<Episode 83>

Eveline felt a wave of relief upon seeing that Elkais was still far away. The snow leopard lay in two clean halves, felled by the blade he had thrown.

Which was why she needed to run—immediately and in the opposite direction.

If she stayed any longer, her clothes would vanish entirely!

“Ugh…!”

Eveline began to sprint through the deep, snow-laden ground, each step sinking her feet uncomfortably into the powder.

“Lady Wilden!”

Crown Prince Ferite called out, startled by her sudden escape. To him, it looked as though she was fleeing in panic, away from Elkais.

Realizing this, Ferite followed her.

Elkais, meanwhile, stood frozen for a moment, his expression darkening. She was running away as though she’d seen a ghost, despite him saving her mere moments ago.

Then his gaze landed on Ferite, and everything clicked.

The reason she was running from him. The reason Abellard had been in danger.

All of it—it was for the sake of seducing the Crown Prince.

Elkais’s jaw clenched audibly, his teeth grinding as fury swelled within him. Without another thought, he took off after Eveline.

“Stop right there!”

“Don’t follow me!”

Eveline, glancing back, grew more frantic seeing Elkais chasing her.

“Ugh…!”

As Elkais closed the gap, Ferite leaped to tackle him, sending both men sprawling into the snow.

“Have you lost your mind, Your Highness?!”

“Run, Lady Wilden!”

Ferite held onto Elkais with all his might, realizing what was happening as he noticed his own coat beginning to disappear.

Gripping Elkais’s shoulders firmly, Ferite shouted again, “Run!”

Elkais sneered at the prince, finding his captivation with Eveline pathetic, though there was an unfamiliar sting in his chest seeing how close they seemed.

“Duke de Robein!” Ferite shouted as Elkais wrestled him off and threw him to the ground.

Elkais’s breathing was ragged, his chest rising and falling with a mix of fury and… something else. His face felt uncomfortably warm, his body trembling with emotion he couldn’t place.

Why? How had Eveline gotten so close to Ferite? Why was this bothering him so much?

“Your Highness. You’ve been caught up in her schemes,” Elkais spat.

“What? Oh… I see,” Ferite muttered, suddenly recalling Eveline’s earlier warnings. “Duke, you’re not yourself right now. This is—”

“Did you imprint with her?” Elkais interrupted.

“What? No! Listen to me, Duke—please—”

Ignoring him entirely, Elkais turned and bolted after Eveline.

Ferite tried to follow, but the fall had twisted his ankle badly. He cursed as he stumbled, unable to chase after them.

“Damn it…”

Resigned, Ferite leaned against a tree, wincing in pain. His gaze shifted toward the snow leopard’s remains. At least he could bring that back to the cave, he thought, forcing himself to move.

Elkais wouldn’t harm Eveline. Not even in this state. Surely not. And if his memory returned soon, this mess would sort itself out.

More importantly, Elkais was unlikely to act too rashly with the strong pheromones Eveline was exuding. Ferite reassured himself of this as he hobbled toward the snow leopard.

“Your Highness?”

A voice interrupted him.

“Abellard Wilden?”

Ferite blinked in surprise as the younger Wilden sibling approached. He looked fragile, almost weak, and unmistakably emitted the pheromones of a Royal Omega.

* * *

“Stop right there!”

No matter how far she ran, Eveline couldn’t escape him. Elkais was frighteningly close.

Eveline’s panic only grew as she felt her skirt thinning by the second. The wolf tail decorations were disappearing one by one.

“Don’t follow me!”

She turned, shouting at Elkais, but her defiance only seemed to make him angrier. His pace quickened, his expression darkening with every step.

Until now, he had been trying to restrain himself, holding back to avoid overwhelming her. But her words lit a fire in him, a fury that burned away all reason.

“Ahh!” Eveline shrieked as he lunged, tackling her to the ground.

It was at that moment—

“Ahhhhh!”

“Ugh…!”

They tumbled into a hidden crevice in the mountain, covered by a thick layer of snow. Normally, they would have avoided such a hazard, but the snow had hidden the depth and breadth of the chasm below.

They slid uncontrollably down the slope.

Splash!

Eveline hit the icy lake at the bottom. Already weakened from her injuries, the shock of the freezing water overwhelmed her, and she passed out.

“Eveline!” Elkais gasped, the frigid water biting into him like thousands of tiny blades. Without hesitation, he dove under, searching for her.

When he found her, he froze—not from the cold, but from shock.

She was floating, completely unclothed. The transformation was complete.

