<Episode 53>

Eveline checked the note and then hid it in her sleeve. Abellard nuzzled into her embrace, rubbing his cheek against her.

She couldn’t trust him anymore due to the doubt that had grown in her heart.

“Eve, I think this isn’t so bad.”

“It’s ticklish.”

“It’s a bit unsettling that it’s my body, but as long as I can be with you, I’m happy.”

Eveline sighed softly at his words.

Not having a chest felt strange. That’s why it didn’t feel as odd when he rubbed his ear against her chest.

“But my body is really pretty. I never realized.”

He looked up and stared directly at her.

“Keep not realizing. Now get up, you’re heavy.”

“Can’t you hold me just a little longer?”

“No, you’re heavy.”

“Then why don’t you hug me?”

“Stop talking nonsense.”

Abellard pouted and moved away. Even so, he blushed as he watched Eveline push her hair behind her ear and bite her lip.

“I really am pretty.”

Eveline decided not to respond and leaned against the wall.

Rumble.

“I’m still happy. Now that I’m an Omega again and you’re an Alpha… we can still be together.”

Eveline couldn’t believe his words.

It seemed that the gods were behind all this, betting on which one of them would survive.

The proof was that Abellard wanted to deal with Rubellite.

Eveline thought this way.

In that case, the most fearful enemy was…

“Are you okay?”

“It’s cold.”

It was Elkais, who was holding her body, sharing his warmth.

He couldn’t be subdued with a gun.

Could it be that Abellard didn’t want to save him when he had sepsis before for this reason?

No, can Abellard really be trusted?

“Eve. I’m in pain. Please stroke my head.”

It was too sloppy to believe. She couldn’t be sure if this person was trying to deceive her, and he had had many opportunities to kill her.

But Abellard was the one who protected her from the leopard and performed CPR to save her when her heart stopped after falling off a cliff.

Abellard must have another motive.

Maybe his goal wasn’t to save her.

And the gods don’t always tell the truth either…

“Eve?”

“Brother, why didn’t you become a priest?”

“I had to become a duke. To become a duke…”

Abellard swallowed dryly, then sat up straight and looked at her.

“To become a duke so I can marry you, Eve.”

“We’re siblings, how could that be possible?”

“If I become a duke, I planned to declare that we aren’t related by blood.”

Elkais was shocked.

He tried not to listen to their conversation, but it was close enough that he couldn’t ignore it.

Moreover, as he cooled down a bit, he realized they had no reason to act this way unless they were trying to kill Eveline.

“Elkais, hold me tighter. It’s too cold.”

“Okay.”

Seeing how weak Eveline had become in his arms, Elkais was confused again.

If they wanted Eveline dead, there wasn’t enough motive.

But Abellard’s changed attitude was suspicious. If he truly loved Eveline, how could his demeanor change so drastically?

Now it even seemed like he was more drawn to another Omega.

And that look he gave her.

Why hadn’t he realized it until now?

They looked so much alike.

“Eve, I’m cold too.”

“You’re the one dressed the warmest here.”

“So why don’t you come hug me? You’ll get warm.”

“Who said they were cold just a moment ago?”

“Hehe. Eveee.”

It seemed unlikely that Rubellite would imitate Abellard unless he had gone mad. Besides, Abellard was the only one who could act so embarrassingly without shame.

“Body temperature drops easily.”

Elkais hugged Eveline tighter, trying not to think about them. Despite the suspicious situation, he wanted to protect Eveline.

Although he couldn’t feel her pheromones because of the fruit he had eaten, he still thought she was special.

His heart felt strange again when he saw Abellard watching him, almost like when he looked at Eveline.

The long night was passing like that.

* * *

“Let’s go to the beach cave.”

Early at dawn, when the sun had not yet risen, Abellard spoke to the half-awake Eveline.

Even though it was his body, he felt Eveline’s presence and whispered softly.

