Chapter 2
So, in her previous life.
Frina had been watching a relationship advice broadcast.
[Q. I think something is a little strange about my boyfriendㅠㅠ He’s handsome, sweet, perfect, but… he hides a lot of things.
A. What kind of things do you think he’s hiding?
Q. I recently found out he lied to me about his job. He apologized so much that I eventually forgave himㅠㅠ But now I think he might actually be using someone else’s identity. I’m just being paranoid, right?
A. Break up with him immediately.]
Good heavens. Her boyfriend was dating her under a stolen identity?
What a terrifying world.
[Q. But my boyfriend treats me really well, and normally he’s blah blah blah…
A. Break up with him.]
“Uh, why is this suddenly…?”
Blink, blink.
Collapsed on the stairs, Frina stared blankly at the ceiling.
Without warning, memories from her previous life flooded her mind.
It had happened one day while she was hurrying to see her younger siblings at the academy.
The moment she tumbled down the stairs at home while carrying a heavy load, the shock triggered the memories of her past life.
‘No way! I reincarnated into a novel?!’
And not just any novel—a completely insane world where the protagonist endlessly regressed just by breathing, and the hidden mastermind destroyed the entire empire she lived in!
‘This is insane!’
Please, someone save me!
She was so overwhelmed that she couldn’t even think about getting up. She simply stared dazedly at the crumbling old ceiling.
Then suddenly, a long shadow stretched over her.
“…Goodness, Frina, are you alright? You’re not hurt anywhere, are you?”
Looking at the face stiffening with concern, Frina struggled to suppress the smile threatening to spread across her lips.
Stay calm. Stay calm.
…But seriously, why is this man so handsome even when he’s worried?
The man’s name was Hugo.
They had only recently started dating.
Without question, he was the most beautiful man she had ever seen.
“Frina, can you stand?”
“Mmh… Hugo, I’m okay.”
“But your pretty knee is scraped.”
Frina let out a small groan.
Her whole body hurt like she’d been beaten, but more than that, the memories crashing into her head left her dizzy.
At some point, Hugo had crouched beside her and was carefully examining her swollen ankle with a troubled expression.
‘He must really be upset that I got hurt…’
Would she ever meet another man this kind?
His gaze lingered on her ankle for a long while.
…Though, wasn’t he staring a bit too long?
Well, he was probably just worried.
She brushed it off casually—until the large hand stroking over her ankle bone gradually began applying more pressure.
His strong fingers wrapped completely around her slender ankle, and suddenly it felt as though a heavy shackle had been locked around her.
“…Ah.”
As he gripped her swollen ankle, she let out a startled cry.
Hugo immediately withdrew his hand.
‘Honestly, Hugo can be a little bad at controlling his strength sometimes.’
Even during dates, he occasionally snapped the armrests of chairs or casually bent knives with his bare hands.
‘Mm. He broke our front door once, too.’
Of course, Hugo had apologized and repaired it afterward.
…Though the doorframe had seemed strangely crooked ever since. Frina decided not to mention it.
“Can you stand, Frina?”
The moment Hugo held out his hand, she hesitated.
…Was it really safe to grab this hand? Hugo was terrible at controlling his strength.
“I’ll help you.”
At that moment, his large hand firmly wrapped around her wrist and pulled her upright.
‘Oh, but…’
A dull ache throbbed near her ankle as she was yanked up by his overwhelming strength.
But the moment her gaze locked with those ruby-red eyes staring straight through her, she completely forgot the pain.
Because something strange and indescribable stirred deep in her chest.
Black hair. Ruby-red eyes.
…Didn’t Hugo look far too similar to the hidden mastermind from the novel?
“Are you alright, Frina?”
“Ah, thank you for helping me up, Hugo.”
Frina hurriedly regained her composure.
‘No way.’
Hugo being the hidden mastermind from the novel?
That was impossible.
Completely absurd.
Shaking her head, Frina pushed away the vivid sensation she’d just felt.
‘If this really is the world of the novel…’
The next thought made her unconsciously stop breathing.
‘That means I… and my siblings… are all going to die together.’
The horrifying realization made her head spin.
She had to run away.
If this really was the world of the novel… then she needed to escape before the hidden mastermind turned the empire into a sea of blood!
The day she regained her memories of her past life, Frina firmly resolved to flee the country with her beloved siblings.
That had been two years ago.
“Achoo!”
