His Fated One

After successfully redeeming the villainous male lead, I dutifully stepped aside for the original heroine as promised. I took a new identity and left, but in less than twenty-four hours, he saw right through me. The System waved its hand dismissively: "Don't panic. If he figures it out, I'll just forge another identity for you." So, over the following year, I was forced to roleplay as a personal chef, a maid, a circus monkey, a barber, a baker, and a spicy noodle vendor. Yet every single time, he recognized me in a split second, dragged me back to his mansion, and threw me into a whirlwind of relentless passion. The last time, Dante kissed my fingers, his voice raspy: "Done playing cosplay? Tomorrow, we're getting our marriage license." I froze, staring at the ring on my finger, silent. But the System reached its absolute limit: "Screw this! I refuse to lose. This time, I'm wiping his memories completely. There's no way he'll recognize you now." "And I'll implant fake memories that the original heroine is his fiancée, and that he's been deeply in love with her for years..." Sure enough, when we met again... The man who had proposed to me just days ago didn't even spare me a glance. He brushed past me with a cold, detached expression: "Pardon me, miss. Excuse me." 01 After more than two hundred failed attempts, the System finally stopped obsessing over creating disguise after disguise for me. Instead, it shifted its focus entirely onto Dante. And declared with absolute confidence: "Host, I guarantee you, this time the male lead won't just casually recognize you like before." Sigh. My ears were practically growing calluses from hearing that exact promise. I let out an indifferent yawn. Over the past few years, under the System's forced maneuvers, I had tried selling treadmills to eighty-year-olds in underground malls, serving artificial street food to college students, and even playing a hoop-jumping circus monkey. Every single time, the System had guaranteed success in that exact same tone. And every single time, before the ink could even dry on its promise, Dante would show up with a squad of bodyguards. That lunatic needed just one glance to tear away my disguise, drag me back, and flip me over and over in bed until my back was nearly broken. Last time, it took Dante two days to track me down and expose me. That was one day faster than the time before. I wondered if he would be even faster this time... A strange, subtle flicker of anticipation rose in my chest. Seeing me silent, the System patiently explained: "This time is genuinely different. Host, I brought you to this banquet today just to show you..." Before it could finish, the bustling chatter in the grand ballroom died down. The clinking of wine glasses ceased. People turned their heads, whispering as everyone's gaze gravitated toward the entrance. A big shot had arrived. Pushed back by the crowding guests, my high heels nearly caught on my dress hem. I stumbled two steps before stabilizing myself. I looked up and locked eyes with a familiar, breathtakingly handsome face. Dante wore a charcoal-gray shirt today. Broad shoulders filled out the tailored fabric, tapering into a sharp, narrow waist. Tall, strikingly handsome, draped in an air of noble detachment, he commanded the room effortlessly. Way too handsome. I swallowed ungracefully. My eyes shifted, catching the woman pressed closely to his side. Beside Dante stood a stunning woman I had never seen before. I froze. She beamed, Dante's suit jacket draped over her shoulders, her fingers delicately touching his firm forearm. Dante loathed being touched by anyone. Yet now, his expression remained cool and indifferent, showing not a hint of resistance to her touch. Maybe the air conditioning was blasting too hard, but a sudden wave of cold washed over me. Chills seeped through my bones, freezing me in place. 02 The System breathed a huge sigh of relief: "It worked! That woman beside him is the original heroine, Serena." "Host, I wiped every single memory of you from his mind, and implanted new memories that she's his fiancée and that they've been madly in love for years. He only has eyes for her now, so he definitely won't recognize you." I was stunned. "The heroine...?" "Of course! This is a romance novel. Naturally, there's a male lead and a female lead!" Ever since the System dumped me beside Dante, the freezing cold, hunger, and endless lonely wandering of my past had been kept at bay. Life had been so peaceful that I forgot Dante was the male protagonist. The System added casually: "As the male lead, he has a destined female lead. That's an unshakeable law. What are you even moping about, Host?" I stayed silent for a long time, forcing a stiff tug at the corner of my mouth. "Is that so? Well... that's wonderful. The mission is finally over. Congratulations..." The System nodded repeatedly: "Yes! This task took way too long and completely derailed from the original script. Dante actually wanted to marry you! A male lead marrying an NPC, was he insane?" I didn't reply. Lowering my head, I slowly uncurled my palm. A ring rested in my hand. Under the chandelier, the large solitaire diamond caught the light. Inside the band, our names were clearly engraved. That night, when Dante exposed my disguise yet again, he pinned me to the bed. Just as I was on the verge of passing out, a cool band slid down my ring finger, fitting perfectly. Dazed, I raised my hand, nearly blinded by the diamond. Before I could react, Dante pinned my hand down, kissing my forehead softly, his voice trembling: "Sierra... will you give me a chance to give you a home?" I was an orphan. I had never seen my parents. "Home" was a foreign word in my memory. I had doubted countless times if I even deserved one. My lips trembled as I stared at his moving lips until my vision blurred. Unfortunately, before Dante could hear my answer, the System forcibly pulled me out. [NPC emotional anomaly detected. Pulling Host out in 3, 2, 1...] 