CHAPTER 04……………………………………
Cassius met my gaze. His eyes were bright red, like flames burning me alive.
He must have come to the bell tower because of… me, right?
There was no other reason for the Pontiff to come here alone without any guards.
I was going crazy.
Lancelot’s Omega scent had supposedly grown stronger gradually.
Was mine strong enough for him to find me instantly?
The only thing I was grateful for was that I had opened the window wide.
If this room had been sealed shut and full of Omega pheromones, Cassius might have already lost his sanity.
I slowly lifted my head.
Cassius stood blocking the only exit.
Not that I had planned to run anyway.
Just stay calm.
Once I learned Cassius was an Alpha, I recalled the original story.
The more Lancelot resisted or ran away, the stronger the Alphas’ obsession grew.
Agitating an Alpha never led to anything good.
It seemed best to start by calming him down with a normal conversation.
“You injured your arm, didn’t you?”
Before I could speak, Cassius did.
Judging from the fact that he could still talk normally, it didn’t seem like he was excited by the scent of my blood.
Maybe his years of discipline as a priest gave him strong patience.
I answered quietly, careful not to provoke him.
“…How did you know?”
His throat bobbed.
“You’re radiating sweetness. Much stronger than last time.”
Ah. Well I’m not a cake, Your Holiness!
“I take baths three times a day now.”
Hoping the pheromone scent would get even a little lighter.
Cassius chuckled faintly at me.
“Don’t be so wary. I’m here to help you.”
He stepped very close.
Alphas were top predators. Cassius’s tall height and broad frame were intimidating all on their own.
“I would like to check the wound.”
Those words made me grip my arm tighter. If he saw the blood, he might get excited.
I couldn’t recklessly show it while feeling so anxious.
Cassius observed my uneasy expression and then knelt down on one knee, lowering his gaze.
The ruler of the Holy Nation kneeling before a trainee priest. The treatment was so excessive I froze in shock.
He held one hand up politely—almost as if asking for permission.
“You were attacked by the divine beast in the form of a cat, correct?”
The ungrateful cat was apparently a divine beast.
“How did you know, Your Holiness?”
“That cat is the divine beast I raise. It returned carrying the scent of your blood. It must have been startled by a stranger’s touch and attacked.”
“…I didn’t touch it recklessly. It was hurt, so I treated it.”
“I know. Which is why I wish to help you as gratitude.”
If it was the Pontiff’s divine beast, even high-ranking priests would have trouble healing the wound.
Seeing him humbly offer help, I cautiously extended my arm.
“Thank you for granting me permission.”
Cassius gently took my hand and placed my hand against his forehead.
Kneeling and touching the forehead to the other’s hand was a priestly greeting symbolizing deep respect.
It was usually reserved for high-ranking officials; he had no reason to do this to me.
Seeing him lower himself eased my fear.
He used water-attribute divine power.
Droplets splashed into the air, sparkling brightly in the sunlight pouring through the open window.
How pretty.
Droplets shimmered around Cassius as well.
Golden hair as bright as honey, strong brows, long calm eyelashes, and a sharp, handsome nose.
He was so beautiful it was impossible not to stare.
The blood on my arm washed away.
The blood-soaked fabric of my sleeve turned clean white again under his conjured water.
He slowly opened his eyes.
Our gazes met directly—his red pupils burning like embers.
For some reason, I felt like I had been caught staring, and my ears warmed.
Cassius’s eyes crinkled slightly.
“Sonia, you possess healing-attribute divine power, correct?”
So he already knew, even though I had been hiding it.
“Yes.”
I was just about to say that I hadn’t meant to hide it when Cassius spoke first.
“I will not tell anyone until you choose to reveal it yourself.”
He was still holding my hand.
“Michael’s power has been completely washed away. Using divine power now will heal you.”
So the cat’s name was Michael.
I quickly used my divine power, and the wound healed instantly. The pain that had been growing stronger vanished completely.
As I smiled faintly at my now unblemished arm, I noticed Cassius was still holding my hand.
“Thank you for your help.”
I gently pulled my hand away—but he caught it again.
“I have to get back to cleaning.”
So could you let go?
But he openly stroked my hand while smiling.
