It could only be said that this otome game was seriously sick.
Wuli found herself having that thought again, thanks to two of the male leads: Fion and Glenn.
The moment she arrived at the Academy the next day, people immediately came looking for her.
The reason was simple. Earlier that morning, someone had noticed an injury at the corner of Glenn’s mouth, as if he had gotten into a fight.
Everyone was shocked!
There was actually someone in this world who dared to throw hands with His Highness the First Prince? Were they tired of living?!
Although no one knew exactly what had happened, Wuli was Glenn’s fiancée and the game’s female lead, so people naturally sought her out.
“Miss Sinclair, your chance has come!”
A short-haired young man said excitedly to her.
Wuli blinked her wide eyes, utterly confused.
“What chance?”
“You don’t know?!” the young man exclaimed in surprise.
He then proceeded to explain the entire situation to her in painstaking detail. The moment Wuli realized it was related to one of the male leads, her temples immediately began throbbing.
Not only did he faithfully fulfill his role as a plot-delivering NPC, he did it so thoroughly that he might as well have written ‘Here’s what Wuli is supposed to do’ across his face.
“Ahem. His Highness has an injury on his face, which means he got into a fight. And judging by how bad his mood seems today, it means he’s especially in need of comfort right now.”
The moment the surrounding students caught wind of the gossip, they crowded around. As soon as they heard the word “comfort,” every single gaze landed on Wuli.
“And if we’re talking about who in the entire academy is most suited to comfort His Highness at a time like this…” one enthusiastic bystander chimed in with a grin, “Hehe, of course it’s you!”
After hearing the entire story, Wuli’s lips twitched.
Glenn was already in a bad mood, and they still wanted her to go looking for him?
Wasn’t that just asking for death? She wasn’t doing it.
Then her expression faltered as she suddenly remembered something.
That night, Glenn had run into Fion.
There was a high chance the two male leads had simply fought each other.
Of course, that wasn’t the main issue.
The key point was that this scene had never existed in the game’s storyline.
A nonexistent event, yet they still wanted her to go out of her way to play along with it?
Dream on.
So Wuli flashed an awkward smile at the people around her. Hesitation filled her pale blue eyes as she said apologetically,
“His Highness probably doesn’t need me right now. Let’s just forget about it.”
The people around her immediately refused to let the matter drop.
“Come on, Wuli! Aren’t you His Highness’s fiancée? This is such a great opportunity to bring the two of you closer!”
“Exactly, exactly!”
“His Highness definitely needs you! He’s just too proud to say it!”
Wuli: “…”
Just as the crowd was about to continue persuading her, the room suddenly fell silent.
The white-haired girl felt a gaze settle upon her.
Slowly, she turned her head and found herself meeting the eyes of the black-haired young man who had just walked through the classroom door.
The usual arrogance on Glenn’s face was nowhere to be seen. There wasn’t the slightest trace of a smile.
His dark crimson eyes swept coldly across the room before landing on Wuli. Then they shifted away again.
The glance was so light that it was as though it had contained nothing at all.
Wuli’s pale blue eyes shifted, her attention drawn to the injury on Glenn’s face.
There was a faint bruise along his cheekbone, the unmistakable mark of a fight.
Wuli was a little surprised.
Male leads could get injured too?
Well, it wasn’t exactly disfigurement.
If anything, Glenn looked even wilder now, fitting his canon setting as a complete lunatic both inside and out.
When he wasn’t wearing one of his malicious smiles, he was noticeably more handsome. His crimson eyes were cold and detached. As he passed by Wuli, he glanced at her once before walking away without the slightest hesitation.
The white-haired girl pretended not to notice.
The scene wasn’t in the game, so she would simply act as though she knew nothing about it.
However…
A flicker passed through her eyes, and her expression froze for a brief moment.
If things outside the original storyline could happen, then it meant the boundaries that had once constrained the plot were gradually breaking down.
The advantage was that events would become more flexible.
