Chapter 78: Chapter 78

JONEA

“So what I mean is, you could totally be someone’s Cinderella, and it wouldn’t be a misunderstanding.”

Daran’s words hit me like a meteor, making me explode and freeze at the same time.

“Jonea?” Daran called out.

I panicked. How could I space out when he was still talking to me?

“Uh, yeah?” I muttered.

“What’s up with you?”

“I don’t know, suddenly I feel super hot.” I started fanning my face and neck.

And just like that, Daran reached out and touched my cheek. I flinched in surprise.

“Oh, sorry, I just wanted to check if you had a fever,” he said calmly.

My body felt even hotter after he touched me. My heart was pounding out of control. If I stayed there any longer, I might lose it completely.

I quickly stood up, pushed the chair away, and walked off.

“Sorry, it’s late. I should get back to my room and rest,” I said quickly, not even looking back at him. I opened the door and rushed out of there.

Once I was in my room, I locked the door tight and sat on my bed, shivering even though I still felt hot. I grabbed my phone and quickly typed a message to Marilyn.

[Help me! Something weird is happening. When I touch my chest, my heart is pounding so hard. I can barely breathe. I feel dizzy, like I’m walking on clouds. What’s going on? Am I sick or something?]

It didn’t take long for Marilyn to reply with another question.

[When did you start feeling this way?]

I thought for a moment before responding.

[I think it started just now, when I was with someone.]

This time, Marilyn’s response came even quicker than before.

[I think you’re in love with that person!!!!!]

She ended her message with a bunch of exclamation marks.

I reflexively dropped my phone after reading her reply. I was terrified—whether it was the phone, Marilyn’s answer, or my body acting so strange, I didn’t know.

I laughed to myself, but deep down, I was scared.

“Is she crazy? Is she joking with me? How can she jump to that conclusion? It could be a heart condition, right? Should I go to the hospital and get checked out?”

After a few minutes, my phone rang. I was too scared to answer, but it kept ringing.

Finally, I picked up the phone and answered.

“I’m fine, I’m alive. Maybe I’ll just go to the hospital tomorrow to see what kind of illness this is?” I said quickly, not giving Marilyn a chance to speak.

“I know you hate hospitals, especially those run by dragons. You don’t need to bother going there. I’ve already diagnosed you based on your symptoms. Jonea, you’re in love with that person! Now tell me, who is he?”

“No way!” I protested, almost shouting.

Then I realized I was at home. I quickly lowered my voice.

“Impossible! I’ve been in love with Aland countless times. Even now, I’m still in love with him. But it doesn’t feel like this. It’s completely different.”

Marilyn just hummed, and we both stayed silent for a moment.

“I once read a theory that the symptoms, sensations, and effects of falling in love vary for everyone. It all depends on the person you’re falling for,” Marilyn said.

“Stop with your silly theories and nonsense, Marilyn! Ugh, I knew I was wrong to ask for your opinion. I need to rest. It’s late. Bye!”

I ended the call with Marilyn, then curled up under the covers. I tried to close my eyes and shake off all those thoughts.

But after hiding under the blanket for a while, I felt even more breathless. I sat up and kicked the blanket off.

“Wait, maybe my heart started racing because of the cool quote Daran said earlier. Yeah, that’s it! My heart always beats fast when I hear a great line in a movie or read something exciting in a novel.”

That whole night, I struggled to sleep. I don’t even remember if I actually slept or not. When my alarm went off, it felt like I hadn’t slept at all. I had to go to campus.

I intentionally avoided anyone in the house. After getting dressed and ready, I snuck out of my room. I didn’t want to have breakfast with them.

As soon as I opened the door to step outside, I stopped in my tracks. Daran was watering his magical plants. For some reason, I found myself staring at him for way too long.

Daran rarely did anything during the day. Why was he watering plants this morning and looking so… perfect? He was more beautiful than the magical plants themselves. He looked like a marble statue, flawless and radiant. And when the sunlight hit him, he looked like an angel that had just descended from heaven.

“Oh my gosh, what is wrong with me?” I quickly shook my head and slapped my cheeks to snap out of it.

“What’s he doing out here this early? This isn’t right. His presence is disturbing my peace. He shouldn’t be out here right now!”

Wait, maybe I was just mesmerized because he looked so charming and impressive. Yeah, who wouldn’t be impressed by a thousand-year-old wizard with all that magic power? Ah, that’s it. Maybe he was casting a charm spell on himself, making everyone around him enchanted. That’s the only logical explanation I could think of right now.

“Jonea? Not having breakfast?” Daran asked.

“What?” I stammered as he suddenly turned and spoke to me. “I’m not having breakfast. I’ve got to go. I’ll be back on time tonight. See ya!”

I ran towards the gate as fast as I could.

“Jonea!” Daran called out.

But I didn’t want to look back. I was scared… scared of what might happen. I decided to pretend I didn’t hear him and kept walking. There’s no way I could be falling in love with him. No way!

***

MARILYN

“Hey, Marilyn!”

Someone was calling me? It was a guy’s voice. From the sound of it, he must be handsome. What kind of good-looking guy was looking for me this early in the morning?

I got excited. When I turned around, I was completely stunned by what I saw…

“He’s really handsome, oh my gosh!”

“You… Marilyn Monroe, first-year art student?”

Even though his tone was a bit cold, it totally melted my heart.

“Y-yeah...” I answered, my voice dragging out longer than usual. “Have we met before?”

“No!” he said firmly. “But I’ve heard your name from someone.”

“Really?”

Suddenly, my head started pounding. How could a handsome guy be talking about me? Was he my fan? This is insane if it’s true. I have a fan this good-looking?

He snapped his fingers in front of my face, snapping me out of my daze. “Can we talk for a bit?”

“Su-sure,” I replied. “For as long as you want. But, by the way, who are you? I’ve never seen you before.”

“Oh, sorry, I’m Owen Eivers. I’m a senior in the history department.”

“Owen Rivers?”

Oh my gosh, who hasn’t heard that name? But this was the first time I’d seen him in person. Owen Rivers was a legend among seniors. The smartest, the most handsome, and the coldest guy in the entire university. Apparently, he’d rejected thousands of girls who tried to get close to him.

But why did he want to talk to me?