<Episode 109>

Elkais lost the bet.

“Haa…”

“One month.”

“Damn it.”

He was annoyed that he had failed to endure, yet at the same time, he wasn’t upset at all. In fact, he felt euphoric—his ears burned, and his face felt like it might explode.

“Why do you look so happy?”

Elkais was too drained to filter his words.

“I may not last a month, but you told me you love me.”

“And that makes you happy enough to accept losing a whole month?”

“…Yeah.”

He truly meant it.

Whether it was a month or even two, he felt like he could endure it.

Eveline was undeniably beautiful, and she drove him mad.

Being with her, touching her—it was pure bliss.

But hearing her say she loved him? That satisfaction was even greater.

“I can’t even scold you when you smile like that.”

Eveline sighed, stroking his flushed cheek.

As if completely exhausted, he collapsed against her chest, breathing heavily.

“This is the happiest day of my life.”

But then—

“Ugh…”

“Eveline!”

Blood suddenly trickled from her nose and mouth.

“Elkais… ngh…”

The same happened to him.

Something was definitely wrong.

“Eveline…”

As he stared at her unconscious form, he realized—

This wasn’t something they could ignore.

* * *

Elkais was the first to wake.

He carefully washed Eveline, dressed her, and then changed his own clothes before carrying her in his arms and heading toward the young duke’s room.

He had been there a few times before, so he knew where to go.

BANG!

“What the hell?!”

Abellard jolted awake as Elkais entered without knocking.

“What were you doing?”

“You insane bastard! You should’ve knocked first!”

Abellard shouted in outrage.

He had been sleeping with Eveline’s negligee in his arms.

“…Creepy.”

“Shut up. We were once bonded. Unlike you.”

“Have you forgotten that all three of us were bonded?”

“Ugh, whatever. Shut up. More importantly—why does Eve look like that?!”

His anger turned to panic as he realized the person in Elkais’ arms wasn’t a maid but Eveline herself.

“Eve!”

“Ugh…”

She slowly regained consciousness, glancing around.

The first thing she saw was Elkais’ worried expression. She chuckled.

“Eve! Were you asleep? Why did he bring you here?! You bastard!”

Abellard’s furious voice made Elkais frown.

But when Eveline looked at him and their eyes met, he quickly forced his face into a neutral expression.

She couldn’t help but laugh.

“Brother.”

“Eve, tell him to put you down. This is rude! He entered the Wilden estate uninvited! Do you realize this could start a territorial war?!”

“Brother, calm down.”

“…Fine.”

At her words, Elkais carefully set her down.

She was relieved to find that she could stand on her own again.

“Are you ready for war, then? Because I’d have no problem putting your head on a pike.”

“Sure you would.”

“Have you forgotten? Even with divine power, you can’t beat me.”

Abellard was irritated, but he knew it was true.

His power came from the goddess Yulias, but compared to Remeros, the leader of the three gods, it was weaker.

Moreover, the power of creation was about bringing things into existence, while his ability focused on restoring them.

“…There’s something wrong with the gods’ power, Brother.”

Abellard scoffed at Elkais’ disheveled appearance before looking at Eveline, noticing how neatly dressed she was.

“What? Does Remeros’ power not suit him?”

“No… Dekarv’s power doesn’t suit me.”

“What?”

Abellard’s expression hardened as he immediately approached her, taking her hands and pulling her fully into the room.

As he held her hands, he infused her with divine energy.

“Are you still in pain?”

“No… But what does it mean for the power to be incompatible?”

“Well…”

Abellard had assumed Elkais was the problem.

But knowing that Eveline was also affected made him uneasy.

“That’s strange. Eveline should be fine.”

“What do you mean?”

Elkais immediately stepped closer, standing right behind Eveline as he narrowed his eyes at Abellard.

“What does the power around your heart feel like, Eve?”

“It’s… massive. Sharp.”

“And you?”

“I don’t know. But it doesn’t feel small.”

Abellard studied Eveline’s complexion carefully before continuing.

“It’ll take time for each of you to adjust to the power.”

“Then why are you fine, Brother?”

“Well… the Goddess Yulias was always like that. She moved like water, flowing wherever she needed to.”

