<Episode 26>
Elkais entered the cabin, dragging Grand Duke Croppers behind him.
“Your Grace, here.”
“Oh.”
There was also a hint of red on Elkais’s cheek. So, as a sign to wipe it, Eveline tapped her right cheek.
“Here.”
Then he handed me a handkerchief. Inside, there were some strawberries.
It was surprising that there was room to pick them, and his kind smile was unfamiliar, so I often just took the handkerchief and tried one.
“It’s delicious. Your Grace, have some too.”
“My hand hurts.”
“Again?”
“Yeah.”
Eveline looked at him suspiciously. But Elkais looked serious.
Somehow, she felt that he had no reason to lie to me, not even Abellard, so she sighed and picked up a strawberry and put it in his mouth.
“It’s quite tasty.”
“Indeed.”
He took what she offered and chuckled.
Eveline wiped the red mark on his cheek with her hand.
“Ugh…”
Rubellite, who seemed to have regained consciousness, was trying to sit up on the cabin floor.
“Water…”
“Yes.”
Eveline scooped water onto a broad leaf and handed it to him. He drank while lying down.
He still had a thirsty expression, so she handed him water a few more times.
She began to doubt whether the Grand Duke Croppers she knew was the same. She had never seen the Grand Duke act so pitiful before.
“What’s that smell?”
“Huh?”
Luckily, his voice sounded the same as before.
“It’s a foul smell.”
“…”
He looked at Eveline and covered his nose, wrinkling his face, and Eveline, flustered, stepped back from him and looked around.
“I’ll wash it off and come back. I didn’t realize it smelled.”
“What’s that…”
Elkais looked at her words with an expression that matched her impression, then glared at Rubellite.
“No, I’m going. I’m a Beta, so it’s natural. I’ll be back.”
“Don’t go. The sun will set soon.”
“The sunset hasn’t happened yet.”
“It might rain soon. And it’s dangerous outside.”
Elkais was even more confused by Eveline’s words. He seemed angry at her for avoiding eye contact with a blush of embarrassment.
“When did you two get along so well? The Duke Robein?”
“Your words are quite dirty.”
Rubellite Croppers finally sat up as if he were going to live.
“Can I eat that?”
“Huh.”
He asked, looking at the coconut pile Elkais had built.
“I’ll be back. Stay here.”
“Then take this.”
“I don’t need it.”
Elkais tried to give her his sword. But he couldn’t insist, knowing she had a better weapon than his sword.
“Go to the lake that leads to the cliff, not to the beach.”
“Why?”
“You can shout from there, so I can run right away.”
“Okay.”
If you can hear it from there, Alphas are indeed different.
She thought so and consciously distanced herself from him. She had never dreamed that he would smell like that.
“And the smell doesn’t come out at all. Instead, it smells like something I want to keep smelling.”
“Huh?”
“Oh, no.”
As soon as Elkais said that, he realized his mistake and looked away from her.
Eveline went outside and headed for the lake.
“Where are you going?”
“It’s dangerous for Eve to go alone.”
“Don’t you know that it’s more dangerous for you to go together?”
“Yeah.”
Elkais pulled Abellard’s clothes to make him sit down.
“What’s this, anyway?”
Abellard pointed to Rubellite Croppers, who had started cutting coconuts to drink. It was natural that he couldn’t recognize him. Rubellite Croppers was now completely dirty.
“Who are you asking that?”
Rubellite asked Abellard, pointing his finger at him. It was natural that he couldn’t recognize him. Rubellite Croppers was now completely dirty.
“What’s that smell…? Ugh…”
Abellard, without knowing why, ran out, gagging, and Elkais, not understanding the situation at all, was on guard with his sword raised against Rubellite.
“Ugh, ugh…”
Elkais didn’t go out even though he could hear Abellard vomiting outside.
* * *
Eveline came to the lake Elkais claimed to be closer and took off her clothes. After neatly folding her clothes and placing her gun on top, she walked into the lake.
The water was quite cold.
“Eve!”
“If you come any closer, I’ll shoot.”
“Look at this!”
