<Episode 99>

“Eveline!”

Elkais immediately swung his sword, slicing through Euros’ neck, while Abellard reached out and channeled divine power into Eveline.

In an instant, Eveline’s wound healed, but bright red blood remained, staining her white wedding dress.

“Ugh…”

At that moment, her entire vision went dark.

She couldn’t help but wonder if she had been caught up in something else once again.

* * *

“Eveline.”

“Ah… Father?”

Eveline looked around. She was no longer in the place she had been before—this was her room in the ducal estate.

The familiar canopy above her and the emblem of the Wilden Duchy painted on the ceiling confirmed it.

“Eveline!”

“Ugh…!”

She had no idea what was happening, so she simply stared at her father.

Duke Wilden was hugging her tightly, crying.

It had to be a dream.

The Duke Wilden she knew—the man who seemed incapable of shedding a single tear—even if stabbed, was now embracing her and weeping.

She had never had such an unsettling dream before.

The only time Duke Wilden had ever cried in front of her was back then.

“Ha… If only you weren’t a Beta.”

He had drunkenly sobbed and resented her for it. Every year on her birthday, he would take her blood to verify if she was truly a Beta.

“Let go, Father. I can’t breathe.”

“O-Of course.”

Duke Wilden released her and looked at her intently.

Eveline wondered what had gotten into him. His face was truly that of a man who had been crying—puffy eyes, bloodshot and red-rimmed, tears staining his cheeks.

Duke Wilden was the kind of man who couldn’t act to save his life.

“Be grateful that I didn’t abandon you at birth!”

She had lost count of how many times she had wished he could at least fake it.

“Where is Elkais? And is my brother okay?”

When Eveline asked, Duke Wilden’s expression subtly shifted before he responded.

“Lord de Robein is fine. But… your brother? Who are you talking about?”

“What? Where is Abellard?”

“What are you talking about?”

For a moment, Eveline felt as if she and Duke Wilden weren’t speaking the same language. Talking to Elkais instead would likely be easier.

“Where did you say Elkais was?”

“Lord de Robein has gone to war, of course.”

“What?”

Eveline was so shocked she leapt to her feet—

“Ack!”

“Eveline!”

Her legs had no strength. It was as if she had not walked for an extremely long time. Her muscles felt nonexistent.

“What’s wrong with my legs?”

She panicked at the sight of her once-strong legs, now thin and lacking any muscle.

“Eveline… Just what kind of dream did you have?”

“Dream?”

“You fell down the stairs at Lady Ameline’s birthday ball.”

“Oh… Right.”

“It has been a whole year since then.”

“…What?”

Eveline’s head throbbed at the sheer absurdity of the situation.

Duke Wilden acting as if Abellard didn’t exist, Elkais going off to war—

But Elkais had been so exhausted by war that he had even told the emperor he would relinquish his title to avoid going back to the battlefield.

But war?

“Ah…”

Eveline had no choice but to remain confined in her room for a while.

And from the day she realized she couldn’t move her legs, she began writing letters to Duke de Robein.

She sent them using the fastest telegraph available, yet no reply ever came.

* * *

In the midst of all this, Eveline began to realize that the letters she received and the attention from others were unusual.

Every day, an overwhelming number of letters arrived, and young noblewomen—some whose faces she could barely remember—visited to ask about her well-being.

One corner of her room was filled with gifts and heartfelt letters left by visitors.

It was something she had never experienced before.

On top of that, Duke Wilden would burst into tears and fret over her at the slightest cough, while her mother quietly nursed her through the night, constantly changing the cool towels on her forehead.

Everything felt strange.

Because this wasn’t how things were supposed to be.

* * *

Then one day, something strange yet seemingly ordinary happened. Duke Wilden hurried back to the estate and introduced her to someone.

“Eve, this is the new doctor I’ve hired.”

“Ugh… I see.”

Eveline felt dizzy from the strange, unpleasant scent emanating from the doctor.

“He’s an Omega, just like you. Of course, he’s not a Royal Omega like you—just a mid-level one.”

At Duke Wilden’s words, Eveline’s eyes widened as she looked at the doctor.

An Omega?

Of course, she had become an Omega in that other place. But how was Duke Wilden accepting this so naturally?

No matter how much she searched the house or interrogated the servants, no one seemed to know anything about Abellard.

“Marianne, do you really not know Abellard?”

“No, I don’t.”

“Pink hair, sky-blue eyes—are you sure you don’t know him?”

“My lady… you’re asking this again?”

