Chapter 1 To save the novel's dark , brooding villain , I volunteered for a mission to enter his world . Seven years later , I was declared a failure and senter- ced to death . As punishment , the System forced me to watch , as a spirit , while someone else tried to win his heart . She was vibrant , radiant , impossibly beautiful . She took him bungee jumping , playfully poured hot water on his numb legs out of curiosity , and snuck him out to eat at greasy food stalls near the old campus . She never , ever treated him like he was disabled . This was the same man who kept me at arm's length for years , who would disinfect his skin with alcohol if I so much as brushed against him . Yet the first time she touched him , the tips of his ears flushed a deep crimson . And for the first time , I heard the System let out a shriek of pure excitement : [ Affection level just shot up from 0 to 30 ! ] It was a far cry from the usual exasperated roar : 【 A single point in a whole month ? Are you an idiot ?! ] It was only then that I understood . He wasn't a cold , unfeeling statue . His heart was just never meant to bloom for me . 1 On the day I learned my mission had failed and I was going to die , I didn't tell Alistair a thing . I quietly made his favorite braised short ribs and laid out the clothes he liked to wear . I placed his antidepressants on the nightstand , right where he could easily reach them . He watched me with a frown , his gaze as cold as ever . I knelt before his wheelchair , meeting his eyes with a calm smile . " Alistair , something's come up back home . I might be gone for a while . " He wheeled past me without a word , his voice a shard of ice . " That has nothing to do with me . " He was right . It had nothing to do with him . All he needed was someone else to come and serve him , someone who could withstand his dark moods and violent temper . It didn't matter that we had spent seven years together . In the end , I was no different to him than a stranger . Martha , the housekeeper , looked at me with a pained , worried expression . I gave her a slight shake of my head , signaling that it was okay . I'd endured far worse than his cold words , even his insults . Martha had my detailed notes on all his preferences and habits ; she would take care of him . Besides , he never cared about me . My disappearance wouldn't make a ripple in his life . Someone else would just have to get used to his temper . The System's voice echoed in my mind , dripping with sarcasm . [ Seven years . You gave everything - your energy , your life . Was it worth it ? ] At that moment , Alistair was sitting in the garden , staring blankly at the flame tree I had planted just for him . His features were sharp and cool , his thin lips pressed into a line , his eyes holding an endless , chilling indifference . He barely flickered an eyelid as I draped a small , soft blanket over his legs . I sat quietly beside him . The tree was a blaze of crimson against the fading sunset , casting dappled shadows across the lawn . He grew drowsy and leaned his head against my shoulder . I gazed calmly into the distance , silent . Was it worth it ? I asked myself the same question . In my original world , my parents had died in a car crash . I was in a coma , a vegetable , and my relatives saw me as nothing but a burden . When I entered this world , I felt a deep empathy for Alistair , who was just as trapped , just as hopeless as I had been . I thought that by saving him , by 1/5 10:17 10:17 03 ) Chapter 1 preventing his fiery end in the novel , I could somehow save the helpless girl I used to be . You can't live your entire life with cold , calculated clarity . And love ... love never follows logic . My feelings for Alistair were about me , not him . It wasn't his fault . I had no regrets . It was worth it . 【 Ten ... nine ... eight ... 】 The System began my final countdown . My fingers started to turn transparent . I took one last look at the man to whom I had given everything . He was sleeping against my shoulder , his breathing soft and shallow . His long lashes trembled , and beneath his pale skin , I could see the faint blue of his veins . He looked as if he would shatter at the slightest touch . [ Five ... four ... ] I gently lifted his head and rested it against the other side of his wheelchair . I brushed a speck of dust from his forehead . And then , for the very last time , I leaned in and whispered with a soft , warm smile , " Alistair ... you have to live well from now on . " 【 One . ] With a soft pop , my body dissolved into motes of light , scattering on the wind and fading into nothing .