* * *
‘Would it have been easier if I had spent the full four years in this world?’
To me, it just felt like I had gone into a deep sleep and woken up.
The reason I was able to adapt somewhat quickly to those missing four years was likely because I had been an adult in my past life.
Even so, the present still felt more distant than four years ago.
The manifestation ceremony still felt like it had happened just yesterday.
‘That’s why I keep dwelling on the past like some obsessive fool.’
“It’s just something that can’t be helped…”
A low murmur reached my ears. I smiled faintly and echoed the words.
“Yeah, something that can’t be helped.”
There were too many things in this world beyond my control.
The very fact that I ended up in this world in the first place.
The fact that Raizen didn’t love me.
“…”
Surprisingly, he said nothing.
Knowing his personality, I had expected him to say something like, ‘Why not? We can find a way to make it work.’
After all, this wasn’t Earth—this world had magic and countless supernatural forces.
And Raizen had both the talent and the power to defy reality’s limits.
‘Is it because of the curse?’
I exhaled slowly through my nose, lost in thought, before tilting my gaze upward to stare at the ceiling.
The room was silent.
Raizen still rested against my shoulder, his breathing steady, the faint scent of roses drifting from him.
‘It’s… comfortable.’
The thought surfaced before I could stop it, and I found myself chuckling softly.
Since when had I started feeling at ease being alone with him?
I couldn’t pinpoint exactly, but maybe… maybe it had all started back then.
But we couldn’t stay like this forever.
“Hyung, you should go back now.”
“…Mmm.”
What was that? Was that a whine?
‘That’s… annoyingly cute.’
I was at a point where even Raizen seemed adorable.
Was I really okay with this?
“Hyuuung.”
I didn’t want to send him away either.
But it was something that couldn’t be helped.
“Sei, do you feel better now?”
Instead of leaving, he asked a completely unrelated question.
“My body?”
Now that he mentioned it, I did feel fine.
When I was leaving the hall earlier, I had felt nauseous and my heart had been pounding, but now…
“I think… I’m okay.”
“I see.”
Considering he was the one who asked, his response was strangely lackluster.
I barely held back a laugh at the awkward silence that followed.
This was bad. I knew he was deliberately doing things that were blatantly obvious… and yet, I still found it cute.
“Should we go together?”
“Mm.”
He answered in a small voice.
As soon as we returned to the banquet hall, the Duchess approached us.
She had been conversing with someone but immediately stopped when she spotted us.
“Sei, are you feeling better?”
“Yes, I’m fine now.”
“I’m glad… You don’t have to force yourself if you’re still unwell.”
Her gaze flickered briefly to Raizen.
When he flashed a small smile, she let out a quiet sigh before turning back to me.
“The Kaigan family has been sent home. They won’t be invited to our gatherings again.”
So, they were permanently banned.
It made sense—no matter how reckless Kaigan was, he wouldn’t have approached me without some form of parental encouragement.
“Thank you… for handling it.”
“There’s no need to thank me. Now, go enjoy the evening.”
“Yes.”
I was about to leave when the Duchess suddenly clapped her hands together.
“Oh! By the way, the ballroom dance will be starting soon.”
“The… ballroom dance?”
I had completely forgotten about it. I had even taken a crash course in dancing for this event!
‘But it’s not like I have a dance partner, so it shouldn’t matter.’
The real issue was Raizen.
Most of the attendees were probably here with the sole purpose of having their first dance with him.
The thought of watching him dance with someone else made me regret returning to the hall.
“Raizen, do well.”
“Yes, Mother.”
‘…Huh?’
The Duchess left with that cryptic remark.
The moment she was gone, the people lingering around Raizen immediately pounced.
“Good evening, Young Duke. I introduced myself earlier, do you remember?”
“Young Duke, if you have a moment, I’d love to finish our earlier conversation.”
“If it’s not too much trouble, would you honor me with a dance…?”
Voices flooded in from all directions, making it hard to focus.
It was as if I didn’t even exist to them.
Just as I was about to quietly slip away—
“……!”
Raizen grabbed my hand firmly.
“I’m sorry, but now isn’t a good time.”
His voice was gentle yet firm.
Without hesitation, he led me away, moving in the opposite direction of the crowd.
Caught off guard, I had no choice but to follow him.
“Hyung?”
“I think it’s best if I stay by your side today.”
“……Why?”
“You were just attacked by an Alpha’s pheromones.”