Not just the maids and servants, but also the stable hands, chamberlains, advisors, and even the gardeners.

Eveline had asked everyone, yet no one seemed to know Abellard.

Each time, she despaired. But she kept asking, kept writing letters to Elkais.

Yet, no reply came from Elkais, and there was no trace of Abellard.

As if he had never existed.

“Lady Wilden, it’s an honor to meet you.”

“You—!”

Eveline finally got a good look at the doctor’s face and shuddered.

“Brother Abellard! Where have you been all this time?”

“Haha. I haven’t even introduced myself. How do you know my name?”

The doctor smiled playfully and looked at her.

Something was terribly wrong. The pheromones coming from Abellard were definitely not those of an Omega.

It was the thick scent of a Royal Alpha.

The discomfort she had felt earlier—it must have been because he had masked his true scent with someone else’s pheromones.

Such artificial pheromone masking was rare.

Eveline turned to Duke Wilden, wondering if he could detect the deception.

But since he was already bonded to her mother, it seemed he was completely unable to sense anyone else’s pheromones. He looked completely unfazed.

“Ha…”

“Well then, may I proceed with the examination?”

“…Yes.”

At Eveline’s response, Duke Wilden let out a relieved sigh and smiled at her.

“Eveline, if you don’t like this doctor, just let me know. There are many doctors in the capital. We even sponsor a medical academy, so I can summon one of their professors if you prefer.”

“…Thank you.”

Eveline gave a half-hearted response, and Duke Wilden left the room, glancing back at her several times before closing the door.

Everything was wrong.

Duke Wilden had always cherished Abellard above all else. Yet now, he was treating her like he used to treat Abellard.

And at the same time, he acted as if Abellard had never existed.

“Brother, what is happening?”

Eveline glared at Abellard, her expression fierce.

But Abellard only smiled amusedly as he pulled up a chair and sat beside her bed.

“You enjoy playing pranks, don’t you, my lady?”

“You think I’m joking? Do you have any idea how much I worried about you?”

Eveline felt bitter that Abellard didn’t recognize her.

After she had lost consciousness that day, she hadn’t known if Elkais or Abellard had survived.

She had desperately searched for answers—only to find nothing.

Her heart had been burning with anxiety.

“My lady?”

As Eveline began to cry, Abellard looked flustered.

“Are you in pain? I may be a doctor, but I’m also skilled in divine healing!”

Doctors and priests never got along. Yet, the way he spoke so casually about possessing divine power amused Eveline.

His personality—it was exactly like the Abellard she knew.

That only made it more confusing.

“Haha…”

She let out a hollow laugh as she looked at him.

Through her tears, his face blurred, then came into focus again.

Wiping her cheeks, Eveline muttered,

“It hurts more than I thought… having you pretend not to know me.”

“……”

“I didn’t expect it to be this painful. Tell me about Elkais. He’s gone to war, hasn’t he? Is he okay?”

She already knew how Elkais was doing.

Duke Wilden, with the imperial family’s connections, had kept her informed about his situation on the battlefield.

But she still longed to see him.

This world was far too lonely. She felt like she couldn’t survive without Elkais.

Yet, he never once sent her a reply.

“My lady, isn’t this the life you wanted?”

At that moment, Abellard’s voice changed.

Eveline’s tears stopped as she watched his pink hair fade into silver.

“…Who are you? Euros?”

“Yes, it’s me, my lady.”

His eyes turned gold.

As everything she had endured in this place flashed through her mind, Eveline felt a slow, rising fury.

“What kind of twisted joke is this?”

“Isn’t this the life you wished for? A Royal Omega, the only legitimate daughter of the Wilden Ducal House. The future Duchess of Wilden.”

“……”

“If you had continued living like this, you wouldn’t have needed Lord de Robein. Not even Abellard.”

“No.”

She had never been happy in this dream.

She had worried about Elkais, feared the disappearance of the fragile Abellard, and felt burdened by Duke Wilden’s unfamiliar kindness.

And those dozens of letters she received each day—

Perhaps the old Eveline might have envied the attention Abellard used to receive.

But not anymore.

“This… this is not what I wanted.”

“Then what do you want?”

Euros grinned, intrigued.

“What I want is for Elkais and my brother to be where they belong. My future is mine to shape.”

For the first time, Euros no longer felt like a higher predator than her.

Without realizing it, she spoke to him informally.

“My lady.”

“I don’t need the life you fabricated for me.”

At that moment, she woke from the dream.

* * *

“Elkais!”

Before her, Euros’ attack had pierced straight through Elkais’ throat.

 

 

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