~Chapter 3~
It’s true I know what’s going to happen in this world, but… Leana said it so matter-of-factly that I was speechless.
And if I think about it, even if I know the original story, if a main character like Leana acts differently, everything could change.
If I survive and live as Letitia for a year, who knows what kind of butterfly effect that might cause.
And what does me knowing the original have to do with what you’re planning anyway?
“If you can stop it with your abilities, go ahead. I’m busy, so see you next time!”
“Hey, wait, where are you going?!”
Leana said whatever she wanted and disappeared along with the magic circle at her feet.
Left alone, I stared blankly at where Leana vanished, then shook my head and snapped out of it.
Suddenly, I was back in the spot where Yushen had put the cuffs on me.
It was confusing, but this wasn’t the time to just stand there. Because of Leana, I had forgotten I was being chased by Yushen.
I didn’t know when Yushen would come back, so I needed to run away—anywhere.
Now that I’d met Leana and got some explanation, it didn’t really matter why I possessed this novel anymore.
What mattered most was surviving as Letitia for one year.
‘If I survive for that year, she said she’ll send me back… I have to trust that, right?’
I didn’t trust Leana at all, but until I found another way, I had no choice but to believe her.
Now, I had to stop thinking about anything else and focus on just one goal: survival.
‘Alright, just one year. I’ll hang on for a year. If I keep my head down and act dead, Yushen won’t find me.’
It was weird to be called “Letitia Montrose” after 23 years of using my real name, but if I kept hearing it, I’d get used to it.
Just because it was a novel world didn’t mean you could live without money.
I was walking down a dirt road looking dirty and messy. I’d been doing this for days.
I really missed my warm home, soft bed, my dog Sooni, and my friends.
I was hungry and my feet hurt. Thinking of my old life made my resolve shake.
‘…Will she really send me back after a year?’
You can only worry about that kind of thing when you’re not starving.
So today, I had to find somewhere to stay no matter what. I felt gross from not washing.
‘I need to hide somewhere Yushen can’t find me…’
I grabbed my head and groaned. Even if I decided to hide, I couldn’t think of a good place.
Yushen Willen.
The male lead of this 19+ tragic novel I possessed, and the captain of the 1st Holy Knights, “Luche.”
He looked like a classic cold and handsome guy, but when he talked, he was actually soft like tofu.
‘But so what? He’s a total two-faced person!’
Before I met him, I was like other readers and thought, “Our male lead is so good at separating work and personal life!” But now, I saw him differently.
Yushen was seriously two-faced.
Even if he was soft, just remembering how he chased me still made me shake.
But if you asked readers who had the softest heart, everyone would pick Yushen. That’s how strong his tofu image was.
And, like a tragic male lead, he was very obsessive. I couldn’t believe I was being chased by someone like that.
‘Of course, he’s more obsessed with the female lead than me, but still…’
Anyway, even if it was a different kind of obsession, it was scary that Yushen was after me.
Was there even anywhere I could hide from him in this world?
“Hmm?”
A run-down temple, barely standing on its crumbling pillars, appeared in my sight.
The moment I saw it, I had a feeling—this was the place I should stay.
Yushen was a holy knight, so he’d probably avoid temples. But this was a tiny, country temple, so it should be different!
“Luche” was a knight order belonging to the Central Temple in the empire. The best of the best worked there.
Of course, they were needed in many places and couldn’t stay anywhere for long.
So, it made sense that Yushen wouldn’t bother coming to such a small temple.
‘There’s an old saying, the darkest place is under the lamp.’
Also, by imperial law, you couldn’t fight in a temple. It was the perfect shelter for me.
Without any more hesitation, I headed to the shabby temple.
It wasn’t hard to get help from this temple, since it wasn’t the main one in the capital and was barely known.
The assistant priest in charge took me in gladly. He even patted my shoulder, saying he needed extra hands.
It seemed like this place didn’t care much about holy power or personal background. That was good for me.
A lazy person managing the temple meant it was safer for me, too.
And so, a week went by.
Living at the temple wasn’t bad. It was actually the perfect place to lie low for a year… if only I wasn’t bored.
‘But I’m already getting tired of this life.’
Living in a world without internet or science was enough to drive me crazy.
Maybe it would’ve been the same anywhere else, not just at the temple.
One day, while sweeping the corridor, I just lay down flat. Nobody was watching, so it was okay to be lazy.
With warm sunshine and birds singing, I was about to nap when I heard the assistant priest’s voice nearby.
‘Someone probably broke another flowerpot.’
It happened so often I didn’t care. But this time, something was different.
“Tia!”
I didn’t even notice him calling me until he came and shook me awake.
“Huh? Assistant priest?”
“There’s something urgent at the temple! Move, quickly!”
I grumbled as I got up.
What kind of urgent thing could happen in a little temple like this? Usually, it was just people from a nearby village coming to pray.
But as soon as I entered the temple, I felt the atmosphere was different. It was much busier than usual.
I grabbed a priest passing by and asked,
“Is someone important visiting?”
“Didn’t you hear?”
“No, my area is outside the temple.”
“The Central Temple just contacted us. The holy knights are on a mission nearby and need a place to stay for a few days.”
“…The holy knights are coming here?”
For a week, I’d felt at peace, but now anxiety rushed in.
“W-Wait! What’s the name of the knight order?”
“I don’t remember exactly… Luse? Roche? The first holy knights or something. I don’t really care.”
Even though the priest didn’t remember, I knew right away—it was “Luche.”
How could I get tangled up like this? Why would “Luche” need to be here in the countryside?
‘Are they… chasing me?’
I felt guilty, even though I hadn’t done anything wrong.
“Why are they here? What are they doing?”
“They said they lost a criminal nearby.”
Oh no. The worst-case scenario. I knew they’d chase me, but I never thought they’d get this close.
While I was standing there in shock, the priest patted me and pushed me toward the dining room to help.
‘Should I run?’
I felt bad for the assistant priest, but my own life mattered more.
But I shook my head.
Going outside, where there were even more people looking for me, would be stupid.
Maybe it was actually lucky that only Yushen found me. Thanks to the novel, I at least knew about him.
‘Right. Hiding here is the best option for now.’
I could only hope the “Luche” knights wouldn’t stay long.
While I was lost in thought, things outside the temple got noisy. I realized what was happening and ran to the other side of the door.
As the door opened, I jumped behind a big statue.
“Wow, that was close.”
I crouched down as low as possible and peeked out with one eye.
I saw the assistant priest shaking hands and greeting Yushen, the captain of the Luche knights.
“Ugh, of course. Why does nothing go smoothly for me?”
Seeing the real Yushen, I let out a big sigh.
According to the story, I shouldn’t be meeting him so easily, so why did I keep running into him?
I couldn’t remember all the faces of the knights, but it was better to memorize at least a few.
But then—I froze like I’d seen something I shouldn’t have.
“…Is he smiling?”
Yushen was smiling—and looked a little shy.
I didn’t care why he was smiling, but seeing this, I started doubting if this was the same Yushen I’d met before.
“Is he just soft on the outside, but totally different inside?”
That made sense. A week ago, he’d looked like a wild beast right before catching prey.
His sharp eyes were now soft and curved as he smiled gently.
“Wow, this is actually annoying…”
Even though I saw him acting gentle just like in the novel, I still didn’t want to believe it.
Almost like he could sense my confusion, the assistant priest hurriedly led the Luche knights to their rooms.
I watched them walk away, holding back my frustration, and made a promise.
Until they left this place, I would keep my head down and stay as quiet as possible.
