After failing my conquest mission, I trade my ability to feel in exchange for a ticket back to my home world.

Two years later, the system summons me, citing an emergency.

It tells me that my old conquest target, Caspian Stone, tried to destroy the entire world just to see me.

I turn that request down immediately.

Even if I've already lost my ability to feel, rationally speaking, I do not want to be with someone who has hurt me before.

The poor system is so anxious that it keeps naming condition after condition. In the end, it agrees to let me stay with Caspian for only three months.

In return for my cooperation, once I return from Caspian's world, not only must be the system restore my ability to feel, but it must also pay me a huge sum of money that comes from legal sources and has already gotten taxed.

But when I return to Caspian's side as an emotionless robot, he goes deeper down the path of lunacy.

"Seraphine, please… I'm begging you. You're the only one who can save this world."

The system's light orb trembled wildly in front of me, as if it might shatter at any second.

"Caspian has gone insane. He's going to blow up the World Core. He said if he doesn't see you, he'll drag everyone down with him."

I sat in the void, watching the data stream collapse in slow motion.

Two years ago, I failed the mission. In exchange for breaking free of the quest and returning to my original world, I gave up the ability to feel any emotion.

Now, I felt nothing—no joy, no anger, no sorrow, no love. And there was certainly no hatred, no obsession, and no desire.

It was as if my heart had become a bottomless cup. No matter what was poured into it, nothing would stay.

"I can return," I said at last, my voice calm. "But he's a madman. I don't have emotions anymore and can't respond to him."

"And that's fine!" The system reassured me quickly. "As long as you're there, it's enough! Just keep him stable for three months. Once the World Firewall is repaired, I'll send you back immediately!"

Desperate, it offered me a deal. "Not only will I restore your emotions, but I'll also give you a 50-million retirement bonus!"

I paused to calculate. 50 million dollars was more than enough to secure a carefree life. So, I accepted.

When I opened my eyes again, I was standing in front of that familiar hillside villa. The gates were wide open. Caspian Stone stumbled out in a rush.

Two years had changed him. His face was shadowed, his gaze sharp and violent. The moment he saw me, the madness in his eyes shattered, replaced by disbelief.

"Seraphine?"

His hand trembled as he reached out, but he didn't dare touch me, as if I was nothing more than a fragile mirage that would vanish at the slightest contact.

I looked at him, and a memory surfaced in my mind.

Two years ago, he had walked away from me for Thalia Lloyd without hesitation. I knew I should feel something—anger, hurt, or even bitterness—but there was nothing. All I felt was emptiness.

So, I followed the script of what love was supposed to look like and gave him a faint smile. "Caspian, I'm back."

The next second, he pulled me into a crushing embrace. His grip was suffocatingly tight, and his whole body shook as though he was on the verge of breaking. Hot tears soaked through my collar almost instantly.

Caspian buried his face against me, repeating my name over and over, like a drowning man clinging to his last piece of driftwood.

"You finally came back… I knew if I forced you, you'd come back… Seraphine, please don't leave me again…"

I let him hold me. Slowly, I raised my hands and patted his back. Every movement was delicate and perfectly measured—the kind of comfort a devoted lover should give.

But I felt nothing.

My body stayed in his arms, yet my soul felt suspended somewhere in the air, watching coldly as this emotional reunion played out.

Caspian took me back home and treated me like something fragile.

He became extremely sensitive, almost paranoid, to the point that every corner of the house was planted with bodyguards and surveillance cameras.

As for him, he barely left my side. It was as if I would disappear again the moment he looked away.

"Sweet barbecue ribs, your favorite. I made them myself, Seraphine."

At the dining table, his eyes were full of anticipation as he placed a piece on my plate. He had never stepped into the kitchen for me before.

Back then, when I ran through the rain to deliver a contract for him and ended up with a fever, all I got in return was the takeout he'd ordered. He had changed so much after I left.

But why was it that when I gave him everything, he never cared?

"It's delicious. Thank you," I said, setting my cutlery down and giving him a soft smile.

Caspian stared at me for a long moment. The lights in his eyes dimmed a little. "Seraphine, do you still… blame me?"

I shook my head and told the truth. "No."

I didn't blame him because I neither loved nor hated him. How could I blame him when he felt no different from a stranger?

"Then, why are you…"

He trailed off, unable to finish the question.

