The Empress's Caged Bird [GB]

Female Alpha, male Omega / bittersweet tension / predator x saint As the royal family's only Alpha princess, Hebe was the rightful heir to the throne. Every day, she attended hearings before Prince Enoch, who was gravely ill. Prince Enoch was her aunt's widower. The first Omega to demand the right to enlist, he rose to the rank of general amid countless rumors and slanders. But a battle left him paralyzed from the waist down, and he was sent back to the palace to recover. Hebe always knelt, observing the etiquette and rules expected of a younger relative. Yet beneath those dark eyes, undercurrents churned. No one knew that she had chased after Enoch since the age of six, looking up to him for years and secretly hoping that the saint who saved all living beings would bend down and give her an embrace meant only for Hebe. Hebe was a young beast raised in the jungle. Without Enoch knowing, she had already grown sharp fangs and claws. The possessiveness surging through her blood grew fiercer by the day, until one day it would burn away all her humility and obedience. "Countless people want to possess you. Behind your back, they speak obscenely of your life spent widowed for so many years, your body starved of comfort, and what you look like when your whole body flushes during your heat." The girl he had always treated as a younger relative wounded Enoch and stirred his shame and anger with her innocent tone and explicit words. "But you can only be mine." Hebe gazed at Enoch, broken and in tears, yet refusing to submit, then sighed and kissed his lips. "You, and the throne, are both what Aunt left to me. Enoch, you are mine." Much later, Enoch came to understand that being imprisoned by Hebe in a golden cage, unable to break free or escape, and devoting his entire being to the young emperor was his destiny. Notes: 1. The average life expectancy in this setting is 200 years. The leads are nine years apart. 2. Both leads are virgins. The male lead was only engaged to the female lead's aunt; they never married. 3. The female lead is straightforward. The male lead indulges her at first, then tempts her later. [The female lead's prophetic dreams aren't from a past life. Important! The male lead wasn't assaulted in a past life.] 4. This is the author's personal preference. The story contains no BL or GL elements. ABO is for heterosexual romance. *Updated daily at noon. A midday update is my ideal, but it will usually be later. Still, updates are daily. Coming soon: *The Huntress and the Young Prince [Matriarchy]* Suying was an ordinary huntress. One day, in the mountains, she found an injured man with fine clothes, fair skin, and striking looks. He was clearly someone important. Afraid of damaging his reputation, she hid him at home for the time being. He couldn't get used to the food or the place, and he wouldn't speak to her. He only stared out the window in a daze. Suying went to the market to buy him the finest silk, caring for him like a jade Buddha on an altar. One night, he tugged at her clothes. Suying stumbled onto the bed. One night of passion. "I like you." She kissed him with the reverence of a prayer. She wanted to marry him and treat him well for the rest of her life. If he was willing. The next day, the man vanished. A year passed, then another. With fewer and fewer animals to hunt in the mountains, Suying went down the mountain to find work. Then she came across a noblewoman seeking a husband in the street. The emperor's most beloved youngest son, Ji Lanting, sat on a high platform in silks and fine clothes, lazily waving a round fan as he looked over the crowd. A faint black mole sat at the corner of his eye, and his lustrous eyes glittered with a sidelong glance. He was the man she had taken in. The noble lord, whom people called "immoral and wanton," was the same man Suying gazed up at. All she could remember was how he had sat with his knees drawn up by a dilapidated window, looking out at the night rain, his eyes full of sorrow. "Little girl, being my consort isn't easy. Have you thought it through?" "I have. I like you." On the crystal bed, Suying lowered her head and touched his flushed, jade-like face, making her solemn vow. "No matter what happens, I'll protect you forever." 1. Matriarchy romance. The male lead is a widower with a bad reputation, but he is a virgin. 2. The female lead goes from huntress to great general, and the male lead will destroy a kingdom. 3. Sweetness from beginning to end. Theme: Love life.