As Frina sneezed loudly, everyone’s attention turned toward her.
This was Daisy Hall.
“Frina, did you catch a cold?”
“Ugh, I think so.”
She’d been feeling chilled all morning, and apparently she really had come down with something.
‘Serves me right for waiting around for a whole week…’
It had already been a week since she began waiting at Layton Bridge, the place where she’d arranged to tell Hugo they should break up.
But he never came.
“Why are you still waiting for a guy who ghosted you?”
“G-ghosted me?”
Frina stammered in shock, and her coworker raised an eyebrow.
“He left a year ago without a single message, and now he hasn’t shown up for a whole week? Plus, he never told you where he lived, but he knows where you live and still hasn’t sent even one letter. Alright, now argue with me.”
Mm. She couldn’t think of a rebuttal.
Did I really get ghosted…?
“Bet he found another girlfriend.”
The coworkers peeling potatoes in the kitchen all chimed in indignantly.
“Maybe he was two-timing you?”
Hm?
“Sounds like he was cheating and then ghosted you.”
“Frina, seriously, after a whole year without even one letter, you never got suspicious?”
To be honest, she hadn’t.
More accurately, she had no reason to.
Hugo had left right before she was going to break up with him.
Whether someone you were planning to dump was cheating or not hardly mattered. It would just leave a bad taste in your mouth, that was all.
‘For an entire year, all I thought about was how to tell him we should break up…’
She had never once imagined Hugo would simply disappear without a word.
Thinking about it now, maybe her coworkers were right. After a year, it was only natural for his feelings to change.
‘But…’
Before Hugo left—
“This is something important, Frina.”
“When I come back, you have to return it to me. You must wait for me.”
Knights often entrusted precious belongings to the lovers they left behind before heading to war.
Hugo wasn’t going to war, but he did the same whenever he took on dangerous missions.
That was why she couldn’t bring herself to say they should break up after he handed her the ring.
Of course, she’d tried to refuse at first.
“H-Hugo, the gem on this is huge. If I lose it, I could never repay you…”
“It’s alright if you lose it. I just want you to wait for me.”
As he said that, Hugo pressed the ring into her hand.
‘…Why did I even accept this?!’
If she hadn’t, she wouldn’t have spent an entire miserable week waiting around just to return it.
Was he really ghosting her so thoroughly that he didn’t even care about getting the ring back?
But such an expensive ruby ring?
And besides…
‘This is the ring Hugo always wore.’
It really had seemed precious to him.
Frina let out a deep sigh.
She couldn’t help worrying. What if there was some reason he couldn’t come?
So she made up her mind.
Just today.
Today would be the last day she waited for Hugo.
Eight in the evening.
Frina stood once more at Layton Bridge.
“Fresh fruit! Sweet and juicy fruit!”
“Layton Bridge souvenirs! Couples who buy this charm will be happy together forever—!”
Frina stared blankly at the street vendors.
In the end, she had come back to Layton Bridge after work. Once again, she had already been waiting for quite some time.
‘Just thirty more minutes.’
Normally, she would’ve gone home by now.
But today was special.
Because today was the last day she would wait for Hugo.
After waiting for quite a while longer, she suddenly grew thirsty and decided to buy a drink from a nearby vendor.
“Seventy silver.”
“…What?”
“Seventy.”
As expected of a famous reunion spot! The prices are a complete scam?!
‘Normally this would cost thirty silver!’
Fighting back tears, Frina reluctantly paid the seventy silver.
Watching her hard-earned money vanish so meaninglessly made her wonder what she was even doing, waiting around for a man who never showed up.
‘Ugh.’
Was this stronger than she expected?
The alcohol hit her almost immediately.
‘I should take it easy. I’m getting tipsy.’
Frina glanced up at the tall clock tower rising over Layton Bridge.
The second hand pointed downward.
Another thirty minutes had passed.
Time to go home.
‘It’s over between me and Hugo now.’
But the ring…
She hesitated, but there was no helping it. Hugo hadn’t come.
…If it was really important, wouldn’t he come looking for it eventually?
‘Anyway, I kept my promise.’
Just as she turned to leave—
‘Huh?’
A strand of black hair brushed past her vision.
As though entranced, Frina stared at the man.
At the face beautiful enough to look sculpted by hand.
Crimson eyes swept indifferently across Layton Bridge.
…It was Hugo.
After waiting one week and one extra day, Hugo had finally arrived.
