WICE 22

#22.

Taking advantage of the moment Allen left to run an errand, Roni handed a note to Hadelio. It told him to come to the castle tonight.

Guinness showed up at the castle just as she had asked. Roni spoke with a sarcastic tone.

“So you said you’d come, but you were sitting right next to Allen.”

“Well, since Allen is the main character in the story you’ve meddled in, I figured it would be best for me to appear close to him. Don’t look at me like that. I was planning to come eventually.”

“…You know, don’t you?”

“Know what?”

“That Allen is interested in me right now.”

Roni, feeling a bit embarrassed, confessed the situation to Guinness. For some reason, Allen was showing interest in her. A lot of it, in fact.

It was obvious from the way he teased her. It meant she had clearly entered his field of interest. Even after meeting the female lead, Biana, there was no sign of his heart changing—at least, not yet.

Roni could only hope that Allen’s interest in her wouldn’t turn into love. She was a character that wasn’t supposed to stay—just someone who wanted to remain a beautiful memory as a good friend.

Guinness looked at Sohee, who was genuinely worried, with a hint of disbelief. He thought she was tormenting herself over something not even that complicated.

Wasn’t this clearly not a one-sided thing?

“Shouldn’t you be happy, Sohee? I mean, he was your favorite person on Earth, wasn’t he?”

“That kind of ‘liking’ is a bit different. It’s not like I wanted to date Allen or anything.”

“Different, huh…”

Sohee didn’t seem to understand her own feelings. Guinness could tell that the woman in front of him was quite troubled.

Her entire focus had always been on Allen Romanit. She constantly evaluated her own actions from his perspective.

Because of that, she didn’t even realize that her own feelings had changed. It was almost laughable that she still thought of him as merely her favorite character.

Not even knowing her own emotions…

Still, Guinness had no desire to help her realize her true feelings. He just thought the whole situation was unfolding in an entertaining way.

As a manager, all he needed to do was sit back and watch what kind of story these people created.

“Seeing as the festival’s about to begin, it looks like the main plotline of the comic is still in place, but the character relationships seem really messed up. For one, Allen and Ian being friends is weird. They’re supposed to be rivals.”

“You seemed like you were just going with the flow, but you’ve thought about this quite a bit. You’re right—the base plot of the comic is still intact. As you said, the summer festival, which is one of the comic’s major events, is coming up soon. I don’t even have to tell you what the other big events are, right?”

After hearing Guinness’s words, she was certain—the story was starting. The summer festival was the point at which Allen’s ending would begin to diverge.

For a moment, she worried about her encounter with them earlier. Had she made any mistakes?

“Then how are the character relationships going to play out?”

“They’ve gotten pretty complicated. The big plot events will change depending on what you do. You’re a foreign element in this world, and your influence is significant.”

“Isn’t there any way for me to live quietly?”

“You tried not to affect anyone too much, but it was pointless. Sohee, you’re already part of the comic’s main cast.”

“I’m the lead?”

“Yep. No matter how much you struggle, you won’t be able to escape the comic’s framework. Even today—you just happened to meet Biana and Allen and ended up helping with the festival. That’s clearly the influence of the comic.”

‘Would it kill you to warn me about these things in advance? Have I just been flailing around for nothing?’

Roni gave a dry laugh at Guinness’s words. At this point, he really should just hand over his title as manager.

Shouldn’t a proper manager prepare a guidebook ahead of time? Feeling like she’d been tricked, Roni asked sharply.

“Then what needs to happen for Allen to get a happy ending?”

“Hmm, with all the character relationship shifts, even I’m finding it hard to predict now.”

“Don’t tell me there’s no plan.”

“Of course there is. First, the festival coming up will be crucial. It’s the key episode where Biana and Allen start to drift apart.”

“Oh…”

“You know this, right? In that festival episode, Biana originally wanted to dance with Allen, not Ian. But in the end, she ended up dancing with Ian.”

