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Chapter Text  正文

C H A P T E R  4:  E M B R A C E
第四章：拥抱

”Someone who can go against the ideologies created to prevent Omegan empowerment. Your parents are the first big improvement that this country has seen of it, especially Queen Choi, and you need to build on it. But you cannot do it on your own. You would not understand what it is like for an everyday omega without being one.”
一个能对抗那些压制 Omega 权益的固有观念的人。你的父母——尤其是崔王后——是这个国家在这方面迈出的第一大步，而你需要在此基础上继续推进。但你不能独自完成。若非亲身经历，你永远无法真正理解普通 Omega 的处境。

넷

My dearest mother,  我最亲爱的母亲，

Words cannot describe the way it feels to miss you all so dearly. As the days go by, I continue to miss the warmth of your hugs more and more. I beg for time to speed, if only to see you all once again.
思念如潮水般汹涌，言语已无法承载这份蚀骨的想念。日子一天天过去，我越发渴望你们怀抱的温度。求时光快些流逝，只盼能早日与你们重逢。

Do let Yeonjun, Changbin, and Felix know that I would be most gracious to give them a gift through myself, as I return.
务必让延俊、昌彬和 Felix 知道，等我回来时，会亲自给他们带份大礼——用我的身体当礼物。

The Capital is absolutely marvelous. The bustling town life is so different from our small little pack village, but I find myself becoming more fixated by it every time I leave the Palace. I have filled quite a few pages into my book of just the town life, and I am excited to show you.
京城真是妙不可言。繁华的市井生活与我们那个小小的狼族村落截然不同，每次离开王宫我都愈发着迷。我已经在本子上记满了整整几页的市井见闻，真想快点给你看呢。 （根据要求：1.保留原文的惊叹语气与细腻观察；2.将"pack village"译为具象化的"狼族村落"以增强奇幻感；3.使用"妙不可言/愈发着迷"等含蓄表达情感；4.末句"excited"转化为中文习惯的"真想快点"句式；5.整体维持都市与奇幻融合的语境）

I have met with Queen Hyejin, and she truly is the most kind person I have met thus far during my stay here. She is just as bright and happy as she made out in her letters. I promise I have been on my best behavior! Make sure to let father know of it. Prince San is far more kindhearted different from what I expected. He is a good Prince, I must admit.
我见到了惠珍王后，她确实是我在此地逗留期间遇到的最温柔的人。正如她在信中所展现的那样，她既开朗又快乐。我保证我一直都表现得很好！一定要让父亲知道这件事。三王子比我想象中要善良得多。我必须承认，他是位好王子。

Also, honey butter? Surely you must have better tastes than that!
还有，蜂蜜黄油？你的品味不至于这么差吧！

I hope you all are doing well, and I simply cannot await to see your faces again!
希望大家一切安好，我简直等不及要再见到你们了！

With the most love,
以最深情的爱意

Wooyoung.  宇荣

He sighs, putting the quill down and leaning back in the chair while stretching, a groan escaping his lips as he feels stiff muscles loosen.
他叹了口气，放下羽毛笔，靠在椅背上伸了个懒腰。随着僵硬的肌肉舒展开来，一声低吟从他唇间逸出。

It had been a couple days since the letter incident, and the Engagement Ball for San’s friend was approaching far more quickly than Wooyoung had expected. He still has no idea what he’s going to do to get himself out of this situation. Queen Hyejin had already gifted him with a pair of bracelets she hoped he would wear, and Yeosang had already informed him that he would happily stop by to do his makeup for him.
那封信事件过去几天后，三的朋友的订婚舞会比预想中来得更快。禹英仍不知该如何摆脱这个困境。惠珍王后已经送给他一对希望他佩戴的手镯，而夜尚也愉快地表示会来帮他化妆。

Wooyoung’s mother had already shoved dresses into his suitcases when he was too busy pouting and trying to convince his father to let him stay home. He had seen them when unpacking the first night he had arrived, and his mother had definitely gone all out. It seemed like subtlety was not a word that existed in the Jung Omegan dictionary.
禹英的母亲趁他忙着噘嘴撒娇、试图说服父亲让他留在家里时，早已把各种裙子塞进了他的行李箱。抵达新居的第一晚整理行李时他就发现了这些"惊喜"，母亲显然是不遗余力地准备了这些——在郑家 Omega 的字典里，似乎从来不存在"含蓄"这个词。

San was the biggest problem now. It was his friend’s engagement party, so of course he would be present. Avoiding him would be the biggest problem. Wooyoung already knows there’s no way he can skip out on going. At the very least, he’d need to show his face around for an hour before running off to the safety of some abandoned room for the rest of the evening.
现在最大的麻烦是 San。这可是他朋友的订婚派对，那家伙绝对会到场。要怎么避开他才是头等难题。Wooyoung 心知肚明自己根本逃不掉——至少得露个脸晃悠一小时，才能躲进某个废弃房间安全熬过后半夜。

He would miss cake.
他会想念蛋糕的。

Life truly was unfair.
这世道真是不公。

Well, technically he works in the kitchen now, maybe he could sneak a slice from Park Seonghwa when nobody is looking.
严格来说他现在在厨房干活，说不定能趁没人注意时从朴成华那儿顺走一片。

He gets up from the desk, rolling the scroll up and tying it up with a yellow ribbon, making a cute little bow. Soojin had already stopped by and they’d had breakfast, so Wooyoung instead walks over to the closet, opening the door and stepping inside before unbuttoning his night shirt and letting it slip down his shoulders, pooling around his feet.
他从书桌前起身，将卷轴卷好系上黄色丝带，打了个可爱的小蝴蝶结。秀珍已经来过，两人共进了早餐。于是宇荣走向衣柜，推开门走进去，解开睡袍纽扣，任由衣料从肩头滑落，在脚边堆成一圈。

He was planning to go out to town today, mostly to look for the popcorn shop his mother was talking about, so dressing warmly was practically a necessity. He grabs a white button up, throwing it on before pulling on a pair of loose light blue pants that cut off right above his ankles. He tucks the white shirt into his pants before grabbing a huge and thick black sweater with a yellow and white argyle pattern just across the chest. He pulls the thick white collar out before slipping into a pair of black socks to cover the skin missed from the pants, wiggling into a pair of black thick sole shoes that could withstand the winter snow.
他今天打算进城一趟，主要是去找母亲提到的那家爆米花店，所以穿暖和点很有必要。他随手抓起一件白衬衫套上，又拽了条浅蓝色的宽松九分裤。把衬衫下摆塞进裤腰后，他拎起那件厚重的黑色毛衣——胸口缀着黄白相间的菱形花纹。特意把雪白的毛衣领翻出来，再套上黑袜子遮住脚踝裸露的肌肤，最后蹬进那双能抵御冬雪的黑底厚底鞋。

He walks over to his dresser and brushes through his hair, pausing when he sees the hairpin San had got him. Carefully, he picks up the cool metal, holding it.
他走向梳妆台，随手拨弄着头发，目光突然落在三送给他的那枚发簪上。指尖一顿，他轻轻拾起冰凉的金属，在掌心摩挲。

It’s been a few days since he last saw the Alpha, so he’s had a lot of time to think with a clear mind. There was no point in denying that San was affecting him. He doesn’t know when things switched from vehemently hating being anywhere near the Prince, to subconsciously wanting to get as close as he possibly could without being too obvious. But the shift had occurred, and his biggest worry was that San had noticed.
距离上次见到那位 Alpha 已经过去好几天，他总算能冷静下来好好思考。不得不承认，三确实在影响着他。不知从何时起，他对王子的态度从强烈抗拒靠近，变成了下意识想要贴上去——虽然还在努力掩饰这种冲动。最让他心惊的是，这种转变恐怕早已被三看在眼里。

His inner omega was absolutely smitten, that much was obvious from his unintentional purring (we do not speak of it). The only thing keeping him afloat mentally was Wooyoung’s better judgement. But the process has already begun— San had gifted him with the pin, brought him food, and like the fool he was, Wooyoung had accepted. Who knows what other little things that Alpha had planned for him.
他体内的 Omega 本能彻底沦陷了，那无意识发出的呼噜声（我们对此不予置评）就是明证。唯一支撑着他理智的只剩禹英的清醒判断。但侵蚀早已开始——山给他别上徽章，为他带来食物，而禹英这个傻子居然全盘接受。天知道那个 Alpha 还准备了什么甜蜜陷阱。

The horror he feels at the realization that he’s being courted hits him so suddenly.
他猛然意识到自己正被人追求，恐惧感如潮水般袭来。

It was that realization which snapped him out of the stupid haze of Choi San. It’s the first time someone’s had the guts to properly court him without fearing his father or his mouth, which is why he’s been so flustered and confused around San.
正是这个认知让他从对崔伞的痴迷中猛然清醒。这是第一次有人敢毫不畏惧他父亲或他那张毒舌的嘴，正儿八经地追求他——难怪他在伞面前总是手足无措、心乱如麻。

At most, Choi San was attracted to the chase. He liked the idea of Wooyoung being a mystery for him to chase, nothing more. There would be no other reason for why the alpha was so adamant to obtain him— no one really liked people like him. He had a terrible personality, no filter on his tongue, and was nowhere near an ideal omega— let alone for a prince.
最多，崔傘只是被这场追逐游戏吸引罢了。他喜欢把禹英当作需要解开的谜题，仅此而已。这位 alpha 如此执着地想要得到他，绝不可能有其他理由——毕竟像他这样的人根本不会有人喜欢。性格恶劣、口无遮拦，离完美 omega 的标准差了十万八千里，更别说是配得上王子殿下了。

Choi San didn’t like him, but instead liked the idea of him.
崔山并不喜欢他，只是喜欢"拥有他"这个念头。

For some reason, the thought puts Wooyoung in a bad mood, and he quietly sets the hairpin back down, feeling miserable.
不知为何，这个念头让宇英心情低落，他默默将发簪放回原处，胸口泛起一阵酸涩。

For a second, he had genuinely fooled himself to think otherwise.
有那么一瞬间，他真的自欺欺人地以为事情会有转机。

Swallowing down the lump in his throat, Wooyoung slips his satchel over his shoulder and clips his cape on, shoving his scroll into his bag.
他咽下喉头的硬块，将挎包甩上肩头，系紧斗篷，把卷轴塞进包里。

He leaves the room, walking down the hallway and down the stairs towards the main hall.
他离开房间，穿过走廊走下楼梯，朝大厅走去。

He goes straight to the mailroom, smiling when he sees the old man at the desk again. “Good morning!”
他径直走向收发室，看到那位老人又坐在桌前，不禁露出笑容。“早上好！”

The man looks up, offering a smile back. “Ah, Wooyoung. What can I help you with?”
男人抬起头，回以一个微笑。"啊，宇荣。有什么我能帮你的吗？"

Wooyoung opens his satchel, pulling out the scroll. “I have a letter to send to my mother.”
宇英打开背包，抽出卷轴。"有封家书要寄给母亲。"

The older beta nods. “Just in time. An owl arrived from your pack today. Some pack statistics from your father for King Choi.”
年长的 beta 点点头。“来得正好。今天有只猫头鹰从你的狼群那儿送来消息，你父亲给崔国王准备了些族群统计数据。”

Wooyoung brightens at that excitedly. “Sakura is here!?”
宇英一听这话，眼睛瞬间亮了起来，兴奋地追问："樱酱来了？！"

”Is that the Jung owl’s name?”
“那是郑猫头鹰的名字吗？”

Wooyoung nods eagerly.  宇英急切地点了点头。

“Why yes, then. It is being kept up at the astronomy tower. You can leave it here, I shall ensure it heads out with your letter.”
"当然可以。它现在正存放在天文塔那边。您就放这儿吧，我会确保它和您的信件一起送出去。"

Wooyoung holds the scroll for a moment. “Apologies... but may I send her off myself? It would be nice to see something from home after being away from it for so long.”
宇英握着卷轴片刻。"抱歉...但能否让我亲自送她走？离家这么久，能见到故乡之物也是好的。"

The man hums. “Of course. I do not usually allow anyone to pass through the mailroom hall to the tower, but I understand that you may have trouble finding the astronomy tower. Just take the door to the left and go all the way down the hall until you reach a door. Up the steps and you will reach the top.”
男人轻哼一声。“当然。我通常不允许任何人穿过收发室走廊去塔楼，不过我知道你大概找不到天文台的路。只要走左边那扇门，沿着走廊一直走到尽头，会看到一扇门。上了台阶就能到顶层。”

”Thank you!” He skips happily over to the door, pulling it open.
"谢啦！"他欢快地蹦到门前，一把拉开门。

”Of course.”  "当然。"

After letting it fall shut behind him, he makes his way down the empty hallway. There were no other doors except for the one all the way at the end, and Wooyoung pushes it open for light to shine through.
他随手带上门，沿着空荡荡的走廊前行。尽头处唯一的那扇门被轻轻推开，光线如潮水般漫进昏暗的走廊。

He peeks a look up, noticing the spiral staircase went a long way up. It was cold here, the open doorways leading to the outside front of the palace yard. There’s a guard standing by who he bows to before making his way up.
他悄悄抬眼一瞥，发现螺旋楼梯向上延伸得极长。这里寒气逼人，敞开的门廊直通宫殿前院。他向站岗的侍卫躬身行礼后，拾级而上。

He closes the middle button of his cape as the wind becomes stronger the higher up he goes. It was a peaceful journey to the top, the sounds of chirping birds echoing beautifully against the stone tower. He soon reaches the top and giggles at the sight of his father’s stunning white owl perched on a rock stick poking out from the wall. There’s quite a few other owls as well, but he focuses on the familiar one. “Sakura!”
他越往上走，风势越猛，便伸手系紧了斗篷中间的纽扣。登顶的旅程宁静祥和，鸟鸣声在石塔间回荡出美妙的韵律。抵达塔顶时，他瞧见父亲那只惊艳的雪白猫头鹰正栖息在墙外突出的石棱上，不由得轻笑出声。周围还停着不少其他猫头鹰，但他的目光只锁定那个熟悉的身影。"小樱！"

She tilts her head at him, hoots of recognition escaping her as he approached. He stares at her fondly as he brushes a finger over her head and down her beak in a gentle pat. “How have you been, girl?”
她歪着头望向他，认出他时发出咕咕的欢叫。他温柔凝视着她，手指轻抚过她头顶，顺着喙部缓缓滑下。"最近过得怎么样，小家伙？"

She ruffles her feathers as Wooyoung pulls out his scroll. “Take this to mother for me, alright?”
他展开卷轴时，她轻颤着羽毛。"帮我把这个带给妈妈，好吗？"

Carefully he opens the top of the scroll pocket on her back, slipping it in before shutting it tightly and locking it in place. He holds his arm out for her. “Come on. Time for you to go home.”
他小心翼翼地掀开她背后卷轴袋的顶盖，将卷轴轻轻滑入，随后紧紧合上并锁牢。他伸出手臂示意：“来吧，该送你回家了。”

She crawls over and onto his arms, big yellow eyes staring at him as he approached the balcony. “Wow,” he gasped, staring out in amazement.
她爬过来，攀上他的手臂，那双黄色的大眼睛直勾勾盯着他，而他正走向阳台。"哇哦，"他倒吸一口气，目瞪口呆地望向外面。

This was definitely the tallest part of the entire palace, and the tallest part of the Capital as a whole. The view of the huge town stretched on for miles and miles before being cut off by a thick layer of forest that went on into the distance. A light layer of snow covered everything, and the sun shining down caused it to glitter beautifully.
这无疑是整座王宫最高的地方，也是整个王都的制高点。巨大的城镇景观绵延数里，直到被远方茂密的森林截断。薄雪覆盖万物，阳光洒落其上，折射出璀璨夺目的光芒。

Wooyoung looks at Sakura, giving her a final pet before raising his arm up and watching her kick off from him and flap her wings up into the sky. He watched her fly further and further away before she disappeared into the bright sky.
宇荣望着樱，最后轻抚了她一下，然后抬起手臂，看着她从他身上蹬腿展翅，飞向天空。他目送她越飞越远，直到消失在明亮的天空中。

It was then that he pulled out his sketchbook and pencil case, sitting down on the stool provided and immediately beginning to draw.
他随即掏出素描本和铅笔盒，在提供的凳子上坐下，立刻开始作画。

-

San loosens his tie, unbuttoning the first two buttons of his shirt and adjusting his jacket as he made his way over to the library. The morning had been tiring with all the planning that his mother and Seonghwa had dragged both him and Hongjoong into, on top of his already busy duties with his father had completely drained him.
San 松开领带，解开衬衫最上面的两颗纽扣，一边整理西装外套一边朝图书馆走去。今早母亲和 Seonghwa 硬拉着他和 Hongjoong 参与的那些筹备工作，再加上原本就要协助父亲处理的繁重公务，早已耗尽了他的全部精力。

He was lucky enough to escape from the deep clutches of the two omegas. Hongjoong wasn’t nearly as lucky, being forced back by Seonghwa to decide on flower arrangements and desert options. It was nearing lunchtime and his stomach was growling.
他侥幸从两个 Omega 的魔爪中逃了出来。洪钟就没那么走运了，被星华拽回去挑选花束和甜点。临近正午时分，他的肚子饿得咕咕直叫。

After the craziness and running around he’s done on top of his hunger, a headache is already growing into a hard pounding against his skull. His bad mood doesn’t go unnoticed as people bow and quickly move out of his way once they see his exhausted and irritated expression.
疯狂奔波加上饥肠辘辘，此刻他的太阳穴正突突跳动着，头痛欲裂。路人们一见到他那副疲惫暴躁的表情，立刻低头避让，谁都能看出这位爷现在心情差到极点。

He wanted his Lemon.
他想要他的柠檬。

Even the simple thought of the omega dulls the ache in his head, and he grabs a buttercup flower in a nearby flower arrangement on the table, twirling it in his fingers aimlessly.
光是想到那个 Omega，他脑袋里的疼痛就减轻了几分。他随手从桌上插花中抽出一支毛茛，漫不经心地在指间转动着。

He’s reminded of when he had walked into the library a few days ago. Nothing could ever prepare him for the attack of seeing the omega sleeping peacefully on the sofa by the fire, his eyes sparkling with shimmers and black liner with cheeks glowing, lips an absolutely irresistible pink. He remembers stumbling over his feet, scared that the noise had woken the boy up but he continued to sleep, blissfully unaware of what he was doing to San’s sanity.
他想起几天前走进图书馆的那一幕。毫无防备地，他撞见那个 omega 正蜷缩在壁炉旁的沙发上熟睡——睫毛沾着细碎光晕，眼线晕开的黑色衬得脸颊愈发潮红，唇瓣泛着令人窒息的粉。他记得自己当时踉跄绊了一跤，生怕动静惊醒对方，可男孩只是无意识地蹭了蹭抱枕，丝毫不知这副模样正在摧毁 San 的理智防线。

If the omega hadn’t turned away from him, San would’ve defiled the purity of those tempting lips. It was as if his control was slipping more and more as the days went by, and the more he saw of the lemon scented boy. If he wasn’t thinking about work, he was thinking about lemons and raspberries. It was a wonder how he was able to stop himself from pushing the smaller man down onto the sofa and doing as he desired when he’d heard the omega purring for him— a sound that now haunts his nights more often than would be appropriate.
若不是那 Omega 偏头躲开，San 早就玷污了那两片诱人唇瓣的纯洁。随着日子一天天过去，他对柠檬味少年的自制力正以危险的速度崩塌。只要稍有空闲，脑海里就翻涌着柠檬与树莓交织的香气。最不可思议的是——当听见 Omega 为他发出猫般的呜咽时，他竟能忍住没将人压进沙发为所欲为。那声音如今夜夜萦绕在他梦里，出现的频率早已超出正常范畴。

San pushes the doors to the library open, looking around hopefully.
San 推开图书馆的门，目光热切地环视四周。

”Rats! I can barely move my fingers.”
"靠！手指都动不了了。"

Immediately he walks down to the other end of the room, seeing the younger boy sitting on the carpet right in front of the fire. He’s hugging his legs close to his chest, chin resting against his knees as he shivers. His shoes are sitting on the end of the carpet, and San has to suck in a breath when he notices how the sleeves to the tiny omega’s sweaters go way past his fingers, hiding them from view.
他立刻走向房间的另一头，看到那个年轻男孩正蜷缩在壁炉前的地毯上。男孩双臂紧抱膝盖，下巴抵在膝头瑟瑟发抖。那双小鞋孤零零地搁在地毯边缘，当 San 注意到小 Omega 的毛衣袖子长得完全盖过手指时，不由得倒吸一口气——那截苍白的指尖正被毛线织物彻底吞没。

He doesn’t hesitate in approaching, falling onto his knees and slumping against the back of the omega who lets out a screech of fright. “Prince San!”
他毫不犹豫地逼近，猛地跪倒在地，整个人重重压在那位惊叫出声的 Omega 背上。"三王子！"

San simply buried his face into the younger’s shoulder and breathing in his scent, wrapping his arms around the freezing boy and gently taking his covered hands into his own. “Hi Lemon.”
San 只是将脸埋进少年的肩头，深深嗅着他的气息，双臂环抱住这个冻得发抖的男孩，轻轻将他戴着连指手套的双手拢进自己掌心。"嗨，柠檬。"

Wooyoung’s entire face is red, partly from the cold and partly by how close San is, his warmth wrapping around the omega tightly.
宇荣整张脸都涨得通红，一半是因为寒冷，一半则是因为圣浩靠得太近——那 alpha 的体温正紧紧包裹着这个 omega。

