3 MAYBE I HAVE A CHANCE, RIGHT?

The shortbread cookies were really delicious. She chewed them slowly as her heart calmed down.

It hadn't been that long since the queen had been away, but Liu Wei had a rare expectation in her mind to see her return and join the table again.

But instead she watched her maid accompanied by the royal secretary approach.

"Miss."

"Yeah?"

"Has Your Excellency already decided what your skill will be? We are gathering this information in advance to better prepare the Palace."

"Have the others already chosen?"

"Yes, only Miss and the Queen are missing."

"Well, I'll dance to a song, Anna take the files to the secretary that we've set aside for the presentation."

"I'll do it right away."

"Well."

Anna soon went in search of the files and the secretary stayed with Liu Wei.

"We will prepare everything for your Excellency, do not hesitate to ask us for anything."

Liu Wei smiled and seemed to have something more important in mind at that moment. "Of course... Is the queen all right?"

"The Queen?"

"Yes. She had to leave in a hurry."

Even though the Queen always had people asking about her, there weren't many who asked how she was. Huan Yang smiled in satisfaction, the queen he served seemed to be very much loved by that princess.

"Yes, your majesty has just left and is due to arrive at the hospital soon, it is a complicated situation for the patient's family, but the queen is quite experienced."

Liu Wei was a little more relieved, but the idea of the queen having a profession besides royalty seemed dazzling.

Was there something Wang Zheng didn't know how to do? Liu wei doubted there was.

"I see. That's good."

"Yes, now I must withdraw."

"OK."

There were only two shortbread cookies left now and the tea would fill no more than a cup, the sweet taste in her mouth mingling with the confusion within her heart. Liu Wei had many things to think about and resolve.

At zero hour, noon, everyone was getting ready for lunch and despite the queen not being with them at the table, the guests behaved very well.

Of course, they behaved knowing that the royal officials would be Wang Zheng's eyes and ears in her absence.

Liu Wei sat in the last chair in the row and even though she tried not to attract attention, she could feel that everyone was looking her way.

Despite some curious and other hostile looks, she was able to easily converse with the omega sitting next to her: Li Zhang. Liu Wei was not very talkative and just behaved like a good listener while the other talked excitedly about various subjects.

Lunch was almost over and everyone was talking excitedly among themselves about something.

Li Zhang seemed immersed in her thoughts and let out a sighing breath, catching Liu Wei's attention. "I'm curious what skill the queen will display."

Liu Wei's heart sped up, she was very interested in any subject that involved the queen.

"There are many?"

"Well, she's the best at a lot of things... She's dragged in numerous titles from countless championships."

Liu Wei could hear Li Zhang's melodious voice when talking about Wang Zheng and her heart was sour.

"I see... You seem to understand well about how things work within this country."

"I've been working here for a few years now and I've also lived here for at least 15 years. I'm almost a native now."

Liu Wei was surprised, not expecting to see someone outside of some line of succession present. "You are a noble?"

Li Zhang had a somewhat tragic life story. Her home country, a small island in the extreme south of EuroAsia was invaded by a neighboring country and the royal family was forced to flee and spent a few years seeking refuge in other countries until Wang's country accepted them.

"I'm a princess without a country... It's a long story, but we've received some privileges from the royal family and officially become part of the nobility, but in exceptional situations I'm considered a princess."

About Exceptional Situations: Bloody Spring.

It was obvious that Li Zhang already had an interest in Wang Zheng and the fact that they were both omegas didn't affect her at all.

"I see. You chose to come here."

"Yes... The queen has never been rumored to be dating anyone, not even a teenage crush... I wonder if she would be interested in an omega like me... Maybe I have a chance, right?"

Liu Wei knew that she had a lot of feelings for the queen, but was she really willing to go that far?! In her country, marriage between two omegas wasn't even legalized.

"Maybe."

Night had already set in for a few hours, but insomnia was still a cruel reality. Even the soft bed and the squeaky clean air didn't make her eyelids feel heavy.

Liu Wei was really happy with her room. Her room was a safe place and it comforted her, there was no trace of pheromones.

So she took advantage of her rare free moments to read and only the yellowish light of the lighting next to the bed was present.

Liu Wei heard a car screeching to a halt. Someone had arrived. Her first reflex was to get up from her bed and push aside a small gap in the heavy curtains that covered the windows and see who was there. She had a small hope that it was Wang Zheng and seeing the car door open and the woman's beautiful legs slowly exposing herself, she can have her certainty come true.

Wang Zheng was wearing a different outfit. A tailored pants with a high collar blouse, the defined waist made it more stunning, the slightly unruly and disheveled strands gave an air of naturalness and sensuality that Liu Wei had not yet experienced in the queen's figure.

Her glands itched and her heart was pounding like crazy.

