"........,"

I carefully shifted, wincing slightly at the unfamiliar stiffness in my muscles.

As I stretched my arms above my head, a flash of movement at the doorway caught my eye.

There, bathed in the soft glow of the light, stood a figure cloaked in a dark, hooded robe.

A single strand of magenta hair peeked out from under the hood.

My breath hitched in my throat.

'Penelope...?'

Across from the figure stood Winter, my supposed lover, his back to me.

"........,"

╔. ■ .═══════╗

╚═══════. ■ .╝

"........,"

"...I am a Sorcerer,"

He declared, his voice never strained.

"It means I can offer to do things that are impossible for ordinary humans."

Penelope remained silent for a long moment.

"... I will seek you again if there is anything I need then,"

She finally replied, her voice a low murmur that I barely caught.

"Though, that won't happen."

Penelope's eyes, the same shade of turquoise I knew so well, flickered across the room.

My heart hammered in my chest.

I knew, with a horrifying certainty, that her gaze had landed on me.

With a forced gesture, I closed my eyes again, feigning sleep.

My mind raced, trying to make sense of the situation.

Penelope, visiting the mage guild in secret?

This was a different change from the game I knew - a significant one.

As the sound of footsteps faded away, I stole a peek through barely open eyelids.

Winter stood alone in the doorway, his shoulders slumped in defeat.

Had he failed to convince Penelope?

Or was there something else at play here, something the game never revealed?

A bitter chuckle escaped my lips.

I was naive.

Even as we're lovers, the game would always bend reality in favor of either the heroine or villainess.

But something else caught my eye.

I was wearing the mask, the very one Winter had taken off me earlier as I was drifting to sleep.

He must have put it back on me before Penelope entered.

'Perhaps Winter knew about the Grand Duke's hatred of public displays,'

I mused. 

'He must be playing both sides,'

I thought, a distrustful edge creeping into my thoughts.

Reaching up, I gingerly touched the cool surface of the mask.

And then I remembered.

I wasn't a registered character in the game.

I was an anomaly, a glitch in the system.

So why could I see Winter's affection score, or for that matter, the score of any of the other male leads?

Let alone Penelope's.

Penelope, the villainess, with an affection score?

For me?

And not just any interest bar, but a heart – a meaningful symbol.

What did it mean in this situation?

Worry gnawed at the edges of my consciousness.

The world I thought I understood was crumbling around me.

Penelope, a villainess seeking survival.

Winter, a sorcerer whom she will woo in order to survive with her head in its place.

And me, a nameless, faceless entity caught in the middle of it all.

An entity with not even a background known to.

'This is insane,'

I thought, a groan escaping my lips.

I was supposed to be a supporting character, a stepping stone for the villainess.

But this?

This was something entirely different.

But then, another thought occurred to me, a possibility so outlandish it made my head spin.

What if the developer, in their infinite - and possibly sadistic - wisdom, had chosen me?

Chosen me as a player.

But a player denied a character profile, a history, even a name?

Why else would we share the same name?

I was Korean, he wasn't.

Yet, here I was, saddled with the same sur/name – (Y/N) Cha.

Were we somehow connected?

Two halves of the same whole?

A single question echoed in the vast emptiness of my mind:

Was Callisto's affection score lock, a chilling crimson red, a sign that the game viewed me as a threat?

Did it want me eliminated before the story reached its end?

Suddenly, a sound startled me.

The creak of an armchair.

I squeezed my eyes shut tighter, praying it wouldn't betray me.

"I know you're awake, Love,"

A gentle voice whispered, laced with amusement.

A warm weight settled on my chest shifted, followed by the clinking of a cup.

A cup of tea, the faint scent tickling my nose.

"Come now, Sleepyhead. Open your eyes for me."

His voice dropped to a murmur.

"Didn't you want to see Alissa?"

Carefully, I cracked open one eye, then the other.

Alissa, still sound asleep, was curled up on my chest, her raven hair cascading down her back like a waterfall.

Her emerald eyes, usually sparkling with innocence, were peacefully closed.

A black cat mask now coverd her face.

Seizing this opportunity, I decided to probe for information.

"Alissa's mask seems similar to mine,"

I began cautiously.

"Does it have a special function... like mine perhaps?"

He probably was the one to design both.

They must be enchanted, weren't they?

Winter raised an eyebrow, a smile tugging at his lips. 

"Not quite, Love. Alissa's mask is a simple enchantment to help her control her magic. It can get a little...wild sometimes, wouldn't you agree, Alissa?"

He chuckled softly, but received no response from the slumbering girl.

"Yours, however,"

He continued, his voice dropping to a hushed tone,

"is far more multi-purpose."

Oh?
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.
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╰┈➤ ❝ [Ɒσи'τ fσяɢєτ τσ vστє αиɒ cσммєиτ!]

₊❏❜ ⋮ ⌒(A/N): Thank you so much for reading this chapter! ( ˶ˆᗜˆ˵ )

"........," 

Yo, loyal readers!

Guess who finally found their theme song?

This author, that's who! And let me tell you, the struggle wasn't real. It was easy, lmao.

Here:

Hamilton (Me fr fr) wrote the other 51 (CHAPTERS, LOL)!

How do you write like you're running out of time? (Running out of time?)

Write day and night like you're running out of time? (Running out of time?)

Every day you fight, like you're running out of time

Like you're running out of time

Are you running out of time? Awwww!

How do you write like tomorrow won't arrive?

How do you write like you need it to survive?

How do you write every second you're alive?

Every second you're alive?

Every second you're alive?

So, yeah, turns out I AM Hamilton, fr fr.

Speaking of running out of time, this chapter is for two amazing readers: [LikelyNapping] and [imwaitinginhell]!

You guys did EXACTLY what I needed you to do, and now my brain is on fire in the best way possible – full-blown hyper mode engaged! 

Thank you, once again!◝(ᵔᗜᵔ)◜

Happy reading! >ᴗ<

ִֶָ๋𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ🐇་༘࿐