"Everyone!" Alex''s voice called out to his friends as he arrived.


    "Alex, you''rete."


    "Sorry, I wanted to invite someone."


    "Huh? Aren''t you---" Louise began to inquire, but her words trailed off as she saw the beautiful girl who hade with Alex.


    Standing there was Aria Tellus, Adrian''s little sister, with her stunning golden blonde hair and unique crimson red eyes, making her stand out even among the academy''s popce.


    "Aria?" Adrian eximed; his surprise evident in his voice.


    "Hello, Adrian."


    "So, you''re the one Alex invited. I guess that makes sense."


    Alex, seemingly embarrassed by the situation blushed and scratched his head in the back avoiding making eye contact with me, as he realized that I was already aware of his feelings for Aria.


    "It makes sense?" Inquired Louise who was curious.


    "Oh, it''s nothing."


    I was already well aware of Alex''s deep feelings for Aria and couldn''t help but ponder why Alex had fallen for someone like her. In my opinion, Alex you deserve someone better. A part of me wants to tell Alex just how much of a bitch Aria actually is but I had the feeling this guy would just get mad at me instead.


    ''Considering how much Alex likes Aria, it was only a matter of time before he made certain moves on her. But seriously, Alex, why did you have to fall for her? You''re too great for someone like her''


    Tristan, ever the friendly and charming one, extended his hand towards Aria and introduced himself with a warm smile. "It''s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Aria. My name''s Tristan."


    Aria felt a slight blush creep onto her cheeks as Tristan took her hand. She quickly averted her gaze from his face, unable to maintain eye contact with this handsome, charismatic guy.


    I couldn''t help but roll my eyes internally. As I watched the situation


    ''But it''s quite understandable though, considering how handsome this guy is''


    ''Seriously, does he even realize how handsome he is? And can you stop smiling at her? Look at her, desperately avoiding your gaze. And can''t you notice Alex ring at you?''


    I nced over at Louise, who was trying to hold back herughter as she observed the unfolding situation. It seems that our charming female lead had also caught on to Alex''s feelings and his intentions towards Aria.


    The entire scenario felt like something straight out of a romanticedy, and I couldn''t help but smirk at theplexity of it all.


    "Adrian, Euphemia''s not here yet?" Alex asked


    Upon hearing Euphemia''s name, I noticed that Louise''s reaction was a bit strange when he mentioned her name. It was as if she had shivered briefly and disyed a momentary look of anger. I couldn''t be entirely sure, but I wondered if I had just imagined it.


    "Ah, no, she mentioned she won''t be joining us today. She said she had an important experiment to do." Though I''m pretty sure that Euphemia''s excuse was likely a cover for her curiosity about the potion I had given her earlier.


    As everyone took their seats, Aria introduced herself to the group, expressing her hope that she wouldn''t be a bother. Louise, for some reason, appeared particrly pleased as she engaged in a conversation with Aria. She seemed to be quite interested in our shared childhood, especially when it came to my personal experiences.


    What''s wrong with this girl? Why is she so interested in my childhood? Although everyone was teasing Aria and me to reveal our past, the two of us shared an awkward nce and kept our lips sealed. If only they knew how difficult our childhood had been growing up together.


    I couldn''t exactly say, "Oh yeah, Aria has been bullying me since we were kids, and did you know I once caught her with five guys at the same time? Hahaha."


    Even though some time has passed since I transmigrated into this world and took over Adrian''s body, a part of the original Adrian still manages to assert itself in my ego, even right now, it''s filled with a burning desire to punch Aria''s arrogant face and make her suffer for all the torment she put the original Adrian through.


    As I looked at our chatty group, I couldn''t help but sense a tinge of jealousy in Tristan''s eyes. He kept ncing at Louise and me, making me wonder if their rtionship hadn''t progressed as much as I''d hoped already. I guess my presence must be hindering the development of their romance.


    And despite my tendency to brush off these thoughts, I also couldn''t help notice the growing sense of unique fondness that Louise held for me.


    ''Was it merely friendliness, or did she genuinely have feelings for me?''


    As I mulled over things, I realized that I had inadvertently disrupted several events that were meant to strengthen Louise and Tristan''s budding rtionship. I couldn''t help but recall how I had unintentionally ''third-wheeled'' during their initial encounter and how I''d already dealt with threats like Rosil and Kaksan that were meant to be their challenges. These trials were designed for character development and to deepen their trust in each other, and by altering the course of events, I had inadvertently robbed them of these opportunities.


