Ball of Nothing - Chapter 293 Reading Marathon

This is a tale that distorts the scenario of an otome game.An orphan girl named Alicia is attacked by a woman trying to steal her body to become the “heroine”. From the fragmentary knowledge she acquires, Alicia learns that this world is the stage of an “otome game” in a “world of sword and magic”.Having learned the truth from the knowledge she obtained, the immature Alicia dismisses the otome game as “nonsense” and runs away from the orphanage to escape the fate of the “heroine”.A villainess aims to take her life. A fake heroine appears. Alicia trains herself using the fragmentary knowledge she has gained in order to survive, growing into the “Strongest Assassin” that is feared by both the Thieves’ Guild and the Assassins’ Guild.

CONTENT WARNING:/This novel contains mature themes, explicit sexual content, strong language, and adult situations. Reader discretion is advised./---She ran from the devil who raised her…And married the one who wore a crown.After her parents’ tragic death, Lydia Andreyevna’s life became a nightmare. Stripped of her name, inheritance, and freedom by her uncle—Lord Alexander—she was treated like property and promised to a Count four times her age.Desperate to escape, she fled into the cold night… and straight into blood.A stranger. Wounded. Beautiful. Terrifying.She should’ve left him.But she didn’t.She touched him once—and fate branded her forever.Her uncle caught her the next morning. Her escape failed. But when she begged Queen Olga for protection, the Queen offered her a deadly bargain:Marry the masked Grand Duke of Zolotaria.The king’s hunting dog. The butcher of the East. The devil in a crown.The man feared by kings.The heir to the throne.The same man she once saved.Ivan Romanov.They say he bathes in blood. That he kills without blinking. That he conquered kingdoms with a smile behind a mask. That no one sees his face—and lives.Some call him the devil. Others call him Death’s favorite son.But behind the mask is the same man she found dying in the dark.The same voice that haunted her dreams.The same hands she once held.Now, he’s her husband.Her jailer.Her obsession.She doesn’t know if she’s his prisoner, or his weakness.Cold and untouchable, Ivan doesn’t share his bed. Doesn’t share his secrets. But she sees it—the hunger in his eyes. The pain in his silence. The way he looks at her like she’s the only thing keeping his demons at bay.She should fear him.She should hate him.But the moment she dares to take off his mask… it’s already too late.Because Ivan wants her—her fire, her body, her heart.And in his world, what he wants, he keeps.Even if it means burning down the kingdom.She thought she was running from hell.She ended up in his bed.And the most dangerous thing of all?She doesn’t want to leave.

One day, I decided to end my short livestreaming career. Not that I had ever started it with the intention of earning money.My life had hit rock bottom: a disappointment to my family, painfully average in academics, buried under massive debt after my company failed, and to top it all off, the one person who had been my emotional support, my loving girlfriend, cheated on me.Yes, life had turned into hell. So I chose to cut off all distractions and focus solely on my studies.However, the moment I went live to announce my decision, the few viewers I had exploded in rage.[There will be slaughter! Whoever made my Kyle sad deserves to burn in hell!][My time with Kyle… gone… that demands… massacre.][Kyle… Kyle… don’t go…]Then came a suggestion.[I have sent a gift for you. I hope that helps change your mind.]That gift, sent by one of my regular viewers, completely changed my life.I learned that the world I lived in wasn’t as simple as I had believed.Nightmares, shadows, ghouls, curses… they were as real as humans.And with the blessing I received, I became part of that hidden world.On top of that, I received a system that sometimes rewards me simply for existing.It’s crazy.The viewers I thought were just regular people were all deities.••••••••A/N: For the first few arcs, the protagonist will operate in secrecy, and there is a good reason for it.The main character will experience sudden growth in strength, as this story isn’t about gradual power-building but about personal connections and slice of life.Expect heavy slice of life in this one.And please read through the free chapters before passing judgment.

Childhood, upbringing, family background, social relations, traumatic experiences…

We keep reviewing and seeking out the motives of criminals, exploring the subtlest emotions driving them. It’s not to put ourselves in their shoes and sympathize, or even forgive them; it’s not to find some reasons to exculpate their crimes; it’s not to kneel down before the so-called “complexity of human nature”; nor to introspect social conflicts, much less to alienate ourselves into monsters.

We just want to have a fair trial – for ourselves and for those who still have hope for the world.

A seme thug specialized in dealing with various kinds of disobedience vs. a cowardly and dissolute uke descended from a rich family

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