“……Yeah. I was.”
“You may feel fine now, but if you run into another Alpha again, you never know how your body might react. If you leave it unchecked, it could even become a trauma.”
“That’s……”
He had a point.
“……You’re right.”
It was so accurate that I couldn’t argue against it. But still—
“Hyung, you’re an Alpha too.”
Not just any Alpha—he was a dominant Alpha.
At that, Raizen gazed at me quietly.
“Sei, are you afraid of me?”
Why does he always phrase things like this?
“No! Hyung is fine. You’re fine, but……”
Now that I think about it… why is Raizen fine?
Even when I was being attacked by Kaigan’s pheromones earlier, the moment I caught a whiff of Raizen’s scent, my body and mind instantly calmed down.
‘……Is it because I like him?’
No way.
There’s no way I’d get caught like this.
Avoiding his gaze, I mumbled, trying to cover up my thoughts.
“No, it’s not that I’m not okay, but normally… that’s just how it is, right…?”
“You’re just used to my pheromones.”
“Oh.”
The realization hit me, making me momentarily forget my earlier fluster.
When an Alpha and an Omega are exposed to each other’s pheromones for a long time, it actually has a calming effect in times of crisis.
This usually happened with family members or lovers.
And if they were bonded, the effect would be even stronger.
“Right. I forgot about that.”
Raizen finally seemed satisfied and smiled.
I found myself smiling back.
‘But still…’
Since when did my body become so accustomed to Raizen’s pheromones?
I had been bedridden for the past four years, while Raizen was away at the academy.
The more I thought about it, the stranger it seemed.
As a recessive Omega, I had accepted the pheromones of a dominant Alpha far too naturally.
‘The first time I saw him again was when he suddenly appeared in the library.’
Even then, I hadn’t felt anything odd.
In fact, I had instinctively felt relieved to see him.
‘What kind of trick is this?’
Only one possibility came to mind—Raizen must have been exposing me to his pheromones whenever he returned home for breaks or during short visits.
‘But… why would he do that?’
My throat suddenly felt dry.
I signaled to a passing servant for some water, but before I could reach for it, Raizen took the glass from the servant and handed it to me himself.
Just as I was about to take a sip—
“His Highness Crown Prince Hamuel Eos Felicia and Her Highness Princess Celina Eos Felicia have arrived!”
“……!”
I almost spat out the water.
With great effort, I swallowed it calmly and turned toward the entrance of the banquet hall.
The massive doors swung open, revealing Hamuel and Princess Celina.
‘Oh…….’
Princess Celina looked exactly as described in the novel.
Her platinum blonde hair had a golden tint, unlike her brother Hamuel’s, and her eyes were a striking shade of violet.
She had delicate, finely sculpted features and flawless, translucent skin, as if crafted by a master artisan.
‘She’s beautiful.’
Princess Celina.
In the novel From Transmigration to Hero, she eventually married Kim Minsoo—otherwise known as Karon Luavis.
She even played a crucial role in helping him ascend the throne.
But before that, they had almost no direct interaction.
The novel merely described how she watched him from afar, blushing whenever he visited the palace.
‘The most noble woman in this empire.’
And she was an Omega.
Not a dominant one, but her noble status more than made up for it.
[Raizen Pantheon, Capturing Even the Heart of the Princess?!]
I didn’t know why that headline suddenly popped into my head.
It was from one of the trashy magazines Raizen had dismissed as nonsense.
If I ignored the speculative parts and focused on the facts, the article simply stated that Raizen had danced with the princess at the Royal Academy’s ball.
‘But… their positions make that fact complicated.’
There was a common romantic belief that the first dance partner at a debutante ball would become their destined one.
But Raizen’s first dance partner wasn’t the princess.
When he first entered high society, his debut dance had been with a duchess—likely a move to avoid unnecessary rumors.
Even so, the fact remained that he had danced with Princess Celina.
And given the cautious relationship between the Ducal House and the Imperial Family, it wasn’t surprising that people speculated about a potential alliance.
And yet—
“…….”
It was enough to stir my own petty jealousy.
“She’s beautiful.”
I didn’t even know why I said that.
I couldn’t bring myself to check whether Raizen was looking at the princess.
“Beautiful?”
“……Yeah.”
Raizen was silent for a moment before suddenly asking—
“Don’t you think… I’m prettier than the Crown Prince?”
“……?”
What kind of nonsense is that?
* * *
