Chapter 25

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MY HANDS trembled, the chill of fear still crawling up my spine as I clutched the book tightly against my chest. Sebastian stood in front of me, his towering figure a silent presence in the dim room. The voice that had spoken earlier was gone, but the unsettling feeling lingered like a shadow in the corners.

“I need to see Charlie. Will you be alright if I leave you here, my lady?” His voice was calm now, but his eyes scanned the room warily before finally settling on me.

I forced a nod in response, my throat too tight to speak at first. I couldn’t let him stay with me-he had his own life to protect. Besides, hadn’t he spared mine? The order had been clear—kill me if I knew his true identity, and yet, here we were.

“Yes, Sebastian. I’ll be fine. I can protect myself.” My voice was steady, but his name hung in the air between us like a secret exposed. His eyes widened, only for a second, as though my use of his real name had struck him unexpectedly.

“Be safe, my lady,” he replied, his tone softer now, before turning toward the veranda. With a fluid grace, he vaulted over the railing and disappeared into the night.

“Be safe also, Sir,” I whispered under my breath, unsure if he heard me. But in the fleeting moonlight, I caught a glimpse of his lips curving into a smirk before he vanished from sight.

As soon as he was gone, I slammed the window shut and drew the heavy curtains across, sealing myself inside. The night felt far too close, too dangerous. I glanced at the clock, its hands crawling past midnight. The room was now eerily silent, save for the soft ticking that marked the passing minutes.

I lit the lampshade, casting warm light across the room, and sat down with the book. Something about it drew me in—especially after that voice had warned I wasn’t supposed to hold it. My curiosity gnawed at me.

This book... there must be something inside I need to know.

Suddenly, a familiar shimmer caught my eye.

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The player has begun reading the book entitled, “The Knight’s Love.”

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I glared at the hologram. Really? Did it always have to appear at the most inconvenient times?

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The plot of the game will change once you finish reading. Predicaments will follow soon. Good luck!

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I clicked my tongue in irritation. Luh. Now the system was making me second-guess reading this thing. But it didn’t matter—whether I read it or not, the system would find a way to torment me either way. I could feel it lurking, always.

With a sigh, I opened the book and started the first chapter. The words were thick and heavy, drawing me into their world. My brow furrowed as I sank deeper into the pages, my mind swimming with the possibilities hidden within. The quiet tension in the room pressed down on me, but I couldn’t stop.

This book held something important. Something that might just change everything.

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The faint sound of footsteps outside the door snapped me out of my thoughts. I quickly shut the book, my heart pounding, and turned just in time to see my two maids enter the room, beaming with their usual bright smiles.

“Good morning, my lady!” they chorused as Lilith set a tray of hot tea on the table beside my bed.

“Good morning,” I replied, forcing a smile as I discreetly tucked the book beneath the sheets.

“You seem a bit tired today, my lady. Did you sleep well last night?” Eleonor asked, her brows knitting together as she carefully poured the tea into a cup. Both of them watched me intently, their expressions full of concern, as if trying to decipher the unease I was hiding.

“I slept just fine,” I lied, keeping my smile in place. I couldn’t let them know about the book or the unsettling things I had learned.

“You can leave the tray there,” I added quickly. “I need to take a bath.”

“Would you like me to—”

“No,” I cut her off, still keeping my voice gentle. “I’ll do it myself today.”

I ushered them toward the door, placing a hand on each of their shoulders. “Now, don’t worry about me. I just need a little time to myself. I’ll call if I need anything.”

They exchanged glances but obeyed, leaving with a final glance of hesitation. As soon as the door closed, I locked it, my pulse quickening.

Without a second thought, I dashed back to the bed, yanking the book from beneath the covers. I was nearing the climax. The story, this entire game, was based on this book. And now, everything I had experienced was written within its pages.

The weight of it felt heavier now as if the truth inside pressed down on me. I opened it, my eyes immediately locking on the words that made my stomach churn.

Sebastian. He was a regressor...

Sebastian’s POV (in the book)

I always come back. Each time I die, I return to this hellish world, forced to watch her suffer again and again. And the worst part? I crave it. I crave her suffering. The way her eyes widen in fear, the way her voice trembles with uncertainty—each moment of her pain ignites something dark inside me.

I’ve regressed so many times now that I’ve lost count. Every time, I gain more power, more control. But no matter how strong I become, there is one thing I can never have: love. Not hers. Never hers.

No matter how the timeline shifts, it always ends the same. She always chooses him. Lumine. The Crown Prince. She always ends up with him. I'm nothing more than a side character in this twisted story, an obstacle to be overcome. And when that moment comes—when I realize she will never choose me—I find the same answer every time. I kill her.

