Chapter 25

Florence laughed shyly, saying Linus was being too sweet. But Linus really meant what he said.

“You were different. That’s how I knew you were someone else.”

“Really? Then, um, Linus…”

“Yeah?”

“What if… what if I…”

She looked like she was testing him. She tried to hide it, but Linus could clearly see she was trying to see how he would react.

Florence often did that. She wanted to be loved openly and needed proof. She always wanted to compare, check, and be sure. Linus never minded—he was happy to prove his love. The more serious he was, the more she liked it.

“What if I go back… to the other side?”

“So there’s a chance you might?”

“Huh? No, no. The real Florence already died…”

“She died?”

Florence nodded confidently.

“How do you know that?”

“Because that’s how it was supposed to be. That’s why I was able to come into this body.”

The dreams she sometimes had were just from her guilt. Florence spoke firmly.

“Me coming into this body, meeting you—it was all fate.”

From the beginning, she was meant to have everything.

“But if I do go back, you have to find me. Okay?”

“Are you saying you’ll leave me?”

How dare she?

“Come on, it’s just a ‘what if.’ And I don’t want to go back. If I do, it won’t be my choice. I’ll never leave you, I promise.”

“If you leave me, I won’t forgive you, Florence.”

“I said I won’t! So promise me you’ll find me too.”

Florence looked serious, maybe remembering something. She never wanted to go back to that horrible world. She was so happy now—with a healthy body and a future full of hope. Why would she go back to a place full of pain and death?

“I promise. Even if you run away from me, I’ll find you and bring you back.”

“Wow… that sounded intense. Can’t you just say ‘okay, I promise’?”

She pouted cutely, and Linus kissed her lips. She laughed, and her breath tasted sweet.

“I love you, Linus…”

She was sweet like honey, but also felt like she could disappear at any time. Linus couldn’t help but fall for her. He hugged her tightly.

She was a woman from another world.

Florence said everything was decided by fate. That she was always meant to be his.

You are mine.

Florence Love Seymour belonged to him. Linus didn’t care that she wasn’t the original Florence. It didn’t matter—she was still his.

She really was different. She was bright, cheerful, confident, and strong. If she fought seriously, they’d be equal. If not, he’d lose. It was annoying—but also made her someone he could rely on.

When she told him she came from another world, Linus loved her even more. She felt like a one-of-a-kind person. He was so satisfied knowing she was his.

“The real Florence already died…”

She talked about death so casually. Her face even looked like the dead person she was talking about. Linus didn’t understand how she could be so sure—but he didn’t care much. She was his now, and that’s what mattered.

“It was fate. We were meant to meet, my love.”

Florence always talked about fate. Linus believed in it too. Even if it wasn’t real, if it helped tie her to him, he was happy to believe.

“I’m not going back.”

You’ll never leave me. Linus couldn’t imagine life without her now. He couldn’t sleep without her. He couldn’t move without her. Even breathing felt wrong without her.

If this was love, he was completely trapped in it.

He kissed her neck as she let out a soft moan. And he remembered his ex-fiancée.

Florence was like a puppy that only knew its owner. Even if the owner kicked her, ignored her, or left her hungry—she’d still follow him, hoping for a small treat.

Was your death also part of fate?

Linus wondered where that annoying woman was now. He hated her, but even her soul used to be his.

“Linus. Never give up on me.”

She whispered in his ear. The more obsessed he was with her, the happier she became. Even if his way of showing love was rough, she didn’t care. Even if someone died in front of her because of it, she’d just say, “That’s how it was supposed to be.”

That was good for Linus. He crushed anyone who got close to her without hesitation. That only made their love stronger.

Their relationship was made of doubt, trust, proof, and fate.

“Trust me, my love.”

Linus smiled softly.

He believed this fated love would last forever. It crossed worlds to happen. No one could ever break them apart.

Florence was kind and caring to the weak only when she was on stage, with the spotlight shining on her. But she didn’t care at all about people who weren’t part of that stage. Her standards were very clear:

“Main characters” and “everyone else.”

In that sense, Lyla Green was a strange case.

“Usually, in these stories, the original main character is either a villain or someone who barely matters. So… which one is she?”

Florence couldn’t stop thinking about Lyla Green.

Even though she believed that she was the real main character now—because she had entered this world—it still bothered her to see someone like Lyla, who was meant to be the original main character. It was like having a splinter stuck under her fingernail—it hurt and annoyed her.

Strangely, Florence didn’t feel guilty about taking Florence’s body, but she did feel guilty toward the original main character, Lyla Green.

The male lead that was supposed to belong to Lyla…
The charming supporting characters who were supposed to love her…
The achievements she should’ve earned…
The spirits she was supposed to form contracts with…

Whenever Lyla was nearby, Florence felt like a thief who had stolen something that wasn’t hers.

Florence wanted to push Lyla far, far away. But if she showed it, it would look like she was losing—so she did nothing instead. Also, even though Lyla wasn’t the main character anymore, she was still extremely talented, just like Linus. Without a good reason, Florence couldn’t just get rid of her.

So Florence pretended not to see her—on purpose.

“Florence doesn’t seem to like you?”

When Lyla shared her worries, a knight from the Blue Dawn Order opened his eyes wide.

“No way. Did you do something wrong to Lady Florence?”

“No. That’s why it’s weird…”

“Maybe it’s just a misunderstanding? Lady Florence is so kind—she wouldn’t hate you for no reason.”

The knight’s name was Alex. He was the second son of a count. He was big and strong, but had a kind and gentle personality. He was one of the few nobles who treated Lyla—who came from a commoner background—nicely and without bias.

“That’s what I mean… I wonder if I did something wrong without realizing it. Like maybe I broke some noble rule or something…”

“I don’t think so…”

Alex frowned. If Lyla had been rude without knowing it, she probably wouldn’t even feel any weird tension. The commander, who was very protective of his wife, would’ve gone crazy if anything happened.

“The commander always gets really touchy when it involves his wife…”

Of course, if Alex ever said that out loud, he’d definitely get into big trouble.