    While I had been doing my best to stick to the novel''s storyline as closely as possible, many situations had spiraled out of my control. In Kaksan''s case, it was a matter of necessity, and for Rosil, I had been driven by the desire to alleviate Tristan''s burdens. It was challenging to strike a bnce between preserving the story''s integrity and managing the unfolding events.


    I sighed, realizing that my uncertainties extended to the future events detailed in the novel. Even now, I couldn''t be sure if I could trust the uracy of the information it provided.


    …..


    ''Why am I afraid of him?''


    ''Why is it that every time I see himtely goosebumps spread across my body? Even now, I''m trying my best to remain calm. Seriously, this all happened after I started sensing that horrifying mana. No, this probably started after thatst visit to his room back at the mansion. Even now, the hate I felt for him is all gone, and instead it became that of fear''


    ''I should''ve noticed it back then, the moment that event happened back at the mansion''


    ''My actions, my body, even my mindset has all been ingrained to never touch or anger Adrian ever again. Even though he''s the person I hate the most, why can''t I hate him now? Even just the thought of hating him makes me feel like I will sumb to madness''


    ''And these strange nightmares and intense headaches I feel every time I try to remember are very suspicious. Something is deeply wrong, and I need to figure it out before it''s toote.''


    ''For some reason, I feel like my body is burning just thinking about hating him. It''s like a being made out of intense heat and fire is hugging my body—no, it''s like it''s hugging my very soul. And I don''t like this.''


    Even though I don''t know what happened at that time, somehow my body, no, my soul seemed to remember. It''s as if there''s a lingering sense of unease, an unshakable feeling that something significant urred during that mysterious incident. At first, I brushed it off, attributing it to my overactive imagination. But as time passed, I couldn''t help but notice that Adrian had changed dramatically since he woke up from that incident. It''s like he transformed into an entirely different person.


    Dad and the doctors did mention that he lost some of his memories, but I couldn''t easily ept that exnation. There was something more to this transformation, something hidden beneath the surface. The way he spoke, the expressions in his eyes, and the aura he exuded – all of it was so different, so alien. It was as if the incident had altered not just his memories but his very essence. I couldn''t ignore this unsettling feeling that there was more to the story,


    As someone who has watched over, tortured, and tormented Adrian throughout his life, I believed I knew most things about him already. The Adrian I had known was a different person from the one standing in front of me now. The Adrian I was familiar with was shy and pathetic, always cowering in the shadows, never daring to stand up for himself. He might have possessed a modicum of intelligence, but he was hardly smart enough to secure the top spot in the alchemy department, particrly with the unrivaled genius, Euphemia Dunhaven, taking the same tests.


    The contrast was stark. This new Adrian exuded confidence; his eyes filled with a spark of determination. It was as if he had shed his old self, leaving behind the timid, helpless persona I had known. As much as I believed I had unraveled all there was to know about him, it became apparent that there were hidden depths to Adrian that I had never fathomed.


    I looked at Adrian once more, and to my surprise, he shed a small, disarming smile in my direction. It felt like a bolt of electricity surged through me, causing my soul to scream in response.


    ''Seriously, don''t look at me like that'' I thought, unable to maintain eye contact with him for more than a fleeting moment.


    Just making eye contact with him had be increasingly challenging, and the effort it took to control myself was bing harder and harder to bear. It was perplexing how I had been perfectly fine before, but now, the simplest interaction with Adrian had the power to destabilize me.


    I couldn''t help but wonder if all of this doubt and turmoil could have been avoided. If only I hadn''t tried to remember what happened during that time and if only, I hadn''t sensed that horrifying mana, I may have not been grappled with these confusing emotions and uncertainties now.


    Why is this happening to me? Is it some sort of punishment for all the terrible things I''ve done to him in the past? The guilt and fear gnawed at me; a relentless torment that seemed inescapable.


    I couldn''t bear it any longer. The turmoil, the confusion, the relentless unease—I wanted it all toe to an end. Even though fear still gripped me tightly, I made a resolution. After this lunch, I had decided I would muster the courage to confront Adrian. I needed to ask him about what was going on, to implore him to make all of this stop. It was time to face the truth, no matter how difficult it might be, and put an end to the relentless cycle of doubt and fear that had gued me for far too long.