A/N: I'm not gonna lie. This is probably a rather silly fic XD I have never tried to write in this genre. Since it is a "fairytale", the language must differ from the one in my usual stories. I have only finished one chapter at the moment and am not sure if I should continue this crack thing or not (my holiday is ending soon anyway). If someone seriously wants to read this, I might consider continuing it, even if my tight schedule forbids me XD Just tell me what you think!

There was once a small kingdom in the East. It was ruled by a respectable emperor named Wang Yao. The man ascended the throne when he was fifteen. Being an intelligent and competent ruler, he was able to guide his kingdom towards prosperity. The Kingdom of Fire established prominent and cooperative ties with the neighbouring countries. The trades flourished because of cheap labour and low tariffs. Soon, the kingdom became one of the leading providers of fake goods around the globe. Emperor Yao despised wars so he would strive to retain peace in his own little realm.

Despite his age, Emperor Yao made himself look like he was in his early twenties with ancient Chinese magic (It was a secret recipe which he refused to tell anyone). He had amber eyes and long, black hair which he usually tied in a neat ponytail. He had an appealing appearance. Because of his feminine features, many mistook him for a girl. There was also a childish side of him which never faded however many decades passed. He was infatuated with adorable things like plushies and pandas. "Cuteness" was his charm.

Emperor Yao's beauty attracted suitors from various places. Even after they realised that he was an alpha, they continued courting him. Emperor Yao eventually married according to his parents' wills. He was betrothed to a beautiful omega princess from a foreign country. Unluckily for him, the queen died after their first son, Cheng, was born. Yao married again. This time, the second omega queen gave birth to a daughter, Mei. The mother, too, died soon in a disease. Devastated, Yao married again. The third queen gave birth to a boy named Yong Soo. She died on a voyage when the ship encountered a fatal storm. Slowly losing hope, Yao married yet again. This time, the beta queen granted him a son named Leon. She didn't die, but she fled with a French ambassador during a royal ball and was never seen again. Yao later met a princess from a northern kingdom, namely the Kingdom of Snow. Princess Anya fell in love with Emperor Yao at first sight and was determined to make him hers. She resorted to her father, King Winter, and proposed a marriage between the two countries. Yao took the offer because he reckoned Anya might be able to mother his children. The two got married and fortunately stayed together for years.

As much as Emperor Yao doted on his kids, he had great expectations of them. He was extremely proud when his firstborn, Cheng, turned out to be an alpha. Cheng was tall and charming. He had brown hair and inherited Yao's amber orbs. He combed his bangs to one side and wore a pair of glasses. He was smart and calculating. He never needed a lot of time to learn. His calmness and maturity pleased Yao as the boy never broke a rule and was always loyal to his father. He also cared a lot about the poor and was constantly suggesting policies that could ameliorate poverty in the kingdom. When Cheng reached fifteen, he was able to take over the majority of works in his father's place.

Mei was a gorgeous beta girl with long, wavy hair and dark orbs. She, too, was intelligent and kind-hearted. She was very skilled at arts and grew up to be an elegant princess. She tried not to disappoint her father. Nevertheless, she had a dream of her own. She sometimes felt caged in her royal life and demanded more independence. For this reason, she constantly bickered with Emperor Yao, who was very protective of his kids.

Yong Soo was a very optimistic and energetic boy. Like his siblings, he had dark brown hair, but a weird flyaway curl stuck out on the right side of his head. He was tall and handsome. He was loud and talkative. He never hesitated to voice his opinions. He loved playing pranks on his siblings, flirting with girls and groping the servants. He got into trouble frequently, but Emperor Yao always forgave him because his cherubic personality reminded him strongly of his deceased wife. Yong Soo grew up to be a strong, confident alpha.