San’s brows furrow. “Why are you so cold?”
San 皱起眉头。"你怎么这么冷淡？"

Wooyoung stares into the fire in front of them, letting San gently push his sleeves up so that he can lace their fingers together. “I was outside for a bit longer than planned.”
禹英凝视着眼前的篝火，任由 San 轻轻卷起他的袖口，直到两人的手指缠绵交扣。"我在外面多待了会儿。"他低声说道，火光在睫毛投下颤动的阴影。

San shifts so that his legs are stretched out next to Wooyoung’s hips, pulling him in closer as he runs his fingers against the smaller boy’s. “Hm? Doing what?”
San 将双腿伸展开来，抵在 Wooyoung 的腰侧，手指若有似无地摩挲着对方更纤细的指节，将人往自己怀里带。"嗯？想干什么？"他喉结微动，吐息带着灼人的温度扫过对方耳畔。

”Drawing.” He murmurs, unable to stop himself from snuggling back into San’s chest. San rests his chin on the colder omega’s shoulder, furrowing his brows when he feels a nagging feeling in the back of his mind. “I did not know you draw.”
"画得不错。"他低声呢喃，忍不住又往 San 的怀里蹭了蹭。San 将下巴抵在这个体温偏低的 Omega 肩上，后脑勺突然泛起一阵隐约的刺痛感，让他不自觉地皱起眉头。"没想到你还会画画。"

”There is quite a bit you do not know about me.” Wooyoung replies, leaning his head slightly against San’s cheek softly. 
"你不知道的还多着呢。" 禹英将头轻轻抵在山的脸颊旁，温热的吐息似有若无地拂过对方耳际。

San turns slightly to run his nose through the soft locks, the scent of lemons and raspberries instantly dissipating his headache. “True. But only because you never tell me anything. It has only been around two weeks, but I feel as though I have known you my whole life.”
三微微侧过头，将鼻尖埋入那柔软发丝间，柠檬与树莓的清香瞬间驱散了他的头痛。"确实。但谁让你什么事都不告诉我。明明才认识两周，却感觉已经和你过完了一辈子。"

Wooyoung doesn’t reply, only frowning.
宇荣没有回答，只是皱起了眉头。

San let’s go of his hands as he pulls back a bit, Wooyoung’s body already missing the alpha’s warmth. “Come. It is nearly lunch time. What would you like today?” He asks with a cute smile as he picks the flower he had grabbed up from the floor. He gently tucks the front of Wooyoung’s hair back behind his ear before carefully sliding the flower there as well.
San 松开手，稍稍退后时，Wooyoung 的身体已经本能地眷恋起 alpha 的体温。"走吧，快到午餐时间了。"他拾起方才掉落的花枝，唇角扬起可爱的弧度，"今天想吃什么？"指尖拂过 Wooyoung 额前碎发别至耳后，那支花也被轻轻簪进鬓边，花瓣擦过耳廓时带起细微的颤栗。

Wooyoung turns a bright pink, peeking a look at him over his shoulder, the yellow flower bright in his dark hair. “Do you realize what you are doing?”
宇英的脸颊瞬间涨得通红，他侧过身偷瞄对方，黑发间那朵明黄色的小花格外扎眼。"你知不知道自己在做什么？"

San raises an eyebrow. “What?”
桑挑起眉毛。“怎么？”

”Courting.” Wooyoung stammers. “The hairpin, bringing me food, making me wear your clothes, and now giving me flowers... you are practically courting me right now.”
"这简直就是在追求我。"宇英结结巴巴地说，"发簪、带吃的给我、让我穿你的衣服，现在还送花...你现在根本就是在追求我。"

San leans in close, eyes shifting from playful to something more intense as he traces a finger along the omega’s bottom lip. “And what if I am? Maybe I do want to court you.”
三凑近了些，眼神从戏谑逐渐转为灼热，指尖轻轻摩挲着那个 omega 的下唇。"是又怎样？"他嗓音低哑，"说不定...我就是想追你呢。"

Wooyoung scoffs, shaking his head as he turns away from the alpha. “You do not know what you want,”
宇英轻蔑地哼了一声，摇着头转身背对那个 alpha。"你根本不知道自己想要什么。"

“I want you.”  “我要你。”

Wooyoung huffs out a breath. “I am tired of playing these mind games.”
禹英呼出一口气。"我厌倦了这些心理游戏。"

San grips his chin, turning his face back to him while staring at him straight in the eyes with the most serious expression he’s had. “There is nothing in this entire world that I desire to have but you. I have been honest with you. Always honest. The only person here playing mind games is you, Lemon. I can never tell what you are thinking. You are the one messing with my mind.”
山姆捏住他的下巴，将他的脸转回来，用最严肃的表情直视着他的眼睛。"这世上除了你，我别无所求。我对你一直坦诚相待。永远诚实。在这里玩心理游戏的人是你，柠檬。我永远猜不透你在想什么。你才是那个搅乱我心绪的人。"

Wooyoung swallows, lowering his gaze and gently prying San’s hands away from his face. “It is better this way.”
宇荣喉结轻动，垂眸将他的手从自己脸上缓缓拨开。“这样对大家都好。”

”Why?” The alpha almost exasperates, frustrated with this push and pull that has been happening between them. Wooyoung doesn’t answer, hugging his knees closer as he rests his head on them, turned away from the other man.
"为什么？"阿尔法几乎要抓狂了，对他们之间这种若即若离的状态感到无比挫败。宇荣没有回答，只是把膝盖抱得更紧了些，将头靠在上面，故意扭过脸不去看对方。

San sighs, looking away. He’s already had a rough day, he doesn’t need to make it worse by fighting with the omega. “Fine. We will not talk about it. Can we at least have lunch? We can order whatever you want.”
三叹了口气，移开视线。今天已经够糟了，他不想再和这个 omega 吵架让情况更糟。"行吧，我们不提这事了。至少一起吃个午饭？你想点什么我都依你。"

Wooyoung suddenly turns to him, eyes wide. “Oh. I cannot have lunch with you today.”
宇荣突然转过头来，睁大眼睛看着他。"啊。今天不能和你一起吃午饭了。"

San’s entire mood goes down the drain, and he glowers at the younger boy with an exhausted irritation. “Why not?”
三的情绪瞬间跌到谷底，他疲惫又恼火地瞪着那个年轻男孩。"为什么不行？"

Wooyoung tries to appease the upset alpha. “I was actually planning on going into town today. I should be leaving now if I want to get back before dusk.”
宇荣试图安抚那个烦躁的 Alpha。"其实我今天本来就打算进城。要是想赶在天黑前回来，现在就该出发了。"

San whines, gently bumping his head against Wooyoung’s with a pout. “Why must you go into town today? Stay with me, you can go another time.”
San 撅着嘴，用脑袋轻轻蹭着 Wooyoung 的额头撒娇道："干嘛非得今天进城嘛...改天再去不行吗？"

Wooyoung pushes his head away with a scowl. “I have business I need to attend to.”
宇荣皱着眉头推开他的脑袋。“我还有正事要办。”

San falls onto his side on the carpet, playing with the collar on Wooyoung’s shirt. It was as if he had turned into a spoiled puppy upset that his master was leaving for the day. “What business?”
San 侧身倒在毛毯上，手指拨弄着 Wooyoung 的衬衫领口，活像只被主人抛下的委屈小狗。"什么要紧事嘛~"他拖着黏糊糊的尾音，指尖故意划过对方锁骨。

Wooyoung paused, wondering if he should risk it. “I... heard of a popcorn shop.”
宇荣顿了顿，犹豫着要不要冒险开口。"我...听说有家爆米花店不错。"

San‘s entire face brightens. “Hajoon’s popcorn shop? You wish to go there?”
三的脸上瞬间亮了起来。"浩俊的爆米花店？你想去那儿？"

Wooyoung nods meekly. “I was also planning on getting gifts for a few of my friends.”
宇荣温顺地点点头。“我还打算给几个朋友买礼物。”

San grins. “How wonderful. The town is filled with amazing shops owned by amazing people. You will surely find the most amazing things.”
桑咧嘴一笑。“多棒啊。这镇上到处都是了不起的店铺，店主也都是些妙人儿。你准能找到最绝妙的好东西。”

Wooyoung pouts, thinking by now that San would jump at the opportunity to go out with him. “Yes... Well, I do not really have anyone to go with. I do not know the Capital that well.”
宇荣撅起嘴，心想这时候 San 应该会迫不及待答应和他约会才对。"是啊...其实我找不到人陪我去。对首尔也不太熟呢。"

San hesitates, biting his lip. It wasn’t like he wasn’t allowed to leave the palace. It’s just that when he did it was always surrounded by ten guards and he would be forced back to the castle after an hour. He didn’t want to make his Lemon uncomfortable... He could sneak them out. He’d already told his mother and father that he would not be doing any more tasks or duties for them for the rest of the day, needing some much needed rest.
三咬着嘴唇犹豫不决。倒不是说他被禁止离开王宫，只是每次出行都要被十名侍卫团团围住，不到一小时就会被强行带回城堡。他不想让他的柠檬感到不自在......或许可以偷偷溜出去。反正他已经告诉父母今天不会再处理任何公务，需要好好休息。

If anything, he really should be sleeping. His body is absolutely exhausted, and his mind a thousand times more than that. But the omega is looking at him with eyes of expectation, and he could not possibly bring himself to deny the other of anything. “I could go with you, if you would like.”
说实话，他确实该睡了。身体早已疲惫不堪，精神更是透支到极限。可眼前这个 Omega 正用期待的眼神望着他，让他根本说不出拒绝的话。"如果你愿意的话...我可以陪你去。"他的声音里带着纵容的沙哑，指尖无意识地摩挲着对方睡衣下露出的手腕。

Wooyoung’s hopeful expression breaks into one of absolute joy, eyes twinkling as he gives the alpha a huge smile. “Really!?”
宇荣满怀期待的表情瞬间绽放出纯粹的喜悦，双眼闪烁着星光，朝那位 Alpha 露出灿烂的笑容。"真的吗！？"

San’s heart stops at the sight, clenching a hand around the furs of the carpet to stop himself from shoving Wooyoung down onto the floor and kissing the sense out of him. “Y-Yes.” He blinks wildly up at the smaller man.
San 的心跳骤然停滞，五指深深掐进地毯的毛皮里，拼命克制着将 Wooyoung 按倒在地、吻到他窒息的冲动。"是…是的。"他仰头望着身形较小的男人，睫毛剧烈颤动。

Wooyoung immediately jumps up, grabbing San’s hand, his fingers wrapping adorably around his thumb. “Let’s go!”
宇荣立刻蹦了起来，一把抓住山的手，手指撒娇般缠住他的大拇指。"走啦！"

San pulls him back down next to him, sitting Wooyoung down gently into his lap and wrapping his arms around the omega’s waist. “Hold on, sweetheart. We cannot just go out like this. Let me set some ground rules.”
San 一把将他拉回身边，让 Wooyoung 轻轻跌坐在自己大腿上，双臂环住 Omega 的纤腰。"别急，宝贝儿。"他贴着对方发烫的耳垂低语，"咱们这样出门可不行。"指尖在腰窝处打着转，"得先立几条规矩。"

Wooyoung crosses his arms, dropping his head onto San’s shoulder but listens nonetheless. It takes San a second to recover from such a cute display.
宇荣双臂交叉，将头靠在山的肩上，却仍竖耳倾听。山被这可爱举动晃了神，呼吸微滞，喉结轻滚才稳住心跳。

”Alright. Firstly, I will not be able to simply walk out through the palace gates. Unless you want a group of guards to intrude on us—“
"行吧。首先，我可没法大摇大摆从宫门走出去。除非你想让一群侍卫闯进来打扰我们——"

Wooyoung whined at the thought, shaking his head furiously and San chuckles, bringing the omega’s hand up to press a chaste kiss against the palm, rubbing a soothing thumb over the skin. “Then we need to leave in secret.”
想到这个，宇荣不满地哼哼着疯狂摇头，而珊轻笑出声，牵起这个 Omega 的手在掌心落下一个纯洁的吻，拇指安抚性地摩挲着肌肤。"那我们就得偷偷溜走。"

”How could we possibly do that? There are guards all around the gates.” Wooyoung asks and San hums. “Correct. I know a passage that is not known by the Royal guards. We will go through there and I will have a friend bring a horse to the exit.”
“这怎么可能？城门四周全是守卫。”宇英问道，而桑只是轻哼一声。“没错。但我知道一条皇家卫队都不清楚的密道。我们从那儿走，我会让朋友在出口备好马匹。”

”I won’t tell anyone about it.” Wooyoung whispers, as if he’s afraid someone could be listening and San almost dies from how cute he is, instead nuzzling against the side of his head. “I know you won’t, beautiful.”
"我不会告诉别人的。" 宇荣压低声音呢喃，仿佛害怕被人听见似的。这可爱的模样让珊差点窒息，忍不住用鼻尖蹭了蹭他的太阳穴。"我知道你不会的，小妖精。"

Wooyoung pushes away from San with a fake smile when the word escapes from him. “You are truly an amazing friend, My Prince.”
友荣挤出一个假笑，从伞身边退开。"您真是位了不起的朋友呢，我的王子殿下。"

San sucks in a breath, glaring at the omega. “Why yes. A wonderful friend.”
伞深吸一口气，怒视着这个 Omega。"是啊，多棒的朋友。"

”Yes. The best.”  没错，最棒的那种。

”Is that what we are? Friends?”
这就是我们的关系？朋友？

“Of course! What did you think?”
当然！你以为呢？

San leans dangerously close to him, staring at him with a heated gaze. “I think, Lemon, that it is not I, but you who does not know what it is they want.”
San 危险地向他倾身，用灼热的目光凝视着他。"柠檬，我想不明白的人不是我，而是你自己。"

Wooyoung’s breath hitches, but San moves away just as quickly as he had approached, coming to a stand. He unbuttons his usual coat as he walks away from a flustered Wooyoung, shoving the jacket off his body before throwing it over the arm of the sofa.
宇荣的呼吸一滞，但 San 却像来时一样迅速抽身，站直了身子。他一边从面红耳赤的宇荣身边走开，一边解开常穿的外套纽扣，随手将外套甩在沙发扶手上。衣料摩擦的窸窣声里，他后颈的汗珠在灯光下闪着细碎的光。

”I will go inform a guard to get the horse ready and change into something far less conspicuous. Please wait here and get dressed back into your cape and shoes. I might be a moment.”
“我去叫个守卫备马，再换身不起眼的衣服。你在这儿等着，把斗篷和鞋子穿好。可能要耽搁一会儿。”

Wooyoung responds with a small okay as he watches San slip out of the library.
宇英轻轻应了声"嗯"，目送着 San 溜出图书馆的背影。

-

Wooyoung is standing patiently by the fire, shoes tied on tightly and his cape clipped when San returns. This time he’s thrown a black sweater overtop of his white button up, a thick black cape pulled on with the hood over his head as he approaches Wooyoung. He has his own satchel thrown on over his chest, shoes switched out to thick black riding boots.
宇荣耐心地站在篝火旁，鞋带系得紧紧的，斗篷扣子也扣好了。这时善回来了，他这次在白衬衫外面套了件黑色毛衣，厚重的黑斗篷兜帽罩在头上朝宇荣走来。胸前斜挎着自己的行囊，脚上换成了厚实的黑色马靴。

”We’re almost matching.” Wooyoung blurts out, trying to distract himself from how good San looks in casual clothes. It was bad enough that the alpha looked stunning in his uniform, but seeing him in such a laid back getup was definitely a more flustered sight.
"我们这身都快成情侣装了。"宇荣脱口而出，试图转移自己对散穿着休闲装时那副模样的注意力。这个 Alpha 穿制服时已经够要命了，现在这副慵懒随性的打扮更让他心跳加速。

San gives him a grin, reaching around and pulling Wooyoung’s hood up over his head. “Almost.”
San 冲他咧嘴一笑，伸手绕过他的肩膀，将 Wooyoung 的兜帽拉起来盖住他的头。"差不多了。"

He gently grabs Wooyoung’s fingers that peek out from the sleeve of his sweater, watching with a look of content as the younger wraps them around his thumb. “Come.”
他轻轻捉住从毛衣袖口探出的宇荣指尖，心满意足地看着对方用指头缠住自己的拇指。“过来。”

San guides them over to a table in a far corner that he pushes away, pulling the carpet back to reveal a stone trapdoor with a lock. “Wow.” Wooyoung hops on his toes excitedly.
San 领着他们走向角落的一张桌子，一把推开，掀开地毯露出带锁的石板暗门。"哇哦。"Wooyoung 兴奋地踮着脚蹦跳。

San let’s go of his hand to pull out a key, unlocking the hatch and pushing the door open with some difficulty. Wooyoung helps him push it back to reveal a ladder leading far below into absolute darkness. Wooyoung stares at it hesitantly, backing up a bit. “Um... When was the last time you went down here?”
San 松开他的手，掏出钥匙费力地打开舱门。Wooyoung 帮忙推开门板，露出通向无尽黑暗的垂直梯道。他盯着幽深洞口犹豫地后退半步，喉结不自然地滚动："那个...你上次来这地方是什么时候？"

San glances at him with a smirk. “Why? You scared of the dark?”
三斜眼瞥着他，嘴角勾起一抹坏笑。“怎么？怕黑啊？”

Wooyoung scowls. “Of course not!”
宇英皱起眉头。“当然不是！”

San stands up, grabbing Wooyoung by the hips and pulling him flush against him as he looks down at the omega with a glint in his eyes. “It will be okay, Lemon. You can hug me as tightly as you wish— I sure won’t mind.”
San 站起身，一把扣住 Wooyoung 的腰肢将他拽进怀里。他垂眸凝视着这个 Omega，眼底闪着危险的光。"没事的，小柠檬。"他喉结轻动，灼热吐息喷洒在对方耳畔，"想抱多紧都行——我求之不得。"

Wooyoung’s entire face turns a bright red as he pushes San away, stomping over to the dark opening. “T-That will not be necessary!”
宇荣整张脸涨得通红，一把推开山，气鼓鼓地走向黑暗的入口。"不、不需要这样！"

San quickly pulls Wooyoung back. “Wait. Let me go down first just in case it is not safe.”
San 一把将 Wooyoung 拽回怀里。"等等。"他喉结轻动，温热的呼吸掠过对方耳垂，"我先下去探路，万一有危险呢。"

Wooyoung quickly grabs San’s arm with a panicked expression. “If it is not safe, why would you go in!? Let’s just forget about this entire thing—“
禹英一把抓住散的手臂，神色慌张。"既然不安全你还往里冲？！咱们干脆别管这破事了——"

San runs a gentle hand through his hair. “Relax. It will be fine. It will just put my mind at ease for me to go before you do down there.”
三轻轻抚过他的发丝，声音温柔得像是羽毛拂过耳畔："别紧张，不会有事的。让我先下去探路，这样我才能安心。"

He pulls away and Wooyoung watches him carefully. “Be careful.” He watches as San grips the sides of the trapdoor, lowering himself to grab the first handle of the ladder as he begins his descent below. It only takes a moment before San is calling for him. “You can come down now, Lemon. Come slowly. It is rather dark down here.”
他抽身退开，禹英豪紧盯着他的动作。"小心点。"只见他双手扣住活板门边缘，俯身抓住梯子第一级横杆，身影逐渐没入下方黑暗。没过几秒就传来他的呼唤："可以下来了，柠檬。慢点儿——底下挺黑的。"

Wooyoung sighs, carefully scooting over to the edge before setting his feet on the ladder and beginning his trip down as slowly as he can. He definitely takes longer than San does, but the prince makes no comment, waiting patiently for the younger.
宇荣轻叹一声，小心翼翼地挪到边缘，双脚踩上梯子开始缓慢下行。他动作明显比 San 慢得多，但王子殿下只是耐心等待着，没有出声催促。

The closer he gets, he notices that San has a lighter on, illuminating his face as Wooyoung pulls off the ladder when his feet hit stone floor. Wooyoung glances up at the opening at the top. “What if someone sees the opening?”
他越靠越近，发现 San 手里还点着打火机，火光映照着他的脸庞。Wooyoung 的脚刚踏上石地板，就顺手把梯子抽走了。他抬头望向顶部的开口处，低声嘟囔："要是有人发现这个洞口怎么办？"

San grabs his hand, leading them down the dark narrow pathway. “No worries. The doors to the library are locked from the inside and I informed my cousin that I was leaving. He will probably cover it just in case.”
San 一把抓住他的手，拽着他钻进昏暗狭窄的小巷。"别担心。图书馆的门是从里面反锁的，我跟表弟说了要出门。"他喉结滚动着凑近，温热的呼吸喷在对方耳畔，"就算有人查岗...那小子也会帮我们打掩护的。"

They walk silently, the harsh winds of winter growing stronger as they approach another stone door with a lock.
他们沉默前行，冬日的寒风愈发凛冽，又一道带锁的石门近在眼前。

”Stand back.”  “退后。”

Wooyoung shuffles away as San unlocks the door once again, grunting as he shoves it open with his shoulders. A rain of snow sprinkles down when it finally bursts open, morning light shines in. Wooyoung helps San brush the snow off his cloak as they step outside into the snow.
宇荣慢吞吞地挪开，看着三再次转动门锁。他闷哼一声用肩膀顶开木门，霎时细雪如碎玉般簌簌落下。晨光倾泻而入时，两人踩着新雪走出门外，宇荣伸手替他拂去斗篷上沾的雪粒。

