<Episode 51>

“Were your eyes always this blue?”

“Pardon?”

Elkais was startled by the words that escaped his mouth.

“Ugh… Don’t pull your hand away. I need to use divine power.”

He looked at Abellard, who had instinctively pulled his hand back.

It was clearly Abellard’s appearance, but the behavior was like Eveline’s.

Thump, thump, thump.

Elkais could almost hear his own heart pounding loudly.

“Stay still. Why have you been so resistant since earlier?”

Eveline, in Abellard’s body, felt disoriented. The body seemed oddly strong, yet weak compared to Elkais.

“Because I dislike it.”

At Elkais’s lie, Eveline’s eyes widened as she stared at him.

Elkais felt strange again, as the round eyes staring at him reminded him of Eveline.

They are siblings, yet they resemble each other this much.

“Even if you dislike it, bear with it. It’s not good if I can’t use my divine power.”

Eveline sighed softly as Elkais avoided her gaze and closed his mouth.

She needed to return to her original body. Although she knew this was part of being possessed, she still disliked being in a male body.

She wanted to become an Alpha. However, she preferred not to be in Abellard’s body.

If asked for a reason, it would be difficult for her to explain, but she disliked Abellard’s body. It exuded an inexplicable discomfort.

Moreover, having already lived a long life as a woman, combining her original life and Eveline’s life, being in a male body was even more uncomfortable.

She held Elkais’s hand tightly, trying to move the divine power wrapped around her heart to her fingertips.

“Your hand…”

“Pardon?”

“Don’t hold my hand so tightly. It’s uncomfortable.”

“Oh, yes.”

Eveline recalled that this was his original personality and smiled slightly.

As her mind cleared, she began to sense the Alpha pheromones.

At the same time, Rubellite’s scent felt nauseating, and she caught a whiff of the scent coming from her own body.

“Isn’t this a peach scent?”

“Are you talking about the scent from Eveline?”

“Yes.”

“It might be, but isn’t it too sweet to be just a peach?”

Come to think of it, it was a very sweet scent for a peach. She began to understand why Elkais had always commented on her scent.

As she focused on the scent, her body felt hot, and her mind turned white.

“Hey. Get a grip.”

“Oh… yes.”

She snapped back to reality at his voice.

A problem had arisen.

Elkais’s pheromones were causing her a severe headache.

“It’s difficult even with Omega scents, but it’s even harder with Alpha scents.”

“What do you mean? Are you going to comment on my pheromones again?”

“…Yes. How are you okay with it, Elkais?”

Elkais watched as Abellard’s expression briefly twisted before returning to normal, reminding him of Eveline.

Even when she was displeased, she quickly regained her usual expression and pretended nothing was wrong. It was a face she often made at Rubellite.

“It just happened that way.”

Elkais spoke briefly and looked at his hand.

As she fidgeted and closed her eyes, her pink eyelashes stood out oddly. Eyes that looked similar to Eveline’s could be seen underneath.

And something felt strange.

People have their unique expressions. Abellard’s expression now truly resembled Eveline’s, down to every minor detail.

He knew that Abellard had no reason to act that way. Hence, he felt confused.

His heart pounded so loudly it was maddening.

Now that he couldn’t sense the pheromones, he felt drawn to Abellard, but the reason Abellard seemed so lovely was because his actions resembled Eveline’s.

Simultaneously, he felt a dual emotion of worry for Eveline, causing his heart to shrink.

“You said not to grip so tightly.”

At those words, he realized he was unconsciously gripping Abellard’s hand very tightly.

“It’s frustrating. When will this ridiculous practice end?”

“I don’t know either. But we can’t continue like this forever, right?”

Abellard wouldn’t speak so rationally. Elkais knew this well.

Is it really Eveline?

But could it be possible in a different body?

“Ouch…”

“Oh!”

Eveline’s body twitched, causing her to release Elkais’s hand abruptly.

Elkais moved towards Eveline’s lying body to check if she was okay.

“Eveline! Are you alright?”

