The Promise Sealed with Our Lips - Chapter 71

“What does it feel like to be a shadow?”People say it's bondage — the absence of light, of freedom. But what is freedom, really?The ability to choose whatever you want?Or... just a beautiful illusion masking the void?Strange question, I know.But you'll understand soon enough.Because my lives?They've always been a little... enlightening.— Kaiser

After her rebirth, Rita vows not to repeat her past mistakes. This time, her first priority is to stop her brother, who is about to marry into the Lopez family, from participating in the initial game beta test. In her previous life, she was deceived by this scheming brother until her dying breath. It was only at the end that she realized she was merely a villain in a male-oriented novel about a live-in son-in-law, with all the malice and manipulation orchestrated by him behind the scenes. In this life, Rita decides to change the rules of the game. She will stay in the shadows and seize all the opportunities meant for the male and female leads. By participating in the beta test and re-selecting her abilities, she systematically dismantles the protagonists’ advantages, all while making them believe she’s on their side. Rita has no intention of harming innocent people, nor is she a selfless saint. In this game, she works with the authorities for mutual benefit, all to achieve her ultimate goal—becoming the true master of her fate.

Suddenly I died.Because of a heart attack, right after beating the hardest game I had ever played.But when I opened my eyes, I was no longer myself. I become Tristan Althrone, the main villain of the first arc, the wretched noble who tormented the protagonist, only to meet a gruesome end.I know how this story unfolds. I know how I die. I know who will betray me.So I refuse to play my part.I won’t follow the script. I won’t accept my fate.But the more I struggle to escape my doomed role, the deeper I sink into it.And the worst part?I have to deal with her, the naïve protagonist, destined to become this world’s hero.But she doesn’t even know that the fate of this world rests in her hands.And me?I just want to survive… even if it means deceiving everyone. Including her.