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Chapter Text

Even before his reign, the valorous alpha king of the Southern kingdom had gained fame and respect after defending the nation from foreign invaders. He had proven himself to be a powerful leader, staying at the front lines of the Western kingdom to protect it from the threat. During the Great War, he single-handedly defeated the enemies and saved the Northern Kingdom from annihilation. 

It was because of his extreme heroism that the day of his official coronation was made into a national holiday. The rulers of the four kingdoms were there to witness when he ascended to the throne at the young age of eighteen. It was a day of celebration, and all conflict between the kingdoms had been halted for the occasion. The new king had long overshadowed his own father and the many before him. He built vast trade cities along the Sea of the Southern Kingdom, which would contribute to a major boost in the economy. He was a rich king, admired by all who served under him and hated by none. 

As the years went on, the influence of the Southern kingdom only grew. They were safe from all foreign intervention, as no one dared to go against the king for fear of loss. But this didn’t hold true for the Northern, Eastern, and Western kingdoms, which were subject to the constant panic of a capture. Pressure from foreign rulers had plagued the borders of each great kingdom.  

It was a dream of the Southern king to unite the kingdoms. He knew he could preserve and protect the land if the kingdoms could overlook their conflicts and work together. His advisors had warned him that the task was impossible, but the king knew a way. 

And so he made a vow. He vowed to take 4 wives, one from each kingdom, to serve as his queens. Deprived of all hope, the Western king was the first to accept the protection and offered his eldest alpha daughter to the Southern king. The Northern king was next and offered his only omega son. Lastly, the Eastern queen tearfully offered her favorite omega daughter. Not wanting to offend his own kingdom, the King chose his last wife, an alpha woman from a prominent family in the Southern kingdom. 

On the day of the wedding, people from each kingdom gathered all around to watch. The four beautiful brides walked down the aisle in their traditional clothing, and the Southern king waited. He had made vows to treat them equally. “My queens,” he had said, “you have honored your kingdoms greatly today.” He turned to the crowd gathered. “I promise protection to all of you,” he announced, before turning back to his queens and kneeling. “I promise each of you…You are all my queens. I will love you equally. Please take what I can offer you. Please love and respect each other as sisters and take me humbly as your husband.” The queens had made their promises, and he took each of their hands, slipping a ring onto them. Then he kissed each of them, not a second more than the next. 

Sticking to his word, the Southern King stationed his strong military at the borders of each of the kingdoms. He personally visited each kingdom, meeting each ruler and discussing strategies. He had succeeded in uniting the kingdoms, and his dream was finally complete. And so he returned to his queens whom he had left the day after the wedding. He was thrilled to find that they had gotten along in the time he was gone and devoted his time to getting to know each of them. 

A year later, his advisors had brought to his attention that an heir to the throne had to be chosen. The king had not yet bedded any of his wives for fear of breaking his promise to love them equally, but he had to fulfill his legacy. 

And so for the first time, he had asked his wives to compete. A friendly competition to determine the heir of the great Southern Kingdom. He would consummate with each of his queens on consecutive nights. The child to be born first would be chosen as the heir. As each of the queens loved him, they consented to the challenge. It was decided that he would bed his Western queen first since she was his first bride. Next, his northern queen, his Eastern, and finally his Southern. 

He stayed with each of them from sunset to sunrise, not a second longer in giving any of them an unfair advantage. To his excitement, each of his queens had discovered signs of pregnancy. But the real challenge had just begun, for no one could predict who would give birth first. 

It was during the night on the last day of the year that the western queen had gone into labor. She had endured painfully until finally, on the first day of the new year, a baby boy, an alpha was born. She named him Daichi, as he was the first child born to the king and was also born on the first day of the new year. “Daichi… what a perfect name for my perfect heir,” the king had repeated as he held his sleeping child. As jealous as they were, the other queens congratulated their sister and comforted her. 

2 weeks later, the northern queen gave birth to another healthy alpha boy. The king took his child into his arms. He looked into the boy's shining golden eyes, like a candle piercing through the dark. “His name will be Koutarou!” the king announced as he kissed his son's head. 

