The clinic smelled like disinfectant, reheated coffee, and wet dog fur. Margot had been working for over ten hours and was still sitting at the desk with a book open in her hands, waiting for a treatment room to be cleaned. She always did that when she had a few free minutes — read even a single page, even if she was tired, even if exhaustion weighed on her shoulders.

"Reading historical romance again?" Diego asked from the front desk while dropping some folders on the counter.

Margot didn't even look up.

"You make fun of me, but when I hear you talk to your ex, you sound like the lead in a tragedy."

"My ex left me because I work too much."

"Exactly. Tragedy."

Diego let out a tired laugh and shook his head.

"One day I'm going to burn those books."

"And I'm going to charge you for every page."

The quiet didn't last. The clinic's automatic door flew open and a man rushed in clutching a plastic box against his chest. He was sweating, breathing hard, looking everywhere as if something were about to jump him.

Margot looked up the moment she saw him.

And set the book down on the table.

She'd learned to recognize real fear in people. That man was on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

"I need help," he said. "My snake's acting strange — she stopped moving a while ago and I don't think she's breathing right."

Diego took an automatic step back.

"They don't pay me enough for reptiles."

Margot stood up.

"Calm down. Set her here."

The man placed the box on the metal table and Margot had barely seen the dark scale pattern when a bad feeling crawled up through her body.

Her expression changed immediately.

"Where did you get this snake?"

"Someone gave her to me a few days ago."

"What species did they tell you she was?"

"A boa... I think."

Margot opened the box carefully, and the moment she saw the triangular head, the jaw shape, and the dull scales, she knew it wasn't a boa.

She felt irritation immediately.

"This is a venomous viper."

The man went pale.

"What?"

"Don't touch it."

The snake raised its head slightly — slow but alert. Margot took a slow breath while reaching for the metal reptile hook.

"Listen to me carefully. Keep your distance and don't make any sudden moves."

"V-venomous?"

"Yes. Very."

Diego was already far from the counter.

"Margot, please tell me you know what you're doing."

"I've got a pretty solid idea of what not to do, and that already helps."

The owner's breathing was getting faster.

"They told me she was domesticated."

"People also say cutting your own bangs is a good idea, and look how that turns out."

"Is she going to bite me?"

"If you panic, probably."

And that's exactly what happened.

The snake lunged inside the box and the man let out a strangled cry, stumbled backward, and hit the metal edge. The box fell to the floor.

"Don't drop her!" Margot shouted.

But it was too late.

The viper slid fast across the clinic's white floor. Diego swore from across the room and climbed onto a chair.

"I am not dying here!"

"Close the door," Margot ordered without taking her eyes off the animal.

The man was shaking.

"Oh God, oh God..."

"I need you to stop moving."

"It's coming toward me!"

"Because you look like a nervous prey animal."

Margot grabbed the hook and moved forward slowly. Her heart was pounding, though her face stayed serious. She'd worked with difficult animals before — aggressive dogs, wild birds, even a monkey that ripped out a chunk of her hair once — but venomous snakes were something else. One small mistake was enough.

The viper hissed as it raised its head.

"Good girl... easy..."

Diego stared at her in horror.

"You're talking to it?"

"Animals enjoy conversation more than people do."

"That animal wants to murder you."

"And you wanted to study veterinary medicine."

"I lasted one semester."

Margot almost caught it. Almost.

The owner stepped back and tripped over an auxiliary table. The metallic crash made the snake react.

Everything happened fast.

Too fast.

The viper struck forward and Margot barely managed to turn her arm.

Pain ripped through her skin immediately.

A deep puncture.

She dropped the hook and pulled back instinctively as the snake slid across the floor again.

Diego jumped off the chair when he saw her.

"Margot!"

She looked at her arm. Two marks. Blood.

And around the wound, the skin was starting to change color.

"Shit..." she muttered.

The man started hyperventilating.

"I didn't know! I swear I didn't know!"

Margot raised her eyes slowly to him, furious even through the pain.

"I told you not to panic."

Diego grabbed a blanket and managed to cover the snake with another employee who'd just come from the back of the clinic. Everything turned to noise around Margot — hurried footsteps, tense voices, someone calling an ambulance.

But she could barely hear any of it.

Her arm started burning all the way up to her shoulder.

Then came the dizziness.