“Living alone there would be hard. There are rats in that cave…”

Hearing her drowsy, slurred speech made his heart pound again.

He almost hugged the half-asleep Eveline who was resting her head on his arm.

“Are you afraid of rats?”

“You’re much scarier than rats, brother. I never thought I’d be afraid of what an Omega might do to me.”

Abellard laughed quietly at Eveline’s words. His shoulders shook with laughter, making Eveline feel queasy. Even the arm she was resting on was shaking.

“First, we need to find a way to reverse this.”

“Why? Didn’t you want to become an Alpha?”

“I wanted to become an Alpha, not become you, brother. And being an Alpha is more uncomfortable than I thought. I’m more sensitive to pheromones.”

Eveline found it odd that the pheromones from her own body and from Grand Duke Croppers felt different.

The scent from her own body was seductive, almost making her mind wander, while the scent from Grand Duke Croppers was harder to handle.

However, since the nose quickly gets tired of a scent, she kept alternating between smelling it and not.

“Is it because of the scent coming from me?”

“Yes.”

“Eve, when you dislike something, it shows on your face but then it disappears quickly. So I have to keep watching to see it.”

“Yes. Go back to sleep.”

“Okay.”

Eveline mimicked furrowing and then relaxing her brows quickly. Abellard watched, laughed softly, and closed his eyes.

* * *

As the sun fully rose, the four of them felt awkward. The inside of the cabin remained the same, but they had changed.

“Hey, Elkais.”

“Yes?”

“How about I have a chat with Abellard for a bit?”

Eveline was curious about what the fake pretending to be her wanted to talk about.

The person in her body was Rubellite. She didn’t know how long this would last or if they could switch back.

She also looked fragile enough to have actually lost her memory.

And Eveline had a gun now.

If worst came to worst, she could just shoot. It would mean her body would die, but there would be no other choice.

“Then why don’t we go pick some fruit together today?”

The fake nodded in agreement.

“No.”

It was Elkais who blocked them.

He thought Abellard was an unpredictable person. If he had tried to kill Eveline, leaving them alone together was out of the question.

“Why? Do you really think I’d kill my own body?”

Abellard’s bold words made Elkais’s heart race because he truly seemed like Eveline.

“Elkais.”

The fake called him and held his hand, making Elkais think his racing heart was because of her.

A sweet scent was starting to spread, as if the effect of the fruit was wearing off.

He thought he should eat the fruit he had brought and gripped her hand tightly as he said,

“Take this.”

“Sigh.”

Eveline sighed involuntarily as she watched Elkais hand a sword to the fake.

“Do you always distrust people like this?”

Elkais didn’t answer. But he thought he couldn’t let his guard down when it came to Eveline.

She was the only person he trusted on this island. And if she needed his help, he would do anything to assist her.

“Abellard, I can’t trust you.”

Elkais spoke in a soft tone, contrary to his harsh words.

He was surprised by his gentle tone, compared to how he usually spoke harshly to the real Abellard.

It was painful for Elkais to think he might be attracted to Abellard without sensing pheromones.

He really wished he could be a Beta. As a Beta, he wouldn’t be swayed by hormones and could understand his true feelings.

“Then what do we do? If we all stay in the cabin, we won’t have any food. We’ll all starve to death like this.”

Her rational words made Elkais feel depressed.

“Eveline was in danger, so I don’t want to leave her alone.”

She tried to persuade him, but it was her body. He was taking her side because he was worried about her.

Because of that, she couldn’t argue back. She knew his frustrating behavior was out of concern for her.

“Then I’ll go get something to eat.”

“Then I’ll hunt for something we can have for lunch and dinner.”

Elkais said this, and it felt strangely like a conversation he had with Eveline, so he asked without realizing it,

“Is it really possible to switch bodies?”

Elkais wasn’t sure, but he felt uneasy because Abellard, who was talking to him, continued to feel like Eveline.

Tl/N: I just want this arc to end AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!