I AM NOT THE LOVE INTEREST!

Chapter 25: Marriage with Me

—CELIA—

"Oh my god," I whispered, staring at Sebastian in complete disbelief. "Oh my god."

"Nobody said anything worthy of that reaction," he replied immediately.

"You just asked if I was pregnant!"

"Because you looked like you were about to faint!"

"I looked disgusted!"

"You were holding your stomach!"

"Because you called me ’my love’!"

Sebastian flinched.

Meanwhile, Ren slowly turned his head away toward the street as if he had suddenly developed a deep scholarly interest in horse transportation.

Sebastian cleared his throat once, visibly regaining composure. "That is not the point."

"It is absolutely the point," I argued.

"Stop acting all lovey-dovey with me, will you? You hate my guts. Also, I am no longer your fiancée. Haven’t I already introduced you properly to Cynthia? Why are you still clinging to me like this? Let go of me!"

I struggled again, attempting to pry myself free from his arms.

And when I thought he would finally loosen his hold...

He suddenly looked directly into my eyes.

I froze.

What... was with this atmosphere?

The playful irritation from earlier disappeared completely. His expression sharpened slightly, and something heavy settled behind his gaze that made me instinctively still.

"Do you truly wish to be with that man?" he asked quietly.

His eyes shifted toward Ren.

Correction.

Glared toward Ren.

I blinked, confused.

"...What?"

Sebastian’s jaw tightened faintly. "That commoner."

Excuse me?

I immediately looked toward Ren in offense on his behalf.

Ren himself remained standing quietly with the book bag still in hand, although his posture had become noticeably straighter now, likely sensing danger the way wild animals sensed natural disasters.

What... am I hearing?

I stared at Sebastian in complete disbelief while Ren, that absolute traitor of a man, calmly bowed once before retreating toward the carriage with the speed of someone escaping a political assassination.

"I shall wait ahead, my lady."

And just like that, he abandoned me.

The moment Ren disappeared far enough down the street, silence fell heavily between Sebastian and I.

A deeply uncomfortable silence.

Because my brain had finally caught up to what he had just said.

"Then embrace me! Be with me! Look for me! Cry to me!"

Excuse me???

I blinked slowly at him.

Wait.

Shouldn’t those lines belong to the heroine?

Why was he saying them to me?!

My thoughts spiraled violently.

Hold on.

Hold on a damn minute.

In the original story, Sebastian was supposed to become so devoted to Cynthia after meeting her.

So why was he currently standing in the middle of the street looking offended because I hugged another man?!

I narrowed my eyes at him suspiciously.

"...Are you feeling unwell?"

Sebastian looked personally insulted. "What sort of question is that?"

"A very reasonable one!"

"You think I am ill because I told you to rely on me?"

"Yes!"

Sebastian remained silent after that.

Meanwhile, I was trying to peacefully return a male lead back to the plot where he belonged.

Preferably far away from me.

"That makes no sense," Sebastian said at last.

"It makes perfect sense..." I argued immediately. "You have spent the past year treating me like a speck in your eye!"

Which honestly was not even his fault.

The original Aria truly had been exhausting.

Even I probably would have avoided her if I met her in real life.

His expression twitched slightly at my accusation.

"That is an exaggeration."

"You looked inconvenienced every time I entered a room! Or whenever we met."

"You were loud."

"I am still loud!"

"Yes," he replied immediately. "But now you are loud differently."

I froze completely.

"...What does that even mean?"

"You have changed..." he simply said.

Oh no.

Dangerous conversation.

Abort mission.

I laughed awkwardly and waved my hand dismissively. "Ah... hahaha... people change."

However, my thoughts were already spiraling violently.

What?!

It has only been two freaking days since I arrived in this body and this man already changed his entire attitude?!

Wait.

Something is genuinely wrong here.

The timeline was malfunctioning.

That had to be it.

Maybe my sister secretly wrote bonus Chapters I never read. Maybe this was an alternate route.

I quickly cleared my throat before he could continue observing me.

"Also," I continued more carefully, "there is truly no need for you to pressure yourself about our engagement."

Sebastian’s expression slowly stilled.

"I have already spoken to my father regarding the matter," I said. "So please... there is no need for all this."

I gestured vaguely between us.

The possessiveness.

The dramatic declarations.

The random "my love" attack earlier that nearly sent me into cardiac arrest.

All this.

And for the first time since this conversation began, my tone softened sincerely.

"...I truly apologize for the things I have done before," I admitted quietly. "I forced you into this arrangement and I regret it now."

The words felt strangely heavy leaving my mouth.

Not because I personally did those things.

But because the memories still existed inside me.

The original Aria’s desperation.

Her obsession.

Her constant attempts to force affection from someone who clearly did not know how to return it.

It was uncomfortable carrying those memories while also being completely separate from them.

"I am giving you back your freedom," I finished with a sigh.

Sebastian stared at me without speaking.

His expression became unreadable again, which somehow felt worse than irritation.

"And now that I have changed," I continued carefully, "I have no intention of marrying."

That part, at least, was entirely true.

Romance sounded exhausting.

One wrong decision and suddenly you were crying in the rain while orchestral music played in the background.

No thank you.

"I want to go places," I said honestly. "Meet people. Experience new things."

Like magic and libraries, magical libraries!

And possibly surviving long enough to enjoy both.

I folded my arms and nodded firmly to myself.

"Yes. That sounds perfect and peaceful."

Sebastian’s gaze lingered on me strangely.

"...Peaceful," he repeated.

"Yes."

"You wish to spend your life wandering around freely?"

"Exactly."

"With no husband."

"Yes."

"No children."

"Correct."

Something unreadable flickered across his face again.

I narrowed my eyes suspiciously.

"...Why do you look personally offended by my happiness?"

"I do not."

"You absolutely do."

Sebastian exhaled quietly before suddenly looking away toward the street.

For several moments, he said nothing.

Then finally...

"You speak as though marriage is imprisonment."

I blinked.

"Well..." I paused carefully. "Historically speaking, for women, that answer is occasionally yes."

He looked back at me softly.

"But that is not what marriage would be with me."