The Crown Prince froze at Seraphina’s gesture, having been stroking himself until that moment. He took a deep breath and looked at her intently. When their gazes met, his eyes darkened further.

The blue that had once resembled the sky before dawn deepened to the color of a midnight sea. At that moment, the tip of his p*nis brushed against Seraphina’s v*lva.

The slick, prec*m-wet tip slid easily between her flushed folds, spreading her inner walls as it pushed inside.

And so—

—the two of them became one once more.

***

Seraphina opened her eyes. The now-familiar ceiling of the Crown Princess’s bedchamber came into view.

‘Again….’

She rested her arm on her forehead and sighed. Gritting her teeth against the familiar pain, she thought of the Crown Prince.

She remembered the handsome face of the man who had thrust himself deep inside her, aroused beyond restraint.

His uniform epaulettes swayed as he moved above her.

And the thick, long p*nis that had pounded into her without mercy.

“Sephi, please. Please don’t leave me.”

When he joined her, the Crown Prince repeatedly begged, insisting that it was all his fault. Yet he never explained what he had done wrong or how. He only asked for her forgiveness.

Seraphina could not bring herself to press him further. Whenever she tried to ask him the questions that were on her mind, he would visibly suffer.

So instead, she chose to lose herself in the pleasure he offered while being cradled in his arms.

It was the easiest path.

But it could not continue like this.

She had to stop letting the Crown Prince sweep her along. If things continued as they were, she would inevitably remain in the Imperial Palace, drifting aimlessly.

No matter how much Seraphina believed in embracing what felt good, maintaining the status quo would be a mistake.

“Your Highness, are you awake?”

Just as Seraphina was gathering her resolve, Rosalynde knocked on the door and entered. With her help, Seraphina pushed herself upright.

“How did I get back here?”

“His Highness the Crown Prince brought you. He said you must be exhausted and instructed us not to disturb you until you woke.”

Seraphina nodded quietly. Judging by how clean her body felt, he must have taken care of everything afterward as well.

“I see.”

Sipping cool water, Seraphina fell into thought. After checking her condition, Rosalynde asked cautiously,

“Actually… Count Steinbel has been waiting for you for a while. Would you like to see him?”

“Brandt was here? Let him in at once.”

“Brandt!”

Seraphina exclaimed cheerfully. The door opened and Brandt appeared. He was wearing the crimson uniform of the Imperial Knights and a dark red cloak, and he approached with a stiff expression.

“…Sephi.”

“Brandt, are you all right?”

There was a note of concern in Seraphina’s voice. She had been worried ever since he had been affected by the pheromones of the Crown Prince.

Brandt was a fervent Alpha. She feared that the pheromones of such a dominant alpha might seriously harm him.

“I’m fine. It just wasn’t a great sight to show you.”

“I was careless. I should’ve been more mindful of my behavior as Crown Princess. I ended up getting you hurt for nothing.”

“Don’t say that. We’re friends, aren’t we?”

“Of course.”

At Brandt’s steady reassurance, Seraphina smiled. She had felt guilty, but his words eased her heart.

“I came today to confirm whether what you said last time was sincere. Do you truly intend to annul the marriage?”

“My decision hasn’t changed.”

When Seraphina responded firmly, the Crown Prince’s face briefly appeared in her mind, along with the memory of his desperate expression as he clung to her. She pushed the image away.

Although she felt pity for him, she had no desire to continue the marriage.

Her union with the Crown Prince was nothing more than a heavy burden. The Empress was pressuring her to produce an heir. Lady Mireille, who was unable to let go of the Crown Prince. Her own family were eager to bleed the Crown Princess dry.

And above all—

— in Seraphina’s heart, there was someone else.

It was not the Crown Prince.

‘That child.’

She hadn’t found him yet, but someday, she wanted to be bound to him. A marriage without love had no place in her life plans.

“I’m leaving the Imperial Palace.”

After saying that, Seraphina looked from Brandt to Rosalynde. Brandt remained calm, but Rosalynde looked utterly taken aback.

Seraphina turned to her and spoke in a gentle tone.

“Rosie, did you look into the conditions for annulment?”

“First, there must be no imprinting. Then you have to obtain the Emperor’s and Empress’s consent—and finally, approval from the Temple as well.”

“That’s complicated.”

“Um… Your Highness, do you truly have to do this? Couldn’t you avoid pushing yourself and just live on as things are?”

The moment Rosalynde said that, a ringing filled Seraphina’s ears. She flinched and covered them.

As she lowered her head, a familiar voice spread beside her ear—less something she heard than something her memory replayed.

“Couldn’t you avoid pushing yourself and just live on as things are?”

The sound was muffled, as though heard underwater. Yet Seraphina knew at once who it belonged to.

A thin, gentle voice that couldn’t hide its worry for her.

This voice was—

“Your Highness? Are you all right?”

Seraphina lowered her hands from her ears and looked at her friend. The ringing had disappeared without a trace. She blinked slowly at Rosalynde, then opened her mouth.

“We’ve had this conversation before, haven’t we?”

Rosalynde sucked in a breath when Seraphina asked her a question. She turned her pale face towards Brandt, who looked just as shaken as she did. Seraphina looked between them both and asked again.

“I tried to divorce His Highness the Crown Prince before, didn’t I? Didn’t I?”

“Well…”

Rosalynde faltered, then bit down hard on her lip as she always did when she was anxious. Seraphina caught her wrist.

“I remembered something, just for a moment. Rosie, you said the same thing to me last time. That there had never been a precedent for a royal divorce. Isn’t that right?”

Pressed by Seraphina’s insistence, Rosalynde let out a deep sigh. With a resigned expression, she nodded.

“Yes. That’s right.”

“You talked about divorce before you lost your memories.”

Brandt stepped up beside Rosalynde and added quietly, Seraphina parted her lips in surprise.

She had suspected as much, and now her suspicions were confirmed.

It seemed she had been trapped in an unhappy marriage.

Leaning back against the bed, she slowly clenched the sheets. Watching the fabric wrinkle in her grip, Rosalynde spoke with difficulty.

“It was around this time last year. That’s when Your Highness manifested. His Highness the Crown Prince was there.”

“The court physician said that you were an Omega who hadn’t manifested yet. He said that the environment was too harsh for you to bloom. Is that right?”

At Brandt’s explanation, Rosalynde nodded and continued.

“In other words, they said that you came into season in response to his pheromones. That’s when your heat cycle began, and His Highness’s rut cycle started.”

Heat cycle.

Rut cycle.

These terms referred to the mating periods experienced by Omegas and Alphas. The terms differed slightly, but they shared one defining trait: during these periods, those with special attributes were little different from beasts.

Throughout the cycle, overwhelming pheromones were released to lure a partner, overpowering reason and driving the body towards intercourse. The duration could range from a single day to three days, and the interval varied from person to person.

Even as a Beta, Seraphina knew the basics. It was common knowledge. During these cycles, the likelihood of pregnancy between an Alpha and an Omega was extremely high, so Betas were expected to keep their distance.

But Seraphina had gone through a heat cycle.

What’s more, the Crown Prince’s rut cycle had overlapped with hers.

That could mean only one thing.

Her voice trembling, Seraphina asked,

“Don’t tell me… I was pregnant?”