[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-how-to-survive-in-the-romance-fantasy-game":3,"chapter-how-to-survive-in-the-romance-fantasy-game-how-to-survive-in-the-romance-fantasy-game-chapter-660":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","How to survive in the Romance Fantasy Game",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1218879,1604,"Chapter 659: Frozen Resolve Interlude.","how-to-survive-in-the-romance-fantasy-game-chapter-660",660,"\u003Cp>\"That’s...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For the first time, the crowned princess of the Germonia Empire faltered under the weight of his gaze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Snow lowered her eyes, fingers tightening slightly around her lunch box.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The pressure in the air was heavy—far heavier than any battlefield she had stood on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a moment, she let out a slow breath, then another, steadying herself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Alright,\" she said quietly. \"I’ll explain.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She lifted her head and spoke, carefully choosing her words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She told Riley about the dream that kept returning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>About the mirror.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>About the cold presence that felt like herself—but not quite.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>About the strange certainty that something inside her had changed since the incident before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And finally, she told him about asking Seo to strike her down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>About wanting to know whether that power would activate on its own... whether she was still herself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When she finished, silence settled over the table.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Riley didn’t speak right away. He simply watched her, his expression steady, unreadable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Snow felt her chest tighten under that gaze far more than she ever had under the crowd’s cheers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She turned to Seo then.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seo was still pouting slightly, arms crossed, clearly unhappy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Truly,\" Snow said, bowing her head. \"I’m really sorry, Seo. I won’t ever ask you to do something like that again. I promise.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seo didn’t respond immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instead, she glanced at Riley, as if asking what she should do.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Riley shook his head once, calm and firm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was between them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Snow stepped closer and gently took Seo’s hand, her grip careful, almost hesitant. When Seo looked up, Snow met her eyes without turning away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Seo... please forgive me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seo’s lips trembled slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I know what I did was wrong,\" Snow continued softly. \"I was selfish. I scared you. You can be angry at me if you want... but please don’t hate me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a long moment, Seo said nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...I don’t hate you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Snow’s eyes widened slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But,\" Seo interrupted, turning her face away, cheeks puffed slightly, \"I won’t forgive you just yet.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Snow blinked. Then, slowly, her expression softened into a relieved smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...That’s fair,\" she said. \"I’ll do everything I can to make it up to you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seo glanced at her again, still clearly upset—but not pushing her away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching the two of them slowly ease back into place, Riley finally let out a quiet sigh he hadn’t realized he was holding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For now, things were settled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He still wasn’t fully satisfied with Snow’s explanation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Does this have something to do with your plans again, Evelyn?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The thought surfaced quietly, but it refused to fade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Considering what had happened with Stacia, it was the most likely answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His clone—his other self—had never truly bothered hiding her involvement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She never lied outright, only nudged things along, shifting events just enough to reach an outcome she desired.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And every time, the result benefited him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was the problem.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Evelyn only acted when she believed it was necessary for his future, for his happiness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Riley knew that much better than anyone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But if she was now touching Snow as well—interfering with her dreams, her memories, her soul—then she should also know one thing clearly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wouldn’t just let it slide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Riley exhaled slowly and shook his head, forcing the thoughts away for now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whatever Evelyn was doing, it wasn’t something he could confront in the middle of the academy grounds. And more importantly—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whatever Snow and Stacia were experiencing, it was undeniable that it was making them stronger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That much, he could feel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Much like Stacia, Snow’s soul had changed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Riley had seen it when his perception drifted too deep—an enormous frozen domain buried inside her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Where Stacia’s soul burned like a sun, blazing with warmth and overwhelming presence, Snow’s was the opposite.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A vast white world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A frozen castle stood at its center, ancient and silent, surrounded by endless ice and darkness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beneath that cold surface flowed something far deeper—an abyss of absolute stillness, illuminated faintly by a pale, cold moonlight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even as an ascended being, Riley had been taken aback.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her soul wasn’t just large.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was terrifyingly vast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A frozen planet, perhaps even more than that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Riley...!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The voice snapped him back to reality.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hm?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He blinked and looked down, realizing Snow was staring at him with clear worry in her eyes, her cheeks faintly tinted red.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Is something wrong?\" she asked softly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No,\" he replied without thinking. \"Everything’s fine.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Snow hesitated, then nodded slowly. \"I-if that’s the case then... maybe we can do what you wanted later...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her voice trailed off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was then Riley realized his hand was resting squarely against the center of her chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Warm. Soft.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Oh—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He pulled his hand back immediately, awkward and flustered, clearing his throat as if that might somehow erase what just happened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Snow’s face turned red almost instantly, steam practically rising as she looked away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seo, who had been silently watching the entire exchange, stared at them with her usual calm expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then she spoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Mine is bigger, Riley.