Urano and Evelin stood facing each other in a silent room, decorated only by the tension surrounding them. He wore a navy-blue suit embroidered with silver and gold, highlighting his upright posture and the slight anxiety in his expression. Beside him, Evelin wore a deep violet gown adorned with shimmering amethysts, tightly fitted at the chest and shoulders—sensual, powerful, dazzling. They looked like the perfect image of a noble marriage… except for the distance in their eyes.
The silence stretched until Urano finally spoke.
"I didn't know it would all end like this..." His voice carried a mix of shame and fear, unable to read Evelin's restrained expression.
She didn't reply. She simply stared at him in silence.
"I'm sorry," he continued. "It wasn't entirely my fault. Things spiraled out of control... It wasn't what I expected."
He reached out to take her hand in apology, but Evelin pulled away.
"It's fine. We're in the final stretch now. Let's finish this with elegance."
That's when Urano remembered how they got here.
Two weeks earlier, he and Evelin had stolen the Staff of Reincarnation—a magical relic capable of amplifying second-tier spells without the need for mastery. With it, Evelin—once a reader from the original world—gained combat power and was ready for the rebellion.
But in the middle of their plans, a new piece entered the board: a priestess sent by the Church as an ally to the protagonist… and Evelin's direct enemy. According to the original storyline, that woman would be indirectly responsible for Evelin's death.
Evelin had tried to sabotage her in silence. She knew the cleric repressed her emotions and desires, so she planned to tempt her: she assigned her attractive escorts, sent her gifts, even arranged a date with the Imperial Guard's sub-commander. She expected the priestess to fall to some human weakness.
What she didn't expect was that, days later, the priestess would confess she was in love with Urano… and reveal their entire revolution plan to the emperor in exchange for being appointed High Priestess of the royal family.
A devastating blow to their cause.
To protect their position, the king devised a countermeasure: prevent the empire's collapse and stabilize internal politics. The most effective solution? Accelerate the marriage between Evelin and Urano. What had once been a façade became reality.
And yet… that wasn't what hurt the most.
What truly broke Evelin was that Urano—for reasons she dared not try to understand—had slept with that woman. She shouldn't care; they were barely allies. But something inside her felt betrayed.
Maybe it was the strange synchronization with her character that stirred her unease. Since that night, the system had notified her that her emotional resonance with Evelin had increased by 15%. That only happened when the author's thoughts aligned with the character's.
Was it real… or just a borrowed emotion from the role she played?
Urano studied her. When he saw her take a deep breath and let go of her anger, showing a faint, almost defiant smile, he knew the wound ran deeper than she let on. He wanted to apologize—but not with words. With actions.
He stood, knelt before her, and offered his hand.
"I don't know what comes after this. Once the wedding is over, we'll only have a few days before the uprising begins. Yes, we'll be in danger… like we always have. But you've stayed by my side, even in this forced marriage.
"I'm sorry for being the first man you marry. I know you don't love me. But I can promise you this: while we're trapped in this madness, I won't leave you. I'll support you, stand with you… and we'll get through this together. I won't abandon you. I swear it."
They had only known each other for a month. Urano didn't know her favorite colors or her smallest habits, but he had glimpsed fragments of her soul. He remembered his father's words:
"The essence of a soul doesn't reveal itself in routine, but in the abyss.We can spend entire lifetimes beside someone and never see it.Hidden behind masks of habit and half-truths,the true nature only emerges at the edge—when pain is unbearable, joy overwhelming, or fear paralyzing.Only then do the masks break…and the essence, at last, breathes."
In a short time, he felt he had touched a part of Evelin even she didn't know existed.
Caught off guard, Evelin blushed slightly… and then promptly kicked him in the stomach.
"Don't say things like that so easily! Is that how you seduce women? I won't fall for it that fast!"
Embarrassed but amused, she couldn't help but laugh softly under her breath. It wasn't a love confession or eternal vows, but it was the first time someone had offered to walk beside her—not to protect, not to control… simply to accompany her. And that… was something new.
When she opened her eyes again, she found him curled up on the floor. She rushed to help him, and after a few seconds, both of them burst into awkward laughter.
"Ready for the wedding," Urano said with a crooked smile.
"Of course, my love. Just remember... you won't escape me that easily… at least not today."
As they walked toward the ceremony, they ignored the cold, mechanical voice echoing in their minds:
🔔 The original story has been irreversibly altered.Initiating narrative correction.Advancing final act.Activating arc: War for Power.Penalty: The original protagonist's power has been adjusted to match the strength of the anchors.Protagonist Skill Activated: Dark Knight – 'My Justice is Justice.'
The wedding unfolded as planned: a magnificent hall filled with fresh flowers and a grand chapel within the palace. Nobles from across the kingdom had gathered. Urano and Evelin exchanged their vows, while Yuri—the one officiating—flashed flirtatious smiles at Urano, which he tried his best to ignore. Evelin, now recovered from her earlier unease, retaliated with discreet pinches to his arm.
Both had received the system message but chose to ignore it… out of respect for the moment.
"You may kiss the bride," Yuri declared.
Urano and Evelin locked eyes, unsure how to proceed… when suddenly, screams echoed from outside. The clash of steel and chaos of battle drew nearer. One of the chapel doors split in two, and through the smoke stepped a man with crimson eyes and golden hair, clad in pitch-black armor.
At his side stood a woman in an elegant, flowing gown—its grace contrasting with the daggers glittering in her hands. Flanking them, a young man with chestnut hair, a longsword, and a navy-blue suit. Behind them, a nervous noblewoman lingered in the shadows.
The armored man stepped forward.
"Apologies for ruining the moment," he said coldly. "I'll gladly leave… if you hand over the emperor's head."