If someone told me I'd die before finishing my instant noodles, I'd have at least added an egg. But no. The universe decided to take me out mid-slurp.
One moment I was trying to untangle my earphones, and the next—
BAM.
I was flying through the air because some truck decided my body was the perfect new bumper accessory. People say your life flashes before your eyes before you die.
Mine didn't. I just thought, Great. I didn't delete my browser history.
Everything went dark after that.
When I opened my eyes again, I wasn't on the road. I wasn't even in my cheap apartment or heaven—unless heaven came with velvet curtains, crystal chandeliers, and the faint smell of money.
"What the hell…" I muttered, blinking at the overly fancy room.
I honestly thought I was dreaming, so naturally, I did the most logical thing possible—I decided to go back to sleep.
But just before I could close my eyes—
PLOP!
A glowing blue screen popped up right in front of my face.
[SYSTEM BOOTING...]
[Welcome, Lady Seraphina Valemont—aka—Rina Tanaka.]
[Please follow the script to avoid termination.]
[Noncompliance will result in death in both worlds.]
"...What… what in the world…" I croaked, sitting up straight. My eyes widened as I stared at the floating screen.
I rubbed my face once. Twice. Nope—it was still there.
Then, as if things weren't insane enough, more text appeared.
[Upcoming Scene: Engagement Annulment.]
[Fiancé: Grand Duke Cassian D'Artois.]
[Please choose your response:]
1. Cry dramatically and beg him not to leave.
2. Curse the heroine.
3. Smile coldly and say, "You'll regret this, Your Grace."
. . .
. . .
I gawked at the options, jaw slack. "What… what the hell is going on? And… Cassian D'Artois?"
That name… it sounded familiar. My brain lagged for a moment—then it hit me. The blue screen. The name it had called me.
Lady Seraphina Valemont.
"Oh no," I whispered, horror dawning on me. "Please don't tell me—"
I scrambled off the bed and nearly tripped over the ridiculous layers of lace and silk I was wearing. Stumbling to the mirror, I froze.
Golden hair. blue eyes. Porcelain skin. Jewelry worth more than my lifetime savings. That… was not Rika Tanaka.
I stared at my reflection for a good three seconds before blurting out the only reasonable thing left to say.
"...I. am. F***ed. Up."
***
So, What Kind Of World is this?
This was a game world.
Yes, you heard that right—a romantic simulation game world.
Was it famous? Absolutely not.
It was one of those generic, cliché romance games I downloaded on a bored weekend, played for one day, and uninstalled in frustration.
Even the name screamed cheap drama: "Clingy Hearts!!"
Two exclamation marks. Like it was desperate to be loved. The story was painfully predictable.
A commoner girl—sweet, kind, "not like other girls"—lived a quiet life until one day she saved Count Valemont from an assassination attempt.
Plot twist: he was secretly a noble.
Of course, the girl's mother immediately died of illness right after, because tragedy equals instant character development, right?
The Count, moved by her "pure heart," adopted her as his daughter. When she arrived at the Valemont estate, the Count's two sons initially disliked her (classic rich-boy jealousy setup), but soon she charmed everyone with her innocence.
And then there was me—or rather, the real Seraphina Valemont.
The Count's biological daughter.
Neglected. Forgotten. Replaced in her own family by some random peasant Cinderella knock-off. And like every classic villainess ever, Seraphina snapped. She bullied the poor, innocent adopted daughter.
Then her oh-so-righteous fiancé—the Grand Duke Cassian D'Artois—witnessed her "cruelty" and broke off their engagement.
And started the Romance between the Adopted Daughter and Grand duke.
And the ending? Cassian drove his sword straight through Seraphina's chest after she poisoned the heroine.
The last thing the villainess ever said was something like, "If I can't have love, at least I'll have revenge."
Yup. Dramatic. Tragic. And completely unfair. So, to summarize my situation:
I had died mid-noodle, woken up as the game's most hated villainess, and now had a system threatening to kill me in both worlds if I didn't follow the script.
If hell had a "premium edition," this was it.
***
And my situation now?
