(A/N: Their relationship dynamic progresses and doesn't stay exactly like it is at the start (The one-sided love doesn't last long). Pacing is also relatively fast at the start, but slows down in the future in romance arcs.)

In his old life, he was an assassin, invisible, efficient, and utterly alone.
His only escape came from the pages of a fantasy novel, Crown of Thorns, and the character no one else seemed to understand: Lady Evelina D’Arclight, the proud and brilliant villainess fated to lose everything.

After his death, he wakes up inside that very story, not as a hero, but as Cael Arden, a student at Eryndor Royal Academy. The world is just as he remembers it, right down to the woman destined to fall.

But this time, he’s not a bystander.
With a lifetime of deadly skills and the knowledge of what’s to come, Cael sets out to rewrite the story itself, to protect Evelina, rise through the academy’s ruthless hierarchy, and change a fate written in stone.

As alliances form and secrets surface, the line between fiction and reality starts to blur.
And in a world built on power and prophecy, he’ll prove that even a villainess deserves her happy ending.

As for Trish, I decided to simply carry her, using one of the Hydra's minds to maintain a hand of darkness that lifted her at the same pace I was climbing.


While I could've done the same for Kevin and Vivianne, they needed the training. Besides, this killed two birds with one stone; it helped Vivianne physically, and it also gave them a chance to build chemistry and teamwork.


It would be great if the two of them could fight with the same efficiency Evelina and I had, or well... for now, Trish and I.


"Y'know, Cael, I see Vivianne is wearing Kevin's coat, but why didn't you offer me yours when my clothes are just as ruined?"


Trish teased as she sat on the large, dark hand slowly levitating upward, her knees drawn to her chest.


"You have a pervy excuse again, don't you?"


Chapter 273 - A Book...?