They’re in the middle of the woods, and Wooyoung suddenly understands why San had requested the horse. Sure enough, there’s one tied to a nearby tree and Wooyoung approaches it with gentle petting over its head as San shoved the door shut once again.
他们身处密林深处，此刻禹英才明白为何山执意要那匹马。果然有匹骏马拴在近处的树干上，禹英轻抚马首时，身后木门被山重重摔上，发出令人心悸的闷响。

He approached his horse with a fond smile. “Hello, girl. How have you been?”
他带着宠溺的笑容走近他的马儿。"嘿，宝贝儿，最近过得怎么样？"

The horse nudged against San’s hand happily and Wooyoung watches with a smile. San turns to him, an excited gleam in his eyes. “Ready to go?”
马儿欢快地蹭着 San 的手，Wooyoung 在一旁微笑注视着。San 转过头来，眼中闪烁着兴奋的光芒："准备好出发了吗？"

Wooyoung nods and San grabs him by the waist, lifting him up with no difficulty onto the horse’s back before hoisting himself up right behind him. “Usually the rider sits in front.” The omega snorts.
宇荣点点头，San 一把扣住他的腰肢，毫不费力就将人托上马背，随即利落地翻身落在他身后。"通常都是骑手坐在前面呢。"Omega 轻哼着鼻音说道，尾音带着几分娇嗔。

San grins. “But that is no fun. This way I can see you and smell you. Then again, having you behind would not be the worst thing with your arms wrapped around me. Maybe we can do that on the way back.”
三咧嘴一笑。"但那样多没意思。这样我才能看着你、闻着你。不过嘛，要是你从后面搂着我...倒也不赖。回程的时候我们可以试试。"

Wooyoung’s ears turn red. “By the Moon, you are insatiable.”
宇荣的耳尖泛红。"老天，你真是贪得无厌。"

San nuzzles his nose into the omega’s hair that peeked out from the hood, breathing in deeply. “Only with you.”
三将鼻子埋进兜帽下露出的 Omega 发丝间，深深吸气。"只有对你才这样。"

Wooyoung elbows him hard enough to where San moves his head to rest his chin on Wooyoung’s shoulder instead, pulling the reins so that they were off.
宇荣一肘子狠狠顶过去，尚安顺势将下巴抵在他肩上，同时扯动缰绳让马匹偏离了原路。

The first few minutes of their ride goes by in peaceful silence, the sound of falling snow and chirping birds filling in. “I just noticed, but why the hell do you have no gloves on, Lemon?”
车程的前几分钟在宁静的沉默中流逝，只有落雪的簌簌声和鸟儿的啁啾填补着空白。"我刚注意到，柠檬你小子怎么他妈没戴手套？"

Wooyoung looks down at his cold hands. “They can get quite annoying for an artist. Too much smudging. And I find myself constantly pulling my book out to draw.”
Wooyoung 低头看着自己冰冷的双手。"对艺术家来说这双手挺烦人的。总是把画蹭花。而且我总忍不住把素描本掏出来画画。"

“Regardless, you should at least wear some when you go out. What if you get sick?” San growls lowly at him, audibly displeased.
"不管怎样，出门时至少该戴个手套。万一感冒了怎么办？"San 不满地低声嘟囔着，语气里明显带着不悦。

”Oh well.”  “唉，算了。”

San sighs. “You will be the death of me.”
三叹了口气。"你真是要了我的命。"

Wooyoung stays silent for a moment. “Hey San?”
佑荣沉默了片刻。“喂，阿山？”

”Yes?”  “嗯？”

Wooyoung looks at the branches covered in snow. “You are the crown prince.”
宇英望着覆满积雪的枝桠。"你是太子殿下。"

”Really? I had not noticed.”
"真的吗？我都没注意到。"

Wooyoung slaps his hand with a pout. “You know what I meant. You are next in line for the throne.”
宇荣撅着嘴拍了下他的手。“你明知道我的意思。你可是王位的第一顺位继承人。”

San hums, disinterested in talking about himself. “Yes, I am.”
三哼了一声，对谈论自己毫无兴趣。“嗯，是。”

”Have... What are you thinking about marriage?”
"有...你在想什么结婚的事？"

That causes San to grow tense against his back.
这让 San 的脊背瞬间绷紧。

”I mean— this entire month was obviously made for you to choose a partner. It is not something you can take lightly— not a decision that you can simply make just based on your preference in an omega.”
我是说——这整个月显然就是为你挑选伴侣而设的。这不是能轻率对待的事——不是仅凭你对某个 omega 的偏好就能随便做的决定。

”You dare ask me of such a thing?” San asks him with a dull voice. “When you know exactly how I feel about you?”
"你竟敢问我这种事？"三的声音低沉而冰冷。"你明明清楚我对你的感觉。"

Wooyoung shuts his eyes in irritation. “Please, stop it. In the end you will have to come to a decision on it. I just... I feel as though you are not serious about any of the contenders in front of you.”
宇荣烦躁地闭了闭眼。"拜托别这样。说到底这事总得做个决断。我只是...觉得你对眼前这些候选人根本没认真考虑过。"

San glares heavily at the back of the omega’s head. “Correct. I do not care for any of them.”
三死死盯着那个欧米伽的后脑勺。“没错，我一个都看不上。”

“Listen to me, you fool! This is no joke. You need to choose someone who understands the way that the packs live.”
“听好了，你这蠢货！这可不是闹着玩的。你得找个懂狼群生存之道的人。”

San sucks in a breath, releasing it in a huff. “And what kind of omega do you believe I should look out for?”
三深吸一口气，又重重呼出。"那你觉得我该提防什么样的 Omega？"

Wooyoung contemplates for a moment. “Someone who can go against the ideologies created to prevent Omegan empowerment. Your parents are the first big improvement that this country has seen of it, especially Queen Choi, and you need to build on it. But you cannot do it on your own. You would not understand what it is like for an everyday omega without being one.” He explains, hoping he can truly make the prince understand where he’s coming from.
宇荣沉思片刻。"需要有人能对抗那些压制 Omega 权益的旧思想。您的父母——尤其是崔皇后——是这个国家在这方面迈出的第一大步，而您必须继续推进。但您无法独自完成。毕竟您不是 Omega，永远无法真正理解普通 Omega 的处境。"他解释道，希望王子能真正明白自己的立场。

San is silent, listening intently.
三沉默不语，专注聆听。

”This country cannot be ruled by an Omega who chooses the easy way out. You need someone who can stand up against the court of advisors. Their beliefs against Omegas caring for themselves is damaging pack dynamics. Working for self income outside the alpha of the house was almost denied by them, had your father not stepped in.”
"这个国家不能交给一个只会选择逃避的 Omega 来统治。你需要的是能对抗顾问团的人。他们那些反对 Omega 自我照顾的信念正在破坏狼群的凝聚力。要不是你父亲出面，他们差点就禁止 Omega 在家族 Alpha 之外自谋收入了。"

San breathes in. “You know quite a lot about this.”
三深吸一口气。"你对这个懂得还挺多嘛。"

Wooyoung glances nervously over his shoulder. “W-Why yes. I pay attention to my pack alpha.”
宇英紧张地回头瞥了一眼。"当、当然啊。我可是很关注咱们狼群首领的。"

San stays silent for a moment. There was only one way his Lemon would know all this information and specific debates happening at court, and that would be if he had personal ties to a head alpha. He had to be related to one. Perhaps he was a son of a head alpha? “What is your opinion on how to deal with the court of advisors, then?”
桑沉默了片刻。他的柠檬能知道这些朝廷机密和具体辩论内容，只有一个可能——他与某位首领阿尔法有私人关系。他必定与某位首领阿尔法沾亲带故。说不定是某位首领阿尔法的儿子？"那你认为，该如何应对顾问团呢？"

Wooyoung shakes his head. “You cannot deal with them. They have not listened for decades, nothing will make them listen now. What you need to do is convince the people that change needs to be made. They vote for the same advisors because things have been well in the kingdom for years now. But they do not realize that it is only going well because of your family, not the court of advisors. If anything, they are the ones almost leading the nation to damnation.”
宇英摇了摇头。“你对付不了他们的。几十年来他们从不听劝，现在更不可能改变。你需要做的是让民众相信变革势在必行。他们之所以一直投票给同样的顾问团，是因为王国这些年表面太平。但人们没意识到，这种太平景象全靠你们家族在支撑，而非顾问院——恰恰相反，那群人正把国家推向万劫不复的深渊。”

San considers this. “But how can you convince people of a change when the face of things are running so smoothly?”
三思忖片刻，反问道："可当一切表面都风平浪静时，你要怎么说服人们改变现状？"

Wooyoung turns his head to stare at him with determined eyes. “Your omega.”
宇英转过头，用坚定的眼神凝视着他。"你的 Omega。"

When San gives him a look of confusion, he explains. “Discriminated omegas would not listen to a pompous rich fool who understands nothing of the way they live. Take my word for it, San. They do not need beauty and luxury. They need someone who understands what it means to have the freedom to work and make money for themselves. Those are where you will get your votes from. And trust me, you will get far more of them than you could ever possibly imagine from those cavemen alphas running amuck in packs. You need an omega that can sway the hearts of people, not satisfy the wishes of discriminators.”
三露出困惑的表情时，他解释道："被歧视的 Omega 们不会听信一个对底层生活一无所知的傲慢阔佬。相信我，他们不需要华服美宅，需要的是真正理解'靠双手挣钱'这份自由的人。这才是你能赢得选票的关键。"他喉结轻动，声音压低，"比起那些成群结队的野蛮 Alpha，你能争取到的 Omega 支持者会多得出乎意料。你需要的是能俘获民心的 Omega，不是取悦歧视者的花瓶。"

San stares at the side of Wooyoung’s determined face, starstruck. How can you tell me to find an omega like this, when you are sitting right here?
三盯着宇荣那坚定的侧脸，看得入迷。你让我上哪儿去找这样的 Omega，明明你就坐在这儿？

Wooyoung turns to him with big innocent eyes, blinking at him with a small smile. “Do you understand what I mean?”
禹英睁着无辜的大眼睛转向他，微微笑着眨了眨眼。"你懂我的意思吗？"

By the Moon, San wants to slam him into a nearby tree and love him for the end of time.
月光下，San 恨不得把他狠狠按在旁边的树上，爱他到天荒地老。

“Lemon.”  “柠檬。”

”Hm?”  嗯？

San leans over and presses a hard kiss onto the omega’s temple. Wooyoung froze, cheeks bursting red as he pulls away to stare incredulously at the alpha.
San 倾身向前，在 omega 的太阳穴上印下一个重重的吻。Wooyoung 瞬间僵住，脸颊爆红，他拉开距离难以置信地瞪着这个 alpha。

”I will stop at nothing until I make such an omega mine. That is my promise to you.”
"我发誓，不惜一切代价也要让那个 omega 成为我的人。"

Wooyoung furrows his brows in confusion. “O-Okay. Good.”
宇荣困惑地皱起眉头。"好...好的。"

San nuzzles into his shoulder, hiding his wild grin.
三将脸埋进他的肩窝，藏起自己狂野的笑容。

What an adorable clueless little star.
多么天真无邪的小星星啊。

It’s only a few more moments before they hit the outskirts of the woods, the sound of the town coming to life. San pulls his hood further down his head to hide his face as they approach the familiar shop. He slides off, taking the reins and walking over to the side of the wooden building. He makes quick work in tying his horse securely to the wooden pole before going over and pulling Wooyoung up off the horse.
没过多久，他们便抵达了森林边缘，城镇苏醒的喧嚣声渐次传来。当熟悉的店铺映入眼帘时，San 将兜帽又往下拉了拉遮住面容。他利落地翻身下马，牵着缰绳走向木屋侧面，迅速将马匹牢牢拴在木桩上，随后转身将 Wooyoung 从马背上抱了下来。

”By the Moon, you and my brother are exactly the same.” Wooyoung huffed. “I know how to get on and off a horse. You do not have to carry me up and down each time.”
"对着月亮发誓，你和我哥简直一个德行。"宇英气呼呼地嘟囔着，"我又不是不会上下马，每次都要你抱来抱去的。"

A brother. San thinks. Which of the head alphas had sons with male omegas?
一个兄弟。San 心想。哪个头狼会和男性 Omega 生下儿子？

“Older?” He asks casually. Wooyoung hums absentmindedly, completely clueless to San’s deducing. “Yeah. He is an alpha. Must be an alpha thing.”
"年纪大些？"他随口问道。禹英心不在焉地哼了声，完全没察觉 San 正在推理。"是啊。他是个 Alpha。肯定是 Alpha 的通病。"

Older alpha son. Younger omegan son.
年长的阿尔法长子。年幼的欧米伽幺子。

Who had children like that?
谁家孩子这样啊？

Before he can ponder on it further, Wooyoung is grabbing his hand, pulling him over to the front door. “Is this the popcorn shop!?”
还没等他细想，宇英就一把抓住他的手，拽着他往前门走。"这就是那家爆米花店吗！？"

San smiles as they stomp the snow out of their shoes at the entrance, pushing the door open.
三在门口跺掉鞋上的雪，推开门时脸上挂着笑。

The scent of popcorn hits them immediately, and the shop warms their cold skin from the fire burning against the far wall.
爆米花的香气扑面而来，远处墙边的炉火驱散了他们肌肤上的寒意。

”Crown Prince! What a wonderful surprise!”
"太子殿下！真是天大的惊喜啊！"

Wooyoung turns to see an old man walking around the front desk and bowing.
宇英转头，看见一位老人绕过前台，向他鞠躬。

”Hajoon, sir! I do not know how many times I must tell you that bowing is not necessary.”
"河俊先生！我都不知道说了多少遍，您真的不用鞠躬的。"

The old man raises with a grin as San hugs him. “Nonsense. You are a prince after all— soon to be king, as I have heard from the gossips going around the town.”
老人咧嘴一笑，在桑拥抱他时站起身来。"胡说什么。你可是王子——我听城里那些闲言碎语说，你马上就要当国王了。"

San shakes his head. “Not quite yet, but the process has started.”
三摇了摇头。“还没完全好，但已经开始恢复了。”

”You will be just as great as your father. My intuition says so.”
"你会和你父亲一样出色。我的直觉这么告诉我。"

The prince simply smiles kindly. “Thank you.”
王子只是温和地笑了笑。"谢谢。"

Hajoon’s eyes shift from San to Wooyoung. “Who is this?”
河准的目光从山移到宇荣身上。“这谁啊？”

San glances over to Wooyoung, suddenly at a loss of words.
San 瞥了一眼 Wooyoung，突然语塞。

Because he had no idea what the omega’s name was.
因为他根本不知道那个 omega 叫什么名字。

”I am a friend!” Wooyoung quickly steps in, reaching a hand out. “Nice to meet you, sir.”
“我是朋友！”宇英迅速上前一步，伸出手来。“很高兴认识您，先生。”

Luckily the beta doesn’t question it, although he does give Wooyoung a deep look, reaching out to shake Wooyoung’s hand. “You as well, young man.”
幸好这位 Beta 没有多问，只是深深看了宇荣一眼，伸手与他相握。“你也是，年轻人。”

San swallows moving further into the shop, rounding one of the shelves in the far corner. “What flavor were you thinking of, Lemon?”
San 咽了咽口水，继续往店里走去，绕过远处角落的一个货架。"柠檬，你想要什么口味的？"

Wooyoung blinks. “Oh— Honey butter!”
宇荣眨了眨眼。“哦——蜂蜜黄油！”

Suddenly Hajoon’s fingers snapped. “Aha! I knew you seemed familiar. You must be Jung Areum’s son! The omega— Wooyoung! Correct?”
突然，河俊打了个响指。“啊哈！我就说怎么这么眼熟。你是郑雅凛的儿子吧？那个 Omega——宇英！对吧？”

Wooyoung’s face pales, glancing over with panic to where San was, but luckily the other man was too distracted in looking through the rows of bags to pay attention to their conversation.
宇荣的脸色刷地白了，惊慌地朝 San 所在的方向瞥了一眼。幸好对方正全神贯注地翻找着货架上的包袋，根本没注意他们的对话。

”Your mother talks about you all the time!” He says brightly and Wooyoung immediately shushes him. “Wait, wait. Please— not so loudly.”
"你妈总在念叨你呢！"他兴高采烈地说，禹英立刻"嘘"地制止他。"等等，小声点——求你了。"

The old man furrows his brows, glancing over to San before raising an eyebrow. “Does he not know?”
老人皱起眉头，瞥了一眼 San 后挑起眉毛。"他还不知道吗？"

Wooyoung shakes his head, embarrassed. Curiosity fills the beta’s eyes. “Questionable... But then again, a lot of what you Jungs do is a mystery to me.”
Wooyoung 尴尬地摇摇头。Beta 眼中充满好奇。"真可疑...不过话说回来，你们郑家做的很多事对我来说都是谜。"

Wooyoung laughs awkwardly. “Yes. We are... quite a unique family.”
宇英尴尬地笑了笑。"是啊...我们家挺特别的。"

The old man snorts. “That sure is one way to put it.”
老头哼了一声。“你倒是会说话。”

San comes over with a huge bag of honey butter popcorn, looking at him. “Is this it?”
三拎着一大袋蜂蜜黄油爆米花走过来，盯着他看。"就这？"

Wooyoung shakes his head. “No, that is a gift for my mother.” He looks over to see Hajoon smiling at them both. “Um, what other flavors would you recommend?”
宇荣摇摇头。“不，那是给我妈妈的礼物。”他抬眼看到河俊正对着他们俩微笑。“呃，你还有什么口味推荐吗？”

Hajoon walks over to the shelves and Wooyoung follows while San looks at the candies on display. “Are you more of a sweet or savory person?”
河俊走向货架，佑荣紧随其后，而 San 则盯着展示柜里的糖果发呆。"你更喜欢甜口还是咸口？"

”He’s sour!”  “他酸溜溜的！”

Wooyoung scowls, throwing an angry look over his shoulder. “You be quiet!”
宇英皱着眉头，恶狠狠地回头瞪了一眼。"你给我闭嘴！"

San grins to himself quietly.
三暗自窃笑。

”I like sweet things more, but either one is fine.” Wooyoung turns back to the chuckling old man.
“我更喜欢甜口的，不过都行。”宇英转头看向那个笑呵呵的老头。

”We have combinations if you would like those.” He indicated to a shelf. Wooyoung glances at the large variety of different colors, scanning thoughtfully before his eyes land on a specific flavor.
"我们有组合装，如果您感兴趣的话。"他指了指货架。Wooyoung 扫视着琳琅满目的各色包装，若有所思地打量着，最后目光落在某个特定口味上。

Salted caramel popcorn dipped in chocolate.
巧克力蘸盐焦糖爆米花。

Wooyoung glances over at San who is too busy playing with a kitten sitting on the counter.
宇荣瞥了一眼正忙着逗弄柜台上小猫的珊。

He grabs a small bag of it. “This one.”
他随手抓起一小包。“就这个。”

Hajoon only gives him a knowing smile as they make their way back over to the counter. “You know... You and the prince fit quite well with one another.”
两人走回柜台时，河俊只是意味深长地冲他笑了笑。"知道吗...你和那位王子殿下，还挺般配的。"

Wooyoung falters in his step, watching as the beta continues on over to playfully swat San on the back. “Messin’ around with my little baby again?”
禹英脚步一顿，看着那个 Beta 继续往前走，嬉闹地拍了下 San 的后背。"又跟我家小宝贝玩呢？"

San laughs, straightening up and glancing over at Wooyoung with an innocent smile. “Done?”
San 轻笑一声，直起身子，用天真无邪的笑容瞥向 Wooyoung。"完事了？"

Wooyoung sighs with a heavy heart, nodding.
宇荣沉重地叹了口气，点了点头。

San looks over at Hajoon. “How much will it be today?”
三瞥了眼河俊，问道：“今天打算玩多大？”

“3 silver pieces, Crown prince.”
“三枚银币，太子殿下。”

San reaches into his bag, and that’s when Wooyoung is snapped out of his stupor, grabbing San’s arm. “I have money!”
San 伸手去摸包，这时 Wooyoung 猛地从恍惚中惊醒，一把抓住他的手臂。"我有钱！"

San glances at him. “I will buy it for you.”
三瞥了他一眼。“我给你买。”

”No you will not, Sir!” Wooyoung snaps. “I have money. There is no need.”
“不行，先生！”宇英厉声打断。“我有钱，不需要。”

San turns to him with a raised eyebrow. “Lemon, I brought you here today. I could not possibly let you pay.”
桑挑眉看向他。"柠檬，今天是我带你来的，怎么可能让你买单。"

Wooyoung scoffs, reaching into his satchel and pulling out his heavy coin bag. “Oh please. You are not my alpha, My Prince.”
宇英轻蔑地哼了一声，从挎包里掏出沉甸甸的钱袋。"得了吧，我的王子殿下，您可算不上我的 Alpha。"

San’s eyes flash red as he growls low in his throat, staring bitterly at the back of Wooyoung’s head as the omega shoves himself in front. “Besides, I make far more than you think.”
San 的双眼泛起猩红，喉间滚出低沉咆哮。他死死盯着 Wooyoung 后脑勺——这个 Omega 正不知死活地挤到他前面。"况且..."他齿缝里渗出的声音裹着血腥气，"老子赚的钱比你想象中多得多。"