Now, Leon wasn't so lucky. He looked plain and ordinary. He did inherit his father's traits but he took after his mother's thick eyebrows. Emperor Yao remained bitter about his fourth wife's unfaithfulness. At one point, he wanted to disown Leon and make him live with his uncle, King Arthur, from the notorious Pirate Kingdom instead. After sending him away for seven years, however, Yao felt guilty and realised that it was never Leon's fault to begin with. Therefore, he retrieved his son and now the teenage boy returned to his family. The boy was rather introverted and reclusive compared to his siblings. He didn't speak much. He worked hard to gain others' attention, but no matter how much he tried, he could never outshine his brothers. He could never be as brilliant and distinguished as Cheng; as stunning and gracious as Mei and as cheerful and lovable as Yong Soo. This fact alone made him a somewhat pessimistic being. Therefore, to avoid trouble, he simply stayed out of things. Emperor Yao never bothered much with him, especially after he learnt that his youngest son was an omega.

When Leon was fifteen, both his brothers were already working for their father. All they ever discussed at meals were politics and international affairs. Leon wasn't allowed to join them because Emperor Yao doubted his competence and also because of his status as an omega. In a world of hierarchy, omegas were presumably the lowest rank of beings. They only existed to mate with alphas and reproduce. During his heats, he was locked inside his own chamber for protection. When he was allowed to go out, he would hang around the palace and mind his own business. He did have a thing for firecrackers and explosives. He would do his little experiments in the botanic garden. No one minded him and he was glad that he was alone. He didn't like politics so he didn't feel bad about not being able to interfere with the kingdom's issues. Although he was ignored most of the time, he was still a prince. Whatever luxury he desired, he was granted. He also had a gigantic stuffed panda to hang out with.

One day, he caught his sister sobbing miserably in her chamber. He knocked on the door and being a sweet boy he was, asked if she was alright. Although Mei was always busy attending proms, she treated her little brother fairly. He was worried to see her cry.

"Oh Leon, I'm going to leave very soon," she wept and hugged him. "I don't want to marry him!"

"Who?"

"I don't even know his name!" she cried. "Father arranged it! I have no choice!"

It turned out that Mei was betrothed to the prince from Ice Kingdom.

"I haven't even met him once!" she grumbled, wiping all her snot on Leon's shoulder.

Leon frowned and stroked his sister's back.

He didn't know how to respond to her rants because marriage sounded like a distant concept to him. He was damn sure no one would want to marry someone like him.

"I'll miss you terribly," she said.

"Maybe he's, like, not that bad?" Leon tried to comfort her.

"But I don't love him!" Mei said. "I'm already in love with someone else!"

"Oh."

Leon wrapped his arms around his sister to reassure her. He felt bad that she had to marry someone against her will. Yet, he couldn't do a thing to help. Emperor Yao was very stubborn. They could never rebel against him.

He could only wish her luck and prayed that the prince she was going to marry was some decent guy.

Unfortunately, he never saw her again because that night, Mei ran away. She eloped with the prime minister, Kiku Honda. The two evaded the palace and disappeared into the night.

Emperor Yao was enraged. Once he learnt of his missing daughter, he vowed to hunt down the two pitiable lovebirds and punish them. He dispatched teams of people to look for her.

"Aiyah! What a pain in the neck!" Emperor Yao croaked. "How could she do this to me?"

"Father, I'm sure she will come back very soon," Cheng said calmly. "She is just throwing one of her tantrums."

"What if she doesn't come back?" Yong Soo asked.

Emperor Yao gasped.

That was a real, serious question. They had struck a marriage deal with the Kingdom of Ice. The deal brought along trade benefits and financial cooperation. If it was broken, the other kingdom might grow hostile and wage a war against them.

"Wǒ de tiān ah (My God)! This marriage is super important!" Yao cried. "If they don't get a bride, they might come after us and invade us!"

"Oh no, what should we do now?" Yong Soo asked.

"The wedding is tomorrow!" Yao said.

"We won't be able to find Mei in time," Cheng analysed.

