The final chapter of "Crown of Swords and Silk" lay open on my tablet, the glow illuminating my frustrated frown. Another cliched ending. The noble heroine, a paragon of virtue, had once again won the heart of the Crown Prince, effectively sealing the doom of every minor villainess who dared to breathe in her orbit. And the war brewing between the dukedoms? Brushed aside for a flowery, politically convenient engagement. I scoffed, tossing the device onto my bed. Seriously, how could such a popular novel be so utterly… lacking?
My thoughts were cut short by an explosion of white light. It wasn't from the screen; it was everywhere, searing, blinding. A searing pain blossomed behind my eyes, then spread, consuming me in a wave of agony unlike anything I'd ever known. A silent scream tore through my throat, unheard in the overwhelming roar that swallowed my senses.
Then, darkness. Complete, suffocating. Just as I thought oblivion had claimed me, a series of sharp, mechanical pings echoed in the void.
[SYSTEM BOOTING...]
The words materialized before me, stark white against the blackness, each letter shimmering into existence. My pain, oddly, receded, replaced by a strange sense of detachment.
Welcome, Player.
Player? My mind, still reeling, latched onto the familiar term. Was this some kind of VR game? A very, very realistic one?
Disruptor ID: Confirmed. You are no longer in your world.
The realization struck me like a physical blow. No longer in my world? The novel. The ending I'd just read. The sudden light…
Host Identity: Seraphine Valtara (Doomed Noble, Level 1)
Seraphine Valtara. The disgraced daughter of a fallen duchess. The background character, barely a footnote, destined to be executed in the first few chapters. The very villainess whose fate I'd just lamented! My jaw would have dropped if I had a physical jaw to drop.
Fate: Death by Execution in Chapter 3.
A cold dread seeped into my new, ethereal being. This wasn't a game. This was real. And my death was already set in stone.
But then, another message flashed, bold and defiant.
[Objective Overridden]
Change your fate. Survive. Rewrite the story.