Chapter 17: A Date with Raphael (Who is Definitely Not My Husband)

Verbena paced her room like a squirrel on caffeine.

The stupid letter lay on her desk, glowing like a cursed object. Every time she looked at it, her mind replayed Theodore's smug smile and the ridiculous words "romantic competition."

"What competition?! This isn't a love triangle, it's a one-man circus!" she groaned.

Still, something gnawed at her curiosity. Theodore was always cold and distant in the original novel, treating his wife like decorative furniture. But now?

Now he was writing overdramatic love letters and challenging his own fake rival.

"What is wrong with him?" she muttered, peeking out the window.

That's when she saw it — under the massive magnolia tree in the central garden stood a tall figure cloaked in a ridiculous white cape, embroidered with roses and glittering stars. His back was to her, but the golden hair shining in the moonlight gave him away instantly.

Verbena clutched the window frame so hard it creaked.

"He actually dressed up as Raphael?!"

Somewhere deep in her brain, a screw popped loose. Because the next thing she knew, she was yanking on her prettiest dress — **a soft lavender one that screamed 'innocent maiden accidentally caught in drama' — and stomping down the hall.

"If he wants to play games, fine! I'll show him who the real master of romantic nonsense is!"

In the garden, Theodore stood dramatically, one hand on his chest, the other holding a single rose. He was radiating theatrical energy so powerful even the flowers were embarrassed.

Verbena stepped into view, trying not to laugh at the sheer ridiculousness of it all. "Raphael?" she called, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Theodore turned, mask covering half his face, but even with that disguise, his smirk was unmistakable.

"Ah, my beloved Verbena," he said, voice so deep it practically caressed the air. "You came."

Verbena's entire body shivered — not from romance, but from secondhand embarrassment.

She stomped forward, hands on hips. "What exactly are you trying to achieve here?"

"To win your heart, of course." Theodore's eyes gleamed behind the mask. "Or at least, to defeat Raphael and prove I am the superior suitor."

"You ARE Raphael, you lunatic!"

"Am I? Or am I merely a humble villain caught in the throes of love, willing to become my own rival to see your smile?"

"…That made no sense."

"Romance rarely does."

Verbena threw up her hands. "Fine! You want a date? Let's have a date. But if you break character once, you lose!"

Theodore's smile sharpened. "Challenge accepted, my lady."

The date began with a moonlit stroll, where Raphael (definitely NOT Theodore) recited embarrassingly bad poetry about her eyes being twin galaxies and her smile capable of curing plagues. Verbena nearly choked holding back laughter.

Then came the picnic under the magnolia tree, where Raphael presented a basket filled with…

"Why is this all expensive cheese and wine?" Verbena blinked. "Do you think I'm some rich socialite?"

"Raphael only knows luxury," Theodore said smoothly, offering her a silver fork.

Verbena stabbed a piece of cheese like it owed her money. "Raphael has terrible taste."

"Do not insult my honor, my fair Verbena."

"This is MY fake lover! I can insult him however I want!"

Theodore laughed — genuinely, loudly — the sound so rare and warm that Verbena actually forgot to argue for a moment.

They continued like that, bickering and teasing, until the moon hung directly overhead. The air turned cooler, but neither of them moved to leave.

Verbena sat back, watching the villain pretending to be a knight, who was technically her husband pretending to be her imaginary affair.

If someone told her back in her first life — when she was just a broke college student running a failing bakery — that she'd end up here, she would have thrown flour in their face.

Yet here she was.

And somehow, it felt…nice.

"You're not like how I imagined you," she said quietly, almost to herself.

Theodore paused, mask in his lap. "Oh? And how did you imagine me?"

"Cold, cruel, detached. The terrifying villain husband who would make my life a nightmare."

"And now?"

Verbena glanced at him — at the man willing to cosplay as his own competition just to mess with her.

"Now you're just a ridiculous, overdramatic theater kid with too much free time."

Theodore smirked. "What can I say? I aim to surprise."

They sat in silence after that, the awkward tension slowly melting into something softer. Maybe, just maybe, this villain wasn't completely hopeless.

"Raphael," she said suddenly, deciding to play along one last time. "Why do you love me so much?"

Theodore turned to her, and for the first time that night, he didn't smile.

"Because even when you think no one's watching, you still shine."

Verbena's breath caught. That line — it wasn't dramatic or flowery. It was simple. Honest. Real.

Before she could respond, Theodore stood, slipping the mask back on. "I'll see you at our next forbidden rendezvous, my love."

He swept off into the night, cape billowing dramatically, leaving Verbena sitting there, heart beating way faster than it should.

"Damn it…" she muttered. "Why do I feel like I'm actually falling for him?!"

End of Chapter 17