Almost a month later, the southern queen birthed Hajime, named for his strength when the king felt the newborn’s unbelievably strong grip on his finger. “He will be the best fighter this country has ever seen.” 

Finally, the eastern queen gave birth to a laughing baby boy. Tetsurou, because of his cheerfulness. 

“My queens,” the King had addressed his wives, “you have each given me such beautiful children. I couldn’t be happier!” And so they all lived peacefully in the palace, The king with his 4 queens and 4 sons. 

But one as great as the Southern king is not easily satisfied.

It was almost 5 years after the birth of his sons when the king strutted down an isolated corridor, deeply frustrated after a meeting. He heard the clink of anklets scurry away. “Who’s there!” he shouted, before catching sight of a flash of fire running behind a pillar. He followed closely, grabbing a slender wrist and pulling the noisemaker into his chest. There he was faced with a doe-eyed beauty. The fire he had seen earlier was simply just the light glinting off of flaming orange hair. “Who are you?” the king had asked. “I am simply a maid in this wing of the palace,” the omega had said quietly. He released a scent of fear. “Spare me, your majesty, I didn’t mean to anger you,” he pleaded. 

The king gripped his hips, pulling the maid flat against his body. “Someone as beautiful as you should be rewarded.” He pressed his lips to the omega’s neck. 

It deeply angered the 4 queens when their beloved king returned one day, cradling a baby with fiery orange hair. “My queens,” he started, “This child is mine. Please love him as your own.” The queens looked at their husband in confusion, then at each other. “His mother is no more,” he said quietly. “But he is the product of my own affair.” 

The western queen, mother of his heir, stepped forward. She reached her hands out and took the baby in her arms. “It matters not who the mother is,” she began,” but more that the father is our beloved.” She looked to the other queens and beckoned them to her side. They each looked at the sleeping baby and kissed his forehead. “Boys, come here,” she called to the four princes who gathered around their youngest brother. “What shall we name him?” she asked them. The boys whispered amongst themselves for a moment. “Shoyo,” Daichi said, “His hair is golden like the sun.” The others nodded.  “Then…Shoyo it is,” the queen said. “Our little omega prince.” 

And for the first time in his life, the king cried, almost as an apology to the queens for his mistake.

…

Shoyo took a deep breath in. “Everything will be alright,” he whispered to himself. “You’ve met him so many times before, no reason to get nervous now!” 

“Sho, are you alright? You’re paler than the moon,” Kenma said as he entered the room with Keiji, Koushi, and Tooru following after. 

“Kenma-san!” he blurted out, “I’m beyond terrified!” 

Koushi took his place behind Shoyo, brushing his hair and starting to braid it. The silver-haired omega sighed, “Sho-chan, you should have been ready an hour ago. Tobio-san will be here soon!”

“I don’t want to marry that oaf, he’s such a jerk!” he pouted. 

“Yeah, I don’t blame you, Tooru snickered, “Tobio-chan can be a little bit of a dumbass sometimes.” 

“How can you say that about your own cousin, Tooru?” Keiji laughed. He took the younger omega’s hands in his own. “Just relax, Shoyo. If I remember correctly, you admitted you were in love with him the last time you danced.” 

He blushed. 

“Think of it this way,” Suga said as he tied Shoyo’s fiery locks, “This is just your formal engagement. If you really hate him that much, you can always break it off.” 

“No, that’s not it,” the youngest omega sighed. “I do really, really like him, it’s just…I’m scared I’ll mess up, and he’ll hate me, and it’ll go downhill and-” 

“Hey,” Tooru cut him off. “Let me tell you that Tobio-chan is head over heels for you. I’ve never seen him blush harder than he did when he danced with you. You’ve got nothing to worry about,” the brunette reassured. 

“Thank you, Tooru-san,” Shoyo said softly, “But I have a question…” 

“What’s on your mind?” Keiji responded. 

“When did you all realize you loved my brothers?” 

They all smiled as they reminisced for a moment. “Well, it was different for all of us,” Koushi started. 

“And it is quite a long story…” Kenma added. 

“Well, we’ve got an hour or two to kill,” Shoyo said, “How did you fall in love?”