hello, hello ^^

well, this is the last chapter and I'm kinda sad because I really enjoyed writing this fic. I know this story isn't the popular one, but I really loved the fact I could write a fairy tale in my style. this was important to me because I want to write books and I used this as an experience haha 

anyway, I want to thank a lot those who commented on this story because the comments helped me finish it. I really appreciate the support <3

I hope you enjoy the last chapter too ^^

Hyunjung looked at Donghae with wide eyes. Hyukjae was in shock. There was no way that could be true, as he was no ordinary alpha. Hyukjae was sure that Donghae was just bluffing to save his life. Hyunjung thought the same way too – and he wanted to punch Hyukjae again for it.

But when Donghae ran towards Hyukjae, Hyunjung let go of the alpha's hair and watched his son hug the guard who placed his hands on the omega's belly and whispered:

- So… It’s true...

- We're going to be parents. – the smile on Donghae's face was so true and perfect that Hyukjae hugged him and started crying. His tears were of joy, for he never imagined he would be appa one day. Everything seemed unreal, but at the same time...

- You two! – Hyunjung called them – Come with me now!

- No. – Donghae stood up and helped Hyukjae do the same – You won't hurt us.

- And who said I want to hurt you?

- I don't care what you have to say. I wanted him to take the news with joy, not this way.

Hyunjung knew Donghae was stubborn enough to disrespect him, but he still repeated:

- Come with me now.

Donghae was going to say no again when Hyukjae held his hand and said:

- Let's not argue with your appa, Donghae. Let's go with him.

Donghae looked at Hyukjae and at that moment there was no hope in his eyes. The alpha sighed, kissed the omega softly and so they followed the marching Emperor who was trying to control all that anguish. He took the couple to his office – and on the way everyone saw it happen – and slammed the door shut. Then Hyunjung looked at the two and said:

- You have no idea how angry I am right now. How did that happen? Who will be the first to explain this?

Hyukjae looked at Donghae who cleared his throat and said:

- It happened at omma's house, appa.

- And she knew about it?!

- No. I didn't tell omma because this should just be a secret between me and Hyukjae.

- And didn't you two think about the consequences?

Hyukjae then said:

- I take full responsibility, Your Majesty. Donghae and I had a love moment at Chaeyeong-ssi's house.

- No, Hyukjae. Don't take the responsibilities alone, because appa will think I didn't want it when in fact I really wanted to make love to you. Also, appa, it only happened once. We didn't think I would be expecting the baby because Hyukjae said he wasn't an alpha like the others.

- And you believed? – Hyunjung shook his head – Of all people, I never imagined you would do this, Donghae. How did you believe this cynical alpha's small talk?

- I never lied to Donghae, Your Majesty. I talked to him and Chaeyeong-ssi about it and I can guarantee that the doctor said I have no chance of being an alpha fertile. And I know what you're thinking, but I didn't approach Donghae because he's a prince. Things just happened between us and we have a very strong bond. – Hyukjae sighed – I don't know if you will believe me, but my intention was to marry your son and have our family first. I didn't want things to have gone the way they did.

- And what do you expect me to do now? You've barely arrived here and you've already destroyed my son's life.

- He didn't destroy my life, appa. – Donghae held Hyukjae's hand and looked seriously at Hyunjung – We both made plans for when we could get married after three years. – Donghae's eyes filled with tears – And we plan our family for after the wedding.

- But why? – Hyunjung tried to understand – You've never done something like that before. I never... – and so he sighed – Now I understand why you want to live with your mother. This was all part of a plan, wasn't it?

- We weren't planning anything but our happiness, appa. And I want you to understand that I can't let you hurt Hyukjae because… – Donghae smiled at the alpha – I love him.

Hyukjae couldn't say he wasn't shocked, but he couldn't say he wasn't pleased either. He smiled at Donghae and revealed:

- I love you, Donghae. And I'm not saying this just because you said it, but because that's how I feel. After spending all this time away from you, I realized that I couldn't go without seeing you and smelling your scent. I understood that nothing else in my life would make sense if you weren't with me. And I'm saying all this in front of your appa because I want him to know that my feelings are sincere. – the guard looked at the Emperor – I will never leave Donghae helpless, Your Majesty. Despite not having titles or a wealthy family, I am an honest man and I fight for the things I want. I will do everything in my power to make sure that Donghae and our baby have a good life.