03 Applause broke my thoughts. On stage, Dante was guiding Serena up, his hand resting lightly against her waist in a familiar, gentle posture. Serena offered him a sweet smile. Infected by her smile, Dante let the corners of his lips curve up slightly, a soft layer of warmth surfacing in his dark eyes. One cold, one radiant, matching seamlessly. Truly a match made in heaven. My mind went blank. Suddenly, Serena turned her head, her gaze landing directly on me. She paused, hooked her finger playfully through Dante's cuff, and raised her eyebrows at me. Dante took the microphone, his voice crisp and steady through the speakers: "I am Dante, and this is my fiancée, Serena. Seven years ago, when I had nothing, Serena stayed by my side without hesitation. She even injured her arm saving me, leaving a scar on her wrist that hasn't faded." Injured her arm saving Dante... I lowered my eyes, pulling my sleeve down firmly to hide the long scar on my wrist. Seven years ago, I was working a summer job at a barbecue place. When the System found me, my delivery time was about to expire, and I was riding my scooter at breakneck speed. Seeing me unbothered, the System said: "Don't you want to save Spud?" I froze. Spud was a stray cat I adopted when I was ten. People in the alley joked that we were an orphaned kid and an orphaned stray. But I refused that label. My cat wasn't an orphan. I knew that to Spud, I was his entire world. Even when illness left him too weak to eat, he dragged out his last breath, refusing to close his eyes because cats know humans fear loneliness. The System enticed me: it would cure Spud's terminal illness if I went to a newly adult teenager named Dante, the world's male lead who had veered off course, filled with dark resentment and suicidal thoughts, causing the storyline to collapse. My task was simply to keep him alive. So, when Dante held a razor against his wrist seven years ago, I crashed down from the sky right in front of him, completely derailing his self-destruction. Seven years later, that long scar on my wrist throbbed with a faint, phantom pain. I sighed softly, rubbing it with cold fingers to ease the ache, but it was useless. 04 The System whispered: "Sorry, Host. I took the things that happened between you and the male lead and assigned them to the female lead instead." I didn't look up, forcing my tone to sound casual: "It's fine. They're the ones meant to be together anyway..." The System praised me: "Exactly! They're a match made in heaven." On stage, Dante spoke while gazing down at Serena, his eyes dark and calm. Suddenly, he paused mid-sentence. Time ticked by until someone whispered below: "The ring... the ring..." Dante snapped back to reality. Hesitating, he opened a velvet box. Inside lay a ring. A massive diamond solitaire, engraved with letters inside the band. It was identical to the ring sitting in my palm. My breath hitched. I squeezed the ring in my hand tightly, the diamond's sharp edge digging into my flesh, pain radiating straight to my heart. Stupid Dante. Such a wealthy CEO, and he couldn't even buy a different ring for his proposal. Cheap jerk. I blinked hard. The System noticed: "Host, are you... crying?" I shook my head violently: "No, just got dust in my eye. Why would I cry? Don't be ridiculous..." The System sighed: "Alright." "System." "Yes, Host?" "Why doesn't this cake taste sweet at all?" "What did you say?" I shook my head, chewing the cake forcefully. A few seconds later, heavy tears dripped onto the back of my hand. I scrambled to pull tissues from my bag, my hands shaking so violently I couldn't pull one out. Someone nearby stared. I kept my head down. What are you looking at? Never seen a leaky faucet before? 05 Prompted by the crowd, Dante pinched the ring. Serena raised her hand, a soft blush dusting her cheeks. Just as the ring was about to slide onto her finger, Dante's eyelashes fluttered. The ring slipped from his fingers with a metallic clink, bouncing across the marble floor and rolling out of sight. Everyone froze. Dante cleared his throat, sounding apologetic: "Sorry, my hands slipped because I was nervous. Could everyone help me look for it?" The guests bent down to scan the marble floor. Serena stepped forward to comfort him: "It's okay, Dante, we'll find it." Dante stood motionless, his calm gaze searching the room, his fists clenched tightly at his side. The System whispered in my ear: "Host, let's leave." I bit my lip, taking one last look at Dante. "Okay." As I stepped out the doors, the ballroom erupted in noise again. Looks like they found the ring. People were chanting for them to kiss. I paused, tempted to turn back, but the System interrupted: "Host, the mission is complete. I'm leaving now. By the way, Spud's illness is fully cured. You'll see him when you get home." Knowing Spud was healthy and waiting for me cheered me up a bit. I didn't turn back. "Okay. Thank you."