Chapter 2

Reading that book was almost a struggle.

As a hyena craving for a happy ending, this novel with a bad ending didn’t suit me at all.

In the end, I wasn’t able to stand it and wanted to run away, but my friend said she’ll help me herself.

However, as I said, the atmosphere of the novel was dangerous enough to be rated R-19.

Lissandro and Frey didn’t go all the way, but the portrayal of the two was quite odd.

Imagine someone reciting it in your ear.

I reread the book with tears in my eyes under my friend’s supervision.

Thanks to that, I was able to vividly remember the contents of the novel even though it suddenly came to mind. This novel had neither dreams nor hopes, nor Lissandro’s brain map, nor anything.

What was crazier about it was that Frey and Lissandro already knew each other. I’ve often seen the two of them play together.

Frey, with dark hair and golden eyes darker than honey, was quite a beauty even at a young age. With a neutral charm and a strange mystery, he didn’t seem to be human.

It was enough to feel that his beauty was likely enough to be destructive.

I was crazy about his looks too, but I wasn’t too close to him. I thought there was nothing more dangerous than being bewitched by a handsome man.

‘But that’s in the past now.’

Having seen the future in advance through the novel, I couldn’t let myself sit still and play alone.

I could have dismissed it as just a novel, but I couldn’t turn a blind eye to the current situation and the novel’s events, including names and circumstances.

Now, the novel’s plot wasn’t just a print, but a reality that I will experience.

The scoundrel Lissandro from the novel was now my adorable little brother, and Frey was a pitiful child who had to be taken care of by such a brother.

Lissandro’s desire for monopoly towards Frey began at a young age.

I had to shield Frey from that moment on.

At the same time, even if I couldn’t remove Lissandro’s rotten mindset, obsession, and possessiveness, I had to prevent him from yielding to it.

‘In this way, Frey will live, Lissandro will live, and above all, I will live.’

Because Eureinia died horribly at the hands of her brother, Lissandro.

“Is he the grim reaper or what? No, the grim reaper only takes the dead.”

Lissandro was a son of a bitch who sent the living to the underworld.

While grumbling and cursing at my brother, a deep sigh leaked through my small lips.

Eureinia, Lissandro’s twin sister in the novel, was the only Saintess on the continent and the most loved by the people of the Angelus Empire.

It was said that loving a Saintess who reappeared for the first time in 70 years was irrational, but well, people’s attitudes must be somewhat selfish.

In any case, Eureinia suffered from her stigmata as a kid and went to the temple, apart from her family, yet she fulfilled the role of a Saintess admirably.

Her healing abilities, as well as the arrows she shoots, were strong enough to pierce anything.

The bows and arrows made with her holy power never missed a single target. Her arrows were faster, more accurate, and more powerful than anything else.

Her abilities were compared to those of the first Martina.

Martina was God’s first Saintess, whom Angelus had served since its foundation.

Martina, who made a significant contribution to the transformation of Angelus into an Empire, was given the highest authority after the Emperor as a reward.

The Temple of L’Aquila, the state religion, was second only to the imperial family in terms of influence.

Eureinia followed in the footsteps of the Saintess of the past.

By becoming a Saintess, she gains the authority of a Saint.

But I didn’t know what Eureinia did with her power or her work on the temple because the novel centered on Lissandro and Frey’s story, not hers.

I just knew she was a Saintess who dedicated her life to serving the people of the Empire.

And eventually, she was killed at the hands of her younger brother, Lissandro.

It didn’t appear in the book, but I remembered being taught from birth about the history of the Empire, temples, and the Saints.

It was said that if the stigma was revealed, the Saintess will grow up safely in the temple and receive education until she reaches adulthood.

It was to protect her from future threats.

Then I’ll probably go into the temple as well.

They’d protect me better than any average Saint.

Eureinia was the first Saintess in 70 years. She was like an oasis in a desert.

Everyone coveted her since she was the sole Saintess on the continent, and there was even a legend that if you acquired the Saintess of the God L’Aquila, all blessings would be conveyed to that nation.

It was believed that Angelus was able to grow into an Empire thanks to the God L’Aquila and that it prospered steadily under his protection.

Eureinia, who showed signs of stigma at an early age, was protected by the temple and grew up there.

She was never mentioned again after leaving home and staying at the temple.

Strangely, once Eureinia was no longer mentioned in the novel, Lissandro’s feelings for Frey got deeper and more obsessive.

But it was also difficult to think that there was any significant connection between the twins with just that little information.

Because it was never mentioned in the story that their relationship was strained.

Eureinia was regarded as a gentle-natured child, and the two were said to be busy playing by themselves during their childhood.

In other words, Lissandro had no reason to be concerned over Eureinia’s absence.

It was no excuse for his obsession to deepen just because his sister was away.

‘But why in the world is it something inevitable?’

Like luck and coincidence. Something unknown was bound to happen.

So this time too, it could be simply a coincidence, so I moved on to the next without thinking deeply.

Anyway, Eureinia reappears in the story when Lissandro’s obsession was totally out of control.

Eureinia gives up her sainthood without hesitation after discovering the truth and leaves the temple. Of course, it was because of her twin brother, Lissandro.

