OMI 6

The Unchangeable Self

It had been almost three weeks since I had been living with Lumière.

Apparently, he had taken a whole week off work for me.

He was quite reluctant to go back to work, saying he wanted to stay together.

It was kind of amusing to hear that even someone as capable as he was didn’t want to go to work.

His job was as a government official. For the past few years, he had been assisting with important parliamentary sessions.

I’ve heard that this country does not have a symbolic leader like a king.

Instead, the country is governed by the decisions of a 40-member Supreme Council.

The chairman of the Supreme Council represents the country in foreign negotiations, but his term of office is only one year. As a result, he’s not considered a representative.

I was surprised I found out that his father was also once a chairman for one year.

He tried to downplay the significance, but it made me realize that he comes from a prominent background.

The day before he went back to work, he told me that he had arranged for someone to come by tomorrow at noon to cook and clean.

I said I could just heat up some bread, but he admonished me, saying I had to eat properly as my appetite was already small.

The person who came was a woman I had seen before at the facility where I was previously held.

It seemed like they made sure to send someone who had a significant involvement with me.

“I will take care of the cleaning and meals at the mansion starting today. My name is Ende. Nice to meet you.”

“Hello. I am Éclair. Thank you for looking after me.”

I replied in the language of that country. Lumière had helped me with the pronunciation, so it must have come out right.

Ende looked surprised, her eyes wide.

“Mr. Éclair, I am glad to hear your name.”

“I understand the language quite well now.”

That’s wonderful. I heard from Mr. Lumière that you’ve been working hard on your language studies.

Although I was a bit awkward, I had reached a level where I could have conversations. He encouraged me to speak more, we used the Language Unification Medicine less and less, even when we were alone.

I also want to learn to cook and clean.

I didn’t know how long she would be staying, but it seemed like a good idea for me to be able to do that.

“Of course, if you want to. But there’s no need to force yourself.”

During the probation period, she was sent by the government to supervise me. It was common for households to hire housekeepers, so it wasn’t a problem if I couldn’t do these tasks myself.

Nevertheless, I decided to learn.

I didn’t have anything else in particular that I wanted to do, and I couldn’t be sure that I wouldn’t get kicked out of this house.

I wasn’t optimistic enough to think that I could live with Lumière forever.

After finishing the chores, I chatted with Ende over tea.

Despite my clumsy pronunciation, she tried to understand me and patiently taught me about this country in simple words.

Talking to her, I realized that the treatment of Omegas in this country is very different from my own.

The reason may be the declining birthrate, but also because the number of Omegas is extremely small.

It was similar to the way endangered animals are protected.

Since Omegas are specialized in reproduction, their high probability of having children is highly valued.

“Children, huh…” I wonder if I’ll be expected to mate with someone and have children at some point.

The doctor who said he would check on me weekly when I left the facility came to see me.

“You look well. Probably because you’re with Lumière. Your numbers are pretty steady.”

“Um, do you really have to come every week? Is it that bad?”

My injuries had long since healed, so I didn’t really understand the purpose of these visits.

“Your body needs long-term monitoring, any doctor here would say that. Are you aware that the medication you were taking wasn’t good for you?”

“Uh, not really, no.”

He must have meant the heat induction pills I got from the workplace.

They were given to me like supplements, but I guess they weren’t any good.

“Did you know that the pills artificially induce heat? Did you take them voluntarily?”

“I knew the effects. I needed them for work, so I took them.”

The doctor frowned at my answer.

“I won’t go into your country’s past or your previous circumstances, but you should know that your pheromone levels were significantly out of the normal omega range. The fluctuations have been erratic, indicating how much damage has been done to your related organs. It’s uncertain how long it will take for your normal heat cycle to return.”

The doctor then explained at length the dangers of such drugs.

Disturbing the heat cycle could cause various physical problems.

Including headaches and fatigue, and could even affect physical development.

The doctor said that considering my age, my organ levels should be more mature. 

That was why they had originally estimated my age to be lower.

