(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.

"You're cuter," I replied with a smile.


Evelina laughed and closed the distance between us in an instant, her magic-enhanced speed far exceeding my expectations. Was she always this skilled, or was it because of the other two souls inside her?


Well... guess I have to take this a bit more seriously, especially since I'm weaker now.


She shot a quick jab at my chest, but I slipped just outside its range and caught her arm, clamping down on her elbow with one hand and her wrist with the other in a tight control grip.


I grinned smugly. This could be an interesting new dynamic... I'd never really thought about teaching her before, not even in my fantasies.


I released her arm and hopped back, resetting my stance and widening the gap between us.


Chapter 170 - Prodigies Really Are Built Different...