<Episode 31>
“Ugh…”
Eveline opened her eyes, but she couldn’t see anything. She groaned in pain, but for some reason, the pain seemed to lessen slightly with each breath she took. However, her body still hurt.
The pain of feeling like every bone in her body was broken was not an illusion. If she had fallen from that height, it was inevitable.
But she thought it was a great miracle that she was still alive.
“Damn it.”
She needed to meet Abellard, but her body wouldn’t budge. With his divine power, she could survive as long as she wasn’t dead.
Was it because it was night that she couldn’t see anything?
She blinked. But she still couldn’t see anything.
She must have fainted after falling from the cliff, so a lot of time must have passed. She just didn’t know how much time had passed.
But she had climbed the mountain during the day, so it might be night now.
Why couldn’t she hear any sounds?
All she could hear was her own breathing. It was strange. The mountain she was climbing was full of wild animals, birds, and the sounds of insects.
But now, she couldn’t hear any sound, as if she were in a different place.
If she were in the forest, such silence would be impossible.
<Come to where I am, Eveline Wilden.>
The voice was unfamiliar, but it wasn’t unintelligible. She knew the owner of this voice that echoed in her head.
<Only one person can survive on that island.>
It was the red-haired man who had said those words to her.
<Come to where I am.>
The commanding tone made Eveline begin to get up.
“Agh…!”
She couldn’t see. Maybe that made the pain in her body feel sharper.
Her ribs felt like they were shattered, and every breath made her feel her organs. It seemed like pain was carried through her bloodstream with every heartbeat.
She felt like she was alive, feeling her whole body as if she were walking through fire.
“Ugh…!”
She staggered as she stood up and then fell.
“Ack!”
The pain from falling was severe. She didn’t even know which direction to go. But because the voice told her to move, she started crawling forward.
She could overcome the pain. Pain was just a reaction of the body.
She gritted her teeth and started crawling forward, reaching out with her hands.
It was better than trying to walk, but it still hurt. Fortunately, her arms seemed to be fine, and crawling became more manageable.
“Huff…”
Strangely, the further she went, the more the pain seemed to fade. At first, she could barely crawl, but her condition improved to the point where she could almost walk.
She caught her breath as the pain in her chest and abdomen subsided and got up from her place.
Sweat was dripping from her forehead and temples.
She glared ahead. She still couldn’t see anything. The pain had subsided, but it hadn’t completely disappeared.
When she felt her lower abdomen with her hand, she sensed a wound that seemed to have been pierced by something and felt a wetness. She realized that the wound in her stomach was bleeding.
“I won’t let this go.”
She clenched her teeth as she recalled Grand Duke Rubellite Croppers pushing her away.
<Or I can take both. Goodbye, Lady. It was a pleasure talking to you.>
It made her furious that she had to go through this because of him.
She wanted to get away from the Alpha group. She couldn’t believe that she had truly become an Omega.
If she really had become an Omega, and a Royal Omega at that, staying with the Alphas was dangerous.
If she stayed with them, it was only a matter of time before she was devoured alive.
<You smell like an Omega.>
She also recalled the crazed eyes of Abellard.
“Damn it.”
But now she needed Abellard. She had to recover her body first and then get away from them.
As she thought that, she began to hope that the pain lessening as she moved forward might mean she wouldn’t need to meet Abellard after all.
“Hoo…”
She couldn’t tell how far she had walked. Then suddenly, it started to brighten up as if a light had been turned on.
Perhaps there were torches around, and the fire illuminated the surroundings.
Eveline squinted at the sudden brightness. She slowly opened her eyes as she adjusted to the light.
What she saw was a red interior lit by orange flames reflecting off red fragments.
The temple pillars were still massive, and the statue of the armored woman was gigantic.
Eveline exhaled and stood upright.
She realized her body was now fully healed.
“Hey.”
She blinked at the voice calling her. Then she noticed a man who hadn’t been visible before.
“It’s because of you.”
“What do you mean?”
“You made me break the rules.”
“What are you talking about?”
Eveline asked coldly. But he looked down at her with a twitch of irritation in his eyebrows.
Eveline stared straight into his eyes.
The red-haired man looked angry a moment ago, but when their eyes met, he smirked.
“Hahaha! You can look me straight in the eye like that!”
“What are you talking about? Since a while ago.”
When Eveline asked with a frown, he laughed as if he found it amusing and relaxed his expression.
He tilted his chin up, looking down at her, raising one corner of his mouth in apparent satisfaction.
“You made me break the rules. Quite impressive.”
“Stop talking nonsense.”
Eveline found his tone highly irritating. It felt like talking to someone completely full of themselves.
“It’s true. I wasn’t supposed to save you, but I did. Who do you think healed you?”
“I see. Thank you for healing me. But what rules are you talking about?”
“I can’t tell you. That’s also a rule. There’s a difference between breaking one rule and two.”
He bent down, bringing his face close to hers. She didn’t want to lose the staring contest. No, she couldn’t afford to lose.
If she lost, it felt like he would consider her insignificant and let her die.
“You’re quick to understand me. Impressive indeed.”
“Are you reading my mind?”
“Who knows?”
What did he mean by rules?
“Remember this.”
“That only one person can leave this island?”
“You have to remember that too.”
He looked carefully into her blue eyes. Despite the flickering flames, they remained a pale blue.
He found it very pleasing.
“While I can’t help you, take good care of yourself.”
“Was it you who has been helping me all this time?”
“Who else would it be?”
“Perhaps the red notes… Ugh…”
Her vision turned black for a moment, and she reached out. But there was nothing to grab.
“Be careful, Eveline Wilden. You are my masterpiece. Make sure to survive.”
After those words, she could see and hear nothing again.
A ringing sound started to echo in her ears.
* * *
“Gasp…!”
When she regained her vision and opened her eyes again, she was in the forest.
“What happened?”
Eveline pulled herself together and stood up. Then she realized that she had definitely been injured.
“This is horrible.”
She looked down at her wedding dress, now torn to shreds.
It was clear that her bones had been broken, judging by the severe bloodstains everywhere. Fortunately, although she was covered in blood and dirt, she didn’t feel any pain.
It seemed to be true that the mysterious red-haired man had helped her. Otherwise, there was no way she could have fallen from that height and remained unscathed.
Should she run away like this?
“You probably think I’m a freak too.”
Somehow, she felt concerned about Elkais, who had tried to protect her while saying that. He acted as if he was fine, even though he seemed close to dying from sepsis.
“It must be the pheromones.”
She repeated it like a mantra. Otherwise, his behavior towards her didn’t make sense.
It was true that she had developed a camaraderie with him after falling on this island. But there couldn’t be anything more than that.
If she had indeed become an Omega, his feelings might not be purely friendly.
She felt uneasy about being covered in blood.
Rumble!
But if she ran away like this, she would get caught in the rain. She was afraid of the sensation of heat rising when getting wet.
At that moment, she acted as if she had turned off her rational mind. She longed for Elkais’s touch and could clearly see Abellard’s lips.
There wouldn’t be any place nearby to shelter from the rain.
“Eve!”
At the sound of someone calling her name desperately, she turned her head towards the voice.
“Eveline! Are you alright?”
“Eve!”
Eveline shivered as she saw the two people running towards her.
“Elkais. Brother.”
Abellard ran up and embraced her tightly. Elkais was scanning her condition with his eyes.
Eveline, thinking she wouldn’t be able to run away today, spoke up.
“I’m okay.”
Despite her words, Abellard began to cry while using his divine power.