“How long have you been on medication?”

“Four years, since I was 15.”

“Four years, huh… Let’s take it slow. If we give it the same amount of time, there’s a possibility of recovery. The most important thing is that you have a compatible Alpha.”

“You mean Lumière??

“As a doctor, I can only speak of numerical compatibility, but it was extremely good. Your pheromones were almost unresponsive to other Alphas, which was rather sad.

My pheromone levels were so low that I could be mistaken for a Beta without testing.

I didn’t respond to other alphas’ pheromones either.

The organs that were almost dead responded to Lumière’s pheromones.

I see, that could be a reason why he was chosen as my guardian.

“Being with a compatible Alpha helps with recovery?”

“Research data suggests it does. It also benefits the Alpha. In general, Alphas do better with an Omega by their side, especially if they are compatible.”

In my country, I always wondered why Alphas would choose Omegas with various disadvantages as partners, but now I understand.

It could also be because the children born to them are more likely to be alphas.

“Is it good for Lumière and me to be together?”

“It should be. But remember, we are not forcing you or anything. If you ever feel uncomfortable or scared or want to leave, just say so. Ende has probably reminded you of this as well.”

Indeed, Ende had asked me a lot about my life here.

After listening, she had muttered that I didn’t seem to have any complaints, which made sense now.

“Our job is to make sure you can live as healthy as possible, Éclair.”

This was something they had told me repeatedly since I began to understand the language to some degree.

They assured me that they didn’t want to control me or force me to do anything.

They were just supervising me until I learned the norms and rules of the country properly and became somewhat independent.

It seems that Omegas tend to be more involved in crime, although it’s less common in the central district.

“Now, there’s something I need to mention about your diet.”

Apparently, by the standards of this country, my condition when I was taken in was considered severe malnutrition.

That can’t be right.

There were a lot of people my size back home.

But it wasn’t just my appearance, my blood test results were also bad.

If you ask me if I ate well, I ate mostly cheap, convenient food, so it’s no surprise.

Maybe this is what they call nutritional education.

They suggested various ways to balance my diet, saying that while quantity might be limited, we should focus on improving quality.

◇

“If it’s okay with you, would you like to visit my family home next day off?”

“For what purpose?”

“You have a limited number of people you can meet now. It wouldn’t hurt to talk to others.”

During the probationary period, conversations are recorded by the emergency device given to me in case of trouble.

If there are no problems, it won’t be used, but no one likes to have their private life recorded.

As long as my situation is unsettled, the people I meet will be limited.

Lumière’s parents understand that and are still willing to meet with me.

“Besides, my mother is an Omega, so there may be things you can easily discuss with her.”

“I would like to meet them.” 

Up until now, I had only met Alphas and Betas.

I didn’t have a good image of parents, but his might be different.

I wondered what a normal family was like.

That weekend, I went to Lumière’s family home with him.

Their house was in the central district, close enough to walk to.

It was a large mansion with a beautiful garden. Given that it belonged to someone involved in the country’s administration, it had to be this grand, I suppose.

They greeted us at the door and said,

“Thank you for coming. Please relax and enjoy your time here.”

“Hello. We’re so glad you could come.”

Their presence felt a little like Lumière’s. Maybe that’s the way family is.

“This is my dad, Steak, and my mom, Shawn.”

Steak is as tall as Lumière, with hair a little darker than his. 

Shawn’s hair was a little brownish and she was a little taller than me. It made me realize that my physique even lost out to that of an Omega woman.

“I am Éclair.”

“Éclair, we’ve been looking forward to meeting and talking to you.”

Shawn said with a soft smile that made me feel a little uneasy. She seemed to be a nice person.

Shawn had cooked with the housekeeper.

They made lunch and we ate together. 

“Lumière loves the gratin I make. I hope you like it too.”

“He often asked for it on special occasions. It’s a nostalgic taste for him.”

Maybe it was what people call “the taste of mom’s cooking”. The seasoning felt similar to Lumière’s cooking. 