"Should we postpone it?" Yong Soo suggested.

"Not a good idea," Cheng said. "They will know something fishy is going on."

"What should we do then?"

The three men exchanged glances contemplatively. Leon sat quietly in one corner reading his book. Yao glimpsed his forgotten son and snapped his fingers.

"Ah I know!" Yao exclaimed, "We find a substitute!"

"What?" Cheng and Yong Soo stared at their father dubiously.

"We need to find someone to replace Mei while we're looking for her."

"You mean someone to disguise her da-ze!" Yong Soo smiled.

"Exactly!"

"But we don't have anyone who looks like her," Cheng argued.

"If we must pick someone, then it has to be…"

The three men all turned around and glanced at Leon. The boy slowly looked up with a blank face.

"Leon!" Yao raced to embrace his son.

Now, Leon was totally frightened. He had never received this much attention in his whole damn life. Even while he was living with his uncle, King Arthur, he was usually cast aside in one corner, which was actually a pleasant thing because otherwise, Arthur would force him to do English grammar exercise or try his poisonous homemade scones. His two brothers gazing at him expectedly made his heart thump faster than when he was trying out bungee-jumping on the palace's roof, which he miserably failed and ended up with a broken arm and a sprained ankle.

"Oh my dearest son, you're our only hope now!" Yao said and rubbed his cheek against Leon's. The boy frowned and attempted to shove his suddenly affectionate father away.

"Leon, you're the perfect solution!" Cheng pointed out.

"Yea, you can disguise yourself as Mei since you resemble her the most!" Yong Soo echoed.

"And you're an omega! Easy to trick them with your scent!" Yao said. "It should be fine!"

"Really."

Leon scowled and stood up. He slammed his book and glared at the other three men. "What, like, makes you think that this is even possible? Aren't we, like, already infamous for producing so many fake goods? If they know that the bride they're taking is also a substitute, I'm sure as hell they're gonna, like, start a war with us."

"If we don't find a substitute, we'll go into a war for sure!" Yao said. "You wouldn't want to ruin this kingdom, right?"

"Oh Leon, this is the sole way out that benefits us most," Cheng said.

"It's just a disguise da-ze!" Yong Soo said. "We'll swap you with Mei after we find her!"

"You guys don't, like, even understand," Leon said. "Mei ran away because she doesn't want to marry someone she doesn't love. And you are, like, forcing her into this. She couldn't stand it so she left."

"It's her duty as a princess!" Yao said. "She is now running away from her responsibility and endangering this entire kingdom with her selfishness. I will not allow so. She must come back. But for now, we really must need your help, Leon."

"We'll just have to dress you up a bit, put on a wig or something. Then all is good da-ze!" Yong Soo clapped, seemingly satisfied with the thought.

Leon stared at his family in disgust.

"It's about time you do something for this kingdom!" Yao added. "I know you're a good son."

"Please do consider our situation, brother," Cheng said.

"What if, like, they find out?" Leon raised his eyebrows.

"Oh they won't! Because you only have to go through the ceremony. I'm sure after that we'll have found Mei!" Yao assured.

"Oh…um…" Leon frowned.

"That's settled then!" Yao jumped mirthfully around the hall. "Let's prepare for tomorrow's wedding! Nothing should go wrong or we'll lose trillion dollars of trades!"

"Hurrah!" Yong Soo joined in the cheer and the two scampered out of the hall.

"Are you, like, sure this is gonna work?" Leon asked Cheng quizzically.

"It should," Cheng smiled faintly and patted his shoulder. "Don't worry too much, bro."

And so reluctantly, Leon agreed to tag along with his family's tactics. They gave him a wig that resembled Mei's hair. They put on massive make-up on his face and dressed him in traditional Chinese styled clothing. The red wedding gown was sewed with golden threads and had sophisticated patterns of flowers and dragons. It reached down to his ankles and showed off his rather slender curves. They stuffed fabrics between his chests to make them look like breasts. He would prefer peach buns but they said he would eat them during his journey.