She leaned against the table, trying to keep her breathing steady.

"Sit down, sit down now," Diego said, holding her up.

"I don't like it when you talk like a divorced mom."

"Margot, stop joking."

She tried to say something else, but the words felt heavy inside her mouth.

The owner was still talking too fast.

"I didn't mean to hurt you — I thought she was harmless, they told me—"

"Shut up for a second," she said, her voice weak.

The man froze.

Margot closed her eyes for a few seconds, then opened them slowly. Everything around her was starting to look strange, as if the lights were too bright.

Diego held her face.

"Look at me — hey, look at me."

"You look ugly from this angle."

"You're going to get through this."

She wanted to believe it.

She really did.

But she knew the venom. She knew the reaction time. She knew the odds.

And that was the worst part.

Veterinarians understood too well when a situation was serious.

The pain was already spreading through her chest.

Breathing was getting harder.

She felt rage.

An absurd rage.

She didn't want to die.

She didn't even have a spectacular life. She paid rent late some months, bought too many books, and had spent three years saying she was going to organize her apartment. But it was her life.

And now it was ending because of an irresponsible idiot and a misidentified snake.

"The ambulance is on its way," someone said.

Margot let out a small, dry laugh.

"Sure... now they're quick."

Diego's eyes were wet.

"Don't talk like that."

She looked at him for a few seconds. He'd always seemed relaxed, funny, kind of useless with paperwork. Seeing him scared stirred something in her chest.

"Don't cry early — you're making me feel important."

"Shut up."

The venom kept advancing.

Her fingers started going numb.

The clinic blurred.

She heard distant voices.

Footsteps.

The sound of something falling.

And in the middle of it all, she thought about how ridiculous the situation was.

She'd imagined many ways of dying. Car accidents, some illness, even growing old surrounded by cats because she was clearly headed that way.

But this...

An exotic snake on an exhausting Tuesday.

What a miserable ending.

She opened her eyes just barely when Diego squeezed her hand.

"Hey, stay awake."

Margot breathed with difficulty.

"I'm going to sue this clinic from the afterlife."

"Margot."

"And you're going to lose because you're terrible at lying in court."

Diego let out a broken laugh.

She tried to smile too, though it cost her.

The ceiling started looking far away.

The noise was fading little by little.

And then the real fear arrived.

The fear of disappearing.

Of suddenly ceasing to exist.

Her eyes barely glistened.

"I don't want to die," she whispered.

Diego squeezed her hand harder.

"You're not going to."

But they both knew it sounded hollow.

Margot swallowed with difficulty. Her body felt heavy, cold, useless.

She thought about the books she'd left unfinished.

About the coffee she'd forgotten to finish that morning.

About the simple life she kept hoping to have someday when things got better.

All so normal.

So small.

And still, she wanted to stay.

The ambulance finally arrived. She heard the doors open, hurried voices, people moving her carefully.

The ceiling changed.

White lights above her.

The sound of a monitor.

Someone saying blood pressure.

Someone asking how long it had been since the bite.

Margot could barely keep her eyes open.

And the last thing she felt before the darkness swallowed her completely was frustration.

Because after everything she'd endured in life...

Dying like this was simply absurd.

The pain vanished before Margot could understand when she'd stopped breathing.

There was no heaven. No lights. No distant voices calling her name.

Just a strange weight in her body. Then cold. Bitter cold.

She opened her eyes slowly, and the first thing she noticed was the smell. Not disinfectant or medication — it smelled like dampness, old wood, and cheap soap. She blinked several times, trying to focus on the dark ceiling above her head. Wooden beams. A small window let in a grayish light, and rough blankets barely covered her legs.

She stayed still for a few seconds.

Then spoke in a dry voice.

"Either I'm alive or hell needs urgent renovations."

Her throat burned when she talked.

Margot tried to sit up, but an intense pain ran through her entire body. Her arms felt weak, as if she'd been sick for weeks. She looked down slowly.

The hands weren't hers.

Thinner.

Pale.

With small scars.

And on the left arm, just below the worn sleeve, there was a dark mark.

She frowned.

"No... no, no. I've seen too many weird novels not to suspect what this is."

The door flew open before she could think further.

A brown-haired girl came in carrying a bucket of wet laundry. The moment she saw Margot sitting up, her eyes went wide.

