Nico sat on his bed, the glow of his phone screen lighting up his face in the dark room. His thumb scrolled down the page rapidly. He was reaching the end of the chapter, the moment everyone in the comment section had been waiting for—or dreading.
The novel was a typical romance drama involving royalty, omegas, and betas. But the ending of this arc was making Nico's blood boil.
On the screen, the text described the scene in the grand hall.
The heavy doors slammed open. A gust of cold wind blew through the room. Yendrick stood there.
His black armor was dirty and stained with dried blood. His dark eyes looked tired and empty from a year of fighting. He looked scary, but also strong.
Pearl stood up from his chair. He had waited a whole year for this. He fixed his clothes nervously and took a step forward. He was the Omega fiancé. He was the one who had managed the household while Yendrick was gone.
But Yendrick didn't even look at him.
Yendrick walked right past Pearl. It was like Pearl was invisible. Yendrick walked straight to the corner where Eri was standing.
The whole room went quiet. The servants and nobles watched in shock. Yendrick reached out and pulled Eri into his arms. He held her tight, like he was afraid she would disappear.
His breathing was loud and heavy. His voice sounded rough.
"I've returned, Eri," Yendrick said. He pressed his forehead against hers. "I kept my promise. The Emperor will agree. I can finally marry you."
Nico stopped reading. He stared at the last sentence.
"That's it?" Nico said out loud to the empty room. "He just ignores Pearl? Pearl waited for a whole year!"
Nico felt a wave of frustration. In the story, Pearl was the perfect fiancé. He was an Omega, well-mannered, and loyal. But Yendrick, the Beta Crown Prince, treated him like air just because he liked Eri, the 'poor bullied' half-sister.
Nico scrolled down to the comments section of the web novel. Other readers were just as angry.
User123: This author is crazy! Justice for Pearl!
NovelFan: Yendrick is the worst. How can he humiliate Pearl like that in front of everyone?
BetaLover: Eri didn't do anything wrong, but Yendrick is trash for leading Pearl on.
Nico turned off his phone screen and threw it onto the pillow. He rubbed his temples. He felt bad for Pearl.
Pearl did everything right, but because he wasn't the "main character" that Yendrick loved, he lost everything in a single moment.
"If I were there," Nico muttered, staring at the ceiling, "I wouldn't let Pearl be treated like that. Yendrick is blind."
Nico closed his eyes, intending to just rest for a moment before getting some water. The frustration over the bad writing still lingered in his chest.
As he drifted off, the room seemed to get colder, and the sounds of the city outside faded away into a strange silence.
Nico opened his eyes.
He expected to see his dark bedroom ceiling. Instead, a bright light hit his eyes. The air was freezing.
He shivered and rubbed his arms. He realized he was not wearing his pajamas. He was wearing a thick, silky robe with long sleeves. It was white and silver.
"Where am I?" he whispered. A loud bang made him jump.
He looked up. He was in a huge hall. The floor was made of shiny stone. Tall pillars held up a high roof. Dozens of people stood around him.
They wore strange, old-fashioned clothes. They all looked terrified. The big wooden doors at the front of the room were wide open. Snow blew in from the outside.
A man stood in the doorway. Nico's breath stopped. He knew that man.
The man wore black metal armor. It was dirty and scratched. Dark red stains covered the chest plate. He had black hair that was messy from the wind. His face was handsome but scary. His eyes looked like deep, dark tunnels.
It was Yendrick. The Crown Prince from the story.
Nico looked down at himself. His hands were pale and slender. He touched his chest. He felt a smooth, expensive necklace.
I'm Pearl, Nico realized with a shock. I am inside the book.
Yendrick took a step forward. The sound of his metal boots hit the stone floor. Clank. Clank.
Nico—now Pearl—stood frozen. In the book, Pearl stood up and tried to greet him. Nico decided to just stay still. He watched Yendrick walk. The smell of iron and dirt filled the room. Yendrick didn't look at Nico. He didn't even blink in Nico's direction.
He walked straight past him.
Nico felt the wind from Yendrick's cape as he passed. It was like Nico didn't exist.
Yendrick stopped in front of a corner of the room. A small girl stood there. She wore a simple gray dress that looked cheap compared to everyone else. Her hair was messy, and her eyes were red from crying.
It was Eri.
Yendrick dropped to one knee, but then he quickly stood back up and pulled Eri into a hug. He buried his face in her neck.
"I've returned, Eri," Yendrick said. His voice was rough, exactly like the book described. "I kept my promise. The Emperor will agree. I can finally marry you."
The room was completely silent. Everyone looked at Yendrick and Eri, then they slowly turned their eyes toward Nico.
They looked at him with pity. They expected him to cry or get angry.
Nico stood there, processing everything. The scene was playing out exactly word-for-word. But this time, he wasn't reading it on a phone screen. He was the one being humiliated.
He felt a strange emotion rising in his chest. It wasn't sadness. It was the anger he felt before he fell asleep.
This guy, Nico thought, staring at Yendrick's back. He really thinks he can just walk in here, ignore his fiancé who managed his house for a year, and propose to someone else?
Nico crossed his arms over his chest. He didn't cry. He didn't tremble. He cleared his throat loudly.
"Excuse me," Nico said. His voice was calm but loud enough to echo in the silent hall.
Yendrick froze. He slowly lifted his head from Eri's shoulder and turned around to look at Nico. His dark eyes narrowed in confusion. "What did you say?" Yendrick asked cold, sharp tone.