The disadvantage was that she might not be able to keep everything under control.
‘I’ll watch a little longer. No need to rush.’
After brushing off the people around her, Wuli sat silently at her desk.
When class began, Fion entered the classroom carrying a book.
As always, he wore a gentle smile, appearing no different from usual.
Yet after forming her suspicions, Wuli deliberately paid closer attention to him and finally noticed a flaw in his act.
Fion was walking very slowly.
It was the sort of pace someone would adopt when trying to conceal an injury to their leg while pretending nothing was wrong.
…
Wuli let out a cold laugh.
She knew it. Only a male lead could injure another male lead. If just anyone could hurt a male lead, then what would happen to their protagonist aura?
Fion noticed Wuli’s gaze resting quietly on him.
Separated by a sea of students, he offered her a gentle smile.
Wuli looked away indifferently, pretending she hadn’t seen anything at all.
The blond young man wasn’t bothered in the slightest. He maintained his smile and continued teaching as though nothing had happened.
His voice was as light as ever.
The faint, gentle tone drifted past everyone’s ears, as though they were attending an elegant concert, effortlessly drawing them into his lecture.
Only when the bell rang did the class finally come to an end.
The lesson was over.
Unfortunately, something even more troublesome came looking for her.
A young man leisurely approached Wuli’s desk.
Wuli calmly raised her eyes and looked at him.
He had black hair and black eyes. There was something vaguely familiar about him, causing her to narrow her eyes slightly.
The moment he saw Wuli, a smile appeared on his face.
It wasn’t a flattering smile.
If anything, it carried a subtle sense of pressure.
“Miss Sinclair, His Highness has asked that you meet him on the rooftop.”
— “Your Highness Glenn, your fiancée is quite beautiful. You’ve been blessed.”
That voice.
It was the same man who had commented on her appearance at the ball.
The white-haired girl immediately became wary.
The rooftop again?
The young man’s probing gaze lingered on her.
In an instant, the pressure on Wuli increased dramatically.
For some reason, she suddenly found herself unable to say whether she wanted to refuse or not.
“…Right now?” she asked.
The young man continued smiling, his expression carrying a teasing undertone.
“Of course.”
“This is an opportunity countless people would beg for. What exactly are you hesitating for?”
…
Then you can have it.
This route wasn’t even part of the original storyline…
Wuli remained silent.
She truly was hesitating.
Seeing the expression on the white-haired girl’s face, the young man narrowed his eyes.
The look made him resemble Glenn even more.
Wuli: “…”
“Fine.”
In the end, she agreed through gritted teeth.
The moment he heard her answer, the young man smiled again.
“Miss Sinclair.”
“You’re really quite special to His Highness.”
*
There was no door leading onto the rooftop.
The moment Wuli climbed the final steps, she saw Glenn.
He was leaning against the railing, and the two came face to face at once. The purplish bruise on the side of his face was particularly conspicuous.
The rooftop wind ruffled the black-haired young man’s hair. The buttons of his Academy uniform jacket had been undone, and the hem fluttered loosely in the breeze.
When he saw that Wuli had arrived, he raised an eyebrow and gestured with his eyes for her to come closer.
The scene instantly reminded Wuli of the rooftop at the ball.
The memory of nearly being pushed off last time was still vivid in her mind.
The banquet hall had only been three stories tall.
This Academy building had six.
If she fell from here, she really would be meeting the Grim Reaper.
Wuli saw the look on Glenn’s face, yet she remained rooted to the spot.
Like a machine that had frozen mid-operation, she made no move whatsoever.
Seeing her reaction, the smile on the black-haired young man’s lips deepened.
Yet his eyes grew even colder.
He was disappointed by Wuli’s response.
For a brief moment, Wuli was distracted.
Through Glenn’s eyes, she saw something unmistakable.
A desire for control.
“I thought you’d already learned the consequences of making me unhappy.”
