Nocturne frowned slightly. "He actually isn't home very often."
Marina felt a flicker of confusion. Hearing the way his mother had just spoken, she'd assumed his parents had a deeply loving marriage. Why wouldn't his father come home often?
It wasn't her place to pry into his family matters, so she turned her attention back to tossing fish food into the pond.
The conversation easily flowed back to their manga. Wyndham Moss had sent the finalized cover art for the upcoming animated adaptation to their group chat, asking for their feedback.
Because the romantic pairing had gained a massive following, the animation studio had amplified the emotional arc between the main characters. Nocturne thought it was a brilliant move, and Marina had no objections either.
The cover art heavily featured the two protagonists. Nocturne zoomed in on the details, a soft smile on his lips. "When I drew them, I imagined the two of us. Walking hand in hand, creating a masterpiece together."
Marina blinked in surprise. "You drew the cover?"
He nodded. "Yeah. I didn't trust anyone else to get it right."
He paused, looking thoughtful. "By the way, regarding the ending. Originally, we planned for the female lead to sacrifice herself. But I've changed my mind. I don't want her to die. I want her to survive alongside the hero. They could have kids, build a family... It fits perfectly with the theme of rebuilding a new world."
Marina furrowed her brows. "But if we do that, we'll have to rewrite huge chunks of the later plot."
The heroine was supposed to die three-quarters of the way through the story. Altering that meant rewriting the entire final act.
"Then we rewrite it," Nocturne said easily. "Look at the comments. The readers are practically begging for them to be together. If we kill her off now, there'll be a riot."
Marina held her ground. "We can't just bend the entire outline to cater to one segment of the fanbase. The story will lose its soul."
"But I honestly think it's a better narrative if she lives," he countered gently.
Marina sighed, considering it. "Let me think about it."
In the original draft, the hero was supposed to tackle the final, massive missions alone after her death. They were supposed to be brutal, action-packed, high-stakes scenes. If the heroine survived, the dynamics of those final battles would completely change, and they might lose that hard-hitting impact.


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The readers' comments on the novel: Find me in your labyrinth (Stella and Jonathan)
May we please have updates. Thank you...
It's time for Carson and Marina to commit further than the engagement. Looking forward to the updates....
Thank you for the updates....
Thank you for the updates. I thoroughly enjoy your writing....
May we please have updates... I'm curious to know how Marina saved Carson....
Time for Carson andarina to comit. Thank you for the updates....
Things are looking up for Xavier and Norah. Thank you for the updates....
Woohoo! This was sooooo good. Thank you for the updates....
This was classic updates. Thank you so much...
May we please have updates. Thank you...