Aerys's breath was already caught in her throat, blood soaking her entire body. She ran through the forest with one arm no longer intact.
"There she is!"
Their voices rang out sharply as they chased her, just as Aerys found herself trapped in a dead end—nothing but a cliff ahead.
Aerys stopped at the edge. Both her legs trembled violently, and she was losing too much blood, the wound on her arm refusing to stop bleeding.
She gripped the crystal tightly in her hand. It seemed she would not succeed in this mission. There was no way out.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Morel."
A gunshot echoed, sending the surrounding animals scattering in all directions. A sharp pain spread across her back, tightening her chest as the bullet pierced through her body.
Aerys fell.
In the fleeting seconds of her fading consciousness, she saw a faint light that gradually grew brighter before her eyes.
At a glance, it looked like a transparent sphere of light with round eyes and small wings on its back. Its eyes stared at Aerys as if asking a question.
"The gate to a second life has been activated. Is there a world you wish to go to?"
It felt as if an angel in her dream was speaking to her, and she imagined a place where she wouldn't have to be a secret agent or walk such complicated paths just to earn money.
"I want… to become a princess."
She never knew that those words would change her entire life.
——
When Aerys first opened her eyes, white curtains fluttered violently. The wind, mixed with light rain from outside the window, carried a chilling air into the room.
Someone hurried to close the rattling window, then returned with rushed steps. The woman looked anxious.
"Aaaa…" Aerys's breath felt like it was stuck in her throat, pain attacking her entire body. She tried to clutch the blanket as she felt blood pouring heavily from her abdomen.
"If she doesn't survive, just leave her. Her life is no more valuable than a slave's. All we need is the baby and to tell the world that a new Vaelcrest heir has been born from Princess Renee." A man's deep voice echoed, but Aerys did not understand what he meant.
She thought she was being saved by someone at the bottom of the cliff.
But it turned out she was wrong.
"Aaaaah!" Aerys screamed loudly as the pain spread through every nerve in her body. Sweat drenched her completely, and two shadowy figures of women beside her seemed to pull something out from her stomach.
"Oaaaa! Oooaaa!"
The cry of a baby rang out loudly, and the overwhelming pain tormenting Aerys seemed to lift entirely—though her consciousness grew weaker.
"Clean the baby and take him to the eastern palace."
"Yes, Your Majesty." The two women replied flatly.
Then everything went dark. There was no sound, no pain. Aerys lay there in the most miserable condition, her body drenched in blood.
Her body was thin and frail, as if her life force had been completely drained. Her beautiful face looked pale, with sunken cheeks.
"Summoning magic… Doctor Lynn, please heal her." Meriel cast a summoning spell. Instantly, a medical creature appeared—a weasel-like half-human being with healing abilities.
The creature operated on Aerys's abdomen, which had been severely injured due to heavy bleeding during childbirth. It used a needle and thread made from its owner's aura.
"She has lost too much blood. There is no hope. Should we just let her be?"
"As per the king's orders, do not worry about her survival. Even if she dies, we will not be blamed."
One of them looked at Aerys. Even though it was the king's command, a royal healer should never neglect a patient.
"Meriel, stop daydreaming. We need to clean her body now!"
The woman snapped back to her senses. While the weasel-like creature performed the operation, they cleaned the remaining blood from Aerys's body.
However, a few minutes later, Aerys's body began absorbing the aura from the creature.
"Miss Aerys?" Meriel panicked as she saw Aerys absorbing a massive amount of energy from her. "Miss… stop! Miss!"
Aerys's body continued to absorb the woman's aura, as if trying to replace the life force that had nearly run out.
"Aaah!"
But instead, Meriel's body suddenly shriveled and dried out, collapsing before she could sever the connection.
"No!" The remaining woman felt fear and danger, even though Aerys had not fully regained consciousness. She watched as Aerys's dried body suddenly returned to normal—beautiful, with smooth pale skin, and her wounds completely healed without a trace.
"Help! Help!" She ran out in terror after witnessing Meriel's sudden death.
