The Sweet Alpha Crown Prince Loves Me So Much

Carl Lindbergh and Adrian Heineken were left standing alone as everyone else filed inside the building. 

The high priest had joined the other priests with his Bible and rosary, while Leia was swept along by the nobles entering the hall.

Realizing that the engagement ceremony was now ruined, Carl collapsed to the ground, covering his face with both hands. He’d messed up big time. In retrospect, he wondered why he hadn’t considered seeking medical help within the imperial palace instead of rushing around like this. Especially considering magic existed in their world, it seemed unnecessary for him to have acted so hastily.

The moment after exchanging smiles with the crown prince following their vows, Belfry suddenly crumpled to the floor like a marionette whose strings had been cut. Out of habit, Carl rushed over to check on him only to discover that Belfry’s breathing had stopped, making him appear lifeless.

Had Belfry regained consciousness any later, Carl might have had to perform CPR right in front of his fiancé.

Carl Lindbergh glanced at Adrian, who wordlessly removed the cloak draped over one shoulder and wrapped it around both of Carl’s shoulders.

“Um, Adrian?”

“Let’s go inside first. It’s getting chilly out here.”

Carl’s fingers were numb from prolonged exposure to the cold air. The attendants anxiously stood by until Adrian took hold of Carl’s arm and helped him up, urging them all to head indoors for some rest.

As Adrian escorted Carl back to the castle, Carl kept stealing glances at Adrian’s profile. Though Adrian never explicitly stated it, Carl could sense how eagerly he’d been looking forward to this day.

Even if it wasn’t love, this was still about two people who liked each other enough to enter into an official relationship. It was a chance for them to publicly and legally declare their bond with everyone’s blessings.

Though Belfry was Adrian’s close friend, witnessing Carl rushing to Belfry’s side, who collapsed, albeit only temporarily until medical help arrived, couldn’t have felt good. Besides, while Heineken nobles might not say anything, guests from other kingdoms could potentially criticize his actions.

How long had it taken the medic to reach Belfry? Five minutes? No, more like two at most. He hadn’t flatlined; he’d merely been struggling to breathe, so administering CPR seemed excessive.

Carl bit his lip. He’d acted impulsively like a rookie EMT. If given a chance to relive that moment, he might do the same thing again.

In any case, he felt terrible for Adrian.

As Adrian looked down at Carl with his red nose and pale cheeks, he opened the door and dismissed the attendants.

“I’d like some time alone with him.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

After the attendants hobbled away, Adrian picked up Carl, who was still bundled tightly in his cloak, and sat on the couch. Initially startled by being placed on Adrian’s lap, Carl soon settled down and rested his head against Adrian’s shoulder.

“What’s wrong?” Adrian asked, but Carl didn’t answer right away, not because he wanted to ignore Adrian but because he needed to choose his words carefully.

Ignoring how it might wrinkle his rarely worn suit, Adrian hugged Carl tight.

“No one said anything, so why do you look so sad?” When Adrian pressed further, Carl sighed audibly before hesitantly replying.

“It feels like I ruined the engagement ceremony.”

Did Adrian know Carl had performed CPR? Despite assuming that basic emergency procedures would be similar here as they were back home, Carl felt uneasy. He worried if others might perceive his actions as bizarre and gossip about it.

“You didn’t ruin anything. You just wanted to save Belfry.” Adrian smiled and gently lifted Carl’s chin.

Carl Lindbergh—my omega, my fiancé.

Honestly, jealousy had clouded Adrian’s vision earlier. All he could focus on was Carl suddenly climbing atop Belfry before fully understanding what was happening. It stung when Carl withdrew his hand right after making their engagement pledge before the high priest. Even now, Adrian felt hurt, thinking how easily people might misinterpret Carl’s well-intentioned act.

Adrian felt pathetic for his narrow-mindedness, but he couldn’t help it. Carl Lindbergh had a broad mind and vision to match, unlike Adrian himself.

“I–I guess this will cause some gossip?” Carl fretted that his impulsive actions might lead to misunderstandings.

Adrian gently pressed their lips together, and whispered reassurance. 

“It won’t be gossip; people will praise you instead. The imperial palace is vast, after all. If anything happened to young lord Hendrick before the physician arrived, it would tarnish Heineken’s reputation.”