Abellard, who appeared in front of her, had his eyes covered with a blindfold. Eveline, unknowingly, sighed and looked at him without responding.
“I’m going over there.”
“Why did you come?”
“I came because Eve shouldn’t get hurt.”
“Then, stay there. If it’s dangerous, I’ll call you.”
“Yeah.”
He said that, but he was slowly sneaking towards Eveline.
“Oops…”
He stumbled over a rock, perhaps because he couldn’t really see ahead. However, he quickly got up and continued to walk towards the lake.
Eveline, having no energy to get angry, simply focused on washing her body.
“Do I smell to you?”
“Yeah, a very nice scent. It’s a scent that I want to keep smelling.”
“…”
“When we’re together, I want to get closer, it’s that kind of scent. It’s like the scent of flowers, but it’s sweet. It’s a bit strange to call it food, but it makes my mind a bit fuzzy. If I keep smelling it, I want to devour it…”
“Enough.”
Eveline couldn’t tell if he was saying these things to make her feel better, but she couldn’t help but chuckle at his rambling.
“I see.”
So, she didn’t believe his words and continued to wash herself more vigorously. She even washed her hair carefully, thinking that there might be something coming from her hair.
“Eve, should I wash your back?”
“If you come any closer, I’ll shoot.”
“Yeah…”
Seeing Abellard, who had approached without realizing it, Eveline sighed. His eyes were definitely perfectly covered. He had almost approached as if he were waiting.
She couldn’t adapt to her changed brother, not only in appearance but also in personality.
“Brother.”
“Abellard.”
“Abellard, Brother.”
“Abellard.”
“Ah, Abellard.”
“Yeah!”
Abellard seemed to detest being called ‘brother’ terribly. Eveline couldn’t remain as firm and cold-hearted as before because she thought his condition wasn’t good because of her.
“Could you please move aside? You’re stepping on my clothes.”
“Yeah.”
He moved aside and sat down, facing away from Eveline.
“Why do you want to imprint with me, Abellard?”
“Because I really like you. I want you to live.”
“…?”
She couldn’t understand the meaning of his words.
But considering that Abellard was an Omega before and now an Alpha, she didn’t particularly refute the idea that imprinting was directly related to survival.
“I don’t want to imprint with you, Abellard.”
“What do you mean?”
“Intimacy.”
“Ah…”
He seemed momentarily flustered, then licked his lips hesitantly and spoke to her.
“You know, Eveline.”
“Yes?”
“imprinting is…”
“…”
“Ah…”
“…”
“I can’t seem to find the words again…”
Eveline thought he might have become strange because he had been here for too long. She somehow wanted to trust Abellard.
“Were you alone here for a year?”
So she changed the subject.
Despite being compared to Abellard, Eveline didn’t want to hate him. That’s why she didn’t go outside of the mansion.
“Yeah.”
“It must have been hard.”
“I was so lonely and it was difficult. But the hardest part was not being able to see you.”
As she soaked her body in the cold water, his words felt chillingly sweet to her.
“At first, I was so scared. It was hard just to survive.”
“…”
“Since I can’t hunt.”
Eveline suddenly remembered that the wild animals here weren’t afraid of people at all.
It was clear that Abellard hadn’t been able to provide for himself through hunting.
“I tried really hard not to lose my energy. So, I often thought of you.”
“…”
“But at first, I thought I was getting strength because I hated you so much. But now, I miss you so much, I want to be with you, so my strength has returned.”
Eveline sighed and walked out of the water.
“Abellard.”
“Yeah?”
“Could you move aside a bit more? I want to sit on my handkerchief.”
“Yeah.”
As he said so, he took out the handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to her.
Eveline knew it came from the men’s wedding dress he wore.
“So, does that mean you’re happier now than when you were in the Croppers Empire, Abellard?”
“Yeah.”
She paused momentarily as she looked at him answering without hesitation. Even though his eyes were covered, it felt like he was looking ahead.
“I really like Eve more than anything. More than my own life. So, as long as I have Eve, I can stay here forever.”
I am so ducking lost on the plot 🙆🏼♀️