---
Of course, the news reached both the eastern and western palaces. However, since Aerys was a wife who never appeared in public, the news only reached King Vincent and Lady Renee.
"So Meriel is dead?" King Vincent asked the servant who had assisted her that night.
"Yes, Your Majesty. I saw it clearly. Her body dried up without a single drop of blood. It happened after she tried to stitch the wound on Miss Vionette's abdomen."
"Did she possess any special abilities before?" King Vincent asked again, this time directing the question to Renee—the lawful wife of Lucian Vaelcrest, who would claim the newborn child.
"No, she should not have any powers. Her body has always been weak."
The servant's answer made King Vincent fall silent. He did not know Vionette closely, except for when her family offered her as a gift to Lucian Vaelcrest.
Since Renee could not bear a child, they used that opportunity to form a binding agreement.
Vionette had to produce an heir—and she succeeded. A baby boy was born from an Alpha who was highly dominant among them.
Now the baby was in the eastern palace, while Vionette was in the rear palace—a place where she lived, rarely visited by members of the royal family except for Lucian.
"Take me to the rear palace." The king's command was clear. He intended to find the right time to meet Aerys there.
---
The rear palace was not small, but neither was it a place worthy of being called suitable for a princess.
Firm footsteps echoed from afar, while Aerys remained inside the room with her new appearance.
She raised one of her arms, observing her smooth skin and the slightly sharp nails on her fingers. Her hair fell to her waist, golden in color. A pair of white wolf ears rested atop her head.
"I even have a tail…" Aerys looked behind her body. There was a white wolf tail attached to her lower back, swaying back and forth.
"Your body has fully recovered. Now you can carry out your mission."
A small, doll-like voice came from beside Aerys. It was the transparent winged sphere that had been hovering near her ever since she regained consciousness.
"Be quiet!" Aerys waved her hand, trying to drive the creature away. But it always returned, no matter how hard she struck it. "Damn it, what kind of creature are you? Can you explain who I am and where I am now?"
"Of course… you are Vionette Emerson, a princess of the Sylvaris Kingdom."
Aerys frowned in confusion. She hadn't been saved by someone at the bottom of the cliff—she had been thrown into another world?
She had asked a servant earlier, and learned that the baby she gave birth to had been taken to the eastern palace. Someone had also died, their body dried like a fallen branch.
"Miss… Prince Lucian has come to see you!" A voice from behind the door sounded clearly, its shadow visible through the thin panel.
After a moment, the door opened. Several royal servants stood at the sides, allowing their future king to enter first.
Aerys was still sitting on a wooden chair when Lucian Vaelcrest stood tall, like a ruler who had never learned to bow his head. His face was perfect in a way that was almost terrifying.
His skin was pale with a faint golden hue, contrasting with his jet-black hair that fell slightly messy yet still looked expensive.
A pair of black wolf ears stood atop his head—not mere decoration, but a clear symbol of the noble beast blood flowing within him.
But what stood out the most were his eyes.
They were dark gold—sharp and deep, like a predator accustomed to seeing its prey kneel before it could even escape.
There was no warmth in them. Only dominance… and possession.
Lucian stared at Aerys coldly, even though she was not dressed as usual in formal, closed attire. Now, she only wore a thin nightgown that revealed the curves of her body.
"Miss…" One of the servants behind Lucian gave a subtle signal, telling Aerys to show proper respect.
"Why? What did I do wrong for you to glare at me like that? Should I kneel at his feet now?" Aerys asked.
The servant shook her head slightly.
"Leave us…"
Lucian finally spoke, dismissing them silently from the room. Once only the two of them remained, he did not take his eyes off Aerys.
Meanwhile, Aerys rose from her chair, mesmerized by Lucian's well-built body. It felt like discovering a treasure among a pile of pebbles!
What kind of animal is he? A wolf? A cat? Why does he have to be half-human with a body this perfect?
Lucian grasped Aerys's arm, intending to touch her.
"I did not come here to give you pleasure. Remember… you are nothing more than a woman who was sold to me."
——
Update March 24, 2026