"If the female lead’s role and halo can be stolen, then the entire novel has turned into nothing but a jumbled mess. We have no idea who your next enemy will be or how things will unfold. Don’t you think?" Athena said, tugging at Hera’s sleeve.


    Even Hera felt her heart skip a beat at Athena’s words. It would be a lie to say she had never considered this possibility before.


    After all, she had already suspected that the Coltons had taken the Averys’ ce in the novel’s downfall, especially after being targeted by numerous powerful families led by the male leads and her own family.


    She had believed that as long as shepletely stole Alice’s female lead halo, she and her family would be safe, shielded by the male leads and their halos.


    That way, she could finally break free from the novel’s constraints.


    Now that Athena had brought up the topic, Hera realized things might not be as simple as she had assumed.


    She took a deep breath, but it felt like it was stuck in her throat, refusing to go down.


    Or maybe—she was panicking.


    The more she thought about it, the more suffocating it felt, as if she were truly trapped inside this so-called novel.


    The worst part?


    The storyline itself seemed to be working against her, favoring Alice at every turn.


    If things took a drastic shift—one even she and Athena couldn’t predict—then their knowledge of the original plot would be useless.


    She would be left stumbling in the dark, like a headless chicken running in circles, or worse, walking straight into a trap without even realizing it.


    For the first time since learning about her supposed fate, Hera felt true fear.


    It was as if her entire body had been plunged into the icy depths of ake in the winter, leaving her trembling uncontrobly.


    Seeing her in such a state, Athena felt both nervous and deeply sorry for her.


    She instinctively reached out to hold Hera’s hands, hoping to offerfort, but the moment her fingers made contact, she flinched—Hera’s hands were ice-cold, eerily lifeless, like those of a corpse.


    Athena’s eyes darted to Hera’s face, and her heart clenched at the sight of her ashenplexion.


    Without a second thought, driven by pure instinct, she pulled Hera into a tight, protective hug.


    "Babe, listen to me," Athena said firmly. "I might be wrong about my assumption, and even if I’m right, you’re not alone in this."


    "Just like in the novel, the female lead and the second female lead fought back, and we can do the same. Besides, we have the male leads on our side."


    "In every novel I’ve read, the male leads hold a stable and unique position, meaning they’re essentially protagonists in their own right, with their own powerful halos."


    "So, we just have to keep doing what you’ve been doing—leveraging their influence and using their male lead halos to our advantage to fight back against the storyline... or Alice."


    "I know you can do this," Athena said softly, her voice steady and reassuring.


    "You’ve alreadye so far—there’s no turning back now, right?" She gently rubbed Hera’s back in slow, soothing motions, trying to calm her.


    Athena understood why Hera had suddenly spiraled into panic.


    After all, she had been carrying the weight of her emotions alone, fighting against this so-called fate ever since she discovered she was trapped inside a novel, with her life and death seemingly preordained the moment she met Alexi.


    Athena could only imagine the fear and struggle Hera had endured during that time, but she knew just how much effort Hera had put into changing her fate and fighting to protect her loved ones.


    So now, after believing she had finally gained the upper hand and that her life was starting to improve, hearing something like this must have felt like a cruel joke—offering her a glimmer of hope only to snatch it away.


    The thought alone was devastating.


    All Athena could do now was soothe Hera’s fears and remind her of the strength she had always carried within her.


    Athena hadn’t realized that her thoughtless rambling would send Hera into a panic.


    Though Hera had considered this possibility before, it was only now that she recognized how her mind had been unconsciously rejecting the idea.


    epting it would mean acknowledging that all her hard work might have been in vain—that she was only making things more difficult for herself and the people around her.


    And if this truly came to pass, she would lose her biggest advantage.


    Up until now, her edge over Alice had been her knowledge of the novel—the ns, the twists, and Alice’s future development, all thanks to Athena reading the novel.


    But if Alice changed her course and started thinking differently, Hera and Athena would be leftpletely in the dark, unable to predict her next move.


    She wasn’t even sure if Alice still had a chance to steal the male leads from her, especially now that things between her and them had already turned intimate.


    Despite herself, Hera had started overthinking again, her mind spiraling into endless possibilities. Athena noticed the distant look in her eyes, her focus slipping away.


    Without hesitation, Athena cupped Hera’s face in both hands, gently but firmly making her look at her. "Hey, hey, babe, focus on me. Stop overthinking. If those bitchese, we’ll p them square in the face. If two show up, we’ll p them both—nice and simple."


    Hera heard Athena’s supposedly seriousment, and just like that, her racing thoughts came to an abrupt halt.


    Why?


    Because Athena’s words were so unexpectedly blunt that Hera couldn’t help but burst intoughter.


    Yes, this was Athena—this was her way.


    No matter the situation, she always managed to make Heraugh, and this time was no exception.