Once the group's awkward chat fizzled out, the laughter dulled into silence, and the crowd slowly scattered.
No one said goodbye. No one waited. Within seconds, Nina found herself alone in the corridor, surrounded by the faint echo of footsteps and whispers that had already moved on.
She stood there for a moment, arms limp at her sides, lips pressed into a tight line.
Her expression was unreadable—somewhere between resigned and uncomfortable, like she was trying to hold a conversation with a wall and pretending it didn't bother her.
"Smooth."
She muttered under her breath.
[You know… you don't have to feel lonely. I'm here. Always.]
Her Patron's voice chimed in, gentle and warm,
Nina blinked at the wall ahead of her, her lips twitching despite herself.
"That's the saddest thing anyone's ever said to me."
[You're welcome.]
She let out a small laugh and started walking again. Her footsteps echoed quietly as she made her way into the classroom.
The place wasn't crowded yet, but the students who were already there were gathered in their little cliques—laughing, whispering, leaning into each other like they belonged.
Nina scanned the room.
Everyone had someone. Except her.
With a sigh, she walked to her seat at the back, slung her bag onto the chair next to her, and sat down. The desk felt cold.
The silence surrounding her, louder than any conversation buzzing around the classroom.
She rested her chin on her hand and stared ahead blankly.
[Still not alone.]
Her Patron reminded her again, softer this time.
"I know."
She murmured. And weirdly enough, she meant it.
Just as she was about to say something more, her phone buzzed. She glanced down. A new message.
[Here's the link. Enjoy lol.]
"Oh right… the novel."
Nina tapped the link. A loading screen popped up, followed by the bold, dramatic title splashed across the top of the page.
'The King of Humanity's Lover'
Her thumb froze mid-scroll. Her entire body tensed. Her eyes widened in sheer disbelief.
"…You've got to be kidding me."
[You still have time to pretend you never saw this and go on with your life in peace.]
Her Patron offered.
But it was too late. Nina had already read the title. It was branded onto her brain. She couldn't not know.
"Nope. I need to see this. For science."
[I warned you.]
She tapped into the author's note, hoping for a harmless, fictional introduction. What she got instead made her choke on air.
[This novel is based on a real statement made by Rank #6 Hunter Leo, where he mentioned he knows Nero personally and respects Nero's desire to keep a low profile. This inspired me to imagine a secret love story between Nero and someone hidden from the world…]
Nina slapped a hand over her mouth.
"Oh my god."
Her mind spiraled. Her brother. Her actual brother was the root cause of this disaster.
Why would he say something like that publicly? Did he think people wouldn't run wild with it?
[I warned you. But noooo, you had to keep reading.]
Her Patron said dryly.
[This isn't my fault. Who even writes this stuff?]
Nina whispered in horror.
She scrolled further, unable to stop herself.
The cover image loaded—a shadowy figure wearing a long coat, surrounded by glowing sigils and falling feathers, reaching out toward a silhouetted partner whose face was blurred but definitely looked suspiciously like Leo.
Or maybe she was just hallucinating.
"Why does this exist? Why are they holding hands? Why does the summary say 'Nero has always longed for someone who could understand his silence, and Leo was that light in the shadows'?!"
She whispered, scandalized.
[You could close it now. Spare your brain the pain.]
Her Patron said.
But Nina couldn't.
Against her better judgment—against all rational thought—she tapped into the first chapter.
She told herself she was doing this purely for academic purposes. As someone possibly involved in the subject matter, it was important to know what people were saying.
Totally for science.
Five paragraphs in, her face was buried in her hands.
"I can't believe I'm reading this."
[And yet, here we are.]
The prose was dramatic. Flowery. There were lingering stares. A forbidden bond. An angsty battle scene with one of them getting wounded and the other tearing through a dungeon with a vengeance that could split the world.
"They're writing Leo like some tragic anti-hero. He cried actual tears when Nero was 'sealed away by fate' and swore to bring him back. Who writes this? Who reads this?"
Nina mumbled.
[You, apparently.]
She groaned and dropped her head onto the desk with a quiet thud.
"This is a nightmare. I want to vanish. I want to grab Leo and scream into his face until he explains why he said something so dumb."
[I thought this was for science?]
"It was. Science lied to me."
She groaned again, flipping her phone face down and staring blankly at the ceiling.
Her soul had left her body. Her Patron, ever kind, said nothing more.
Just hovered quietly like an emotional support shadow.
Nina sat there for a few long moments before finally muttering.
"...But I do kind of want to know what happens next."
[I am deeply disappointed in you. Why does not one write about you and me like this.]
"I'm disappointed in myself. Why is this writing so good?"
_____-
Nina closed the novel app with trembling fingers and shoved her phone into her bag like it had personally betrayed her.
"I'm done."
She whispered, as if saying it out loud would make it true.
[Finally. Now we can go back to normal, untainted living.]
Her Patron muttered with great relief.
But they both knew that wasn't going to happen.
Though she had physically set the book aside, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually—Nina was still neck-deep in the drama of The King of Humanity's Lover.
The lingering glances, the tension-filled dungeon battles, the single bed trope. It haunted her.
All throughout the day, her thoughts would spiral back to the painfully sincere confessions and poetic lines like
"Even if the world forgets you, I won't."
She held out for a few hours. Then cracked. Completely.
By the time midnight rolled around, she had read every single chapter, all the bonus extras, author Q&As, and even browsed the comment section, which was filled with emojis, fan theories, and heated arguments about whether Nero and Leo were secretly married.
When she finally looked up from her phone, the sun was rising.
"I've ruined myself."
She croaked, eyes hollow.
[You were warned.]
"For once, we agree."
Nina collapsed on her bed, not to sleep—because sleep was impossible now—but to wallow. She had consumed something she could never un-read.
Forbidden knowledge. A sacred text of chaos.
Her Patron kept a respectful silence, which she appreciated.
The next morning, Nina shuffled into the kitchen, pale and glassy-eyed like a ghost. Her mother took one look at her and frowned.
"You look sick. Are you sick?"
"I think I caught something. Something irreversible."
Nina mumbled.
Her mother clicked her tongue.
"Then skip school. Don't pass it around."
That was all the permission Nina needed. She nodded solemnly and turned around without another word.
There was no way she could face people in this state. Not while remembering Chapter 27 and all the…other such chapters.
'Well, I did read as if it was about someone else. That did help me…a lot….'
After all, she might be Nero, but it also felt like a role she was playing at times….that was what she was going to tell herself.