Inside an Incomplete Novel

Cillian Marino sat in a dimly lit room of a towering royal mansion, his sharp features and well-defined physique cast in shadows. With golden hair and piercing iris, he exuded an air of malevolence.

As he leaned back in his chair, a figure emerged from the shadows in front of him, head bowed.

"What is it, Saira?" Cillian asked his voice tense.

"There's a problem," Saira replied in a deep, artificial voice. "I've lost touch with Karl Fisher for the last five hours."

Cillian's expression grew taut as he considered the situation.

"Find him," he commanded, his voice ringing out with authority. "No matter what it takes. I've already lost all of the assassination guilds under me. That cost me thirty per cent of my wealth."

As Saira disappeared back into the shadows, he suddenly snapped his fingers, and the guard outside the room entered.

"Why are you entering this room?" Cillian yelled, his anger palpable. "Send in a maid, and tell her if I see so much as a single piece of cloth on her, I'll rip her to pieces."

"Y-yes, sir.", The guard quaked with fear, stammering out a response. He quickly scurried out of the room, eager to escape Cillian's wrath.

--------[POV: Kael] [Time: 6:30 AM]

I am aware that my life is filled with difficulties, and that I should be preparing for the challenges ahead, worrying about myself and those around me. Yet, here I am, leisurely reading a novel, "Arsène Lupin, Gentleman Burglar," with Remi, sound asleep on my lap.

Suddenly, the door to my bedroom bursts open, startling both of me and Remi. We both turn to see Ruby standing in the doorway, glaring at me with a fierce look in her eyes. At that moment, Remi seems to remember who I truly am - a bad guy - and she quickly scurries to the other side of the couch.

"How can I assist you?" I asked Ruby, still facing her intense gaze.

"Thirty minutes," she replied simply.

"I'm sorry?" I asked, confused.

"I waited for thirty minutes for you to come to my rescue, you bastard," she screamed at me. "You can't even save your own wife, what kind of man are you?"

"Maybe I shouldn't have come," I muttered under my breath.

"What was that?" she demanded.

"Next time you engage in a reckless act, let me know ahead of time. I'm confident that it will minimize the rescue time.", I responded.

She marched towards me, her eyes on the brink of tears, and as I looked up from the couch she swung a fist at me. I quickly caught it and pulled her onto my lap. "You need to calm down, miss," I said softly. "You're not in any condition to be getting worked up like this. Do you even know what caused your injury?"

"What do you mean by that strange sword he was holding?" she asked, sniffling as she looked up at me.

"What kind of assassin are you, not knowing about the full extent of your opponent's powers?" I commented.

Just then, flexible swords made of aura appeared from my right side, pointing directly at my neck. I heard Remi speak up, "Back off, leave her alone."

I gazed over to my right and saw Remi's small figure, her hands outstretched towards me as she stared at me with fear.

"So, what exactly did you tell her about me?" I asked, directing my attention back to Ruby. She averted her gaze from mine and turned to Remi.

"Don't worry Remi, he won't harm us. I have complete control over him," she said, gesturing to her grip on my shirt.

'Seriously?', The situation was becoming more absurd by the minute.

Remi, with a cute tone, asked, "Are you sure?" Ruby confidently replied, "Yeah, watch", Ruby responded and suddenly gripped my crotch strongly.

"Hey!" I shouted as she clutched me. "See, he's powerless," Ruby declared.

--------[POV: Rerek]

"What's wrong with you? It's only six in the morning, and you suddenly show up in my dorm room, asking me if I have feelings for someone else. Are you doubting me? Do you have a screw loose?" Alina yelled from the bed, looking down at me.

"Wait, that's not what I meant," I stammered, trying to explain. "Just give me a chance to explain."

"Sigh... Fine," Alina let out a long breath, calming down. "Let me just wake up properly." She stepped down from the bed and walked towards the door.

"Go wait for me in the living room, I'll make us some coffee," she said before leaving the room.

I let out a sigh of relief and whispered to myself, "The internet needs a better search engine, with a category for 'how to deal with a temperamental girlfriend.'" I got up from the bed and walked to the living room, trying to calm myself as I sat down in the armchair.

After five minutes, Alina emerged from the kitchen with a tray in her hand, wearing a silky nightgown. She placed the tray on the centre table and sat in a chair facing me, ran her fingers through her white hair, tucking a strand behind her ear and asked, "What's going on?"

"Will you still stay with me if I tell you everything?" I asked, afraid to lose her affection.

"If you don't tell me, I will definitely leave," she replied.

I hesitated for a moment and then said, "This situation is quite complicated."

"Go ahead and explain," she urged.

"Uhm, I have to come clean with you, my real name is not Adam, it's Rerek Arcanum," I stated.

Alina was silent for a moment, then she furrowed her brow. "What are you trying to say?" she asked, her voice tinged with concern.

"My name is Rerek Arcanum, not Adam Ivanov," I replied.

"Okay... so where is Adam then?" she asked, her eyes growing increasingly fearful as the sword on the glass shelf behind her started to glow, ready for attack.

"Adam is right in front of you," I said, trying to reassure her.

"Stop playing around and get to the point," she demanded, her frustration growing.

"Eight months ago, Adam Ivanov passed away due to a concussion. That's when I, Rerek, ended up in this body, almost as if I had taken over it," I explained.

"You're close to making me kick you out of my life forever. So, to put it simply, are you still the same person I've been with?" she asked.

"Yes, I am," I replied.

She let out a sigh, but that didn't last for long. "Wait a minute, you died and then were reincarnated? Did I just have intimate relations with an elderly man?"

"No, I am not old, I was in my twenties." I retorted.

"…!"

Rising from her seat, Alina approached me, pulled her gown up and straddled my lap, holding my neck with both hands and bringing her face close to mine. "So you're telling me that you're the same person I fell in love with, and now you've suddenly revealed your secret to me in the morning when I was still asleep," she said. "There must be a reason that prompted you to do this, what's going on?"

"This world is a novel", I said.

"…"

--------

[A/N:

Handsome Author: Great job, Kael. Just what I needed, you blabbering our secret to Rerek. He's such a buffoon.

Kael: …Right, because he's just as clueless as you.

Handsome Author: Don't you forget, I brought you into existence.

Kael: As if a mere mortal like yourself could take credit for that. Keep dreaming, buddy.]

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