- Within what you can give them? Do you know that my son is a prince and this baby is an heir?

- But I don't need titles or possessions. I've always been happy with the life I've led. I was very well educated and had the highest position in the school. Everything I've achieved has been through my pure and simple effort.

With every word that came out of Hyukjae's mouth, Donghae found himself more admired by the alpha. He could believe that the two of them would have a good life and would take care of the baby very well. But Hyunjung still needed to speak.

- This is all much unexpected and I just wanted you both to understand how shocked I am at the moment. I hope you both didn't say empty words to me as there is no way I can fix things. And while I still don't know Sir Lee properly, I want to do so for the sake of my son and my unborn grandchild.

- So you give us your blessing, appa?

- Yes, but I need you to get married before you can't hide anymore.

Hyukjae swallowed hard and looked at Donghae. He couldn't believe that everything was running so fast.

- And when would the wedding be, Your Majesty?

- In two weeks. After all, how are we going to hide the baby any longer?

- And what are we going to tell the people?

- I'll think of something. For now, let's plan the wedding. I'm sure Hyukjae will call the family, so hurry up the invites. We are going to have a party for the people and a discreet wedding for the family. Do we have a deal?

They nodded and Hyunjung looked at the couple. They were definitely scared, as everything happened with a rush they couldn't imagine. However, they also seemed excited about the new phase of life. And Hyukjae needed to be quick to call his family.

- Can I go out to send a letter to my uncle and aunt?

- Go, but soon we will talk about the changes that will happen in your life.

Hyukjae nodded, stood up and bowed. He wanted to give Donghae a kiss, but he wasn't going to do anything to cause the Emperor to react. And after they were alone in the office, Hyunjung sighed and asked:

- Everyone already knew, didn't they?

Donghae nodded.

- Don't be cruel to them, appa. We all thought of various ways to tell you if Hyukjae took a few more months. I know this is going to be a big scandal and I apologize for that. If only I could live with omma, things would be different.

Hyunjung disagreed with his son.

- You didn't think of everything, Donghae. How are you going to educate a child? You have no experience of the world and that is partly my fault. Living with Chaeyeong won't change anything because you're already in trouble. Now, with a baby on the way, we have to plan your wedding as quickly as possible. You need at least once in your life to hear what I have to say.

- But we still have a scandal ahead. No one will believe that I managed to have a baby in my belly so quickly after the wedding.

- Not if you don't know how to lie, my son. – Hyunjung smiled – Believe me, we will solve this. And as for your future husband, I want to know more about him. I don't know if this is the first time a son of the Emperor has married a commoner, but we can't change things now.

- So are you not going to kill Hyukjae anyway?

- Certainly not. I intend to make him a lord, but I still don't know how. Anyway, you can go now.

Donghae nodded, stood and bowed, looking at his appa and whispering:

- Thanks for trying to help, appa.

Hyunjung stood up, hugged Donghae and said:

- I would never abandon you and my grandchild. Maybe I gave the wrong impression at first, but don't consider me an enemy. I am your father and I love you.

- I love you too, appa. – then Donghae placed Hyunjung's hands on his belly – And I know the baby will love the grandfather when he or she is born.

Hyunjung couldn't hide his emotion when he touched his son's belly and felt that small swelling indicating that yes, there was a baby there. The Emperor sniffed, fiddled with his mustache – which made Donghae chuckle under his breath – and said:

- I already love this cute creature you carry, my son. And I hope you know how excited I am to see this baby and hold them in my arms. – Hyunjung hugged Donghae again – And I'm sorry I punched Sir Lee.

- Tell him that then. I'm sure Hyuk will appreciate an apology.

Hyunjung nodded and waved at Donghae who came out of his office grinning from ear to ear. The Emperor smiled and sat up, folding his hands over his abdomen and thinking how lucky he was to have the most rebellious children an Emperor could have. But Hyunjung loved them and would do whatever he could to protect them.

