Ch. 5 - Crystal Eyes

Ever since that night, Eira and Kael’s relationship had grown increasingly tense and much colder than usual.

Without holding back, Kael now openly brought different women home every day to show Eira that he was serious about committing a thousand sins—enough, perhaps, to sever the bonds of their destiny.

Eira could even clearly hear, without a trace of shame, the sounds of moaning coming from Kael’s room.

“What?!” Lucas exclaimed after hearing Eira’s story.

Lucas never would have thought that Kael would go that far. Just hearing about it felt too terrible for someone who was to become the leader of the Valerius Clan—the most respected clan.

Kael wasn’t merely defying his fated bond with Eira. In fact, he was directly defying the Moon Goddess with such courage.

“This is going too far, Eira. Can’t you leave that bastard alone?” Lucas got worked up hearing Eira’s story.

“You mean… I really have to die that soon?” Eira replied.

“Just to focus on your own.”

Eira gave a small smile. If she could have done that, perhaps she never would have married Kael in the first place, after learning that he despised her.

Eira held out the book *The End of Hanahaki*, opening it to the very page that had left her feeling hopeless and robbed her of even the faintest glimmer of hope to keep on living just a little longer.

Lucas fell silent as he read the sentence Eira had underlined in red ink.

“Kael can live without me, Lucas. But I can’t live without him,” Eira murmured.

There was no response from Lucas, whose eyes were still fixed on the book—his book. At first, he, too, had thought it was just a work of fiction written by someone to give free rein to their imagination for everyone to enjoy.

Even when he first accidentally came across Eira coughing up those cherry blossom petals, he was the one most shocked to discover that such a disease actually existed.

“I’m a little embarrassed because for a moment I thought the Moon Goddess really hadn’t written a single good thing about me,” Eira said with a small laugh.

“Eira, isn’t there any way to be cured?” Lucas asked—even though he knew the book’s ending.

“Will Kael be able to love me anytime soon?” Eira replied. She laughed, but the despair was all too clear on her face.

“But this isn’t fair—”

“It’s okay. I’m ready to die. But promise me, Lucas. If I really do die, you have to make sure your older brother lives a good life.”

Lucas fell silent again.

Yes, Kael was his older brother, and their relationship wasn’t exactly great. Kael always thought that Lucas also wanted to inherit the throne as the clan leader, following in their father’s footsteps. But in reality, Lucas just wanted to live as an ordinary member of the pack.

“Stop talking about death. It scares me!” Lucas scolded, though deep down, he didn’t like seeing Eira give up.

He knew Eira was trying to face her own fears by talking about the very thing she feared most. But it’s actually Lucas who’s feeling scared right now.

“I’m the one who’s going to die—why are you the one who’s afraid?” Eira laughed.

“Let me tell Kael about that damn disease, Eira.”

“I’ll kill you if you do that!” Eira threatened.

That wasn’t Lucas’s first offer since he found out what Eira was going through. He thought that if Kael found out about the hanahaki, it might at least open his heart a little to Eira.

"But it might hurt less if Kael knew.”

“You’re wrong if you think I’ll be better off if my husband knows about all this.”

Their argument went on for quite a while. Even so, Eira actually felt relieved because she knew there was still one person who cared about her, now that she had no one else in her life.

However, the sound of clapping approaching them cut short their argument. Both of their attentions shifted to Kael, who was walking toward their table.

“Wow, Eira. You’re really something,” Kael said. It was clearly not a compliment.

Kael glanced at Lucas for a moment before turning back to Eira.

“After I rejected you, are you now my little brother’s whore? Wow, that’s a really cunning choice, Eira.”

Eira’s eyes scanned the room instead of responding to Kael. Every pair of eyes in the room was now fixed on the three of them. Some even pulled out their phones to record what was happening.

“All right, Lucas. So? How many times have you 'used' Eira’s body? And... do you like it?” Kael turned to his younger brother with a mocking expression.

He didn’t care at all where he was or how the people who knew him well were watching him.

Lucas returned Kael’s glare so fiercely that a dark aura instantly filled the café.

“Kael, we can talk about this at home. Come on!” Eira stood up and grabbed Kael’s hand—but he roughly shook her off.

“Don’t touch me, you slut!” he snapped.

“How weird,” Lucas finally spoke up. “You enjoy the touch of a thousand whores, but you reject the whore you married, Mr. Alpha Valerius?”

Lucas’s words were like a fire that stoked the flames of anger in Kael’s head. Kael’s eyes glowed red as his fangs and sharp claws emerged—ready to attack.

“Lucas, you’d better shut up!” Eira scolded, worried a commotion would break out there.

“Why should I shut up? He talks as if he’s the most noble one here. When in fact, Kael might be the lowliest in the eyes of the Moon Goddess with his sins,” Lucas said, still casually sipping his drink.

“Oh, thank goodness you two get along and look out for each other.” Kael looked back and forth between Eira and Lucas.

“Kael, we should go home. You’re a public spectacle right now,” Eira whispered.

“So? After taking me home, are you going to go back to this guy and have sex with him?”

“KAEL!” Eira lost her patience.

For the first time, Eira looked at Kael with the crystal eyes she’d inherited from her clan, the one she came from.

Seeing this, the people around them immediately stepped back a little. They believed the rumor that those with crystal eyes carried a curse.

“How dare you yell at me, Eira!”

“Because I refuse to be lumped in with you—someone who’ll sleep with any woman!”

“Close those eyes of yours, damn it!” Kael jutted his sharp claws toward Eira’s neck.