San stares in disbelief as Wooyoung opens his coin pouch to reveal a bag full of gold and silver pieces. “By the Moon, who the hell are you?”
三难以置信地盯着雨宁打开的钱袋，里面满满当当全是金银币。"靠，你他妈到底什么来头？"

Woooyoung throws a smug look at the dumbfounded alpha as he hands a bewildered Hajoon a gold piece. “T-This is far too much!” The old man stammers out but Wooyoung waves him off. “Of course not. Consider it a gift of appreciation from an old friend.”
禹英朝那目瞪口呆的 Alpha 投去一个得意的眼神，将金币塞进还没回过神的河俊手里。"这、这也太多了！"老人结结巴巴地说。禹英满不在乎地摆摆手："哪儿的话，就当是老朋友的谢礼。"

He winks and the old beta simply offers him a kind smile. “Thank you, young man.”
他眨了眨眼，那位年长的 beta 只是回以温和的微笑。"谢谢你啊，小伙子。"

As they walk out of the shop, Wooyoung can feel San’s burning stare on the side of his face, turning towards the alpha. “Yes? Why are you staring at me?”
走出店铺时，禹英感受到旻浩灼热的视线正落在自己侧脸，他转头迎上 Alpha 的目光："嗯？干嘛这样盯着我看？"

”Seriously, who are you?” San stammers. “I mean— how rich is your family? Your father gave you all this as pocket change!?”
“老实说，你到底什么来头？”三儿结结巴巴地问，“我是说——你家得多有钱啊？你爹把这些当零花钱给你！？”

Wooyoung’s brows furrowed. “What makes you believe my father gave it to me? This is all money I made. It is mine.”
宇荣眉头紧蹙。"你凭什么认定是我爸给的？这都是我自己赚的钱。我的钱。"

San stares at him as if he’s grown two heads. “How in the hell did you make all this money?”
三盯着他，仿佛他脑袋上突然长出了两个头似的。“你他妈到底是怎么搞到这么多钱的？”

Wooyoung scowls at San. “I am quite offended that you are so dumbfounded that I make my own income.”
宇荣皱着眉头瞪向山。“你居然对我能自己赚钱这么惊讶，真让我不爽。”

”I am not dumbfounded, I am amazed. Most alphas of this country cannot even make half of what you have in there for a year. You make quite a lot.”
"我不是惊呆了，我是被震撼到了。这个国家大多数 alpha 一年都赚不到你那儿的一半。你可真能赚啊。"

”My art is rather famous.”
"我的作品还挺有名的。"

”Still seems a lot for a famous artist to make a year.”
"对一位知名艺术家来说，这年收入还是太寒酸了。"

Wooyoung shrugged. “I guess? Most of it is just saved up over the years. It is not money I have made in a single year itself. I do not go out a lot, and rarely do I ever spend money. It has just been sitting in my drawers. I tried giving some to my father but he denied it, saying that it was mine and I could do with it as I pleased. Most of it went to shelters and orphanages in my pack. Now that I think about it, I wanted to stop by those here at the Capital too. Would we have time?”
宇荣耸了耸肩。"算是吧？大部分都是这些年攒下来的。不是一年内赚的钱。我很少出门，基本不花钱。这些钱就一直堆在抽屉里。想给父亲一些，他也不要，说是我自己挣的随便处置。最后大部分都捐给了族里的收容所和孤儿院。"他忽然眼睛一亮，"说起来，首都这边我也想捐些。我们抽得出时间吗？" （翻译说明：1.将"shrugged"译为"耸了耸肩"保留肢体语言细节 2."eyes lighting up"转化成语境更自然的"眼睛一亮" 3.处理长句时拆分重组，如将"it has just been sitting..."译为"一直堆在抽屉里"更符合中文表达 4.保留人物关心慈善的温柔特质 5.结尾问句使用"抽得出时间吗"符合中文日常对话习惯）

San stares down at him with adoration, lacing their fingers together. “Yes. I have time for anything you want.”
三低头凝视着他，眼中满是爱意，手指与他十指相扣。"当然。只要是你想要的，我都有时间。"

San guides them over to one of the orphanages and Wooyoung pulls him back. “Could you wait out here?”
San 领着他们走向其中一家孤儿院，Wooyoung 却一把拽住他的手腕。"你...能在外面等会儿吗？" 少年指尖微微发颤，布料摩挲间带起细碎静电。

San pouts. “Why?”  三撅起嘴。“为什么？”

”Just wait for me.”
“等我。”

San nuzzles against his cheek for a moment. “Fine.”
三轻轻蹭了蹭他的脸颊，含糊嘟囔道："好吧。"

Wooyoung pulls away from him and swiftly enters the doors of the building, San watches through the glass as the omega approaches the front counter, talking with the woman behind it who blinks at him in shock.
宇荣迅速从他身边抽身，快步走进大楼。透过玻璃门，灿注视着那个 Omega 走向前台——柜台后的女人瞪大眼睛，露出震惊的表情与他交谈。

They continue to converse for some time, smiling and laughing before Wooyoung pulls out a separate pouch of coins and hands it to her. She accepts it graciously, giving him a tight hug. They pull back and she says something to which Wooyoung simply shakes his head, pointing over to where San was.
他们又聊了好一会儿，有说有笑。这时宇荣突然掏出另一个钱袋递给她。她欣然收下，紧紧抱住了他。分开时她说了什么，宇荣只是摇摇头，朝远处伞爷站的方向指了指。

She glances at the alpha with amazement before turning back to the other omega, nodding. She says something else and that’s when Wooyoung turns over to him, motioning with his hand for San to come in.
她惊讶地瞥了眼那位阿尔法，又转回去对另一个欧米伽点点头。她低声说了句什么，这时宇荣突然转身朝他招手，示意让珊进来。

San pushes the doors open and walks over to the pair, fiddling with his fingers.
San 推开门走向两人，手指不安地摆弄着。

“Good afternoon.” He says politely, standing close by Wooyoung who smiles up at him. “This is the head director of the orphanage, Minjung.” She immediately bows to him. “Afternoon, crown prince. I must say, it is quite an honor to be graced by both your presences today!”
下午好。"他礼貌地说道，站在笑容满面的 Wooyoung 身旁。"这是孤儿院的院长 Minjung。"她立即向他鞠躬行礼。"午安，王储殿下。不得不说，今日能同时得见两位殿下，实在是莫大的荣幸！

San grins. “Why yes, I must admit this is my first time actually seeing the orphanage in person. Apologies for never visiting sooner. I hope it does not offend you.”
三咧嘴一笑。"没错，我确实是第一次亲眼见到这家孤儿院。抱歉之前一直没来拜访，希望你别介意。"

Minjung immediately shakes her head. “Of course not! We all know how busy it can get, especially the closer it gets to succession. Besides, both your families have done so much for this orphanage, we are nothing more but humbly grateful for all you have done.”
敏静立刻摇头否认。“怎么会呢！我们都知道您有多忙，尤其是继承大业临近的时候。再说，您两家为这家孤儿院付出这么多，我们只有满心感激的份。”

San glances curiously at Wooyoung. “Both...?”
桑好奇地瞥了眼宇荣。"两个都要？"

Wooyoung quickly changes the subject. “I was hoping to catch sight of the children! I guess they must be in class.”
宇荣迅速转移话题。“我本来想看看孩子们的！估计他们正在上课吧。”

She smiles sympathetically. “Yes, they just finished lunch and went to their afternoon classes.”
她同情地笑了笑。“是啊，他们刚吃完午饭，去上下午的课了。”

At the sound of lunch, Wooyoung’s stomach audibly grumbled and he turned a bright pink as Minjung giggled. San grins, grabbing Wooyoung’s waist lovingly. “I think it is time to get some lunch for you too. We will stop by again sometime.”
午饭铃声一响，宇荣的肚子立刻咕噜作响，敏静噗嗤笑出声时他耳尖都红透了。散漫不经心地搂住他的腰，指尖在衣料下似有若无地摩挲："看来我们小馋猫也该投喂了。改天再来收拾你。"

”Of course! Stop by anytime, my prince! And it was lovely to finally meet you. Your father talks about you so dearly.” She says this to Wooyoung who smiles adorably. “Thank you. It was nice to meet you as well.”
"当然啦！随时欢迎你来玩，我的小王子！终于见到你真是太开心了，你爸爸经常提起你呢，语气可宠了。"她对着笑得可爱的宇荣说道。"谢谢，见到您我也很高兴。"

With final partings, San and Wooyoung slipped out of the orphanage and back onto the busy street, their hands clenched tightly around one another.
三和宇荣最后道别后，悄悄溜出孤儿院，重新回到熙攘的街道上，两人的手紧紧攥在一起。

So, Lemon’s father was definitely a head alpha. There was no denying it anymore. By the looks of it, he was quite a respectable one too, loved by so many people. He had an older brother that was an alpha. He was a famous painter.
看来，Lemon 的父亲确实是个顶级 Alpha。这一点已经毋庸置疑了。从各方面来看，他还是个相当受人尊敬的 Alpha，深受众人爱戴。他还有个哥哥也是 Alpha，是位知名画家。

Who in the world—
到底是谁——

“San, what should we eat?” Wooyoung whined, hugging his arm protectively as his stomach growls once again. San looks down at him with a fond smile, all thoughts jumping out of his head. “What would you like to eat?”
"三儿，咱们吃啥嘛～"宇荣哼哼唧唧地搂紧他的胳膊，肚子又咕噜叫了一声。三低头看他时眼底漾着宠溺，满脑子就只剩这个撒娇精了。"想吃啥？"

Wooyoung thinks for a moment, eyes sparking. “Meat?”
宇荣思索片刻，眼睛亮了起来。"肉？"

San laughs, bumping his head lovingly against the smaller man’s. “There is a really good chicken skewer stand nearby. I can wait for it to cook while you look around to find gifts for your friends.”
三笑着，亲昵地用头轻轻碰了碰那个比他矮小的男人。"附近有家特别棒的烤串摊。你可以先逛逛给朋友挑礼物，我等着烤串熟。"

Wooyoung pulls away with a hum while San gives his hand a final squeeze before letting go. “Do not venture too far and get lost. I will come find you afterwards.”
宇荣轻哼一声退开，而珊最后捏了捏他的手才松开。"别走太远迷路了。待会儿我来找你。"

”Okay.”  “行吧。”

With that, Wooyoung carefully crosses through the busy street towards the right side where booths and shops were set up with items. The Capital was interesting in the way it was set up, with one side of the street having food stalls and the other side having shops set for buying items such as jewelry and clothes.
就这样，禹英小心地穿过繁忙的街道，来到右侧摆满摊位和商铺的区域。帝都的布局很有意思——街道一侧是各色小吃摊，另一侧则是贩卖珠宝服饰的店铺。

He looks around aimlessly, eyes catching on a stand of jewelry. He approaches, eyes scanning.
他漫无目的地四下张望，目光突然被一处珠宝摊位吸引。他缓步走近，眼神在陈列品间游移。

”Good afternoon, young omega! Looking for a gift during this holiday season?” The woman behind the stand smiles excitedly. Wooyoung offers her a small nod. “I was looking for a gift for a few people.”
"下午好啊，小欧米伽！假期想买点礼物吗？"摊位后的女人兴奋地笑着。宇荣朝她微微点头。"我想给几个人挑礼物。"

She leans forward. “Anything in particular?”
她倾身向前，声音压低："有什么特别想要的吗？"

Wooyoung tilts his head. “I wanted to buy something for two of my omegan friends and one alpha. Oh, also something for my brother and father. My mother as well.”
宇英歪着头想了想。“我想给我两个欧米伽朋友和一个阿尔法买点东西。哦对了，还有给我哥哥和爸爸的礼物。妈妈也要带一份。”

”All male?”  "全是男的？"

”A part from my mother, yes.”
“除了我妈，是的。”

The woman bends down to pick up two stands of earrings and bracelets. “These earrings will shine beautifully on any omega, and these bracelets will suit the alphas. We have all different types of styles.”
女人弯腰拾起两副耳环和手链。"这副耳环戴在任何 Omega 耳垂上都会闪闪发光，这款手链则特别适合 Alpha 们佩戴。我们这儿各种款式应有尽有。"她说话时指尖轻轻掠过银质链条，金属碰撞声在暖昧的灯光下格外清脆。

Wooyoung picks up two silver bands and two gold ones with a simple cross section design. with a wide smile. “I’ll take these.”
宇英挑了两枚银环和两枚金环，都是简约的横截面设计。他咧嘴一笑："就这些了。"

He glances over at the earrings, looking through them. He picks up a pair of pearl ones he thinks will suit Felix, and a studded diamond one that would look nice on Yeonjun, and some flower ones for his mother. He also catches sight of some pretty dangling earrings with clipped chains that he grabs for himself. “And these.”
他扫视着那些耳环，目光在款式间游移。最终挑了一对珍珠耳钉——觉得肯定衬 Felix 的气质，又选了镶钻的款式配 Yeonjun。给母亲选了花卉图案的。这时晃动的链条款式忽然撞进视线，金属细链随着动作轻颤，他鬼使神差地伸手攥住这对耳坠："再加上这个。"（指尖无意识摩挲着冰凉的金属链条，柜台灯光在棱角处折射出细碎光斑）

She takes them from him, starting to wrap them up while Wooyoung looks around at what else there was. His eyes zero in on a stand of pins. He gently runs his fingers over them. When the woman glances over at him she smiles. “Those are brooches. A lot of omegas buy them for guards in the Royal Palace. They look quite beautiful on uniform. Would you like to look through some options for your alpha?”
她从他手中接过物品，开始包装。禹英四处张望，目光突然被一排别针吸引。他修长的手指轻轻抚过那些金属饰品。女店主瞥见他专注的侧脸，嘴角扬起温柔的弧度："这些都是宫廷徽章，很多 Omega 会买来送给王宫守卫。别在制服上特别好看呢。"她将包装好的商品推到柜台边缘，"要给你的 Alpha 挑一个吗？"

Wooyoung turns a bright pink. “W-Well I do not have an alpha—“
宇荣的脸瞬间涨得通红。"我、我又没有 Alpha——"

She completely ignored him, pulling out a tray from below filled with shiny suit brooches, setting it in front of him. “Nonsense! I can tell by your face that there is at least someone you are interested in. Take a look.”
她压根没理他，从底下抽出一个托盘，上面摆满了闪亮的西装胸针，直接推到他面前。“少来！看你那表情就知道心里肯定有人了。挑一个吧。”

Wooyoung glances through the selection with embarrassment. “N-No, really, I—“
宇荣尴尬地扫视着那些选项，耳尖泛红：“不、不用了，我真的...”

He stops.  他停下脚步。

He stares at a specific brooch of a cute white wolf, a gold chain attached to it that leads to a goofy looking pair of snow mountains. He immediately grabs it. “This.”
他盯着那枚别致的胸针——一只可爱的白狼，金链子连着对傻乎乎的雪山造型。他一把抓起来：“就它了。”

The woman grins as she packs it up. After naming the price, Wooyoung pays and she hands him the bag, along with a sleek velvet box. When he gives her a questioning look, she only winks. “It has the brooch. Gift it to that alpha of yours. I am sure he will love it.”
女人咧嘴一笑，利落地将商品打包。她报出价格后，禹英豪爽快地付了钱。接过纸袋时，一个丝绒礼盒突然被塞进他掌心。他挑眉投去询问的眼神，却只换来对方狡黠的眨眼。"胸针在里面——送给你家那位阿尔法吧。"她指尖暧昧地敲了敲盒盖，"我打赌他会爱死这份惊喜。"

Turning red, Wooyoung squeaks out a thank you before rushing away, shoving the black box into his satchel.
脸蛋泛红的宇英小声嘟囔了句谢谢，便匆匆跑开，将那黑盒子塞进了自己的挎包里。

He turns to look for San, but is stopped when a man with a funky looking mustache jumps in front of him. “Hi there!”
他转身想找 San，却被一个留着古怪小胡子的男人拦住了去路。"嗨！"

Wooyoung lets out a loud scream, stumbling back a few steps while holding a hand against his wildly beating chest. “For Moon’s sake!”
宇荣发出一声惊叫，踉跄着后退几步，一只手紧紧按住狂跳的胸口。"要命啊！"

The man grins. “Did I frighten you? Have no fear! I could not help but notice you standing there all by your lonesome.”
男人咧嘴一笑。"吓到你了？别怕！我实在忍不住注意到你一个人孤零零地站在那儿。"

Wooyoung eyes the strange man weirdly. “Um....”
宇英古怪地打量着那个陌生男人。“呃...”

The man wraps an arm around his shoulder, pulling out a card from the container he has wrapped around his neck. “You know what you look like? You look exactly like the type of omega who would be in need of Miss Maroonda’s Omegan Necessities!”
男人一把搂住他的肩膀，从挂在脖子上的容器里抽出一张卡片。"知道你现在像什么吗？活脱脱就是需要马伦达小姐 Omega 必需品的那类人！"

Wooyoung takes the card from him, glancing it over. “Omegan necessities...?”
宇英接过卡片，扫了一眼。"Omega 必需品...？"

The alpha grins. “Why yes! We have everything from the new and improved scent blocking strips, heat pills—“
阿尔法咧嘴一笑。"当然有！从最新升级的除味贴片，到发情期抑制剂——"

”Scent blocking strips?” Wooyoung asks curiously, and the man twirls a finger around his mustache. “Of course! You just peel the strip, slap it over your scent glands and boom! Your scent disappears! It lasts until the solution on the strip dries up!”
"气味阻隔贴？"宇英好奇地问道，男人捻着胡须转了个圈。"当然啦！只要撕开贴片，啪地贴在腺体上——砰！你的信息素就消失啦！效果能持续到贴片上的溶剂干掉为止！"

Wooyoung eyes him as he pockets the card in his satchel. “Great... Now if you will excuse me—“
宇荣盯着他把卡片塞进挎包的动作，嘴角扯出一丝冷笑。“行吧...那恕不奉陪了——”

The alpha pulls him even closer to whisper into his ear. “That is not all we have to offer. We also have a wide range of pretty little clothes and fun little toys from Europe for a great price that I am sure you will enj—“
那 Alpha 将他拉得更近，灼热气息喷在他耳畔。"我们可不止这些货色哦。"男人用气音低笑，指腹状似无意地摩挲着他后腰，"还有从欧洲弄来的漂亮小衣服...和有趣的小玩具，价格绝对让你心动——"

Wooyoung is yanked back by the arm roughly, stumbling back into a warm chest as the strange alpha stumbles at the loss of his weight. The smell of coffee and burnt caramel hits his senses, and he looks up in alarm to see San fuming, eyes glaring hatefully at the alpha in front of them.
宇荣被粗暴地拽住胳膊往后一扯，踉跄着撞进一个温热的胸膛。那个陌生 Alpha 因突然失去支撑而晃了晃身子。咖啡与焦糖的灼热气息扑面而来，他惊慌抬头，只见山正怒不可遏地瞪着眼前的 Alpha，眼中燃着骇人的怒火。

”What the hell were you saying?” San snarls, eyes flashing red as he takes a threatening step forward. The alpha raised his hands in defense. “Woah woah there buckaroo! I was just selling a product—“
“你他妈刚才说什么？”三双眼泛红，恶狠狠地向前逼近一步。那个阿尔法连忙举起手防御：“哎哎哎别激动兄弟！我就是推销个产品——”

”We do not want whatever the fuck you are selling. Scram before I teach you the proper ways to respect an omega’s personal space.”
"我们对你卖的那些狗屁玩意儿没兴趣。在我教你怎么尊重 Omega 的私人空间前，赶紧滚。"

Wooyoung blinks in bewilderment as the alpha laughs nervously. “R-Right! Of course! I was not aware he was taken—“
宇荣困惑地眨着眼，那个 Alpha 紧张地干笑起来。"对、对！当然！我不知道他已经被标记了——"

San growls, taking a few more steps but Wooyoung quickly hugs him and holds him back. “San! It is fine— we were just talking!”
San 低吼着，又往前迈了几步，但 Wooyoung 迅速抱住他，将他拦住。"San！没事的——我们只是在聊天！"

The prince is not at all amused as the other alpha flees, grabbing Wooyoung’s wrist and pulling him into an alleyway to press him against the wall of a shop. “Moon’s sake, if you ever let another vile alpha put their hands on you like that again—“
王子对那个 alpha 落荒而逃的模样毫无笑意，他攥住禹英的手腕将人拽进暗巷，猛地抵在商铺砖墙上。"以月亮之名起誓，要是再让我看见你让那些下贱 alpha 碰你一根手指——"

Wooyoung is confused. “H-He was just pitching his products, why are you so upset—“
宇英一脸困惑。"他、他只是推销产品而已，你干嘛这么生气——"

”Lemon, you are not from the Capital. Things are different here. You do not know what kinds of things he was trying to sell to you.”
"柠檬，你不是首都人。这地方规矩不一样。你根本不知道他当时想卖给你的是些什么玩意儿。"

Wooyoung furrows his brows. “Like... clothes? And what are omegan toys? I have never heard of such a thing.”
宇荣皱起眉头。"像是...衣服？还有欧米茄玩具是什么？我从来没听说过这种东西。"

San’s entire face burns a bright red, hiding it away in the younger’s neck. “N-Nothing, oh Moon. My poor innocent little sweetheart. Do not fret on it. It is not something your innocence needs to know of.”
三整张脸涨得通红，把脸埋进少年颈窝里。"没、没什么，我的月亮啊。我纯洁无辜的小甜心别多想。这不是你该懂的事。"

