Chapter 20: I Stole Yooju's First Love
I was so shocked that my thoughts came to a halt.
Only then did I check the time limit number at the bottom of the choice window.
Since I hadn't taken any action, option 2 was automatically selected.
"Why? Are you so scared that you've lost your voice?"
Raymond smiled with satisfaction.
Moreover, the affection meter above my head had risen slightly, filling the first of the ten segments.
'What will change now that the affection meter has increased?'
In this life-threatening situation, I couldn't help but hope for a miracle.
But unfortunately, nothing changed.
Raymond, who had been charging at me as if to kill me, merely stepped back.
"Whatever, fine. I'll just watch from here. Try to survive."
With that, Raymond's body disappeared from my sight.
I came to my senses at the sound of sobbing from behind.
There was no time to think about the status window or the affection meter. My life was on the line.
I grabbed Nivea's hand and found a stone pillar in the building to hide behind.
Even if the walls collapsed due to the fire, this area wouldn't easily collapse.
"Just a little longer, and a mage will come to save us."
I reassured her while waiting for the mage Lily would summon.
But soon, I realized that the heat and smoke were not the only problems.
My breathing was becoming labored.
In the enclosed space, the fire was consuming the oxygen, leaving little air for Nivea and me to breathe.
Nivea, rubbing her watery eyes, said to me.
She tore off a piece of her skirt, wrapped it around the notebook, and placed it in my hand.
"Rela still has a lot to learn, but she's a much more talented child than me. Please help her."
"And tell her that her mother is sorry."
Tears welled up in Nivea's eyes and spilled over.
She had done her best to protect this shop. This shop was everything to Nivea, her very self.
All she wanted was to pass this small boutique on to her daughter.
I didn't want to lose her here.
"Don't talk like that. I'll definitely get us out of here."
Gripping her hand tightly, I began to focus again. I would imagine the perfect shape of the magic.
Recalling my mother's words, I imagined a round, transparent dome forming around Nivea and me.
The magic, which I thought would move easily, moved more slowly than expected.
To clear my mind, I gripped the bracelet my mother had given me.
Slowly, the magic began to take the shape I wanted.
The magical dome, which barely protected us, started to push back the flames.
As the flames subsided, it became easier to breathe.
Nivea stared in amazement at the incredible sight.
The magical flames were burning fiercely in a bright red.
The young lady, with her small body, was blocking the flames.
She looked like an angel fighting a demon from hell.
Nivea, though she didn't believe in God, found the scene so reverent that she instinctively clasped her hands.
"What, what did that old woman teach you?"
Raymond's spiteful voice made me open my eyes.
"Really, you're so annoying. What do you think a mage is?"
The flames behind him grew even more intense.
I felt my concentration rapidly draining.
Death was at my doorstep.
Memories began to surface in my mind.
The day I first met Daniel, and the day I met Tatiana and realized this world was a game.
The day Daniel declared the annulment, and the day Tatiana apologized to me.
The day Raymond compared me to Tatiana and wanted the annulment.
And the day I first met Andrew.
Experiences that changed my world flashed by, up to the day he told me he was swayed by Tatiana.
Most of them were a continuous cycle of loneliness and pain.
And at the end, Aster came to mind.
His smile as he told me to use him.
His kneeling to request the first dance.
His blushing as he showed me the garden.
'I must have liked him more than I thought.'
It had been a long time since I had received warm words and care from someone who wasn't family.
Those who had once given me such things had all turned their backs on me, leaving me with wounds.
Their sharp words had torn my heart, and their cold gazes had scratched my entire body.
The time I spent with Aster shone like precious gems.
'If only I had known earlier.'
I couldn't go on any longer.
Nivea, who was behind me, seemed to have already fainted.
Now, Raymond looked anxious.
He knelt and growled, asking me,
"Still not going to hand over the recipe book?"
A choice window appeared in front of his head.
1. I'll hand it over, please save me.
Although there was plenty of time, I didn't hesitate for a second.
And then everything went dark.
Raymond was flabbergasted.
"I didn't think she'd refuse until the end."
She must be crazy, not just stubborn.
At first, he just wanted to play with her a bit.
A kid who could use a little magic was easy to handle with just a finger.
He thought he might mock her cute antics, but her refusal to give in left him speechless.
"Such a stubborn brat, with no real power."
This was why he disliked Karina.
She walked around with her head held high, even though she had nothing, which he found annoying.
He turned his gaze from the unconscious Karina to Nivea.
She was still holding the recipe book tightly, seemingly unconscious.
He had threatened not to save them, but he couldn't leave the two unconscious women behind.
Moreover, the kid had seen his face, which could cause problems later.
Using magic, Raymond levitated Nivea and Karina.
He easily used magic to take the recipe book from her hand.
"It's fine if you don't give it. I can save you and take it anyway."
This was his plan if Karina refused to the end.
Whistling, Raymond carried the two through the flames.
The burning interior felt like hell.
"Ah, I made more of a fuss than I intended because the threats didn't work. What if Titi gets angry?"
He thought of Tatiana, whom he hadn't seen in a long time.
She was still cute and lovely, like a delicate princess caught by the cruel Andrew.
It would be better if she left that fool and came to him.
'I should talk to her this time.'
As he pushed through the flames, Raymond recalled the first time he met Tatiana.
During his academy days, he saw her jump into a fire to save a child.
Tatiana was different from the nobles he knew.
Unlike others who found him intimidating, she approached him casually and spoke cheerfully.
The moment Tatiana spoke to him, the monotonous world found a brilliant light.
Lost in his memories, Raymond opened the door.
Or rather, he tried to open the door.
He turned around, sensing a chill behind him.
But there was no one behind him.
There were only a few people who could hide their presence from a grand mage like himself.
"Come out now. I don't like hide-and-seek."
"Is that so? Then let's start with you taking the first hit."
With a thud, Raymond fainted.
I opened my eyes to a cold sensation on my body.
Had the mage Lily summoned arrived in time?
My vision was dark from lack of oxygen, and my ears were ringing.
I reached out, feeling for the source of the sound.
I touched a solid male body.
And in my slightly restored vision, I saw worried purple eyes.
I couldn't believe that the man I had thought of just before death was right in front of me.
But it didn't matter either way.
I reached out and grabbed his clothes tightly.
"I didn't think you'd come."