Chapter 77
10. The Shape of Love
“Miss Marie.”
Pheromones flooded the room. A muffled scream broke out. His face was pale as death. Marie stared into the space beyond the door, feeling as if the world itself had tilted.
The Crown Prince, an Alpha who always seemed unshakable and the one who had left his mark on her, was writhing in pain.
No, he was dying.
And she remembered what he had said:
‘Kill me. Kill me and leave.’
There was no need for it to come to this. Did he truly have to take it that far? He really was a cruel, cruel man.
It all happened the day after their conversation.
* * *
That morning felt different.
From the moment she opened her eyes, her body felt light, almost refreshed. And she was starving, in a way that struck her as strange.
Marie didn’t fully understand it, but the lingering effects of the d***s in her system had finally worn off.
With renewed energy, she sat up in bed. She gently touched her still-flat belly. There was no visible swelling yet.
It still felt unreal to her, that a new life was growing inside. And that she and Russell had somehow come to this point.
‘He said he loves me? That man loves me?’
Yesterday, she had finally spoken with Russell.
Some of the things he said were hard to understand, but the raw and exposed expression on his face stuck with her like a thorn buried deep in her chest.
So Marie decided, at least for now, not to leave this place. He hadn’t rejected the child. That alone was enough.
And maybe if they kept talking like that, maybe one day they could build trust between them.
If that happened, then perhaps…
Marie was lost in thought when the door suddenly burst open. Who could be so rude again? She was done putting up with mistreatment no matter who it came from.
“Miss—Miss Marie!”
But when she saw the ashen and stricken face of the knight commander, her anger faded instantly. The man who had followed the Crown Prince like a shadow cried out, his voice like a scream.
“His Highness… he’s in critical condition!”
It made no sense. He’s in critical condition?
An ultra-dominant Alpha wasn’t called that for nothing. They were almost a different species — perfect in every way, some said.
Then why? How?
“I don’t understand. He was perfectly fine yesterday. We even had a proper conversation. If this is some kind of joke, then you’ve made a terrible mistake.”
“Would I joke about His Highness’s life? Please, come quickly. Come with me now!”
There was such urgency in his voice that Marie followed before she even realized it.
The palace was in chaos.
Normally, the halls were deathly silent, out of deference to the prince’s sensitive temperament. But now, the tension in the air was so thick it gave her chills.
And at the end of every horrified stare, every pale face…
‘Russell?’
There he was.
Bulging blue veins stood out grotesquely against his pale skin, and the muscles that once seemed sculpted and so perfectly defined no longer looked like they belonged to him.
What happened to him?
Just then, several maids rushed over and clung to Marie’s hem. No, rather, they fell to their knees and clutched at her skirts as if she, Marie Alphrose, was the only one who could save him.
“His… His Highness…”
But none of them could form a coherent sentence. It was as if the man inside that room had ordered them not to speak a word.
Marie turned her head, searching for someone who could explain the situation. Even the knight captain, however, stood silently with his head lowered.
Marie was stunned.
“If no one’s going to tell me anything, then why did you bring me here in the first place? What’s wrong with him? Why is he like that?”
Her voice was calm, eerily so. A servant, whose anger had almost flared at her apparent composure, backed down when a maid beside her gave a subtle shake of the head.
Their eyes drifted to Marie’s trembling hands.
Her tightly clenched fists had gone white with pressure, looking as if they might burst.
Yes… now they understood. This Omega who had always endured quietly, taking the shapeless stones they threw at her without flinching, had never once known how to express her own pain. She was foolishly silent even in suffering.
“What’s happening to him? What does he want from me?”
Her gaze landed on the head lady-in-waiting.
The older woman was standing there with her hands clasped, eyes fixed on the dying Alpha like a mother watching her child fade before her — filled with sorrow, love, and helplessness.
She was the one who had tormented Marie the most, and the one who had first dropped to her knees when Marie returned.
“His Highness has… imprinted on you, Miss Marie.”
“Madam! His Highness ordered us not to say anything!”
But the head lady-in-waiting turned sharply and shouted back at the knight captain.
“Shut your mouth! Are we all just supposed to stand here and watch? Watch our prince, our sovereign, die?”
The head lady-in-waiting’s voice cracked, shrill with desperation.
“I can’t. I won’t just stand by!”
She rushed forward, slipping slightly on the polished floor, and dropped to her knees before Marie. Gripping the edge of Marie’s skirt with trembling hands, she bowed her head low.
“I know how unreasonable this request is, Miss Marie. No, Lady Alphrose. I know it better than anyone. But you’re the only one who can save His Highness.”
“W–Why me?”
“Because he’s imprinted on you.”
Marie’s breath caught. What?
The older woman continued, voice heavy and hoarse.
“His Highness is suffering from a one-sided imprint. He imprinted on you… and you alone. If you don’t exchange pheromones with him, he will wither away and die.”
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