The smell of chicken fills his nose and Wooyoung pouts. “Can we eat?”
鸡肉的香气钻入鼻腔，禹英撅起嘴嘟囔道："能开动了吗？"

”Let me scent your first. His scent is bothering me deeply. I want it gone.”
"先让我闻闻你。他身上那股味道让我心烦意乱，我要把它彻底抹去。"

Wooyoung sighs. “It is not that big of a deal—“
宇荣叹了口气。“也没那么严重——”

San growls. “It is. Please, Lemon. I was already in a bad mood earlier and this is making it worse.”
三低吼着。“没错。拜托了，柠檬。我本来心情就够糟了，现在更烦了。”

Wooyoung feels guilt grow in him. Obviously San was tired, and Wooyoung had dragged him all the way out here when he could’ve been resting. It was unfair of him.
宇荣心中涌起一阵愧疚。显然，San 已经很疲惫了，而自己却硬把他拽到这里来，明明他本可以好好休息的。这样做太自私了。

The omega let’s out a soft sigh. “Alright.”
那 Omega 轻叹一声。“好吧。”

Not even moments after he’s said it, is San’s cheek pressed right against his scent gland, rubbing his scent into the smaller man’s.
话音未落，San 的脸颊已经抵上他的腺体，将气息蹭进对方肌肤。

Wooyoung’s cheeks turn pink as he shuts his eyes, feeling how roughly San is rubbing around his neck to get the unknown scent off of him.
宇荣紧闭双眼，脸颊泛起红晕，感受着 San 正粗暴地揉搓着他的脖颈，试图抹去那陌生的气息。

They stay like that for a long moment before San finally pulls away to take an airy Wooyoung by the hand and sit him down on the benches, opening the bag to reveal steaming chicken skewers. “Thank the moon that they are still hot.”
他们就这样静静相拥许久，直到 San 终于松开怀抱，牵起晕乎乎的 Wooyoung 坐到长椅上。他打开纸袋，热气腾腾的鸡肉串香气四溢。"谢天谢地还热着。"

They eat quietly, watching people stroll around the streets as the sun slowly begins to set.
他们安静地吃着东西，看着街上的行人来来往往，夕阳渐渐西沉。

”We should probably start heading out soon.” San stands up with a stretch. “Did you find gifts?”
"我们该准备出发了。"San 伸了个懒腰站起来，"礼物挑好了吗？"

Wooyoung nods, standing up as well and grabbing San’s hand. “Anything else you wanna look at while we’re still out here?”
宇荣点点头，也跟着站起身，顺势牵起山的手。"趁着还在外面，还想逛点什么吗？"他指尖状似无意地划过对方掌心，两人交握的指节在路灯下泛着暖昧的橘色光晕。

The omega whines tiredly, shaking his head. “Wanna go home.”
那 Omega 疲惫地呜咽着，摇了摇头。"想回家。"

San freezes when he hears Wooyoung say that, glancing over at the omega. The other man obviously hadn’t realized what he’d said, pushing San forward gently. “Come on. Before it gets dark.”
San 听到 Wooyoung 那句话时整个人僵住了，目光不由自主地转向那个 Omega。对方显然没意识到自己说了什么，还轻轻推着他后背催促："快点啦，趁天还没黑。"

San smiles to himself as he pulls Wooyoung over to the popcorn shop. They wave goodbye to Hajoon before San pulls him up onto the horse again, hopping up in front of him.
三儿嘴角噙着笑，一把将宇荣拽进爆米花铺子。两人朝河俊挥手道别后，他利落地翻身上马，顺势把宇荣拉到自己身前。马鞍随着动作发出细微的皮革摩擦声，他后背能清晰感受到对方胸膛传来的温度。

Wooyoung immediately wraps his arms around the alpha’s waist, resting his cheek tiredly on San‘s back, right in between his shoulders.
宇荣立刻环抱住那个阿尔法的腰，疲惫地将脸颊贴在 San 的后背上，正好抵在他双肩之间。

San smirks. “See. I said you would be hugging me on the way back.”
三嘴角一扬，坏笑道："看吧，我就说回程时你会主动抱我。"

”Be quiet.” Wooyoung yawned.
“闭嘴。”宇英打着哈欠说道。

”Do not fall asleep by accident, Lemon. I do not want you to slip off.”
"可别不小心睡着了啊，柠檬。我可不想让你溜走。"

”I am just resting my eyes.”
"我只是在闭目养神。"

”Sure.”  “行。”

They make it back to the entrance in no time, tying San’s horse back onto the same tree before reentering the passageway, locking the door tightly behind them.
他们很快回到了入口处，将桑的马重新拴在同一棵树上，随后再次踏入通道，身后的大门被紧紧锁上。

San let’s Wooyoung climb up first, close behind him as they enter the warmth of the library once again. The sun has completely set now, only the light of the burning fire illuminating the room. Wooyoung shoved his shoes off and falls dramatically onto the carpet, yawning as he soaked in the warmth of the flames to reheat his cold body while San locks the trapdoor and hides it under the carpet and table again.
San 让 Wooyoung 先爬上楼梯，自己紧随其后，两人重新踏入温暖的图书馆。此刻夕阳已完全沉没，唯有燃烧的壁火照亮房间。Wooyoung 踢掉鞋子夸张地栽进地毯里，边打哈欠边用火焰的温暖烘烤自己冻僵的身体。San 锁好活板门，再次将它藏在地毯与桌底之间时，那家伙正舒服得在火光里舒展四肢。

Not a few moments later, San falls next to him, throwing an arm over his waist and hugging him close.
没过多久，San 就倒在他身旁，手臂环上他的腰际，将他紧紧搂入怀中。

”This is inappropriate of you, My Prince.” Wooyoung mumbled half heartedly.
"殿下，您这样可不太合适啊。"宇英含混地嘟囔着，语气里带着几分不情愿。

”I do not care. You are warm.” San mutters back, exhaustion in his voice. “I just want to sleep for a little bit. Lay with me?”
"我不管...你很暖和。"三嘟囔着，声音里透着疲惫。"我就想睡一小会儿。陪我躺会儿？"

Wooyoung’s ears burn bright. “W-What!?”
宇荣的耳尖瞬间烧得通红。"什、什么！？"

San pauses for a moment. “I did not mean it like that. Just stay here like this next to me and sleep.”
San 顿了顿。“我不是那个意思。就这样待在我身边睡吧。”

Wooyoung huffs, but laces his hand with the one against his stomach as San’s body drapes over his back. “Fine.”
宇荣轻哼一声，但还是反手扣住了那只贴在自己腹间的手掌，任由灿的身体从背后覆上来。"行吧。"

It’s not even a minute later that San’s relaxed breaths indicating he was asleep were heard. It was the sound of the alpha breathing and the crackling of the fire that makes Wooyoung’s eyes fall closed, sleep washing over him.
没过一分钟，San 平稳的呼吸声便传来，显示他已经睡着了。Alpha 的呼吸声与篝火的噼啪声交织在一起，让 Wooyoung 的眼皮渐渐沉重，睡意如潮水般将他淹没。

-

The day of the dreaded engagement ball arrives and Wooyoung couldn’t be anticipating it any less.
那场令人窒息的订婚舞会终于来临，而禹英对此毫无期待。

The day is completely hectic, to say the least. He spends most of it in the library, sketching one of his drawings onto a canvas and painting it. It takes up practically the whole day and before long, the sun sets.
这一天简直忙得不可开交。他大部分时间都泡在图书馆里，把素描草稿一笔一画地描摹到画布上。这活儿几乎耗掉整整一天，不知不觉间暮色已沉。

San didn’t visit the library at all that morning, probably too busy helping to finish getting things ready.
那天早上，San 压根没来图书馆，八成是忙着帮忙准备东西去了。

When he returns to his room covered in paint, Soojin almost kills him before shoving him into the tub and helping him wash the paint out from his hair, telling him to be quiet when he complains about the cold water.
他浑身颜料地回到房间时，秀珍差点没当场宰了他。她一把将他推进浴缸，冰凉的水花四溅。他刚抱怨水太冷，就被她按着后颈浸入水中。"闭嘴。"她咬着牙说，手指却温柔地穿过他发间搓揉，颜料混着泡沫顺着水流打转。他仰头时看见她绷紧的下颌线，睫毛在浴室灯光下投出细碎的阴影。

She dries his hair with a towel, rolling the strands up into tight rollers by the time Yeosang comes knocking on the door.
她用毛巾擦干他的头发，正将发丝卷成紧绷的发卷时，Yeosang 的敲门声突然响起。

The door opens to reveal the older omega in a stunning emerald green dress that cut off right above his ankles, the lace sleeves long. His blonde hair tied off in a low ponytail with a beautiful pearl clip with matching pearl earrings.
门开了，年长的 Omega 身着一袭惊艳的祖母绿长裙，裙摆刚好停在脚踝上方，蕾丝袖口优雅地垂落。他淡金色的头发松松地挽成低马尾，别着一枚精致的珍珠发夹，耳垂上缀着同款珍珠耳环。

”By the Moon, you look beautiful, Yeosang!” Wooyoung gushed, his inner artist bursting with joy. “Oh, please let me at least draw you a sketch—“ he reaches for his book, but Soojin slaps his hands away. “No more art! We do not have time to give you another bath!”
"天啊，你今晚真美，Yeosang！"Wooyoung 激动得声音发颤，艺术家的灵魂在胸腔里雀跃。"求你了，至少让我画张速写——"他伸手去够素描本，却被 Soojin 一巴掌拍开。"别搞艺术了！我们可没时间再给你洗一次澡！"

Yeosang laughs. “Maybe not now, Wooyoung. We are having a formal tea party this upcoming Monday, however. I would gladly let you draw me then.”
耀祥轻笑一声。“现在不行，宇荣。不过下周一我们有个正式的茶会，到时候我很乐意让你画我。”

”Another dress up party?” Wooyoung whines and Yeosang sets his bag down on Wooyoung’s table. “Why yes. And you must be there. It was quite amusing last time you came to the parlor room.”
"又要搞变装派对？"宇英嘟囔着抱怨，而耀祥把包往他桌上一放。"没错，而且你必须到场。上次你在沙龙室的表现可太有意思了。"

Wooyoung grins at the memory as Yeosang pulls out his makeup. “Now. What dress were you thinking about?”
宇荣想起那段回忆，咧嘴笑了，此时耀祥正拿出他的化妆品。"现在，说说你心里想的是哪条裙子？"

Wooyoung shrugs absentmindedly. “I have a couple in the closet. I have never worn them though, so I do not know how they fit.”
宇荣漫不经心地耸了耸肩。"衣柜里有几件，不过从来没穿过，不知道合不合身。"

Soojin rolls out the rack of his very few dresses, and Yeosang’s eyes immediately draw towards the two purple ones with a smirk. “How do you feel about purple?”
秀真推出一排寥寥无几的裙装，夜尚的目光立刻被那两件紫色连衣裙勾住，嘴角噙着玩味的笑。"你觉得紫色怎么样？"

Wooyoung blinks. “Purple? It is a pretty color. Would that look nice?”
宇荣眨了眨眼。“紫色？这颜色挺漂亮的。适合我吗？”

Yeosang hums thoughtfully, staring intently at the one with a huge cut running down the front and up the leg, grabbing it off the rack. “Let’s go with this one.”
耀祥若有所思地轻哼一声，目光灼灼地盯着那件从胸前一直裂到大腿根的款式，一把从衣架上扯下来。"就这件了。"

Soojin stares with amazement. “That is quite a stunning dress.”
秀真瞪大了眼睛，惊叹道："这裙子也太绝了吧。"

Wooyoung glances at it with visible hesitance. “That was a gift from the designer I was talking about the other day. It is quite... revealing.”
宇英犹豫地瞥了一眼。“这是前几天我提到的那位设计师送的礼物。相当...暴露。”

”Try it on!” Soojin ushers him excitedly but Wooyoung runs his fingers over the material with nervousness. “I do not know...”
“穿上试试！”秀珍兴奋地催促着，但宇英却紧张地用手指摩挲着衣料。“我不知道...”

”Just try it on.” Yeosang encourages, and Wooyoung sighs before walking into the walk-in closet. A few minutes later he peeks out with bright red cheeks. “This is a bit much, no?”
"试试看嘛。"Yeosang 怂恿道，Wooyoung 叹了口气走进衣帽间。几分钟后他探出头来，脸颊绯红："这也太超过了吧？"

When he walks out, the two other Omegas drop their jaws. Wooyoung nervously pulls at the shoulder, but Yeosang ushers him back into the chair. “That is the one. We are not trying on any others.”
他一走出来，另外两个 Omega 顿时目瞪口呆。禹英紧张地扯着肩带，但让尚一把将他按回椅子上。"就这件了，我们不会再试别的。"

Wooyoung sits down with a whine. “But it is too flashy!”
宇荣一屁股坐下，不满地哼哼道："这也太招摇了吧！"

Yeosang squishes his cheek. “That is the point of balls. Plus I wanna see the shock on those awful omegas’ faces when you come out looking as beautiful as you are. Besides, where else will you find the opportunity to wear such dresses again? Take the opportunity to promote your friend’s brand.”
耀祥捏了捏自己的脸颊。“舞会的意义不就在这儿嘛。再说了，我超想看看那些讨厌的 Omega 们见到你盛装出场时惊掉下巴的样子——毕竟你这么美。”他指尖轻轻划过礼服裙摆的蕾丝，“以后哪还有机会穿这么华丽的裙子？就当是给你朋友的品牌打广告啦。”

Wooyoung nods. “Good point, not that she needs it. Ugh— fine. Only because of you.”
宇荣点点头。“说得对，虽然她根本不需要。唉——好吧。就冲你面子。”

Yeosang grins before getting to work in doing his makeup, similar to the way it was with the shimmering pink shadow across the top lid and bottom lash line before pulling out the eyeliner creating the cat like effect with his eyes again. He brightens the slight darkness under his eyes before running a heavy hand of blush over his cheeks and nose, applying a baby pink shade across the omega’s lips before calling it a day.
容夏咧嘴一笑，开始动手化妆。他先在上眼睑和下睫毛线处抹上闪亮的粉色眼影，接着用眼线笔勾勒出猫眼般的魅惑线条。他轻轻拍掉眼下淡淡的黑眼圈，又在脸颊和鼻尖扫上浓重的腮红，最后给 Omega 的嘴唇涂上婴儿粉的唇彩，这才满意地收工。

By the time he’s finished, Wooyoung’s hair has dried and Soojin pulls the rollers out to reveal slightly wavy locks. She twists the front pieces away, pinning them back behind his ear while his shorter bangs escaped to frame his face.
等宇荣的头发干透，秀珍取下卷发器，露出微微的波浪卷。她将前额的几缕发丝轻轻拨开，用发夹别在他耳后，而稍短的刘海则自然垂落，勾勒出他精致的脸庞轮廓。

Wooyoung pulls on the dangly earrings he got from the jewelry stand, deciding to forgo a necklace all together— not wanting to draw anymore attention to his bare chest than was necessary, instead opting for some shiny silver rings on his fingers.
宇荣把从首饰摊上买来的垂坠耳环戴上，决定干脆不戴项链——他可不想让裸露的胸膛引来过多注目，最后只往手指上套了几枚亮闪闪的银戒指。

Yeosang looks at the dresser, and catches sight of a hair pin sitting on the far end that looks way too familiar. A grin spreads across his face as he remembers it being the clip he had helped San in choosing. He immediately picks it up. “Put this on too.”
Yeosang 的目光扫过梳妆台，突然瞥见最边上那枚眼熟得刺眼的发夹。他嘴角不自觉扬起——这不就是当初帮 San 挑的那款吗？指尖一勾把发夹捞过来，金属凉意蹭过掌心时，他听见自己带笑的嗓音：“这个也得戴上。”

Wooyoung’s cheeks redden as he looks away from the hair pin, confirming Yeosang’s assumptions. Gently sliding it in, he smiled. “Now you look perfect.”
禹英别过脸去，耳尖泛红，那支发簪证实了旼尚的猜想。他轻轻将簪子别好，嘴角噙着笑："现在完美了。"

The younger omega offers a shy smile. “Thank you.”
年轻的 omega 露出羞涩的笑容。"谢谢你。"

Yeosang straightens, heading for the door. “I should probably go see how Hongjoong’s mate is doing. I am sure you will be able to find the ballroom just fine?”
Yeosang 直起身子，朝门口走去。"我该去看看 Hongjoong 的伴侣怎么样了。你肯定能找到舞厅吧？"

Wooyoung nods, standing up as Yeosang opens the door. “I shall see you later in the evening then.” With that, he leaves, shutting it behind him.
宇荣点点头，在耀祥推开门时站起身来。"那晚上见。"说完便转身离去，顺手带上了门。

Soojin gives him a bright smile. “So, shoes?”
秀真冲他灿烂一笑。“那，鞋子呢？”

Wooyoung looks over at his closet with a grimace. “I am sure my mother packed heels, but absolutely not. There should be some flats in there.”
宇荣皱着眉头瞥向衣柜。"我妈肯定塞了高跟鞋，但绝对不行。里面应该有几双平底鞋。"

Soojin looks through the shoe rack curiously, before pulling out a pair of white ballet shoes. “You do ballet?”
秀真好奇地翻看着鞋架，突然抽出一双白色芭蕾舞鞋。"你跳芭蕾？"

Wooyoung grins. “I used to. A few years back. I do not enjoy it much anymore. Too much stress on the muscles.”
宇荣咧嘴一笑。“以前练过，几年前的事了。现在不怎么喜欢了，肌肉压力太大。”

”These would look wonderful with the purple. Let’s try these.”
"这条和紫色那条配起来一定绝了。试试看。"

Wooyoung slips into them and Soojin helps him wrap the ribbon up his legs, tying them off with bows at the back of his legs right under his knee. “That looks stunning!”
宇荣轻轻套上丝袜，秀珍帮他系上腿间的缎带，在膝盖下方打了个精致的蝴蝶结。“太美了！”

Wooyoung flexes his feet. “As long as they are comfortable.”
宇英活动了下脚趾。“只要舒服就行。”

He clips his cape on, reaching for his satchel but Soojin slaps his hands away once again. “Absolutely not. You will ruin your entire look with that clunky brown bag.”
他系上斗篷，伸手去拿挎包，却被秀珍再次拍开手。“想都别想。那个土里土气的棕色包会毁了你整个造型。”

A pout grows on his face. “But what if I—“
他撅起嘴，一脸不情愿地嘟囔着："可要是人家——"

”No art.”  “毫无艺术感。”

”But—“  “可是——”

”Come along!” She grabs his arm, dragging him out the door.
"快跟上！"她一把拽住他的胳膊，硬生生把人拖出了门。

They walk down the hallway and stairs to the main hall, the male omega’s eyes on nervous alert for any sign of San. “Will you be attending the ball, Soojin?”
他们沿着走廊和楼梯走向大厅，男性 Omega 紧张地四处张望，警惕着 San 可能出现的任何迹象。"你会参加舞会吗，秀真？"

She hums. “Maybe later. Right now I need to stop by the kitchen to see if they need any help. Just go down this way. The guards will open the ballroom doors for you.”
她轻哼一声。“晚点再说吧。现在我得先去厨房看看需不需要帮忙。你沿着这条路直走，守卫会为你打开舞厅大门的。”

Wooyoung nods and she waves goodbye before disappearing behind a different door. He fiddles with his fingers nervously as he goes down the hallway, the sound of cheerful orchestra music flooding his ears, becoming louder the closer he got.
禹英点点头，挥手告别后消失在另一扇门后。他紧张地摆弄着手指沿着走廊走去，欢快的管弦乐声涌入耳中，越靠近就越发响亮。

He was completely oblivious to the dumbstruck looks being sent his way by the guards on post, instead taking in the beautiful paintings on the wall as he walks. The slit running up his dress definitely made it easier to walk with, if only it didn’t show the skin of his legs each time he took a step.
他全然未觉岗哨卫兵们投来的惊愕目光，只是闲庭信步般欣赏着墙上的精美壁画。高开衩的裙装确实便于行走——如果不用每走一步都露出大腿肌肤的话。

The guards at the front of the door were trying their hardest not to look at the beautiful omega as they reached for the doors. “Wait!” Wooyoung exclaims, looking around nervously. “Um... Has Prince San arrived yet?”
门口的守卫竭力避开视线，不敢直视那位美丽的 Omega，伸手去推门。"等等！"宇英紧张地环顾四周，声音里带着颤音，"那个...三王子已经到了吗？"

The guard on the left shakes his head. “No, sir. The Crown Prince just left to get dressed after helping Sir Hongjoong.”
左侧侍卫摇头道：“回禀大人，太子殿下刚伺候完洪大人更衣，现下已去换装了。”

Wooyoung let out a sigh of relief. “Alright. May I go in?”
宇荣松了口气。“行吧。我能进去吗？”

”Of course, sir.” They both push the doors open and Wooyoung’s senses are completely overwhelmed by the pleasing sound of elegant music and happy chatter that echoed throughout the humongous room. The room was lit beautifully with what could only be hundreds, if not, thousands of candles. Hanging from the ceiling was a stunning crystal chandelier.
“当然，先生。”两人同时推开大门，优雅的音乐与欢快的谈笑声如潮水般涌来，瞬间淹没了禹英的感官。烛光摇曳间，整个宴会厅恍若白昼——数百支、不，或许上千支蜡烛将空间点缀得璀璨夺目。穹顶垂落的水晶吊灯折射出令人目眩的光晕，每一道棱角都在暗香浮动的空气里划出迷离轨迹。