"Dafne!"

Margot stared at her in confusion.

The girl dropped the bucket on the floor and ran to the bed.

"Are you crazy? You sat up way too fast — yesterday you looked dead."

Margot blinked. The girl touched her forehead with concern.

"You're still hot. If Miss Brina sees you working like this, she'll send you to the kitchens anyway."

"Who's Brina?"

The girl went quiet.

"Dafne... did you hit your head?"

Margot breathed slowly.

Something was wrong. Very wrong.

Memories began mixing inside her head all at once. Images that weren't hers, disordered fragments, emotions that didn't belong to her.

A little girl scrubbing floors.

A voice calling her useless.

Pain in her arm.

Hunger.

Fear.

Margot shut her eyes hard, pressing a hand to her temple.

"God..."

"I'm Dafne now. An Omega servant. I don't remember the story exactly. I've read a lot about this genre. What a mess."

She thought.

The girl caught her before she could fall again.

"I told you not to get up."

Dafne swallowed, trying to stay calm.

"I need you to answer something without freaking out."

"Now I'm actually freaking out."

"What year is it?"

The girl opened her mouth slowly.

"Dafne... I think the fever melted your brain. It's 956. The Age of Silver."

Dafne let out a long sigh.

Perfect.

Just perfect.

Hours later she was still trying to accept that her new life was inside a fantasy story.

Her name was now Dafne.

She was nineteen years old.

She was an Omega.

And on top of that, a poor Omega who worked as a servant inside the imperial palace.

Dafne had thought many times that historical romance fiction was entertaining — as long as you read it with coffee and a blanket.

Living inside one turned out to be something else entirely.

Much worse.

Especially because in this world, Omegas were treated as second-class citizens.

She discovered that the moment she left the small room.

The service-area hallways were full of workers moving fast, heads down, avoiding attention. Some had marks on their necks that distinguished their ranks. Others barely looked up when they crossed paths with someone of higher standing.

And the Omegas...

Dafne noticed the difference immediately.

They talked less.

They stepped aside faster.

They lived on edge.

A tall woman walked past her carrying trays and frowned the moment she saw Dafne standing still.

"You going to stand there all day?"

"I'm seriously considering passing out again."

The woman gave her a tired look.

"Lucky you, being able to joke around. Move before Brina sees you."

Dafne kept walking while trying to organize her thoughts. Dafne's body was exhausted from even simple tasks. Her legs ached, her back hurt, and she felt a strange emptiness in her chest, as if she hadn't truly rested in years.

The girl who'd found her that morning walked beside her.

"You shouldn't be working today."

"I also shouldn't have died from a snake, and here we are."

"You're talking weird again."

"You think so?"

The girl finally let out a small laugh.

"Yeah. I've known you since we were little. We grew up serving together."

"I see..." she said, trying not to sound strange.

"The fever definitely messed you up."

Dafne barely smiled.

The girl's name was Lina. She was an Omega too, though a little healthier than Dafne. She talked fast, looked around too much, and seemed to live in constant fear of making mistakes.

They reached the kitchens and the noise hit Dafne immediately — pots, shouted orders, hot steam, and workers running in every direction.

A sturdy woman with a severe face turned the moment she saw them.

"Dafne."

Dafne understood at once that this was Brina.

"Good morning," she replied.

Brina narrowed her eyes.

"You're five minutes late... I'm still waiting on the trays for the west wing."

Dafne sighed inwardly. She couldn't argue her way out of this. She had to survive this new hierarchy until she found a way out.

She didn't plan on serving for the rest of her life.

She picked up a tray carefully and nearly dropped it from the weakness in her arms.

Brina watched with annoyance.

"You look like a ghost."

"Thank you. I'm trying to maintain a delicate image."

Lina coughed, trying to hide a laugh.

Brina shook her head.

"If you're going to faint, do it after you deliver that."

As they walked through the main corridors, Dafne began noticing the differences between the palace's social classes. Alphas walked as if everything belonged to them. Betas seemed to stay neutral. And Omegas lowered their eyes the moment anyone important appeared.

An Omega boy passed close to a noble Alpha, and the man shoved his shoulder just because the boy was in the way.

"Watch where you're going."

The boy apologized immediately.

Dafne frowned.

"How unpleasant."

Lina dropped her voice at once.

