Prologue

Winter was always harsh and grueling. At least for Aila.

The weather had been ominous for days, and now snow poured down from the ashen sky once again. Fierce whirlwinds mercilessly lashed the bare tree branches.

On the snowy path where cutting winds blew, Aila clutched her cloak that kept trying to come undone and took another step forward.

Things would have been better if she could have found a hired carriage. But for some reason, the carriage station was completely empty.

Most drivers said they weren’t operating because the snowy roads were dangerous, while others turned her away, claiming they already had passengers to pick up.

Time was too pressing to wait for the snow to stop. She might not be able to endure even a day, or perhaps just the few hours immediately ahead.

Walking was her only option.

Her feet sank deep into the accumulated snow, and ice-cold snowflakes kept burrowing between her collar. In the bone-chilling weather, her hands and feet had long since lost all feeling.

She needed to hurry. Otherwise…

She struggled to quicken her pace, but her heavy body wouldn’t move according to her will. It felt weighty, like her stomach was clenched tight. Sometimes nausea would rise along with throbbing pain.

With her bloodless, pale hands gripping the clasp of her cloak, Aila desperately tried to push away the fear that kept filling her mind.

That’s when a sharp pain struck her belly.

“Ugh…!”

The terrible agony felt like a knife stabbing her abdomen, and her knees buckled instinctively while her body tilted. Aila pressed one hand to the ground while the other instinctively wrapped around her stomach.

No, please, just a little more…

Tears welled up beneath her forest-green eyes.

She had been foolish and ignorant. Because of that, she hadn’t known things she should have naturally understood. She had put an innocent life that hadn’t even seen the light of the world in danger.

Her frail body trembled with regret that she shouldn’t have run away and fear of what was to come. The terrifying imaginings she had tried so hard to bury overwhelmed her once again.

What if His Grace… doesn’t accept me.

No, what if he doesn’t let me live…

Her breath caught. Just the thought made her feel like she was being strangled, and her breathing became rapid.

Could an omega who dared to carry her master’s child without permission be forgiven? Could a child carried by a mere omega from the slums truly be safe?

She wanted to protect the baby. That’s why she had run away, even knowing it meant defying her master.

But before long, she began to feel something wrong with her body.

Her strength declined and fever rose. Though her body burned like fire, she felt a freezing cold that seemed to turn her to ice. Even when she forced down precious food, she would vomit more often than not. She wanted to believe the constant nausea was morning sickness, but it wasn’t.

Eventually, she collapsed unconscious on the road.

It was pure luck that there happened to be a doctor passing by nearby, and even more fortunate that the doctor was a middle-aged woman who couldn’t simply ignore someone who had collapsed.

“Are you perhaps an omega? The baby is still safe.”

The first words she heard upon waking in an unfamiliar hospital bed made Aila startle.

The collar she had wrapped so carefully had come undone, revealing her choker.

She hurriedly tried to fix her clothes, but her movements froze at the doctor’s words.

“You’re not living with an alpha, are you? It must have been incredibly painful… At this point, you won’t be able to endure much longer.”

Compassion appeared on the doctor’s wrinkled face. From that gaze, Aila realized something was truly wrong, and her green eyes trembled finely.

“A pregnant omega needs to receive her partner alpha’s pheromones regularly. Otherwise…”

The doctor paused her explanation and continued while avoiding Aila’s eyes.

“…you’ll lose the baby.”

The moment those terrifying words flowed out, Aila’s heart sank. It felt like being pushed off a thousand-foot cliff and falling into an endless pit.

Seeing her face turn deathly pale, the doctor sighed deeply and pressed a small bottle into her hand with a warning.

“It’s artificial pheromones. You can endure for a while with this. But it will only buy you some time…”

If you want to save the baby, you must find your alpha. The doctor’s voice echoed in her head even through her senses dulled by cold.

Retracing the path she had secretly fled just days ago, Aila prayed desperately.

That His Grace would forgive her, that he would spare the pitiful baby’s life.

But every time she recalled those beautiful yet ruthless blue eyes, her faint hope extinguished quickly like a small flame meeting a blizzard.

The terror that the baby would die the moment her existence was denied by her master clung to her ankles and dragged her down.

Even if she was lucky enough to be forgiven this time, what about next time? What would happen when that secret was eventually revealed?

She had never expected to be able to hide it from him forever.

The Duke of the Empire, through whose veins flowed the noblest blood. Since he had ordered a thorough investigation, discovering the truth was only a matter of time.

Perhaps he had noticed the moment she ran away. He had always easily seen through everything.

She had been foolish to think she could deceive her master’s eyes with such shallow tricks.

The tears that had been gathering finally overcame their weight and fell drop by drop.

Was it because her legs had stiffened from the cold, or because of the fierce wind pushing against her body, or perhaps from the fear that she might be making the wrong choice?

Her steps gradually slowed.

‘No.’

Just before falling into the pit of despair, Aila barely managed to pull herself together and wiped her tears with her sleeve.

He will spare me.

Though she had only heard the story on the streets after running away, they said that exceptionally strong alphas like her master rarely produced heirs.

So even if something happened to her, he would surely spare the baby who carried precious blood.

With the belief that she could at least save the baby’s life, Aila walked and walked.

When the feeling in her legs had almost completely disappeared, the overwhelming grandeur of the mansion finally began to emerge through the blizzard.

The tall spires and magnificent buildings were closer to a castle. Aila stood before the iron gate with its dense bars and stared blankly at its imposing exterior.

Even after coming this far, she couldn’t easily take the next step.

It felt strangely unfamiliar. She couldn’t believe she had stayed here until recently.

The warm light shining through countless windows looked so cozy…

It felt so different from her world that had always been winter.

Could she enter?

At the thought that she might be turned away, Aila unconsciously held her breath. Before long, she noticed something strange.

‘…No one’s here.’

The mansion always had guards watching the gate. Even when escaping, she had struggled to find a way to avoid their eyes.

But now, only the heavy iron gate blocked her path.

Would she have no choice but to wait here indefinitely…?

Time had passed, and it was now approaching sunset. Aila looked up at the darkening sky. Snow was still fluttering in that sky.

Just when she had barely suppressed her fear and anxiety, another sense of helplessness and dread began to grow.

Could she survive a winter night in a blizzard outdoors? Could she avoid death… and open her eyes tomorrow morning?

She was at a loss for what to do in her desperation when it happened.

“Ah!”

Sharp pain clawed at her belly once again.

The moment Aila reflexively bent over and her hand unconsciously touched the barred gate.

Creak, the heavy door slid open smoothly.

Aila’s eyes widened, forgetting even her pain.

What was happening? Why was the gate open?

She could only blink in confusion at this inexplicable event, and when the pain in her belly briefly subsided, she hesitantly straightened up.

Could she step foot in this place again without permission?

The mansion’s lights twinkled temptingly at her. As though there was no place warmer or safer than this.

Her hesitation was brief.

Aila passed through the gate. Strangely, her heart felt more anxious than when she had been walking through the snow.

Just as she finally reached the mansion’s entrance, the door opened like it had been waiting.

Brilliant light poured down over Aila, who had been wandering through the cold, dark winter.

As though they had known she would come, a maid with a familiar face quietly approached and bowed her head.