After receiving a suspicious letter stating that a human was suffering because of Lissandro and that many innocent people were dying because of him, Eureinia comes out of the temple to stop her brother.

Their parents died in her early twenties, but at that time everyone, including Eureinia, thought it was simply an accident.

Later, while escaping with Frey, she discovered that his parents had been murdered by her brother, rather than killed in an accident. Eureinia grieved bitterly in Frey’s arms.

No matter how strong Lissandro was, his mother was a skilled swordsman and his father was an archmage.

He couldn’t have killed them easily, but I guess maybe he poisoned them or his parents couldn’t kill their own son, so he ended up killing them. Or was it that Lissandro was strong enough to beat them both?

No details were given about the death of his parents.

He was the strongest swordmaster ever, so it wasn’t impossible either.

Eureinia helped Frey, who was in agony and leaves Lissandro.

Her power to be loved by God was significant, which allowed them to leave without being captured for a long time. Because of her frequent volunteer work here and there, she was well-versed in geography.

Although it wasn’t tough to flee with such powers…

Eureinia was eventually caught by Lissandro and slaughtered cruelly at the hands of her own flesh and blood for stealing Frey.

After losing his friend and Eureinia, which was the last hope for him, Frey was engulfed with misery and huge despair.

Realizing that there was no escape from Lissandro, he eventually chooses to commit suicide.

“…it’s a shitty ending with nothing left. All that’s left was Lissandro’s crappy personality?”

It was a good novel for people who like to be emotionally exhausted, but it was not my cup of tea at all.

‘My preference is always a happy ending! Happy! They ate well and lived well!’.

Even after reading my friend’s novel, I was uneasy.

But she forced me to read it…

‘Did you really expect this to happen?’

“…I don’t think so. That’s ridiculous.”

I shook my head and tried to deny it.

However, if I accepted it, I would be unable to meet her now, so I ignored this idea.

The most important thing now was Lissandro and Frey.

I had to turn Lissandro into a good man and keep Frey safe from him even before his obsession began.

To be honest, I could survive by ignoring whatever happened, but I didn’t want Frey and my beloved brother running around like wild foals, suffering so much right in front of my eyes.

Lissandro was someone I cared for and cherished. And, possibly because I read too much, my sympathy for Frey was genuine.

That’s why I was sympathetic. I wanted Frey to be happy.

It was the same even now after I suddenly remembered my previous life.

So I had to prevent the curse of the future even for the sake of poor Frey and my beloved brother.

I got out of bed and put on my comfortable slippers after giving it some thought and making a firm decision.

I courageously opened the door wide open.

The first thing I noticed was Lissandro crouching in front of the room, embracing his knees.

Hearing the door open, he lifted his head and looked at me. I couldn’t help but think that he was cute.

While reading the novel, I hated him and wanted to slap him, but not anymore.

Now I wanted to protect that innocent face so that it would not distort like that of a demon.

For his, mine, and Frey’s sake.

“You said Frey is coming today, didn’t you?”

Hands-on the waistline, I asked calmly.

Lissandro nodded at my question and looked up at me worriedly.

“Yes, but are you okay now?”

“I’m fine, can I play with you guys starting today?”

“All right!”

Lissandro, who had always wanted to play with me, jumped up and down.

I was generally grumpy, but if I acted differently, my adorable little brother would instantly turn into a gentle sheep following me around and just looking at me.

I patted his head and vowed again.

“The future should be twisted.”

Lissandro flinched at my unexpected words and glanced at me oddly, but acted as it was nothing.

* * *

I went to the garden wearing a pretty (and my parents’ favorite) frilly dress.

Lissandro ate a quick lunch and ran to meet Frey.

‘This little bastard is already up for his obsession? no way!’

I clenched my fist and ran to the garden.

‘Come to think of it, what was the keyword of this novel?’

First of all, it was a childhood friend.

Although they were childhood friends, Frey was a year younger than Lissandro.

Lissandro had all coercive keywords like obsession, lust, and so on.

And Frey possessed all the dreadful keywords, such as delicate, beauty, submissive, and fugitive.

“Oh, my god. I feel so sorry for him.”

I felt like I was about to burst into tears, so I tapped the corners of my eyes.

Frey was a spiritist with considerable abilities.

Spiritists had strong mental power.

Unfortunately, Lissandro crushed Frey’s mind, causing his awakened powers to be gone.

As a result, despite having the ability to defeat Lissandro, he was helpless.

‘What a mean person you are, brother…’

No, he was still adorable.

Perhaps because he was still young, I didn’t hate him calling me “sister, sister.”

‘The men are blind to their own cause, huh?’

Above all, I didn’t have much time.

It was vaguely said that stigmata appeared in childhood, so I didn’t know if it would appear tomorrow and I would have to go immediately to the temple.

I’m not sure how Eureinia lived at the temple, but I had no intention of devoting my entire life to it.

She had been confined in the temple since childhood and had spent nearly her entire life there, serving, sacrificing, and devoting herself to the people.

I couldn’t live that kind of life. I wasn’t born to sacrifice myself for anyone.

Frankly, I was pretty selfish.

To be honest, the phrases “sacrifice, commitment” seemed flimsy to me.

Sacrificing for others was, in some ways, selfish for those who were most precious to me.

Because I would be throwing them away and risking my life for people I don’t even know.