You’re My Flame

Chapter 1

Prologue

“Chersinia.”

The voice tenderly calling her name stirred her heart. She lifted her head to search for the source.

Before her, a man in military uniform was striding confidently in her direction, his black hair shimmering under the sunlight. His skin sparkled like beach sand, and within his sharp eyes, dark violet irises shone brilliantly like the night sky. His straight nose and sharp jawline only added to his comeliness.

With each step, his broad and muscular shoulders moved rhythmically under his jacket. His long legs and impressive height only increased the sense that he was a painting brought to life.

How does he know my name? Chersinia wondered, biting her lip anxiously. This man was a stranger.

She worried that rumors about her had spread even to other towns. She only wanted to live quietly. Where had things gone wrong?

Her face was grave as she drowned in worry, when the man suddenly stopped a few paces in front of her. Without hesitating, he dropped to one knee and bowed his head.

“Wh-what’s happening?” Chersinia froze, staring down at his kneeling form.

A gentle breeze drifted between them, and on it, a strange yet familiar scent tickled her nose. She did recognize something about this man—his smell. Her heart fluttered.

He lifted his head and stared intently at the rope marks on her wrists. Within his locked gaze, his eyes shimmered as if they were about to ignite.

Feeling self-conscious, Chersinia moved to hide her hands behind her back, but the man was quicker. He grasped her hand before she could whisk it away. His grip was gentle as if he was concerned she might be hurt.

Bringing her warm hand up to his lips, he studied her marked wrist with glistening eyes before placing a gentle kiss over it.

“Wh-what are you…?” Taken aback, her soft voice trembled. The chaste kiss was unexpected and confusing, but she didn’t pull her hand away or push him aside. The oddly familiar scent kept distracting her. The man’s lips lingered on the back of her hand as if he were relishing the moment.

Chersinia stared down at him intently. They had just met, but this man was familiar, yet not. She felt only confusion.

After what seemed like an eternity, he finally lifted his lips from her hand. Heat blossomed over the spot they had touched. An intense sensation spread through her body, making her shiver.

He lifted his dark violet eyes, clouded with desire. When Chersinia met them, she saw her reflection.

Could it be… Her eyes darted side to side, searching. It was impossible. This man had to be someone else. But enchanted by the pair of familiar eyes, a name unwittingly fell from her lips. “Ben?” she asked, her voice as beautiful as birdsong.

The man flashed a dazzling grin, pleased with how his name sounded from her flushed lips. “My Chersinia. I’ve missed you.”

Chersinia gasped at his smile as his eyes curved softly like two crescent moons.

***

It all happened three years ago.

Chersinia was originally the villainess in a Cinderella-like tale, wherein a commoner girl catches the eye of a prince and becomes his bride. As the sole mage of the Belfar Empire, she had the power to manipulate fire. Her ability to control heat at will and incinerate anything made her all-powerful. No one in the empire could best her.

Placed in the story to be a horrible witch, Chersinia inflicted burns upon the female protagonist’s mother and set half the empire ablaze. But she didn’t stop there. She even attempted to kidnap and kill the story’s leading man, the crown prince—though her attempt failed, and he managed to escape.

Guilty of so many wicked deeds, her end was suitably tragic. When she was captured, fifteen arrows, made of iron so that they could not be melted, rained down upon her. As if that weren’t enough, the crown prince then beheaded her struggling body in front of a crowd.

As her lifeblood flowed away, she closed her red eyes. The crowd cheered, and the prince breathed a sigh of relief.

Chersinia’s death had been meticulously planned out. The story had been preparing for it for a long time, building up to an event that would showcase the male lead’s heroism. All said, the author sacrificed her.

With the witch gone, peace befell the empire. The crown prince and his bride were celebrated by all, and the novel ended with their eternal vows.

As she recalled what happened in the novel, the woman was enraged. Bullsh*t. A love story made possible by one person’s sacrifice? Complete nonsense.

Sitting at a table, she pondered her next move, her legs trembling with anxiety.

“Is this how you’ll end it?”

The man’s mocking tone irritated her. Provoked, she took a deep breath and gave the order.

“Sixteen black.” With a graceful flick, she pushed all her chips into the center of the table.