“Hey, are you my brother?”

Elkais frowned at the strange situation but continued to observe Eveline. Her previously twitching body now seemed to lose strength and faint.

“She’s asleep again.”

“Sigh.”

Elkais felt suffocated with the anxiety that Eveline might really die if this continued.

“It’s all your fault. No, it’s my fault.”

He couldn’t blame Abellard. He should have stayed by Eveline’s side even if he had to be stubborn.

“Why is it Elkais’s fault?”

“I shouldn’t have trusted you. To protect Eveline, I should have stayed. Who could have done such a thing…”

Eveline was speechless as his voice trembled.

“Why are you the only one okay?”

“I’m not okay either. I had a nosebleed earlier, remember? And my whole body hurts.”

“Sigh.”

Elkais sighed deeply and spoke without realizing it.

“I wish I could be the one in pain instead.”

He said this while soaking a clean cloth and wiping her face.

Eveline felt a complex emotion as he tended to her body with such care. She was also confused by how he blushed when looking at her and didn’t know where to direct his gaze.

“Elkais.”

“What?”

“Your heartbeat has been very loud since earlier.”

At her words, he realized his heartbeat was loud enough for others to hear. Embarrassed, his ears turned red, and he clenched his fists.

“Do you feel nervous when you see me?”

He didn’t want to answer. But the expression and tone she used, and the calm manner in which she asked, made it impossible not to.

“Yes.”

He answered, thinking he should stop eating the golden fruit from tomorrow.

—

No one woke up that night.

“Come to think of it, there was alcohol.”

There was no rain either.

“What are you trying to do?”

“There’s a piece of fork blocking the drain below. Can you get it out? We need to disinfect it.”

Elkais wondered how Abellard knew about something only he and Eveline knew, and furrowed his brow.

Eveline might have told him. They were family, and the emotions Abellard showed towards Eveline were more than familial.

His tone and expressions were like those shown to a lover, with eyes like someone in love.

If that were the case, they might have shared even trivial stories.

He ignored this and removed the fork piece with his hand.

Watching Abellard, now possessed by Eveline, reach out and expertly take out the rum, their eyes met.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

Even in that brief moment, Elkais felt something odd in his chest.

“Is this arrhythmia?”

“Yes, it might be arrhythmia.”

“Or maybe it’s the feeling of wanting to kill someone you hate so much that your blood boils.”

“That’s also correct. I often wanted to kill you.”

Elkais, who had always been honest with Eveline, was now being truthful. He hadn’t been able to be honest with Abellard.

“Anyway, let’s survive without killing each other.”

Eveline handed him the bottle. Elkais accepted it with a confused expression.

“Disinfecting with rum isn’t a bad idea.”

“Right?”

As she smiled gently, Elkais decided it was better not to look at her.

He dampened a clean cloth with water and then poured rum on it. He then slowly applied it to Eveline’s neck.

“Where’s the first aid kit we had last time?”

Eveline looked for the box with a red note she had received when she stitched up Elkais’s wound before. But the first aid kit was nowhere to be found.

“It got struck by lightning back then.”

“Oh.”

Eveline sighed briefly.

“It would have been good if we at least had a needle.”

“Do you intend to sew with hair?”

“Right. But it might be better if I could use my divine power.”

“Yes, good idea. Use it quickly.”

Eveline chuckled slightly as Elkais spoke without even looking at her.

Ah, maybe things are finally going according to the original story?

As she thought this, she stared at Elkais.

She watched him openly, and when their eyes met, he quickly looked away.

Realizing she had never truly seen Elkais before, she thought perhaps he had always treated Abellard this way.

His cold words and indifferent actions stemmed from being an Alpha, and the puzzling feelings she had were actually love.

“Elkais.”

“…What?”

“I think I finally understand everything now.”

As she said this, smiling at him, Elkais felt a sharp pain in his chest and bit his lip hard.

Tl/N: I tried everything to make this chapter work. If you guys see any problems that stood out feel free to comment and ask for it to be edited