<Episode 53>

“Are you feeling a bit weak?”

“I’m a human, not a knight.”

Eveline found herself saying this without realizing it, noticing the peculiar slowness of Crown Prince Ferite’s steps.

She couldn’t help but recall Elkais, who had carried her before. Compared to Ferite, Elkais moved so fast that it felt like she would get dizzy.

“Why are you smiling?”

Eveline remembered the first time she met Elkais here, when he had carried her after she sprained her ankle.

“Isn’t the uphill climb difficult for you?”

“My pace may be slow, but my stamina is fine.”

Eveline glanced at his golden eyes. As he walked, Ferite met her gaze with a bright smile.

“Your blue eyes are even more beautiful up close, my lady.”

“You said the same thing to my brother.”

“Well, at that time, Abellard was a royal Omega.”

When a high-grade Alpha and Omega had children, the chances of producing another royal-grade child were high. At worst, they would have an upper-grade Alpha or Omega, but it was rare for a Beta to be born from a royal couple.

That was why the Wilden family had been so devastated.

“I wish all Alphas and Omegas would just disappear.”

“Are you saying you want only Betas to remain?”

“No. I wish that the whole classification system would vanish. It’s too sad to be divided from birth.”

“You’re quite naïve, my lady.”

As Ferite picked up his pace, Eveline wrapped her arms around his neck to keep from falling, causing him to smile even more brightly.

“The Croppers Empire still operates under a class system.”

“Even within that system, people are divided by their traits. I just hope for a time when effort is rewarded, regardless of birth or status.”

“Then perhaps you should become the empress. If you intend to promote such policies, I would support you wholeheartedly.”

Eveline scoffed at his words.

“Do you think I’ll ever trust you?”

“Aren’t you trusting me now by traveling with me?”

“Not enough to bet my life on it. Right now, I have no choice but to trust you because I’m too unwell.”

“Hahaha. One way or another, you’ll come to trust me over time. I plan to give you my whole heart.”

Eveline felt increasingly uncomfortable as Ferite continued paying close attention to her while walking.

“If I had remained a Beta, I know you wouldn’t have given me a second glance.”

“But that’s a useless hypothetical, isn’t it? You’re an Omega now.”

“…”

“Not just any Omega, but a royal-grade Omega, the one I desire most.”

For some reason, when she looked at his silver hair and golden eyes, Eveline thought of a white fox.

“I was originally a Beta. Who knows if I’ll go back to being one when we return?”

“If we have a child here, that won’t matter, will it?”

“And if I give birth to a child, only for me to revert to a Beta and the child to be a Beta as well?”

“I would still take responsibility.”

“How do I know you won’t just kill me after taking responsibility?”

“Hahaha.”

Ferite laughed, clearly amused by her relentless responses.

Eveline noted that, unlike Rubellite Croppers, Ferite didn’t reprimand her for her words. He seemed to have a broader tolerance.

More than anything, in the original story, Crown Prince Ferite was portrayed as the kind and gentle second male lead.

Of course, his kindness was cut short before it could fully shine. The two main leads were stranded on the island, eventually escaping after bonding with each other, which blocked them from sensing any other pheromones.

“So, is a bond the ultimate promise, then?”

“Why go to such lengths? Why is a person’s classification such a big deal?”

“Can you understand if I tell you that there’s only one royal Omega I can meet in the entire empire?”

“Then why do you exclude the Omegas you’ve already called to your bed?”

As Eveline watched Ferite walk quickly while continuing to speak, she thought that while he might not be fast, his stamina wasn’t as poor as she had imagined.

It would have been better if he’d had the sense to bring her gun, though.

“I’m the Crown Prince. As someone who will become emperor, I can’t ignore a person’s classification. I have to continue the imperial bloodline.”

“Then I’m even more likely to be discarded. The chances of me remaining an Omega once we return aren’t high.”

“That’s something we can’t predict. I didn’t expect I’d enjoy talking with you this much, after all.”

