章 2: Once a Bourgeoisie

Marius stood frozen, his heart pounding in his chest as the guards uttered those damning words: "Arrest him." For the first time in his life, real fear gripped him, its icy tendrils wrapping around his very core.

He shuffled backward, his legs trembling beneath him. "This... this must be a mistake," he stammered, his voice barely above a whisper. Desperation clawed at his throat as he fought to make sense of the situation. "I am Marius Favier, son of the Duke. The test... it has to be wrong."

The words had barely left his lips when a searing pain exploded across his face. The guard's hand connected with his cheek, the sound of the slap echoing through the chamber. Marius stumbled, his legs giving way beneath him as he crashed to the cold, unforgiving floor.

The guard loomed over him, his face contorted with disgust. A glob of saliva landed on Marius's cheek as the man spat, "How dare an Omega have an opinion?"

Marius's world spun, the weight of those words crushing him. Omega. It couldn't be true. His eyes darted desperately to Ren, seeking a lifeline, a trace of support or understanding. But Ren stood motionless, the indigoed luna water still clutched in his hands, his gaze averted.

The betrayal hit Marius like a physical blow. Ren, his closest friend, the one person he thought he could always count on, was turning his back on him. The shock of it left him breathless, a pain far deeper than any physical blow could inflict.

Before Marius could process this new betrayal, two more guards appeared. Their hands, rough and unforgiving, seized him. He felt himself being lifted, manhandled like a sack of grain rather than the nobleman he'd always been.

The guard who had struck him barked out an order, his voice dripping with disdain. "Take him to the dungeons. I must inform the King of this... development."

Reality crashed over Marius in waves as he was dragged away. This couldn't be happening. It had to be a nightmare, a cruel jest. But the grip of the guards, the cold stone beneath his feet, the lingering sting on his cheek – it was all too real.

Panic surged through him, lending him a strength he didn't know he possessed. With a violent twist, he wrenched himself free from the guards' grasp. For a moment, hope flared in his chest. If he could just reach his father, explain the misunderstanding...

The hope was short-lived. A blinding pain lanced across his face as one of the guards lashed out with his spear. Marius felt the sting, then the warm trickle of blood down his cheek. His hand rose involuntarily to his face, coming away crimson.

The sight of his own blood snapped something inside him. Anger rose, pushing back the fear and confusion. "My father will ensure you pay for this," he snarled, his voice shaking with rage and disbelief. "Treating me like this based on a mistake – you'll rue this day!"

The guards exchanged glances before breaking into cruel laughter. The sound grated on Marius's ears, fueling his anger further. He glared at them, pouring all his fury and indignation into that look.

One of the guards, a burly man with a scar across his nose, growled, "Stop glaring at me, Omega."

But Marius couldn't stop. Wouldn't stop. It was the only defiance left to him, and he clung to it with all his might. He poured every ounce of his rage, his fear, his disbelief into that glare, silently challenging the guard to back down.

The guard's face twisted with fury. "I said, stop glaring!"

Before Marius could react, the guard's boot connected with his face. Pain exploded behind his eyes as his head snapped back. He felt something crack, tasted copper in his mouth. The world tilted and swayed, darkness creeping in at the edges of his vision.

As consciousness slipped away, Marius's mind whirled with unanswered questions. How could this be happening? How could a simple test upend his entire world? And Ren... why had Ren abandoned him?

The darkness closed in, offering a temporary respite from the pain and confusion. But even as he slipped into unconsciousness, Marius knew that when he woke, his world would never be the same.

In the oppressive silence that followed, the guards exchanged uneasy glances. They had been trained to be harsh with Omegas, to put them in their place. But this was different. This was the son of a Duke, a young man who had been raised to believe he was destined for greatness.

One of the younger guards swallowed hard. "Should we really be treating him like this? What if there's been a mistake?"

The scarred guard spat on the ground. "Orders are orders. The test doesn't lie. Duke's son or not, he's an Omega now. And Omegas need to learn their place."

With that, they hoisted Marius's limp form between them and began the long descent to the dungeons.

***

The crackling fire cast dancing shadows across the opulent study as the Duke and Duchess of Blackwood sat engrossed in their game of poque. The Duke, Lord Tristan Favier, leaned back in his leather armchair, a smug smile playing on his lips as he surveyed his hand. Across from him, his wife, Lady Amelia Favier, tapped her perfectly manicured nails against the polished mahogany table, her face an unreadable mask.

"Your move, my dear," Lord Tristan drawled, raising an eyebrow at his wife.

Lady Amelia opened her mouth to respond, but the words died on her lips as the heavy oak doors of the study burst open. A squad of the King's Guard marched in, their armor clanking ominously in the sudden silence.

Lord Tristan shot to his feet, his cards scattering across the table. "What is the meaning of this?" he demanded, his voice sharp with indignation.

The head guard, a stern-faced man with graying hair at his temples, stepped forward. He unfurled a scroll with practiced efficiency, clearing his throat before speaking. "By order of His Majesty, King Edward III of Onalith, I hereby place Lord Tristan Favier, Duke of Blackwood, and Lady Amelia Favier, Duchess of Blackwood, under arrest for crimes of deception against the crown and kingdom of Onalith."

A heavy silence fell over the room. Lady Amelia's face had gone pale, her eyes wide with shock. Lord Tristan, however, maintained his composure, though a muscle twitched in his jaw.

"This is preposterous," he said, his voice low and controlled. "Everything I have done has been for the good of the kingdom. Surely there must be some mistake."

The head guard's expression remained impassive. "These are the king's orders, my lord. Will you come peacefully, or must we use force?"

Lord Tristan's shoulders sagged, a flicker of defeat crossing his face before he straightened once more. "If this is truly His Majesty's will, then so be it," he said, extending his wrists. "We shall not resist."

As the guard moved forward with the shackles, a cruel smile twisted his lips. "There is one more thing you should know, my lord," he said, his voice dripping with satisfaction. "Your son took the classification exam today."

Lord Tristan's head snapped up, his eyes narrowing because his son was not of age. "And?" he asked, a tremor of fear in his voice.

The guard's smile widened. "It revealed that he is an Omega."

The color drained from Lord Tristan's face, his mouth opening and closing wordlessly. Lady Amelia let out a choked sob, her hands flying to cover her mouth.

"That's... that's impossible," Lord Tristan whispered, his voice hoarse.

The guard chuckled, clearly relishing the duke's distress. "Oh, but it is possible, my lord. And I believe you know why." He leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "An offspring of a Beta and a Gamma can be a Beta, a Gamma, or in rare cases, a Sentinel. But never an Omega. Not unless an Omega was involved."

Lord Tristan stumbled back as if he'd been struck, collapsing into his chair. The implications of the guard's words hung heavy in the air, unspoken but undeniable.

Lady Amelia rose shakily to her feet, her voice trembling as she spoke. "Tristan, what is he talking about?"

But Lord Tristan couldn't meet his wife's eyes. He stared blankly at the scattered cards on the table, his world crumbling around him.

The head guard motioned to his men, who moved forward to secure the Duke and Duchess. As the cold metal of the shackles closed around his wrists, Lord Tristan seemed to come back to himself.

"This is a mistake," he said, his voice gaining strength. "There must be some explanation. Our son... he can't be..."

"Save it for the king, my lord," the guard interrupted, his tone mocking. "I'm sure His Majesty will be very interested to hear how the esteemed Duke, A Beta in his own right, managed to produce an Omega heir."

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