"Don't talk like that."

"Why?"

"Because someone might hear you."

"So?"

Lina stopped and stared at her in horror.

"Dafne, Omegas don't respond that way."

Dafne gripped the tray harder.

Something inside her churned every time she saw those scenes. She'd dealt with unbearable clients, arrogant people, and men who believed they had the right to treat others badly because they paid more — but this was different.

It was normal here.

That was the worst part.

They climbed the main staircase and the atmosphere changed at once. The palace's luxury was staggering — golden lamps, thick carpets, and enormous windows letting in the midday light.

Dafne had barely managed to look around when she heard several voices go tense nearby.

"The Emperor is coming."

The entire hallway fell silent.

Lina lowered her head immediately.

Dafne took a second to react.

And then she saw him.

Hazem Amatore walked surrounded by guards and nobles. Tall, cold expression, impeccable dark clothing. He didn't look approachable. He didn't even look accessible. His long, jet-black hair moved freely. And his earrings gleamed with immense power.

People stepped aside the moment he passed.

Dafne felt something strange in her left arm.

A sudden burning.

Sharp.

She frowned and looked down discreetly at the mark beneath her sleeve.

It was searing her skin.

"What the hell...?"

Hazem continued walking until his eyes shifted barely toward her.

Just one second.

But Dafne felt an uncomfortable chill run through her entire body.

The Emperor slowed his pace slightly.

One of the nobles spoke immediately.

"Your Majesty, the council meeting has already begun."

Hazem was still watching Dafne.

Lina looked ready to die of fright.

Dafne held his gaze for a few seconds without understanding why that man produced so much pressure in her chest.

Then Hazem spoke in a calm voice.

"That servant."

The entire hallway went rigid.

Brina appeared almost running from the back.

"Your Majesty, forgive her if she made a mistake."

Hazem looked Dafne up and down. She felt the burning intensify.

What a terrible moment for an existential crisis.

"What is your name?" he asked.

She hesitated for just a beat.

"Dafne."

The Emperor kept studying her in that strange way, as if trying to remember something.

Dafne felt uncomfortable immediately.

She'd seen intense stares before.

Furious clients.

Arrogant doctors.

Angry men.

But this was different.

More personal.

Hazem finally looked away.

"She's pale. Is she ill?"

Brina answered quickly.

"She just had a fever, Your Majesty."

"Useless servants slow down the work."

The coldness in his voice made Lina lower her head even further.

Dafne felt irritation immediately.

Right.

It made sense that the Emperor would be one of those men.

Hazem started walking again, but before he left, he spoke once more without looking back.

"Have a doctor examine her."

Brina's eyes widened in surprise.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The group continued on until they disappeared down the corridor.

Silence hung for a few seconds.

Then Lina spun toward Dafne.

"What was that?"

Dafne was still staring at the empty hallway while her arm burned beneath her sleeve.

"I wish I knew."

Brina looked confused and annoyed at the same time.

"The Emperor never notices servants."

Dafne let out a small, dry laugh.

"Well, clearly today he decided to ruin his track record."

The imperial doctor smelled like herbs, ink, and exhausted patience.

Dafne sat across from him on an uncomfortable chair while the man reviewed some papers with an indifferent expression. Her body had felt heavy since she woke up in this world, and the burning in the mark on her arm hadn't fully gone away since she'd seen the Emperor.

The doctor barely looked up.

"Severe malnutrition, physical exhaustion, lack of rest, and anemia."

Dafne rested her cheek on her hand.

"Didn't you miss something?"

The man ignored the comment.

"You need to eat more protein — more red meat, eggs, fresh bread, and foods with higher fat content."

She let out a small, humorless laugh.

"Sure."

The doctor wrote something quickly.

"You also need vitamins and less physical labor."

"Of course. Easy to manage when you're not a servant."

The man finally looked at her with annoyance.

"If you don't improve, you'll keep fainting."

The doctor set his pen down on the table. Because Dafne had no answer for that.

An uncomfortable silence filled the room.

Then the man simply sighed.

"Take this to the head of the kitchen staff. You need better nutrition for the next few weeks."

Dafne took the paper and read the list quickly. It included foods she hadn't even seen in the servants' kitchen.

"I can't afford this."

"That's not my problem."

She raised her eyes slowly.