“Isn’t cleaning the bell tower difficult? I can transfer you to a different department.”
“To where?”
“Directly under the Pontiff’s Office.”
The Pontiff’s Office was reserved only for geniuses who completed their ten-year training in under five.
I would graduate in seven years—faster than most—but still not good enough for that department.
Not that I’d want to go even if I could. I did not want to get closer to Alpha Cassius.
I jerked my hand away.
“It’s not difficult. I actually love cleaning!”
Looking disappointed, his gaze drifted toward the window.
There lay the cushion—and the half-read book.
He picked it up.
That—that book! I should’ve hidden it!
Of all things, that book started off explicit from page one!
He skimmed through the first few pages… then laughed.
“If you’re curious about Alphas, I can teach you myself.”
Excuse me, what did this holy man just say?
The Pontiff, with the special bloodline of Magnus, had a duty to bear children.
So despite being a priest, he was allowed to marry and have children.
His spouse was usually a noble from the Holy Nation or the Empire.
Sometimes a Pontiff even married a commoner.
But a Pontiff seducing a priest? Absolutely unheard of!
This man was insane.
“I’m fine. I don’t want to know.”
I firmly rejected him and fled down the bell tower.
Fortunately, he didn’t chase me, and I returned to my room quickly.
My heart pounded, and my face felt hot.
It probably started when Cassius took my hand and pressed his forehead against it.
That evening, after finishing all our duties,
Ellie spoke while rolling on her bed.
“Sonia, you went to the bell tower today, right?”
“Yeah.”
“You saw the book I brought? It’s crazy spicy!”
Because of that book, I had been put in a very awkward situation.
“If you’re curious about Alphas, I can teach you myself.”
Cassius’s voice replayed in my head.
“Don’t leave any more erotic books in the bell tower.”
“What? Why?”
“Another priest found it. If they find it again, they might scold you.”
Not to mention—it was His Holiness himself.
If I told her the truth, Ellie would probably shake like she was awaiting execution.
“I don’t like being nagged… Fine, fine.”
After finishing the conversation with Ellie, I read the letter Lancelot had sent.
“To my beloved sister Sonia,
The sample of the new perfume you suggested has been completed.
I tried spraying it and attending a ball, and the reaction was good.
I’m curious what you think of it.
I hope to see you soon.”
Originally, people in this world almost never used perfume.
Alphas and Omegas took pride in the scent of their own pheromones. So they didn’t use perfume that masked their natural scent.
For Betas, perfume was considered something used to imitate Alphas or Omegas.
Many Betas envied pheromones, but using perfume made them look like they were blatantly copying them, which hurt their pride.
To Betas, perfume was more like a deodorizer—something to use only when something smelled bad.
But things were different now.
All Omegas had died, and Alphas and Omegas no longer emitted seductive scents toward one another.
A time had come where Betas could use fragrance proudly.
In the future, perfumes would become popular among Betas.
If we move first, we’ll make a fortune!
From the moment I realized I was living inside 〈Domain of Predators〉, I began drilling knowledge into Lancelot.
To hide Lancelot’s Omega scent by masking it with another.
And to create the Omega pheromone perfume that would one day be invented—as early as possible.
Since I needed to become a priest to protect my home and family from obsessive Alpha maniacs, I left perfume development to Lancelot.
Since childhood, he’d played with perfume bottles I gifted him.
Maybe because early education worked—he took deep interest in fragrance.
And eventually began learning perfumery.
Even now, I continued feeding him ideas to keep him interested.
I thought it was a perfect plan.
If I could hide Lancelot’s Omega scent, everything would be solved—but now I had become the new problem.
A few days later, it was the day of the Holy Nation’s annual Grand Assembly.
The Assembly was held to report the year’s achievements and exchange opinions.
Preparations for the formal priesthood ceremony, which was only a month and a few weeks away, also took place.
And as Assembly Day arrived, I could finally sense that my promotion was close.
It’s finally almost time to advance…
Trainee priests earned promotion points through various activities.
These points determined whether they became full priests and where they would be assigned.
Rankings shifted, but I consistently stayed among the top.
As long as I didn’t break the Holy Nation’s rules in some major way, my promotion was guaranteed.
