The vial was an inch from my mouth. The air in the library turned freezing—that was Niran's mana spiking in panic.
"Stop!" Phurin's hand clamped around my wrist like a vice. His face was a mask of pure terror, his "perfect prince" persona cracking right down the middle. "Are you insane? You don't even know what that is!"
"I thought it was medicine for a grandma, Phurin," I said, my voice steady even though my heart was doing the samba. "Lali said so. Why are you so scared? Unless... Lali lied?"
Phurin flinched. He looked at the vial, then at Lali.
Lali didn't miss a beat. She collapsed to her knees, her silk robes pooling around her like flower petals. She didn't just cry; she performed. Fat, diamond-like tears rolled down her cheeks.
"It is medicine!" she wailed, her voice cracking perfectly. "But it's... it's highly concentrated! A whole bottle would be too much for anyone! Kanya, how could you be so cruel? You'd risk your own life just to make me look like a liar?"
She turned to Phurin, clutching his hem. "She's doing this on purpose! She knows you care about life, so she's using her own body to trap me! Please, Phurin... I just want to help my family."
> Character: Lali
> Current Mood: "I deserve an Oscar."
> Affection Level (from Phurin): +85 (Protective Instincts: Max)
>
Phurin's gaze hardened. He looked back at me, and the fear in his eyes was replaced by a cold, sharp disappointment. That hurt. Even though I knew this was a game, that look felt like a physical slap.
"Kanya," he said, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "I wanted to believe you had changed. I really did. But this? This pathetic theatricality? You're trying to bully a girl who has nothing."
"I have the poison in my hand, Phurin!" I yelled, gesturing at the vial. "Niran, tell him! You saw the mist!"
I looked at Niran. The genius prince was staring at the vial, his glasses reflecting the candlelight. He opened his mouth, but Lali let out a choked, tiny sob.
"The Prince-Scholar is so kind," Lali whispered. "Kanya probably told him a lie before I arrived. She's so good at... twisting words."
Niran hesitated. He was a man of logic, but Lali's "heroine aura" was like a physical fog in the room. It clouded everything. He looked at me, then at the weeping girl on the floor.
"The chemical signature is... unusual," Niran said cautiously. "But without a full laboratory test, I cannot definitively say it isn't an herbal concentrate."
I felt the floor drop out from under me.
He's not helping. The plot was armor-plating Lali. No matter what I did, the "World Logic" was forcing them to take her side.
"Get out," Phurin said to me. He didn't even look at me. He was busy helping Lali to her feet, his arm wrapped firmly around her shoulders. "Go to your chambers. Guards will be posted at your door. If I see you near Lali again, I won't wait for the King's trial. I'll strip you of your title myself."
I stood there, the purple vial still in my hand. I felt small. I felt like the villain they all wanted me to be.
Lali looked over Phurin's shoulder as they walked toward the door. For one split second, the tears stopped. She gave me a slow, chilling wink.
I win, her eyes said. I always win.
They left. The heavy doors slammed shut, the sound echoing through the empty library.
I stood in the dark with Niran. I looked at the vial, then smashed it against the floor. The purple glass shattered, the liquid staining the expensive rug.
"You know she's lying," I said, my voice trembling. "You're the smartest man in the kingdom. You saw the 'Underground' seal on the cork."
Niran sighed, stepping out of the shadows. He looked tired. "I saw it, Kanya. But Phurin... he doesn't see with his eyes when it comes to her. He sees with his heart. And right now, his heart is blind."
"Is he blind, or is he just stupid?" I snapped, wiping my eyes. "Because I can't tell the difference anymore."
"Whatever the case," Niran said, walking toward me. He reached out, hesitating before resting a hand on my shoulder. "You just made yourself the mistake hated person in the palace again. How are you going to survive ?"
I looked at the shattered glass. "I'm not going to survive by being nice. That clearly doesn't work."
I looked up at him, my eyes burning. "If they want a villainess, I'll give them a villainess. But I'm going to be the kind of villain they can't afford to lose."
> System Notification: Villainess Reputation Restored!
> New Goal: Become 'The Necessary Evil'.
> Current Affection (Phurin): -60 (He thinks you're a monster)
I didn't wait for Niran to answer. I turned on my heel and marched out of the library, my heels clicking like a death march against the marble.
The guards were already waiting outside my bedroom door. Two hulking guys in iron breastplates, their spears crossed to block my entrance.
"Lady Kanya," the one on the left said, his voice flat. "Orders from the Crown Prince. You are not to leave this room until the Sun Festival. No visitors. No exceptions."
"Great. Fantastic. I love a staycation," I snapped, pushing past them into my room.
I slammed the door and leaned against it. The silence of the room felt heavy. Mali wasn't there—she'd probably been hauled off for questioning too.
I walked over to my vanity and stared at my reflection. The diamond lotus in my hair was tilted. My eyes were red. I looked like a girl who had lost everything. But inside? Inside, I was vibrating with a cold, sharp clarity.
Is the Prince blind, or is his love blinding him? Both. Phurin wasn't just stupid; he was a slave to the "Heroine's Charm." In this game world, Lali had a passive skill that made men want to protect her. My logic was a toothpick against her mountain of "uwu, please help me" energy.
"Fine," I whispered to the empty room. "If I can't be the hero, and I can't be the victim... I'll be the Boss."
I sat down at my desk and pulled out a fresh sheet of parchment. I didn't write a poem or a plea for mercy. I started drawing a map.
I remembered the game's lore. Lali wasn't just some random village girl. She was working with the Shadow Guild of Thonburi. In the original plot, they help her "discover" her royal lineage so she can marry Phurin. But the Shadow Guild doesn't work for free. They work for gold and secrets.
I had both.
I walked over to my floorboards near the bed. Every villainess has a hiding spot. I pried up a loose plank. Inside was a heavy velvet pouch filled with "emergency" jewelry—rubies the size of grapes and gold coins stamped with the King's face.
I'm going to buy the script, I thought, a slow, dangerous smile spreading across my face.
Suddenly, a pebble hit my balcony window.
Clink.
I froze. Then another. Clink.
I crept to the window and pushed it open. I expected to see a guard or maybe Niran coming to apologize.
Instead, I saw Prince Kovit. He was dangling upside down from the roof tiles like a literal bat, his face inches from mine.
"Rough night, Pee-Kanya?" he whispered, his eyes dancing with a manic sort of glee.
"Kovit! You're going to break your neck!" I hissed.
"Maybe. But I was bored," he said, flipping himself upright and landing on my balcony railing with the silence of a cat. He leaned against the glass, looking at the bag of gold in my hand. "Ooh. Planning a run for the border? Need a getaway horse? I know a guy."
> Character: Prince Kovit
> Current Mood: "Let's do something illegal."
> Affection Level: +20 (You're getting interesting)
>
I looked at him—the youngest prince, the one everyone ignored because he was "just a flirt." He was the only one who didn't look at me with pity or hate. He looked at me like I was a fun game.
"I don't need a horse, Kovit," I said, holding up a ruby. "I need a messenger. Someone who can get into the Lower City without being followed by Phurin's spies."
Kovit's smile widened. He reached out and plucked the ruby from my fingers, tossing it into the air and catching it.
"The Crown Prince is a boring stick-in-the-mud," Kovit murmured, stepping into my room. "He wants a tragedy. Lali wants a fairy tale. But you? You look like you're planning a heist."
He leaned in, his voice a low, thrilling purr. "Tell me, Kanya... who are we ruining first?"