The princess did not know how long she had been hiding there watching the queen converse with her servants and was a little envious of the kind smiles she offered them.

But the climax was when the queen suddenly stared at her window, their eyes met and the queen smiled widely, despite the discreet light in front of the palace, the amused expression on Wang Zheng's face was clear.

Liu Wei just hid herself and ran under her covers. She was freaking out. That smile was the end of her.

The princess, even trapped in her moment of shame, still shyly asked herself: when will I be able to feel that pineapple flavor again?

Wang Zheng thought the little omega's reaction was funny, that girl was full of youth and energy that made her sweet and attractive. If it hadn't been for the strong taste of mint almost suffocating her, her first impression of the princess would have been very positive. Pheromones weren't absolute proof of anything, but some scents just didn't go together, maybe that was the situation between them.

The queen looked at the window once more and now there was not the slightest trace of light or Liu Wei, she waited for her secretary to approach and finally entered the palace.

She needed a good rest.

The day dawned and breakfast was already on the table. Liu Wei slept peacefully, but was interrupted by her maid.

The subtle touch of the icy fingers woke her up without much difficulty, although she was a little stunned and she woke and then stood up.

"Good morning, Miss."

Liu Wei was not in a good mood when she woke up and Anna was already used to it, so she would only give brief commands or warnings until the young princess was fully awake.

"Good Morning..."

"The queen is calling all the guests for breakfast, she will make an official announcement. Take a shower and I'll help you choose a comfortable outfit."

"OK."

Anna chose a comfortable wool blouse along with a simple black skirt. Her long hair tied in a side braid made her look sweet and gentle.

Her milky, flushed skin didn't need a lot of touch-ups, she just used a light lip gloss to keep her lips hydrated and she was ready to start the day.

The table where everyone gathered looked like a small battlefield. All dressed in fine, elegant clothes to impress the Queen, and each one's personal servants appeared as if ready to commit a crime.

The air was full of tension.

Liu Wei was punctual and arrived first. She sat there watching the unanswered messages on her cell phone, she didn't particularly mind digging into the internet, she preferred to read books, but in situations like that when she was completely alone he came in handy.

Gradually each guest arrived and sat down and in fifteen minutes everyone was present, including Wang Zheng.

"Good morning everyone."

"Good morning, your majesty."

The queen wore a white dress with black lace. Her slightly wavy hair gave her an extremely cute and sweet look, Liu Wei liked what she saw very much.

"Well, as you know today is the first official day of Bloody Spring and the country is already celebrating... If you walk around the cities you can hear music and laughter. It's a really contagious atmosphere and today we will have the first official banquet with everyone from nobility and royal councils..."

In Wang's country there were three councils: council of elders, which were mostly nobles; advice from merchants, who were normally the most wealthy people after the king; and finally, the clergy council, made up of religious leaders from the most diverse religions and worship. They had the role of advising the king and on rare occasions could make decisions in their fields.

The royal feasts during the bloody spring were always held before and after some of the stages. As the first stage was about to begin and she was supposed to be showered with alcohol and food.

Every important person in the kingdom would be present, from nobles to merchants.

It was a moment of celebration, but the purpose was political.

The royal wedding was a political act.

When you were king, everything that involved the existence of a kingdom would be understood as a political act and celebrations were not simply celebrations, they were moments of negotiation and creation of alliances.

The queen continued her speech: "As you know while you are inside my palace all your steps are being watched, I hope you don't mind...."

"And finally tomorrow we will start with the first stage and the meetings will be held in order of arrival. You have already been informed in advance of your orders so please prepare well."

At that moment Wang Zheng did not spare her eyes to Liu Wei, the little princess should prepare well, it was a small warning. The young girl looked away in embarrassment and focused her gaze on the small piece of cake that was on her plate.

The queen laughed when she saw the girl's ears completely red.

"All of you are allowed to leave the palace and walk around the kingdom, don't be shy, but be sure to notify the Royal Guard. After all, as you can't use pheromone control drugs, it's important that you have extra security..."

"... The guards are already warned and ready to follow you anywhere. Also, we will make available some of our barrier protectors for the glands, they are only distributed within the country, but don't worry about the quality, they are more efficient than common barrier protectors...."

The queen was always accompanied by several servants and in the absence of the secretary there were half a dozen more servants capable of doing his work. A young woman approached and whispered something in Wang Zheng's ear.

The queen smiled contentedly.

Wang Zheng was the national equestrian champion for many years and only didn't keep competing because she was too busy running the country. But now she was planning her return in style and asked one of the organizers of the national championship that the venue for the event would be the big royal ranch: a huge and perfect place for a high level competition.

The queen's intention was to put on a great show with a fair and fireworks for her subjects and guests to enjoy.

"Good. Ask my secretary to prepare a thank-you gift."

"As you wish."

The woman bowed slightly and left the room quickly.

Everyone watched curiously.