And then, I kill myself. Only to come back again, to this same cycle of torment. This endless loop, where the only thing that remains constant is her suffering... and my obsession with it. My curse is to love her, and my punishment is to never be loved in return.

But sometimes—sometimes, in those fleeting moments between one life and the next—I wonder, what if I stopped? What if I let the cycle end? If I could stop hurting her, maybe... maybe she could love me. Maybe she could see past all the pain I’ve caused and finally choose me.

But then... it gnaws at me. That familiar darkness creeps in. The hunger for her suffering, the twisted satisfaction of seeing her break, it always pulls me back. No matter how much I try to fight it, the illness inside me wins every time. It consumes me. I want to let her go, to free her from this torment... but I can’t. I don’t know how.

I hate myself for it. This sick, masochistic part of me that thrives on her pain. It’s stronger than my love for her. Every time I come close to changing, close to ending it all, that gnawing need takes over, and I watch myself hurt her again.

I want to stop. I want her to love me, not fear me. But with each regression, my desperation deepens. I’ve grown so used to the suffering, it’s become all I know. It’s all I have left of her.

And so, I hurt her. Over and over again. Because I don’t know how to love her without breaking her first.

The words from his point of view sent a shiver through my entire body. My hands trembled as I turned the pages, unable to stop reading.

But there was more. The Grand Duke. Darious. Both trapped in their own twisted cycles, though theirs were different from Sebastian's.

The Grand Duke is no different from me. He hides it better, plays his part well, but deep down, he’s just as trapped. The Emperor’s manipulations run deep—far deeper than anyone realizes. The Grand Duke was once a man of honor, a man who loved his daughter. But the Emperor twisted him, poisoned his mind.

Now, the Grand Duke is nothing but a puppet, blindly following the orders of a man who holds his very soul in the palm of his hand. The Emperor knows every weakness, every fear the Grand Duke harbors, and uses them to his advantage. That’s why the Duke turned on his own daughter. It wasn’t out of hatred—it was out of fear.

I blinked, trying to process the revelation. The Grand Duke was being controlled, manipulated. But why? What did the Emperor stand to gain from turning the Duke against his own blood?

Before I could dwell on that, the book shifted, drawing me into Darious’s story. His hatred was real—intense, burning—but I didn’t understand it. Not yet.

And then there’s Darious. The perfect heir. The golden boy. But his hatred for Arthemice runs deep, even deeper than mine. While I’m obsessed with her suffering, he’s consumed by rage—rage that stems from something none of us can understand.

He wasn’t always like this. When they were children, he adored her. Protected her. But something changed. Something broke inside him, and now all that remains is bitterness.

He hates her because she exists. Because she reminds him of everything he’s lost. But what was it that he lost?

I’ve tried to figure it out in every regression, but no matter how many times I return, that part of the story always eludes me. There’s something deeper at play here, something I can’t see. And it’s driving Darious closer and closer to madness.

I set the book down for a moment, my mind reeling. Darious had once loved Arthemice? What could have possibly caused such a drastic change in him? I needed to know more. I needed to unravel the mystery before it was too late.

Because if this book was right, the cycle would soon repeat. And this time, I might be too late to stop it.

Just as I was about to turn the next page, a series of three knocks broke the silence. I closed the book with a quiet sigh, feeling the weight of the moment settle over me.

“My dear, are you ready? We are leaving for the Imperial Palace now,” came the familiar, authoritative voice of the Duke from behind the door.

“Yes, Father! Just... give me a moment!” I called back, glancing toward the clock. I hadn’t forgotten we were going, but I had lost track of time while reading.

I tucked the book beneath the sheets, careful to hide it from view. My mind was still tangled in the mystery of it, the questions it raised nagging at the back of my mind. But I had to push those thoughts aside—there were more pressing matters to attend to.

In a rush, I grabbed a simple dress from the wardrobe and slipped it on. No time for anything elaborate. I ran my fingers through my hair, letting it fall naturally, not bothering to style it. It would have to do.

The system’s holograph flickered to life, hovering just in front of me.

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Warning! A grave predicament will occur in the Imperial Palace today. Proceed with extreme caution.

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I froze, my pulse quickening. A predicament? At the palace? The system had never given me a warning like this before. My thoughts raced as I stared at the words, trying to decipher their meaning.

Another knock came, sharper this time. “Arthemice dear, we don’t have all day.”

I blinked, forcing myself to focus. There was no time to dwell on the warning. I had to go—whether I was ready or not.

I took a deep breath, trying to shake off the uneasy feeling creeping up my spine. Whatever the system meant, I’d have to face it soon enough.

With one last glance at the holograph, I turned toward the door and opened it.

fin.