I woke up with a pounding headache, the remnants of last night's wine still lingering in my head. I groggily opened my eyes, only to find myself in bed next to Mia. Her bare skin glistened in the morning light, and her figure, unashamedly exposed, left no doubt about what had happened.
Panic gripped me as I registered the situation. I wasn't wearing anything either, and the memories of last night were fuzzy at best.
"This is bad. This is really, really bad."
The thought hit me like a cold slap. Mia was my far cousin from my mother's side. Did that make this incest? My stomach churned at the thought, and guilt settled deep in my chest.
How did it even happen? A timeskip—just like that, and suddenly I'd crossed a line I never meant to. I barely remembered the details, but the fact that it had happened was undeniable.
Does this make us… a couple now? Or was it just a drunken mistake?
I stared at the ceiling, frustration and self-loathing rising inside me. This wasn't supposed to happen. I was supposed to find answers, maybe even a sense of belonging here. Instead, I'd complicated everything beyond repair.
I hated myself for it. Everything about this felt wrong.
"Huh? Are my eyes playing tricks on me?"
.
.
.
The warmth of the morning sun did little to alleviate the storm of thoughts raging in my head. As Mia—no, Miyandrel Celeste—gracefully rose from the bed and slipped into her robe, her piercing blue eyes locked onto me. The playful glint in her gaze did nothing to soothe my growing sense of dread.
I couldn't believe it. I had slept with one of the main characters from Hero Ender. Not just any character, but a Celeste—a dangerous bloodline of sorcerers known for their cunning, ruthlessness, and unpredictable nature. This wasn't some random tryst. This was a potential disaster in the making.
And the fact that I'd let her name slip without even realizing it? Shit.
Mia, or rather, Miyandrel, was amused, but I wasn't. The implications of this were staggering. In the story, the Celeste family played a pivotal role in the politics of the world, and their bloodline wielded immense power. If she thought I was more than I seemed, things could spiral out of control fast.
Her teasing voice broke through my internal panic. "I knew there was something off about you," she said, her tone playful but her eyes sharp. "But for you to know my name, my true name, without ever being told? That's quite the mystery."
I scrambled for a response, feeling like a deer caught in headlights. "It was a lucky guess," I mumbled, knowing full well she wouldn't buy it.
She smirked, clearly not convinced. "Lucky, huh? Well, I like mysteries. And you, Randel—if that's your real name—are definitely full of them." She approached, her fingers lightly tracing my jawline. "But don't worry, I won't pry… for now."
I felt my pulse quicken, though whether from her proximity or the gravity of the situation, I wasn't sure. I needed to get out of this mess, and fast. "I—I should get dressed," I stammered, trying to regain control of the situation.
Miyandrel chuckled softly. "By all means." She stepped back, giving me space, but her gaze never left mine, as if she were studying me, trying to unravel my secrets.
I hastily gathered my clothes, my mind racing. I needed to come up with a plan, and quickly. Being entangled with the Celeste family, especially Miyandrel, could lead to a dangerous path. In the novel, her story arc was one of manipulation and power plays. If I wasn't careful, I could end up as nothing more than a pawn in her schemes.
As I dressed, I couldn't shake the feeling that my actions last night had set something in motion. Something far bigger than I'd anticipated. This wasn't just a one-night stand. This was the beginning of something else entirely.
And I wasn't sure I was ready for it.
I recalled, in vivid detail, how by the end of the story, the Celeste family had risen to royalty. Specifically, they'd elevated their genius son—Mia's younger brother—to the position of Emperor. That thought alone made me gulp.
No. I had to calm down.
Individually, I was confident that I could hold my own against most of the powerhouses in this world. But inside, panic was brewing like a storm. I'd just made a colossal mistake. I'd spent years carefully avoiding the main plot of this novel, tiptoeing around the major players, and now here I was, tangled up with one of its most glorified villains! I thought the epilogue meant the story was over. Apparently not. And to make matters worse, Mia seemed to be under some huge misunderstanding. I was just a side character, damn it!
Mia's voice, smooth and dripping with a playful, almost teasing tone, cut through my chaotic thoughts. "Why so quiet? I like strong men…"
I needed to play it cool, act unaffected. I cleared my throat and tried to sound indifferent. "Get out of my estate. Your lies about being my distant cousin don't appeal to me…" As soon as the words left my mouth, I realized how wrong they sounded. It was like I was implying I'd have preferred if she was my cousin. Ugh. What the hell was I even saying?
