He went straight underground to meet the Apostle, but he had forgotten the most crucial fact—the Apostle was in no condition to communicate with him after enduring days of relentless torture.
Seeing the Apostle drenched in blood, his entire body battered like well-tenderized meat, he let out a deep sigh. He had acted without considering the consequences, and now he had to find a way to keep the Apostle alive.
“Damn it.”
Proper medical treatment was impossible inside the prison. The attending physicians were extremely reluctant to descend into the lightless underground.
To save the Apostle, he had to take him upstairs, but no suitable place came to mind. If the District Chief caught wind of what was happening, things would become dangerous for him.
He needed somewhere completely disconnected from himself, yet still safe. As he racked his brain, searching for such a place within the mansion, a name surfaced in his mind.
Ina Shining.
She was the first ally he had gained in this mansion, but trusting her entirely was impossible. In the end, she, too, was a Shining under the District Chief’s command.
However, there was no one else who could help him. If he simply demanded that she save this person without offering an explanation, she would undoubtedly become suspicious. But for now, he had no other choice.
Having made his decision, he hoisted the bloodied Apostle onto his back and left the prison. Avoiding prying eyes, he made his way to Ina Shining’s chambers, where he dumped the barely breathing Apostle.
Without so much as a proper request, he left her with the unspoken command to keep him alive, then quickly disappeared before she could follow. Only after he had put a considerable distance between himself and her room did he casually shake off the blood staining his hands.
Three days.
Only three days remained until the Day of District. He wasn’t sure if the Apostle would recover in time, but for now, he had no choice but to hope. He could only pray that the promise—to give him the power he desired—had not been an empty boast.
If it meant gaining the strength to protect Seo-yul, he was willing to align himself with anyone. Whether they worshiped the Moon of Humanity or rejected it, none of that mattered to him.
From the moment Seo-yul had opened the storage room door and sought him out, Seo-yul had become his light. Even if the Moon of Humanity were to disappear, plunging the world into eternal darkness, as long as he had Seo-yul, nothing else mattered.
In fact, it would be better if the entire world crumbled, leaving only him and Seo-yul behind.
“I’m exhausted.”
Closing his eyes tightly, he let out a slow breath.
The scent that permeated every corner of the mansion belonged to the pheromones exuded by the Shining. The foul, nauseating stench of Alphas.
Amidst all the clashing scents, there was one that drifted toward him—faint, blurred, yet unmistakable.
Even though his bedroom was still a long way off, Seo-yul’s scent lingered everywhere, as if it had seeped deep into his very being.
Slowly, he opened his eyes and followed the only scent that mattered. He crossed the lobby and approached the guarded entrance to the bedroom. The closer he got, the more intense Seo-yul’s scent became.
A sweet cocoa fragrance that dried out his mouth, making him unconsciously lick his lips. The taste lingered, a sweetness that only deepened his thirst. He savored it as he arrived at the bedroom door—and threw it open.
***
Crash! Every decorative item on the table went tumbling to the floor.
Hearing the commotion, the attendants rushed in, but Jeremy assured them it was nothing. Once they hesitantly withdrew, he closed the wide-open door.
Beyond the shut door, he could hear the murmuring of the anxious attendants. If only things could end with just this. But Joshua, still seething with anger, began destroying everything in the room.
The bed, the wardrobe, the chairs—everything was being reduced to wreckage. Jeremy, watching the destruction unfold, couldn’t help but let out a sigh.
He just prayed this mess wouldn’t reach their father’s ears.
“What the hell is this?! What the fuck is going on?!”
Jeremy’s plan had been executed perfectly. He had spread rumors through the elders that Vincent Shining was hiding an Omega within the district. The district’s citizens, who harbored strong resentment toward Omegas, had reacted exactly as he had intended.
Even now, they were staging protests, declaring that they would never recognize someone who sheltered an Omega as the rightful ruler of the district. Yet the district’s leader continued to feign ignorance.
