<Episode 26>

Elkais dragged the Grand Duke Croppers into the hut.

“Your Excellency, over here.”

“Ah.”

There was a red stain smeared across Elkais’s cheek. Eveline tapped her own right cheek to signal that he should wipe it off.

“This.”

He handed her a handkerchief. Inside it were a few wild raspberries.

It was surprising that he’d had the time to pick them, and his gentle smile as he offered them felt strangely unfamiliar. She accepted the handkerchief and tried one.

“It’s good. You should have some too.”

“My hand hurts.”

“Again?”

“Yes.”

Eveline eyed him suspiciously, but Elkais looked genuinely serious.

For some reason, she didn’t think he had any reason to lie to her—unlike Abellard—so with a sigh, she picked up a raspberry and fed it to him.

“It’s quite tasty.”

“I see.”

He accepted it and gave a faint laugh.

Eveline then reached out and wiped the red stain from his cheek with her hand.

“Ugh…”

Rubellite, who had been lying on the floor of the hut, started to move. He seemed to be regaining consciousness, struggling to lift himself up.

“Water…”

“Yes.”

Eveline scooped up some water with a broad leaf and handed it to him. He drank while lying down.

He still looked thirsty, so she offered him water several more times.

She began to doubt whether this man was truly the Grand Duke Croppers she knew. The one she remembered had never looked this shabby and pitiful.

“What’s that smell?”

“Pardon?”

At least his voice was the same as before.

“There’s a terrible stench.”

“…”

He pinched his nose and frowned as he looked up at Eveline. Startled, she stepped back from him and glanced around awkwardly.

“I’ll go wash up. I didn’t realize I smelled.”

“What are you talking about…”

Elkais frowned sharply at her words and glared at Rubellite.

“No, it’s fine. I’m a Beta, remember? Of course it makes sense. I’ll be back soon.”

“Don’t go. The sun will set soon.”

“The sun hasn’t even started to set yet.”

“It might rain. And it’s dangerous outside.”

Elkais looked even more unsettled by her insistence. The sight of her avoiding his eyes, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment, made him furious.

“When did you two get so close, Lord de Robein?”

“You’ve always had such a filthy mouth, Your Grace.”

Rubellite Croppers finally managed to sit up, looking as if he’d come back to life.

“Are those edible?”

“Ha…”

He was pointing at the pile of coconuts Elkais had gathered.

“I’ll be back. Please stay here.”

“Then take this.”

“You know I don’t need it.”

Elkais tried to hand her his sword, but he knew she already possessed a weapon far better than his. There was no point arguing.

“Go to the lake that leads to the cliff, not the one connected to the beach.”

“Why?”

“So that if you call out from there, I can reach you right away.”

“Alright.”

So he could hear her even from that distance—alphas really were something else.

Thinking that, she consciously stepped farther away from him. She hadn’t even realized she might be giving off a scent.

“And for the record, you don’t smell bad at all. If anything… it’s the kind of scent I want to keep smelling.”

“…What?”

“Ah, nothing.”

As soon as Elkais said it, he seemed to realize his slip-up and quickly looked away.

Eveline walked straight out of the hut and headed toward the lake.

“Where are you going?”

“It’s dangerous for Eve to go alone.”

“Don’t you realize it’s even more dangerous if you go with her?”

“No.”

Elkais pulled Abellard’s collar and forced him to sit back down as he tried to follow Eveline.

“Anyway, what’s with him?”

Abellard pointed toward the Grand Duke Croppers, who was cutting open a coconut to drink from. It wasn’t strange he didn’t recognize him—Rubellite Croppers was filthy from head to toe, his whole body covered in grime.

“And who might you be?”

Rubellite turned the question on Abellard, who stepped closer out of curiosity—only to flinch and cover his nose.

“What’s that smell…! Ugh…!”

Abellard gagged and bolted outside before he could stop himself. Elkais, completely baffled, tightened his grip on his sword and kept a wary eye on Rubellite.

“Ugh, urgh…!”

Even when the sound of Abellard retching echoed loudly from outside, Elkais didn’t follow him out.

***

Eveline came to the lake Elkais had said was closer and began to undress.
She folded her clothes neatly, placed her gun on top, and stepped into the water.