SLAP!
A sharp crack echoed through the room, and a stinging pain bloomed across my cheek. I blinked. Once. Twice.
Did he just—
The man standing before me, face pale with fury and disappointment, was none other than Count Edric Valemont—Seraphina's father.
"How many times have I told you to behave—at least during the Grand Duke's coronation ceremony?" His voice was cold enough to frost glass. "Yet you humiliated your sister by calling her a mud leech! Is this what we've taught you?"
My cheek burned, and my pride… well, that was still buffering.
Then, right in front of me—
[CHOOSE AN OPTION:]1. "Is it wrong to call a leech a leech?"2. "I… wasn't thinking straight."3. "So… you slapped me for her?"
I stared at the glowing text hovering mid-air.
Was this thing serious?
Do I really have to pick one? What if I don't? Would it… glitch? Maybe give me a secret fourth option like in those cheat videos?
Spoiler: it didn't.
And that's when a reckless thought crossed my mind.
What if I just… don't choose?
What's the worst that could happen, right? Maybe the system would freeze or throw me back to the main menu. And....i decided to avoid the system completely.
I looked back at Count Valemont and said, "I… will apologize to her."
Silence.
Count Edric's expression froze. His eyes widened ever so slightly, as if I'd just spoken in some forbidden language.
"...What did you say?" he asked, voice low and dangerous.
"I'll… apologize," I repeated, forcing a stiff smile that probably looked more like a grimace. "To my… sister."
He blinked. Once. Twice. His face flickered with confusion. The real Seraphina Valemont would rather bite her tongue off than say something like that.
And then—
[WARNING: Non-option Detected.]
[Penalty: Burning Ache.]
What!?
Then then... Count's voice sliced through my panic. "Do you truly believe this matter can be resolved with a mere apology?"
And just like that...he turned away, his cloak swishing sharply behind him. "You are confined to your quarters for one week. No visitors. No privileges. Only your personal maid is permitted."
The door shut with a dull thud.
I stood there frozen—cheek still stinging, pride shattered—staring at the glowing text before me.
[You are about to face a penalty.]
I blinked. "Wait, what do you mean penalty?"
[7… 6… 5…]
"Whoa, whoa, wait—what kind of penalty? Can we talk about this—"
[2… 1…]
[Penalty Initiated.]
It started as a spark. A small, sharp warmth crawling beneath my skin. Then it spread—searing, twisting, burning.
The warmth turned to agony so fast I couldn't even scream. It was like molten fire spilled through my veins, curling up my arms, sinking into my chest, licking at my spine until it felt like my bones were glowing.
My knees hit the floor with a crack.
"Ah—! W-wait—stop!" The words ripped out of my throat, raw and broken. My lungs convulsed, dragging in air that burned like acid. My vision blurred, black dots exploding behind my eyelids as every nerve in my body screamed.
It wasn't real. It couldn't be real. This was supposed to be a simulation. A harmless, stupid romance game.
But the pain didn't care. It devoured reason. It swallowed thought. It turned every inch of me into a living, breathing inferno.
My skin felt like it was splitting open from the inside out. The taste of metal filled my mouth—blood, I realized dimly—as I bit down to keep from shrieking. My heart thudded against my ribs, each beat sharper than the last, like it wanted to burst free.
I could feel it, crawling over me, choking me, the air thick and suffocating as the fire pressed in closer, closer—
"STOP!" I screamed, tears spilling from my eyes. "I GET IT! I'LL FOLLOW THE SCRIPT! I'LL DO WHATEVER YOU WANT!"
The blue screen flickered once more.
[Penalty Terminated.]
[Reminder: Failure to comply will result in permanent deletion in both worlds.]
My breath came out ragged, my body trembling uncontrollably. Sweat drenched the back of my neck, and I collapsed to my knees, shaking.
The screen dimmed, fading back into the air as if it had never existed. But the echo of its words—and the phantom pain licking at my skin—told me otherwise.
Follow the script… or die.
And for the first time since I woke up here, I realized… The villainess wasn't the monster of this world.
The system was.