The saltwater-smelling alpha was the bravest in questioning the queen. "Your majesty is very busy?"

She smiled satisfied. "No, it's just something related to my skills presentation. I think it will be exciting."

"Good."

For Wang Zheng, the pheromone of that alpha, Chen Fu, was really unpleasant, she had the constant feeling of being on the high seas accompanied by fish and the sea air.

The other alpha, Yang Fan, also decided to be brave and speak to the queen.

"I hear you're a doctor, do you have time to go to the hospital? I was really curious about that."

Yang Fan had a much lighter and more relaxed posture than Chen Fu and it was clear that as alphas they were competing with each other to show who was the best.

The queen laughed at this stupid little competition.

Despite the alphas' constant sense of dominance, Yang Fan grew up in a very traditional environment and she had in mind that she should woo and please the omega so that they could have a thriving union.

Yang Fan wanted to show her genuine interest in Wang Zheng and make her feel wanted.

Although female alpha is the best option among alphas, there would be many difficulties if the two countries decided to join forces. Wang Zheng will not leave the post of queen and Yang Fan is the first heir to the throne of her country, what would happen if they decided to get married?

But for Yang Fan it didn't hurt to have fun and meet new people, increasing diplomacy with Wang's country was enough and there wasn't such a strong need for them to get married.

"Well, I'm the director of the royal hospital and I work more with the bureaucratic part, as a doctor I work only in the most serious cases. We have many good doctors, it's not necessary for me to see many patients"

"Good. Really impressive."

Li Zhang was excited about that conversation and could clearly remember her college days. "I remember when we were in college and Your Majesty was really popular on campus."

Li Zhang spent much of her life in Wang's country, and her love for literature was quickly discovered. After releasing her first novel, she entered college and for four years studied classical and contemporary literature to the point of being invited to work as a temporary teacher and later on as a permanent teacher.

Wang Zheng knew her well, as part of the royal college's annual budget was directly from the royal family she knew the professors of most courses very well and Li Zhang was an omega very famous for her books and was often considered a great celebrity having her stories adapted for movies and series across EuroAsia.

The queen laughed funny as she recalled her college days. She had a lot of fan clubs that followed her everywhere. "It was hard not to draw attention."

"I remember that some omegas got together to make a fan club and in all their competitions they would go."

Queen smiles broadly and all the attention turns to Li Zhang, that omega looked much braver than all the others there combined. "Did you get to go on any?"

Zhang reflected for some time and smiled a little sadly. "I went to college right before you graduated, I just heard rumors."

"Oh, well I'd remember your face if you were."

The rose-scented omega was really pretty. Her red hair and tanned skin were a very distinct and unusual contrast in Wang's country, and wherever she went she would be noticed and admired.

"Really?"

"Of course. They were really loud and would watch me even under the scorching sun. I often asked them to bring cold drinks so they could refresh themselves."

Some people at the table desperately wanted to join the conversation, especially the beta Yen Bai.

Yen Bai couldn't stand out for many reasons: he was a beta, he wasn't that handsome, he wasn't very strong, his temper was bad, and he was still third in line for his country's succession. But he desperately wanted to prove his love to the Queen and his country.

"Your majesty participated in what kind of tournament?"

"I used to practice equestrianism."

"Do you still ride a horse often?"

"No. I don't have time, but every now and then we still have the official hunts and I get to ride freely through the kingdom's forest..."

Yen Bai didn't know how to continue the conversation, Yang Fan laughed with that foolish man and continued the conversation herself.

"I hear you are a martial arts expert, is that true?"

Yang Fan was a very competent military man, she mastered numerous forms of martial arts and it was knowledge that she possessed a lot of mastery of.

"Yes, but that was because at the time the country was at war and it would be a matter of time to take the throne. I didn't even enter the battlefield they made a request for a ceasefire when I was still on my way."

Yang Fan was familiar with the story. When wang Zheng was still a little omega she was forced to pack her things and march to one of the borders of Wang's country, her father died while she was away and she was not even able to properly care for her father. A ceasefire was necessary, both countries were in crisis and could no longer maintain the destruction and construction of weapons.

"Your majesty would accept a fencing duel, just for fun."

"Well, sure, be nice to me."

Liu Wei was stunned by Wang Zheng, would she accept a duel so easily? Everyone thought alike: Wasn't the queen afraid of getting hurt?

Only Yang Fan was extremely excited about the possibility of fighting the queen.

Really exciting.

"When we can?"

The queen looked thoughtful, but soon seemed to have a great idea. "How about if we open today's feast with our little duel? There's nothing better than after a good fight drinking some wine and eating good food."

"Excellent."

Wang Zheng waved at one of the quiet maids in the corner of the room and the girl soon approached. "Have them prepare a fencing space in the royal hall."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Well, enjoy breakfast, it's really delicious."