After an hour or so of drugged oblivion, Alex finally stirred awake, his eyelids heavy as lead fluttering open to the parlor’s dim amber glow from the dying wall sconce. The air hung thick with the musky scent of passion and jasmine perfume.
A blinding headache exploded in his skull like shattered mana crystals—he grabbed his head with both hands, fingers digging into silver hair, immense pain lancing through every nerve. He groaned loudly, curling forward. "What the hell... ngh!"
Blinking through the haze, he looked around the opulent room—the heavy velvet curtains drawn tight against the night, four-poster bed a tangled wreck of silk sheets and pillows scattered like battlefield debris, crystal water jug tipped over on the marble sideboard, a faint iridescent sheen dried on its rim.
But Evelyn was gone—no golden hair lady beside him, no gown pooled on the floor.
Empty.
Alex facepalmed himself hard, palm slapping forehead with a smack. ’Not again... what the hell is up with her? Did she get screwed in the head or something? Girls and their crazy schemes.’
The system chimed directly in his mind, voice dripping with playful laughter, echoing like mischievous bells. [I’m pretty sure you are the one who got screwed, host—literally. Encore performance?]
Alex clutched his temples harder, gritting teeth. "Will you shut up? I’m having a full-blown crisis here! A girl I know and was planning to just stay casual friends with—pure, noble Evelyn—slipped an aphrodisiac in my drink and straight-up defiled me. Me! The guy who turns back time!"
"How will I ever be able to face myself in the mirror without flashbacks?"
Suddenly the system spoke again, tone shifting to gleeful menace. [Forget that drama. What will happen if Alicia finds out? I’m pretty sure that firebrand will come running with her blade drawn, bury you six feet under right before you can sneak out the gates and leave —and then spit on your grave while cursing your name for eternity.]
A bone-deep chill ran down Alex’s spine like icy mana; his face became slick with cold sweat, beads trickling down his temple as vivid images flashed—Alicia’s emerald eyes blazing fury, sword whistling through air. He paled dramatically.
The system howled with laughter. [You should see your face right now—priceless! Hahaha... HaHaa! Ghost white and sweating like a rookie in a boss raid.]
Alex fell deathly silent, staring at the rumpled bed, murmuring under his breath so quietly it was almost prayer. "She will not tell Alicia, right? Yeah, I’m sure she won’t... she’s not that crazy. Noble honor and all."
Suddenly, the full memory crashed back—Evelyn’s menacing smile, the potion’s burn, her lace-clad body pinning him. He bolted upright like electrocuted. "Oh my God, she is that crazy!"
He scrambled off the bed in a frantic tangle of sheets, nearly tripping, and paused—fully dressed in his formal black tunic, pants buckled neatly, boots even polished. Not a wrinkle out of place.
Suddenly the system pinged slyly. [Looks like she was creepy enough to dress you herself while you snored, host. Tender or terrifying?]
Realization hit; Alex visibly shivered from head to toe, arms wrapping around himself as phantom fingers ghosted his skin.
He sprinted out of the room, yanking the door open and bursting into the echoing grand banquet hall—massive crystal chandeliers.
But he scanned frantically for that signature golden shimmer—nowhere amid the sea of faces.
Suddenly Lucas, Ethan , and Alden came running toward him from the throng, weaving past startled guests.



VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABEL
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: The Extra Who Shouldn't Exist