(A/N: Their relationship dynamic progresses and doesn't stay exactly like it is at the start (The one-sided love doesn't last long). Pacing is also relatively fast at the start, but slows down in the future in romance arcs.)

In his old life, he was an assassin, invisible, efficient, and utterly alone.
His only escape came from the pages of a fantasy novel, Crown of Thorns, and the character no one else seemed to understand: Lady Evelina D’Arclight, the proud and brilliant villainess fated to lose everything.

After his death, he wakes up inside that very story, not as a hero, but as Cael Arden, a student at Eryndor Royal Academy. The world is just as he remembers it, right down to the woman destined to fall.

But this time, he’s not a bystander.
With a lifetime of deadly skills and the knowledge of what’s to come, Cael sets out to rewrite the story itself, to protect Evelina, rise through the academy’s ruthless hierarchy, and change a fate written in stone.

As alliances form and secrets surface, the line between fiction and reality starts to blur.
And in a world built on power and prophecy, he’ll prove that even a villainess deserves her happy ending.

Of course, I was in charge of planning our "fun." Evelina had already experienced everything, after all, and now here I am trying to recreate the same level of excitement she felt when we went tomb-robbing.


It's not like I could just pick another late-arc tomb. Most of them had stronger defenses than the emperor's. Unless we did all the proper preparations, that was a no-go.


Although there was one option that might work.


"I mean… you already have the soul thing going on, so you're already skilled in hand-to-hand. But what about training your body to be more durable without magic?"


"Well, it's pretty hard to choose, considering you've already experienced everything the world has to offer~." I crossed my arms, smirking.


"Well, as long as you indulge in my… interests, then I'll be fine."


Chapter 169 - Training During Celebrations?