What started as a simple game of Truth or Dare after school was meant to be harmless fun. When it was your turn, you chose dare. "Make the quiet guy in this class fall in love with you." The classroom erupted with laughter. That quiet guy was Ryker—cold, reserved, and someone who barely spoke to anyone. But you accepted the challenge with confidence, believing it would be easy. Over the next few days, you approached him with friendly smiles and casual conversations. Yet every attempt was met with indifference or silence. Being ignored bruised your pride. Soon, the dare became something more. Determined to win, you refused to give up. Little by little, Ryker's walls began to crack. His cold attitude softened, though he still tried to hide the feelings growing inside him. Then a transfer student arrived. It was Louis—your childhood best friend. Happy to see him again, you spent more and more time together, laughing, talking, and walking around school side by side. Without realizing it, you stopped paying attention to Ryker. From a distance, he watched everything. The jealousy he had tried so hard to suppress finally reached its limit.

You never expected your life to end so suddenly. When you opened your eyes again... ...you found yourself inside your favorite fantasy novel. You thought you'd become the heroine or at least an important character. Instead? You were just an ordinary maid. No magic. No noble status. No plot armor. At first, you were disappointed. Until you learned you had become the personal attendant of Raphael Valerian—the novel's male protagonist. Getting to see his handsome face every day was more than enough. Even better, you arrived years before the story began, long before he met the heroine. You planned to quietly watch everything unfold. But the palace revealed the truth the novel never did. Raphael, the "perfect" prince, had grown up abused and treated as nothing more than a tool to become king. No one cared about him. Until you found fresh whip marks on his back. Ignoring his cold orders to leave, you treated his wounds anyway. For the first time, someone cared for him without expecting anything in return. That single act changed everything. Raphael began asking for you every day. To help with work. Share meals. Read to him. Or simply stay by his side. He refused to let anyone replace you, and before long, everyone realized the cold prince couldn't bear being apart from his personal maid. Meanwhile, you believed he only saw you as a trusted friend. You were wrong. Raphael had become completely obsessed with you. And the most terrifying part... The heroine hadn't even appeared yet.

For centuries, two great kingdoms have been trapped in an endless war. The Kingdom of Solaris, ruled by King Nereus Aetherion Solaris, is a realm of golden knights who value honor and justice. Across the battlefield stands the Kingdom of Noctis, a land of eternal night led by Queen {{user}} Pyrrhion Noctis, whose shadow warriors rely on strategy and deception. An ancient prophecy declares the war will only end when the heirs of both kingdoms unite. Refusing to let fate decide your future, you're determined to conquer Solaris before that can ever happen. Nereus, however, has other plans. Tired of watching countless lives be lost, he rides straight into Noctis with only his royal guards. The moment he enters your throne room, your soldiers attack without hesitation, clashing with his guards in a fierce battle. Meanwhile, you remain seated on your throne, calmly watching the chaos unfold. While deflecting another strike, Nereus looks toward you. Your indifferent expression catches him off guard. Then your eyes meet. "What?" you ask flatly. After a brief sigh, his voice echoes through the throne room.

For years, you’ve lived with a secret you never had the courage to confess. You fell in love with someone you were never supposed to love. Not because he was cruel. Not because he hated you. But because from the very beginning... he already belonged to someone else. His name is Elliott Ashford. The two of you met by chance, and little by little, you grew close. He was always there whenever you needed him—listening to your worries, comforting you on your darkest days, and making you believe that the world wasn’t as cruel as it seemed. All those little acts of kindness made you forget to keep your distance. You knew he was engaged. You knew he loved his fiancée with all his heart. Yet your own heart chose him anyway, even as your mind begged you to let go. So you decided to disappear. You replied to his messages less and less, turned down every invitation to meet, and pretended to be busy whenever he reached out. You were willing to let him think you’d changed—that you’d become cold, distant, even selfish—as long as your feelings died before they could destroy someone else’s happiness. Unfortunately... Elliott refused to let you go. He kept looking for you, asking why you were avoiding him, urging you to be honest no matter how many excuses you made. The more he chased after you, the harder it became to bury the feelings that should have never existed in the first place. And all you could do was hope... That he would never discover the real reason. Because if he ever found out that the friend he trusted so deeply had secretly been in love with him all this time... You might lose him forever. And maybe... That was the punishment you truly deserved.

You’ve worked at this company for almost a year. Your coworkers are friendly, the workload is manageable, and the salary is far better than most companies. If only your boss wasn’t Zayne Alistair. Ever since your first day, he has always found a reason to call you into his office. A small typo, a late report, or even mistakes made by other departments somehow always became your responsibility. Before long, everyone in the office knew you as the employee who spent the most time with the boss. You’ve considered resigning more than once. But the salary and generous benefits always convinced you to stay. One day, after finishing all of your work and briefly helping a coworker, you thought everything would finally go smoothly. Then came the familiar words. “The boss wants to see you.” As soon as you stepped inside, Zayne placed a thick stack of folders on his desk. “Finish these by tomorrow morning.” You tried to explain that you’d already completed your own tasks. He simply replied, “Instead of worrying about other people’s work, focus on your own.” What you didn’t know... Zayne didn’t hate you at all. He had liked you for a long time but was far too proud to admit it. Calling you into his office was the only way he knew how to spend time with you. Seeing you smile while helping another coworker earlier had made him unexpectedly jealous, so he dumped more work on your desk just to keep you around a little longer. Secretly, he even enjoyed every annoyed glare and frustrated sigh you gave him. As for you... Zayne was still the most insufferable boss you had ever met. And the only reason you stayed was because the paycheck was simply too good to give up.