Ch. 7
Yuna stretched when she realized she had spent far longer in the library than intended. Today was Friday, and it had already been a week since she transmigrated into Selene and found herself trapped inside the world of the novel.
So far, the adjustment had been manageable.
She always made sure to act like a well-mannered nineteen-year-old, especially whenever she was at the Valen estate.
Thankfully, some of the servants didn't seem to have a particularly strong impression of the original Selene, which made it easier for Yuna to settle into her role without drawing attention.
As for Selene's family, Yuna remained much more cautious.
Whenever she interacted with them, she carefully observed their reactions, worried they might notice something different about their daughter.
So far, however, neither of them had said the words she feared the most.
She wasn't entirely sure whether she was doing a good job pretending to be Selene or not. Then again, what did she actually know about Selene?
The novel only showed her during conflicts. Every appearance Selene made was accompanied by jealousy, anger, or another scheme aimed at Lina Grey.
That was the version of Selene the she knew. But what about the rest? How did she act around her family? How did she treat the servants? What was she like on ordinary days when the heroine wasn't around?
Yuna had no answers.
Also, Yuna had an excellent job avoiding the two protagonists. She made sure their paths rarely crossed and even adjusted her schedule whenever possible so they wouldn't arrive at the same places at the same time.
To the point that she had stopped going to the cafeteria. Instead, she either brought her own lunch or had a home-cooked meal delivered from the Valen estate.
While, most of her free time was spent in the library as well. Whenever she didn't have class, she would simply find a quiet corner and lose herself in a book.
As the days passed, the attention surrounding her gradually died down. Students became busy with their own assignments, projects, and exams. The whispers about the mysterious transfer student eventually faded into the background.
And for the first time since arriving in this world, Yuna felt something she hadn't expected.
Peace.
A suspicious amount of peace. Which was exactly what worried her.
Because in stories, peace rarely lasted. The calmer everything became, the more uneasy she felt.
Yuna glanced down at her ipad once more. Every scene she could remember from the novel was written there. From Chapter One all the way to Chapter Twenty-Two. She had carefully taken notes on every important event she could recall, hoping it would help her prepare for whatever came next.
Thankfully, Selene wasn't mentioned much after the debate class arc. Though that event hadn't even happened yet. The debate class was the starting point of Selene's hostility toward Lina in the original story, and after that, the novel's focus gradually shifted back to the protagonists.
That should have been reassuring. Unfortunately, it wasn't. Because Chapter Twenty-Two was where her knowledge ended. Everything beyond that point was completely unknown. Yuna rubbed her forehead in frustration.
In that case, there was nothing she could do except prepare as best as she could and deal with whatever happened when it came.
Nothing bad is going to happen, right?
This is just a romance novel.
At most, there would be misunderstandings, love triangles, and unnecessary drama.
So why...
Why does she have this unsettling feeling that she was forgetting something important?
Yuna was startled by the voice, causing a curse to slip out before she could stop herself.
"Shit."
With a hint of annoyance, she turned around only to immediately regret it. Because standing behind her was Ethan.He was slightly bent forward, and his face was far too close to hers.
Way too close.
Yuna slowly leaned her head away, trying to create as much distance as possible between them. Meanwhile, Ethan, seemingly unaware that personal space existed, simply smiled at her.
He didn't even know what made him decide to approach Selene. He only saw her sitting alone in the corner of the library and felt an odd sense of responsibility to talk to her.
Maybe it was because she looked lonely.
Or maybe it was because he was curious about her, especially the way she looked at him with such hostility.
Whatever the reason was, Ethan found himself standing in front of her before he could think twice. Ethan let out a small chuckle. Yuna closed her tablet.
"Why are you here alone?" Ethan tilted his head slightly. "Are you scribbling something?"
"Why do you care?"
The words slipped out before Yuna could stop herself. Instead of correcting herself or feeling embarrassed, she simply rolled her eyes. She wanted Ethan to understand one thing, she wasn't interested in having a conversation with him.
Why was he even here?
Hadn't she been doing everything she could to avoid this guy?
I was literally trying to stay away from you, kid.
"Ah? Ha ha... hahaha..." Ethan rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.
"W-Well, I was just checking on you. I thought... you know, maybe you could use some company."
"Do I need one?"
"Uhm..." He blinked.
"For me? Yeah, probably." He laughed sheepishly. "Well, I don't know if you already know me or not, but I'm Ethan."
He pointed to himself before flashing her an easy smile.
"You're Selene, right? We're blockmates in one of our subjects."
"So?"
"Well, I'm just...I just wanted to say I'll see you in class."
Yuna didn't answer. She simply stared at him without any reaction.
The silence stretched.
Little by little, Ethan began to feel embarrassed under her unreadable gaze. He straightened up and cleared his throat before adding jokingly,
"You're really quiet, huh?" He let out a small laugh.
"The rumors kind of got it wrong. They made you sound like a completely different person."
"Thanks for the information. You may go now." Yuna made a small gesture toward the library entrance.
Honestly, if Ethan stayed beside her any longer, she was convinced the heavens would throw another plot event at her. She had spent an entire week avoiding the protagonists.
And somehow Ethan had still managed to find her.
Do I seriously look that miserable sitting alone?
"Alright, alright. I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable." Ethan raised both hands in surrender and laughed awkwardly.
"But sure, sure. I'll leave now."
He took a step back before flashing her one last smile.
"I'm just happy I got to talk to you, you know." Then he pointed toward the door.
"See you in class."
Yuna merely nodded.
The moment Ethan turned away, she was the first to break eye contact. She looked back down at her tablet and didn't bother checking whether he had actually left the library or not.
As far as she was concerned, the conversation was over. And hopefully, that would be the last random interaction she would have with Ethan Ward.