“Ugh…”

Pushing through the stabbing pain of the icy water, Elkais pulled her into his arms and swam toward the surface.

The edges of the lake were frozen solid, and as he climbed out, he carefully laid Eveline onto the ice. Just as he began pulling himself up—

Crack

The ice gave way, and Eveline plunged back into the water.

“Damn it.”

Elkais felt his chest tighten as he saw Eveline lying motionless.

He immediately scooped her up from the freezing water, this time heading for a section of ice that appeared sturdier. Placing her gently onto the surface, he reached out with one arm, pulling himself out of the water with ease despite the slippery conditions.

Once out, he hurried to her side. Eveline’s face was as pale as snow, her lips a chilling shade of pearly blue.

When he realized she wasn’t breathing, panic surged through him. Performing CPR on the ice could collapse it further. Forcing his heated mind to stay cool, he cradled her in his arms and carried her toward a nearby cave, isolated and hidden like a trickling stream.

In the cave, he laid her on his soaked cloak and checked her condition. Her body was alarmingly cold and white as frost.

“Eveline Wilden.”

He called her name softly, but there was no response. Tilting her head back, he interlocked his hands and pressed firmly on her chest, trying to revive her. Still nothing.

Frustrated but determined, Elkais tilted her chin, pressed his lips to hers, and blew air into her lungs.

“Ugh…”

The faint sound of her gasping brought him relief. He pulled back just as she coughed up water, her lips flushed red once again. As he stared at her face, his own lips tingled with heat. Unconsciously, he brushed his fingertips over them.

“Ah… It hurts…” Eveline groaned, her body trembling violently. Her head pounded as if being stabbed by icy blades, and her teeth chattered uncontrollably.

“So… cold…”

She pulled the drenched crimson cloak tighter around herself, but it did little to warm her. Moments later, her consciousness faded again, and she slumped back.

“Eveline Wilden.”

Elkais let out a shaky breath as he noticed the faint mist escaping her lips. She was still alive—for now. Guilt began to claw at him as he held her trembling body, though he couldn’t shake the thought that her fleeing was proof of her schemes with Abellard and the Crown Prince.

He had always known Eveline Wilden aspired to marry a Royal Alpha. If that was her goal, why hadn’t she simply called for him?

“Ridiculous,” he muttered under his breath, glaring at her pale face.

Moments ago, anger had filled him, but seeing her fragile, trembling form extinguished his rage.

An Omega’s body is delicate.

And now, for reasons he couldn’t fathom, Eveline had become an Omega, making her current state life-threatening.

Elkais stripped off his own wet clothes and wrung out the water before draping them over her shivering body. After ensuring she was as covered as possible, he left the cave to gather firewood.

* * *

Nearby, he found branches to chop down for kindling. As he worked, his gaze wandered upward, and he realized the predicament they were in.

The only way out of this area was by climbing the sheer cliffs or braving the frigid water. The cliffs were treacherous, and while he might manage the freezing waters, Eveline could not. Her body was losing heat too quickly—leaving her behind wasn’t an option.

He gathered the wood and hurried back to the cave. Inside, Eveline stirred slightly, but her movements were weak and pained.

“Elkais…” she murmured, trembling.

His anger reignited when her first concern upon regaining consciousness was, “Is His Highness… alright?”

“So, you were the one who brought us here,” he said coldly.

With the wealth of the Wilden family, hiring a mage to manipulate their circumstances would have been possible. And judging by Ferite’s behavior earlier, perhaps she could even achieve her dream of becoming the Crown Princess.

The thought made his chest burn with a rage that felt uncontainable. He convinced himself it was anger at her schemes.

“Elkais…” Eveline’s voice shook as she called his name. Despite himself, her trembling voice chipped away at his icy resolve, stirring an uncomfortable warmth in his chest.

“I told you not… to follow me…” she whispered weakly, her tone laced with resentment.

Elkais let out a humorless laugh, ignoring her words as he piled up the firewood. Just as he was about to ignite the kindling with his blade, something appeared in his hand—a folded piece of paper.

The sight of it jogged a memory: the letter from the goddess Remeros, given to him with clothes.

Unfolding it, he read the words scrawled in divine script:

 

[Every instance of physical contact raises body temperature.
Current body temperature of Eveline Wilden: 30.1°C.
If it falls below 30°C, Eveline Wilden’s life will be in danger.]

Elkais’s eyes darkened as he crumpled the letter in his fist.

“Damn it,” he muttered, glancing at Eveline’s pale, fragile figure. There was no room for hesitation.

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