I knew it. From the moment I brought Seo-yul here, I understood that I was handing the master of this district yet another means to tighten the noose around my neck. Gaining something to protect in this place meant exactly that. But just because I had anticipated it didn’t mean there was anything I could do. I had merely deluded myself into thinking I had become something—when in reality, I was still nothing more than an insect.
“It doesn’t make me feel good to say this either, you know.”
The man feigned a look of pity as he spoke. His face twitched momentarily, but he forced it into a rigid expression, clenching his hands behind his back. He could never afford to reveal his emotions in front of this man.
“Do you have anything to say?”
“…No, sir.”
“Good. You shouldn’t. What could you possibly have to say to me right now?”
Despite the continuous reprimands, he remained silent, offering no reaction. The man, watching him closely, slowly rose from his seat. As the distance between them closed, the overwhelming scent of the man’s pheromones, left unchecked, constricted his breath.
The scent was so oppressive it stung his nose—an unmistakable match for the man himself. It was the scent an alpha exuded when crushing someone weaker beneath them.
“I will announce you as the next district leader on the Day of the District. In a week’s time, it will be official rather than just a formality. What could be more important than that? Don’t you agree?”
In a week, this wretched charade would finally come to an end. He had become the sole Shining, just as the district master desired, and soon, he would succeed the man as the new leader of District 1. Of course, no one wanted him in that position—but that was irrelevant.
“Vincent, it won’t be much longer now. The finish line is right in front of you, so why do you insist on making a mess of things?”
“I-I apologize—”
The false apologies that usually came so easily refused to leave his lips today. Perhaps it was because he despised the way the man was using Seo-yul as leverage against him.
“…I apologize.”
Forcing himself to steady his mind, he bowed deeply in apology. The man, watching him with eyes filled with disdain, let out a long sigh.
“The damage is done. I’ll handle the elders myself. Until the Day of the District, do your best to remain quiet. That would be the wisest course of action.”
In other words, he was being told to keep his head down and stay out of sight until the appointed day arrived. That was precisely what he wanted—but even so, he couldn’t help but feel exhausted.
He had never wanted this from the start. Whatever happened to District 1 had nothing to do with him. The only reason he had fought so desperately was because he needed this position in order to have Seo-yul entirely to himself.
I had already obtained what I wanted. If I could, I would take Seo-yul and disappear somewhere no one could ever find us—a place where only the two of us existed, where no one else could ever come between us.
“Don’t just sit there. Wipe that blood off. It’s unpleasant to look at.”
The man frowned at the sight of the blood covering one side of his face. Given permission to move, he pulled back his sleeve and pressed it lightly against the torn wound.
The bleeding had already stopped, but the wound was deeper than expected. It would likely leave a scar. Shaking off the blood that had seeped into his sleeve, he unconsciously relaxed the frown that had formed on his face.
“Father, I have something to say.”
“Go on.”
If it were up to him, he would have given everything up. But unfortunately, he was the only Shining with a color deep enough to satisfy the man. He was also the only one with a leash firmly around his neck, one the man could control at will.
So there was no way the man would let him go easily. Even if he ran, the man would hunt him down and lock him away somewhere where not even a sliver of light could reach. Eight years ago, he had been alone. But now, Seo-yul was with him.
That meant, for now, he had to suppress his true intentions and play along with whatever the man wanted. If he wanted to protect Seo-yul, if he wanted to have him entirely to himself, he had to bide his time and wait for the right moment.
But it wouldn’t hurt to set up a safety measure.
“I’m pregnant.”
“…What?”
The man couldn’t hide his shock at the sudden confession. He had already agreed that the next district leader would take only one mate.
If Seo-yul was pregnant, the man wouldn’t be able to cast him aside so easily. Right now, Seo-yul was the only one capable of carrying a Shining. Running the calculations in his head, Vincent maintained a calm expression and continued his lie.
“My Omega is pregnant with a Shining.”
***
Even after he was summoned by the district master, I remained seated in the garden for a while. It had been a long time since I had gone outside, and with my tangled thoughts, I didn’t want to return to that suffocating room. I felt like I would drown in my own misery if I did.
I still didn’t get an answer. He never hid anything else from me, but when it came to Se-yul’s fate, he always kept it from me.
Was it because Se-yul was truly dead? Or was there another reason he refused to tell me, even if Se-yul was still alive? I couldn’t understand what he was thinking.
I used to believe that no one knew you as well as I did, but now… I don’t know you at all. You’ve become the hardest person to understand.
—Please, let me protect Seo-yul completely.
That’s what he said. That the only way to protect me entirely was through marriage. If it had been before, I would have laughed in his face and dismissed it as nonsense, just another excuse to satisfy his own desires.
But after the two unwelcome visitors who had shown up unannounced, I realized something.
That here, the only way I could live safely was through marriage. If I could just return to District 5, I wouldn’t even have to consider something so ridiculous. But he would never let me go.
Unless I found a hidden escape route, one that evaded every watching eye, I would remain bound to him.
So should I just go along with it? If I did, I wouldn’t be confined to that suffocating room. Instead, I would be able to walk freely through this vast mansion.
Maybe that would be the better option.
“Lord Seo-yul.”
Choi Yeo-min, whom he had left in his place, called out to me. Resting my chin on my sharply raised knees, I shifted only my gaze to look at him.
After hesitating for a moment, Yeo-min sat beside me. He kept sneaking glances as if he had something to say, making it impossible for me to lose myself in thought.
Unable to stand it any longer, I let go of my knees and turned to face him. Only then did Yeo-min awkwardly pretend to look elsewhere, feigning indifference.
“What is it?”
“It’s nothing—”
“You have something to tell me, don’t you?”
Pressed for an answer, Yeo-min scratched his cheek. After a brief moment of hesitation, he finally met my eyes and spoke in a low voice.
“I’ve been wondering when I should bring this up… but I figured it wouldn’t be right to keep it from you any longer. It’s about what you asked me to do before…”
I immediately remembered. There were only two things I had ever asked Yeo-min for—permission to smoke and information about Se-yul’s fate.
With rising urgency, I grabbed the collar of his shirt. Startled, Yeo-min quickly glanced around, scanning our surroundings. Then, noticing the guards watching us, he patted me reassuringly, urging me to calm down.
But I couldn’t. I didn’t care how Yeo-min had obtained the information. That wasn’t even a thought in my mind.
“Se-yul… Is he—is he alive?”
“Well…”
Yeo-min hesitated to answer. Unease crept in as I clasped my hands together, holding my breath.
In that brief moment of silence, I prayed to every god I had ever known. Please, let Se-yul be alive. Because if he wasn’t, I wouldn’t be able to go on.
“…Yes. He’s alive.”
Those were the words I had been desperate to hear.
Of course, I hadn’t seen him with my own eyes, so I didn’t know if Yeo-min was telling the truth or simply saying what I wanted to hear. But for the first time, the fear I had been holding onto melted away.
I had been terrified. Se-yul had been shot because of me. If something had happened to him—if he had died—I wouldn’t have been able to live with the guilt.
I had tried to endure, clinging to the belief that he had to be alive. But as time passed, that belief had begun to wane, and despair had taken its place.
But now… that hope had become reality.
“He was badly injured, but I heard he’s recovering.”
“Oh… thank god. Thank god.”
Tears spilled onto my clasped hands.
As I cried silently, Yeo-min patted my shoulder before gently pulling me into his arms.
Thump.
My head rested against his unexpectedly firm chest. I slowly released the lips I had been biting down on.
I thought I would sob uncontrollably, but strangely, no sound came out.
“…I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner.”
Yeo-min’s warmth was comforting.
