Chapter 09
It felt like he had read my mind when he spoke.
“I followed Sonia’s pheromone scent.”
I rolled up my sleeve and sniffed my skin. The lily-of-the-valley scent from yesterday wasn’t there. It was too faint, probably only detectable by an Alpha like Cassius.
I lowered my sleeve.
‘It’s too late to run…’
If I kept emitting this scent, I wouldn’t know which Alpha I might encounter. Feeling drained, I sank into a chair.
Cassius stepped closer.
“What are you worried about?”
Was that even a question?
In that moment, when I thought about giving everything up, I didn’t even want to show respect to Cassius anymore. I replied in a grumble.
“Everything.”
“Are you worried because you’re the only surviving Omega?”
“…Please don’t call me that. We still don’t know for sure.”
Since we hadn’t confirmed it through mating.
If strong emotions were involved, even Betas would react, not just Alphas or Omegas.
“Hmmm…”
He smiled meaningfully and lowered his head.
I remembered the sensation of his pheromones soaking my body.
Pheromones were scents meant to allure others. When an Alpha used them on an Omega, it was almost like trying to seduce them, to choose them and mark them.
‘I won’t choose anyone.’
Why would the last surviving Omega choose a specific Alpha in this world?
The result would be obvious. The remaining Alphas would go mad, kill the chosen Alpha, and do anything to claim me.
No matter how enticing the pheromones were, I wasn’t going to choose anyone.
Cassius met my gaze and placed his hand on his neck. He unbuttoned the priest’s robe, the buttons tightly holding it in place.
“W-what are you doing?” I stammered.
He smiled faintly and instead of answering, he slowly removed his robe. The tightly fastened priest’s garment slid off.
Was he trying to prove something with his body since I wouldn’t admit that I was an Omega?
Between the open robe, I could see his smooth neckline, and heat rushed to my face.
“Stop it!” I shouted.
“What should I stop?”
Taking off your clothes!
He continued calmly, as if unaware of my discomfort.
Was he really going to do this?
“Y-Your Grace… p-please calm down,” I stuttered.
But instead of stopping, his hands quickly undid the last button on his priest’s robe.
Beneath the white robe, his solid chest became visible.
I didn’t want to look, but I couldn’t help it. I squeezed my eyes shut, feeling like I shouldn’t be seeing this.
Cassius grabbed my wrist tightly and pulled me along. His heated skin touched my fingertips.
The sensation was firm yet soft. The hot skin was completely different from mine, making my face flush.
‘Where exactly am I touching?’
I couldn’t tell where my hand was on his body. Fear made it impossible to open my eyes.
“Sonia.”
“Y-yes…”
“It’s okay, open your eyes.”
At his words, I cautiously opened one eye.
‘Is this really a human body?’
His muscles were sculpted with clear shadows, like something you’d see on a statue of the gods in a museum.
His abs, in particular, were so detailed, it looked more like a work of art than a human body.
My hand, which Cassius had grabbed, was pressed against his broad chest.
‘Wait?’
I saw a black vine-like design on his chest.
‘That’s the curse of the ability!’
A rare curse that only a few Alphas in the world have. It’s a mark of their special power.
The more they use their power, the more the black thorns spread, and once the thorns cover their body, they lose their sanity and become uncontrollable.
To break the curse, contact with the marked Omega was needed.
That’s why Alphas, especially those with this special power, needed Omegas.
In the original story, all the powerful Alphas, except for one prince, had this curse.
And the reason Alphas were obsessed with the Omega was because they needed one to survive.
“My curse is on my shoulder.”
Cassius guided my hand from his chest to his shoulder. Without meaning to, I could feel his chest against my palm.
His robe, loosely draped, slipped off, revealing his upper body completely.
Between the black thorns, a red rose, matching his eye color, bloomed.
I gently touched the red rose.
The black thorns that had spread across his chest began to disappear.
The curse was being cleansed.
My eyes widened in shock.