And just moments ago, an unbelievable announcement had been made. The district leader had finalized his decision—Vincent Shining would, without a doubt, be the next District Chief.
“What the hell is Father thinking? He was the one who started expelling Omegas from District 1 in the first place! How could he possibly allow someone to hide an Omega inside the mansion?!”
Though he had anticipated something like this, it was now painfully obvious—there was something between the district leader and Vincent Shining. After all, there was no way their father hadn’t known about the Omega hidden within the mansion. The only explanation was that he had deliberately turned a blind eye.
Unfortunately, his fool of a brother couldn’t even begin to grasp that possibility. Instead, he had convinced himself that their father had finally lost his mind, lashing out at the furniture as if that would change anything.
“We should have handled this more aggressively from the start. If I drag out the Omega that bastard Vincent has been hiding and throw them at Father’s feet, he’ll have no choice but to reconsider his decision.”
At this rate, Joshua was going to storm into Vincent Shining’s chambers. With the Day of the District fast approaching, a public scandal would be disastrous. It was time to soothe his furious brother before things spiraled out of control.
“Joshua, calm down for a second—”
“Do I look like I can fucking calm down?! Do I?!”
Joshua roared, hurling something in his hand. A heavy wooden table clock barely missed Jeremy, crashing against the wall instead.
This, too, was something he had inherited from their father.
“If that worm hadn’t come back, this district would’ve been mine. I was supposed to be the next District Chief. But he stole everything from me. Jeremy, do you even understand how I feel? Of course, you don’t. You’ve never even had the qualifications to be considered.”
“……”
“What the hell would someone like you, with your diluted blood, even know?”
Joshua, completely unhinged, began to spew out whatever came to mind. Jeremy clenched his trembling fingertips into a fist, carefully arranging his expression—acting as if he sympathized, as if he shared his brother’s anger, as if he truly cared.
“Of course, I don’t know exactly how you feel since I was never in your position and my blood isn’t as pure as yours. But even I can see how absurd this situation is. Father was the one who started expelling Omegas from the district, and yet he allows Vincent’s Omega to remain in the mansion? It’s unthinkable. Absolutely impossible.”
Joshua, who had been listening in silence, let out a long sigh. He walked across the ruined room and sat on the edge of the bed, a powerless smile creeping onto his face as he muttered,
“Yeah, at least you understand.”
Jeremy loosened his fingers, his hands no longer trembling, and approached Joshua. Sitting beside him, he carefully took Joshua’s hand in his own. Those confused, red eyes wavered as they met his.
He needed to make Joshua rely on him even more. He needed Joshua to reclaim his rightful place—only to become an empty shell, incapable of doing anything without him.
A position above the District Chief… now, wasn’t that an enticing thought?
“Jeremy, that was supposed to be my seat. I just want what’s mine back.”
“You’re right. It was yours. Vincent Shining stole it from you like a goddamn thief.”
As soon as he offered the words of comfort Joshua so desperately wanted, his brother crumbled, his face twisting as if he were about to cry. He slumped against Jeremy, seeking comfort, and Jeremy gently patted his back.
But his gaze remained fixed on Joshua’s striking red hair.
If only I had been born with a color this vivid instead of him… I would have never been foolish enough to let anyone take my place.
But Joshua had grown complacent.
How could he ever hope to win against someone who clawed his way up, who was willing to abandon his very humanity if it meant reaching the top?
Joshua could never understand that kind of desperation. He had been given everything from birth. Simply because his blood was a deeper shade.
If only he hadn’t been so arrogant. If only he hadn’t looked down on him like some insect. Then none of this would have happened.
But what was the point of regretting it now?
This disaster happened because Joshua was an idiot.
“There’s still a way.”
“…A way?”
“A way for you to take back your place.”
Joshua straightened up at Jeremy’s words, urging him to hurry and tell him how.
Jeremy suppressed the wave of pity that always surfaced whenever he looked at his useless older brother. Instead, he spoke in the gentlest, most reassuring voice he could muster.
“Vincent just needs to disappear.”
