After bidding goodbye to Yolanda, Lia stepped out of the store as she went through her mental map. She checked once again for the possible alleys and side streets that she could pass through.

With everything planned out in her, she breathed out and hoped her plan worked this time. The handsome face of the protagonist crossed her mind.

‘Yep, definitely, have to avoid him.’

She trudged along many alleys and perhaps, because of the festival that even these streets were full of people. But instead of slowing her down, she used the momentum to breeze through the crowd.

‘So far, so good.’

After what seemed like forever, she arrived at the large intersection of streets that led to the main road to the center of town. She braced herself and slipped through the throngs of people again, squeezing and twisting her body in the process.

‘Just a few more.’

Lia could see the outskirts of the town. She was almost there.

At that moment, there was clamor somewhere near the center that sent waves of excitement until the last line of people. Without a moment’s notice, Lia had swept away in the sea of people, carrying her as if she was a paper.

“Let me through!” She said. But no one heard her so she tried once again, shouting this time, using all of her strength, and putting all of her weight to cut through the people.

But that had done nothing to budge these people. The surge was getting stronger and fiercer as they dragged Lia towards the center as if all of them were pulled by a large magnet.

“Excuse me!” Lia tried once more.

Despite all of her efforts, her body seemed to weaken as the tide of people squished her on all sides. If she were to get out of this town alive, she would not step foot inside this place ever again. Maybe beg Tamara to go to other places, search for friendlier areas.

‘Just what the heck is going on?’

“What’s going on?” the girl in front of her echoed her thoughts.

“There’s a contest in the middle!” someone beside her answered.

Another one giggled. “One of the judges is so handsome!”

“I heard he’s from the capital. The mayor brought him as a guest here.

“Do you think he is single?”

A fit of laughter echoed in the surroundings. Lia rolled her eyes when she heard of this. This information only increased her desire to get away from this place. Not that man again. She had enough of him to last her lifetime.

In the original novel, Lia, who loved all sorts of gatherings went down to the town to join the people in the hopes of enjoying herself too. The woods were her prison. It was dry and lifeless. She wanted to be with other people, to feel like she belonged. She only wanted to be somehow part of the occasion. At times like this, no one will bat an eye even to her. So she did.

There was a cooking contest and she watched from the distance. Until she saw him. She fell in love at him right then and there. She did everything she could to be able to join and show her skills to him. This was the start of her chasing the protagonist. The start of her fall.

So for Lia now, this contest meant as something that must be avoided at all cost. She did not want to join. She did not want to meet the protagonist. She wanted nothing to do with him.

But her momentarily lost of focus caused her to be swept away right into the middle of the town.

“Wait! Just–”

Of course, her protest reached deaf ears as everyone was eager to get to the front of the stage. The people crushed her, stomped on her feet as they burst towards the front.

At the corner of her eye, she caught sight of an area on her left with lesser people. She gathered her remaining strength and waded through the crowd and stumbled directly to a table.