"You look absolutely beautiful, my child!" Yao exclaimed. The two older brothers scanned Leon from head to toe and had to agree that he might, in fact, look even better than Mei when dressed up properly.

"Do they know what Mei looks like?" Cheng asked.

"I sent them a portrait once," Yao said. "They immediately liked her and demanded to know more about her."

"Oh…so they might figure this out."

"Hey, we all know that's just a portrait," Yao said, folding his arms. "They can't blame us if the real person doesn't look the same because that would be the painter's fault!"

"We never produce products that match the displayed pictures anyway." Yong Soo laughed.

"Plus, Leon here looks decent and beautiful enough!" Yao said. "They wouldn't complain!"

"Wait a moment," Leon interrupted and put up a hand, "I, like, only have to do this for a while, right? After you find Mei, I'll come back, eh?"

"Of course." Yao rolled his eyes and pinched Leon's cheek. "Just do your job. We'll get Mei back very soon! And that damn Kiku!"

"Okay…" Leon nodded.

"I'm glad they allow him to dress in a Chinese gown," Yao mumbled thoughtfully as he walked out of his son's chamber. "They can't tell the difference between us Asians anyway."

They covered Leon's face with a scarlet veil made of exquisite silk and got into an enormous golden carriage pulled by a green dragon. Soon, they were on their way to the northern land!

On the other side of the world, Prince Emil was pacing around his room anxiously. If he could just jump out of the window, mount a horse and flee, he would. Yet, Queen Lukas would probably send his troll and a group of fairies after him. He had tried that before and had barely made it to the palace gate before getting dragged back by his mother.

He was the prince of Ice Kingdom, the beloved son of King Mathias and Queen Lukas. King Mathias was a gallant warrior and since his reign, the kingdom had been thriving and expanding in the North continuously. By his side was Queen Lukas, a gifted, enchanting beta who came from a rare, noble magical family. With his help, the kingdom was able to stand strong and undefeatable.

Their precious son, Emil, however, didn't quite take after them. He was neither gallant nor gifted. He hated fighting and didn't particular excel in studies. He also messed up his magic a lot. Because of this, he had felt inferior since he was a kid. He believed that he could never live up to his parents' standards. He spent most of his time talking to his pet, Mr. Puffin, reading and drawing in his own chamber. He didn't like socialising with anyone because whenever his parents tried to introduce him to members from other royal families, he would feel pressured. He didn't want to let his parents down. And he had nothing special to boast about. As a result, he often reminded shy.

As his marriageable age inched closer, King Mathias and Queen Lukas grew worried about their alpha son's future. He hardly even left the palace and interacted with others. Noticing his loneliness, they decided to seek a perfect bride for him. They came across this exotic kingdom in the East offering generous trades with them. Seizing this economic opportunity, they started having financial deals with the Kingdom of Fire. Around that time, they also realised that Emperor Yao had a daughter renowned for her beauty and gracefulness. After seeing her portrait and learning that she possessed a kind, loving nature, they became more convinced that she was the right candidate for Emil's marriage.

However, Emil wasn't so interested in getting married. It sounded like a nightmare to him, actually. He had been indulging in his time alone and he surely didn't want to spend his life with someone else so fast, let alone a person he had never met face-to-face. When Lukas showed him the portrait, he only glimpsed it and shrugged. He tried to tell his parents that it was still too early for him to get married, but they wouldn't listen. They deemed it a right choice.

"You need a wife," Queen Lukas said. "Someone who's able to look after you."

"Someone who can grant us plenty of grandchildren!" King Mathias laughed.

Emil sighed. He didn't want to disappoint his parents but at the same time, this arranged marriage sickened him. He wasn't even planning to take the throne. For all he knew, his more confident and talented younger brother, Sigurd, would most likely become the heir.