"What a warm soul you have."

"I'm busy. But I came on the Emperor's orders."

"I noticed — you didn't even pretend to have compassion."

The doctor went back to writing without looking at her.

"You may leave."

Dafne walked out of the room muttering under her breath.

"In my other life, doctors at least smiled before ruining you financially."

The moment she returned to the service area, the atmosphere was already frantic. Servants were crossing the hallways carrying trays, flower arrangements, and enormous decorative fabrics. Some were running. Others were barking orders at top speed.

Lina appeared holding several folded tablecloths.

"Finally! I thought you'd died again."

"The afternoon's just starting — give me time."

Lina handed her a stack of tablecloths.

"Move fast. Today's going to be horrible."

"What's happening?"

The girl looked at her as if she'd forgotten something obvious.

"The imperial banquet."

Dafne felt tired immediately.

"Oh, no..."

They walked together toward the main hall while everything around them grew more elegant and more tense. The nobles would start arriving at nightfall, and every detail had to look perfect.

Dafne observed everything in attentive silence. The imperial wing was immense. Every corridor seemed built to remind everyone how much power the imperial family held. Soldiers guarded every entrance, nobles walked with arrogance, and workers bowed their heads every few seconds.

And the Omegas were still treated like delicate objects or nuisances, depending on the mood of whoever was looking at them.

A cook shoved a young Omega out of the way just because he was standing near the door.

"Move it, useless."

The boy apologized immediately, though he clearly hadn't done anything.

Dafne clenched her jaw slightly.

Lina saw.

"Don't make that face."

"What face?"

"The one you make before you say something that gets you in trouble. You've been like this lately."

"You're only just getting to know me."

Lina lowered her voice while they arranged goblets on an enormous table.

"Seriously, behave tonight. Important noble families, high-ranking Alphas, and imperial advisors are coming. If someone gets upset with you, nobody's going to defend you."

Dafne straightened a crooked goblet.

"I'm not planning to start a revolution before dinner."

"Dafne. Stop acting strange."

"I'm joking."

"That's the problem — you never joke."

She let out a small, tired smile.

The afternoon flew by between orders and preparations. When night finally fell, the imperial hall was lit by enormous golden lamps. Soft music filled the air while nobles began entering in elegant clothing and excessive jewelry.

Dafne watched everything while holding a tray of wine.

She still couldn't get used to this place.

In her old life she'd read enough novels to imagine balls and palaces, but living inside one was exhausting. Everyone pretended too much. The smiles looked rehearsed. The conversations had venom hiding beneath polite words.

And the Omegas...

The Omegas acted as if breathing too loudly were a mistake.

One of the nobles took a goblet from Dafne's tray without even looking at her.

"What an ugly Omega."

She forced a smile and was about to do something when Lina appeared instantly.

"Enjoy the drink."

The noble scoffed and walked away.

Lina spun toward Dafne in horror.

"Do you want to die?"

"I don't know. Maybe."

"Dafne!"

She let out a small laugh.

But that laugh vanished the moment the entire hall fell silent.

The main doors had just opened.

Emperor Hazem entered accompanied by several guards and members of the imperial family.

Dafne felt the burning in her arm again.

Stronger than before.

She had to clamp her fingers around the tray to keep from dropping it.

Hazem walked slowly through the crowd like someone accustomed to everyone stepping aside. Tall, impeccable, cold expression. His presence filled the hall even without a word.

The nobles bowed their heads immediately.

Dafne took a second to do the same.

And when she barely raised her eyes, the Emperor's gaze was on her.

Again.

That made her deeply uncomfortable.

Hazem continued forward while the servants began moving again. Soft conversations filled the air once more, though the tension remained.

Dafne tried to ignore him.

Tried to focus on serving drinks.

Tried to pretend her arm wasn't burning.

But then she heard a man's voice nearby.

"The Omegas in the south wing keep causing problems."

One of the nobles was talking to Hazem as they walked near the main table.

"There was a fight yesterday," the man continued. "One of them refused to obey."

Hazem took a goblet calmly.

"And?"

"The supervisor requested authorization to punish them."

The Emperor didn't even hesitate.

"If an Omega forgets his place, correct him."

Dafne felt anger rise in her chest immediately.

What an unpleasant man.

Another noble laughed slightly.

"Some believe Omegas deserve more freedoms these days."