But Mia didn't seem fazed at all. She just smirked, clearly amused by my floundering. "I thought you had no interest in the estate," she said, her voice dripping with mischief. "This is the second time someone has made my heart race since my Academy days… and just so you know," she leaned in slightly, her gaze locking onto mine, "you are my first kiss."
My mind scrambled for a response. This woman was impossible to read, and every move I made seemed to dig me deeper into this mess.
This crazy woman being smitten with me was the last thing I wanted.
Play it cool… I couldn't get involved with big names like her! "You can't be interested in me," I asserted, trying desperately to put some distance between us and the unfolding complications. "I, for one, have just lost interest in you." The words came out cold, but I was trying to push her away, to sever whatever strange connection we'd established.
Mia's eyes remained locked on mine, and the air between us thickened with tension. Unspoken, yes, but it was there—a force I couldn't quite shake off.
"I've never been good with men," Mia said quietly, her usual playful tone replaced with something more vulnerable. "But do you know why I hold you in such high regard?" Her voice had a strange mix of curiosity and expectation. "It's because of my ability to detect 'Destiny.' As a Fatemancer, I cannot understand why Destiny seems to favor you so heavily… Don't you have any ambition? I can help you achieve it…"
Ambition? I wanted to scream. My only goal was to stay as far away from the plot as possible! If the Goddess of Destiny was listening, I needed help escaping this nightmare, not diving deeper into it! I could feel the weight of Mia's expectations, her belief that I was somehow intertwined with grander schemes I had no intention of being part of. This was bad. Really bad.
"I just want to be left alone…" I muttered, the words slipping out clumsily. My voice sounded smaller than I intended. But Mia's gaze didn't soften. If anything, it sharpened.
Moments later—
Miyandrel Celeste and I sat across from each other, the ornate table separating us in the dimly lit room. The morning light spilled through the open window, casting a gentle glow over the intricately carved furniture and the tapestries that lined the stone walls. The air carried a crispness, blending with the flickering candlelight and filling the room with a strange, almost foreboding calm.
The chamber, though large and grand, felt strangely suffocating under the weight of our silence. I found myself wondering what business had led me here, to this place that felt more like a throne room for a lord than a simple meeting space. The high-backed chair I sat in seemed to envelop me in its authority—though that wasn't my intention. Miyandrel, in her own guest chair, sat more composed than I ever could be, but she allowed me this position of power, and it felt oddly unnerving.
I couldn't help but feel a gnawing sense of unease. It was a nice distraction, sure, the luxury of the room, but the real issue sat right across from me, gazing at me with sharp, cerulean eyes that seemed to pierce through my very soul. Miyandrel Celeste, with her sun-kissed golden hair and her presence that commanded any room she entered, was nothing short of breathtaking. But that wasn't the problem.
The problem was that she didn't know she was a character in a novel. But I did.
Her expression was a mix of curiosity and determination, and I could feel the weight of her gaze as if she was trying to decode some hidden truth about me. I was trapped in this surreal situation, and every moment spent in her presence was a reminder of just how out of place I was in this world. A world I had no intention of getting involved in, much less with one of the major players like Miyandrel Celeste.
I had to be careful. One wrong move, and I'd be swept into the plot I had worked so hard to avoid.
Miyandrel leaned back in her chair, her lips curling into a mischievous smile. "You are adorable, do you know that?"
I nearly choked on my own thoughts. Adorable? What was this, some kind of interrogation tactic? "Yeah, next to a pufferfish maybe," I shot back, trying to mask my rising panic with sarcasm. My mind raced as I forced a casual shrug, hoping she couldn't see the gears in my brain frantically trying to shift out of this situation.
Miyandrel's laugh was light, melodic, and far too dangerous for my comfort. "Pufferfish?" she repeated, as though she was genuinely considering it. "You don't give yourself enough credit."
"I prefer to be underestimated," I replied, leaning back in my chair as if I had some grand strategy in play. The truth? I had nothing. Zero. Zilch. Just a guy trying to keep his head down in a world that seemed hell-bent on dragging him into the spotlight.
Miyandrel leaned forward, her eyes gleaming with amusement. "Underestimated, hmm? I wonder what you're hiding under all that humility."
"Nothing to see here," I muttered, waving my hand as though that would dismiss the whole conversation.
She just smiled wider. I might be… doomed.