And Donghae couldn't stop smiling as he walked down the hall. The servants bowed respectfully and all the omega did was hugging them as if they had been given a great gift. Donghae never felt as good as he did at that moment.

- Hae! – Heechul and Ryeowook called him and ran to him.

- What happened?

- We saw Sir Lee with a black eye.

- Has appa found out?

Then Donghae replied:

- He already knows everything, but the punch in Hyukjae's eye was because appa saw us together and jumped to his conclusions.

- And what will happen?

- Well... My wedding will take place in two weeks and it will be a beautiful ceremony just for our family and Hyukjae's.

- And appa accepted everything very well?

- No, but from what I understand, he'll find a way to make it work.

Ryeowook hugged Donghae.

- I'll be with you no matter what, Hae. You have always supported me and I will always support you. No matter what.

Donghae thanked him and was hugged by Heechul who kissed his brother's forehead and said:

- I'm also by your side forever. I will never abandon you, Hae.

Donghae thanked them again and could only say that he was overjoyed since his brothers were by his side as usual. They were a trio and nothing would break the bond they had.

~~~
Later...

Hyukjae sent the letter to his family, but not believing that everything was going so fast like that. He was going to get married in two weeks and be a father. All of this felt like a dream in which he couldn't wake up so early. The alpha was excited, it was true, but he was also scared.

Hyukjae had no idea what to expect and he didn't have anyone to advise him. Of course, Jongwoon helped him a lot, but he needed his uncle to at least understand what was to come. Hyukjae felt like a child lost in a crowd.

- What happened to your eye, Hyukjae? – Jongwoon asked and frowned – Did you get into a fight?

- Actually it was the Emperor who punched me in the eye when he saw me with Donghae in the garden.

Jongwoon widened his eyes.

- And what happened?

- Well... I'm going to marry the prince and I'm still going to be a father.

The older alpha couldn't be more surprised.

- How are you going to be a father? Since when did you... Oh, Hyukjae. What now?

- Now I will marry Donghae and support him in everything I can. I'm just scared because I have no idea what's going to happen from here on out. I don't know if I'm going to be a good husband or an appa and I don't know how other people will understand that. – Hyukjae sighed – I'm too afraid of ruining everything by not being good enough.

At that moment, Jongwoon placed a hand on Hyukjae's shoulder and said:

- I can't say I understand what's going through your mind, because I would be lying. It's true that a lot will change in your life, but don't think that you're going to ruin everything. You are mentally and physically strong and you can do it.

- But what if...

- No my friend. Don't think about that "but what if". Trust yourself and you will realize how we are by your side supporting you. And whenever you need me, I'll be there for you.

Hyukjae smiled.

- Thank you, Jongwoon. You have always supported me and I hope I have done the same for you.

Jongwoon also smiled.

- Of course you do the same for me. And I can say I'm going to be a really nice uncle to the baby to come. Do you want it to be a girl or a boy?

Hyukjae chuckled.

- I think whatever. As long as the baby is born well and I'm there with Donghae for the moment, I'll be happy. But you know... I think my fear of everything going wrong is related to the fact that I grew up with an unstable appa. I don't want to be like him.

- Your appa was irresponsible, but that doesn't mean you need to follow suit. We can and must be different from our parents.

- That's true. – Hyukjae looked to the sky – I think I should meet the Emperor now. He said he wanted to talk to me after I sent the letter to my family.

- Then go confident that he won't punch you in the eye again. – they ended up laughing about it – And I'll keep making the rounds because I won't become a lord anytime soon.

- But you are a marquis.

- Yes, I am, but my situation is a little different from yours.

Hyukjae was forced to agree with that, but then he took a deep breath and waved at Jongwoon. The younger alpha made his way to the Emperor's office and knocked on the door, wondering if he should say something. And when he opened the door, Hyunjung saw Hyukjae bow and say:

- I have already sent the letter to my family, Your Majesty.

- Excellent. Come in and let's talk a little about what we should do. – and after Hyukjae entered the office, Hyunjung closed the door – If this were another occasion, I wouldn't let my son marry you, but Donghae really loves you and I don't want him to be sad. Either way, you need to prove your worth, as I didn't like that you guys were in a relationship before marriage. And what do you have to say about it?