The water was quite cold.

“Eve!”

“One step closer and I’ll shoot.”

“Look!”

Abellard appeared before her, his eyes covered with his cravat. Eveline sighed unconsciously and simply stared at him without replying.

“I want to come over there.”

“Why did you follow me?”

“Because you might get hurt.”

“Then stay right there. I’ll call if there’s danger.”

“Okay.”

He said that but still crept toward her, step by step.

“Ah…”

Maybe he really couldn’t see, because he tripped over a rock and fell. Yet he quickly stood back up and kept inching toward the lake.

Eveline didn’t even have the energy to get angry anymore—she just focused on washing herself.

“Do I smell?”

“Yeah, you smell amazing. The kind of scent I’d want to imprint.”

“…”

“When I’m near you, I just want to get closer. It’s like… a floral scent, but sweet. It’s not quite like food, but it makes my head go a little fuzzy. If I keep smelling it, I kind of want to eat you up…”

“Stop.”

Eveline couldn’t tell whether he was saying that to make her feel better or if he really meant it.
But hearing him speak so calmly and earnestly made her let out a small, involuntary laugh.

“I see.”
So she didn’t believe a word he said and scrubbed herself even harder. Then, thinking maybe the smell was coming from her hair, she washed it thoroughly as well.

“Eve, should I help you wash?”

“One step closer and I’ll shoot.”

“Okay…”

Eveline sighed when she saw Abellard had somehow made it close to her again. His eyes seemed to be completely covered—he was practically crawling in her direction.

She still hadn’t gotten used to the changes in her brother—not just his appearance, but his entire personality.

“Brother.”

“Abellard.”

“Brother Abellard.”

“Abellard.”

“Fine… Abellard.”

“Yeah!”

Abellard looked like he genuinely hated being called “Brother.” Eveline couldn’t bring herself to act as firmly or coldly as before, thinking maybe his condition had worsened because of her.

“You’re stepping on my clothes. Could you please move a little?”

“Yeah.”

He shuffled aside and sat down with his back turned to her.

“Abellard, why do you want to imprint with me?”

“Because I really like you. I just… want you to live.”

“…”

She didn’t understand what that meant.

But since Abellard used to be an omega and was now an alpha, she figured he might think imprinting was somehow linked to survival. So she didn’t argue.

“I don’t want to do that kind of thing with you.”

“What kind of thing?”

“Sleeping together.”

“Oh…”

He hesitated for a moment, his voice flustered, then spoke again.

“Hey, Eve.”

“Yes.”

“Imprinting is…”

“…”

“Ah…”

“…”

“I can’t say it… again…”

Eveline began to wonder if perhaps he’d gone a little strange after being stuck here alone for so long.

And yet, a part of her wanted to trust him.

“Were you alone here for a whole year?”

She changed the subject.

No matter how much she’d been compared to him, Eveline had never truly wanted to hate her brother. That was why she’d stopped leaving the ducal mansion in the first place.

“Yeah.”

“That must’ve been hard.”

“It was so lonely and difficult. But the hardest part was not being able to see you.”

Maybe it was because she was sitting in cold water, but his words chilled her to the core.

“At first, I was terrified. Just surviving was hard enough.”

“…”

“I couldn’t hunt or anything.”

Eveline suddenly remembered how the wild animals here had shown no fear of people at all.
It was clear Abellard hadn’t survived through hunting.

“I tried really hard not to lose my strength. So I kept thinking about you.”

“…”

“At first, I thought I felt stronger because I hated you so much. But now… I just miss you. I want to be near you. When I think of you, I feel alive again.”

Eveline sighed and stepped out of the water.

“Abellard.”

“Yeah.”

“Move over a little. You’re sitting on my handkerchief.”

“Okay.”

He reached into his arms and handed it to her.

Eveline could tell it must’ve come from the men’s wedding attire he’d once worn.

“So, are you saying you like this place better than when you were in the Croppers Empire?”

“Yeah.”

He answered without hesitation and turned his head toward her.
Even with his eyes covered, it felt as though he were looking straight at her.

“I really love you, Eve. More than my own life. As long as I have you, I could stay here forever.”