Chapter 01
I woke up to find myself reincarnated as a character in an R-rated, angsty BL novel.
One of the keywords of the novel I landed in is #Omegaverse.
In this world, everyone is born either an Alpha or an Omega, beings who use pheromones.
And then there are Betas like me—those who can’t even perceive the scent of pheromones.
Pheromones here weren’t just a biological trait; they carried emotions and were used to find one’s destined mate.
But the Omegaverse world of the BL novel I’d read before I died was a bit peculiar.
In this world, all Omegas had died out.
The cause was an epidemic called Omega Fever.
Anyone born as an Omega would inevitably contract the illness within days and die.
No cure had been found.
Thus, this world was left with only two kinds of people:
Alphas, who went mad craving the scent of Omegas they could never have,
and Betas, who couldn’t understand those Alphas at all.
“Sonia, don’t you smell something nice?”
My roommate, Ellie, flared her nostrils. I sniffed the air as well.
There was only the scent of sun-warmed bed linens and aged wood.
“What smell?”
“Something sweet, like candy. No, maybe pastries?”
Ellie had tricked me before with this ploy, making me bring out snacks I’d hidden away.
But I wasn’t about to fall for it a second time.
“Cut the act. I don’t have any snacks hidden this time.”
“Ugh, busted.”
“Enough already, get up. We’ve got prayers.”
It had been seven years since I began walking the path of a priest.
Now, at twenty years old, I was preparing to take the formal exam to be ordained.
Unlike me, brimming with motivation, Ellie clung to her pillow like it was her soulmate.
“Sonia, do you actually like praying?” she mumbled through a yawn.
“Yeah.”
“Really? Isn’t it boring?”
“Nope.”
She gave me a look like I was out of my mind.
Well, of course I liked it.
Attending morning prayers earned contribution points—points I could collect.
And collecting those precious little points was incredibly satisfying.
‘If I keep this up, I’ll become a High Priest!’
Since I’d already chosen the priesthood, why not aim high?
High Priests had the privilege of traveling under the pretext of pilgrimages.
They also received plenty of allowance money for maintaining their dignity,
which meant I could enjoy my little hobby of food tours.
Ellie, on the other hand, was thoroughly unenthusiastic.
“What’s the point? My points are already a lost cause.”
She buried herself deeper under her blankets.
“What? You’re skipping again today?”
“Mm, but if I pray early in the morning, I’m tired all day…”
“Fine. I’ll go alone. Just come when you wake up.”
“Mhm…”
I put on the necklace that marked me as a priest-in-training and headed to the prayer hall.
The hall was completely empty. I was the first to arrive.
I always tried to beat the others here.
The more devotedly one prayed, the more bonus points one received.
I didn’t want anyone else to steal the privilege of the first prayer of the day.
Even so, sometimes another priest managed to beat me.
‘They say His Holiness has never once missed it.’
He had completed in three years what usually took others ten,
and he had never once failed to make the first prayer.
Perhaps because of that devotion, he wielded stronger divine power than anyone else.
I clasped my hands together tightly and began my prayer.
‘Oh Lord Magnus, may you ever reign supreme over this world and watch over the Holy Kingdom.’
The more magnificent Lord Magnus grew, the stronger the priests like me became.
‘So please, stay the greatest god forever!’
I poured my personal desires generously into my prayer.
As if in response, warmth bloomed around my heart.
I was ready to keep praying until the morning service ended.
But then—
Creaaak. The door to the prayer hall opened.
This was about the time other priests would rush in, having just woken up.
Nothing unusual about that, so I kept focused on my prayer.
Step, step. Heavy footsteps, the rustle of priestly robes brushing against the floor.
“You.”
A low, dry voice made my eyes snap open.
Hair as white as spun gold, eyes a vivid crimson.
A jawline and lips so perfectly drawn it was as if a master painter had worked tirelessly.
A flawless, noble aura radiated from him.
But what truly stunned me was his attire.
White priestly robes with golden embroidery,
a golden stole richly decorated with holy emblems draped over his shoulders…
“Y-Your Holiness?”
It was Cassius Seirend Magnus, the Holy Pope of the Magnus Theocracy.
Cassius strode toward me.