Lancelot wasn’t an Omega, so even if he touched the roses of the powerful Alphas, the thorns couldn’t be removed.
“It’s real,” I whispered.
I was actually cleansing the curse. I could no longer deny that I was the only Omega in the world.
“I was really an Omega…”
Just like Cassius said.
I mumbled weakly, my voice trembling.
“How did you know…?”
“When I was near you, there was a flower scent. Like the pheromones of an Omega.”
It must have been the faint lily-of-the-valley scent.
“Have you ever met an Omega before?”
“Yes, a few times before the fever epidemic.”
Unlike Alphas, who each had different scents, Omegas all smelled like lily-of-the-valley flowers.
It was a distinctive scent, impossible to confuse with anything else.
I was completely taken aback.
“I didn’t know… I have no memory of it happening…”
“You truly didn’t know? I thought you were trying to seduce me with your pheromones since you were emitting them.”
“No, that’s not it!” I desperately denied it.
“Then, am I the only one who knows your secret now?”
In this situation, that was true.
“Yes…”
He let go of my hand and whispered.
“We’ve shared each other’s secrets.”
I understood what he meant. The kingdom only recognized divine powers, not other abilities.
I didn’t know exactly what Cassius’ power was, but if it became known that he had this curse, he would have to step down from his position as the High Priest.
“If that’s the case, don’t be afraid. I want to be your strength.”
If I exposed Cassius’ secret, he would be exiled from the kingdom.
The reason he took such a risk and revealed his secret to me was that he intended to protect my secret as well.
His kindness gave me the courage to face my fears.
I calmed down. My mind cleared as I began to think about what to do next.
The reason Alphas fell into despair was because he wasn’t a true Omega. Due to the curse of his powers, the powerful Alphas slowly descended into madness.
But Lancelot couldn’t stop their madness.
On the other hand, as a true Omega, I could suppress the curse that was driving them insane.
I had an idea of what I had to do.
The formal priest ceremony was just a month away.
The priests who were about to be promoted didn’t have to do menial tasks like cleaning until the ceremony. Instead, they were supposed to bathe daily, pray, and prepare both their body and minds devoutly.
Priest duties continued, but they only counseled those who were specifically called upon.
However, as a novice priest with little recognition, no one would call on me for counseling. So, essentially, I had no priest duties.
Every time I passed by, all kinds of rumors and gossip followed me.
One morning, I was caught by Ellie.
“Sonia! Why did you keep your healing power a secret from me?”
Many people had asked the same question.
My answer had become automatic, something I didn’t even need to think about anymore.
“I can’t undergo the final awakening.”
All divine powers undergo two awakenings. The real, significant power comes after the second, the final awakening.
Priests usually underwent some training, then went to the shrines of their attributes to pray and reach their final awakening.
But healing didn’t have a shrine, so it couldn’t undergo the final awakening.
Ellie nodded as she understood.
“That’s right.”
“Honestly, it’s not even as strong as holy water, so I kept it a secret to avoid being mocked.”
“But it’s a special power only you have! If it were me, I’d be bragging about it!”
My goal was to quietly live as a priest, unnoticed by others.
I didn’t want attention for having a power that had no major use and only drew attention.
“It’s nothing to boast about. I can only heal minor wounds.”
“What else?”
“I can relieve fatigue.”
“What else? This time, don’t keep anything secret. Tell me everything!”
Since I got my healing powers, I hadn’t gotten sick. I was about to explain everything when I saw the fearful expression on Ellie’s face, and I decided to stop talking.
“Answer me quickly!”
Seeing her persistent attitude, it seemed like the other priests had asked Ellie to find out more about me.
To them, the healing attribute was a mysterious power.
I finally managed to escape from Ellie and ran to the prayer room.
I pressed my hands together tightly.
“Dear God, why is this happening to me? I just wanted to be a simple priest.”
Healing powers… and now I’m the only surviving Omega.
It felt like I was a critically endangered species, the last of my kind in the world.
“I don’t want excessive attention. I just want to quietly blend in among the many priests.”