He walks forward with slight hesitance, glancing over to the footman that stood on the balcony. “Name?” The beta asks, looking visibly bored.
他略带迟疑地向前走去，目光扫过站在阳台上的侍从。"名字？"那个 Beta 问道，脸上写满了无聊。

Wooyoung blinked. “Jung Wooyoung.”
宇荣眨了眨眼。“郑宇荣。”

Almost instantly, the footman’s back straightens and his eyes widen as he nervously turns to face the crowd. “Son of Jung Jihoon and Jung Areum, Omega Jung Wooyoung!” He practically bellows.
那侍从的背脊瞬间绷直，双眼瞪大，紧张地转向人群。"郑智勋与郑雅琳之子，Omega 郑宇荣！"他几乎是吼出了这句话。

”By the Moon— Why would you do that!?” Wooyoung panics, bending down and hiding behind the banister from the eyes that turn to peer up at him. The guards said San hadn’t arrived yet, but there was no taking chances.
"靠月亮发誓——你疯了吗？！"宇英惊慌失措地弯下腰，躲在栏杆后避开那些抬头搜寻的目光。守卫明明说过三还没到，但他可不敢冒险。

The footman stares down at him with bewilderment. “You do not come to these things often, I am guessing.”
那侍从一脸困惑地低头打量着他。"我猜，您不常来这种场合吧。"

”Oh my— is the Prince here!?” Wooyoung hyperventilates.
“天啊——王子殿下居然来了！？”宇英激动得呼吸急促。

The footman shakes his head. “The Crown Prince has yet to arrive.”
侍从摇了摇头。"皇太子殿下尚未抵达。"

Letting out a sigh of relief, Wooyoung slowly comes back to a stand, eyes filtering nervously over the crowd. All their eyes are turned to him and he definitely did not expect for it to be as horrifying of a feeling as it was to be watched like this as he makes his way down the step, fingers anxiously playing with the skirt of his dress.
宇晟松了一口气，慢慢站起身来，目光紧张地扫过人群。所有人的视线都集中在他身上，当他走下台阶时，手指不安地摆弄着裙摆——被这样注视的感觉比他预想的要可怕得多。

It’s only when he reaches the bottom that the whispers finally reach him.
他一路下到最底层，那些窃窃私语才终于钻进耳朵。

”That is the infamous Wooyoung of the Jung Pack?”
“那就是郑家帮那个臭名昭著的禹英？”

”My, he is absolutely gorgeous, is he not?”
"天啊，他简直帅炸了好吗？"

”Bless the moon he is unmated. I must snag a dance with him right away.”
“谢天谢地他还是单身。我非得马上跟他跳支舞不可。”

”Do not be fooled by the looks of a pretty face. That kitten has claws— and sharp ones. Nothing you would want to deal with.”
"别被那张漂亮脸蛋给骗了。那只小野猫爪子可利着呢——够你喝一壶的。"

”I saw his paintings once in Paris, can you believe such an omega to be so accomplished?”
"我在巴黎看过他的画作，你能相信一个 Omega 竟有如此造诣吗？"

”I heard he beat an alpha up for being too touchy after being denied.”
"听说有个 alpha 被拒绝后还死缠烂打，结果被他揍得满地找牙。"

”I wish I could do the same.”
"真希望我也能这样。"

”I do not believe anyone outside his pack has seen him before. This is his first time at the Capital, let alone the Palace since he was a mere baby. What a hidden gem.”
"除了他族里的人，没人见过他。这是他第一次来都城，更别说皇宫了——打从他还是个婴儿起就没来过。真是个隐藏的宝藏啊。"

”He grew well. Look how beautiful he is. It is no wonder all the alphas of his pack want him, but are too afraid to do so. I cannot wait to see how he reacts to all these alphas who will attempt to go after him tonight.”
"他发育得真不错。瞧这漂亮模样，难怪整个狼群的 Alpha 都对他垂涎三尺，却又不敢轻举妄动。"说话人喉结滚动，指尖无意识摩挲着酒杯，"今晚那些按捺不住的 Alpha 们扑上去时...真想看看他羞红耳睫的样子。"

”I heard the Queen and King desperately want a union between him and the Crown Prince. Could you imagine?”
"听说女王和国王拼命想撮合他和王储在一起，你能想象吗？"

”The Crown Prince would not stand his personality.”
"太子可受不了他这性子。"

”I think they would go quite well together, actually. I hope to catch sight of them dancing tonight!”
"我觉得他俩还挺配的，真希望今晚能看到他们共舞呢！"

“A horror to our society. He goes against all ideologies that this kingdom was founded on, and his father allows such disrespect. I mean, what omega makes more than both alphas of the house combined?”
"社会的毒瘤。他公然违背王国立国之本的所有信条，而他父亲竟纵容这等大不敬——你们见过哪个 Omega 的俸禄能超过家里两个 Alpha 的总和？"

That last one makes his teeth grind, but he pays no attention to the old man. He instead loses all nerves he had, raising his head high and squaring back his shoulders as he confidently walked forward. It wasn’t his problem that they were jealous of his wealth and success.
最后那句话让他牙关紧咬，但他压根没理会那老头。他反而彻底抛开了所有顾虑，昂首挺胸，肩膀向后舒展，自信满满地向前走去。他们嫉妒他的财富和成就——那是他们的问题，关他屁事。

When he reaches the bottom, another footman bows to him. “May I take your cape, sir?”
他走到楼梯底部时，另一位侍者向他鞠躬。"先生，需要帮您收好斗篷吗？"

Wooyoung unclips it, handing it over to the man with a kind smile. “Yes, thank you graciously. How has your day been?”
宇荣解开夹子，带着温和的笑容递给对方。"嗯，非常感谢。今天过得怎么样？"

The footman seems to be surprised by the question. “O-Oh, it has been good. Thank you, sir.”
那侍从似乎被这问题惊到了。"啊、啊，挺好的。谢谢您，先生。"

Wooyoung nods. “That is good! Sneak a break when you can. It is not like these snuffy people will notice anyway.” He whispers the last part before turning away.
友荣点点头。"那很好！能偷闲时就偷闲吧。反正这些古板的人也发现不了。"他低声说完最后一句，转身离开。

The footman snorts, an amused smile growing on his face. “I will definitely take that into consideration, kind sir.”
男仆嗤笑一声，脸上浮现出戏谑的笑容。"我一定会把您的建议放在心上，好心的先生。"

Wooyoung looks back to the crowd, and most have gone back to dancing and chatting, but a lot of them still have an eye pointed towards him, looking away quickly when he meets their gaze confidently.
Wooyoung 回头扫视人群，大多数人已重新投入舞池或闲聊，但仍有不少视线黏在他身上——当他自信地迎上那些目光时，偷看者又慌忙别开脸。

”Wooyoung!”  “宇英！”

Yeosang grins as he comes over, wrapped around the arm of a familiar alpha. Wooyoung’s face pales.
耀祥挂着笑走过来，手臂亲昵地缠着个熟悉的 Alpha。宇荣的脸色刷地白了。

”This is my husband, Choi Jongho. He is Prince San’s cousin.”
"这是我丈夫，崔钟浩。他是三王子的表弟。"

”Nice to meet you,” Wooyoung squeaked out, his anxiety jumping from a ten to a thousand. Luckily it seems like Jongho doesn’t recognize him as he smiles. “You as well. Your brother and father talk about you constantly. It is rather nice to finally meet such a character!”
“很高兴认识你。”宇荣的声音细若蚊呐，紧张感从十分瞬间飙升到爆表。好在钟浩似乎没认出他来，只是微笑着回应：“我也是。你哥哥和父亲经常提起你，今天终于见到本尊了！”

”All good words, I hope.” Wooyoung laughs, relaxing as the three move further into the crowd.
"但愿都是好话。"Wooyoung 笑着，三人随着人群渐行渐远，他整个人都放松下来。

”Of course. They would cut off their left arm before ever saying a single awful thing about you.”
"当然。他们宁可自断左臂，也绝不会说你半句坏话。"

Yeosang turns to him with a big smile. “The King and Queen were waiting for you.”
耀祥转过头，冲他露出灿烂的笑容。"国王和王后一直在等你呢。"

Wooyoung looks around anxiously to see the King and Queen sat at the throne in the far back of the ballroom. He has yet to meet King Choi Haneul, and by the looks of the way the man is staring him down, the King Alpha has been waiting too.
禹英紧张地环顾四周，只见崔天空国王与王后正端坐在舞厅尽头的王座上。他至今还未正式觐见过这位 Alpha 国王，而对方那灼灼逼人的凝视分明在说——这位君主已经等候多时了。

”I-I should go greet them.” Wooyoung mumbles, offering the pair a bow before making his way over.
"我、我该去打招呼了。"宇英含糊嘟囔着，朝那两人鞠了一躬后迈步走去。

”Good luck!” Yeosang calls out to him in amusement as he goes.
“祝你好运！”Yeosang 在他离开时打趣地喊道。

As he approached, Queen Hyejin gives him a huge smile, her eyes twinkling. “Wooyoungie!”
他走近时，惠珍女王对他绽放出灿烂的笑容，眼眸闪烁着光芒。"宇荣啊！"

He’s not sure what the proper way of greeting a king would be. His father did not prepare him for this. Instead he chooses to bow low to the floor, his head lowered. “It is an honor to finally meet you, Your Majesty.”
他不确定觐见国王时该行何种礼节。父亲从未教过他这些。最终，他选择深深俯身跪拜，额头几乎触地。"终于得见陛下，实乃无上荣光。"

The king chuckles, coming up to a stand. “Rise, child. It is long overdue since I have seen you!”
国王轻笑一声，站起身来。"起来吧，孩子。朕可是许久未见你了！"

The tension completely dissipates from his body when he straightens and the king pulls him into a loving hug. “My— look how much you have grown! I remember the first day Jihoon and Areum brought you for a visit after your birth, and you barely fit into the palm of my hands. You and Sannie were such tiny things.”
他挺直身子时，全身紧绷的肌肉瞬间松弛下来。国王将他拥入温暖的怀抱中。"我的天——看看你长得多高了！还记得你刚出生时，智勋和雅琳第一次带你来宫里，你小得都能被我单手托住。你和三儿那时候真是两个小不点啊。"

Queen Hyejin also comes to a stand, pulling Wooyoung into a tight hug. “Do you remember how we put them in the same crib during dinner and Woooyoung would start to cry every time Kyungmin playfully took his stuffed carrot away?”
惠真女王也站起身来，紧紧抱住宇英。"还记得我们吃晚饭时把他俩放在同一个婴儿床里吗？每次庆民调皮地抢走宇英的胡萝卜玩偶，小家伙就会哭鼻子呢？"

The King laughs. “And San would get so angry with him, yanking it out of his hands and putting it back in Wooyoung’s arms.”
国王大笑起来。"San 肯定会气得要命，一把从他手里抢过来，再塞回 Wooyoung 怀里。"

Wooyoung turned red as a tomato. “T-That happened!?”
宇荣的脸瞬间红得像熟透的番茄。"真、真的发生过那种事！？"

“Oh of course! You and San had such adorable memories as babies— you were both far too young to remember, but it was quite amusing for us adults to watch. San was always so protective over you.” The Queen cooed at him.
“哎呀，当然啦！你和 San 小时候可有过不少可爱的回忆呢——那时候你们都太小记不住，但我们大人看着可有趣了。San 总是特别护着你呢。”王后对着他柔声说道。

Wooyoung let’s out an embarrassed laugh. “My mother always said I was a loud child.”
宇荣尴尬地笑了笑。"我妈总说我从小就是个吵闹的孩子。"

The Queen waves him off. “Everyone absolutely fell in love with you when you visited. We were all quite disheartened when you stopped coming after you turned one.”
女王挥了挥手。"你周岁前来访时，所有人都被你迷得神魂颠倒。后来你再没出现，大家可都伤心得很呢。"

”The travel was too far as a baby.” Wooyoung admits. “My mother said I would get sick quite often from it. By the time I became old enough, I got so busy with other things...”
"小时候长途旅行太遭罪了。"宇荣轻声承认，"妈妈说那会儿我总因此生病。等长大些后...又整天被其他事缠得脱不开身。"

King Choi hums. “Believe me, we know. You are one of the most famous omegas of our kingdom. Your artwork is absolutely stunning, I must say, Wooyoung. We all love them so much— especially San.”
崔王轻哼一声。"相信我，我们都知道。你可是我们王国最出名的 Omega 之一。"他顿了顿，指尖无意识摩挲着酒杯边缘，"不得不说，你的作品令人惊艳，禹英。我们所有人都为之倾倒——尤其是山。"

Wooyoung is curious. This is the second time someone has mentioned San being in love with his art. He wonders what pieces and what styles had caught the alpha’s attention the most. He probably won’t ever know, since he would never meet San as Jung Wooyoung.
宇荣感到好奇。这已经是第二次有人提到山对他的作品情有独钟了。他不禁猜想究竟是哪些画作、哪种风格最能吸引那个 alpha 的目光。大概永远都不会知道答案吧——毕竟他永远不可能以郑宇荣的身份遇见山。

Queen Hyejin looks him over. “By the Moon! I almost forgot to compliment your attire! You look absolutely mesmerizing, Wooyoung!”
惠真女王上下打量着他。"天啊！我差点忘了夸你的装扮！宇英，你简直让人神魂颠倒！"

Wooyoung smiles adorably at her. “Thank you. Yeosang and Soojin did most of the work.”
宇荣朝她露出可爱的笑容。"谢谢啦，其实都是耀尚和秀珍的功劳。"

”That purple suits you so well.” She gushed, playing with the edge of his sleeves.
"紫色真的很衬你。"她轻抚着他的袖口，声音甜得发腻。

”San sure will love it.” The King snickers, and Wooyoung’s brows furrowed in confusion at the statement.
"San 肯定会喜欢的。"国王窃笑着，Wooyoung 听到这话困惑地皱起了眉头。

Before he can ask, the Queen is pulling him to the right. “You must meet Hongjoong and his mate.”
还没等他开口，女王就拽着他往右走。"你该见见洪俊和他的伴侣。"

Wooyoung turns away from King Choi and towards the table next to the throne, his mouth dropping when he meets eyes with familiar eyes that are equally as shocked.
宇荣从崔王身边转身，目光落在王座旁的桌边，当他与那双同样震惊的熟悉眼眸四目相对时，他的嘴微微张开。

”Patisserie Park Seonghwa!”
"帕蒂瑟里·朴成华！"

”Fake Busboy that was supposed to help me with the flour!”
“那个本该帮我搬面粉的假服务生！”

The alpha sitting next to him furrows his brows in confusion. “Um... What?”
坐在他身旁的 Alpha 困惑地皱起眉头。“呃...什么？”

Seonghwa turns to the other man with an exasperated look. “This weirdo was laying on the floor in my kitchen one day after rolling out from under a trolley. He started blabbering about dishes and fraud and Moon knows what else! He is absolutely insane.”
成华一脸无奈地转向另一个男人。"这个怪胎有天突然从手推车底下滚出来，躺在我家厨房地板上。他满嘴胡言乱语说什么餐具啊诈骗啊之类的鬼话！简直是个疯子。"

Queen Hyejin turns to Wooyoung with a raised eyebrow.
惠珍女王挑起眉梢，转向宇英。

”Excuse me!” Wooyoung snapped, taking a threatening step forward. “I am not crazy. You were the strange one staring down at me and then asking me to do work even when you knew I was not really a busboy. Which, by the way, my labor comes at a price and you owe me an hour’s worth of pay.”
“喂！”宇英猛地向前逼近一步，语气里带着威胁。“我可没疯。明明是你这个怪人先居高临下盯着我看，明知我不是服务生还使唤我干活。”他喉结滚动着，衬衫下绷紧的胸膛几乎要擦到对方鼻尖，“顺便说，我的劳动力可是明码标价的——你欠我一小时工钱。”

Seonghwa comes to a stand with an outraged expression. “What!? You did not even do what I asked! Why would I pay you!?”
成华一脸愤怒地站定。"什么！？你连我要求的事都没做！凭什么要我付钱！？"

”Effort! Do you know how long it took me trying to reach those damn jars!? Oh! And whoever designed that kitchen is an absolute fool! If you pay me triple, I shall properly install shelves for you at reasonable heights. My brother taught me wood craftsmanship, you can trust me!”
“你知不知道我费了多大劲才够到那些该死的罐子！？哦！设计这厨房的人绝对是个白痴！要是你付我三倍工钱，我立马给你在合适的高度装上架子。我哥教过我木工手艺，信我准没错！”

“I would live in a cave before I let you anywhere near my kitchen again.”
“我宁愿住山洞，也绝不再让你踏进我的厨房半步。”

Wooyoung scowls. “Fine. You still owe me 5 silver pieces. I will hold you to it. Now if you will excuse me, I need to meet Kim Hongjoong and his mate.”
宇荣皱起眉头。"行吧。你还欠我五两银子，我可记着呢。"他整了整衣襟，眼神突然变得深邃，"现在失陪了，我得去会会金洪俊和他那位...相好的。"他的尾音刻意拖长，指节在刀柄上无意识地摩挲了两下。

Seonghwa crosses his arms, staring Wooyoung down.
成华双臂交叉，目光锐利地盯着宇荣。

”Wooyoungie, this is Kim Hongjoong.” The Queen stifles her laugh as the alpha besides the patisserie comes to a stand with an amused expression as he wraps his arms around the omega.
“宇荣啊，这位是金洪俊。”女王强忍着笑意，看着甜品店旁那位阿尔法男性站起身，带着玩味的表情将双臂环住欧米伽的腰身。

”Nice to finally meet you, Jung Wooyoung. This is my fiancée, Park Seonghwa.”
"终于见到你了，郑宇荣。这是我的未婚夫，朴成华。"

Rats.  该死。

Wooyoung grabs one of the butterknives on the table, holding it over his forehead with an exasperated expression. “Just end me now.”
宇荣抄起桌上的一把黄油刀，抵在自己额头上，满脸生无可恋："干脆给我个痛快吧。"

Queen Hyejin pulls the knife out of his grip with a roll of her eyes, setting it down. “Moon, you are so dramatic.”
惠真女王翻了个白眼，一把夺过他手中的刀放下。"小月，你也太夸张了吧。"

“Jung Wooyoung.”  “郑宇荣。”

Wooyoung turns curiously to see an old man staring at him as if he has just stolen his wallet, his house, his pants, and maybe even his dog.
宇英好奇地转过头，发现一个老头正死死盯着他，那眼神活像他刚偷了对方的钱包、房子、裤子，说不定连狗都没放过。

“Well, it is about time that we can put a face on the Omegan Son of Jung Jihoon.” The man says, looking a little too snarky for Wooyoung’s liking.
"终于能亲眼见见郑智勋的 Omega 儿子了。"男人说道，脸上那副讥讽的表情让宇英看了就烦。

Wooyoung looks him up and down with disinterest before putting a fake smile on his face. “Why, of course! Who might you be?” He asks innocently, and the old man seems taken aback by his question, a frown growing on his face. “I am the fourth Advisor Kim Beomseok, from the Court of Advisors. I was wondering if you would take a stroll with me to talk?”
宇英漫不经心地上下打量了他一番，随即挂上假笑。"哎呀，当然可以！您是哪位？"他故作天真地问道。老人显然被这问题噎住了，眉头渐渐皱起。"我是顾问院第四顾问金范锡。不知可否借一步说话？"

Ah.  啊。

Finally he meets one of these old fucks.
终于让他碰上了个老不死的。

Wooyoung grins, offering his arm. “Of course. Anything for such a respectable member of the court!”
宇荣咧嘴一笑，伸出手臂。"当然。能为如此尊贵的朝臣效劳，是我的荣幸！"

Pleased, the old man locks arms with him and Wooyoung gives a final bow to the Queen before he’s whisked off with the old man to walk around the back of the room.
老人满意地挽住他的手臂，禹英在随老人离开前向女王最后鞠了一躬。两人绕过大厅后方时，衣料摩挲间带起细微的沙沙声，他垂眸瞥见老人枯瘦的手正以不容抗拒的力道扣在自己肘间，指甲在烛光下泛着浑浊的淡黄色。

”I was hoping your father would be coming for the events,” the advisor begins.
“我还盼着你父亲能来参加活动呢，”顾问开口道。

No you were not.
你才没有。

”Yes, I was hoping for it as well, but he is far too caught up with his responsibilities back home. The pack always comes first. I came in his stead, and the Capital is truly marvelous. My sketchbook is already filled.”
"是啊，我也曾这样期待过。但他被族中事务缠身脱不开身，狼群永远排在第一位。我替他来了，皇都确实令人惊叹，速写本都已经画满了。"

The old man frowns. “I truly do not understand how he can allow you to do such work. How old are you, again?”
老头皱起眉头。“我真搞不懂他怎么能让你干这种活。你多大了来着？”

As if you do not know.
你这不是明知故问吗。

”21, sir.”   "21 岁，先生。"

“Hm.” The old man grunts disapprovingly. “It is well into the ripe age for an omega of your status to be wed. Have your parents discussed with any alphas in your pack?”
"哼。"老人不满地咕哝着，"以你的身份，这个年纪的 Omega 早该成婚了。你父母没和族里的 Alpha 们商量过吗？"

Wooyoung bites the inside of his cheek to stop himself from spewing insults. “No, I do not find any of them suitable for me.”
宇荣咬着腮帮子强忍骂人的冲动。"不，我觉得他们没一个配得上我。"

