<Episode 95>

“If you don’t let go, I’ll hate you!”

At Eveline’s sharp outburst, Elkais immediately backed away, while Abellard reluctantly pulled back, as if he regretted it.

“Listen to me first. Why are you both acting like this… Oh, and tone down the pheromones, please.”

“Touching you makes that impossible.”

“Eve, I can’t control my pheromones either. Just the thought of bonding with you makes me too happy.”

Eveline felt dizzy from the intense concentration of Alpha pheromones filling the air, making her temples throb.

“From what I’ve heard, you don’t necessarily have to… consummate the bond.”

“Is that really true?”

“Eve, how do you even know that?”

“Let’s just say I stumbled upon the information.”

Eveline smirked faintly, knowing that Abellard had already been aware of it. His feigned innocence amused her.

“So, the three of us can form the bond without… that sort of connection.”

The seriousness on their faces suggested they might actually listen to her. Yet, her palms were clammy with tension.

“And if we do it now…”

For some reason, the idea of forming the bond immediately filled her with unease.

“If something goes wrong during the bonding, this could be the end for all three of us.”

The two Alphas’ expressions darkened, sadness evident in their eyes.

Eveline forced a smile at their forlorn looks and spoke gently, “So, just one day. Let’s spend one happy day together first, and then bond. That way, even if it fails, we won’t have as many regrets, don’t you think?”

“That’s… not a bad idea.”

“Alright.”

All three of them were fully aware that failure in this endeavor could mean incurring divine wrath—and death.

Yet, instinctively, they also knew their current conversation and actions would not reach Yulias or Dekarv.

From the moment the goddess Remeros lifted the ban, they had sensed that the fairness of the gods’ rules had been skewed.

However, they seemed to have forgotten that another force had erased their traces and silenced their words from the gods’ awareness.

A person who should have been there. Someone whose absence dulled even their thoughts.

The one person whose name they didn’t dare to think of too deeply: Ferite.

* * *

“Want to have a snowball fight?”

“Sure! I want to team up with Eve.”

“…Why do you get to decide that on your own?”

Elkais glared at Abellard, clearly displeased that he had swiftly sided with Eveline.

“Elkais is too strong on his own. Even with the two of us on a team, we might still lose,” Eveline pointed out.

“How could I ever attack you? I’d lose on purpose anyway,” Elkais replied softly, reaching for Eveline’s hand as if pleading.

Abellard, however, slapped Elkais’s hand away with a loud smack.

“What cheap trick is this? Don’t just grab her hand!”

“But you’re holding her hand now,” Eveline observed with a playful smirk.

“I’m only holding it because I’m worried about you,” Abellard stammered, rolling his eyes as he made up an excuse.

Eveline couldn’t help but laugh at his clumsy explanation.

“Why don’t we just drink instead? We can see snow any time in the Croppers Empire,” she suggested.

Elkais nodded in agreement, and Abellard reluctantly followed suit, chuckling.

The trio cleared away the green carpet in the cabin, revealing an impressive stash of rum beneath. Eveline stared at the ice cups Ferite had once crafted, a faint nagging feeling in her mind as though she’d forgotten something important.

Elkais and Abellard, too, seemed on the verge of remembering something while staring at the cups, but quickly dismissed the thought.

It was Ferite, the crown prince, that they were unknowingly trying to avoid thinking about.

“Drinking plain is boring. How about a game of Truth or Drink?” Eveline proposed.

“What’s that?”

“You answer truthfully, or you drink if you don’t want to answer.”

“Alright,” Elkais agreed.

“But that de Robein guy can hold his liquor too well. Let’s make him drink a whole bottle first,” Abellard suggested, grabbing the strongest-looking bottle with a smirk.

The crystal-clear rum sparkled like water but gave off an undeniable air of potency.

“You’re an alcoholic too, Brother. Why don’t you both drink a bottle each to even the playing field?” Eveline teased.