Eveline met his gaze and was startled by his lighthearted words, quickly closing her eyes. Unknowingly, she frowned, unsettled by his actions, which left her unsure of his true intentions.

“Do you wish to bond with another Alpha, perhaps?”

“I don’t want to bond with anyone. That’s why I hate being an Omega.”

She would have preferred to be an Alpha, the one in control of initiating a bond. That brief time when she was in Abellard’s body had made her feel almost happy.

But being in a man’s body—especially Abellard’s—wasn’t ideal. She would have preferred being a female Alpha, even if she were only a mid-grade one.

“As an Omega, you must have some desire to carry an Alpha’s seed.”

“I haven’t been an Omega long enough to understand that.”

With that, Eveline leaned against his shoulder. She was too exhausted to keep arguing with him.

They soon reached the top of the mountain, where a red temple stood.

By the time they arrived, even Ferite seemed somewhat tired, smiling but not saying much.

“How do we open this? I can’t use divine power.”

The last time Abellard had opened a door under the lake, he had done so with divine power. But Eveline didn’t know how to wield such power.

And Dekarv’s divine power, unlike that of the goddess Yulias, wasn’t commonly accessible to humans. As the god of destruction, his powers weren’t often granted to mortals.

“Try using your blood.”

“What?”

“If you possess divine power but can’t use it, blood might work. The divine power in your blood should unlock the door.”

Eveline wondered what she could use to cut herself.

Seeing her glance around, Ferite spoke up.

“I can summon an ice pick for you.”

“Better than fire, I guess.”

“I should’ve practiced wind magic more before coming here.”

Ferite could use wind magic, but he wasn’t great at controlling it. He only used it on the battlefield, where he would cut down enemies and shred their bodies into pieces.

“How about an ice blade?”

“It would probably dull the moment it touches your hand. Your body temperature is too high right now.”

Sighing, Eveline extended her hand. Ferite summoned a thin ice pick, guiding it over her finger without making contact but allowing it to graze her skin lightly.

Soon, droplets of blood formed on her finger.

She wiped the blood onto the door of the large red temple. As she did, the chirping of birds in the surrounding area abruptly stopped.

“My lady?”

“Ah…”

“Lady Wilden!”

At that moment, Eveline lost consciousness.

* * *

When Eveline regained consciousness, she found herself in a strangely familiar place.

She looked around, taking in the statues surrounding her once more. They depicted strong women and warriors.

Eveline waited patiently for the lights to brighten.

Soon, an orange glow began to flicker to life.

She knew that a man would appear shortly, and she waited for him.

As the torches lit up one by one, the flames danced wildly, casting shifting shadows, though there was no wind to move them.

The marble floor beneath her feet clicked softly as she stood, producing a crisp ‘tok tok’ sound.

“Lord Dekarv.”

[Lord Dekarv.]

[Lord Dekarv.]

[Lord Dekarv.]

Her voice echoed, reverberating through the space.

She knew that by the time the echoes faded, he would appear.

The flames flared brighter, lengthening her shadow as the dampness in the air dissipated.

“Welcome.”

Eveline turned her head, surprised to hear his voice coming from the opposite direction of where she had been looking.

The scene had changed once again.

It now resembled the throne room of an imperial palace, though it remained shrouded in darkness. The statues that had seemed made of plaster and bronze moments ago now gleamed gold. The only constant was the flickering flames, which remained the sole source of light.

“Come here.”

Eveline began to walk toward him.

The floor beneath her was covered in a red carpet, perfectly complementing the man seated on what appeared to be a throne of gold.

“Lord Dekarv.”

He chuckled, lifting his chin in amusement. Eveline’s steps echoed through the room as she approached him, her heavy shoes filling the silence.

When she reached the point where she could touch his outstretched hand, he beckoned her closer with a subtle flick of his finger.

In an instant, she was standing right before him.

“You are the one who protects me, Lord Dekarv.”

“Yes.”

Not knowing how much time she had in this place, Eveline decided to get straight to the point.

“Is it true that only one person can leave this island alive?”