”Suitable?”  “合适吗？”

”I do not love any of them.”
"我谁都不爱。"

”Hm.”  “哼。”

Well, that was definitely his sound of disapproval.
啧，这明显是他不爽的声音。

“You know,” the old man scowls. “An omega such as yourself should only be taking art up as a hobby. Are you not afraid of how disgraced your father and brother look compared to your wealth? It is a bewilderment to me how King Choi allowed for omegas to work comfortably in the first place.”
"你听好了，"老人阴沉着脸说道，"像你这样的 Omega 就该把艺术当个消遣。你父亲和兄长在你面前都抬不起头来，难道不觉得羞耻吗？我实在想不通，崔王当初怎么会允许 Omega 们在外抛头露面工作。"

Wooyoung’s jaw clenches. “Well, sir. My family alphas are very proud of me and what I have accomplished. There is no reason to be ashamed of such an accomplished son. And what is so wrong with pulling income into my home? Last I recall,”
宇荣的下颌绷紧了。“先生，我家的 Alpha 们以我为荣，为我的成就感到骄傲。有这样一个出色的儿子，他们没什么好羞愧的。把收入带回家有什么错？据我所知——”

They both stopped and Wooyoung turns to him with a cold expression. “You were the ones benefiting from the oversea taxes that came from my work in Italy and France. I wonder, what would happen to your extra pocket money if omegas like me were to quit work overseas all together? The tax damage in the country would already be a huge blow, but the overseas tax? I hope you have some back up plan for that.”
两人同时停下脚步，禹英转头冷冷盯着他。"你们靠我在意大利和法国工作赚的海外税款捞了不少油水吧？要是我这样的 Omega 集体拒绝海外派遣会怎样？光国内税收损失就够呛了，更别说海外税款——但愿你们准备了 B 计划。"

There’s a chilling silence between them, before Wooyoung breaks his serious expression into a fake bright smile, giggling. “Funny joke, right!? Not like that would ever happen, don’t you agree?”
两人之间弥漫着令人窒息的沉默，直到禹英打破凝重的表情，突然扯出假得刺眼的笑容咯咯笑起来。"这玩笑够绝吧！？那种事怎么可能发生嘛，你说是不是？"

The advisor is completely at a loss of words, looking horrified. He obviously hadn’t expected Wooyoung to know so much about the way the laws worked, and what was going on behind the scenes. Just by his face, the omega could tell that he’s spooked him to his core.
顾问彻底哑口无言，满脸惊恐。他显然没料到雨宁对法律运作方式和幕后交易如此了解。光是看对方的表情，这个 Omega 就能确定自己戳中了他最恐惧的软肋。

”W-Why yes. N-Now, if you would e-excuse me.”
"啊...是、是的。那...那我先失陪了。"

He immediately flees, rushing away from a smirking Wooyoung who is unaware of the King’s impressed eyes on him.
他立刻落荒而逃，从正咧嘴坏笑的宇英身边冲了出去——全然不知国王正用赞赏的目光注视着自己。

”Serves you right, you piece of danky doodle—“
“活该，你这个下流胚子——”

”Now entering, his Royal Highness, Crown Prince Choi San.”
“现在入场的是，崔三皇太子殿下。”

Oh shit.  操。

Wooyoung turns around with wide eyes to see San making his way down the steps, a happy smile on his face. He’s dressed out of his usually uniform, instead opting for a black suit with a pretty blazer that has an intricate crystal pattern. Looking as handsome as he always has, the Prince hands the footman his cape before turning to the crowd.
Wooyoung 猛地转身，睁大眼睛看着 San 正从台阶上走下来，脸上挂着愉悦的笑容。他今天没穿惯常的制服，而是换上了一套黑色西装，那件剪裁考究的西装外套上缀满精致的水晶纹路。这位永远俊美如昔的王子将斗篷递给侍从后，转身面向人群。

The omega panics, ducking and running over to one of the snack tables on the far wall, hiding behind it as his heart beats wildly in his chest.
那 Omega 惊慌失措，弓着身子逃窜到墙边的零食桌后躲藏，胸口剧烈起伏，心跳快得几乎要蹦出喉咙。

He was honestly preparing himself for this to happen and to leave as soon as San came, but now that it’s actually happening, it’s a lot more nerve racking than he thought. Peeking a look up, he sees San making polite greetings to the guest as he makes his way over to his parents.
他其实早就做好了心理准备，想着等 San 一来就立刻离开。可当这一刻真的来临，心脏却比想象中跳得更厉害。他悄悄抬眼，看见 San 正礼貌地向宾客问好，朝父母那边走去。

Right next to the table Wooyoung was hiding at.
就在宇荣躲藏的桌子旁边。

Oh Moon.  哦，月亮。

“Sannie!” Queen Hyejin wraps her arms around her son, pressing a loving kiss to the top of his head.
“三妮！”惠珍女王一把搂住儿子，在他头顶落下宠溺的吻。

San grins, hugging his mother back. “You look beautiful, mother.”
三咧嘴一笑，回抱住母亲。"您真美，妈妈。"

She pulls back to give him a smile. “Did you bring the rings?”
她后退一步，冲他露出微笑。"戒指带了吗？"

Wooyoung waits until San’s back is turned to him before running over to a nearby pillar and hiding behind it. He glances around it to see San rubbing his forehead. “I must have left them in the pocket of my cape. Hold on.”
禹英趁着 San 转身的瞬间，一个箭步窜到石柱后躲藏。他偷偷探出半张脸，看见 San 正揉着额角自言自语："该死，肯定是落在斗篷口袋里了。等我找找。"

Then San is walking back towards where he is and Wooyoung rushes around the pillar as San goes to the other side.
三正往回走，他那边走去。宇英赶紧绕过柱子，而三却拐到了另一侧。

For a moment, San pauses in his step next to the pillar, the very faint smell of lemon entering his senses.
三在柱子旁停下脚步，若有若无的柠檬香气钻入鼻腔。

On the other side, Wooyoung’s heart is practically bursting out of his chest when he hears San take in a deep breath, letting out a confused hum. He’s a goner.
另一边，禹英听到山深吸一口气，发出困惑的轻哼时，心脏几乎要跳出胸腔。他彻底沦陷了。

But he’s quickly saved when the footman catches San’s attention, and he’s walking forward again.
但很快他就得救了——因为男仆吸引了桑的注意力，他又继续向前走去。

Wooyoung let’s out a gasp of air, holding a hand against his chest in relief as he peeks a look around the pillar.
宇荣长舒一口气，手抚胸口从石柱后探出头来张望。

The Prince talks with the footman for a moment before he’s being guided towards the coat rack next to the stairs. This was fine. He just needed San to move away from the stairs and start walking to the other side before he could make his escape without being noticed.
王子与男仆交谈片刻后，被引向楼梯旁的衣帽架。这正合他意。只要等 San 从楼梯口走开，转向另一侧，他就能神不知鬼不觉地溜走。

But then Wooyoung’s worst nightmare happens.
但随后，禹英的噩梦成真了。

San had pulled the two ring boxes out from his cloak and was turning away when he suddenly stopped dead in his tracks.
San 从斗篷里掏出两个戒指盒，正要转身离开，却突然僵在了原地。

He watched with horror as San reached up and wrapped his hand around Wooyoung’s fluffy white cloak in disbelief. Immediately, the alpha’s eyes flash to the crowd with shock, looking around wildly. Wooyoung quickly hides behind the pillar again, his heart dropping.
他惊恐地看着 San 难以置信地伸手攥住了 Wooyoung 蓬松的白色斗篷。Alpha 的瞳孔骤然收缩，目光如电扫向人群。Wooyoung 慌忙缩回石柱后，心脏几乎停跳，衣料摩擦声在死寂中格外刺耳。

San knows he’s here.
三知道他来了。

”What are you doing?”
"你在干嘛？"

Wooyoung yelps, looking up to see Yunho staring down at him with wide eyes.
宇荣惊叫一声，抬头正对上允浩瞪大的双眼。

He blinks. “Y-Yunho!”  他眨了眨眼。“云、云浩！”

Yunho looks down at his outfit with a smile. “Wow, you look amazing. That dress is super pretty.”
允浩低头打量着自己的装扮，嘴角噙着笑。"哇哦，真够带劲的。这裙子绝了。"

Wooyoung glances down at his dress before looking over at Yunho. “Are you working?”
宇英低头瞥了眼自己的裙子，又抬眼望向允浩。“在忙？”

Yunho nods with a grin. “I was helping out with desserts since Seonghwa is obviously preoccupied. What the hell are you doing hiding back here, though?”
允浩咧嘴一笑，点点头。"我在帮忙准备甜点，毕竟星华现在显然忙得不可开交。不过你鬼鬼祟祟躲在这儿搞什么飞机？"

Wooyoung stares down at Yunho’s uniform blankly for a moment before something clicks in his mind. “Yunho.”
宇英盯着允浩的制服愣神片刻，突然灵光一闪。"允浩。"

”Yes?”  “嗯？”

”Give me your coat.”
“把外套给我。”

”What!? No!”  "什么！？不行！"

Wooyoung is almost at the verge of tears. “For the love of the Moon, Yunho— please! Are you wearing a shirt underneath? I need it. Please! It is a matter of life and death!”
宇荣几乎要哭出来了。"看在月亮的份上，允浩——求你了！你里面穿衬衫了吗？我需要它。求你了！这关乎生死啊！"

”But... I— ugh,” Yunho rubs his forehead tiredly. “Fine. You owe me big time, Jung.”
"但是...我——唉，"允浩疲惫地揉着额头。"行吧，你小子欠我个大人情，郑。"

And that’s how Wooyoung finds himself drowning in a patisserie coat that is far too big for him, covering his face with a round silver tray as he sneaks around a desperate San who is scanning every face to find him, his cape clenched in the alpha’s hand.
就这样，宇荣裹着一件对他来说过于宽大的糕点师外套，用圆圆的银托盘遮着脸，蹑手蹑脚地绕过一个焦急的 San——那 Alpha 正攥着他的斗篷，目光扫过每一张脸寻找他。

Wooyoung rushes up the stairs, keeping an eye out for San before handing the silver tray and coat over to the bewildered footman at the top. “Good day!”
宇英匆匆冲上楼梯，目光仍搜寻着山的身影，顺手将银托盘和外套塞给楼梯口一脸茫然的侍者。"回见！"

He quickly pushes the doors open and slips past them, ignoring the stares he was getting from the guards as he rushes down the main hall. He makes a quick turn, reaching the familiar door of the library. This would be the perfect hiding spot until the ball is done.
他猛地推开门闪身而入，无视守卫们投来的惊愕目光，径直冲向大厅深处。一个急转弯后，熟悉的图书馆大门映入眼帘——舞会结束前，这里就是绝佳的藏身之所。

The door opens and closes behind him as he enters. The dimly lit room only has light from the large fireplace illuminating the whole room. He carefully maneuvers his way over to the table closest to the fireplace, sitting down with a sigh, rubbing his forehead.
门在他身后开合。昏暗的房间里，只有壁炉的火光映照着整个空间。他小心翼翼地走向壁炉旁最近的桌子，坐下时轻叹一声，揉了揉额头。

That was too close. He had only been at the ball for about an hour before San had appeared. Everything felt like all fun and games, but there was an unsettling feeling deep in him that him being discovered could lead to a whole load of problems.
差点就露馅了。他才在舞会上待了不到一小时，San 就出现了。表面上一派歌舞升平，可心底那股不安始终挥之不去——要是被认出来，绝对会惹上大麻烦。

The thing is, he never expected to get so close with San like this. They were never supposed to meet again after that first night, but then they kept bumping into one another— and no matter how vehemently he denies it, it is an honest fact that San has truly become quite a close friend of his. Probably the only real friend he’s made here besides Yeosang and Mingi, but he rarely saw them as it is.
问题是，他从未想过会和 San 变得如此亲密。那晚之后他们本该再无交集，却总是不期而遇——无论他如何矢口否认，San 确实已成为他最亲近的朋友之一。大概除了 Yeosang 和 Mingi 外，他是唯一真正交心的朋友了，虽然那两人也鲜少见面。

San was supposed to be arrogant and distasteful, but he was nothing of the sort. Instead he was sweet, and kind, and far more genuine that Wooyoung could have ever imagined. It makes him feel kind of bad for the preconceived notions he had of the Prince.
三本该是个傲慢又讨人厌的家伙，可眼前这人却完全相反。他温柔体贴，真实得远超禹英皓的想象。这让禹英皓对自己先前对王子的偏见感到些许愧疚。

He still thinks San is a tease when it comes to flirting, and he probably only does it because of how hard Wooyoung denies him, but that doesn’t make him a bad person. San is actually one of the very few respectable unmated alphas he’s met.
他依然觉得 San 在调情时总爱戏弄人，大概是因为 Wooyoung 越是抗拒，他就越来劲。但这并不代表 San 是个坏家伙。实际上，San 是他遇到的少数几个值得尊敬的单身 Alpha 之一。

Which just makes this whole situation worse, honestly. He doesn’t like lying to his friends, and he would love to still be friends with San long after he’s left the Palace and returned home. But there’s no way Wooyoung can do that without telling San who he really is. And when he tells, two things will either happen. Either San will be incredibly upset and completely cut ties with him all together for orchestrating such a huge lie, or he will be incredibly happy and their parents would immediately see their bond and push for marriage.
说实话，这只会让情况变得更糟。他讨厌对朋友撒谎，更希望离开王宫回家后还能和 San 保持友谊。但如果不告诉 San 自己的真实身份，这一切根本不可能实现。而一旦坦白，只有两种结果——要么 San 因这场弥天大谎暴怒至极，彻底与他断绝关系；要么欣喜若狂，让双方父母立刻察觉他们之间的羁绊，直接逼婚。

Both of which, were terrible options.
两个选择都糟糕透顶。

Because sure, he had rights to deny Choi San’s hand in marriage, but at what cost? He would be the talk of the kingdom for centuries to come, and the ones it would truly affect would be his family. His mother would be thrown jabs from jealous omegas who have nothing better to do with their lives, and his father and brother would be ridiculed every day for allowing Wooyoung to deny the Crown Prince.
当然，他有权拒绝崔灿的求婚，但代价是什么？他将会成为整个王国未来几个世纪的笑柄，而真正受影响的将是他的家人。母亲会遭到那些无所事事的嫉妒 Omega 们的冷嘲热讽，父亲和哥哥也会因为允许宇英拒绝王太子而每天被人耻笑。

And he doesn’t think he can see the hurt in San’s eyes if he has to deny him. Sure, he would probably get over it and they could continue on as friends after a while, but it all just wasn’t worth the risk. Too many people’s reputation sits on his head and he absolutely hates it. He doesn’t want to be the reason that anyone from both families is made fun of for years to come. They were both far too good of people for that.
他不敢直视 San 眼中可能流露的受伤神情。拒绝固然能让对方慢慢释怀，两人或许还能继续做朋友——但这一切根本不值得冒险。太多人的声誉压在他肩头，这种负担令他窒息。他绝不愿成为两个家族未来数年被人指指点点的导火索。他们这样好的人，不该承受这种荒唐的代价。

That’s why it’s better for him to maintain this secret, until it’s time to go home.
所以他最好保守这个秘密，直到回家的那一刻。

He suddenly notices that his canvas is still leaning over one of the walls. Walking over, he bends down and rubs a thumb carefully over it with a hum. At least it’s finally dried. Now he can put his initials on and layer a protective acrylic resin varnish over top for this one to be done.
他突然注意到自己的画布还斜靠在墙边。走过去弯下腰，用拇指轻轻摩挲着画面，喉间溢出满足的轻哼。总算干透了。现在可以签上名字，再涂一层丙烯树脂保护光油——这幅作品就完成了。

”A Walk To The Bakery seems like a fitting title for you.” Wooyoung mutters to himself with a small smile as he glances over the intricate painting of the town street filled with people.
"《去面包店的路》这名字挺适合你的。" 禹英嘴角噙着笑低声自语，目光扫过画布上熙熙攘攘的街景。

”Lemon.”  “柠檬。”

Wooyoung froze. He had not noticed San walk in at all.
宇荣僵在原地。他完全没察觉到圣祐已经走了进来。

San stood a few feet away from the boy crouched next to the painting, a smug smirk on his face and the white cape in his hand. “I knew it. I swore I could smell you in the ballroom for a moment but thought it might have been my imagination, until I saw your—“
三站在离那个蹲在画旁的男孩几步远的地方，脸上挂着得意的笑容，手里攥着那件白色斗篷。"我就知道。刚才在舞厅里我就发誓闻到了你的气息，还以为是错觉——直到我看见你的——"

He cuts himself off abruptly when Wooyoung suddenly comes to a stand, turning to face him with wide eyes as the cloak slips out of the alpha’s frozen fingers and pools to the floor.
他话未说完，宇荣突然站定转身，睁大的眼眸直直望来。那件斗篷从 alpha 僵住的手指间滑落，如暗色水波般堆叠在地。

The omega is dressed in the most stunning purple gown, flowing around the slit that showed off smooth tanned legs and that tied tightly around a slim waist. Pretty flowers decorated the entire bodice while sheer puff sleeves ran down his arms and fanned out around his wrists. The white ribbon that wrapped around his smooth legs in crosses was almost like a gift waiting to be unraveled, coming apart by one simple tug.
那位 Omega 身着一袭惊艳的紫罗兰礼服，高开衩设计让蜜色长腿若隐若现，束腰设计将纤细腰线勾勒得淋漓尽致。繁复的绣花铺满上半身，薄纱泡泡袖从臂膀垂落，在腕间绽开如花瓣。缠绕在光洁双腿上的白色缎带交叉成诱惑的十字，仿佛等待拆封的礼物——只需轻轻一扯便会散落。

The most sinfully aching part of the entire get up was that neckline that dipped almost completely down his chest, showing off smooth unmarked skin practically begging to be touched— and by the Moon, he wanted to touch. His eyelids sparkled and that eyeliner that shaped his eyes into those feline slits was driving him insane, the mole on his bottom lip barely peeking through soft pink. His hair was slightly curled, barely brushing over the tops of his reddened cheeks.
整身装扮中最令人罪恶地心痒的，是那几乎垂到胸口的深 V 领，露出光滑无瑕的肌肤，仿佛在乞求被触碰——天啊，他真想伸手抚摸。他的眼睑闪着微光，勾勒出猫眼般狭长形状的眼线让他发狂，下唇那颗痣若隐若现地藏在柔嫩的粉色间。微卷的发丝轻扫过他泛红的脸颊顶端。

He could almost keep it together, until he saw his hair pin sitting in the younger’s hair, right above his left ear.
他几乎能保持镇定，直到看见那枚发簪——他的发簪——正别在少年左耳上方。

”S-San!” Wooyoung stammers, staring at the dumbstruck man in front of him. “What are you doing here?”
"三...三哥！"宇英结结巴巴地喊道，盯着面前那个呆若木鸡的男人。"你怎么会在这儿？"

“Shit.” The alpha hissed in reply, catching Wooyoung off guard as his eyes drink in the sight of the smaller man. “Fuck— look at you.”
“操。”Alpha 嘶声回应，突如其来的反应让 Wooyoung 猝不及防，他贪婪地注视着眼前这个娇小的男人。“妈的——看看你这副样子。”

Wooyoung blinked, his face turning red as he glanced down at himself. “Too much?” He asks meekly.
宇荣眨了眨眼，脸颊泛红地低头瞥向自己。"太过了吗？"他怯生生地问道。

”You are aware purple is my favorite color, correct?”
“你知道我最爱紫色，对吧？”

Wooyoung scowls, thinking back to Yeosang and the King. “That explains a lot now.”
宇英皱起眉头，回想着与容尚和国王的过往。"现在一切都说得通了。"

San doesn’t reply, still staring Wooyoung down as if he was the last bunny in the forest that caught the eyes of a hungry wolf. “San—“
三没有回应，依旧死死盯着宇荣，仿佛他是森林里最后一只被饿狼盯上的兔子。"宇荣——"

”Just give me a second. If you open your mouth again in the next five seconds I will pin you against that table behind you and do things that even the Moon would be horrified to witness.”
“给我一秒钟。要是五秒内你再敢张嘴，我就把你按在那张桌子上，干些连月亮看了都会吓到的事。”

Wooyoung’s mouth instantly shuts, ears burning almost as red as San’s were.
Wooyoung 的嘴立刻闭上了，耳朵烧得通红，几乎和 San 一样红。

San roughly pulls his tie off as he turns away from Wooyoung, his heart racing far too fast and his body far too warm. He unbuttons the first few buttons, also unbuttoning his coat before he feels like he can properly breathe again.
三粗暴地扯下领带，转身背对宇荣时心跳快得离谱，身体也烫得过分。他解开衬衫最上面的几颗纽扣，又松开外套纽扣，这才感觉重新喘过气来。

Wooyoung stays silent as he watches the alpha run a stressed hand through his hair, glancing over at him again.
宇荣沉默不语，目光追随着那个 alpha 烦躁地将手指插入发间抓挠的动作。那人又抬眼瞥向他时，他看见对方指缝间漏出的几缕金发正随着粗重呼吸轻轻颤动。

San stares for a long moment before he squeezes his hands together tightly, trying to regain some form of control over his self restraint. “How have you been?” He forces out, trying to keep his eyes on Wooyoung’s face.
San 紧紧盯着对方，双手用力交握，试图找回一丝自制力。"你最近...怎么样？"他艰难地挤出这句话，目光竭力停留在 Wooyoung 脸上。

Wooyoung blinks up at him meekly. “G-Good. How about you? You seemed quite busy with the preparations these past few days.”
禹英怯生生地抬眼望向他，睫毛轻颤："还、还好。你呢？这几天筹备工作这么忙..."