"Why can't I just live alone in peace?" he wondered.

The wedding took place in their grand hall. Not many royal families were invited because Emil didn't want to make it a big deal. He begged his parents to keep things simple and swift. He just wanted to get over the ceremony as quickly as possible. He wasn't even going to speak to that girl unless necessary. He had already planned on ignoring her until she couldn't endure it anymore and request a divorce. That would be fantastic!

Everything was decorated in white. There was a big wedding cake. Music started playing. He stood waiting for his bride. The girl was unexpectedly tall. When she came closer, she was the same height as Emil. Emil frowned slightly at this but didn't dwell much on it. The priest began to talk and they quickly exchanged their vows. He slid the ring onto the bride's finger. When they were asked to kiss, he grunted and kissed her on the head, not even lifting her veil.

Everyone clapped and gave them their blessings. The newly wedded couple walked down the aisle and out of the hall.

Emil didn't join the celebration, of course. He claimed that he would like to retreat to his bedroom with his wife. They all nodded understandingly. He just simply didn't want to be there.

Emil rolled his eyes and peeked at the girl.

"Are you going to stay or come with me?" he asked.

The girl twitched a little but didn't reply.

"Hello? I'm talking to you," Emil said.

"Oh…um…" she coughed and fidgeted with her hands. "Yea, sure."

"Sure what?"

"Like, go with ya?"

Emil frowned. The girl had a funny voice. It almost sounded constrained. He let it slide.

"You can't see what's ahead. Why don't you take off your veil?"

"No," the girl rejected promptly. "It's…it's against our tradition. The veil must be taken off inside the chamber."

"That's a very odd tradition."

Emil sighed, not going to comment further on those peculiar Chinese traditions. He took her hand and led her down the hallway.

As soon as they reached their chamber, he let go of her hand and asked her to rest anywhere she wanted.

"Look, I want nothing to do with you as much as you don't want to be here," Emil said. "I know you're probably forced into this and so am I. So yea, I'm not going to do anything to you. Don't worry. You can continue to enjoy your royal princess life here and do whatever you want. Sounds good and fair?"

Emil flopped down on a chair and crossed his legs. He stared at the unmoving figure patiently, rather proud of his speech. She must be stunned because she couldn't even respond.

"Okay, maybe that's too harsh," Emil said. "What I mean is, I'm not ready for this yet. I suppose you aren't either. So, not to impose on both of us, why don't we keep on living the way we used to first?"

The girl finally nodded after a prolonged moment of silence.

Emil tilted his head. Now, he was really curious. Although he didn't want to have anything to do with her, he wanted to know what she actually looked like, at least. After all, they would be sharing the same bed. He couldn't possibly ask her to sleep on the floor or on the couch. If he requested for separate chambers, Lukas would know.

"Why aren't you taking off the veil?" Emil stood up. "We're already in the chamber. There're only you and me. Thought the tradition says you could only show your face to your husband?"

The girl shifted uncomfortably. She was sitting on the edge of the bed.

Emil frowned and walked towards her.

"Oh I get it," he said. "I'm the one who takes it off?"

The girl shook her head and fiddled with her fingers.

Emil reached out his hand. She suddenly flinched and stood up. She ran over to the other side of the room.

"Hey!" Emil scowled and chased after her. She was surprisingly agile and fast if only she hadn't stumbled on her high heels and tripped. When she landed on the ground, the fabrics between her chests slid out. He caught up with her and grabbed her veil, accidentally grabbing her hair as well. Everything came off.

Emil stared wide-eyed at the person in front of him. The girl…no…the boy blinked back nonchalantly. He had short choppy brown hair and dark eyes. His face was still adorned by rouge and lipstick. An orchid clip adhered to his bangs. He propped himself up with his elbows and got back up.

"Look, I can totally, like, explain," the boy said monotonously.

Emil couldn't take it anymore.

He fainted.