- Well, I don't know if you want me to apologize, Your Majesty. But all I can say is that we were caught up in that romantic mood. I know we got it all wrong, but I'm here to take all responsibility. My uncle and aunt didn't teach me to be a bad man; they taught me to have my own values.

Hyunjung sighed.

- It's alright. I don't want to talk about it anymore as we've decided that you and Donghae are getting married in two weeks. I'll give you a vote of confidence and let you take care of my son and grandchild, but don't think I won't kill you if you think about hurting them. Do we have a deal? – Hyukjae nodded – Great. That said, I've been thinking of a way to turn you into a lord.

- And how will that happen?

- You have a good career as a soldier in Sage and that's exactly why I accepted you and Sir Kim to be my children's guards. With your experience, I asked your supervisor some questions and he told me that you were the best among all the new soldiers during training. He even said you could go up in rank.

Hyukjae was surprised.

- But would I go up in rank because I'm marrying the prince, or by my own doings?

- By your own doings after all. Your supervisor says you're more than ready to move up the ranks, so that gave me an idea: you can become a general tonight. With that, let's say you asked for Donghae's hand in marriage and I accepted it precisely because you have a good reputation among soldiers. With that, you will be entitled to a plot of land and I even made the document in your name. – Hyunjung handed the scroll to Hyukjae – Read it and tell me what you think about it.

Hyukjae read every line of the document and tried to find something that was a trap, but the Emperor wasn't the type of person who would do that – even more so when it came to his son's happiness. The younger alpha swallowed, read the document three times, and asked:

- Will I have to pay for this plot of land?

- No, because Donghae would be angry with me if I told you to pay. However, I want you to take care of this plot of land. You and Donghae will live there and you can do as you please.

- So then I will be a lord? Why do I feel like there's a trap?

- Trust me, Hyukjae. There are no traps here, for I am not that kind of man. It's obvious I'm doing this for the well-being of my son and the baby to come, but I also want to see if you can prove to me that you really are this worthy man.

- I see... What if I don't accept this plot of land?

- I think you already know the answer.

Hyukjae gulped once more and the Emperor continued:

- Don't think too much. If you want me to trust your good nature, then earn it. We're running out of time, Hyukjae. Understand that you are in a position where you need to think according to your needs. It is my son's honor that is at stake.

- I know, Your Majesty. I must admit I don't feel ready for any of this, but I still want to and will take all the responsibilities. When I said I love Donghae, I wasn't lying.

- Then prove all that you're talking about. Show everyone, but essentially Donghae, that this is all true. I will entrust my precious son to you.

Hyukjae nodded and signed the document after reading it one more time. He now owned a plot of land and would go up in rank to become a lord more easily. This could all be a dream or a nightmare, but it was happening and there was nothing he could do about it.

- I give my word, your majesty, and you will not regret trusting me.

- I hope so. And now the supervisor comes to you to talk, so remember to lie, saying you didn't know anything.

Hyukjae nodded, stood up and bowed, leaving the office shortly thereafter. Things were happening so fast that the alpha still needed to understand, but one thing he knew: dealing with his new life would be quite a challenge.

...---...
The next day...

Donghae could barely sleep as he couldn't stop thinking about his wedding.

He had an appointment with the couturier – who already knew about the pregnancy – and was going to meet Hyukjae so they could talk about the wedding details. Donghae wanted to see the alpha so badly and hoped he was at least excited for what was to come.

Then, after getting ready, Donghae left the bedroom and got surprised to see Hyukjae at the bottom of the stairs. The omega then smiled widely and went down step by step until he reached the alpha who bent down and whispered:

- I think I'm a little out of place here.

Donghae chuckled softly.

- You'll get used to it. – and he hugged the alpha's arm – And you're handsome. What happened yesterday?