Hazem drank some wine before answering.

"Weak people always believe they deserve more than they can sustain."

The words landed heavy near the servants.

Dafne watched discreetly as several Omegas lowered their heads even further.

She felt rage.

Because he talked about them as if he were describing bothersome animals.

Then something happened.

One of the young Omegas working the service tripped accidentally near the imperial table. A goblet fell to the floor and shattered.

The hall went silent.

The boy went pale immediately.

"F-forgive me, Your Majesty..."

Hazem watched him for a few seconds.

Cold.

Impassive.

"How old are you?"

"Seventeen..."

"And you still can't even hold a tray."

The Omega started trembling.

"I'm so sorry."

One of the nobles let out a mocking laugh.

"Young Omegas are getting more useless by the day."

Dafne clenched her jaw.

The boy was still shaking in front of everyone, trying to pick up the glass with unsteady hands.

Hazem spoke again.

"Look at him. The moment he faces any pressure, he looks like he's about to cry."

The Omega lowered his head further.

Dafne was getting tired.

Very tired.

She took a slow breath and stepped forward before she could think about it too much.

"He's going to cut his hands if he keeps picking that up while he's shaking."

Several faces turned toward her immediately.

Lina nearly dropped her tray.

Hazem slowly raised his gaze to Dafne.

The hall went dangerously quiet.

Dafne already knew she'd just gotten herself into trouble.

But honestly, she was already irritated.

She set her tray on a nearby table and crouched in front of the Omega boy.

"Move over a little."

The boy stared at her, terrified.

"B-but..."

"If you bleed on the imperial carpet, they'll probably kill me too, so cooperate."

Several nobles stared at her in horror for daring to speak that way in front of the Emperor.

Dafne picked up the shards carefully while she felt Hazem's gaze on her.

Very much on her.

Uncomfortably on her.

When she finished, she stood up slowly.

Brina looked about to faint from across the hall.

Hazem was still watching her without a word.

Dafne held his gaze for a few seconds before speaking.

"Glasses slip. It happens even to important people. Wouldn't you say so, Your Majesty?"

A noble opened his eyes, outraged.

"How dare you speak to the Emperor like that?"

She looked at him without much interest.

"I didn't shout at him. I didn't insult him either."

"Of course you did!" the noble exclaimed. "You called him clumsy — when he is perfect."

Hazem ignored him completely and set his goblet down on the table.

And then something strange happened.

He didn't seem angry.

That confused everyone even more.

His eyes remained on Dafne with an intensity that was hard to explain. As if he were trying to understand something he couldn't get out of his head.

The burning in the mark on her arm worsened so much that Dafne had to tense her fingers.

Hazem noticed the movement.

"Come here."

The command landed directly.

The entire hall froze again. Lina looked on the verge of panic.

Dafne swallowed slowly. Every instinct inside her was telling her to keep her distance from that man.

But she also knew that refusing would be worse.

She walked slowly until she stood in front of him.

Hazem was even more intimidating up close. He had a heavy, dominant presence — the kind of man who was probably used to destroying lives with a single sentence. And he'd do it with that face so perfect he looked like a dark angel.

He was still watching her in that strange way.

"Dafne," he said.

That caught her off guard.

"You remember me?"

"The sick servant."

She barely raised an eyebrow.

"What an honor to be remembered for my terrible health."

Several nobles looked scandalized by her response.

But Hazem...

Hazem almost smiled.

And that seemed to unsettle everyone more than any cold expression would have.

The Emperor lowered his gaze to Dafne's arm, covered by the long sleeve.

"Why is your hand shaking?"

She felt the burning pulsing beneath her skin.

"Maybe your imperial presence gives me an allergy."

Lina closed her eyes from across the room as if she were praying.

The silence lasted only a few seconds.

Then Hazem spoke calmly.

"You should be more careful with how you speak."

Dafne held his gaze.

"And you should treat the people who work for you better."

Several nobles went completely rigid.

One even murmured in horror:

"She's insane."

Probably.

But Dafne was already tired of arrogant men, even in another life.

Hazem studied her closely.

And though his expression stayed serious, something had changed in his eyes from the moment she'd spoken.

Something darker. More interested. And more dangerous.

And Dafne had the uncomfortable feeling that this man had just fixated on her far too much.