“Come on, Eve…” Abellard drawled, both flattered that she paid him attention and annoyed she seemed to favor Elkais.

“Both of you, drink up. I don’t drink much anyway, so I’ll skip,” Eveline said with a grin.

“Fine,” they both replied, popping the caps off their bottles.

Elkais downed the rum effortlessly, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he drank. Abellard, not to be outdone, followed suit. Eveline watched them and began sorting through the remaining bottles. Some were in vibrant colors—navy, bright orange, yellow, white, and even green. She quickly put the green one back, suspecting it was absinthe.

She glanced back at Elkais, who was finishing his bottle. There was something mesmerizing about the way his crimson eyes looked at her lazily as he drank. The movement of his throat seemed strikingly masculine, and she couldn’t help but feel flustered under his gaze.

After emptying his bottle, Elkais wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and smiled at her.

“You don’t seem drunk at all,” Eveline remarked skeptically.

“Why don’t you test me?”

“How?”

“Like this.”

Elkais leaned in and pressed a quick kiss on her lips before pulling back.

“Hey!” Abellard shouted, shoving Elkais away. Eveline’s cheeks burned from the warmth lingering on her lips.

“The alcohol… it’s strong,” she muttered, licking her lips absentmindedly.

“Why did you kiss her without permission?” Abellard growled.

“An accident. Sorry,” Elkais replied smoothly.

“It’s fine,” Eveline said, brushing it off. Her calm reaction made Abellard pause in his anger, though he quickly tipped his bottle back and drained it in one go.

“So… not drunk either, huh, Brother?”

“I want a kiss too.”

“Denied.”

“Fine. But I’m calling dibs on a goodnight kiss,” Abellard retorted.

“Alright,” Eveline agreed, recalling that his goodnight kisses were always on her forehead.

They settled down by the fire, the warmth contrasting with the chill of the rum. Eveline snuggled into Elkais’s jacket, thrown over her shoulders.

“How do we ask questions?” Eveline asked.

“Usually, you spin a bottle, but someone might manipulate that,” she said with a pointed look at Abellard.

“Then we’ll take turns asking,” Abellard suggested.

“That works,” Eveline agreed.

“What do you want to do when we leave here, Eve?” Abellard asked first.

“If I leave here… I might go back to being a Beta. I’m not sure what would happen then,” she admitted.

“I liked you when you were a Beta,” Elkais said.

“I like you as an Omega too, but Beta suits you,” Abellard chimed in.

Their quick responses made Eveline laugh.

“You stole my answer, so I guess I’ll drink,” she said, downing her glass. The sharp burn made her scrunch her nose.

“Elkais, what about you? What will you do after we leave?”

“Marry you.”

“Don’t be ridiculous! She’s marrying me!” Abellard interjected.

“Is this a proposal?” Eveline asked dryly.

“No, just a warning,” Elkais said, his voice steady.

“Why a warning?”

“I want to give you everything when I propose—not just words.”

“Well, I’d give you the title of Duke,” Abellard countered, shocking Eveline.

“But Brother, you’ve always wanted to be a Duke!”

“I wanted it for you. I thought you’d want me if I became one.”

Eveline sighed, realizing her plan to lighten the mood with drinking had backfired.

“Let’s move on to the next question,” she suggested.

“How many children do you want, Eve?” Elkais asked casually.

The question made Eveline choke on her drink. Abellard quickly used his divine power to calm her.

“One,” Eveline replied hesitantly after recovering.

“And? A boy or a girl?” Abellard pressed.

“A girl, like me.”

Both men smiled, satisfied. Eveline, flustered, poured herself another drink and downed it.

That was a mistake.

 

 

 

⋆｡ ﾟ ☁︎｡ ⋆｡ ﾟ ☾ ﾟ ｡ ⋆

☕ Hi, friends! Your support means the world to me. If you’d like, you can buy me a coffee here: Click the link on the image! 💖

Thank you for keeping me inspired! 🌸

⋆｡ ﾟ☁︎｡ ⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡ ⋆