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The words were quiet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Snow and Riley both froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ahahaha... uhm, Principal, I get that you’re having a hard time but... what exactly is this paper?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alice held the document with two fingers like it might bite her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Please sign it...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You know I can’t.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leilah Grace sniffed loudly, her eyes already red and swollen. She grabbed the edge of Alice’s coat like it was her last lifeline.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Please just sign it, Alice. You remember, right? I sponsored your entire first year here before all your other sponsors showed up. Yes, that’s right. I was your patron. So now you have to pay me back.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I don’t think it works like that...\" Alice sighed, rubbing her temple. \"I am grateful, Principal. Truly. I’ll help with whatever I can. But this—this is impossible.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leilah collapsed completely, burying her face against Alice’s skirt as she started crying in earnest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I can’t do it anymore—! The nobles, the board, the festival, the emperor’s people—everyone wants something from meeee—!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Haha...\" Alice laughed awkwardly, patting her back with forced gentleness. \"Please don’t wipe your tears there...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She glanced down at the paper again, already knowing what it said but still hoping she had misread it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Resignation of Principal Leilah Grace\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Immediate appointment of successor: Alice Holloway\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alice let out a long, tired sigh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She knew Leilah had been under a lot of stress lately, but she never imagined it would come to this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Handing over the academy to a student—no, forcing it on her—was beyond unreasonable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Even if you cry this much, there’s still a limit to what I can help you with, you know,\" Alice said gently but firmly. \"And asking a student to take over after your retirement won’t go over well. Not with the board. Not with the empire. Probably not with anyone.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leilah lifted her head slowly, eyes shining with desperate hope.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But you’re graduating this year, right? So you won’t be a student anymore. You’re planning to stay as a professor anyway. And with your talent and prestige, you’re more than qualified!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That’s not the point...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alice lowered the paper onto the desk and met Leilah’s gaze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Being qualified and being acceptable are two very different things. You’re asking me to step into a position that took you decades to build, overnight.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leilah clenched Alice’s sleeve again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But you’re perfect for it! Smart, strong, respected, terrifying when needed—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Principal.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’m Eighteen.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Silence filled the room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leilah slowly looked away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Age is just a number?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alice stared at her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leilah sniffed again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>.....\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’I will guide you, so focus on one thing...’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That voice again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Calm. Mature. Hers—but not quite.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Stacia had grown used to hearing it by now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every night, without fail, it appeared in her dreams, steady and patient, like an older version of herself watching from a distant future.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’My protection and interference come at a cost. But as long as you don’t overclock the blessing I gave you, you should be able to complete it when you face the flaming wolf again...’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The words echoed softly, sinking deep into her mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She wanted to ask more. She always did.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But before she could—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>FOOOOSHHH!!!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Flames burst outward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Stacia’s eyes snapped open.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Heat washed over her body as she sucked in a sharp breath, sweat sliding down her cheek.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The room around her was dim, quiet, untouched—but her chest burned as if something inside her had just been stirred awake and then sealed shut again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...I still can’t use it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her voice came out hoarse as she pressed a hand against her chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now that she was fully aware of the power sleeping inside her, it felt even worse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That endless, foreign energy was there—she could feel it clearly—but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t draw it out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not even a fraction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ever since her fight with Flamme, nothing had moved forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The swordsmanship she unleashed that day... the state she briefly touched... it was all slipping through her fingers, like a memory she couldn’t quite grasp no matter how many times she reached for it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Stacia let out a slow breath and opened her palms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Flames bloomed instantly, dancing above her hands with perfect control.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Three days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For three days straight, no one had managed to defeat her since the competition began.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To the outside world, she was dominating. Calm. Unshaken.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But she knew better.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because tomorrow was different.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tomorrow, she would face the one person everyone called the golden child of their generation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rose Brilliance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Stacia lowered her hands, the flames fading as her expression hardened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She knew the truth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She would probably lose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But even so—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was her chance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her chance to stay by his side without hesitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without doubt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without being left behind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No excuses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No questions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For that alone—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Stacia closed her eyes and took a deep, steady breath, letting the heat in her chest settle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And silently, she prepared herself.\u003C\u002Fp>",1663,"2026-06-03T14:41:09.353Z",1,"novelbin.me","fbea6834d4616034732c9e28f7f7362e64b80b91fe33db1e375c82c9fbf0cadf","how-to-survive-in-the-romance-fantasy-game-chapter-661","how-to-survive-in-the-romance-fantasy-game-chapter-659",727,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fhow-to-survive-in-the-romance-fantasy-game-cover.jpg"]