* * *

“No way. How did this happen? All I needed was for three people to hate me! And I couldn’t even manage that—now two of them are confessing their love? Is that even possible?”

At this point, Remy started questioning if the problem was with him or with them.

He was sure he had done his best to maintain his distance and stick to the original storyline.

But those dense Alpha idiots must have had something in their eyes, chasing after him like this—it was driving him insane.

What had gone wrong?

Where had it all started to unravel…?

That’s when a thought struck him.

Perhaps all this chaos began when he manifested as an Omega.

That single shift seemed to have set everything off course.

“Wait. That’s it… It’s because I’m an Omega…”

In the original story, Remy wasn’t an Omega.

He was a Beta, which was why he felt inferior to Allen and ended up being hated by the Alphas.

But after he transmigrated, he manifested as an Omega, and everything started to go awry.

“This is strange. Even Allen… he keeps doing the things that the original Remy did. Pushing me down the stairs, trying to poison my drink…”

Wait.

Could it be that from the moment he transmigrated, the entire storyline shifted?

Like the main uke and the side uke had swapped places or something…?

“…!!”

Remy shot to his feet.

As far-fetched as it sounded, it wasn’t entirely impossible given the current circumstances.

The Alphas fighting over him, Allen scheming out of jealousy—everything supported his hypothesis.

“If my theory is right… then what happens to me? Can I still go back to where I came from? Or will I end up getting shot and killed, like in the original novel?”

He shouted, but no one was there to answer.

Nor could he find the answer himself.

“No way. I can’t live here. I refuse to accept this. There has to be a way. Some kind of way…”

As he clutched his throbbing head and tried to think, a single glimmer of hope surfaced in his chaotic mind, like a rose blooming through concrete.

“Right… there’s still that…”

Bolstered by the memory, Remy straightened up.

Now wasn’t the time to waste away.

There was still a chance for him.

After all, there were three Alphas in the original story.

“Rex… I’m counting on you.”

Remy left the desk immediately. After quickly preparing for an outing, he rushed out of the room.

---

Hicks Road was a district in the Empire renowned as an artist’s haven. From famous painters to aspiring novices, the place drew countless visitors.

It was lined with shops selling art supplies, and further in, there were factories producing dyes.

‘So this is Hicks Road. The one mentioned in the original story.’

Although it was famous as the painters’ district, Hicks Road was also known for its printing presses.

Rows of print shops stood alongside the dye factories.

Armed with this knowledge from the original story, Remy had ventured to Hicks Road, alone and wearing a hat pulled low over his face—without a coachman to accompany him.

‘Roberto. I need to find Roberto’s factory. I have to meet him.’

Unfolding the map he had acquired in advance, Remy began searching for Roberto, a key figure from the original story.

Navigating the unfamiliar streets of this era was already challenging enough, but trying to find his way through a cluster of back alleys with nothing but a hand-drawn map was proving to be even harder.

“Hmm… it should be around here somewhere. Why can’t I see it…?”

As he alternated between glancing at the map and scanning his surroundings, something dark and shadowy suddenly darted out from an alley, blocking his path.

“Ah!”

Remy let out a small yelp and stumbled back.

His heart raced as he tried to calm himself, focusing on the figure that had stopped him.

Sitting nonchalantly on the filthy ground, licking its hind leg with an air of regal indifference, was none other than a cat.

A small, black tuxedo cat.

“What the… You scared me.”

Muttering under his breath, Remy tried to walk past the cat and continue on his way.

At least, he would have, if the paper he was holding hadn’t been snatched away.

“Hey, what?!”

The tuxedo cat, quick as a flash, leapt up and snatched the map from his hand.

With its prize clamped firmly in its mouth, the little troublemaker jumped onto a trash can by the wall and stared down at Remy with a triumphant expression.

It looked absurdly proud, as if it had just claimed some kind of trophy.

“Oh, come on. Really?”

Remy let out a deep sigh.

He didn’t have time to be playing games with a cat.

Resolving to settle this quickly, he addressed the tuxedo cat in the politest tone he could muster.

“Excuse me, Mr. Cat. Or rather, Sir Cat. I’m in a bit of a rush right now, and I really need that map. I’d be extremely grateful if you could kindly return it.”

Surely even a non-human creature would be moved by such earnestness.

But that was only Remy’s assumption.

The tuxedo cat, clearly unimpressed, had no intention of relinquishing its newfound treasure.

If anything, it looked like it might chew it up instead.

“No, don’t!!”

When the tuxedo cat began chewing on the slip of paper, Remy finally leapt into action in a panic.

Realizing too late that reasoning wouldn’t work, he resorted to force to try and retrieve it.

“Give it back! You naughty cat!”

But really, would it be a cat if it let itself get caught?

The tuxedo cat, elegant in appearance yet endlessly infuriating, bolted away in a flash.

Quick on its feet and small in size, it forced Remy to sprint at full speed in pursuit.

Bang! Crash!

Thus began a chaotic chase between the unfamiliar cat and Remy, who gave it everything he had to catch the nimble creature.

The cat, equally determined not to get caught by this stranger, dashed away with all its might.

Had it been ten minutes of running?

Predictably, Remi’s frail body couldn’t keep up and gave out.

Panting heavily, he bent over with his hands on his knees, gasping for air.

The cat he had been chasing was nowhere to be seen, having disappeared far into the distance.

Despite the cool weather, sweat poured off him like rain as he struggled to catch his breath.

“Hah… hah… Where am I…?”

Once his body had calmed down, Remy looked around, speaking to himself.

Somehow, after only running for ten minutes, he had ended up in a completely unfamiliar area.

The factory buildings he’d seen earlier were gone, replaced by rows of old, dilapidated houses.

This had to be a slum.

Although never mentioned in the original story, it wasn’t surprising—a slum like this often formed near industrial areas.

“Great. I’ve even lost my map…”

Groaning as his aching joints protested, Remy muttered to himself while forcing his body upright.

He stood there, trying to figure out what to do next, when someone tapped him on the thigh.

“Huh…?”

Remi turned to see who had tapped him, tilting his head in confusion when he spotted the culprit—a child.

A freckled, curly-haired child with brown locks, looking up at him with innocent eyes.

* * *