Divine power reflected the nature of the god it belonged to.

Upon hearing that, both Elkais and Eveline fell silent.

Yulias was gentle and adaptable.

But Remeros was rigid and unyielding.

And Dekarv… was a tyrant.

“And that’s why you and Elkais can’t be together. Give up.”

“What kind of bullshit is that?”

Elkais snapped, his irritation evident. Abellard smirked smugly.

“You inherited Remeros’ power. Eveline has Dekarv’s. Do you even know how much those two despised each other?”

“Then…”

“I’m fine, Eve. Yulias got along with both of them.”

Eveline felt a wave of anxiety, unconsciously looking at Elkais. Their eyes met.

“What should we do?”

“No idea. You’ll have to stabilize the power first. But I don’t know if Remeros’ power can ever truly be controlled.”

It wasn’t a simple issue.

Both Eveline and Elkais had a lot to think about.

* * *

“Eve.”

“Yes, Father.”

Eveline had fully stepped into her role as the lady of the house. She was learning to manage the responsibilities of a duchess and overseeing nearly all internal affairs of House Wilden, aside from Abellard’s external duties.

Thus, when the Duke of Wilden came to meet her, it was in her office.

“You have a visitor.”

“Who is it?”

“The Duke of Robein.”

“Oh, alright. I’ll go.”

The duke watched as Eveline rose from her seat, preparing to head downstairs.

As they walked down the hallway together, he suddenly asked—

“Eve, who do you want to marry?”

“…Excuse me?”

“Abellard told me you already know. That he isn’t our biological son.”

“Yes, I know. He already told me.”

Eveline’s thoughts grew heavier.

Aside from her growing responsibilities as a noble lady, she still had to find a way to stabilize her divine power.

It was strange how the gods’ powers functioned.

Even without being actively used, they influenced the world around them.

After Abellard had fully stabilized, the divine power that had momentarily vanished returned to the temple, and any incidents that had occurred due to the temporary loss of power had resolved themselves.

Interestingly, Yulias was no longer referred to as a goddess but as the current god of life. As if the world was now recognizing only the power itself.

“The Duke of Robein sent you a marriage proposal.”

“Did he?”

“You don’t seem surprised.”

“I’m not.”

She had expected Elkais to propose sooner or later.

She was only surprised that he had done it in a proper, formal manner rather than simply presenting her with a ring.

“Abellard also said he wants to marry you.”

“Ah… well, I don’t.”

“You don’t?”

“Yes. No matter what, he still feels like family. I don’t see him in a romantic way.”

“But you kissed him.”

“That was probably just artificial respiration.”

Eveline had rejected Abellard countless times, but he never listened.

And unfortunately, his feelings weren’t insincere or shallow, which made things even more troublesome.

“So, Eve. What do you want?”

Eveline almost laughed.

The duke only treated her so affectionately now because Abellard’s status as the heir was secured.

This wasn’t about her.

It was about ensuring that, whatever choice she made, the family would benefit the most.

“No matter who I choose, Abellard will still become Duke of Wilden, won’t he?”

“That’s right. But from our perspective, it would be better if you married Abellard.”

“And why is that?”

“If you marry him, you’ll stay in the duchy. I’d be saddened to see you leave for House Robein.”

At that, Eveline let out a quiet, amused scoff.

“No, it’s because you don’t like Elkais.”

She said nothing more and continued down to the drawing room.

Before she could enter, the duke spoke again.

“Crown Prince Ferite also sent you a marriage proposal.”

Eveline froze.

She turned to look at her father, her expression unreadable.

“He was your first love, wasn’t he?”

“The proposal.”

The duke hesitated, sensing something in her tone.

“Burn it. It’s useless.”

And with that, she entered the drawing room.

But when she opened the door, she realized—

Elkais wasn’t there.

Click.

As the door shut behind her, the silence confirmed it.

Elkais was truly nowhere in sight.

“…Elkais?”

Then—

“You missed me.”

A voice.

And then, a door that had previously been empty now opened, revealing Elkais stepping inside.

“I did some research. Want to test something out?”

“Are you seriously trying to mess around here?”

“In your own house, in your drawing room?”

He smirked.

Eveline laughed.

And then she nodded.