The night air in the royal gardens had grown heavier.
Every distant footstep from the palace direction landed like a drumbeat against Elara’s chest.
She could hear Lucien’s voice calling her name again, closer this time, edged with urgency and something that almost sounded like fear.
Kai did not look toward the sound.
His entire attention remained on the silver-haired saintess standing in front of him, her hand still resting in his.
The last fragments of the golden destiny thread that once bound her to the crown prince had already dissolved into nothing.
Only a faint shimmer remained in the air between them—Kai’s Claim Mark, waiting for the final seal.
[Claim Progress: 93%] Final Stage Unlocked Requirement: Verbal acceptance or equivalent resonance Time until original male lead arrives: 6 minutes 12 seconds Kai’s voice was quiet, but it carried absolute certainty.
“Elara.
Look at me.” She did.
Her clear blue eyes were glassy with unshed tears, her lips slightly parted.
The holy halo above her head had dimmed to a weak, flickering glow.
For the first time since she had been chosen as Saintess, the weight of destiny no longer felt like armor.
It felt like chains that had just been broken.
“I…” Her voice trembled.
“I don’t understand why this is happening.
I don’t understand why my heart feels empty when I think of him now.” “Because the thread is gone,” Kai answered.
“What you felt before was never truly your own choice.
It was written into you.
I simply erased the writing.” He raised their joined hands and pressed her palm against his chest, directly over his heart.
The incomplete Claim Mark on his skin pulsed once, sending a soft wave of dark-gold energy into her.
Elara’s body shivered.
A soft, involuntary sound escaped her throat as the energy sank deeper, brushing against the place where her old bond had lived.
[Claim Progress: 96%] Kai leaned closer.
His next words were spoken against the shell of her ear, low enough that only she could hear.
“Say that you accept it.
Say that from this moment, your fate belongs to me.” Elara’s free hand clutched weakly at the front of his shirt.
Her breathing had become uneven.
Somewhere behind the fear and confusion, something else was rising—an unfamiliar, dangerous warmth that had nothing to do with holy power.
The footsteps were very close now.
She could hear the clink of armor.
Lucien was not alone.
Elara closed her eyes.
When she opened them again, the last of her resistance cracked.
“…I accept.” The words were soft, almost broken, but they were enough.
The system exploded in Kai’s vision.
[Full Claim Completed] Heroine: Elara Voss – Saintess of Luminara Claim Rank: A+ Destiny Thread successfully rewritten Host has obtained: Destiny Fragment (First Claim) System Upgrade in progress… A surge of pure power flooded Kai’s body.
It was not the wild, chaotic energy of raw magic.
It was refined, dense, and absolute.
His senses sharpened.
The night became clearer.
He could feel the flow of holy energy still lingering inside Elara, the faint protective runes woven into the garden, and the rapidly approaching presence of Crown Prince Lucien and six elite royal guards.
More importantly, a new connection formed.
A thin, permanent black-and-gold thread now linked his soul to Elara’s.
Through it, he could sense her heartbeat, her lingering fear, and the fragile, newborn loyalty that had just taken root.
[System Upgrade Complete] New Function Unlocked: Claim Resonance (Basic) Effect: Host may share a portion of the claimed heroine’s power and senses.
First Claim Bonus: +15% to all future Claim success rates Current Claimed Heroines: 1 Kai exhaled slowly, a rare hint of satisfaction crossing his face.
He looked down at Elara.
The moment the claim sealed, her body had gone slightly limp against him, as though a great weight had finally been lifted.
The dim halo above her head flickered once more, then stabilized—no longer pure gold, but threaded with faint black-and-gold veins.
The mark of ownership.
Before either of them could speak, a sharp voice cut through the garden.
“Elara!” Crown Prince Lucien strode into the clearing, six royal guards fanning out behind him.
He was handsome in the classic way of protagonists—golden hair, sharp blue eyes, noble bearing.
His white-and-gold coat still carried the faint scent of expensive perfume from the northern princess.
Yet his expression was anything but calm.
The moment his gaze landed on Kai holding Elara, something dark and violent flashed across his face.
“Who are you?” Lucien’s voice was cold.
“Release the Saintess.
Now.” Kai did not release her.
He simply turned his head slightly, regarding the crown prince with mild interest, as though examining a particularly loud insect.
Elara stiffened in his arms.
Through the new bond, Kai felt her panic spike—then, surprisingly, begin to settle.
The old instinct to run to Lucien was gone.
In its place was a confused, reluctant pull toward the man who now held her fate.
Lucien’s eyes narrowed.
He took another step forward, one hand already resting on the ornate sword at his waist.
“I will not repeat myself.
Step away from her, or I will cut you down where you stand.” Kai’s response was calm.
“You already lost her, Crown Prince.
You simply haven’t realized it yet.” Lucien’s face twisted.
“What nonsense are you—” He stopped mid-sentence.
For the first time, he truly looked at Elara.
The silver-haired saintess was not pulling away from the stranger.
She was not calling for help.
She was standing close to him, one hand still resting against his chest, her eyes lowered.
The holy light that usually surrounded her felt… different.
Tainted.
Claimed.
A terrible coldness spread through Lucien’s chest.
“Elara,” he said, softer now, almost uncertain.
“Come here.” Elara’s fingers curled slightly against Kai’s shirt.
She did not move.
Kai’s voice remained quiet, yet it carried across the clearing with unnatural clarity.
“She no longer answers to you.” The six royal guards tensed.
Several of them began channeling mana into their weapons.
The air grew sharp with killing intent.
Kai finally released Elara’s hand—only so he could step half a pace in front of her, shielding her with his body.
The Claim Mark on his palm still glowed faintly.
He looked at Lucien and spoke one last time.
“You can try to take her back if you wish.
But understand this, Crown Prince of Luminara.” A thin, dangerous smile touched Kai’s lips.
“The moment you raise your sword, I will show you exactly how it feels to lose everything that was never truly yours.” Lucien’s hand tightened on his sword hilt.
The royal guards began to spread out, surrounding the pavilion.
And through the newly formed bond, Kai felt Elara’s soft, trembling voice brush against his mind for the first time.
…Don’t let him take me back.
Kai’s smile widened by a fraction.
The first heroine had already chosen her side.