Guinness was right. In Biana’s Masquerade, Allen’s one-sided love begins in earnest during the summer festival.

Biana first asks Allen to be her dance partner. But Allen, not yet aware of his own feelings and still seeing Biana as an annoying bother, rejects her.

Then Ian, showing interest in Biana, offers to be her dance partner instead. Biana hesitates, wanting to wait for Allen, but during an argument between Ian and Allen, she misinterprets Allen’s words as dislike. Hurt, she ends up accepting Ian’s offer to dance.

Watching this, Allen starts to slowly realize his feelings—thus beginning his sad journey as the second male lead.

‘No way. My Allen is not meant to end up as a second lead.’

Roni made up her mind—this time, she would help Allen and Biana dance together.

“You’re thinking of connecting Allen and Biana?”

“Of course. Allen is just confused right now. He’s just curious because I’m acting differently from usual. He’s supposed to like Biana. That’s what Allen’s real feelings are.”

In Roni’s mind, if Allen was the male lead, then the female lead should naturally be Biana—not her.

“…So you’ve decided that, huh?”

Guinness found Sohee’s choice quite fascinating. In a way, she was very different from the people he usually dealt with.

Too upright, maybe. She didn’t seem to doubt the established roles in these relationships—even though those roles had already shifted significantly, she seemed unwilling to see it.

“The problem is, they’re not broken off yet. While helping prepare for the festival, I noticed—Biana definitely has feelings for Allen. But she’s hesitant because he’s engaged.”

“She’s not the type to go after someone who’s already taken.”

“What should I do? I’ve told him I want to break off the engagement multiple times, but he won’t even listen. Worse—every time I bring up the word ‘breakup,’ he starts tormenting me even more.”

“Hmm… Well, I don’t think a breakup is going to happen immediately. Like you said, even if Allen’s feelings are a misunderstanding, he believes in them right now. He’s not going to let you go. You know Allen’s character—he’s pretty obsessive.”

“…Then what do I do?”

“Well, you’ll just have to make him want to break it off himself.”

Guinness gave a confident smile.

A little later, Roni had dinner with Biana. As a thank-you for helping with the festival preparations, Biana had invited her.

It was likely an attempt to gauge Roni’s feelings toward Allen. From the way Biana kept observing her throughout the meal, Roni could tell.

“I heard you’ve been engaged to Allen for about ten years.”

“Oh, it’s already been that long, huh?”

“Do you plan to marry him?”

Biana asked very directly. Sohee knew that Biana had a very upright nature.

It seemed like, after realizing Roni might have feelings for Allen, she came to confirm it—so that if Roni said she planned to marry him, Biana would quietly give up and step aside.

‘No, don’t do that, heroine. Allen is yours.’

Roni began to speak, just as she and Guinness had planned.

“Actually, I’m thinking of breaking off the engagement.”

“…What?”

Biana’s eyes widened in surprise. She had come expecting a clean answer to give up on her feelings—but “breaking off the engagement”?

She was confused, but also a little excited. Maybe… maybe there was a chance for her?

“I only proposed the engagement because Allen was being tormented by his family for being an illegitimate child of the Romanit house. I suggested it in name only, to help him. I’m more of a sponsor than a fiancée.”

“…I see.”

Biana felt pity upon hearing about Allen’s family background. In the comic, she was someone who had deep compassion.

Even when she was kidnapped by Allen, she forgave him after learning the truth about his past.

Roni felt slightly guilty for revealing Allen’s private history without his permission, but she thought it might help Biana hold onto her feelings.

Still, she felt an odd discomfort as she spoke. She didn’t know why, but this whole situation felt awkward.

It was almost like… that’s it! Like a mother giving her only precious son away to his bride. Perhaps it was because she had grown so fond of Allen, like a parent would. Silly, but true.

Finally, Roni said the words she’d been holding back.

“You’re interested in Allen, aren’t you?”