The pain in Severine's stomach came in dull, relentless waves.
Dust clung to her uniform as she lay curled against the cold classroom floor. Her breath was shallow. Delicate fingers trembled as they dug into the fabric of her shirt.
Each inhale felt sharp, as though her insides had been rearranged by Damien's kick.
It was strange—how pain always made her remember things she wanted to forget.
For the past three months, fragments of unfamiliar memories had begun to intrude upon her life like an uninvited guest.
At first, she dismissed them as remnants of childhood dreams—broken, incoherent, meaningless.
But they didn't fade.
Instead, scene after scene replayed itself in her mind with merciless clarity, like a movie she was forced to watch on repeat.
A story so absurd that it made one question the sanity of its characters—and curse the author who wrote it.
Because in those memories, Severine Vale was living inside a novel.
The protagonists of that story were painfully familiar.
Her new dorm-mate, Alina Hart, and Damien Rhodes, the same man who had just kicked her to the ground without hesitation.
Severine knew this story by heart now.
It all began at St. Michael Academy, one of the top five universities in Country Z.
On the surface, it was an institution that nurtured elites. In truth, it was an aristocratic academy in every sense of the word. Politicians, celebrities, heirs of powerful conglomerates—this was where their children gathered.
Admission was simple in theory and impossible in practice.
Money. Or power.
More precisely, Awakened bloodlines—those blessed with inherited traits that placed them far above ordinary humans.
Each year, the academy opened three scholarship slots for students from humble backgrounds. Yet rarely were all three filled.
This year, however, one slot had been taken by Alina Hart.
Her family background was unremarkable. But Alina possessed something the academy desperately needed—talent and awakened blood.
She had won two national-level tennis championships at her previous school.
St. Michael Academy needed students like her. After all, it couldn't exactly force noble heirs to study hard and bring glory to the institution.
Severine's fingers curled tighter. That was how it started.
On Alina's very first day, she offended Emily Rhodes.
The reason?
She stopped a bullying incident. And the bullied student had been Severine herself.
Even now, Severine had no idea what she had done to provoke Emily's anger that day. She only remembered being shoved into an old classroom, cornered by two lackeys while Emily watched with thinly veiled amusement.
Then the classroom door had been kicked open.
"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" a furious yet soft voice rang out. "Bullying someone in broad daylight? How about I—your grandmother—teach you a lesson?"
Alina Hart had stepped inside like a storm.
Her thin wrist moved swiftly. With a clean shoulder throw, she slammed one of the lackeys onto the cold floor.
By the time the others recovered from their shock, Alina had already grabbed Severine's hand and dragged her away.
Her curses echoed down the hallway, loud enough to reach even the man standing unseen in the corner.
"These stupid second-generation rich kids deserve a good beating. Noble academy full of top talents? More like full of top shit."
Severine let out a shaky breath. That single outburst had thoroughly offended Damien Rhodes—one of those "second-generation rich kids"—and his sister, Emily.
And Alina hadn't even realized it.
A sharp spasm of pain yanked Severine back to reality. She squeezed her eyes shut, teeth clenched.
There was a reason why she didn't want to offend Damien, other than him being the male lead of the novel.
Damien Rhodes wasn't just a bully; he was part of the Golden Triangle.
There was a saying in Country Z: one could never escape death—or the Golden Triangle.
It referred to the three families whose corporations controlled nearly every major industry in the country. From food to medicine to textiles, their influence was inescapable.
Rhodes, D'Arden, and the King.
In the novel, Damien Rhodes was the male lead. Emmett D'Arden was the second male lead, doomed to pine silently for the female protagonist.
The villain belonged to the King family, Killian Rhett King.
If one were to divide the Golden Triangle, then Rhodes and D'Arden together barely occupied one corner.
The remaining two belonged solely to the Kings.
The reason was simple. Killian himself.
He had grown up drenched in power and indulgence—just like the Rhodes twins.
Whatever Damien or Emily desired was delivered to them within seconds. No one dared deny them.
If Damien demanded wind, others brought rain along.
So when Alina Hart openly scolded him—when she shattered his dignity without fear—it was inevitable.
He took it as a personal insult.
Thus began the twisted game between them.
Over the following year, Damien would bully Alina, humiliate her, corner her.
And fall in love.
Emmett D'Arden, drawn to Alina's fiery spirit, would also begin circling her.
Eventually, after all the protagonists overcame every obstacle and walked hand in hand toward their so-called happy ending, they turned their gaze toward Severine for revenge.
In the novel, Severine's face was ruined. Her legs were broken.
All because she had once harmed Alina under Damien's coercion.
In those prophetic dreams, Severine had been terrified of Damien. When he and Emily demanded that she lure Alina to an abandoned classroom, she obeyed.
Under their threats of ruining her family business, she swung a golf club at Alina's leg.
Alina had survived because Severine never truly wanted to harm her.
Her leg wasn't broken, but she lost her chance to compete in the next tennis match due to injury.
It shattered her heart.
The girl she had saved from bullying had tried to destroy her future.
How could the protagonist forgive that?
Damien, meanwhile, found Alina's refusal to bow fascinating.
What a disgusting way to fall in love.
"Ugh… damn it…" Severine gasped as she forced herself to sit up.
It had been a couple of minutes, and the pain had dulled enough for her to move.
Slowly, she dragged herself out of the classroom. The hallway was empty, but she still straightened her blazer and lifted her chin, refusing to let anyone see her weakness.
Step by step, she made her way to the academy infirmary.
Ironically, the medical facility had been donated by the Rhodes family.
As she lay on the bed, a faint, bitter smile tugged at her pale lips.
How fitting.
The doctor treated her wounds efficiently, asking no questions. Whether it was professional ethics or fear of offending powerful families, Severine didn't know.
To her, the doctor felt like a rusty machine. She was functional, but indifferent.
At the slightest movement, pain surged through her veins.
"Miss Vale," the lady doctor said gently, "you should rest here. The nurse can monitor your condition. Your soft tissues are badly damaged. It would be best not to move too much for at least a week."
"I want to sleep in my dorm," Severine replied quietly. Staying there would only remind her of her humiliation.
After a pause, the doctor handed her the medicine. "Take care."
"You too."
By the time Severine reached her dorm, night had fully fallen.
The other room was dark.
Alina had gone home for the weekend.
Family…
Severine pushed the thought away and collapsed onto her bed.
She would not repeat what she had done in those dreams.
She would never harm Alina. That alone should be enough to change her fate.
Wrapped in the warmth of the duvet, her consciousness slowly slipped away.
This time, her sleep was mercifully deep.