Chapter 193: Forbidden
They crossed the constellation bridge without hesitation.
Behind them, Evelyn walked with steadier steps than before. Her hands were still shaking slightly, her breath catching every now and then, but there was a new clarity in her gaze—as if her soul had finally remembered the path it had fought so hard to carve.
Ahead, the dreamgate shimmered. Five orbs of light flickered within it—each corresponding to the other heroines trapped inside.
Verena didn’t wait. She pushed through.
This time, she landed in a frozen courtyard. Snow fell gently, but the air was bitter, sharp, like it carried old grief. At the center stood Beatrice, her back to Verena, dressed in an elegant, overly frilly dress that looked far too familiar. The scenery matched Chapter 18 of the original novel—Beatrice’s confession scene, the one where she was supposed to be publicly humiliated by a suitor who only pursued her for status.
Except here, she stood alone.
No crowd. No suitor. No music. Just silence, and snowfall.
Verena stepped forward cautiously. "Beatrice?"
The girl didn’t move.
But then Verena noticed the cracks along the edges of Beatrice’s silhouette—like she was glass waiting to shatter.
"They never even liked me," Beatrice said softly, voice brittle. "They just wanted to be seen with the perfect noble girl. Not the real me."
"That’s not true," Verena answered, already feeling the pressure of the narrative pushing down on her shoulders like gravity. "You proved them wrong. You changed."