- I won a plot of land where we are going to live and I also became a general.

- All this yesterday?

- Yes. Luckily I wasn't the only one to rank up yesterday, so no one will suspect a thing. Now we pretend I talked to your appa earlier about our engagement and that's why we're getting married in two weeks.

The omega pursed his lips.

- Appa thought of everything anyway. I didn't think he would make up this whole story to explain our marriage in a hurry. – and he sighed – But you know… I read the letter you wrote to me.

Hyukjae blushed.

- And did you like my words? I don't know how to write as well as Jongwoon, but I tried to express all my feelings and...

- I loved every word, Hyukjae. – Donghae kissed Hyukjae's cheek discreetly, making the alpha smile shyly – You don't have to be a poet to make me love you. Be yourself.

- You always know what to say. – they chuckled softly together as they walked to the living room for breakfast – And are you ready for me to become your husband?

- I'm not ready for a marriage right now, but I would love for you to be my husband. I've always been waiting for the alpha to take my heart, then you showed up. Do you feel like this?

- Of course I do, but I think things are always different for both of us. After all, I never expected an omega to mess up my world like this.

- So I messed up your world?

- In a positive way.

Donghae smiled happily.

- Then I'm happier to know that. I don't want to be a trouble-making omega, even though I've done it.

- You didn't cause trouble, Donghae. – they looked at each other – And honestly, I don't regret anything at all.

When Donghae smiled, Hyukjae felt that all problems and all doubts were gone. They would have kissed if they hadn't heard:

- Uncle Hyuk! Uncle Hae! Look who's here!

And when they looked at the room, Hyukjae smiled and Donghae ran to Chaeyeong, who opened her arms to receive her son in a tight hug.

- Omma! – Donghae exclaimed and started to cry – I can't believe you're here.

- I couldn't help but come, my dear. Also, I showed up here by surprise.

Donghae laughed.

- You're staying for my wedding, right?

Chaeyeong arched her eyebrows and looked at Hyukjae who waved as he approached Donghae.

- Wedding? Already? I thought you were going to live with me.

- Appa decided that Hyukjae and I are going to get married.

- And we already have a place to build our house.

Chaeyeong couldn't explain how surprised she was.

- Well... I didn't bring my best clothes for the occasion, but...

- Chaeyeong! – Ryeowook shouted and hugged his half brother's mother – I can't believe you're here.

- I think everyone is surprised by my visit, isn't it?

- Yes and we should have our breakfast now. – Heechul said – Appa will be even more surprised.

Chaeyeong laughed and followed everyone to the table. Siwoo was there and behaved exactly like an Empress: she arched an eyebrow and just greeted the woman who bowed and found her place at the table. Siwoo didn't like Chaeyeong as she found her too vulgar. However, the Empress did not and would not ruin her stepson's day. After all, Donghae didn't stop smiling.

Heechul and Ryeowook found it interesting how their mother reacted to Chaeyeong being there.

But then it was Hyunjung's turn to join them.

The Emperor was speechless to see Chaeyeong there, but because he still loved that woman like never before. And she politely stood up and bowed before sitting next to Donghae who held his mother's hand. Hyunjung cleared his throat and said:

- Good morning everyone. I didn't expect Chaeyeong to visit, but it's good for her to be here to know that Hyukjae and Donghae are getting married in two weeks. We're going to act like Hyukjae asked for Donghae's hand earlier today as he became a general yesterday. That's the story we're going to spread around.

- And what are we going to do when the baby is born?

- Well, we'll say that the baby was born before their time and that they got stronger as the months went by. No one needs to see your brother and child right after birth.

Everyone agreed and Siwoo asked Hyukjae and Donghae:

- Do you already know how you want the wedding?

Hyukjae then looked at Donghae who said:

- If Hyukjae agrees, we could do a ceremony with Blossom and Sage's traditions. I know he is very attached to the traditions of his old home, so I would like to pay homage to the place where he was born.

- Thank you, Donghae. This is very important to me.

Then Chaeyeong said:

- How good it is to see you two together. I always hoped the Emperor would accept your relationship.

Siwoo looked at Chaeyeong.

- Of course you already knew that, didn't you?

- Yes. My son tells me when he is feeling something. But you are always looking out for him and I thank you for that.