But the housekeeper had worked here for a long time, so maybe it was just the family’s taste.

I was surprised at the variety and amount of food. Shawn ate even more than I did.

I see, if everyone eats this much, it’s no wonder they say I eat too little.

Lumière had mentioned beforehand that I don’t eat much, so they didn’t push me to eat more.

After lunch we talked over tea.

I heard stories about Lumière’s childhood. He was particularly close to his older brother, who was two years older, and they played a lot together.

When his colleague became his brother’s partner, he accepted it, but seemed the least amused.

“He is a good guy, but I still thought my brother would stay at home for a bit longer. It was too sudden for me to accept.”

“We thought finding a partner for Renard would be a challenge, but he found his destiny on his own. Once they met, nothing could stop them.”

Again with that destiny thing. People in this country really believe in it. And they can even find it themselves.

“Are you two also destined to be together?”

“Yes, that’s true. But we didn’t meet through an arranged meeting. My father used to be this man’s boss. He invited him home because he was impressed with his work.”

“Shawn was an only child, and she was very much loved. It took a long time to get permission to marry. Maybe that’s why we accepted Renard’s partner so quickly.”

Shawn’s father is Steak’s boss, which means her family is really wealthy.

Which made it very different from my background.

“We didn’t have any trouble finding partners. The same goes for this kid’s brothers. We were really worried that Lumière couldn’t find a good person. So, Éclair, thank you.”

“Huh? Thank me for what?”

Suddenly, they took my hand and thanked me, though I didn’t understand why.

“This may not have been your intention, but thank you for coming to this world. I’m sorry to say this when you’re probably scared after losing everything from your previous life.”

“I didn’t like my old country, so it’s okay…”

My former life wasn’t something I missed, so I didn’t mind losing it.

“Besides, I’m not the kind of person who needs to be appreciated.”

I muttered as I looked down.

The more we talked, the more I realized how different my life was from his and his family’s.

I had nothing to be proud of. No important family. Just this body.

“My wife doesn’t know, but I understand your situation to some extent. I’m sorry, it’s being discussed in the parliament. Nevertheless, I would like to say that we welcome you.”

Steak said this with a soft voice. As someone who attended the High Council, he was probably informed about the status of the summoned one.

“’I heard you asked Lumière for a name?”

“Yes.”

“Then let’s leave the past behind. You have been reborn in this land. Please continue to get along with my son.”

They didn’t reject me – him, his family, this world. 

It was so kind, but it made me feel unhappy. 

“I’m sorry. Were you nervous? You got a lot quieter in the middle of the talking.”

Lumière asked as we walked home that evening.

“I still can’t really talk much.”

He must have been worried that I would not talk much toward the end.

When we got home, I made an uncharacteristic request.

“I want to use the medicine.”

We still occasionally used the Language Unification Medicine for important conversations.

He nodded and brought me the bottle of the light blue liquid.

I took it in one gulp, and clung to his neck.

Our lips met deeply, our tongues intertwining again and again, as if inviting.

(What’s wrong? You wanted to tell me something, didn’t you?)

Lumière was a little upset.

(Me and you are compatible as an Alpha and an Omega, right?)

Mrs. Ende told me, the doctor told me, that’s why he took me in.

(I’m sure of it.)

(That’s what they call being destined in this world, right?)

I knew this without being told explicitly.

I wanted to be the omega of his destiny in this country.

(Yeah, I hope so.)

(Then let’s check it out, physical compatibility is good for destiny partners, right?)

I locked lips with him again.

It was the first time I had seduced an Alpha outside of work.

I was nervous, just a little, but the tips of my hands around his neck were shaking.

Anything is fine.

I wanted a solid reason for my helpless, unstable position.

If being his partner was my position, then I would just act that way.

I suddenly remembered the news I had seen that day after work.

I made fun of the Omega who was being interviewed, but I wondered how I was different from him.

The world may have changed, but nothing has changed for me, the only way foe me to live is to curry favor with the Alphas.