Maybe he wanted to ask why I was so calm, why I wasn't like before, when even the tiniest thing he did for me could move me to tears. Now, I was as polite as a guest in his home.

Just then, the person who had pushed us to this point walked in.

Thalia Lloyd was Caspian's so-called best buddy, the very thorn that had wedged itself between us two years ago. She still looked as delicate and charming as ever, but when her gaze fell on me, I caught the flicker of poorly concealed jealousy.

"Oh, you're back."

She lounged on the couch, holding the cushion that had been mine, her eyes brimming with provocation. "These past two years have been so hard on Caspian. It was heartless of you to just bolt like that, Seraphine."

Caspian was peeling fruit for me. When he heard that, the knife in his hand stilled for a second, but he said nothing. He was watching me, studying my reaction.

I could guess what he wanted to see. He wanted anger, jealousy—for me to cause a scene. He wanted me to care enough to clash with Thalia like I did two years ago.

Unfortunately, I didn't feel triggered anymore. I only glanced at her as if I were looking at yet another stranger.

"It was pretty heartless of me," I said, going along with her. My tone was mild, as if we were just chatting about the weather. "Good thing you two have such a tight bond. Thanks for looking out for him all this time."

Thalia froze. Her provocation fell flat.

Caspian's expression darkened. He set the sliced apple down on the table with a heavy thud. "What do you mean by that, Seraphine? You don't mind?"

I turned to look at him. His eyes held suppressed anger, which only confused me.

I was being generous and sensible and wasn't even making a fuss. Wasn't that exactly what men claimed they wanted?

"Why would I mind?" I asked softly. "She's your best buddy. Looking out for you is only natural. Anyway, I just got back, and I'm a little tired. I'll head upstairs to rest."

I stood and left, my steps steady and unhurried. Behind me came Caspian's suppressed growl, followed by the sharp crash of glasses shattering.

Caspian began to grow restless. He couldn't stand the way nothing fazed me.

So, he changed tactics. To trigger me, he started to indulge Thalia on purpose, letting her cross lines just to provoke me.

That night, she stayed in his study until late. I brought him a glass of milk, and when I pushed the door open, I saw her sitting on his lap, wearing his shirt.

Caspian noticed me, but he didn't push Thalia away. Instead, he looked straight at me, like he was challenging me.

I stood at the doorway and watched the scene. Yet my heart remained unmoved.

Had this been two years ago, I would've cried, made a scene, and shouted at him without holding back. Now, all I could think about was how uncomfortable their position looked and how the milk was getting cold.

"Sorry to interrupt," I said as I walked in and set the glass on the desk. I even closed the half-open window for them. "It gets windy at night, so don't catch a cold. Carry on."

I turned and left, closing the door behind me.

The moment the door shut, Caspian's furious roar exploded from inside. "Get the hell out of my face right now!"

Right after that came Thalia's tearful sobs.

That night, Caspian stormed into my room. He reeked of alcohol as he grabbed me and shoved me down onto the bed. "Seraphine, are you even human anymore?"

His eyes were red as he stared at me. "After everything I did, you don't feel anything? Do you just not love me anymore?"

I looked at him as he unraveled in front of me and gently wiped away the tear at the corner of his eye. My voice was as soft as always.

"Don't do this, Caspian. I just think that if you like her, I can step aside. I'll do anything as long as you're happy."

"No, I'm not! I'm not happy at all!" he cried out, burying his face in the crook of my neck and wailing like a helpless child. "I want you to love me… Hit me, hate me, yell at me—do anything to me, but don't treat me like you're a robot…"

I let Caspian cry against me until my sleepwear was soaked through. I quietly counted down the days. There was just a little over a month left…

Once I endured another month, the task would end. I would take the money I'd earned and walk away. Caspian's pain was his own doing, and it had nothing to do with me.

I thought the days would just keep passing like this, caught between my own numbness and his slow descent into madness, until Thalia came looking for me.

"You disgust me, Seraphine."

In the garden, she stared at me with venom in her eyes. "You don't love him, so why are you still clinging to him? Look at what he's become now! You've driven him to this state!"

I trimmed the flower branches and replied flatly, "That was his choice."

Thalia let out a cold laugh. "Just you wait. Soon, you'll lose your privilege to stay by his side."

I didn't understand what she meant, so I didn't take it seriously. Still, I hadn't anticipated her methods to be so ruthless.