The bold move earned applause from the onlookers. Sitting in the middle of the crowded casino, she was the star. She’d come here to turn her life around, and now was her moment to shine.

Life is a gamble! It was all-or-nothing, and in this case, fortune had indeed favored her bravery. Perhaps by divine grace, she had hit the jackpot—not just once but twice.

Please… God, Buddha, anyone. Are you watching? I know I must be crazy to do this, but… She should have stopped after the second win. She prayed to all the gods she knew.

One slip-up and it would all be over. She hoped she hadn’t run out of beginner’s luck quite yet.

The dealer released the ball. It rolled down and clinked around the spinning wheel, as if in slow motion. It felt like an eternity. Unable to contain her anxiety, the woman clasped her hands under the table.

After three tense seconds, the ball stopped. “Sixteen black.”

The crowd erupted into cheers.

The woman, who had been trembling with nerves, shot to her feet. Her heart was previously pounding with anxiety, but it now thumped with elation.

I did it! Yes! This is going to change my life! Joy had her feeling sky-high. She tried to hold her poker face and keep a smile from bursting forth. However, she couldn’t entirely hide her excitement, and forceful breaths whistled through her nose.

The crowd gasped, finding even that heavy breathing graceful.

“Here you are.” With a wry smile, the dealer pushed over a collection of chips piled high like a small mountain.

The woman quickly swept them into a sack. She hadn’t expected things to go this well, but she was glad she had brought something to carry them, just in case. Unable to hold back her laughter any longer, she let out a greedy chuckle.

This is amazing! I wonder how much there is in total? This is really a new beginning. She gathered her winnings and headed to the casino cage, where she could exchange the chips for money.

If she kept pushing her luck, she might just lose it all. Now, she was ready to fully cash out and preserve her euphoric mood. Even the heavy weight of the sack over her shoulder felt great. It marked one step closer to a glamorous and peaceful life.

The woman striding to the casino cage, riding high on material desire, was named Chersinia.

It had been ten days since she had found herself transported into Chersinia’s body.

Chersinia was a character with flaming red hair and skin as pale as snow. Her eyes were as scarlet as roses, and she had a pert nose and plump, pomegranate-red lips. She was an extraordinary and memorable beauty, with a figure as striking as her face. She was voluptuous but delicate, with slender wrists and ankles and deep collarbones.

While her appearance was truly perfect, she was also known for her fiery temperament. She was quite the hot-tempered eccentric, who struggled with anger management and would use magic recklessly when she got angry. No one stayed by her side for long, making her a loner.

What’s the use of such rave-worthy beauty if you’re just going to live a lonely life and end up losing your head? Chersinia’s execution was frequently discussed among fans of romance-fantasy novels. The readers considered it a satisfying conclusion to her arc. As she was known for her heinous acts, they eagerly awaited her death throughout the story.

Personally, the reader now occupying the mage’s body didn’t agree. She resented that an otherwise charismatic character was used merely to advance the plot.

The novel never even divulged the backstory that might explain Chersinia’s villainous ways. She just appeared out of nowhere to cause trouble—a tragic figure reduced to an author’s tool. She’d lived such a pitiful existence that even in death, people talked about how they were relieved she was gone.

“But why did I end up here?” the woman mumbled angrily. All she had done was feel sorry for the character. However, when she closed the book and opened her eyes, she found herself in Chersinia’s body, three years before the mage emerged as the story’s villain.

At first, she was furious. To have to experience such a cruel death was unthinkable. The future was all too bleak. But then, she realized something—she still had three years left. The main plot of the story hadn’t even started yet, and even better, Chersinia’s powers weren’t discovered until halfway to the end.

“It means no one knows I’m a witch.” She thought this might be a sign from the gods, a chance to live Chersinia’s life differently.

So, the woman decided to live on her own terms, and do things as she wanted—like recklessly chasing a jackpot at the casino. She knew the story’s conclusion and had no intention of repeating it. If she could live a life of peace and quiet, instead of as a witch, she could avoid a terrible death. She would avoid using her potentially problematic magic and keep a low profile.

But if she was going to survive, she wanted to live life to its extravagant fullest. Of course, that required money, and money was what brought her to the only legally operating casino in the empire.

Humming a tune, Chersinia cheerfully approached the cashier to exchange her chips.