in the young Albrecht’s actions as usual.”

“Good. Keep watching them and report to me any suspicious actions, especially from that mutt. She is Cedric’s daughter after all, so we don’t know what she has under her sleeves…”

Marquis Hugh had his suspicions of the young Albrecht as he was aware she was Cedric’s chosen successor over Anthony. Furthermore, she was raised and trained by Alicia as well. She was that intimidating elite knight who stood out like a sore thumb next to Cedric. If it wasn’t for her vigilance and for the fact she carried the name of Valens, Marquis wouldn’t have gone through this much difficulty with orchestrating Cedric’s assassination. 

Sir Reuben bowed before he quietly left his master’s study and returned to his usual duties.

The old man felt that Stella was just too different from many other alphas or even those of the same age as her, it felt as if she was an adult in a child’s body. Nevertheless, one thing he was certain from his observation since day one Stella stepped into the Chevalier manor was that she genuinely cared for both Ophelia and Matteo, which was perhaps even more than any members of the Chevalier family themselves…

Once again, he observed the three of them at the horse stable several days later as Stella was teaching both Matteo and Ophelia how to ride a horse. The noble omega grumbled and complained about how her body was aching even when they just started their lesson for 15 minutes. Matteo casually trotted in the open fields just fine while Stella spent most of the time teaching her fiancé how to get on the horse.

“Ugh…my entire body is aching.”

“Of course, you were so tensed when you got on the horse.”

“Must I remind you I am just an omega? I am not built to be solidly built and fearless like you two that are alphas.”

“Haha, I’m not saying that there’s anything wrong with you being so tensed. Anyone would be when they’re not used to it. Practice makes it perfect, just be patient.”

“…”

“Let’s continue for a bit and make sure you can get on the horse without my assistance. Take my hand.”

Stella chuckled with the patience of a god for the feisty omega. When the alpha extended her hand out, Ophelia slowly reached out for it before she decided to practice a little more until she could get onto the horse by herself without any help. Despite the resistance, her strong dignity as a noble kept her going as she was not the kind of person that would back down from a challenge.

Sir Reuben watched them from afar behind the stable with a smile of relief across his face. He was grateful that he went with what his heart said, which was to preserve Ophelia and Matteo’s smile and happiness in this cold household, even though it meant that he had to lie to Marquis Hugh. While he was in his own thoughts, he caught a glimpse of the young alpha who already had noticed his presence. She simply smiled at him before returning her focus to the pink-haired fiancé.

“Stella, don’t you dare let go of the reins…”

“I won’t. I’m not that evil, okay? You can rest assured.”

Ophelia uttered with frustration and fear as if she doubted Stella would tease her by letting go of the reins. Even though it was tempting, she wouldn’t do anything that would put the omega at risk. Despite the accusation, she was far from feeling offended and responded in a composed manner. Sir Reuben let out a quiet sigh followed by a smile before continuing to watch them for a little longer…

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A/N: Sorry for the long silence these past months, there was a change in my work schedule and it was quite hectic (T_T) At least now everything is much more under control so I should be able to write consistently than before! Thank you to those who have been waiting for this next part, and I'll make sure I update it much more consistently with my new work schedule. 

Also, I'm planning to open a writing commission! I'll only do one-shots at this present moment just to make things easier and I still have time to continue this ABO fiction too. If you're interested in knowing more details, feel free to DM me through SH or Twitter (https://twitter.com/KiwiSensei) 

I wrote fanfics from games I'm playing (Genshin, Honkai StarRail, Path to Nowhere). You can check both SFW and NSFW works at Ao3 below: https://archiveofourown.org/users/datsexykiwi