His towering frame eclipsed that of most grown men,
his robes doing nothing to hide a body like that of a top predator.
‘Dangerous!’
The moment his crimson gaze met mine, a chill raced down my nape.
For reasons I couldn’t explain, it felt like he might tear into my throat.
And yet, I couldn’t even muster the thought of running away.
His large, veined hand brushed my hair back.
“You smell good.”
His breath grazed the skin of my exposed neck as he whispered in my ear.
“Could it be… you’re an Omega?”
I had died in a fire.
They say burns are one of the most excruciating ways to die.
Thankfully, I hadn’t been roasted alive—I suffocated on the smoke instead.
It was an untimely death, but I had no regrets.
Born into a broken family, I had suffered enough.
In fact, when I reincarnated, I was thrilled.
Because I was reborn as the eldest daughter of none other than Count Theodore,
Commander of the Imperial Knights.
Silver hair, green-tinted golden eyes, clear skin, and kind features—
I had inherited my parents’ beauty.
A massive estate, countless servants—my eyes had nearly popped out of my head.
My hands had trembled as I clenched them in joy.
‘Ha! This life, I’m rich!’
No more splitting one packet of instant noodles into three meals.
I was free from the poverty of my past life.
And so, I grew up basking in luxury… until disaster struck.
─ “The ‘Southern Fever’ spreading in the Empire’s south.”
─ “Declared harmless; only mild fever, even safe for children.”
─ “But Omegas who recovered have begun dying afterward.”
─ “Renamed ‘Omega Fever.’”
─ “The last Omega has passed away.”
All this happened within half a year.
I realized then that the world I was born into was indeed an Omegaverse.
But… an Omegaverse with no Omegas?
Like a bun with no filling.
‘Wait. This sounds familiar…’
Oh no. Could it be that novel?
The R-rated, angsty BL novel “The Predators’ Domain.”
I remembered it because of its unusual worldbuilding—
a world without Omegas.
The instant I realized the setting of my world, unease gripped me.
“Lancelot, you… have the scent of an Omega.”
That was why the poor protagonist—tormented body and soul by insane Alphas—was named Lancelot Theodore.
And my name? Sonia Theodore.
It was painfully clear—my soon-to-be-born younger brother was destined to be that Lancelot.
No way. It must just be a coincidence, another family with the same name.
But when my baby brother’s name was officially declared Lancelot,
my fate was sealed along with his.
In this Omega-less world,
Lancelot wasn’t an Omega, but he faintly carried the scent of one.
Every Alpha who met him lost their minds.
They obsessed over the last trace of Omega,
destroying him and everything around him.
They shattered his sanity by slaughtering his family—starting with his sister, me.
Next came our parents.
Finally, they burned down our entire mansion in front of him.
Even our father, a Count and Commander of Knights, couldn’t stop them.
Because his enemies were none other than:
the Empire’s Crown Prince, a Swordmaster.
the Master of the Magic Tower, a brilliant alchemist.
and the Grand Duke of the North, leader of an assassination guild.
‘How could we possibly win against them…’
Even knowing the future, there was no solution.
But that didn’t mean I wanted to die miserably at their hands.
‘There must be a way to survive.’
A way to save my innocent brother and our family.
And so I found a path:
becoming a priest of the Magnus Theocracy.
“Could it be… you’re an Omega?”
As a lowly trainee priest, I had no reason to meet Pope Cassius.
So this was the first time I’d seen him in person.
People said his beauty was unreal, but even his voice was devastating.
I almost wanted to drop to my knees and thank Lord Magnus
for creating such a perfect being.
If this were simply fortune granted to a diligent novice priest,
I’d have praised the heavens without hesitation.
But instead—
“What are you saying? I’m a Beta.”
Everyone knew: if you manifested as an Omega, you’d die of the fever.
The fact that I was alive proved I wasn’t one.
Cassius tilted his head, unsatisfied with my answer.
He stood so close that I could hear the fabric of his robes brushing.
“Strange. It’s the scent of an Omega’s pheromones.”
He gently wrapped his large hand around the back of my neck,
locking eyes with me.
Those crimson eyes, the color of warning.
My instincts screamed—
getting involved with Cassius would mean ruin.