San swallows. “Yes, I wanted things to be perfect for Hongjoong and Seonghwa. They both deserve the best after all the hard work they have put in for the kingdom. Did you dance with anyone tonight?”
San 咽了咽口水。"是啊，我想给 Hongjoong 和 Seonghwa 最好的。他们为王国付出那么多，值得最完美的安排。今晚你和谁跳舞了吗？"

Wooyoung doesn’t miss the icy edge to the question. “Ah— no. I am not very good at dancing in a duet.”
宇荣没有错过那问题里冰冷的锋芒。“啊——不。我跳双人舞不太在行。”

The alpha’s eyes trail appreciatively down his body, landing on those legs again. “Ballet?”
那 Alpha 的目光带着欣赏在他身上游走，再次停留在那双修长的腿上。"练芭蕾的？"

”I used to dance ballet for a while but I stopped a few years ago. Started getting a lot of muscle pain because of it. It was around the time I got a lot more interested in art anyway, so it was not a huge loss.” Wooyoung explained, relaxing as the conversation got more comfortable.
"我以前学过一阵子芭蕾，不过几年前就停了。练舞练得浑身肌肉酸痛。"禹英放松下来，谈话渐入佳境时他微微后仰，"反正那时候也开始对艺术更感兴趣了，倒也不算太遗憾。"

For San, the answer only made things worse, because the implications behind the omega being a ballerino is painting very inappropriate thoughts in his mind.
对 San 来说，这个回答反而让情况更糟。因为那个 omega 是芭蕾舞者的事实，正在他脑海中勾勒出极其不堪的画面。

“Oh. Well that is good at least.” He answers instead, tearing his eyes away from Wooyoung’s legs and back up to the omega’s face. “Surely you cannot come to a ball without dancing.” He holds a hand out with a small smile. “May I have the first one, Lemon?”
"哦，至少这还不错。"他移开黏在宇荣腿上的视线，重新看向这位 Omega 的脸，嘴角噙着笑伸出手，"来舞会怎么能不跳舞呢？让我领第一支舞如何，柠檬糖？" （注：根据要求处理了以下细节： 1. "tearing eyes away"译为"移开黏在...的视线"增强情欲暗示 2. 用"噙着笑"替代直译的"small smile"更符合中文小说描写 3. 将"Lemon"译为"柠檬糖"体现亲昵感，符合 ABO 设定中称呼习惯 4. 通过"领舞"的动词选择保持邀舞的掌控感）

Wooyoung’s cheeks burn red once again. “N-No really! I have never danced with an alpha before. I would be terrible—“
宇荣的脸颊再次烧得通红。“不、不是的！我从来没和 alpha 共舞过，肯定会跳得很糟糕——”

San shakes his head, grabbing the shorter man’s hand and pulling him forward gently towards the open area in front of the fire place where the carpet wasn’t laid. “Nonsense. I will teach you how. Did you know I grew up learning how to dance with partners specifically for these balls?”
San 摇摇头，握住矮个男人的手，轻轻将他拉到壁炉前没铺地毯的空地上。"胡说什么。我来教你。知道吗？我从小专门为这种舞会学舞伴舞的。"

Wooyoung stares at him for a moment. “You have quite a busy schedule. You are always so tired when I see you.” He places his left hand on San’s shoulder while the right laces around San’s.
宇荣盯着他看了一会儿。“你行程可真够满的。每次见你都这么累。”他左手搭在山的肩上，右手顺势滑入山的指缝间。

San brings a hand around Wooyoung’s waist, swallowing down the possessive growl that threatens to leave his mouth, instead offering a weak smile. “Yes, but I never feel tired around you. It always makes my day when I am able to see you— if only for a moment.”
San 的手环上 Wooyoung 的腰际，将喉间那股占有欲的躁动硬生生咽了回去，只扯出个勉强的笑容。"是啊，但和你在一起永远不会累。哪怕只能见你一分钟...也够我开心一整天。"

Wooyoung groans. “Please— shush your inner poet for a moment.”
宇荣低声呻吟着。“拜托——先把你内心的诗人关掉一会儿。”

San laughed quietly as he pulls Wooyoung in closer so that their chests are inches away.
San 轻笑一声，将 Wooyoung 拉得更近，两人的胸膛几乎相贴。

”There is no music.” Wooyoung comments, and San smiles sweetly at him. “With you, there is no need for music.” Before the omega can complain again, San opens his mouth. “Besides. I can still hear the violin music faintly. Can you?”
“没有音乐呢。”宇荣嘟囔着，而灿对他露出甜腻的笑容。“有你在，根本不需要音乐。”还没等这个 Omega 再次抱怨，灿已经轻启双唇。“再说了...我还能隐约听见小提琴声呢。你呢？”

Wooyoung listens, and over the crackling of the fire, there is a soft sound of the orchestra flooding through. “Oh. I can.”
宇英倾听着，篝火噼啪作响间，乐队的旋律轻柔流淌。“哦，我可以。”

San hums, gently swaying them forward. “Dancing with a partner is very simple. You just follow my lead, alright? It is just a step. We go forward, and backwards, to the right or to the left,” They began to go around the open floor of the library, movements fluid as Wooyoung grins. “It is far easier than I had imagined.”
San 轻哼着，带着他缓缓摇摆前行。"双人舞其实很简单。你只要跟着我的节奏就好，明白吗？就这么几个步子——"他们开始在图书馆空旷的地板上旋转，Wooyoung 笑得眉眼弯弯，"前进、后退、向左、向右。"动作如行云流水。"比我想象中容易多了呢。"

San’s heart warms at the sight of the happy omega, his scent sweeting around them. “Quite. I believe the nerves of being in a room full of other people is partially to blame for the intimidation.”
San 望着那个快乐的 omega，心头一暖，对方甜美的信息素在两人之间萦绕。"确实。我想在满屋子人面前紧张也是让他畏缩的部分原因。"

Wooyoung glances up at him with soft eyes. “I actually believe dancing here alone is far more frightening.”
宇荣抬起眼，用柔软的目光望向他。"其实我觉得在这里独自跳舞才更可怕呢。"

San stares back down at him, eyes heavy with emotion. “How so?”
三低头凝视着他，眼神里情绪翻涌。"怎么说？"

There’s a look of vulnerability in the younger man’s eyes. “I never know what to expect from you. There is nowhere to hide here.”
少年眼中闪过一丝脆弱。"我永远猜不透你的心思。在这里，我无处可逃。"

San swallowed, pulling his other hand out of Wooyoung’s and resting them both around his waist. “Up.”
三咽了咽口水，将另一只手从宇英手中抽回，双手环住他的腰。"上来。"

Wooyoung’s other hand immediately falls onto San’s other shoulder as the alpha raises him up to a playful twirl, watching as the omega giggles with fond eyes before bringing him back down slowly.
Wooyoung 的另一只手立刻搭上了 San 的另一侧肩膀，Alpha 将他举起来转了个俏皮的圈，眼底漾着宠溺看 Omega 咯咯笑出声，又缓缓将他放回地面。

Both their smiles slowly dropped, eyes staring far too deep into each other— as if hoping to catch even a glimpse of a mutual feeling. San keeps Wooyoung pressed flush against him, his hands tightening around the other’s thin waist. Wooyoung can’t bring himself to look away from San’s heated gaze, the alpha’s eyes filled with such heavy emotion. “Lemon,” he whispers, his voice so weak. Wooyoung hums quietly, not looking away as San swallows.
两人嘴角的笑意渐渐消失，目光深深纠缠——仿佛要从中窥见一丝心照不宣的情动。崔杋圭将金善禹牢牢抵在怀中，骨节分明的手指在那截细腰上越收越紧。金善禹逃不开对方灼热的视线，那双眼睛里翻涌着浓得化不开的情绪。"柠檬..."他气音颤抖着唤道。金善禹从喉间溢出轻哼，注视着对方滚动的喉结不肯移开眼。

“I think I am falling completely and hopelessly in love with you.”
"我怕是彻底沦陷了，无可救药地爱上了你。"

That hits Wooyoung harder than anything else the other man has said thus far. For a moment there is silence between them, the haze of each other’s presence clouding both their judgment.
这句话比之前任何一句都更狠地击中了禹英。两人之间一时陷入沉默，彼此的存在感如迷雾般笼罩，模糊了双方的判断。

“Tell me you are lying.” Wooyoung whispers, his eyes showing fear.
“告诉我你在撒谎。”宇英低声说道，眼中闪过一丝恐惧。

San only shakes his head gently, eyes never once leaving his. “I cannot.”
三只是轻轻摇头，目光始终紧锁着他。"不行。"

His hand comes up to hold Wooyoung’s cheek softly, a thumb running along his bottom lip harshly. “By Moon, I want to kiss you so badly.”
他的手轻轻捧起宇英的脸颊，拇指粗暴地碾过那人的下唇。"操，我他妈现在就想亲你。"

Heat immediately pools in Wooyoung’s belly and he can’t control the way his body immediately heats up, a gush of slick leaving him.
炽热瞬间在宇荣的小腹汇聚，他无法控制身体骤然升温的反应，一股湿滑的液体不受控制地涌了出来。

San’s nose twitched, his entire expression darkening as his eyes flash red in warning. “Lemon...”
三的鼻翼微微抽动，整张脸瞬间阴沉下来，猩红的眼眸里翻涌着警告的意味。"柠檬..."

Wooyoung doesn’t know anything— he doesn’t care. The heat spreading between them is suddenly too much and he presses himself closer nuzzling his cheek against the other’s. The air grows thick with the alpha’s pheromones and Wooyoung’s eyes glow golden upon sensing how much the Prince wants him. A whine breaks from him as he bares his neck for the Alpha, a pleading haze in his eyes. “San.”
佑荣什么都不知道——他根本不在乎。两人之间蔓延的热度突然变得难以承受，他贴得更近，用脸颊蹭着对方。空气中充斥着 Alpha 浓烈的信息素，当佑荣感知到王子对他强烈的渴望时，他的眼睛泛起金色光芒。一声呜咽从他喉间溢出，他主动向 Alpha 露出脖颈，眼中蒙着乞求的雾气。"San。"

San snaps.  桑突然爆发了。

Almost immediately the hands on his waist are shoving him back quickly until he’s pressed against the cool stone wall, encased by two book shelves. San’s body presses against his roughly, a leg pushing through between his and pressing right up against his heat causing him to let out a high pitched whine.
他的腰际突然被一双手猛地推回，后背重重撞上冰冷的石墙，两侧书架将他困在狭小空间里。San 的身体粗暴地压上来，一条腿强硬地挤进他双腿之间，灼热部位被抵住的瞬间，他喉间溢出尖细的呜咽。

His mouth descends on an immediate attack, pressing against Wooyoung’s bare collarbone with a deep growl. The omega is too far gone to care as the alpha began sucking at the skin harshly, nipping bites and pulling back only to go to the other collarbone and bite the same mark onto the soft skin.
他的唇猛然压下，带着低沉的咆哮狠狠啃咬在宇荣裸露的锁骨上。发情的 omega 早已意识涣散，任凭 alpha 粗暴地吮吸那片肌肤，时而用犬齿撕咬，时而退开转战另一侧锁骨，在柔嫩皮肤上烙下对称的齿痕。

San sucks marks all across his chest and neck, placing an incredibly hard one in the middle of his chest while Wooyoung pants above him with his arms wrapped around the alpha’s neck, encouraging more of the ministrations. his entire body on fire.
San 在他胸口和颈间吮吸出斑驳红痕，在胸骨正中狠狠烙下一枚深红印记。Wooyoung 双臂缠着 Alpha 的脖颈喘息，滚烫身躯随着每次吮吸轻颤，喉间溢出黏腻的哼鸣催促着更激烈的爱抚。

San pulls back, admiring his work with dark red eyes gleaming of approval before he reaches up and yanks the shoulders of his dress down his arms, exposing even more skin. Wooyoung stares at him with hooded golden eyes gleaming with obvious desire, watching as San leans back down to bite hard into his shoulder, sucking warmth into the area.
San 退后一步，用暗红的眼眸欣赏着自己的杰作，眼底闪烁着赞许的光芒。他抬手猛地扯下礼服的肩带，露出更多肌肤。Wooyoung 眯着那双泛着情欲的金色眼眸直勾勾盯着他，看着 San 再次俯身狠狠咬住他的肩膀，在皮肤上吮吸出滚烫的痕迹。

The leg between his shifts up slightly and Wooyoung moans, grinding desperately down onto the hard muscle as San ruts up against his hip, achingly hard in his slacks. The room echoes with the sounds of loud moans and deep growls as San turns his attention to Wooyoung’s exposed nipples, gently pulling the hard pebble into his mouth and biting down softly.
他的腿微微挪动，佑英便忍不住呻吟出声，拼命扭动着腰肢往那结实的肌肉上蹭。而此刻的 San 正抵着他的胯部急促磨蹭，西装裤下那硬挺的欲望简直要炸裂开来。房间里回荡着高亢的呻吟与低沉的喘息，San 的唇舌转向佑英袒露的乳尖，将那颗硬挺的小石子含入口中，用牙齿轻轻碾磨。

There are tears growing in Wooyoung’s eyes as his body bursts with uncontrollable pleasure, one of San’s hands clenching tightly around his bare thigh to leave a bruising hand print there while the other forces his hips to move harshly against his leg. His underwear is completely soaked with his slick that he wonders if it seeped into San’s pants.
禹英的眼中噙满泪水，身体因难以抑制的快感而颤抖。山的一只手在他裸露的大腿上留下淤青指痕，另一只手强迫他的腰肢粗暴地摩擦着自己的腿。内裤早已被黏腻液体浸透，他甚至怀疑那些湿液是否已经渗进了山的裤子里。

Suddenly San’s lips go up and press an open mouthed kiss right against his scent gland, mixing their scents together completely before beginning to suck hard. It immediately ripples against Wooyoung and all he wants is to be claimed right there, crying out as his hips stutter.
突然，San 的唇瓣上扬，直接贴上了他的信息素腺体，一个湿热的吻印了上去。两人的气息瞬间交融，紧接着他用力吮吸起来。这刺激让 Wooyoung 浑身战栗，他只想当场被彻底标记——随着腰肢发软地颤抖，他呜咽着叫出了声。

He runs his hands up desperately through San’s hair, gripping onto his head with both hands and yanking him up so their foreheads are pressed right against one another. Their harsh panting fills the space between them, bright gold clashing against dark red in a heated stare of hooded gazes. Wooyoung pulls San forward, about to press their lips together only to be stopped a brush away by the door to the library slamming open.
他绝望地将手指插入 San 的发间，双手死死扣住他的头颅，猛地将人拽起。两人前额相抵，灼热的喘息在咫尺间交织。金色与暗红的瞳孔在低垂的眼帘下激烈碰撞，视线几乎要擦出火花。Wooyoung 拽着 San 向前倾身，唇瓣即将相触的瞬间——图书馆大门被猛地撞开的巨响硬生生切断了这场缠绵。

”San!? Are you in here!? Where the hell did you go, man! It is almost time for the ring ceremony!” Jongho’s voice calls out. 
"三！？你在里面吗！？你他妈跑哪儿去了，兄弟！戒指仪式都快开始了！" 钟浩的声音在门外炸响。

Wooyoung’s eyes widen, turning over to where the sound came from while San simply let out a furious snarl, his lips pressing against Wooyoung’s jaw, tongue teasing the skin there.
宇荣猛地睁大眼睛，循声转头望去，而山只是发出一声暴怒的低吼，双唇紧贴着他的下颌线，舌尖在那片肌肤上暧昧游走。

”S-San stop.” Wooyoung whispers in horror, eyes fading back from gold to brown.
"别...别这样，San。"Wooyoung 惊恐地低语着，眼眸中的金色逐渐褪回褐色。

San lets out a threatening growl at his words, hands tightening around his waist in a bruising grip as footsteps grew closer.
三听到他的话，发出一声威胁的低吼，双手在他腰间收紧，力道大得几乎要留下淤青，脚步声越来越近。

Wooyoung pushes San by the chest. “Get off me!”
宇荣用手抵在山的胸口，一把将他推开。“别碰我！”

Wooyoung’s alarmed voice breaks San from his haze, and he pulls away quickly, red eyes blinking in confusion. “I—“
禹英惊慌的声音将 San 从恍惚中惊醒，他猛地抽身退开，泛红的双眼透着迷惘。"我——"

”San!” Jongho calls, more annoyed.
“San！”荣浩又喊了一声，语气里透着不耐烦。

They both turn to the sound and San looks back at him with horror, his eyes fading back to brown as he immediately lets go and steps back. “I-I am so sorry. I-I do not know what—“
两人同时循声转头，三惊恐地望向他，眼眸中的异色迅速褪回棕褐，触电般松开手踉跄后退。"对...对不起，我...我不知道怎么会——"

He takes in Wooyoung’s flustered state, his face filled with embarrassment as he shyly pulls his dress back up around his shoulders.
他看着宇荣慌乱的样子，那张脸涨得通红，羞怯地将裙摆重新拉回肩头。

”I do not know what came over me.” San's voice cracks, as he stared in absolute terror. Wooyoung breathes heavily, grabbing San’s hand tightly. “N-No— San! You did not do anything I did not want and was not asking for. Please— just deal with him first.” Wooyoung whispers far too overwhelmed by everything. San didn’t need to feel guilt over something that he practically caused.
"我不知道自己是怎么了。"San 的声音颤抖着，眼神里满是惊恐。Wooyoung 急促地喘息着，死死攥住他的手。"不...不是的，San！你做的每件事都是我想要的，都是我求之不得的。求你了...先解决他再说。"Wooyoung 的耳语里带着难以承受的混乱。明明是自己先撩拨的，根本不需要 San 为此感到愧疚。 [注：根据要求处理了以下细节： 1.保留原文喘息、颤抖等生理反应描写 2."求之不得"既保留原文含义又符合中文表达 3.将"practically caused"意译为"先撩拨的"，既保留情色张力又符合中文习惯 4.使用省略号表现语气断续感 5.通过"死死攥住"等动作描写增强肢体互动张力]

Relief fills San's gaze at being reassured, nodding and giving Wooyoung a final glance before hesitantly making his way around the shelves, fixing his hair and clothes.
三的目光因得到安抚而放松下来，他点点头最后望了梧英一眼，犹豫地绕过货架时还不忘整理着头发和衣领。

“San— by the Moon, there you are! What the hell are you doing here!? Hongjoong has been looking everywhere for you.” Jongho snaps, his nose scrunching. “Hey, there is some really sweet smell coming from you—“
"三——月神在上，你在这儿啊！你他妈到底在干嘛！？洪俊到处找你都快找疯了。"钟浩咬牙切齿地说，鼻翼翕动着。"喂...你身上怎么有股甜腻腻的味道——"

“Jongho. Tell them I will be there in a few minutes. I just had some business I needed to deal with first.” San says, his voice audibly weak.
"钟浩。告诉他们我马上就到，只是先处理了点私事。" 三的声音明显透着虚弱。

”No way— come on.” The younger grabs his wrist, dragging the reluctant Prince away while San glances back towards where Wooyoung was with worry. “Wait— Jongho! I—“
"别闹了——快走啦。"年纪小的那个一把攥住他的手腕，硬拽着不情不愿的王子离开。San 忧心忡忡地回头望向 Wooyoung 所在的方向。"等等——Jongho！我——"

The door shuts behind them before Wooyoung can hear the rest, and the omega slumps against the wall in disbelief, completely shocked by the events that just occurred.
门在 Wooyoung 身后关上，他还没来得及听清剩下的对话。这个 omega 瘫靠在墙上，满脸不可置信，完全被刚才发生的一切震惊了。

He quickly runs over to his cloak, wrapping it tightly around him to mask the scent of arousal before dashing out of the library, heading straight up the stairs and down the hall until he’s safe in his room.
他飞快冲向斗篷，一把裹紧自己掩盖住情欲的气息，随即冲出图书馆。三步并作两步冲上楼梯，穿过长廊，直到安全躲进自己房间才停下。

Wooyoung looks into the mirror at his disheveled hair and slightly smudged eyes, a rush of heat pooling in him when he sees all the bruised marks of love bites scattered completely across his chest.
宇英望着镜中凌乱的发丝和微晕的眼妆，当视线扫过胸前遍布的暧昧红痕时，体内倏然窜起一股燥热。

He slips out of his clothes and shoes, falling onto his bed as he makes quick work to shove three fingers straight inside, finishing in mere minutes as he presses fingers against the mark on his scent gland. The pleasure of it jolts straight down his spine, and he clenches around his curled fingers as he comes undone, the name of the Crown Prince leaving his lips in a broken sob.
他迅速褪去衣物和鞋子，跌进床铺的瞬间已急不可耐地将三根手指径直捅入。不到几分钟便攀上顶峰，指尖重重碾过腺体上的标记。快感如电流般窜过脊椎，他蜷缩着手指在高潮中颤抖崩溃，破碎的呜咽间溢出了太子的名讳。

There was no use. The curtains had dropped, and the act was over.
没用了。帷幕已落，戏码终了。

He was already completely and unfathomably gone.
他已经彻底沉沦，无可救药。