“R-Really?”

Relieved, Carl finally smiled brightly. Whether warmed by the room’s cozy atmosphere or their kiss, Adrian couldn’t tell. Enjoying the soft, warm sensation of Carl’s lips, he leaned in for another kiss.

“The physicians will take care of everything else, so don’t worry about it. Otherwise, I might get jealous.”

Carl felt completely reassured by Adrian’s light-hearted joke. As he gazed closely at Adrian’s face up close, Carl wondered when they had become so dependent on each other and realized that it must have been from the start.

Perhaps because Adrian was his sister’s favorite or maybe due to the comforting illusion of their relationship being part of a novel—whatever the reason, their bond had grown strong enough that labeling them as true “lovers” wouldn’t seem odd anymore.

The thought of marrying this man made Carl feel giddy inside. In his previous life, marriage remained just a dream. His attachment to his younger sister prevented him from pursuing it. With a seven-year age gap, Carl couldn’t bear seeing his sibling suffer, ultimately deciding to dedicate most of his life for her sake.

Wouldn’t it be unfair to marry someone based on ambiguous feelings? Adrian deserved to be someone’s one and only.

Of course, if Jeon Jae-young had heard these thoughts directly, she would’ve been furious, asking why he lived like that, but there was nothing anyone could do about his mindset.

Carl Lindbergh licked his lips as he leaned against Adrian’s shoulder. For some reason, while Carl gazed up at him with hazy eyes, Adrian found himself swallowing hard as he looked down at the nape of Carl’s neck.

“What did you say earlier?” Carl asked Adrian.

“About what?” Adrian replied vaguely.

“I mean, in front of the high priest. I can’t remember our promise.”

“What?” Adrian questioned, genuinely incredulous. He pinched Carl’s nose, exclaiming how forgetting your first vow before God was quite something else.

Carl scratched his temple awkwardly, responding:

“I remember it vaguely, but I want to hear it again.” Adrian stood up and placed his sword on the sofa before kneeling down in front of Carl. “I, Adrian Heineken, under God’s grace, wish to be engaged to Carl Lindbergh. I swear by this sacred vow to honor and love him until we become perfect partners for each other.”

Adrian held one of Carl’s hands with his own while placing his free hand over his heart, sounding more sincere than when he had pledged these words in front of the high priest. Carl waved his hand at Adrian’s cringe-worthy display reminiscent of their engagement proposal.

“No, that’s too much, don’t you think?”

“What do you mean?”

Oops

, another mistake. With Carl’s face turning as red as a burning yam, Adrian insisted he reciprocate the oath properly.

“Your turn now.”

“U-Um…” Eventually, Carl also rose from the couch.

Carl helped Adrian sit back down and knelt before him, mirroring his earlier position. He placed his hand on his chest just as Adrian had done moments ago.

“I, Carl Lindbergh, under God’s grace, wish to be engaged to Adrian Heineken. I swear by this sacred vow to honor, l-love, and become his perfect partner.”

Stuttering slightly, Carl looked up and burst out laughing at the sight of Adrian biting his lip, visibly moved.

“I can’t tell the difference between getting engaged and married.”

Technically, it was only called an engagement, but it felt identical to marriage. Adrian shook his head with a smile and pulled Carl into an embrace.

“By the time we have our wedding ceremony, you’ll be forever bound to me, unable to escape. Royals receive their imprints first before officially marrying.”

Ah, right.

The imprinting ritual between an alpha and omega—the final boss of this relationship milestone. Carl abruptly stopped laughing, turning pale.

Carl felt like they had reached the final boss level of their relationship.

His face flushed white amidst his laughter as Adrian pulled him close and whispered playfully, “It’s okay if you try to run away one more time before then.”

Adrian chuckled, knowing he would easily catch Carl again.

Hello, everyone~ I'm sorry for not uploading for a long time.I may have used different terms because my glossary was accidentally deleted, resulting in changes in some of the terminology. You might be also wondering why I'm combining two or more paragraphs into one compared to the raws; I'm doing this because some paragraphs flow better when combined with others.All in all, there will be a lot of changes due to my poor memory. XD