The black-haired young man curled his lips into a cold smile.
Remaining composed, Wuli said, “May I ask why Your Highness summoned me here?”
Business was business.
If there was something to say, then say it directly.
Glenn raised a hand.
The black gloves he had worn at the ball had long since been discarded. His well-defined fingers brushed against his injured cheek.
Wuli’s gaze followed the movement of his hand and settled on the bruise.
“You didn’t notice my injury?”
The implication in those words could not have been more obvious.
Wuli wasn’t dense. She knew exactly what the black-haired young man wanted her to do.
Yet once again, she chose silence.
She had no desire whatsoever to become involved with any of the three male leads.
Something like applying medicine to Glenn’s wounds was far too intimate.
That was not the sort of thing strangers did.
Yes.
All she wanted was to remain strangers with Glenn, passing each other like people who had never truly met.
The black-haired young man’s gaze darkened.
“So, my fiancée…”
His voice was unreadable.
“It seems you really do hate me.”
Wuli’s breathing hitched.
Not for any other reason than the fact that murderous intent was already lurking in Glenn’s eyes.
Instinctively, she clenched her clothing.
Meanwhile, he began walking toward her at an unhurried pace, closing the distance step by step.
When he finally stopped in front of her, the black-haired youth’s warm breath brushed against her ear.
“I can give you one more chance.”
“Help me apply the medicine, and I’ll forgive you.”
…
She never should have come.
Wuli’s mind buzzed.
For a moment, she couldn’t decide whether it would be better to obediently go along and tend to his wounds, or simply run away and leave the black-haired youth here to cool off by himself.
Wuli swallowed.
Her body made the choice for her.
She hadn’t done anything wrong.
Why would she need his forgiveness?
He was completely insane.
Under the oppressive weight of the black-haired young man’s gaze, the white-haired girl turned and bolted.
She moved so hastily that she nearly tripped on the stairs. Her hurried footsteps echoed alongside the rushing wind.
Then, in the next instant, fear flashed across her eyes.
She had barely taken a few steps when he anticipated exactly what she would do.
A powerful force slammed her against the wall.
It seemed she had made the wrong choice.
The impact left her vision swimming. By the time her sight cleared, his hand had seized her face in an iron grip, forcing her to look directly into his eyes.
Neither of them could look away.
The dark crimson eyes before her flickered, like a predator that had finally fixed its sights on its prey.
“Glenn!”
There was a tremor in the white-haired girl’s voice.
Wuli felt his fingertips slowly stroking up and down the side of her neck.
Her most vulnerable spot had once again fallen into his hands.
The sensation instantly dragged her back to that night on the ballroom rooftop.
A shudder ran through her body.
Fear spread through her veins, leaving her trembling uncontrollably.
“I already gave you a chance.”
“But you still chose to leave.”
“Why?”
What Glenn really wanted to ask was:
‘Why do you hate me so much?’
For a moment, Wuli’s mind went blank.
Trapped in the cramped corner, she had nowhere to retreat.
Glenn’s gaze traced every contour of his fiancée’s face.
His fiancée was remarkably beautiful.
There was even a tiny beauty mark at the corner of her eye.
The two of them were standing far too close.
Close enough that Wuli could feel her fear with painful clarity.
In this situation, she couldn’t escape.
If Glenn wanted to kill her…
Wouldn’t it be effortless?
Half of Wuli’s mind was still trying to think.
The other half had completely crashed.
Because the black-haired young man released her neck.
Only to seize her jaw instead.
In an instant, Wuli was forced onto her tiptoes.
Then the black-haired youth lowered his head and kissed her directly.
The kiss was domineering and utterly unreasonable.
In a single moment, it swept away all the air before her.
The kiss carried naked possessiveness and aggression, so forceful that it even caused her pain.
Wuli’s entire body turned cold and rigid.
The instant their lips tangled together, her stomach churned violently.
A wave of dizziness washed over her.
… And disgust.